First Baptist Church of Brownsville, Oregon

 

 (Revelation 17:14)

 

Can you believe there are only 2 days left in 2016?  Another year has flown by hasn’t it?  I can tell we are close to the end of the year partly because of where we are at in our Bible reading – near the end of Revelation!  

 

It’s amazing to me that the verse I highlighted in my reading today (see above) has an important correlation with one of the verses I will be preaching on Sunday:

 

 (Matt. 2:2)

 

I will be preaching on “After the King’s Birth” from Matthew 2 this Sunday at 10:30.  I decided to continue with thoughts on Christmas instead of jumping right into a “New Year” message.  The visit from the magi (“wise men”) has some important lessons for us.  Hope to see you here on January 1!  Why not start of your new year right?!

 

 

Also remember to get one of the Bible reading calendars from the foyer if you haven’t already printed one up yourself.  This year I will be following the One Year Bible reading plan, and I invite you to join me.

 

Let’s pray for a mighty work of God in our midst in 2017!  May we thrive more than ever in EXALTING His Name, and EXTENDING His Invitation, and EQUIPPING His People!

 

Love From Your Pastor,

Michael

 

I’m writing to encourage you to join me in reading through the Bible again (or for the first time) in 2017!  A number of us have been reading through the Bible book by book using a plan that Randy shared with me this year.  I’ve been thinking a lot about what to do for the coming year.  I actually was going to work on making up my own plan, but

frankly

it was taking me way too long, and it’s already Dec. 27.  

 

So I’ve decided to go back to a Bible reading plan that I have used many times ever since I first started reading through the Bible when I was 16.  It’s called the One Year Bible.  I love it because it is like a 4-course meal every day!  There are readings from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs for each day of the year.  It will take us through the OT, NT, and Proverbs once, and Psalms twice.  

 

I suggest that you prayerfully enter

in to

your reading each day, looking for key things that God is teaching you, maybe underlining verses that stand out to you, and studying the passages with a good study Bible if you have one.

 

I really enjoy having discussions with others in the church who are reading the same things!  It helps us to be “on the same page.”  I’ve heard some real encouraging things from a few of you who have read through the Bible in the last couple years.  If you have never read the whole Bible, perhaps 2017 is the year for you to do it!  If you’ve started a number of times, but fallen behind, gotten discouraged, and given up, I want to encourage you to try again!  I have some tips I can share with you if you want to talk to me personally.

 

At the end of this message are links for you to download the plan yourself; you can either print up a small print version or larger print.  You can also purchase a copy of the One Year Bible that contains the readings for each day in an easy to follow format.  We will also have paper copies on a table in the foyer at church for you to pick up at your convenience. Thank you for considering joining me on another journey through God’s incredible Word this year!

Read more…

 

 (Esther 4:13-14)

 

I like what the Gospel Transformation Bible says here, speaking about the ultimate King being “Jesus Himself, who, like Esther, was raised up at just the right moment in history (Rom. 5:6; Gal. 4:4), ‘for such a time as this’ – or as Paul elsewhere says, ‘when the fullness of time had come’ (Gal. 4:4).”  Let’s celebrate this Christmas season that Jesus came to earth as God’s greatest gift, at just the right time, ‘for such a time as this’!

 

We would love to have you join us as we celebrate His coming:

 

.  I always love the atmosphere of this service, it’s a special time for our families to reflect on the Light of the world who came to pierce through the darkness!

 

 – Christmas morning worship service.  Singing Christmas carols, listening to Carolyn read “The Legend of the Candy Cane” to the children, and reflecting on Luke 2:1-20, “The Lord is Come!”  What a blessing to celebrate Christ’s birth together on Christmas Day!  Come casual, even in your jammies and slippers if you want!

 

 

By the way, THANK YOU so much for the extremely generous gift given to me and my family this past Sunday!  Words cannot express our gratitude for your love for us!

 

Love From Your Pastor,

Michael

 

  (Nehemiah 8:1-3 ESV)

 

I read a great devotional on this today, and decided to share selections from it:

 

“…Children who are able to read will benefit from being with their parents in worship, and it is the duty of husbands and fathers to make sure that their families hear God’s Word both in private and in public…

 

This is the work that God has given to preachers today.  They are to read the Word of God and explain its

meaning,

so that God’s people can understand its application to their lives…

 

Men who seek God often find that the first effect of God’s Word is to show us our own hearts and to humble us on account of our many failures.  God will often bring us to such a place of conviction, but it is never His purpose to leave us there… It is God’s joy to forgive.  So let His grace and mercy soothe your repentant tears.

 

Hearing and understanding God’s Word led to

confession and then to rejoicing, but the chapter ends with the joy of obedience… The Word heard and understood produced confession

, rejoicing, and obedience.  That’s the power of the open Book!”  (Colin Smith,

)

 

A few reminders:

Read more…

 

 (Haggai 1:13)

 

 (Haggai 2:4)

 

Isn’t that one of the great promises of the Christmas story?  “I am with you, declares the Lord.”  Emmanuel – God with us.  Let’s remember during this busy season that what we are celebrating is the presence of God among mankind!  Jesus, the Son of God, became flesh and dwelt among us!  Merry CHRISTmas!

 

I appreciate Justin doing a fine job preaching this past Sunday.  And this Sunday, rumor has it, we’ll have another guest speaker… John the Baptist will be joining us! 

  Please read those Scriptures before Sunday and come with hearts ready to learn about Christmas from John’s perspective!

 

  We will eat in the Fellowship Hall right after the worship service, and Nick Droback will be sharing his testimony and background during the meal-time.  Then we will move back to the Worship Center for the meeting.  EVERYONE is welcome to come for the meal.  The church is providing the ham, we are asking you to bring your favorite dish, salad, side dish, or dessert to share.  Everyone is also invited to the business meeting.  This will be a time of celebration, reflecting on what has been accomplished in 2016 by God’s grace in the various ministries of FBC!  We will also be voting on new members, church officers, and the annual budget for 2017.  Only members can vote for these items.

 

Please consider extending an invitation to your friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, etc. for the upcoming events at FBC during the Christmas season:

Dec. 11, 10:30am — “The Prophet of the Most Hight” (John the Baptist dramatic monologue)

Dec. 18, 10:30am — Children’s Christmas Program

Dec. 24, 6pm — “Christmas by Candlelight”

Dec. 25, 10:30am — “An FBC Family Christmas”

 

Friends, remember to keep Christ at the center of all you do this Christmas season!

 

(John 1:14) 

 

Love From Your Pastor,

Michael

 

 

With it (the tongue) we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.  From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.  My brothers, these things ought not to be.

 (James 3:9-10)

 

This was a great reminder to me this morning.  We constantly need to be challenged to guard our tongues.  Let’s be careful with how we use our words.  What a great privilege to use them to bless the Lord.  Let’s make sure we’re not using them to curse people who are made in His image!

 

  This is a wonderful passage! Please go ahead and read it before Sunday and come prepared to hear from Him.

 

Many of you are aware that Justin and family were hoping to be moving into their home in Brownsville this weekend.  But it looks like the bulk of the moving will actually be next Tuesday.  He said he will send out an email with details for those who want to help.  But please let him know Sunday if you’d like to help them.

 

Some of you (especially those with kids) are surely counting down the days until Christmas (24 to go!).  What are you doing to ensure that this is a Christ-centered Christmas season for you?  I hope you’ll take some time in your family to talk about that.  Let’s keep our eyes on Him and remember that He is the reason for the season.

 

God’s grace and peace be yours in abundance!

 

Love From Your Pastor,

Michael

 

 (2 Chronicles 20:21)

 

I’ve attached a list of verses with the words “give thanks” in them.  I think around 29 verses or so.  Perhaps this would be something you’d want to read through as a part of your personal time of giving thanks to the Lord.  And/or maybe it’s something your family will want to read around the table as you give thanks together tomorrow.  Whatever you do or don’t do, please remember to “give thanks to the LORD”, for that’s what the day is all about!

 

Speaking of thankfulness, THANK YOU for the generous support of our annual special offering for missions! 

There were also a couple generous gifts toward the same projects a week or two before the offering was taken.  So I think it’s safe to say that this year’s offering was over $10,000!  May God be glorified and His kingdom advanced through this offering.

 

Another item regarding money: Some of our high schoolers (including Molly) are planning on participating in a mission trip to Mexico over spring break next year.  They are selling raffle tickets right now, I believe for a cord of firewood.  The tickets are $1 each.  If you’d like to purchase tickets to support the students on this trip, and for a chance to win some firewood, please talk to one of the high school students on Sunday (for an updated list of which students are going, contact Pastor Justin).

 

This Sunday I will be speaking on “Self-Made Religion” from Colossians 2:20-23.  Have you ever met someone who’s spiritual life seemed to solely consist of the things they DON’T do?  Or does that describe you?  It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking our Christian faith is all about rules and regulations.  But is it?  Please read the passage prayerfully before Sunday.  And by the way, I’m thankful for the excellent job Pastor Justin did for us in the previous section last Sunday.  These two messages will somewhat tie together.  If you haven’t listened to his message yet, I’d encourage you to here: https://www.fbcbrownsvilleoregon.org/media/sermons/

 

Giving thanks for you today!

 

Love From Your Pastor,

Michael

 

(Hebrews 13:5)

 

There were many powerful things in my reading of Hebrews 11-13 today, including the “Hall of Faith”

in ch

. 11 and my favorite Scripture of all-time, 12:1-2!  But I was led to write 13:5 in my journal.  Probably first because this verse is a reminder that I always need for my own life.  But secondly perhaps because I would be writing about it to you today.

 

Both a challenging command and a wonderful promise are included in this one verse. 

First we are told to keep our lives free from love of money.  That’s so important, but so difficult to do in our culture (probably in any culture really).  But that command to be content is tied to His promise that He will never leave us or forsake us.  We are ultimately to be content with what we have,

because He is really all we need!

 

It is fitting for us to consider this passage today as we prayerfully prepare for this Sunday’s annual special offering for missions!  We have a wonderful opportunity to be a blessing to 3 very worthy causes.  What a huge joy it was this past Sunday to see the mobile pregnancy center unit parked on our basketball court, which is one of the projects we gave toward last year!  This year we’d like to support Beth Arends, who works tirelessly with international students at OSU.  Beth is a dear sister who has faced with great courage some major challenges physically, financially, and spiritually in recent years.  We’d like to be a source of encouragement to her.  We also want to continue our support of the Haiti Foundation of Hope, and especially right now as they deal with the aftermath of another devastating hurricane that has impacted so many lives.  And we would love to be able to help as many people as possible (especially our young people) when they desire to serve on a short-term mission trip, by being able to offer generous scholarships.

Read more…

 

 (Titus 1:1-4)

 

Now that’s how to begin a letter!  Paul’s letters are packed with valuable truth from beginning to end, aren’t they?

 

Speaking of Paul’s letters, we continue our study in Colossians this Sunday with a message from Col. 2:8-15, “Made Alive with Christ”. Talk about packed with truth!  We’ll discuss again how all-sufficient, all-powerful, and all-important Jesus Christ is.  The foundation of our faith and of our lives needs to be our understanding of just who He is.  Please read ahead and be sure to join us Sunday!

 

 And she’s got exciting news regarding the mobile unit which we contributed towards through our annual Missions Special Offering last year!  We may even have a chance to see it up close and walk through it!  You won’t want to miss that.

Read more…

 

 (1 Chronicles 11:9)

 

I love the reminder of this verse, that what made David grow in greatness was the presence of the LORD of hosts (the God of armies of angels)!  And I love how in the grand story of redemption in the Bible, David points us to a greater Shepherd-King, our Lord Jesus.  May we bow our hearts daily to this Great King of all kings, and let’s thank Him for His continual presence with us!  Because He promises to always be with us, we need not fear!

 

  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  So many of you stepped up to help us put on a marvelous event that blessed our community!  We had 37 “trunks” of various shapes, sizes, and themes.  We’ve increased the # of trunks every year since we started in 2011, from 20 that year to 37 this year.  There were some very creative vehicles and costumes for sure!  (It was too bad some of the kids didn’t know who the Flintstones were!)  We received donations of around 450 lbs of candy (consider that we had 300 lbs. in 2011)!  There was a little left over, but not too much.  I don’t know how many hot dogs went out (there were 350 last year, I think more this year), I think we used 12 big cans of chili, many dozens of cookies, and bags of popcorn.  Thank you for your generosity in giving so much!  We gave out 205 cups to kids who came from our community, which included a gospel tract, information about our church services and various programs, as well as Christmas program dates.  We are still working on a total number of people who were on our campus Monday night.  Thank you for praying!  Please continue to do so.  I heard of a couple people who asked our volunteers when our church services are.  May the Lord bring about much fruit from the many seeds that have been planted through this event.  If I were to try to name all of the different volunteer positions you all participated in, I would probably miss something.  But please accept heart-felt gratitude for every one of you who helped make this outreach a success!  Every person was vital to making the evening go smoothly.  Numerous people thanked us for doing this and for being such a blessing to their children!  Good job church!

 

  Many hands make light work, so please plan to come pitch in!  There are a number of things that need to be done to spruce up this campus that the Lord has given to us.

 

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME ENDS: This Sunday!  So please remember to set your clocks BACK (fall back) Saturday night.

  Get an extra hour of rest and come to church on time and prepared to be fully present as we worship, fellowship, and grow spiritually!

 

COLOSSIANS 2:6-7:  Only 2 verses for this week’s message.  Should be short, right?  Well… Please read this incredible passage before Sunday, and be prepared for the Lord to minister to you as we look at Walking in Him!

  We will also be remembering the Lord’s death as we partake of Communion together.  Please be sure and be here.

 

SPECIAL OFFERING FOR MISSIONS:  November 20 during the worship service!  We will receive our annual special offering (above and beyond our regular general fund offering).  Please be in prayer about how much the Lord would have you give for this.  Let’s do our best to be generous toward the worthy causes selected by Global Outreach.  What an encouragement is has been to be a blessing to various ministries through this offering in past years.  This year there are 3 projects to choose from.  You can either designate your gift for one or two of these specifically, or just give a general gift that will be divided between all three.  1) Funds for short-term mission trips and for mission training camps, 2) Haiti Foundation of Hope, specifically in response to the devastation much of Haiti is experiencing as a result of Hurricane Matthew, 3) Beth Arends,

 our missionary at OSU with international students.  Thank you for prayerfully considering a generous gift this year.  We’ve been doing this offering the past few years in correlation with our FBC Anniversary, which is November 16 (FBC was established on that date in 1853!).

 

May God bless you greatly as you walk in His presence daily!

 

Love From Your Pastor,

Michael