November 2008

ne Parson’s Opinion

The story goes that two men were talking about a problem. One says, “I guess we’ll have to pray about what is to be done!” The other fellow responds, “Oh, it’s down to praying, is it!” Ha!

This is one of those sad but true stories, at least among Baptists. We tend to think prayer is the last resort, yet prayer is to be our regular practice, and God is to be the first we consult when we face an issue.

Since I have been a Baptist, I have noticed this about us. We talk more about prayer than most anything else, yet we do very little actual praying. In all of the churches I have pastored, we have normally had just a few come to Prayer Meeting. ARBC does not skew these stats.

Now, if one of the means God uses to get His will accomplished on earth is prayer, and there is little praying, should any Christian be surprised when there is little supernatural activity?

I don’t know about you, but I hunger to see God do what only God can do, which is, change lives! I know of no better place for Him to show up than Denver. But we have to ask!

To that end, we are adding a variety of prayer groups to those already in existence. I hope God will burden you to pray with one or more groups, if your schedule will allow. I also trust more prayer groups will arise than what we presently have at ARBC.

What follows is a list of the groups we currently have available.

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October 2008

ne Parson’s Opinion
by Danny Rogers, Minister of Education

“For this is the will of God, your sanctification.”

In regard to discipleship training, at ARBC we’ve completed two sessions of Share Jesus Without Fear, and Crown Financial is currently in session. There is more training on the horizon, and I would like you to know why these particular classes have been chosen for the coming year.

Some may ask, “Why wasn’t I asked about what I’m interested in learning?” I considered that, and then I looked at our rolls. We have 600+ names on our rolls with around 230 attending every Sunday. If only half of those in worship responded with two suggestions, I could have had 200 different suggestions. Considering duplication, it could have been a large number. There had to be a better way.

It all began with prayer. Next I turned to the Bible. Specifically, Galatians 5:22-23 and Matthew 28:19-20. I also considered the five basic functions of the church – worship, evangelism, fellowship, discipleship, and ministry. The last item I used as a guide was the ARBC mission statement printed inside every Sunday’s worship guide. Then I asked myself, “Using this specific criterion, what are the factors in what a fruit-bearing Christian looks like and/or does?”

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September 2008

ne Parson’s Opinion
by Danny Rogers, Minister of Education


Straight up Change! I’m not talking about money; I’m talking about God changing you and me into the people He wants us to be. The “Christianese” word for this is sanctification. After you place your faith in Jesus Christ, God goes to work sanctifying you, or changing you. All of us need reminding that this is God’s will for us. Read I Thessalonians 4:3: “For this is the will of God, your sanctification…” It is at the heart of God that He desires for each of us to change from who we were and what we did into who He wants us to be, doing what He desires.

It has been said you should have three people whom you want to talk straight with you: 1. Your doctor – you want an honest report from your doctor—no beating around the bush for results and treatments. 2. Your auto mechanic – we want an honest mechanic who will tell us just how much it will cost to repair our cars. 3. Your Pastor (pastoral staff) – your spiritual health should be a top priority in your life, so that you become what God desires of you. This is what I’m writing about – change.

The whole idea of change can become confusing, because there are so many churches and messages telling us that it’s okay to overlook certain aspects of ourselves or our actions. In an age of tolerance, we are bombarded with the message of overlooking and/or tolerating sin. Ask yourself Christian, does God really want me to overlook the “little” sins in my life? You know as well as I that the answer is “No!” Would you expect your doctor to tell you, “Don’t worry, it’s only a ‘little’ cancer”? Of course not.

The first step to seeing real sanctification, real change in yourself, is to recognize sin in your life. Loved ones, if we are not willing to face our own sins in the mirror, then we won’t change. God is ready, willing and able to do His part—the actual changing—but you have to do your part as well. My first step is to recognize what displeases God and your first step is to recognize what displeases God. Face up to it, call it what it is, don’t soften it and admit it to God, then confess it to a confidant. Yes, I have scripture to back that up. James 5:16 says, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed.” Confessing to a confidant is a key step because that person will help you with the next step.

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August 2008

ne Parson’s Opinion
by Danny Rogers, Minister of Education


Do you want a vibrant and exciting walk with Christ? I sure do! But how? The truth is there is no sure-fire, 100% plan, but there are some things you can do that will help you have that kind of relationship with Christ if you remain consistent in doing them. Let me give you three:

1. Genuine love for Christ. Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love God. When you place the Lord first in your life, you will want to serve within the church, read your Bible daily, tell others about His love and His plan of salvation. Remember how you felt when you met your spouse (or boyfriend/girlfriend, if you’re single)? You wanted to spend as much quality time with them as possible. This is how you should feel about the Lord. If you truly believe the Lord is God, then give Him everything you have. Take a moment and honestly examine your life and discover how you really feel about Christ.

2. Recognize the Bible as the authoritative Word of God. By this I mean that you live the truths that are taught in the Bible. We cannot pick and choose what we want to believe because it’s either all true or it’s all false. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword…” You will never have the power to live a full and fruitful godly life until you choose God’s Word as your final authority. Do you have a draining circumstance that you can’t conquer on your own? God’s word has the power!

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July 2008

ne Parson’s Opinion

As a pastor, you tend to get the same questions asked of you over and over again. I don’t mind it. As a matter of fact, I am less insecure when it comes to questions I have been asked before! Ha!

One of those often-asked questions has to do with guidance. It is often expressed like this: “How do I know God’s will for my life?” Another way of asking the same question is, “Does God want me to do this or that?”

Honestly, I have not stressed much over knowing the will of God. My stress comes from waiting on God to do what I know He will do (but that is for another column).

I believe I do not stress about guidance because I know God loves me and will let me know what I am supposed to do when I am supposed to do it.

This is part of the faith walk. We Christians walk by faith and not by sight. So, that means we just rest, trusting Him who knows what is best for us and trusting that He will reveal what is best at the best time.

Now, I can hear a theologian saying, “That is too simplistic! Guidance is more complicated!” No, don’t believe that, and run as fast as you can away from him. Some want to make this Christian life difficult.

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June 2008

The last part of Hebrews 12:1 says, “…let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” The idea of enduring to the end is a theme that should not be easily overlooked in the Christian life, including serving in the Church.

To run a race with endurance means the runner must take the time and make a plan to finish well. What do you suppose would happen if a runner took off sprinting without ever knowing the length of the race they were running? It seems obvious to me that the sprinter would risk running out of energy before the end of the race. They could begin getting cramps, and then their legs wouldn’t move as fast as they wanted them to, and they could even drop to the ground. It’s painful, to say the least.

How does this apply to our lives and ministry with the church? Many of us will join a team to serve in ministry at ARBC, and I hope you have already planned to finish well by this time next year, but how do you do that? Make plans. You already know that the ministry term goes for one year. Each team needs to meet, pray, and seek what will honor God the best in this coming year.

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May 2008

ne Parson’s Opinion


Our consultant, Dr. Larry Richmond, made some observations that certainly bear repeating. Let me try to distill what he observed about ARBC:

1. We have recovered well from the split.


2. We are a healthy congregation in many ways. An "oasis" was
   the word he used to describe ARBC for many who have been in churches
   where there has been discord.


3. We have the talent and the finances to do anything we want
   to do.


4. We need to sense God's activity and join Him in reaching
   and discipling people (by the way - I think it is God's activity to be
   an "oasis" for hurting people).


5. We need to continue to minister to the folks we have, but
   we must also be sensitive to where God is touching people all around us
   and respond by joining Him. Larry encouraged us to "get out of the
   boat", like Peter.

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April 2008

ne Parson’s Opinion


I want to thank so many of you who volunteered your time to meet in focus groups and interact with our consultant, Larry Richmond. If you were able to be with us Sunday night, March 16, to hear his initial report, you were no doubt impressed with the direction of his consultation. His focus is not on programming as much as it is on spiritual vitality.

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March 2008

ne Parson’s Opinion


Let’s just imagine this was my last article to write to you. What would I say if this was indeed the case?

I would thank all of you for the “hoot” it has been to be the pastor at ARBC. I would thank you for your encouragement, your prayers, your friendship and my salary.

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February 2008

ne Parson’s Opinion


I have been your pastor for a little over four years, and I feel it is time to look at what ARBC is doing well and what we not doing so well. To do this, we need someone objective to look at ARBC and see how we can do a better job with reaching and discipling people. To that end, I began looking for a trained consultant who could be that objective person.

Our Director of Missions, Dr. Bob Ryan, is one person I mentioned this need to, among others. He was able to link ARBC up with Larry Richardson, who is a Director of Missions in Illinois.

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January 2008

ne Parson’s Opinion


Happy New Year to you! I trust you will experience the Lord and His provision for you in wonderful, unexpected ways in 2008.

My prayer for ARBC in 2008 is that we experience more and more of what it is like to be family.

Years ago, one of my evangelism professors at Southwestern Seminary was Dr. Oscar Thompson. One day in class, he said the most effective form of evangelism is church evangelism. He went on to explain that he was talking about loving the brethren and unity in the body.

My years of pastoral experience have proven Dr. Thompson correct. All of the programming, personalities and plans have not been as effective in church growth as the fostering of family life.

The best way to understand what is going on is to look at it from heaven’s perspective. Jesus said, “I will build My church (Matthew 16:18)”. This simply means He is the One who adds people to His church. It seems He adds people to a church that is already taking care of those He has given them (see the parable of the talents).

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December 2007

ne Parson’s Opinion


Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Christmas is a wonderful season of the year. I love the festivities, the decorations, the presents (remember, I take a “large”), the joy, remembering the birth of Jesus, the food, the family get-togethers, the special movies and more. I love it all!

When I was a kid I would make a Christmas “wish list.” My folks would then pick three gifts off of the list to give me for Christmas. First, a costly gift, then one that didn’t cost very much, and then a least expensive one.

It’s been years since I have made a “wish list.” My family will ask me for some things I want for Christmas, and I am hard pressed to come up with a list.

How about you? When asked, “What would you like for Christmas?” how do you respond?

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November 2007

ne Parson’s Opinion

Can you believe as I write this it is the end of October? Where has 2007 gone? Thanksgiving and Christmas will soon be upon us (Beverly knows my shirt size!).

I can’t believe we have begun our fifth year at ARBC. Where has the time gone? I suppose this is a question you ask yourself also. Tempus fugit! (Time flies!) Indeed, it does!

Life really is a mystery, isn’t it? We’re born, life has joy and heartaches, and then we die. It all goes so quickly.

My uncle Carl died this last week. I suppose this is why I am thinking about the brevity of life. I remember being told that he was quite the baseball player. Then he was drafted and went off to World War II. He never returned to baseball. Instead, he married, got a job and had a family. Now he is dead. Life really is a mystery. All the things we pour ourselves into and worry about so much quickly pass away.

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October 2007

ne Parson’s Opinion

The Lord has blessed ARBC with new folks. I am very grateful!
Because of new folks in the fellowship, questions like these arise:

“How do I relate as a new member to the folks who were already members when I joined?”
“How do I as a long-term member of ARBC relate to new people in our fellowship?”

• Romans 12:10: “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.”
  
• Romans 12:16: “Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.”
  
• I Peter 5:5b: “All of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

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September 2007

ne Parson’s Opinion

In the Christian world, unrealistic expectations abound. Here is one I find intriguing because of my profession:
The Ideal Pastor
“The perfect pastor is one who preaches exactly fifteen minutes but who shares with his people the wisdom of the ages. He condemns sin but never hurts anyone’s feelings. He works from 8 a.m. until midnight and is also the janitor. He makes $75 a week, wears good clothes, buys good books, drives a good car, and gives $30 a week to the church. He is 26 years old and has been preaching for 30 years. He is above all else, handsome. He has a burning desire to work with teenagers and spends all his time with older folks. He smiles all the time with a straight face, because he has a sense of humor that keeps him seriously dedicated to his work. He makes 25 calls each day on parish members, yet spends all his time evangelizing the unchurched and is always in his office if and when needed.”

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June 2007

ne Parson’s Opinion

Years ago, before I went to seminary, I was pastoring the North End Mission in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. That would be the summer of 1975. I told the pastor of the mother church (Jack Smith) that, while in seminary, I sure would love to be on staff with a good, competent pastor. I felt I could learn a lot under his tutelage.

Jack’s response took me aback. He said, “Jim, you can learn a lot even from a bad pastor.” He was right, of course. I just hadn’t looked at life that way.

I am sure you are much more mature than I was and already know you can learn about life from every circumstance, situation or personality God brings into your life.

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May 2007

ne Parson’s Opinion

Our church Cook will cease preparing our Wednesday night meals on May 23. She is expecting a little girl this summer. She cannot juggle the new baby along with her other job, two other kids and Wil! Ha! Thank you, Melissa, for your service to Jesus and His people over these five years.

Now, what about the Wednesday night meals? Who will prepare them or what are we going to do?

Quite honestly, I do not yet know! The Church Council is looking into this. They have talked about several options. If you attend the Wednesday night meals and have an idea, talk to Mark. Mark will bring your ideas to the Church Council for consideration. You may even come to the monthly Church Council meeting and present your idea.

Please pray for the Church Council as they struggle to find God’s direction! I told the Church Council that no matter which of the options out there we choose, we will still need someone to coordinate and give leadership to this ministry.

I am wondering if there is someone who would like to give leadership to the Wednesday night meal as a volunteer ministry. If you do feel God wants you to serve His people this way, please visit with me.

As I thought about the volunteer position above I began to ponder the whole notion of serving as a Christian.

First, serving is delightful when you are doing a ministry in which you are gifted and enjoy. On the other hand, doing a ministry which you are not gifted to do can be drudgery. (We’ve all done these.)

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April 2007

ne Parson’s Opinion

For informational purposes, the church voted to pursue a Minister of Education in our business meeting, March 18. A preliminary job description was also approved. Now the process begins.

On April 1, (Yes, I know this is April Fools’ Day! Mark tells me he’d rather refer to it as Palm Sunday! Ha!) the church will be presented with a slate of active members. From this slate the church will choose the search team for the Minister of Education.

Also, in the same business meeting (March 18), the church adopted the “trigger” which the deacons recommended for two AM services. The “trigger” is that we average 260 in attendance in the auditorium for three months in a row. The deacons will monitor the numbers.

The deacons wanted the congregation to know that the two services will be mirror images of each other (as much as they possibly can be).

Now, it’s confession time. I encouraged the deacons to look at the need for two services. I am also the one who brought to the Personnel Team the need for an Education Minister. You probably know or guessed that. Here is the part that is a little scary. Change brings the possibility of problems. I don’t like problems. I’m the one who has to clean up the messes at ARBC!

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March 2007

ne Parson’s Opinion

Hopefully, by now you have heard that in the March business meeting our Personnel Team will bring a motion to begin the process of looking for a Minister of Education.

The Personnel Team introduced the idea at our February business meeting. They wanted everyone to have the opportunity to know about ARBC’s discussion about a possible new staff member. So, if you want to express what you feel the Lord wants us to do, plan to be in the March business meeting.

A very legitimate question to ask is, “Why does ARBC need a Minister of Education?” Without sounding “spiritual” the theological answer is to help ARBC fulfill the Great Commission.

The Great Commission says in Matthew 28: 18-20 that Christians are to make disciples. The discipleship process involves evangelism, teaching, training, developing and launching. We need someone to give leadership to those areas.

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February 2007

ne Parson’s Opinion

There is a bit of misunderstanding (even among the theologically correct group called Baptists) about growth in the Christian life.

It is a simple misunderstanding to correct, but an enlightening insight once you get it.

When my kids were young we would measure how much they had grown during the past year. What I discovered by measuring is that the kids did not grow to their present height all at once. It was a process.

You say, “Jim, that is silly! Growth is a process!” Bingo! (Excuse me for using a gambling term. You know I have been hanging out with Presbyterians and bad company corrupts good morals! Ha!)

But this is the point. Growth in the physical realm and in the spiritual realm is a process.

You may hear some preachers tell you that all of your trouble with temper, lust, hate, envy, jealousy, covetousness, gossip (have I hit you yet?!) will disappear all at once. No, it won’t! You see growth in the Christian life is a process.

At salvation you became a new person! That new person has to grow and develop.

How do you grow? Answer! The Lord grows you as you involve yourself in the disciplines of the Christian life. What are the disciplines? Some of the disciplines are corporate worship, private devotion, prayer, giving, witnessing, and meditating on Scripture.

Let me illustrate. Imagine you have a weakness with materialism. Stuff matters more to you than the Lord or people. What to do? Go to the Lord in prayer and ask Him to change you. He will! But it will be a process. One day several years from now stuff will be just stuff.

Remember, brothers and sisters in Jesus, we are in process. Better than we were, but not as good as we are going to be.

See you on the Lord’s Day,
Jim

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January 2007

ne Parson’s Opinion

2007 is here! Happy New Year! Where did 2006 go? The year has flown by! It seems only yesterday it was January 2006. 2006 is now history.

You have heard similar words about how fast time seems to go by. In fact, you have probably commented yourself about how fast the days disappear.

“Tempus fugit!” (translation “time flies!”) is indeed true!

Time is an interesting thing for Christians to ponder. We are going to live forever, so we have a different perspective on the pressure to get things done. However, we do want to make 2007 count. We do want to glorify God in 2007. So, what is important to Christians? What ought we focus on doing in 2007 to make the year count?

We do have to do our jobs, because we have to provide for our families and most of us have gotten very used to eating regularly! And the creation mandate to go out and subdue our world still holds.

But Christians ought to focus on more than “tasks” which in the light of eternity disappear.

So, what do we focus on? We focus on the things that are eternal. Well, what are those things? God, people and we ourselves are eternal. So, in light of making 2007 matter for eternity we need to invest our days in developing our relationships with the Lord, with others and developing our own character.

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December 2006

ne Parson’s Opinion

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! The Christmas season is upon us. Yes, I know that some of the stores have been “pushing” Christmas since September. But, most of us don’t start to focus on Christmas until after Thanksgiving.

There are many activities at the church building this season and I hope you will find time in your busy schedule to be a part of some of these.

Now, may I mention a “pet peeve” of mine? (This “pet peeve” brings out the “Scrooge” in me.) My pet peeve is the busyness of the season. This busyness seems to take away from the joy of the season.

We do have lots of responsibilities. There are presents to buy and programs to attend and special services to attend and visits to be made to family and friends.

I guess I truly am getting to be a “Scrooge.” You see, what I’d like is to do less and enjoy the events a little more. I find myself hustling from one event to another.

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November 2006

ne Parson’s Opinion

Thank you for providing the funds and the opportunity for me to be a messenger from ARBC at the Colorado Baptist General Convention’s annual meeting in Pueblo.

This is the fourth annual meeting of the CBGC I have attended as your pastor. Each year, the meetings have provided both inspiration and information. This was no exception.

Let me give you some of the highlights of the meeting.

• There is a new initiative to get all Colorado Baptist churches to give ten percent to the Cooperative Program. ARBC already gives 10.375 percent of our offerings to the Cooperative Program. For you who do not know, the Cooperative Program is the voluntary giving program whereby we Colorado Baptist churches support our state-wide ministries like resort ministry, church planting and church strengthening. Also, the Cooperative Program is the mechanism whereby 50,000 SBC churches support home and foreign missions and our six seminaries.


• Four new churches were admitted to the Colorado Baptist General Convention.


• We now have 427 churches and missions in Colorado, divided into eleven associations.


• Sadly, we were told of Clear Creek County which is just west of Jefferson County. It has a 96.2 percent lost-ness factor. There is one SBC mission and only one other evangelical church in the whole county.


• In church planting there has been a net gain of 85 new works started in the last five years.


• We had the pastor of Northwoods Church in Keller, Texas, speak of their work in North Vietnam. They are partnering with a Vietnamese Christian who has started 240 cell groups in North Vietnam.


• We had a fellow speak from the Middle East who became a terrorist at age seven. He came to this country to recruit folks for Islam and terrorism. He got converted in the process. Now he speaks for Jesus all over the world.

There is more to report and I will give it in our next monthly business meeting.

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October 2006

ne Parson’s Opinion

Several in our congregation have had the opportunity to experience the Flying W Ranch and the Flying W Wranglers in Colorado Springs.

Well, several of the Wranglers have severed their relationship with the Flying W Ranch. They have struck out on their own and formed the “Colorado Wranglers.”

The Colorado Wranglers are Christians and share their testimony in their performance.

A family in our church has given some money to host the Colorado Wranglers at ARBC. They will be with us in the p.m. service on October 22. They will have the entire service.

The Colorado Wranglers will be in cowboy costumes and performing cowboy music, but will share Jesus too!

Let me encourage you to plan to be with us on October 22, and to invite friends to be in attendance as well.

It will be an enjoyable evening of fun, entertainment and the sharing of the good news of Jesus Christ. I hope you will be able to attend.

Please also mark the evening service of October 29 to attend.

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September 2006

ne Parson’s Opinion

Let me challenge you at a few points.

No, I am not going to try to make you feel guilty about what you haven’t done. You already feel guilty about those things! Ha!

I want to challenge you to digest some of the most remarkable truths I have ever come across.

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August 2006

ne Parson’s Opinion

I wish to thank Ginger LeBlanc for her truly well-done job as VBS Director this year. She and her staff (below are the names of the helpers) did a good job presenting the gospel of Jesus Christ. We had the largest attendance we have had in the three years I have been here as pastor.

• Decorations: Gloria Cobb, Theresa, Nicole, Kylee & Kara Martens


• Bible Study Teachers (Navigators & Trailblazers):
  
  
  • 4-5 year olds: Shanna Rockwell, Kellie Howell, Carlee Dunn
  
  
  • 1st-2nd grades: Susan Lyons, Leni Sutton, Emily Lutz, Kara Martens
  
  
  • 3rd-4th grades: Karen Ammon, Theresa Martens, Kevin Howell
  
  
  • 5th-6th grades: Gene Washburne, Bambi Mayo
  
  
• Nursery: Sally Teston, Ashley Mascoto


• Music: Christa Dunn, Kara Martens, Casey Howell


• Snacks & Lunches: Kim Lutz, Candy Washburne


• Crafts: Melissa Powell


• Recreation: Jake Mayo, Dillon Rockwell, Mark Monson


• Photography: Candy Washburne


• Library Resources: Earlena Barbee

Continue reading "August 2006"

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July 2006

ne Parson’s Opinion

Winston Churchill, in his “Scaffolding of Rhetoric,” notes that an abstract idea goes in one ear and out the other. Concepts have to be turned into the concrete before they can be understood and remembered.

I believe this is why Jesus told parables. He wanted to make spiritual truth, which sometimes seems abstract, concrete and understandable.

Let’s take one of those parables and see the “master teacher” at work.

In Luke 15 there are three parables. The most famous one is the prodigal son. But let’s look to the early part of the chapter when Jesus tells the parable of the lost sheep.

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June 2006

ne Parson’s Opinion

Most of us have been deeply hurt by shame. We have been shamed by parents, and/or siblings, and/or peers, and/or fellow Christians, and/or pastors.
Shame differs from guilt. Guilt is what we feel because of our behavior. Shame is deeper. It addresses our worth as persons. Shamed people feel worthless, and suffer from a low self-esteem or negative self-concept. The shamed person feels defective, inadequate, unlovable and undeserving.
A person who is operating from a shame-based identity says to himself things like this:

• “I made a mistake therefore I am worthless.”


• “I spilt my milk therefore I am clumsy.”


• “My children misbehave therefore I am a lousy parent.”

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May 2006

ne Parson’s Opinion

The three students who demonstrated a Bible Drill on Sunday night, April 23, did a wonderful job. The three are Dylan and Jordan Rockwell and Meredith Lutz. You did good!

They worked very hard for months hiding God’s Word in their hearts. Their work certainly did show. They are to be proud of themselves and we ought to be proud of them.

Dylan, Jordan and Meredith will never lose what they have put in their souls. God will use His Word to guide and direct them all of the days of their lives.

God’s Word is vital to our lives as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.

As Moses addressed the Israelites in Exodus 32:46-47 he said in part: “...command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you - they are your life...”

Jesus said, as He quoted Deuteronomy 8:3 in part, in Matthew 4:4: “...man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

As a follower of Jesus there is a hunger to know the “lover of your soul” in a richer, fuller, deeper, more intimate way. The primary instrument ordained by God by which this is accomplished is by studying, memorizing, and meditating on the Word of God.

It is by meditating on the Word of God that the Holy Spirit guides and directs us in life.

Let me remind you of verses 1-3 in Psalm 1:
“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.”

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April 2006

ne Parson’s Opinion

There are some wonderful opportunities coming up for getting to know the Lord and understanding His ways a little better.
Henry Blackaby will be speaking at the Colorado Baptists Evangelism Conference, April 28-29. Then, April 30, we’ll begin our Spring Bible Conference at ARBC. Paul Burleson will again be with us to teach God’s Word Sunday through Wednesday (April 30-May 3).

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March 2006

ne Parson’s Opinion

We had some wood needing to be split to burn in our fireplace insert. So, I bought a “tool” to help split that wood.
The wood was hard! Ben split some and I split some. It took a lot of effort to break the wood apart into smaller pieces to be able to fit in our insert.
There are hearts that are very hard like that wood. Some hearts seem impenetrable. They dig their heels in and fight with all of their might to keep from changing.
The “tool” God has given to His Church to change hearts is the Word of God - the Bible. The Holy Spirit applies the Word of God and changes people. This supernatural event happens in every service.
The Holy Spirit will apply the Word of God to bring someone to salvation. The Holy Spirit also applies the Word of God to sanctify us. Each worship experience makes us a little bit more like Jesus.

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February 2006

ne Parson’s Opinion

In our Sunday evening worship service I spoke on one of the favorite passages in the Bible, Psalm 23.
What a treasure chest of promises are in this psalm!
If you were not able to be in the church service let me give you the three promises found in the text:

1. There is the provision of the Shepherd. I have everything I need (verses 1-3).
   
2. There is the protection of the Shepherd. His rod and staff protect me (verses 4-5).
   
3. There is the presence of the Shepherd. I will dwell with the Lord forever (verse 6).

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January 2006

ne Parson’s Opinion

I trust you had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. (We can say Merry Christmas in our newsletter!) By the way, aren’t you a bit tired of the attempts to move our nation away from its Christian roots? I suppose this move toward secularization and away from Christianity shouldn’t surprise us.

You see “pagans” do not like to be reminded there is a God. The reason for that is if there is a God then the pagan does not have the final say, God does! Therefore he doesn’t like to be reminded there is a God. The pagan would rather live in his fantasy land and make believe there is no God.

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December 2005

ne Parson’s Opinion

Thanksgiving! It is all together fitting to use this article to express thanksgiving to so many. First, thanks to Karen Ammon and the Fellowship Team for leading ARBC in both the Fall Festival and the Thanksgiving Celebration. They did an excellent job with both events.

I do not know the attendance at the Fall Festival, but Karen tells me over 200 were at the Thanksgiving Celebration meal. Thanks to all of you who brought food, helped with set up and clean up. You did good!

John Hall was never in better voice. What a privilege to have him in our church for a concert.

This level of talent is costly to bring in. Thanks to the family in the church that gave the money so ARBC could bring in John Hall.

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November 2005

ne Parson’s Opinion

I was coming down the hill; I can see the picture in my minds eye now. I was not thinking about much of anything, and there came this overwhelming sense that I was loved by the Lord. “Was it the ‘meatloaf’ the night before or was it the Lord?” Sometimes it is hard to tell, but I knew it was the Lord. After all why would Satan tell me Jesus loves me?

You may be reading this and wondering if anyone cares about you. To you, it doesn’t seem anyone does. Your relatives don’t call. Friends don’t regularly call or drop by. The circumstances have not been so great lately. You wonder and maybe you have even wondered out loud, “Does the Lord really love me or even care if I’m alive?” After all you reason God does have a universe to run and He has His hands full with George Bush and the new Pope. He certainly doesn’t care about me. I’ll bet He doesn’t even know I exist, much less love me.

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October 2005

ne Parson’s Opinion

On behalf of the people of the Alabama and Mississippi Gulf Coast thank you for your gifts. You have been so generous in your giving. I am proud of the way you have responded to this need.

All that you have given has been sent to Moffatt Road Baptist Church in Mobile or to Bay Vista Baptist Church in Biloxi. The exception being that we have taken some of the money to buy bleach and cleaning supplies to take with us to Biloxi. Any money you give in the future will be forwarded to Bay Vista to help with the needs in their community. (FYI – the expense for gas for the Biloxi trip is coming from the Mission Team’s budget. The cost for food and lodging is being born by the individuals making the trip.)

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September 2005

ne Parson’s Opinion

As most of you know my sister, Judy, is fighting cancer. She knows the prognosis is not good. Unless the Lord intervenes, the cancer will kill her. Judy and I thank so many of you for sending cards of encouragement and for letting her know you are praying for her.

Judy has said to me several profound things and there will be more nuggets of wisdom in the days to come.

One of her pearls of wisdom was stated like this: When you have cancer it changes everything. She said your values, what is important, your relationships – all of life is viewed through different lenses. It’s true! What a shame it takes cancer to remind me again of what is truly important in life.

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August 2005

ne Parson’s Opinion

It has been hot in Denver! I was told it did not get hot in Denver before I came by a committee that will remain unnamed. Ha! All I can say is that if this is a taste of the place down below, I’m glad I am not going there after death.

But it will get cool soon and then probably your pastor will be complaining about the cold.

I wonder to myself, “why I am not satisfied?” I wonder why I keep looking for something more. I wonder why I would give even a little focus to the weather. What do I really have to complain about?

I am financially rich, if you measure me by the standard of the people who live in parts of Africa and parts of South America. I am rich in so many ways beyond the financial, such as I am a Christian and going to Heaven when I die. The Holy Spirit makes the presence of Jesus real to me. I live in victory now by trusting Jesus, whatever the circumstance may bring.

I have a family who loves me. We are all healthy. We have a home (or should I say, the bank and I have a home! ha!)