A New Beginning in 2012

I really do like New Year's Day. For nothing more than it is a place to start. It is a place to begin something new and put aside the old. We can always justify making a change in our lives on New Year's Day. So, the question for all of us at Trinity Baptist Church is what should be new for us in 2012? I wonder what the Lord has in store for all of us that are striving to do God's will in 2012. Maybe 2012 will bring a new way of reaching out to our community. Perhaps our God will bring people into our midst brothers and sisters in Christ that will inspire us to be stronger in our outreach! Let us pray for power, wisdom, love and growth. Although, I am daily thankful for everyone at TBC and their encouragement and love, I know that our body of believers could do so much more. Paul gives us great inspiration in the book of Philippians for a time like New Year's.
Philippians 3:13-14

13Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
So on this New Year's Eve-I challenge my brothers and sisters to "forget the behind, reach forth to what is before and press to the mark." Its God year this 2012. God has been good and we have seen in particular young men and women be drawn to the Saviour in 2011. Let us look to our God for the way in 2012!

How Satan Tried to Steal Christmas

We all love the holiday classic-"How the Grinch Stole Christmas".  I'm talking about the cartoon that I watched as a kid and with my children every year for many years.  I'll never forget the low bass singer singing "you're a mean one Mister Grinch."  You know the story-he goes to Whoville to steal everything related to the Christmas celebration.  In the end he is charmed by Cindy-Lou Who and saves Christmas for all.  The Grinch did everything he could to steal away the joy of Christmas for the folks of Whoville.  Well, Satan did everything he could to take away the true reason for Christmas.  We celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ our Redeemer.  Satan tried his best to put up roadblocks to stop the birth and life of the Savior.  Today we remembered three obstacles to the life of Christ. 

First, the importance of God fulfilling his promise to David that the Messiah would be one of his offspring.  Well, Satan caused many of David's offspring to be very wicked, so wicked that the wicked King Coniah was cursed that none of his offspring qualify to be the Messiah.  God's plan would make sure that Jesus would be the son of David and that the curse of Coniah would be fulfilled.  It happened that Jesus would be in the line of both Mary's lineage and Joseph's.  Coniah was promised you will be "childless" for the Messiah of which he was, as Mary's lineage was through David's son Nathan and not the legal line of Solomon.  God's plan was preserved as his plan remains true for each and every one of us every day.

Second, Mary was virgin born.  To many of the day this was very hard to accept.  God did a miracle as Mary was conceived of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 7:14).  There must have been rumours of a stoning as that was the punishment for unmarried pregnancies.  Joseph was told by God in a dream that this baby was unique and special.  He remained true to his betrothed and God's plan was fulfilled.  Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin.  Satan's plan was thwarted.

Third, the baby Jesus was saved from a murder by the wicked King Herod.  The three Godly wise men refused to give in to Herod and give him details of the whereabouts of the baby Jesus.  Joseph reacted quickly to take his family to Egypt to avoid the baby killings that would happen in Bethlehem.  Again, God's perfect plan was fulfilled.  Satan tried and failed.  He tried to stop the redemption plan and failed.  He tried every day to distract us from serving our God.  He tries to use trials to cause us to doubt.  Christian- Satan has already failed.  Trust Christ as Savior and let him rule your life.  Don't let Satan steal Christmas!

Christmas Carols and the Gospel

This week our young people at Trinity have Christmas concerts nearly every day.  Actually there was one Monday, last night and each week night of the rest of the week.  I'll be Christmas caroling with two different clubs here in the next week and our youth group will carol on Monday evening.  One could easily tire of hearing Christmas carols.  My daughter Jeanette mentioned this very attitude to me this week.  But, with a Evangelistic mindset, Christmas is the greatest time for the Gospel.  All you have to do is sing (usually) the last verse of our most treasured Christmas Carols.  Take Silent Night-
Silent Night, Holy Night, Son of God, loves' pure light.  Radiant beams from thy holy face, with the dawn of redeeming grace.  Jesus Lord at the birth, Jesus Lord at the birth.   


Redeeming grace is the hallmark of the Gospel.  Christmas is a great time to comment on this verse and the redeeming grace.  This is an easy transition to a Gospel witness of Christ to the unsaved.

Take The First Noel and the last verse:
Then let us all with one accord Sing praises to our heavenly Lord, That hath made heav'n and earth of naught, And with His blood mankind hath bought. 
Here we read of God being the creator and His reaching down and shedding his blood to buy back our eternal redemption.  Wow!  I challenge you to take some time to share the last verse of a Christmas carol to someone this week.  It is like a Gospel Tract sent from World and American Cultural History.  :)  
Tomorow more Gospel Carol Last Verses.

Sunday is Mongolia Day

This Sunday we are excited to have our missionaries, the Conners,to the land of Mongolia.  After serving the Lord nearly 20 years they have retired to Flagstaff, Arizona and are looking forward to new ways of service for God.  We hope to continue to be involved in their endeavors whatever they may be.   Sunday Brother Dick will be here to  preach and encourage us in the Word.  We pray that you can be here. 

Celebrating the Birth of the King

Trinity Baptist Church will be celebrating Christmas this year with a special youth program on December 18th and a special Christmas Day Celebration on the 25th.  We welcome everyone to come and join us as we celebrate the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Our services will begin at 11:00 am each day.

Giving Thanks

I love  Thanksgiving.  It is a truly American holiday that emphasizes the importance of our Christian history.  It is without dispute that the first Americans were Bible believers and sought to come to America so they could more freely worship the God of the Bible.  We look back on the Pilgrims and realize their hard work, sacrifice and commitment to the new life that they had chosen in America.  But, they had come because they wanted to more freely worship, so it was all worth it.  The Pilgrims relationship with their God was all-important.

The first Thanksgiving was a celebration to God's goodness for helping them to survive.  They could have dwelled on the hardships and hard times that they went though, but instead gave thanks to His goodness.

We need to have the same attitude this week.  As America gives thanks and celebrates the good things God has given them, so should we give thanks to the God of our salvation and all the good gifts that are from above.

Thanks, Dr. Bob, for the encouraging words

We were privileged to have Dr. Bob Jones III, from Bob Jones University with us last Monday, November.7th.  He was a blessing.  

Mrs. Jones also blessed with an encouraging dramatic reading.  It challenged the hearts of our young people for mssions.

The music was excellent, the fellowship was great and the preaching was encouraging.  One day we are looking forward to seeing some of our young people go on to attend BJU.  It is one of a few excellent Christian colleges in our land that takes a stand for Christ and is not ashamed of the Gospel.  This Sunday we pray that God would use each one of us to minister to each other.  We can encourage one another in the fellowship and just in each other's presence.

Evangelism in the City

October 21st and 22nd our church had the opportunity to share God's Word with our town.  We held an open air booth at the Hardyville Days.

Several of us spent time passing out Gospel Tracks and sharing the Good Test.  Many were challenged about their sin problem and exhorted to be made righteous before their God.  What a blessing to share the message of Jesus to our City.

Dr. Bob Jones III to speak at Trinity Baptist

Monday, November 7th, we are excited to have Dr. Bob Jones III with us for a special meeting at 7:00 pm.  He will be traveling with Beneth, his wife as well as two musicians who will be blessing us with some excellent special music.  This is the second time Dr. Bob will have spoken at our church.   The last times was back in the 80's.  Dr. Bob has travelled widely and preached in many foreign countries along with most states in the United States.  We'll be having a dinner provided by the church at 6:00 pm.  We hope everyone will invite their friends to this important event.  Our church is located at 1941 Havasupai Dr.  Just review the blog to find directions to our church. 

Are Christians Arrogant?

Read this excellent article that answers this important questions for skeptics.  Christian shouldn't be arrogant, but we should be confident in truth.  We should be thankful for being freed from sin.  We should be lovingly sharing the great Gospel that is the only way of salvation.

How can Christians say Jesus is the only way to God?

Isaiah 45:21
"There is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me."
John 14:6
"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

---

How can Christians be so sure they're right and everyone else is wrong? Isn't that arrogant?Logically, it's not possible for all the major world religions to be valid ways to God. As seen in the verses above, Christianity states that the God of the Bible is the only true God and salvation is only possible by accepting Christ as Savior and Lord. Judaism states that the God of the Torah/Old Testament is the only true God, but that Jesus is not the Messiah, putting it directly at odds with Christianity. Jesus either is the Messiah, or he is not. If he is, Judiasm is not a valid way to God; if he is not, Christianity is not a valid way to God. The mutual exclusion only grows when other religions are added: Islam says that Allah is the only true God, and that anyone who says Christ is the Son of God will be condemned (Qur'an, 5:72, 9:30). Furthermore, if religions other than Christianity are valid ways to God, then one of Christianity's basic principles is false; in that case, can it still be said to be a valid, trustworthy religion? (See also 1 Cor 15:14-19.)
No matter what belief system you adopt, you will be saying that your system is right and that the billions of people who don't accept it are wrong. If Islam is correct, the billions of non-Muslims are wrong; if Orthodox Judiasm is correct, the billions of Gentiles are wrong. If it is correct to approve of multiple belief systems because they're all valid ways of acheiving spiritual enlightenment, the billions of Christians, Jews, Muslims and others who belive in exclusive religions are intolerant and therefore wrong.
How can Christians be sure their religion is the right one? Being born into a Christian family or growing up in a Christian community doesn't make one a Christian; culture and ethnicity don't determine one's relationship with God. Instead, people become Christians because they are convinced of the truth of Christianity and/or have had experiences with God - in short, they have good reasons for believing Christianity to be true. (See the testimonies of people who have become Christians.) Also, Christians are not saying that their personal ideas are true, but that the Christian God exists, andhis words are true.
Furthermore, Christianity is unique among religions because it addresses the fact that we can never be good enough to be in the presence of a perfect, holy God. In order to be perfectly good, we would have to be doing good all the time. If we do something wrong, we can't undo it, and we can no longer be considered perfect. Nor can we do more good to make up for our wrongs, for perfection requires doing the most good possible at all times - we can't be more than perfect to make up for when we're less than perfect. Other religions teach that we can somehow do enough good to earn heaven or nirvana, but they don't address the fact that we continually make mistakes. Christianity teaches that our sins were paid for by Jesus' death on the cross, and that by accepting his payment and believing in him we can be forgiven; we don't have to earn our way into heaven, which is a good thing, because we can't do it. Christ is the only way to God, because without the forgiveness that comes through his death and resurrection, there's no way for us to be able to stand before a holy God.
Saying that Christianity is right does not mean that Christians themselves are right about everything, or that they are innately superior to non-Christians. What Christianity teaches is that both Christians and non-Christians "have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23) and need salvation, which comes only by the grace of God, not the individual's actions or merits (Eph 2:8-9, 1 Cor 1:26-31).
Christianity is intolerant of other beliefs
Is refusing to call a belief false always the right thing to do? For instance, is it right to say that racism and Nazism are simply alternate belief systems that we shouldn't pass judgment on, or should we condemn these beliefs as being morally wrong? If someone believes they have the right to rape or kill whomever they please, should we accept their beliefs as an alternate lifestyle, or denounce them? Tolerance is an admirable virtue in many circumstances, but tolerating wrong by refusing to say it's wrong is in itself wrong. If Christianity is true, then there is only one God and salvation comes only through Him, and religions that deny this are not merely alternate forms of spiritual expression, but systems of belief that prevent their adherents from obtaining salvation. If Christ is in fact the only way to God, then to claim that he's not is both false and dangerous. If someone has a fatal disease, telling them that they don't need to seek medical treatment is wrong. If someone can only have salvation by accepting Christ as their Savior, telling them they don't need to accept Christ is even more wrong, no matter how tolerant or well-meaning it may seem to be.
Christianity is exclusive - those outside the church aren't saved
First of all, would a religion that taught that everyone goes to heaven be a good religion? We would all like to think that we and our loved ones will go to heaven. Yet if everyone automatically goes to heaven, this includes evil people as well as good people. Should an unrepentant killer go to heaven? Should someone who enjoys torturing people, or who molests children and feels no guilt, go to heaven? If not, then there are cases when it's morally right for people to be excluded from heaven.
Christianity does not teach that only Christians deserve to go to heaven. Rather, it teaches that no one deserves to go to heaven, because we have all done wrong during our lives (Rom 3:23). We can gain admittance to heaven by repenting of our wrongs, accepting Jesus Christ's death as payment for our wrongs and deciding to follow and worship him as Lord. The principle is that Jesus is the only way to God, not any particular church or denomination (Jn 6:40). Thus, salvation is accessible to everyone and is intended by God for everyone:

Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth. (Is 45:22)I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone...This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men. (1 Tim 2:1, 3-6)

(See also Is 49:6, 52:10, Rev 5:9.) Indeed, there are people "from every nation, tribe, people and language" who will be saved (Rev 7:9). Thus, far from being exclusive, Christianity is inclusive. Anyone who chooses to accept Christ as Lord and Savior is a Christian and has equal standing with all other Christians before God.

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Gal 3:26-28)

from Spurgeon

"Thy Word"--not that voice in my head--"is truth"

Your weekly dose of Spurgeon
posted by Phil Johnson





The PyroManiacs devote some space each weekend to highlights from The Spurgeon Archive. The following excerpt is from "Our Lord's Prayer for His People's Sanctification," preached on Sunday Morning, 7 March 1886 at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, London.

"Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth."—John 17:17.

hat is the truth? There is the point. Is the truth that which I imagine to be revealed to me by some private communication? Am I to fancy that I enjoy some special revelation, and am I to order my life by voices, dreams, and impressions?

Brethren, fall not into this common delusion. God's word to us is in Holy Scripture. All the truth that sanctifies men is in God's Word. Do not listen to those who cry, "Lo here!" and "Lo there!"

I am plucked by the sleeve almost every day by crazy persons and pretenders who have revelations. One man tells me that God has sent a message to me by him; and I reply, "No, sir, the Lord knows where I dwell, and he is so near to me that he would not need to send to me by you."

Another man announces in God's name a dogma which, on the face of it, is a lie against the Holy Ghost. He says the Spirit of God told him so-and-so; but we know that the Holy Ghost never contradicts himself.

If your imaginary revelation is not according to this Word, it has no weight with us; and if it is according to this Word, it is no new thing.

Brethren, this Bible is enough if the Lord does but use it, and quicken it by his Spirit in our hearts. Truth is neither your opinion, nor mine; your message, nor mine. Jesus says, "Thy word is truth." That which sanctifies men is not only truth, but it is the particular truth which is revealed in God's Word—"Thy word is truth."

What a blessing it is that all the truth that is necessary to sanctify us is revealed in the Word of God, so that we have not to expend our energies upon discovering truth, but may, to our far greater profit, use revealed truth for its divine ends and purposes! There will be no more revelations; no more are needed. The canon is fixed and complete, and he that adds to it shall have added to him the plagues that are written in this Book.

What need of more when here is enough for every practical purpose? "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth."

Fruit

God is good all of the time!  A missionary friend, Chip Thompson, is always using this phrase in his letters.  Sometimes we think its only some of the time.  But,  God is good all of the time even when we don't understand or like His way.  It really is easier to recognize this when God gives fruit to ministry. 

This Sunday we will celebrate fruit in the ministry.  Two young people have professed their faith in Christ in the last few months and we say "God is good all of the time."  It is easy to say that when you see two young persons excited about living for God.  

We will be at the river on Sunday night-as two follow the Lord in obedience in Baptism.  It is Fruit.   Fruit of the ministry makes us say "God is good all of the time."!!!!

Back to School and Back to God

This is my motto for August at Mohave High and Trinity Baptist Church.  I wish all of you could have been in my classroom at 7:45 am on Friday.  There was a young man attending, a senior at MHS, name Eric Torres.  I knew Eric form his Sophomore year and was always impressed with his respectful and quiet way.  On Friday Eric wasn't quiet.  I asked him to pray at the end of our meeting.  Eric walked to the middle of the classroom and blessed our small group of Christian kids.  He prayed out loud to His God with boldness, sincerity and fire.  The kids left the meeting with a spring in their step.  They were all deeply affected by Eric's power in prayer.  Wow! and so was I..  Eric simply prayed to the Lord.  His prayer was about blessing our school and asking God to bless the Christians at Mohave.

We are back to school and my prayer for our kids and our adults is that we are back to God.  May we continue to be "back to God" throughout this entire year.

Battling for the Gospel

On Sunday I had a wonderful sense that God and us had some success in the Spiritual battle that we are fighting here in Bullhead City.   There were eleven young people in our audience.  A couple of those were ones that we had specifically been praying for over the last year or so.  But, I shouldn't be surprised.  This summer God has been working in our young peoples lives.  I observed sincere commitment to Spiritual decisions after our young people returned from Ironwood.  The decisions were not earth shattering ones.  But our kids were mostly excited about getting serious about studying the Word.  Band camp brought an environment to encourage the kids to truly keep those decisions.

Sunday was a great blessing.  But, it is one small victory for righteousness.  There are many more battles that lie ahead.  May all of us, stay on our knees in prayer.  May we continue to believe that God will save the ones that we have prayed for.  This week pray, brothers and sisters in Christ.  Pray that seeds planted will come to a transforming fruition of New Life in Christ.

Ephesians 6:10-12

 ¹⁰Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Growing in Christ

2Pe 3:18

But grow in grace, and [in] the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him [be] glory both now and for ever. Amen.

 My question for you is are you growing in Chirst?  Or are you standing pat.  Are you continuing to learn more and more about Jesus every day?  We must be continuing on Christ.  My reason for posting this is I've been challenged by our young people.  We've spent plenty of time and effort making sure that each young person could go to Ironwood camp and then on to music camp.  It was such a great blessing to see our kids make decisions for Christ at both camps.  I was impressed at the great Godly examples that our kids had in the leaders and counselors of both camps.  Our kids saw Christian young people that loved God and were living for Christ.  They came back into their Bibles and excited about studying God's Word.  What a blessing its been to see God work in young men and women's lives.

Now it is for all of us to make sure we are on a similar path.  Are we on the path of growing in Christ?  Are we open and willing to let God work in our lives and continue on in Christ?  Let us learn and be challenged by the young people this summer and "grow in Christ."   

Summertime Visitors: Discipleship and Evangelism

The past two Sundays at Trinity Baptist we enjoyed two unique out of town visits.  It is encouraging to fellowship with believers in other churches that are committed and growing in the Lord.  Sunday, June 5th a young man showed up at our door from Gardena, California.  From the first word of my sermon I could tell that he was greatly focused in hearing God's Word.  After the message, we invited him for dinner.  We found this young man (his name is Guy) had been saved only for 1 year.  God had reached down and saved him out of a life of sin.  Sarah and I were amazed at his love for God's Word and the things of the Lord.  In one short year he knew more about the Bible than some believers know after 20 years in Christ.  I was challenged at how his church (an Orthodox Presbyterian Church), and his Elder (the one responsible in the church for discipleing Guy) had been so diligent in teaching and bringing Guy to an intimate and vital relationship with Christ.  Guy is a testimony to this incredible emphasis on discipleship that this Calvinistic, Presbyterian, but obviously committed group of believers is to not only bringing people to Christ, but teaching them how to live.

Last Sunday we were again encouraged in a different way.  Our numbers were down a bit for the Sunday School hour when a visiting group of two families came in right before the Morning Worship.  A group of 15 brothers and sisters in Christ walked in our door to nearly double our attendance for the day.  These friends were again from Southern California and attended the Pacific Baptist Church of Long Beach.  Nearly all of this group, adult and children, were involved in the bus ministry in their neighborhood.  Their Pastor, Pastor Esposito is obviously a man who is intensely  involved in winning souls.  One of the young men is a Loatian-American who was saved in the bus ministry.  After he got saved he started attending Pacific Baptist's Christian school where he grew in Christ.  Later he brought his sister and brothers along with him to church.  They got saved and began attending the Christian school of which he was responsible for helping them financially get through.  Now, not only his wife and two children, but all of his younger brothers and sisters are fellowshipping in the church.  From this story one can tell that God is doing a great work of evangelism in Long Beach through the brothers and sisters in this church.

After observing our visitors that last two weeks at Trinity, I am challenged on two concepts:  Evangelism and Discipleship.  These are two words that need to be a part of our mission statement.  We need to reach more souls and we need to teach new believers more intensely.  How can you, member, friend, concerned one of Trinity Baptist Church help us achieve these two things?  May we all this summer be a part of evangelism and discipleship.

Exodus Series

It has been way to long since I last blogged.  .  I've  (Pastor Craig)  been way busy with so many things going on in my life.  I need prayer to juggle in a way that is balance for the Lord.

Tomorrow, Sunday, May 1st, we will be continuing our Old Testament series that took us through Exodus 14 last year.  We will be looking at the children of Israel in the wilderness. May all of us learn from the mistakes made by these wandering believers.

So Long Dear Friends

Psalm 116:15 Precious in the sight of the LORD [is] the death of his saints.   This last week we lost two of our most faithful members and friends to their heavenly home. Brother Lee Cooper and Sister Betty Geant both went to meet their Lord. We are saddened at our loss but are joyful that they no longer are suffering and are now in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.   I'm so thankful for having known both of these good friends. They were so very faithful to everything we did at our church. There was really no keeping them away from any church service or activity. They never missed anything unless they were "deathly" ill. I really mean that. I know it is a cliché-but these two saints rarely missed church. What an example and an encouragement to all of us.   Brother Lee I have known for at least 20 years. He did so much around the church that we are missing him already. I think I've heard more people say they miss the way he greeted everyone that came in the doors of our church. He was always there with a smile and a strong handshake that just helped to make people feel welcome at Trinity. Of course, none of us can forget the hillbilly jokes that he was always telling. How many of our young people heard "here comes trouble" as Lee greeted them with a twinkle in his eye. He then would laugh and slip a piece of candy in their hand. Lee loved the Word of God and loved to share the Gospel with others. We all will miss this man who served with all of us in the Gospel.   Our dear sister Mrs. Betty Geant I have known since I was around 8 years old. Mrs. Geant's husband, Bill, was my Sunday School teacher when I was a junior aged kid. Bill and Betty served together in any way they could when my dad served at the Riviera Baptist Church. Later, after Brother Bill passed away Betty was a faithful member and prayer warrior at the First Baptist Church and then most recently at our church.   Betty was a faithful friend. She always looked at things with Christ-colored glasses. No matter what trial or tribulation she might be dealing with she trusted Christ to take care of her situation.   We will miss these good friends but know that they are in a much better place.

Glorious Songs of Praise

Praise the Lord for the great meeting we had on Thursday night as we hosted the Steve Pettit Team.  We were blessed to hear the powerful message given in song.  Then Brother Steve preached a simple but piercing message of the Gospel of Jesus.  Praise the Lord for his work in the life of our church.  

Goodbye to our good friend Tammy Kang Hing

This week I got word that one of our dear friends went home to be with the Lord-Mrs. Tammy Kang Hing. She shared with us some wonderful reflections about her end of life struggle. It blessed my heart and she wanted us to share it. Be blessed by the words of one who had the "hope of heaven."


September 25, 2008


Beloved Family and Friends,

I feel the urge to put some words to paper so here I am on a quiet Thursday night in Shanghai, China. I can feel lumps on the right side of my abdomen when hitherto the tumors have always been in the left hemisphere. Sounds like something out of an “Aliens” movie. Yuk! So the reality is that the cancer seems to be advancing. While I still hope for that longed-for miracle, I acknowledge that God is sovereign and I submit to His perfect will. Amazingly, I’m still enjoying pain-free days. Most mornings I turn on the stereo and just dance. Yeah, dance! While I still have all my faculties together. Might as well.

Zach comes home, jumps on the computer and discovered what I’ve been up to. I overheard him complaining to Anson, “Hey Pa, Mom turns her music on so LOUD when we’re away. What will the neighbors think??” Hey, our neighbors are all teachers and they’re at school like you. That’s how I get away with it, kiddo. Snitch. He wears the computer like an appendage and is constantly on MSN or Facebook. Your kids like that, too? These days he carries a furtive little smile and seems lost in his adolescent world. Who is his latest crush, I wonder. Isaac is still chasing balls. First it’s rugby, then soccer. Now tennis. The quintessential jock. I hear his jazz band is going to Paris in the spring. Paris?! Yes. Drool.

My children I worry not, for I have long ago introduced them to the One who will order their steps (God himself); the Comforter and Counselor who will teach them all things (the Holy Spirit) and the way to salvation (the Lord Jesus Christ). And I know my Lord will continue to show kindness and favor to my children, and my children’s children, for His love endures forever.

And Anson, my beloved Anson. He makes me so happy. When we were newly married, he used to wake me by showering kisses on my face until I squeal. Oh, how wonderful to be a new bride, I thought. I wonder how long this will last. Eighteen years later, he still wakes me with kisses. Do you? Do you still kiss your bride every morning?

We cannot change the hand we’re dealt, but we can decide how we want to play it. I decided I would play mine with positive Hope and gratitude. And truly, when I reflect I’m warmed by how blessed my life has been. So while in quantity I may have been given only a half measure; in quality, I have received more than a full measure. So much more.

The secret to maximizing life? Dare to dream. Then chase those dreams. Take risks. Stake it all on the line if you have to, for you only live once. People have wronged you? Forgive. Forgive again. Forget and move on. Seize the day! Celebrate. Don’t save your best silverware and crystal glasses for “the occasion”. Today IS the Occasion. For there may not be many tomorrows. Take that trip. Buy that designer dress. Take her out to dinner. Regrets? I would worry less. We are not meant to be weighed down by the cares of the world. Learn to cast your cares upon Jesus and live free.

All my life I’ve only known love and acceptance. My childhood was packed with two chief pursuits: fun and mischief. And a gang of eight like-minded girls whose friendships I cherish to this day. We had a blast! Here’s to more reunions! I enjoy a lifestyle that straddles two continents and the best that both have to offer. I remember when we lived in Arizona for two years, we must have visited some twenty national parks. Talk about packing it all in! We hiked, camped, fished. Back in Asia, I would comb beaches on our vacations, lose myself in markets and bazaars and of course, ate and ate as only a Malaysian knows how! I have lived life abundantly. My cup runs over!

But best of all are the friends I met on the way; relationships nurtured, cherished. As Shakespeare once said, “I’m ne’er so blessed as when I count my friends.” Ditto. Testament to that fact is having so many of you vicariously walking my final journey with me. I have never known great sorrow or tragedy. Neither the terrors of war nor disaster. I have held my baby in my arms. I have loved and been loved in return. All my dreams have come true. And then some. Surely goodness and mercy have crowned my days!

So now you see how difficult it is to leave all this behind. For truly I have tasted a slice of heaven even while here on earth. But Jesus said, “ In my Father’s house are many mansions. I have gone to prepare a place for you so that where I am, you will be also.” Me? Mansions? I would have been grateful to be a beggar in heaven! But there’s more. The Bible says that “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has God conceived into the minds of men the things He has planned for those who love Him.” Our minds cannot even begin to fathom how good it is going to get. Be rest assured, I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever!

And what about you? Do YOU know your eternal destiny? It is perhaps the most tragic reality of humanity in that deep in our spirits we so yearn for life to go on forever, yet it cannot. But it does! It DOES! For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. Tarry not, for the days are short, the years gone in a flash. I urge you do NOT rest until you find your answer. For God has promised that whosoever seeks Him in earnest will find Him. And in so doing I pray that someday you too can walk the Valley of the Shadow in triumph!

Share this message, for it is my last testimony of God’s enduring love. In closing, I wish to bless each of you with Numbers 6:24. “May the Lord bless you and keep you. May he make his face shine upon you. May he turn his face towards you and give you his peace.”

To GOD be all the glory! Till we meet again, shalom.




Tammy

Mary and Judas

Sunday we were blessed as we looked at one of the faithful servants of the New Testament, Mary of Bethany. Perhaps no other person in the Bible had such a zeal and desire to "know God". This is our theme for 2011. Mary demonstrated a zeal and desire to know God and worship Him. My prayer for the brother and sisters at Trinity Baptist Church is that they also seek to "know God" like Mary did. May we also have the willingness to be sacrificial in our service for Christ. How can you serve our God with the sacrificial like Mary's.

Hard Work!

This Sunday, February 6th, we'll be looking at the Parable of the Talents. I think it is a perfect message for this week for many of us at Trinity Baptist. Let me explain. On Monday a few of us got word of great musical accomplishments of two of our young men at Trinity Baptist. Andy Dell and Caleb Evins both tried out and made a very prestigious honor band of Northwest Arizona high schools. Andy also made the honor choir. Knowing my son Caleb and Andy as a son in the Lord, I'm aware of one excellent quality of these two young men-they both understand what the word hard work and practice means. When you hear them make music in our worship time-it is because they have put aside other pursuits to practice their instrument. God has given them a natural ability that they have made excellent because of practice. Like the 5 and 2 talents owners they have not squandered the natural ability that has been provided by Almighty God. On the subject of hard work-we had a small but effective group of workers on Saturday to clean up the property. We were blessed by each other in doing our part. Again, we put aside our day to give of ourselves for the Glory of God. Well, I've given away a couple of illustrations for Sunday, but I know most of you probably won't read this until after the worship time on Sunday. May we be "a good and faithful servant" with what God has given us.

Steve Pettit Music and Evangelistic Team here February 24th

Wow! I feel very honored and excited to announce that the

Steve Pettit Evangelistic team will be with us on February 24th. Their music has encouraged our hearts and been a great resource for our own ministry in song at Trinity Baptist Church. Make plans to be there! Bring your unsaved friends who love music and they will be challenged by the powerful words in song.

Also, check out our new memory verse. Remember with God "All Things

Are Possible"

Goodbye to our 1st Memory Verse

MEMORY VERSES FOR 2011
WEEK 1-2 JANUARY 5-19

MATTHEW 5:14-16 (KING JAMES VERSION)

14Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

15Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

From Centurion to Wild-Man

Our God is no respecter of person's. The racist Neo-nazi's of this world are blasphemous when they try to use the scripture to justify their revolting position on the separation of the races. Likewise, the high society-type Christians that look down on common-folk believers and future converts, are wrong in their desire to be separate based on class.

We know from Christ's time on this earth that he took the message of His saving power to all people. He intermingled with "sinners" because they were the ones who needed a Savior. We learned this concept from the Lord in Matthew 8. Our Lord healed the Centurion's servant. He had no problem dealing with one of the upper class of Rome, but he also healed the destitute desperate, demoniac who lived in the cemetery of the Gadarenes.

This was our discussion on Sunday-may we remember that our Lord is the Savior--of one of the Centurion (the privileged one) household, but also the wild-man possessed of Satan himself. Let's go out and reach this needy world for Christ.

Follow Bible Characters Throughout the New Testament

This year I (Pastor Craig) will be putting together a series of messages that follows the key Bible characters throughout the New Testament. This Sunday we started with the contrasting characters of Matthew the Publican/Apostle and Herod, the Great (or you might want to say Terrible). This Sunday we looked at these two government workers. Herod had an interesting background. His family history was related to the Maccabees who were the liberator of Jerusalem from the wicked Greek empire. He did some good things, like rebuild the temple. At times in his life he had an interest in preserving the religious system of the Hebrews. But, in the end he was really all about himself. In looking back you can see that all the good decisions he made were all to build himself up and give fame an fortune to himself. He eliminated nearly every close family member around him. An even more infamous event of Herod was his mission to seek out baby Jesus and have him killed. Thanks to the wisdom of the "wisemen" this never happened. Eventually, in his jealous rage Herod had the young babies of Bethlehem slaughtered. Herod is in sharp contrast to the transformed life of Matthew. His life is not greatly detailed in the scripture. We just know that he was called, he immediately followed, and invited all of his tax collector friends to his house to hear Jesus speak. We don't know for sure but everywhere the Savior went people heard and accepted. I can't imagine anything less happened at Matthew's house. You've got a house right? You've got a changed life in your own redeemed soul, right? May you be like Matthew. Invite your tax collector friends (of course your friends may be teachers (in my case) or some other type of person, and present to them the Savior. Challenging words from the life of Matthew the tax collector turned Apostle.