Fun Stuff

Welcome, Abigail!

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Praise the Lord! Abigail Adelle Jones was born yesterday at 1:08 pm. She weighed 7 lbs. 14 oz. and is 19.75″ long. Thank you all for your prayers.

Natalie had very heavy post-delivery bleeding, clotting, and sharp pain for about five hours. Finally, the doctor did a DNC which revealed a small placenta lobe still attached to the uterus that was causing the bleeding. Once back from OR and stabilized, she received four units of blood and is now doing much better. She gets her first meal this morning. Thursday was a long day full of pain and frightening moments, but we knew God was with us and felt His grace in many ways. There are so many reasons to be thankful.

The doctors did their first ultrasound on Abigail for her hydronephrosis. We’ll get an update sometime today of what needs to be done next. The cupping on the right kidney is still there, so we will probably be referred to a specialist, but don’t know how much of this will happen while we’re still at the hospital. Thankfully, Abigail is eating and going to the bathroom normally and showing no signs of discomfort. She’s a precious little girl, and we’re enjoying lots of cuddles after yesterday’s excitement.

Thanks for your continued prayers for Natalie and Abigail. The doctor will probably keep them in the hospital at least through Sunday morning.

Shepherding

5-month enhancement campaign underway

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Over the past 25 years, God has blessed First Southern Baptist Church of Yucca Valley with a very comfortable and adequate facility. But the time has come to make some repairs and improvements. In 2011, we hope to enhance our facility in four key areas.

First, we need to replace stolen equipment and expand our preschool playground to be more kid- and family-friendly. Second (and the most urgent), we need to repair our leaking sanctuary roof with a new Fibertite roofing system and skylights. Third, we need to upgrade our sound system with new microphones, speakers, and wiring to better broadcast God’s Word. Finally, we need a new front sign to help invite our neighbors. These four components will not only get us back up to standard, but will improve our ability to minister to people in the 21st century.

This project represents the fruit of many hours of prayer and research by our church leaders. As I recently noted from 2 Chronicles 24, “how we care for God’s house reflects how much we care about God.” This is a great opportunity to love God and support His work here in the Morongo Basin.

This Friday and Saturday, we’re encouraging families to take time to pray and assess what the Lord is leading them to give. Then on Sunday, during the worship service, we’ll pray together for this project, humbly ask for God’s blessing, and quietly make our pledges before the Lord. The pledges are just a tool for each family’s benefit to take a step of faith and set a bold, yet attainable, goal. They will also help our stewardship committee in planning the timeline and extent of our repairs. The commitment cards will look like this:

We pledge, by God’ grace, to give above our regular offering…

$ ________ a Week for 21 Weeks (or)
$ ________ a Month for 5 Months (or)
$ ________ Total Amount
[  ] We cannot currently make a commitment, but pledge to pray for this campaign.

All names and individual amounts will be kept confidential. We realize that someone’s amount may even need to be revised or cancelled should circumstances make it necessary. But I think we will find our pledges to be a helpful benchmark as the year unfolds.

This is an exciting moment at First Southern as we unite together, give joyfully, and watch the Lord provide!

Please pray with us for this important campaign, and if the Lord lays it on your heart, consider making a donation of any amount to support our church ministry.

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God never fumbles

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Next Sunday, over 100 million people are expected to watch Super Bowl XLV, making it the most viewed TV event in American history.

Imagine the pressure on these players! They’ve spent every waking moment of their lives preparing for this single game, and it’s winner take all. Every play will be crucial. Every pass. Every rush. Every tackle. Every kick. A single play could change momentum and spell victory or defeat. One misplaced finger on the ball could result in a fumble. One misjudged pass could cause an interception.

This year’s matchup promises to be a good game, but in the end, it’s still a game. I’m so thankful that with the weightier matters of life — like heaven and hell — there’s no risk of a fumble. If God is carrying you in His arms, then your salvation is secure. He’ll never drop you or let the Enemy strip you out of His hands.

Jesus Christ our Good Shepherd says, “My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish – ever! No one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand” (John 10:27-29).

This is a wonderful promise for those who belong to Christ. Are you one of His sheep? Christ’s sheep hear His voice calling and follow Him. They admit they are lost and need to be rescued from sin. They trust in His atoning sacrifice, when He laid down His life for the sheep and then took it up again on the third day. Have you done this?

If you’re one of Christ’s sheep, then nothing can snatch you out of His hands! Satan can’t snatch you; the Destroyer is impotent against the power of God. Unbelievers can’t snatch you; they can mock and even threaten you, but they can’t lay a finger on your soul. Suffering can’t snatch you; even when life is most painful, God will help you persevere and walk by faith rather than sight.

As one man said, “It’s not finally our hold on Christ, but Christ’s hold on us. And praise God, he will never let us go!” What a comfort to know God never fumbles.

This article appeared in the Minister’s Message of today’s local newspaper, the Hi-Desert Star

Photo credit: kungfubonanza

SBC

Task Force takes first steps to advance Great Commission in California

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Here’s the press release from our first SBC Focus 21 Task Force Meeting last weekend. Please continue to keep us in prayer…

BAKERSFIELD—The Focus 21 Task Force, approved to study how California Southern Baptists can best fulfill the Great Commission, had its inaugural meeting Jan. 14-15 at Valley Baptist Church in Bakersfield.

Glen Paden, retired pastor and president emeritus of California Baptist Foundation, said all 12 members of the task force were present for the meeting and “spent time getting acquainted and agreeing on ground rules” by which the task force would operate.

“I don’t believe there was a single member of the task force who knew everybody else. It is amazing how God can take a group of people, weld them together and make them worthwhile. The task force has some incredibly gifted people on it which will serve this task force and California Southern Baptist Convention well.”

Paden said the “broadness of our task – the Great Commission – almost makes a specific agenda difficult to come up with. However, we looked at our assignment and decided our first job is to gather information. Therefore, we want to begin with our key leaders – the heads of our entities – CSBC, CBF and California Baptist University.”

Paden said the task force “plans to go beyond” the three agency heads, but no list has been formulated.

He said the task force will meet Feb. 25-26 and March 18-19 at Valley Baptist, a central location to all members.

The task force issued the following statement about its first gathering.

“Focus 21 Task Force met at Valley Baptist Church, Bakersfield, January 14-15.

“The history of our Southern Baptist Convention and California Southern Baptist Convention were presented and celebrated. We reviewed the Task Force assignment given at our recent convention meeting in Clovis. Roger Spradlin, pastor of Valley Baptist Church of Bakersfield who served on the SBC Great Commission Resurgence Task Force, reported on its implications for California.

“Gathering information and hearing from key leaders was agreed as a “first step.” Invitations have been extended to the Executive Director of the CSBC, the President of California Baptist University and the President of California Baptist Foundation to address the Task Force. A request has been made to dialogue with Directors of Missions at their annual conference in March.

“The Task Force has created an e-mail address to receive comments and questions from California Southern Baptist constituents. Please address these to: Focus21taskforce [at] gmail [dot] com.

“Your prayers are requested as we focus on reaching California for Christ.”

Glen Paden, Chairman

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Thoughts on Life and Leadership