The Bible describes both rewards and the loss of rewards in Heaven. In this current series we are discussing most every Scriptural passage in detail that mentions rewards. I hope you'll plan to join us for this exciting and encouraging study.
Both Jesus and Paul talk about taking action now in this life to invest in the eternal Heavenly Kingdom. Come learn with us. This may be the best course on investments you'll ever take. Sundays in our Adult Bible Study hour at 9:30 and then continued in our Morning Worship Service at 10:45. Bring a friend.
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As we celebrate our nation’s birthday this year, our church wanted to remind our community that this great country was founded upon a strong belief in and reliance on God. In many ways this documented fact has been attacked and suppressed in recent years. By using this speech from Benjamin Franklin which was given during the Constitutional Convention in 1787 just a short 11 years after the Declaration of Independence was signed, we wish to highlight the dependence many of our Founders had upon God. This is not to say that every Founder was a true believer in Jesus Christ or that there was not religious controversy even then for even this speech from Franklin is surrounded in a bit of controversy itself. (Click here to read about it.) We do however want to point you to other resources of learning and history that authenticate the fact that our nation was founded upon a strong respect for and reliance upon God. May God use this short article to encourage you to do some research on your own and learn more about the truth of our great nation’s foundation. If God has so blessed and helped the United States of America as she relied on him, might his help and truth be helpful for your current life and family situations? If we can be of help or if you do not have a Bible teaching church to attend, please consider visiting us. We would enjoy meeting you. Now, here is the quote from Franklin and a link to the whole speech. Have a wonderful Independence Day and may God bless you, your family and America. Benjamin Franklin's Entire Speech before the Constitutional Congress 1787 - Click here to read. Click here to download a free PDF digital copy of The Papers of James Madison which include this speech. The is a free book provided by Google. Resources to learn more: Wall Builders List of Historical Documents - Click to Visit Watch this short video clip and click here to download or purchase the whole DVD video called, "Americas Godly Heritage"
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Every parent knows that with the much anticipated breaks from school also come the much dreaded words we all hear from the kids. “I’m bored. There is nothing to do around here.” As most parents have experienced, if boredom is not dealt with strategically and successfully, it can quickly turn into a problem. Sibling arguments, laziness, watching TV for hours and hours and so on are issues that arrive and that are issues no parent enjoys facing. Here are some suggestions to consider as you navigate the break this year.
Breaks from school don’t have to be as stressful as it may seem. Plan ahead, talk it over with your child and create breaks from school that end up as pleasant memories for everyone involved. Learn more about our Year Around Children's ProgramsListen to this interview with Nao and then plan to come here him tell of God's wonderful work. He and his wife have are veteran missionaries to Ivory Coast and have planted 17 churches there. Join us for our annual missions conference this week.Sunday, April 10 - Tuesday, April 12. Nightly at 7pmClick to learn more about our church and watch a short video about our ministry.Matt Barfield was in law school when the Lord called him to missions. He was trained for ministry at his local church and sent to the Middle East through International Partnership Ministries. After learning Arabic and helping to start a church and Bible institute in Jordan, the Lord enabled Matt to endure a prolonged illness caused by parasites. In answer to the prayers of many believers, the Lord healed him and broadened his ministry with IPM. He served in the Amazon and Southeast Asia as a Missionary Evangelist and saw the Lord work in wonderful ways. In 2011, Matt took on the role of IPM’s Vice President of Field Ministries, a ministry that takes him to many mission fields around the world to preach, teach and advise. Matt and his wife, Chrysta, have seven children, with a new addition coming soon. Matt will be our speaker this year for our annual missions conference. He will encourage your heart as you hear of God's mighty work though missions around the world. Annual Missions Conference This WeekJoin us Sunday April 10 - Tuesday April 12 nightly at 7pmBring your family and let God increase your awareness of what He is doing in the world today through the power of the Gospel. You'll be encouraged and blessed. Learn more about Eagle Heights Baptist Church - Click HereSunday, December 13 at 10:45 am Familiar strains of timeless melodies fill the air in our places of worship, our homes and concert halls, and in the places we shop. It is also a season of stories as we recall meaningful traditions, memorable experiences and joyous family moments. Most importantly, Christmas is the season to revisit and celebrate Christ’s story: the prophecies which pointed to His coming, His birth and His life. It is the incarnation story which is front and center: God coming to earth to live among us. There are also other stories within the bigger story: the stories of Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, the Shepherds, aged Simeon, and the Wise Men. Each of these people played significant roles in the context of the larger story of Christ’s birth. Come, listen to them tell their story as we see them reflect on their own place in the unfolding narrative of God’s miraculous plan. But Christmas is also about our story. It is a time to recall the impact of Christ’s arrival into your world, my life. It is an opportunity for us to rejoice in the news that God has shattered our own darkness with the GOOD NEWS: “Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.” It is the opportunity to celebrate anew with music, scripture, meaningful traditions and the story of “…the Word becoming flesh and dwelling among us….” We hope you'll make plans to join us for this wonderful musical. Come back on Dec. 13th at 6:00 p.m. to enjoy a time of “Hot chocolate, coffee, steamers and Christmas Cookies while we have testimonies and a Christmas Carol Singspiration.
Bring a Friend. Hope to see you there for both events. You can pray through the following ideas based on Psalms 25 and Lamentations 3 for the people of France and specifically Paris. Pray...
Take some time to read through Psalms 25 and Lamentations 3 and let these passages help guide you as you seek to pray for Paris and France as a whole. Tragedies such as this raise many deep and difficult questions about God, his love, his control and his goodness. While no human can answer all these questions, we believe the Bible has answers for the problems of evil and suffering. We would be glad to talk further with you or have you join us for a service soon. We all wrestle with these issues and we would be happy to point you to the truths we have learned in years of studying God’s word the Bible. In the meantime, take some time today to pray for France. Other articles you may be interested in: What Works When Life Doesn't? How to have a relationship with God. Overcoming Disabilities in Serving God By: Anthony Joseph Schabel Note: Anthony is a college student who is paying his way through college. He is from a tough background and struggles with Tourette syndrome which causes, among other disabilities, a serious speech problem. Rather than feeling sorry for himself and giving up, Anthony endeavors to serve in a local church like ours and strives to use the strengths God has given him instead of getting discouraged about his weaknesses. Anthony serves as an usher, he takes attendance and desires to learn to write even better to communicate the truths of God's Word far and wide. Following is a little bit of his story in his words and some advice he has learned dealing with his special needs. We think we can all learn from him. God uses all of us. Those with special needs are powerful means of ministry in the hands of a mighty God. Here is Anthony’s Advice… It can be very easy to get caught up with making comparisons. In most cases, this will result in focusing on our own shortcomings. This can turn into a huge waste of time and energy. Nothing good comes from dwelling on our weaknesses. Instead, we need to accept the way that God made us. No, I am not talking about sinful weaknesses such as angry outbursts or greed, I mean weaknesses such as physical disabilities or We are all made in the image of God. God has also given each person a unique blend of gifts and abilities. Each of us has role to fill. There is no role that's more important than any other role. All the roles are supposed to work together in harmony. I know this can be easy to say but extremely hard to do. I understand the frustrations that are involved. Playing your strengths will only take you so far. Your shortcomings will persistently remind you of their presence. No matter how hard you try, it's impossible to ignore your weaknesses forever. If you look closely, you probably have at least one area of struggle that actually amplifies one of your strengths. List out your strengths and weakness. Also, list out some general things that you like. It's likely that you'll see a few things jump out at you. I'll use myself as an example. I like to communicate thoughts and ideas. One of my biggest struggles is the ability to speak. I have a disability that makes the act of speaking very difficult. On the other side, writing is one of my greater strengths. The struggles that I have with speech play a large role in amplifying my ability to write. Much of my desire to become a better writer comes from the difficulties that I have with speaking. With that in mind, my greatest weakness is also my greatest strength. There will still be days when your weaknesses will usher in feelings of frustration. You're still going to have those rough days. You're still going to face those struggles that shatter your morale. Dealing with your shortcomings will still be tough. It won't be easy, but properly understanding the bigger picture will make those rough times a lot easier to manage. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. --2 Corinthians 12:9-10 Other Articles You May Find Helpful
Failure Isn't Final Struggling Teens and When God Ran How to Stop the Yelling at Home 4 Encouraging Truths When God Says to Wait Click to Read 4 Reasons Biblical Love Can be Extremely Romantic 5 Phrases You can Give Someone to Change Their World. Setting Goals and Moving Ahead for God's Glory Are You Biblically Wise? Take this Assessment (Also good for assessing a teen son or daughter) Learn how you can have a relationship with God and eternal life Here are few links to more info on our church or you can browse this website. Read about our Leadership What we believe and teach Ministries and Programs It is summer and time for family vacations. Amid the potential negative parts of vacation such as long drives, hot muggy days touring outdoor attractions, kids fighting over who sits by the window and grandma’s mysterious broken vase, there are so many memorable times as well. For the Christian family, vacation can be a time to forget our spiritual life and take a vacation from God if we aren’t careful and don’t plan ahead. For instance, will you just pack play clothes and swimwear or will you throw in some decent outfits for visiting a church along the way? Will you plan ahead for some car games that focus on Bible trivia or Scripture memory? There is a great smart phone app called “Fighter Verses” that turn Scripture memory into a game. It is worth the little bit they charge for it. What about the DVDs you plan to bring along for the travel time? Are they all just Hollywood and Disney movies or will you grab a few from Answers in Genesis on creation or others teaching good Bible principles? If you have a Netflix or Amazon Prime movie account and a hefty data package on your phones, there are some good Christian based movies and biographies to be found there too that you could watch while driving. If your children are older and get bored on the road trip, look up “Ungame” questions online on your smart phone. Find the Christian version and you’ll have scores of conversation starter questions to get the family talking (instead of everyone just popping earbuds in or texting the whole trip.) You might even try the Ungame questions with relatives and friends you visit with along the way. The point is, when you take a vacation, don’t take a vacation from God. Use the time away to refresh and recharge every aspect of life including your spiritual life. Use the time to strengthen your family spiritually as well. If you’re in our area, we hope you’ll drop in for a visit. We’d love to have you. What are some other ways you’ve kept God at the center of your family’s life on vacation? Leave a comment below. Along these lines, I just wanted to pass on a sweet moment from a family I know. The grandparents had orchestrated a combined family vacation for themselves, their three grown-up sons, and their sons’ families. It was quite a gathering—about 20 in all. This might give you some ideas too especially if you have some younger children. Grandpa gathered the family for a Bible time with a very practical application. Especially for the children, he taught from Ephesians 6* how to have LOTS of fun on vacation. L Listen When mom and dad are telling you what to do—tune in. You don’t want to get to the campfire and be the one who forgot the marshmallows! Sometimes it can be a matter of safety. Sometimes it is a matter of showing respect. And it’s just good manners to listen—to really listen with thoughtful attention—to the person speaking to you, no matter who it is. O Obey When you are told to do something, obey, obey right away, and obey with a willing spirit (or, depending on the age of the children, “obey with a happy face”). T Think of others When everybody has fun, you have more fun. Share. Give. Help with the work. Be a part of the family team. You don’t always have to have your own way, and selfishness takes the joy out of whatever you might get for yourself. S Stay thankful Say “thanks” to mom and dad, to the people who help us with the tickets, or the people who make lunch. Being thankful lets you enjoy something twice as much—first in just doing it or having it, and second in reviewing it. A thankful spirit also honors God and makes your mom and dad—and your grandma and grandpa—happy. * Ephesians 6:1-2 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise. Click the pictures below for more articles you may be interested in. Click below to learn more about our ministry.
Ah, summer! Sunshine, picnics, and baseball! Yes, there are the major leagues . . . I don’t think I’ll ever be there, except as a spectator ‘way up in the nosebleed section. And there is the little league, where you go to watch your kids or your friend’s kids play. We all have a soft spot in our heart's for the little league team. So many of life's fundamental lessons can be taught and learned on the little league field. There are many similarities between a little league team and the church. If you're wondering about what church is like (or what our church is like at least) here are some good analogies. We hope you'll come visit to learn more. 1. We need to value our differences. Teams are made of individuals who each contribute to the whole with their unique design, backgrounds and strengths. Our church attempts to function as a team. For instance, you need a lot of different skills to put together a team. Someone who is a great hitter may not be such a great pitcher. The coach might be the greatest coach in the world—and work from a wheelchair. Just so, 1 Corinthians 12 says that there are “diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. . . . differences of ministries, but the same Lord. So, When the "black-and-white-rules person" wants to come down hard on some rowdy teen, and the "gentle-spirited, all-mercy" person takes offense and desires leniency for the kid, perhaps the perspectives of both are needed to properly work for the good and growth of the teen in question. You need a lot of different skills on a team and in a church, and every person matters. Instead of resenting or despising the person with a different perspective, perhaps we need to see what we can learn from each other. 2. I love the words of encouragement that you hear in a little league game. These are needed in the church as well. “Keep it up! You’ll get it next time.” The church is all about encouraging one another: “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting [encouraging] one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” [i] 3. And, yes, we have those errors. Baseball, the game of statistics, has a category just for the big E, right up there with batting averages and league standings. In the church we need to let go of our errors (“forgetting those things which are behind”), but we need to learn from them too. Linus, that great philosopher of the Peanuts comic strip, offered this comfort: “Don’t worry Charlie Brown, we learn more from our failures than we do from our successes.” Charlie Brown, of tragic baseball experience, replied, “That makes me the smartest person in the world.” We do not need to be that hard on ourselves. If God has forgiven, hadn’t we better get on board with that? It is Satan (literally, “the accuser”) who keeps us crushed under the weight of past errors. But we should learn from our errors, whether they are individual errors, or our ideas in the church that just do not reflect God’s Word and God’s character. We need to learn from our errors. 4. It’s absolutely essential to maintain unity on a team or in church. Sometimes in the big leagues the bullpen empties into a mid-field brawl. But they tend to fight the guys on the other team. “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?” [ii] Need I say more? Let’s keep our eyes on the goal. 5. And that goal is . . . what? A baseball team just wants to get more players across the home plate than the other team. They do what it takes. Someone takes a risk and steals third. The next batter bunts between first and second, sacrificing his run to let the player on third reach home. Each does his part toward one simple goal. Our one goal in the church is to glorify God. God speaks of us a “precious in my sight . . . everyone who is called by my name, whom I have created for my glory.” [iii] Yes, sharing the Gospel is part of glorifying God, as are keeping one’s conscience clear, serving the community, or being faithful to your local church; but these are all just part of the one, over-arching goal. The church is here to glorify God. Are you on the team? [i] Hebrews 10:24-25 [ii] James 4:1 [iii] Isaiah 43:4, 7
4 Reasons Biblical Love Can be Extremely Romantic 5 Phrases You can Give Someone to Change Their World. Setting Goals and Moving Ahead for God's Glory Are You Biblically Wise? Take this Assessment (Also good for assessing a teen son or daughter) Learn how you can have a relationship with God and eternal life Here are few links to more info on our church or you can browse this website. Read about our Leadership What we believe and teach Ministries and Programs |
AuthorPastor Bob Franseen, Pastor of Eagle Heights Baptist Church & Others Archives
April 2019
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