For His Glory
#1 Jesus is not SURPRISED by your failure. (Matthew 26:31-35)
#2 Jesus has COMPASSION for us when we fail. (Luke 22:61-62)
#3 Failure is not FINAL. (John 21:15-21)
#4 Love is the FOUNDATION of effective ministry. (John 21:15-17)
#5 Living with failure and regret is a CHOICE. (1 Peter 1:3-9)
A choice you don’t have to make.
15. Your priorities, in order of importance: Texas, air, water, food, clothing, shelter, etc….
14. If you can’t believe that other states pay income tax.
13. When it’s Summer, you want Winter, and when it’s Winter, you want Summer.
12. You’ve hung ornaments and tinsel on tumbleweed and used it as a Christmas tree.
11. You know what a ‘Cowboy Cadillac” is.
10. You’re more interested in fully loaded truck than a luxury car.
9. The Blue Book value on your truck goes up and down depending on how much gas it has in it.
8. You refer to the Dallas Cowboys as “God’s team.”
7. You measure distance in time, not miles.
6. If when the rest of the country complains about a heat wave, you tell them to quit complaining’.
5. You know from experience that rattlesnake taste like chicken.
4. You know someone who ate the 72 oz steak and got it for free.
3. You know that Bluebell Ice Cream is the best ice cream in the world.
2. You throw a party for all your friends when it rains.
1. You’ve got Texas in your soul. It’s a Texas thing.
He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!
After Resurrection Sunday Jesus appeared to His disciples over a period of 40 days before He ascended to Heaven. Acts 1:3 Believers in Christ can celebrate our Savior who is Alive! He is not only Alive, but He is interested in us.
#1 Jesus PURSUES us where we are. John 21:1
#2 Life with Jesus is an ADVENTURE. John 21:6
#3 Passion for Jesus is Rewarded with His PRESENCE. John 21:7
#4 Jesus INVITES us to join Him in His work on Earth. John 21:9; John 20:21
#5 Time with Jesus is CRITICAL and cannot be replaced. John 21:12
Our Great Savior is Alive!
Let me state the obvious: We need rain. If you live in Dalhart, Texas you know exactly what I am talking about.
Since moving to Dalhart, I have developed the habit of praying for rain. We desperately need the heavens to open and for rain to fall down on our dry land. Psalm 63:1 says, “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. (NIV)” This Psalm shows us the way we can pray for rain.
The first priority in prayer should be to seek God with our whole hearts. God reigning in our lives is our first priority. Notice how passionately David pursues his God. He says, “earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you.” There is a great spiritual principle here. When we passionately pursue God, He will meet our needs and work in our lives in ways only He can. Let me ask you a quick question. How passionately are you pursuing God? This is a heart-probing question that we must ask. There is always room for pursuing Him more and focusing our attention and affection on Him. My church, First Baptist Dalhart, or one of Dalhart’s Bible believing churches can help you along this path.
Once we are pursuing Him earnestly we can approach Him with confidence and ask Him to meet our need for rain. Philippians 4:19 declares, “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Seeking God first and then trusting Him for our spiritual and physical needs leads to transformed lives and a changed community.
In his book, The Circle Maker, Mark Batterson tells the story of Honi, the circle maker. Honi lived in the time between the Old and New Testaments. He followed God passionately and persisted in prayer until the rain came. This is an uplifting book that I would highly recommend. Click here for more details about the book. It is my prayer that God would raise up many in our community who would seek Him with their whole hearts and pray for the rain we so desperately need. Seek Him and pray for rain!
This article originally appeared in the Dalhart Texan and was written by Sean Vickers.
#1 Easter Changes Brokenness to SERVICE John 20:1-2
#2 Easter Changes Questions to FAITH John 20:5-8
#3 Easter Changes Grief to GLADNESS John 20:10-18
#4 Easter Changes Fear to PEACE John 20:19-20
#5 Easter Changes Fate to PURPOSE John 20:21
#6 Easter Changes Doubt to BELIEF John 20:24-28
#7 Easter Change EVERYTHING! John 20:30-31
It’s an old, old story. He lived. He died. He rose from the dead. What does that mean for you and your family today? In a world where we can command information with the click of a mouse or a touch of a phone, how do historical events still impact our lives?
Next month we will celebrate Easter. What do you think about when you think about Easter? Do you think about Easter egg hunts when your children were young, family meals after church, getting dressed up for your annual Easter family picture or chocolate bunnies? Easter is a precious holiday, and as with all things that are precious it must be protected. To protect this precious treasure we must keep Jesus at the center of Easter and truly take time to reflect and marvel at God’s great love for us.
Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
This is a truth that is worth celebrating at Easter and everyday of the year.
Consider these ideas to keep Jesus in the center of Easter this year:
1. Attend church with your family on Easter. Churches all across our community celebrate Easter and would welcome you and your family. If you don’t have a church home, I would like to invite you to attend First Baptist, Dalhart this Easter.
2. Watch a movie that depicts the sacrificial death of Christ. Decide on the movie based on the ages of those in your family. Possible movies would include: Passion of the Christ, Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe, The Bible or Veggie Tales: T’was the Night before Easter.
3. Spend time reading the Bible together as a family during the 40 days before Easter or the week before Easter. Free devotions for the Easter season are available at www.bible.com
4. Use Resurrection Eggs to explain the true meaning of Easter to children. www.resurrectioneggs.com
5. Travel to the large cross at Groom, TX and pray the stations of the cross. www.crossministries.net
The focus is not planning more things to do, but deliberately remembering Jesus at Easter. Look for opportunities to talk about Jesus with those you are closest to.
I hope you have a great April as you put Jesus at the center of Easter.
This article originally appeared in the Dalhart Texan and was written by Sean Vickers.
Joshua 6 records the Victory that the Nation of Israel had when God gave them victory at Jericho. From this chapter and other scriptures there are 7 ways to overcome the obstacles that keep you or your church from being where God wants you to be.
What is the Lord’s Supper?The Lords Supper was started by Jesus when He was in the Upper Room with His disciples celebrating the Passover. Matthew 26:17-30. Jesus used bread and the cup to represent His body and blood. It is a symbolic act of obedience where believers remember the death of their Savior, Jesus.
Most protestant churches offer Open Communion. This means that anyone in attendance that has trusted Christ as their Savior and Lord may participate in the Lord’s Supper.
Each church determines the frequency of offering the Lord’s Supper. Quarterly seems too infrequent while weekly too often. Participating in the Lord’s Supper on a monthly basis works well for many churches.
Yes. Participating in the Lord’s Supper outside a church setting is very meaningful for families, shut-ins, and those incarcerated.
The power of a symbol is based on what that symbol represents. Since the Lord’s Supper represents the Body and Blood of Christ, it is a powerful symbol of the faith that strengthens the church, encourages believers and honors our Savior.
1 Corinthians 11:23-32
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails….” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a (NIV)
This is a familiar passage from the Bible. It is frequently used in wedding ceremonies, vow renewal services and it is the sentiment in many Hallmark cards.
1 Corinthians was written by the Apostle Paul to the mission church he started on one of his missionary journeys. The church at Corinth was having some problems and Paul was writing to correct and encourage this young church. Although we primarily use this passage to describe the love between a husband and wife, the original intent was to describe how people within the church should treat each other.
Paul paints a literary masterpiece with the theme of love. He describes what love is and what love is not. We all want to be loved and we all need to show love to others. Can you imagine belonging to a group of people that truly love each other like Paul is describing?
Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35 NIV) This life is not meant to be lived in isolation. The church is a great place to be loved and to love others. Chocolate and flowers are great, but belonging, truly belonging, to a group is sweet to the soul.
This article originally appeared in the Dalhart Texan and was written by Sean Vickers.
2014 is off to a great start. My family and I are settling in and we are looking forward to what God has in store for us and FBC Dalhart in 2014. While I was moving into my new office I found a bumper sticker that says: I ❤ My Church First Baptist of Dalhart. I quickly captured it and asked if it belonged to anyone. After finding out that it has available to take I placed in on the rear windshield of my truck. This bumper sticker is a great sign of how I feel about our church. I love our church! We are a group that gathers to WORSHIP our great God. We desire to GROW in our faith as we study His Word. We want to SERVE God by serving our community and we want to SHARE the good news about Jesus with our community, nation and world.