FSBC Testimonies: Life-Change

In the last few days, I have received several testimonies that God is changing lives at 
FSBC. God's work is easily missed, if our focus is wrong (Elijah is a perfect example). 
Therefore, I think it is important to share these testimonies, so we don't become 
discouraged and depressed.   

I am a result of your work in Gods name.! It's the little things in everyday life that come back to you and show the result of God's work in your life. You are working and it is seen every day. Nothing spectacular to men, but spectacular and magnificent to me and Lord God. God answered a prayer and made sure I came to FSBC 10.27.2013 to hear your spectacular message re Elijah and depression, and unbelief and faith, hope, love. One thing remains .. God, your love never fails; It never runs out on me! You and family are cherished, loved, held in high esteem and your work, your ministry is working spectacular things in Gods name and peoples lives. Please never forget this and dont be weary. Thank you for all your time, support, advice, listening and prayers. I will never forget you ever! Patrick Mead is loved. Prayer for you and FSBC. Al McCullough.

Share Testimony : I wish there was a talk button on this thing. It sure would make it so much easier but since there isn't here it goes.... I wanted to say how very thankful I am to be here at First Southern with all of you. I also wanted to be sure to say thank you to all the leaders of our church and the many others who are behind the scenes doing so much. I'm in awe when I think of how God led my family to this church. I think about it often because its so encouraging to me. I know that we are right where God wants us to be. I also think how blessed we are at our church to have a pastor who preaches the word of God exactly like it is. Wow!! I'm in awe of how great God is to us! Listening to the pastor's messages each week has sparked a desire for me to read my bible more. There's nothing more important in this world to me then that. John 1:1 I also wanted to say how thankful I am for the new sanctuary. I think it's beautiful!! I know it's a change to get used to for some who have been here for a while. There's a great parable Luke 5:36-39 (Our church programs and ministries should not be so structured that they have no room for a fresh touch of the Spirit, a new method, or a new idea. We too, must be careful that our hearts do not become so rigid that they prevent us from accepting the new way of thinking that Christ brings. We need to keep our hearts pliable so we can accept Jesus' life- changing message.

Share Testimony : First of all I just want to say how very grateful I am that God led us to this area and to this church. This has truly been a blessing to our family. The people here are so genuine and caring. It's so exciting to be a part of it and also to see what God does next. It's so encouraging to see the leaders of the church walk by faith. It just encourages me so much more to do the same. To keep my eyes on Jesus and trust Him fully. Thank you so much from my entire family!!! : )

Share Testimony : I wanted to share another testimony about the wonderful things God is doing in my life. I met an elderly woman back in November on a walking trail in Benton. We struck up a conversation and from that time since a wonderful friendship emerged. Who knew but God that a 46 yr old and an 81yr old could have so much fun together. Since she's been in my life I find myself thanking God almost on a daily basis for bringing her into my life. I know in my heart this is all apart of his plan. I've told several people already about her because I'm just so thankful and excited about it. Her name is Ruth. We spend quite a bit of time together and she likes to call me Gertrude which I love. She's one of the funniest persons I have ever met. Anyway, I'm throwing that out there because I believe God has a wonderful sense of humor too. The other day we were walking out of a restaurant and she said come on Gertrude. As we were driving out and preceeded down the road I missed a turn and had to go down another road to turn around. As I came up to the stop sign I looked up and saw the street sign which read Gertrude. I pointed it out to Ruth and we both started to laugh. Just yesterday morning I was headed by myself to a another walking trail that I go to sometimes for exercise. As I was driving I was thinking about Ruth and thanking God for bringing her into my life. I was overwhelmed with joy and just so grateful. As i was driving I happened to look at the street sign where I was about to turn and it was Ruth Dr. I knew in my heart this was no coincidence that I saw that at that very moment. It was a gift from God and I also knew a confirmation to me that our friendship is from him. It's funny because I've traveled that same path at least 10 times never once paying any attention to the street signs. Anyway, my life has been so blessed by God thru all this in so many great ways and I'm so thankful!! My overall family has been truly blessed too.

Share Testimony : I just wanted to say how very thankful I am for our church!! God has been so good to me and my family and I love him so much!! He brought us to this wonderful church full of loving people!! Wow!! What a blessing it is!! I'm in "AWE" of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and how much he loves us! I heard a great song for the very first time today and wanted to share it. It's called "Your Grace Finds Me" by Matt Redman. It's beautiful!!!

A Vision for Generations to Come!

Ready or Not, Here it Comes!

It takes discernment to discover a vision for the church. Discernment is needed because a vision and strategy must originate with God. Consequently, much prayer and listening to God is needed. Waiting upon the Lord's direction is paramount.

When God is ready to make his vision known, the means by which God makes it known is through a leader. This is seen throughout the Bible. The most notable example would be Nehemiah.

It says in Nehemiah 7:5, "Then God put into my heart." That is how God communicated his vision to Nehemiah. It is also how God communicates his vision to his church. He will put the vision on the heart of the pastor.

As the pastor of First Southern, I am excited to share what God has put on my heart. I am more excited to share the journey of how God put the vision into my heart, and confirmed it along the way over and over.

You don't want to miss this Sunday!

Vision Sunday

On Sunday April 3, I will be sharing a vision for First Southern that God has put on my heart. This vision has been formulating for over a year. As God formulated his vision, he taught me some very important lessons in leading his people.

First, the Lord taught me to investigate before I initiate. Many great plans have failed because of haste. For the first ten months of my ministry at First Southern the Lord led me to prayerfully investigate the situation of First Southern.

Second, the Lord taught me to wait until he puts the vision in my heart. This process of waiting took ten months of soul searching. I wanted to make sure that what was in my heart was from God. When he finally gave me the peace I needed, I shared with the church what God has put into my heart.

On August 22, 2010, I shared with the church that God had not given me peace about relocating to the north campus, and that he wanted us to stay at the main campus. However, that was all that God had put on my heart at the time. I still didn't know what to do next, but God did.

Soon after I shared my heart with the church, I was contacted by an architect who said his firm would do the master planning for our main campus vision for free. This was a blessing because I didn't have a clue what to do next. I also knew that I needed to investigate further before I presented a long-term vision for the church.

After seven months of investigating and planning, I am ready to share the vision that God has for First Southern Baptist Church for generations to come.

For God's Sake Be Flexible!

Flexibility! You will need it if you desire following the plans of God for your life. Otherwise you will be frustrated and angry with people and with God. Flexibility does not mean that you don't visualize and plan. No, if you are going to be successful you better know your purpose and mission and how you want to go about fulfilling it, but allow God the opportunity to do things outside of your vision and plans. If it helps, even Jesus had to be flexible with his plans.

Nestled in the gospel of Mark is a wonderful story of Jesus having to be flexible. Jesus had sent out his disciples for ministry, and after they returned, he took them to a secluded place so that they could get some rest (Mark 6:30-32). Jesus knew the frailty and limitations of his disciples, so he planned for a rest. Nevertheless, his plans were short lived because as soon as the crowds got word of their location, they made their way to meet them (Mark 6:33). Even Jesus had to be willing to adjust!

However, what if Jesus was not flexible? Well, he would have missed out, along with his disciples, on a wonderful opportunity to perform and experience a miracle. What followed this disruption of plans was Jesus feeding 5,000 men with five loves of bread and two fish. It was a wonderful miracle, and would have been missed without a willingness to adjust plans and visions.

Plan, strategize, and visualize, but you need to allow God the opportunity to do things that were not planned, otherwise you may miss out on a miracle. Just remember the wisdom of Solomon, "The mind of man plans his ways, but the Lord determines his steps" (Proverbs 16:9).