Volume 21September 2015Number 9
Physical thirst is the craving for water. Spiritual thirst can be described as the craving for God. Just as our bodies crave and thirst, so do our souls. We would not think of depriving our bodies of water, so why would we deprive our souls of Jesus?
Every Texas Baptist has a role to play in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ in our state. It doesn’t matter your age, sex, ethnicity, or if you live in one of our huge cities or small rural towns. Pray for those across our state without a relationship with the Living Water.
You and your family are invited to join us in celebrating our anniversary as a church. The celebration will begin with Sunday School at 9:30 am. At 10:50 am our guest speaker will be Darrell Horn, Director of Missions for the San Antonio Baptist Association.
A covered dish lunch will follow the service. The church will provide the meat (brisket, chicken and sausage) and beverages. Members are asked to bring side dishes (enough for your family and one other) based on first letter of your last name: A-E: bring a dessert; F-R: bring a salad: S-Y: bring a vegetable dish. Please RSVP on the sign up sheet in the foyer and provide the number attending or call the church office at 656-8200. This will assist us in the meal preparation. Free childcare will provided. There will be no afternoon or evening activities.
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness: and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthews 6:33
We will be celebrating the anniversary of Live Oak First Baptist Church on September 20 with our traditional “Celebrating God’s Family” activities. Dr. Darrell Horn, San Antonio Baptist Association Director of Missions will be our speaker. This year our theme is “Embracing the Future”. Although we have a wonderful past, let’s build upon that rich heritage with a confident faith in God to embrace the future. We must remember that our future is secure because we are in the hands of a almighty, soveriegn, holy God. I’m reminded of what God told Joshua as he faced an uncertain and challenging future in Joshua 1:9 “Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” We can embrace the future with that same assurance that God is with us.
The nuts and bolts of facing the future could be summed up on three words: faith, hope, and love. We must have a faith in God and His son Jesus who provides the salvation and power to live a victorious life. We also live with hope based on the promises of God and who He is. Finally, we should embrace the future with God’s love which is manifested by loving God and people. 1 Corinthians 13:13 says, “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” Charity means love, so love is the best thing we can do as we face our future.
I encourage you to make plans to participate in “Celebrating God’s Family” on September 20. I hope you begin right now to embrace your future with a confident faith in God, a settled hope in the promises of God, and a genuine love for God and his people. I look forward to worshiping with you as we love God and his people.
Your Pastor,
Brother Donald
Worship is not just for Sundays and Wednesdays, but for every day. When we meet with God in our quiet time, when we think of Him when we are driving, when we share Him with others, these are times of worship. When we enter His presence, He responds to us and we can feel His love. Make special times to meet with Him every day. Pray to Him, sing to Him, let His love flow into the silence of a time of meditation. God is holy; let’s worship Him in spirit and in truth.
As we meet together for worship, please take advantage of the quiet times (offertory and meditation), intercessory prayer, singing praise and listening to His message from God’s Word. May our goal be to really worship with our church family.
The summer slump in Sunday School is over! Be in your place each Sunday morning for Bible study. The studies are in Genesis, God’s promises, and Jesus in the present tense. Your teachers put in a lot of time preparing for the study, so let’s be there to dig into the Word.
Celebrating God’s Family will be a special day! We look forward to hearing from Dr. Darrell Horn, our new Director of Missions for San Antonio Baptist Association. The meal and fellowship will be great. Plan to be there!
Deacon of the Week
September 6Donnie Cox
September 13Lalo Peña
September 20Danny O’Neil
September 27Ken Bean
2Ken Bean22Charles Arrington
4Betty Dutton23Kathy Rigsby
7Paul Reavis24Amy Valenta
9J D Darsey25Roger Roberson
10J C Wooten25Patricia Ward
11Eddie Linnartz26June Ingle
11Damien Rohrbaugh27Mary Ann Vaticalos
17Charles Brantley27Joni Hartness
21Sherri Ann Harris28Edna James
21Deanna Scott
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We are beginning our budget process for the 2016 budget. All committees and ministry organizations are requested to turn in their budget requests to the Stewardship Committee by October 4. Everyone is invited to attend the budget planning meetings with the Stewardship Committee on October 4, 11, 25, and November 1.
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Begin September 13
5:00 pm–6:25 pm
Ages 2 years to 6th grade
Join us in the church fellowship hall for a pot luck supper. Bring a covered dish and invite a friend to enjoy the fellowship.
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September 17
Thursday, 6:30 pm
Fellowship Hall
We live in a technologically connected, multi-tasking age. We can converse in real time with people around the world while we prepare dinner and plan tomorrow’s schedule. We text, tweet, follow, like, post, comment, email, and call. Although this opens new doors for missions opportunities, it also forces us to listen more deliberately for God’s call. Ask God to give us listening ears, open hearts, and receptive spirits.
Paul
Join us for Bible study, dinner, and fellowship with your sisters in Christ. Check in the foyer for the menu and sign up sheet to help with food for the meal. Please call the church office at 656-8200 if you will need free childcare for preschoolers.