The Reason You Were Born!

The Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. — Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV
We have all had our hearts broken by someone who did not choose us, or by someone who rejected our offer to love that would have brought the fulfillment of a relationship. Some of us have even said under our breath. “It’s your loss. I would have been good for you. We could have had a great life together, but . . . oh, well.”
God never says, “Oh, well.” He is relentless in his love pursuit of us while at the same time honoring our right to say, “No. I’m not interested.”
How blessed we are that, in the cocooning security of God’s choice to love us, we also have his promise to never abandon us. He will not desert us; He will never choose against us. No human being in our lives can make such a declaration of steadfast love. Only God can; only God does. Let’s remember yet again Isaiah 41:9, which promises, “I have chosen you and will not throw you away.”
My prayer for you is that you choose to accept the very reason for which you were born and that you rest in your place of one whom God will never abandon . . . never throw away.
~Marylin Meberg

SHINE

This past weekend I was privileged to attend yet another amazing and spiritually revitalizing church retreat. Some of the NHBC family were at Fort Myers Beach for a weekend of getting close to God and reflecting on His word. The retreat's theme was "Shine" and how we as believers need to shine for Jesus so that others can see His light in us.

God gives us many opportunities to shine and this morning I missed an opportunity to shine. Sometimes we can get caught up in the regular monotony that is our work week and let our lights dim. I was in traffic driving down the same street I have been taking for the past four years to go to work and while sitting at a stop light I was startled by a person in my window. It was an older man at my passenger window which was open and he reached in with one hand palmed and asked for money. I reacted by waving him off and saying "I am sorry". He replied "Man, I have nothing." and walked off to the next car. In my mind I thought to myself, I work two jobs, I practically bust by back to get what I have.

I don't know his situation or what happened to put him in his current state. What I now know I should have said was; "You have Jesus, and the best thing is you don't have to beg for it and it doesn't even cost anything" "All you have to do is let him in to your heart." The Christian in me would have had me give him the plan of salvation at that moment. My opportunity to shine for Him to this one person missed. I know that things happen for a reason and because of this encounter I am writing this blog which I have not had the inspiration to write in a long time. Also because I missed my moment to shine this morning God gave me second opportunity and I was able to give the plan of salvation to my Aunt who is going through a difficult time. Glory be to God.

Sailors use the light from a lighthouse to steer them clear of obstacles and the rocky coast during the night and in stormy weather. Airplanes use beacons of light to help them arrive to their destination and land safely. Automobiles use headlights to drive in the night and in fog so that their occupants can reach the destination without incident. Many people use us as their "light" to guide them even when we ourselves are not shining as bright as we could. You wouldn't go driving in your car at night if your headlights weren't working. An airport would shut down if they had no runway lights to guide the planes. A lighthouse keeper lives in the lighthouse to make sure that the light is working and brightly shining all the time. God is entrusting His light in us, we are the lighthouse keepers of our spiritual walk and it is important that we never let that light go out for the sake of those who are seeking it.

Ground Hog Day and Signs in Your Life

Today, February 2, is Groundhog Day. As you probably know, if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow in the morning, the prediction is there will be six more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t, spring is on the way.

And why is it that a 20-pound critter who spent the last few months in hibernation can supposedly forecast the weather? That whole “sunny skies equals bad weather to come” thing is a tradition dating back to early European Christians and the legend of Candlemas Day. Early Pennsylvania settlers figured the groundhog, a “most intelligent and sensible animal” would have the brains to head back indoors if he saw his shadow. (Hey, no one claimed it was a scientific method.)

According to the “Official Website of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club,” Groundhog Day began in the 1800s and Phil has been looking for his shadow ever since. How about you? Do you begin your morning peering out of your ‘burrow,’ looking for a sign to tell you what kind of day it will be? Or do you start each day in the knowledge that God already knows your personal forecast and will always be with you (on stormy and sunny days alike!)? Happy Groundhog Day!

Betrayals

Betrayals


If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend. - Psalm 55:12-13

"You will always be attacked in the place of your inheritance," said the man sitting across the breakfast table. "God has called you to bring people together and to impact other people's lives as a result of this anointing in your life. You must make sure that you seek to maintain righteousness in all of your relationships." Those words came from someone who had the wisdom and authority to speak them to me.

I have had a number of close relationships that ended in betrayal. I am very loyal to my friends and those with whom I have covenant relationships. Yet there are times that no matter how righteous you are, when someone means to betray you, he will do it. Loving those who betray you is "graduate-level Christianity." The religious community and one of His closest friends betrayed Jesus. Those who were closest to David betrayed him. Joseph's own family betrayed him. Loving our enemies cannot be accomplished by mustering it up. It can only happen when we have come to a death in ourselves so that Christ can love through us. It is truly one of those acts of identifying with the cross.

If you are a leader, you can be sure God will allow you to experience betrayal. It is one of those courses in the Kingdom that may not be required until God has seen that you have successfully passed other tests. It is the most difficult and most gut wrenching of all tests. A godly response goes against all that is in us. Our natural response is to protect, retaliate, and retain unforgiveness and bitterness. Our natural response is satan's most powerful weapon; to overcome it requires much grace from God. Ask God to build His nature in you now so that when such attacks come, you will be aware that it is a test and you will respond in righteousness.


TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1 by Os Hillman
Friday, December 18 2009

The Glory of Christmas

It occurred to me last week that there is a practical reason Thanksgiving always precedes Christmas: It sets in motion the ideal mental attitude to carry us through the weeks in between. In other words, a sustained spirit of gratitude makes the weeks before Christmas a celebration rather than a marathon.

Maybe these few thoughts will stimulate you to give God your own thanks in greater abundance.

Thank You Lord…

for Your sovereign control over our circumstances,
for Your holy character in spite of our sinfulness,
for Your commitment to us even when we wander astray,
for Your Word that gives us direction,
for Your love that holds us close,
for Your gentle compassion in our sorrows,
for Your consistent faithfulness through our highs and lows,
for Your understanding when we are confused,
for Your Spirit that enlightens our eyes,
for Your grace that removes our guilt.

— Charles Swindoll

God's Motives

"He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me." - 2 Samuel 22:20

Questioning someone's motives for their activities can become an overriding response to those to whom we relate. Wrong motives can result in broken relationships, poor business decisions, and falling out of God's will. Sometimes we do not know the motive of another person. It is wrong for us to assume what their motive is until we have confidence that we know their intentions. When we respond or react prematurely, we become judge and jury over them.

God has a motive for every one of His children. His desire is to bring us into a spacious place. He wants us to go beyond our borders of safety and security so that we might experience life at a level that goes beyond ourselves. What do you think of when you think of a "spacious place"? No limitations? A large, grassy field? Open air? These are positive images. Sometimes these spacious places encourage us to step out in faith into areas where we've never ventured. Sometimes we need to be rescued by the Lord. When Peter walked on the water, God was inviting him to a spacious place. He went beyond the borders of his boat and ventured into a whole new world. He didn't have complete success in his venturing out, but it was a process that would lead him to the next victory in his faith walk with Jesus. Sometimes failure is what is needed in order to move us to the next level of faith with God. However, we must be willing to fail and let God rescue us.

The Lord delights in this process. His motive for His children is always love. It is always to bring us to a new level of trust and dependence on Him.

Taken from
TGIF Today God Is First
Saturday, May 30 2009

NHBC Spring Retreat 2009

Before we left for this retreat, Pastor Dan admonished us not to expect the same thing from this retreat as from the others. I must say this retreat had a much different impact on me than our Fall 2008 Retreat in Ft Myers Beach.

This retreat was far deeper spiritually for me than the last one. It wasn't as emotional, as tearful. There was a quiet, peaceful awakening in my spirit. The best way I can describe it is that this weekend what the pastor taught about became rhema word to me. Not that anything he spoke about was new, just as the pastor himself said. It came alive in me in a different way than before.

I came to realize that God wants us to cry out to Him. It's not as if I had never heard or read that in the Bible before. I'd always been taught to pray silently, to myself. One of my favorite Bible verses is Psalm 17:6 "I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God. Bend down and listen as I pray." I've always had a beautiful picture in my mind of God parting the clouds and leaning down to hear me as I pray. How much more complete is that vision if I'm actually praying out loud!!

I was greatly impacted by the session dealing with forgiveness. I made big mistakes in my life before I came to Christ and pray that one day I will be forgiven by those who were hurt by my actions. The word that struck me most strongly in the verses the pastor quoted was 'tender-hearted'. I am praying that through Christ I can become tender-hearted towards those who hurt me.

The fun times we had together were as always, wonderful!! I am blessed to have such a beautiful "Eternal Family". God shows me His love through each and every one of you!! I can't wait until our next retreat to see what God has in store for us......

Couples Daytona Retreat

Sorry for the lapse in updating the blog but we've had a very busy past month at NHBC. On the 27th and 28th of March the couples attended a "Fireproof your marriage" conference in Daytona Beach, FL. It was based on the Fireproof movie and hosted by First Baptist Church of Daytona Beach. It was truly a blessing to have such wonderful speakers like, Gary Smalley, Michael Catt, Stephen and Alex Kendrick and host Ted Cunningham. Their testimonies and lessons were very refreshing and at times very comical.

God gave us perfect weather and some of us got to ride our motorcycles there and back. The Pastor got a great deal on the hotel and we could have not asked for a more beautiful backdrop to wonderful weekend. If you've missed this retreat you still have a chance next month in Ft. Myers. We hope to see you there.

Women of Faith Coming to Fort Lauderdale

The Women's Ministry of North Hialeah Baptist Church is going to Women of Faith on November 20-21 at the Bank Atlantic Center in Ft. Lauderdale. We have reserved seating for 25 women and since our total cost is $100.00, payment plans are set for a $10.00 a month deposit to be paid in full by the date of the event. For more information, please see Sue Diez or e mail at VBS@northhialeahbaptistchurch.org

Strength forged through sacrifice.

On September 11, 1911 in a Brooklyn Navy Yard the battleship USS New York was born. Commissioned a couple of years later she patrolled the waters of the Atlantic during World War 1 and then the Pacific in World War 2, where she received three stars during her service. In 1946 she was decommissioned and taken to Pearl harbor where she sat for two years, to be ultimately towed out some forty miles to sea then sunk intentionally during battle maneuvers.
On August 2004 in a shipyard in Louisiana a keel was laid for a ship. During its construction a hurricane named "Katrina" hit and battered the shipyard. In the aftermath 1,200 workers stayed to keep building the ship. Adversity could not dampen the spirit of this project. The ship was to be the U.S. Navy's latest addition to their fleet. This modern-day behemoth is 111 feet longer than the old battleship of which she replaces, the USS New York (BB-34). The bow stern includes some seven and a half tons of steel recovered from the World Trade Center's twin towers. "There was total reverence" the yard's operations manager said, "When the steel first arrived I touched it and the hair on the back of my neck stood up." USS NEW YORK (LPD-21) is coming home to her namesake city and state on November 2, 2009 and the ships motto: “Strength Forged through Sacrifice: Never Forget”.

The greatest battles are won in the face of adversity. In these tough times, know that sacrifices today will bring greater victories tomorrow. God's greatest gift of sacrifice should be our source of strength and this we should never forget.

John 3:16 No.1 search on Google

University Of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow actually made "John 3:16" the number one search term on Google for a short time by wearing it in the eye black under his eyes during the BCS championship game.

You can actually see the effect that Tebow had on the search term "john 3 16" right here:

http://www.google.com/trends/hottrends?q=*&sa=X&date=2009-1-8

For those of you not familiar with John 3:16, it says: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

In some previous games, Tebow wore Philippians 4:13 on his eye black which says: "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

Millions watched this most recent game when Tebow led the Florida Gators to a 24-14 victory over the University of Oklahoma to win the national championship.

But not everyone is thrilled with Tebow's display of faith. The Orlando Sentinel recently put it this way:
Others feel religion and sports should not mix. "Why must he rub it in my face?" they ask.

So why would Tim Tebow do this?

Why would he expose himself and his teammates to potential ridicule?

The truth is that Tim Tebow recognized that millions and millions of people would be looking at his face during the national championship game, and he used that opportunity to promote the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Tim Tebow is part of a dying breed of Christians who are not ashamed of the gospel.
Jesus told us that we should never be ashamed of Him or His message. In Luke 9:26, Jesus said this:

If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

We applaud Tim Tebow for not being ashamed of the gospel. The truth is that Tebow is working to fulfill the command that Jesus gave us almost 2000 years ago in Matthew 28:18-20....

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

So as far as we are concerned we hope that Tebow will continue to wear Bible verses on his face.

If even one person finds eternal life because of it then it is more than worth it.

Hurry Up And Wait

A sister in Christ asked if I would blog about the long lines I recently encountered while visiting Universal Studios in Orlando and anyone who knows me, knows I love a challenge so here it goes. If you have had the misfortune of dealing with longs lines during the Holidays or in my case while visiting a theme park please read on.

In today's society, we are brainwashed into thinking that faster is better, we have fast food, drive through tellers at the bank, self checkout at some stores and even drive through wedding chapels. More recently theme parks have added fast or express passes so that you can get on your favorite rides and not have to wait in those long lines. It all sounds great, I know that I want to ride as many rides in a day as I can before the park closes.

Did you know that in Walt Disney World and Universal Studios there are people whose job it is to create the scenery, the atmosphere while you wait in line? It is their responsibility to surround you in props, displays, lights and sounds to help immerse you in the theme of the ride, giving you a much more memorable experience. The people with the fast or express passes bypass this part of the ride to avoid the lines and this cheats them of the total ride experience. I know there are many who will argue this point and I would agree that some of the lines are just way too long.

In the Pirates of the Caribbean ride you have to walk through scenery which depicts the era of pirates and their ports of call. In the Hulk ride you are forced to walk through the laboratory where gamma rays are being tested and all sorts of lights are flashing. The Spiderman ride takes you behind the scenes of The Daily Bugle and Peter Parker (Spiderman's alias) while you wait your turn in line.

What if it was your job to design the area of the ride where people wait to ride? What if you had a story to tell? What if you wanted to immerse people so that they can receive the best ride experience? By now some of you can see where I am going with this. God has a story to tell us and He wants to immerse us so that we can receive a life changing experience.

If your life is about getting on the ride, then what happens after you're done and the park closes? In life, God gives us scenery, lights and sounds every day. If you allow yourself to acknowledge these gifts from God and immerse yourself in them, your ride experience with Him will be a much more memorable one.

A special thank you to all who attended this years Christmas cantata "Christmas Shoes". We had a large crowd in God's house Sunday night and had several people come forward to accept the Lord. All of this would have not been possible without the help and support of the NHBC family.

Speaking for myself, it makes my job easy when everyone takes on some of the workload. I have been very fortunate that whenever a seemingly large project has been taken on that there are always more than enough volunteers to help, and for that I am grateful. Words of warning to all my brothers and sisters, the bar has been raised. Look for next year to be bigger and better.

YeeHaw Partners!

This years' Round Up Sunday was a great success. Thanks to all of those involved and all of those who attended. It was awesome to see over 265 people attending service on Sunday. I saw a lot of really good looking cowboys and cowgirls, you all deserve a hand for helping to set the mood for this years' round up.

It's good to see the spiritual fires burning in everyone's eyes. The emotion and passion that touched those who were privileged to attend the retreat earlier this year has spread through the congregation. When we carry this momentum through to the upcoming year, God will bless the NHBC family with explosive growth.

Plugged in?

I think brother Isman said it best when he used it as an example of our Christian walk. A microphone isn't really a microphone unless it is plugged into an amplifier. It might as well be a glass of water or a rock. An amplifier has to be plugged into a source of power for it to work, otherwise the signal running through it is lost and no one hears it.

How is your Christian walk? Is you mike plugged in? Is your amplifier plugged into a source of power? God wants to use you and me to expand His kingdom and help to bring others to know Christ. If our source of power is weak or nonexistent then how could we be a microphone for God's word?

We need to get plugged in to God's word, it recharges our source of power (Faith). Sundays should not be enough. Fellowship, ministries, church functions and Bible studies are great sources to recharge our spiritual batteries. Brothers and sisters, are you feeling run down? When is the last time you checked your power source? Maybe it's time to get plugged in.

This year's retreat was truly an unforgettable experience. My wish is that more people can go to the next one. This was my first retreat but certainly not my last. To all my brothers and sisters in Christ, I would like to thank you for participating and feeding me spiritually. God is so amazing that we could share so much personal pain and become as close as we all became in such a short time. We would do a great disservice to God if we do not take all the power and emotion back to North Hialeah Baptist and share it with the rest of our church family.

I think my Jonah said it best when after service on Sunday he said " I don't want to go". I understand how he felt. There was such a great positive atmosphere, everyone was smiling and not one negative vibe could be felt. The world is still the same and troubles affect everyone but, for that weekend it seemed everyone left them behind and focused on Jesus and let God take care of everything else. Funny how it should take a retreat for us to be able to do what God has asked us to do all along.

For my brothers and sisters; nothing positive comes from negative thinking. Lets have a year-round retreat in our homes, in our work, at school and in church. Pack your suitcases with negativity and poisoning thoughts and leave them behind. The world has enough problems, do not contribute to them, be a solution and a light for others.

The Bridge

In my opinion, I feel that on occasion we allow ourselves to get bogged down and overwhelmed with problems that in many cases are beyond our control. Sometimes the Christian solution is not easily seen through the fog of minor irrelevant circumstances and general day to day trials. As Christians we owe it to God to put our fate in His hands because of the greatest sacrifice He invested in us.

I think the message of God's greatest gift can sometimes get watered down. I hope this short film puts the greatest gift to mankind in a new perspective. It was shared to me by a friend and the Holy Spirit put it in my heart to share it with you.

NHBC Couples Night

Thank you to all the couples that attended the "Fireproof" movie Sunday night. I thought the movie was great and it touched on a lot of topics which sometimes put a strain on marriages. It was especially refreshing to see a movie with God and Christianity in the main theme. A special thank you goes out to the Singles Group for providing child sitting services for many of us. Without them a Sunday night at the movies just would not be possible.

God's Musicians

A trumpet cannot make music without someone to blow through it, a guitar will not make a sound if no one strums it and a piano will not carry a melody unless someone is there to strike the keys. All of them beautiful instruments made from brass, silver, ivory and exotic hardwoods each polished to perfection but even more beautiful is the sound they were created to make.

If there were no one to play these instruments they would simply be decoration or considered art by some, just like a painting hanging on the wall. The would be no glory for the craftsman who labored for hours to make sure the pitch and tones were just right and pleasing to the senses, instead all of his work would go unnoticed by many.

Each of us is handcrafted. The craftsman who labored with skilled hands painstakingly created each one of us to be instruments. If our lives were to be placed on a mantle or hung on a wall then we would do our creator no justice. God deserves the glory and just like musical instruments we should be played and our music heard and witnessed by many.

Ephesians 5:19
Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord

Paul T. Fleming at NHBC

A special thanks to Mr. Paul T. Fleming for a wonderful night of worship. In case you missed it, Mr. Fleming performed a concert at NHBC this past Sunday night. Paul's music and message were both infectious and energizing to the spirit. It was a great time for all who attended as we were drawn by Paul's gospel music with a very upbeat Caribbean flair. It's no wonder that he has won many awards for his vocal abilities, God truly has blessed him with a great voice.

We wish him much success in his ministry and if we are lucky maybe we can invite him back in the near future. If you would like more information on Mr. Fleming's ministry or would like to purchase some of his music you can visit his website at: www.paultfleming.com