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.