FBCZ.org
first baptist church, zachary, la

A few days ago, I was reading my daily Bible passage when I came across an interesting exchange between Jesus and His adversaries. The account is as follows:

As I looked back on previous Messenger articles, I found one that I wrote four years ago concerning the rebuilding process (physically and spiritually) that we as a church were involved in. I wanted to share it again with you as a reminder of what God continues to do in our church and encourage you to give thanks for those blessings.

As I write this article, all eyes are on Miami, Florida, the 2010 home of the Super Bowl. Each year, the Super Bowl demonstrates itself to be one of the greatest sporting events, and for the Gulf Coast audience, Sunday's game is one of the biggest events ever. The New Orleans Saints have finally shaken the "ain'ts" mentality and embraced a winning attitude.

One of the great privileges of parents is to see their children grow in the knowledge of the Lord and His work. There is nothing more awesome than for your sons and daughters to develop a desire for God. They want to hear more, see more, and do more. Over the last few weeks, I have become intimately aware of this satisfying reality.

Passion. Webster says that the word can imply a compelling emotion or love. As I’ve prayed about our goals for 2010, I’ve discovered that most of them center on this concept. What do I need most personally? What do we need most corporately? A renewed passion. It begins with an intense desire for God Himself, a longing that can only be met by the deepening of our relationship with Him.

Black Friday. A day of intense confusion and chaos. For the two of you who may be unfamiliar with this moment, I am referring to the Friday following Thanksgiving in which the official holiday shopping season begins. Supposed "deals" abound, and crowds grow. Even before the actual day arrives, detailed preparation is made. An itinerary is developed, and a route is planned.

Everybody wants to experience some measure of success. Whether it is in vocation or family, we desire accomplishment and achievement. Thankfully God has provided us with biblical principles that help us realize success.

If you were to read any book on the topic of leadership, you would find a mention of goals. Every organization has some type of goal, whether spoken or unspoken, that it hopes to accomplish. We even have aspirations for our own personal lives. We hope to advance in the workplace, build strong families, relate successfully to our community, etc.