It is easy to consider all the negative that is going on in our world today, the division of  people, the lines being drawn, and miss the goodness of life that God provides. The conflict in Israel, the voices levied for and against personal opinions and agendas, tend to leave us conflicted and worrying about the future. The death that is attributed to mental illness and our lack of understanding on how to curb the aggression and action.

 

A deeper look at Psalm 118:22-23 tells us, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This has come from the LORD; it is wondrous in His sight.” In the church we know this is referring to Jesus as the cornerstone of our faith. No matter what comes our way, our cornerstone remains steadfast. Be careful to whom you give your ears and hearts. News agencies are at most times good for information, if we understand the spinning that takes place. But, it is always beneficial to look to the LORD. Keep your eyes on Jesus, the    author and perfecter of our faith. It is in Christ that we find hope and direction.

 

I am so thankful for you as a people of God.  Together, we have taken it upon ourselves to take care of our needs while also reaching into the future. We are so blessed by God to be used by Him in making Him known. Always remember, God uses all circumstances to make Himself known. All things work together for the good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. We are using our gathering space to bring our church together while also inviting others to come and see. What a blessing to get to lead a church that goes beyond what is seen to what is needed.

 

At our last member meeting, we voted to collect a special Building Offering on Sunday, November 12. It gives us an opportunity to come and think about what God has called us to do together. As a part of this special offering day, we have also been asked to join a communal church effort to finish the last house for Habitat for Humanity. It is a blessing to come alongside three other churches in our area: First United Methodist Church, Kerrville Church of Christ, and Impact Fellowship in completing this neighborhood. The first $25,000 collected on our ingathering day will go to support this endeavor while the additional funds will be applied to our building debt. Blessed to Bless is more than a campaign, it has always been a movement of Trinity Baptist Church for God’s glory. Thank you in advance for your contributions to bless our community.

 

At this season of Thanksgiving, I am thankful for your faithfulness to God’s movement among us. May we see more and more of God’s  activity as we submit to His leadership and direction.

 

In Christ,

We believe in God the Father, we believe in Jesus Christ, we believe in the Holy Spirit and He’s given us new life. We believe in the crucifixion, we believe that He conquered death, we believe in the resurrection, and He’s coming back again, we believe. These are the words to the chorus of the song, We Believe, by Matthew Hopper, Richie Fike, and Travis Ryan. Those words have been a part of our singing vocabulary for many years and hopefully a part of our spoken vocabulary as well.

 

What we believe is important because it not only describes who we are but what we do. It is important that we pass along our truth statements to our families. Our children will be more likely to make them their truth statements when they see our words and actions working together.

 

I am excited about our “We Believe” series. It is both affirming and encouraging to know we are moving in the same directions as a faith family. It has been a blessing to see students and adults coming to follow Jesus in biblical  believers baptism. We are still scheduling others. God has been faithful to bring fruit when we are faithful to tell His story.

 

At Midweek this month, we will be encoring our marriages through a time we have entitled, “Loving on Marriages.” On October 18th, 25th and November 1st and 8th, we will be gathering to celebrate God’s gift of marriage and consider next steps of faithfulness and blessing. I am a firm believer that as goes marriages, so goes the families; as goes the family, so goes the community; as goes the communities, so goes the country.

 

I want to thank Mike Mullens for helping to put together our most recent time of praying during the Jewish festivals for the Jewish people to come to recognize Jesus as Messiah. May we continue to pray for Israel, the Jewish people and the world as often as they come to mind. It has been an added blessing to pray for the Jewish people during the days of their fall festival days. I know for a fact that those who attended Midweek were blessed as we studied and learned together.

 

Great things are happening at Trinity Baptist Church! My prayer is that we continue to think outside the box and minister outside the walls of the church. Our city needs to hear about Jesus and the relationship that He provides. The foundation of everything we do that matters hinges upon declaring Jesus is LORD. Let’s continue to join our voices and our paths as we declare God’s good news to those around us.

 

In Christ,