Sunday August 26,2012 “Are you a quitter? “

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Last week we had a small number of people but we had a great time in worshiping our God.  I was glad to be back after missing last week and my week has been better because of it.  When we miss a week of fellowshipping with one another we are at a disadvantage the following week.  We need that fellowship to build our faith and cope with all the stuff the world throws at us.  I hope you will be in church somewhere this week because you need it!

This week I am going to talk about something that means a great deal to me, Commitment!  I told you a couple of weeks ago that our church and all churches are needing people who are committed.  We are talking about followers, not fans.  Jesus is looking for people who are willing to step up and be counted as a follower.  He has always wanted people to know that being a part of his family requires a person to give his whole heart to spreading the Gospel of Christ.  This week scripture is found in John 6: 60- 69. This is a verse my daughter, Lindsey shared with me this last week.  It can be a very confusing scripture if you don’t understand what Jesus is talking about here.  Read these verses this week and see what God has for you in these verses.  The message I want us to see is, are we Quitters? Do we understand what God expects from us or do we simply just go on to other things that are simpler.  I love Simon Peter answer to Jesus question of “do you want to leave also”?  Would that be your answer to Jesus?
I hope you see yourself as a committed Christian.  I hope Jesus sees us as committed.

I am so excited about our homecoming next month but I don’t want to overlook the next few weeks.  God is preparing us to make a difference in this city and we all have a part to play.  We start with ourselves, what do we need to change, what do we need to start doing to be the man or woman God created us for.  I am looking forward to seeing you on Sunday. Between now and then call someone and tell them you love them, pray for a sick person or fill a need that someone needs.  Our new motto at BBT is to “Have an attitude of gratitude.” I hope you will be part of this life-changing attitude.  We will see you on Sunday!!!

Pastor David & Pris

 

Sunday August 19,2012

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Last Sunday was a crazy day.  We went to visit the church that helped start this church, North Dallas Baptist Church.  We arrived over an hour before church started but it was good to see many old faces from my childhood. The Church has changed quit a bit since I was there,  they now meet in the same room Bartimaeus started out in.  They have gone through many struggles but they are devoted to keep this church open.  I was very encouraged at how they are working to build this ministry back up to where it began over 100 years ago.  I was excited to get back to Bartimaeus and share this news with our members but on the way the water pump went out on our car.   Thankfully Larry was doing the service last week but it was disappointing to miss the service.  I know Larry and Don did a great job.

This week I am going to bring a message on living a successful life.  What makes a life successful? What is it that makes us happy?  What can we do to be successful and happy?
The scripture verses this week is in Ephesians again chapter 5 vs  15-20.  Paul is writing to his church and he is tell them to be wise and be careful to walk in the will of God.  I believe this is a blueprint to be successful and happy.  Read these scriptures this week and see what God has for you.  Invite someone to come with you on Sunday and lets see what God has for us.

I heard from Joel this week and for the next 2 months he will be out of town and not be able to be with us but hopes to be back in October.  We will miss him but they are doing great things for the Lord so we will just have to share them with others.  Mary Taylor is in the hospital at Baylor as she was very ill last week.  She is much better and out of ICU. Keep praying for her.  Kay was also taken to the Hospital on Monday and I am not sure what room she is in but both Kay and Richard need our prayers. Larry still needs our prayer for his headaches but he did tell me while he was preaching Sunday they did not bother him. Just goes to show you put your mind on God and you can do anything.   I hope you are having a great week and that you are looking for and expecting God’s blessings in your life.  We will be in church on Sunday and I hope to see you there.  We do love you!!!!

Pastor David and Pris

 

Message for August 12 – What Love Is

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Hello friends and family.  It was good to see everyone last Sunday.  I was supposed to be out of town but due to my current health concerns I didn’t feel that would be a good idea.  I never like to miss being with you, so it was a comfort to be home.  I hope this week finds us all being a blessing, as we are blessed.

This Sunday I’m going back to my favorite subject, but from a different and I hope more meaningful perspective.  I don’t think there is another word in the English language that is so abused.  We love our spouses.  We love our families.  We love our friends.  We love our pets.  We love our stuff.  we love good food.  Some of us are even blessed that we could say we love our jobs.  Hopefully all of us here love Jesus.  What does that mean?  We use the term so loosely that it’s hard to tell.

I think that part of the word’s overuse is due to our tendency to illustrate by exaggeration, but in so doing we have robbed it of its meaning and power.  The Greek language in which most of the new testament was written used four different words where we have just one.  I hope that you’ll join me as we explore what love is together.  In the meantime, I’ll leave you with this thought from 1 John 4:10.

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

 

Sunday 08-05-2012 ” Where is your pebble?”

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I hope you are doing well and that you are seeking the will of God in all you do.  We had a great service last Sunday and cannot wait till we will be back in service this week.  We had a good group Sunday and I hope we will have even more this week.  This summer is really hot and I hope you are all being careful not to overdo your activities, but attending Church should be a priority.  We only meet once a week and you need that time to fellowship with this family of believers.  And we need you!

This week I am going to speak about what it means to be the Church God called us to be.  The scripture verse this week is found in Ephesians 4: 1-16.  This is one of Paul’s last letters to the church at Ephesus and he wants to encourage them to be in unity.  How important is that to the Church?  It is impossible to be the church God wants us to be without it.  It is hard to get along sometimes with other people.  I know we all have our own ideas and thoughts, but when it comes to the matters of God, we don’t get to make the rules, he does.  We don’t get to do our own thing and expect God to change his ideas to meet ours.  We must know what it means to be part of a body of believers and try to keep our own ego out of what we are doing.  This Church was created to serve one God and we are responsible for how we do that.  This week I am going to give guidelines that cannot be changed.  We are given exact instructions on how we are to behave as a member of the body of Christ.  Read these scriptures this week and come and join in on what God has for us this week at BBT.

I encouraged you all last week to expect God to pour out a blessing on you this week.  I have been blessed already and I hope you have been blessed as well.  God desperately wants to meet your needs if you will just bring them to him.  My prayer for this week is that you will swallow any pride and open yourself up to what God has for you.  You may not feel like it but it matters not how you feel but how much faith you have.  Find someone with a need and meet it this week because God wants your help to do his work.  Pray for those that need prayer, share with those that need encouragement, and listen to those that need a friend who cares about them.  God will truly bless you.   We love you and are excited to see you this Sunday at BBT!

 

Sunday July29th 2012 “Blessed are they who mourn”

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We had a really great time last week at BBT.  Joel brought his group to lead us in praise and he also showed us we are really about to see revival not only in the churches but also in our community.  He said we want to be part of that and not just someone standing on the sidelines cheering others on.  We have a responsibility that comes with being a child of the King.  I hope you were there to hear his moving sermon, if not you can hear it on our podcast.

This week I am going to talk a little about how we overcome the tragedies in our life.
In wake of the killings in Colorado and a terrible accident here in Fort Worth where over 15 people were killed in an auto accident, we need to know how to carry on.  The scripture vs this week is found in Matthew the 5Th chapter and the 4Th verse.  It says “Blessed are they that mourn for they will be comforted.” Boy we sure hope so, but what does that mean.  I hope to discuss this on Sunday and see how God comforts us in our time of mourning.  It is a powerful thing to be able to give thanks even when we are in our darkest seasons.

Please invite someone to come with you this week and lets start this new time of revival.  Please remember the prayer request mention last week and please have a special prayer for pastor Larry as he is really going through some medical problems that the doctor have not really discovered what it is yet.  Our prayer is they will be able to find the problem causing Larry’s headaches and get him some relief.  Keep Elke in your prayers and keep this ministry in your thoughts and prayers as we seek the will of God in all of our lives.  We love you and can’t wait to see you on this 5Th Sunday in July.

Pastor David and Pris

 

Sunday July 22nd, 2012 “Joel and Dana are back”

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We had another great day in church last week.  Larry and Linda brought the lesson and the message and we were all blessed.  Larry and Linda will begin their ministry at the rehab center this week so lets pray they are received well and that people who are already hurting can find relief in there lessons.

We will have another treat this week as Joel and Dana will be back at BBT and Joel said he is bringing his group with him.  I hope you are looking forward to them as much as I am.  They praise the way that God intended to be praised.  I hope you will make plans to be in the house of God on Sunday.

It was good to see Elkie back in service last week.  She is fighting a battle for her life and we are all fighting along with her with our prayers and support.

My ex father in law passed away this week.  He was a good guy and was very proud to have served not only in the military but was an avid and participating member of his church.  Please pray for the family of Harold Williams as they go through the grieving process.

Please pray for all of the BBT family and keep lifting this ministry up in your prayers.

We love you and can’t wait to see you on Sunday

Pastor David & Pris

 

Message for July 15 – If God is Good

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I think it’s a question that all of us ask at some point in our lives as we endure suffering or witness the suffering of someone we love.  If God is good, if He is loving, if He is all powerful and all knowing, why do bad things happen?  It can be especially difficult for us if we have been taught that suffering is not supposed to be part of a believer’s life.  When it comes, as it inevitably will, our faith can be thrown for a loop.

Because of the nature of our church, we seem to have more than our share of it.  And as if what we have isn’t enough, more is always on tap.  We’ve been praying for Kim for some time now.  Pastor David is sick again, and I have just learned that at best I have migraines and at worst something called temporal arteritis. An inflammation of artery that can cause headache and eye damage among other things.

I’m sure that over the years many have spoken to us on this topic, but I endeavor to do it again.  I pray that the Lord will show us all something we have not seen before.  This I know.  I trust Him.  He will accomplish His purposes in us.  God is good.  I hope you will come and be encouraged this Sunday.

 

Sunday July 8, 2012 “You are somebody”

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Last week was a special day for BBT.  We had our first “Church in the Park”.  We had a good turnout and the weather was warm but it was a beautiful day.  I hope we can do this again.  I want to think everyone who helped out to make the picnic a success.  The only thing we are going to have to get better at is our group photos.  Seem it is so hard to get everyone together at these photos.

This week I am going to bring a message on “You are somebody”.  I want us to look at what the scriptures say we are and I want us to start living like we are somebody.  My scripture verses this week are Gal 3:26-29.  This is who we are! Providing we have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal savior.  This is not something we can boast about because it is not something we have done but what someone has done for us.  Now we need to get out there and make others feel like they are somebody as well. Pris will have another lesson on Revelations this week so read up on it so we can discuss her thoughts.

I hope you all had a great 4Th of July and I hope you will be in church on Sunday at our regular time and place.  Keep praying for those that need our strength and remember we all need help sometimes.  Lets be the help someone needs.  We love you and will see you on Sunday!

Pastor David & Pris

 

Sunday July 1, 2012 “Church at the Park”

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We had sad news last week when our brother Ed Thompson passed away Saturday morning.  We had a memorial service for him last Sunday and got to share how we felt about Ed.  It is always sad for us when we lose a family member but we rejoice in the fact that Ed is now finally home.

This week we will be having Church in the Park.  We will have a picnic after the service and I hope we get a chance to share with the people around us as we Praise the Lord at the park.  If you  want to be part of this service please call me and we will make arrangements for you to attend.  If you want to bring food please feel free to do so but there will be plenty.  I have not even thought about the sermon for this week but I will have something by Sunday.

I am so glad my wife has made it home but she is not feeling well now.  She may have picked up a bug in Mexico so she could use your prayers.  I am excited about the service this week and I hope it is something we can do every year around this time.  Pray for those that God brings you to mind and keep doing good things is the name of Jesus.  I will see you at the park on Sunday!!!

Pastor David & Pris

 

Sunday June 24th, 2012

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What a great way to celebrate Fathers day.  Being with people you love and having them loving you back. That is what it is like at BBT.  I hope you feel the same way. Larry brought an excellent sermon on how our Heavenly Father feels about us. I am always amazed at how much God loves us! Joel and Dana will not be able to be here on Sunday this next week so you will just have to put up with me again.

I was so moved when Linda played the eulogy her brother gave at their Dads funeral, I decided to speak this week about what will people be saying about us after we have gone and how do we feel about ourselves as we look back at our life.   The scripture verse this week is 2 Timothy 4: 6-8.  This is the story of how Paul saw himself as he life was coming to an end.  This is his reflection on his life.  One day all of will have to face death, it is not something we can avoid. As a younger person we rarely think about what is waiting for us on the other side but the older we get we start to look back and we evaluate what we did over a lifetime.  We have all made mistakes and we would probably all what to go back in time and do somethings differently.  Understand that the mistakes we have made have help to develop who we are.  I hope this week you will spend just a little bit of time and reflect back on your life.  What would you change?  What plans do you have for the future?  We have all been blessed and I hope we feel like we have been a blessing as well.

Pray for those that we mention in the prayer request last Sunday and keep believing God is going to do a great work in this body of believers.  Pris is away this week on vacation and I miss her but I am so glad she got the chance to take this time to spend relaxing.  I am sure she will have many stories to tell us when she gets back.  I am so excited about Sunday July 1 when we have church at the lake and the picnic to follow.  I hope you are making plans to be there! Keep doing good things in the name of Jesus and I will see you on Sunday!

Pastor David & Pris