Labors of love
Thomas Merton, an American monk, writer and social activist, said, “It is in the ordinary duties and labors of life that the Christian can and should develop his spiritual union with God.” As the United States observes Labor Day, may we find meaning not simply in marking summer’s end but in celebrating the ways nearly all “duties and labors of life” can empower ministry and faith.
Whether as a dentist, parent, artist, teacher, mechanic, gardener, city councilor, farmer, day laborer, attorney or anything else, a Christian can begin each workday or shift by praying for opportunities to serve whoever they’ll encounter. We also can pray for and seek ways to grow in “spiritual union with God”: cultivating spiritual fruits; actively loving God and neighbor; seeing Jesus in the vulnerable; practicing humility, gratitude and praise.
In Labor Day, may we find inspiration to make all our labors loving and faithful!
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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
As I have been reading through the Old Testament, on numerous occasions the Lord said that if His people would obey Him and follow His ways, He would be with them and care for them. But then He immediately states the consequences of not following Him: He would forsake them. In 2 Chronicles 15 Azariah spoke similar words to Asa:
“The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you (vs. 2)”
.
Many times God’s chosen people, the Israelites, disobeyed Him and went their ways and lived on their terms: they worshiped foreign gods, they intermarried with people of other nations, they did not fulfill His commands, etc. They disobeyed God and soon suffered the consequences. God had forsaken them.
But the story does not end there! When the Israelites came to their senses and recognized their sin, they humbled themselves and repented and turned back to God. How did God respond? In 2 Chronicles 7:14 we read
“if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land”
. God returned His favor to them and restored them. Isn’t that just like God?
He is a God of second chances, and third and fourth chances. He wants the best for us and is patient with us, waiting for us to turn back to Him. He gave David another chance. He gave Jonah another chance. He gave Peter another chance. He gave Paul another chance. He will give you another chance.
So, have you been straying from the Lord and finding the going getting rough for you and problems seeming to mount? Don’t blame God! Ask Him to search you and show you His way (Psalm 139:23-24). Return to Him and seek Him. If there is sin, confess it and turn from it. (I John 1:9). God is in the daily business of molding and shaping us to be what He wants us to become. He is a merciful and forgiving God. I like how Micah 7:18-19 states it:
“Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.”
Dear friend, heaven is just around the corner. Don’t give up and don’t stray away from the Lord. A little while more and we will be free from the struggles we now face. Jesus is our only hope. Stay with Him.
Your Fellow Servant,
Bro. Loren
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September 2019
1st -
Compañerisomo Hispano Frio River Quarterly meeting at El Calvario Iglesia Bautista (Jourdanton)
2nd - Labor Day Holiday
(FRBA OFFICE CLOSED)
3rd - OCL Meeting - 6:30pm
4th - South Zone Pastor's Prayer Meeting
8th-11th - FRBA Progressive Revival
(see below for details)
12th - East Zone Pastor's Prayer Meeting
13th-14th - Texas Baptists Special Friends Retreat
(Plains Baptist Camp Floydada, TX)
14th - RESTORE 2019 FRBA Ladies' Event
(at FBC Pearsall - details below)
21st - National Day of Volunteer Youth Ministry training event at FBC Pleasanton
(details below)
24th - FRBA Executive Board Meeting
9:30am - Fellowship
10:00am - Business Meeting
26th - North Zone Pastor's Prayer Meeting
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October 2019
1st- OCL Meeting - 6:30pm
2nd - South Zone Pastor’s Prayer Meeting
4th-5th - Texas Baptists Special Friends Retreat
(Mt. Lebanon Baptist Camp & Conference Center - Cedar Hill, TX)
5th - South Texas Church Worker Training Clinic
(see below for details)
10th - East Zone Pastors Prayer Meeting
11th-13th - Married Retreat
(Alto Frio)
14th-15th - Texas Baptists Youth + Family + NextGen Ministry Conclave
(Convention Center - Arlington, TX)
20th - FRBA Annual Gathering at FBC Natalia
(details below)
20th-26th - Week of Prayer for Baptist Associations
24th - North Zone Pastor's Prayer Meeting
28th-29th - SBTC Annual Meeting
(Odessa, TX)
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SAVE THESE DATES!!
2019
Dec. 7th
- FRBA Church Administrator's Fellowship Christmas Party
Dec. 10th
- FRBA Exec. Board Pastor/Spouse & Staff Christmas Fellowship
2020
Jan. 6th-7th
- Pastors & Spouses Prayer Retreat (at Alto Frio)
May 1st-4th
- FRBA Annual Ladies Retreat at H. E. Butt Foundation Camp
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ATTENTION LADIES!!
There are only a few days left to register for this exciting event.
If daily life is as hectic for you as it tends to be for most of us,
you'll enjoy this little bit of time for yourself!
All those things that keep you busy will still be there when you get back.
If you have about 3 minutes, check out this special video from
our speaker
Rhonda De La Moriniere
.
Call a friend (or several), and come join us for this special time of fellowship,
spiritual growth and more! You won't regret it.
(Registration ends on Sept. 6th. and t
ickets WILL NOT be available at the door.)
If you prefer to pay by cash or check just call Laurie Beth at (830)334-2061 or e-mail her at
LBScantlinFRBA@outlook.com
with any questions you may have.
Lunch and all materials are included in all registrations.
Hope to see YOU there!
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Video-based training for your entire volunteer team!
FBC Pleasanton
will be one of over 225 host locations for this training!
You can join over 10,000 volunteers across he nation as we watch 8 TED-style training
videos with discussion breaks, prizes, giveaways and more.
Only $5 per person if you are a member of a
Frio River Baptist Association church!
Just use the code:
BEOURGUESTPLEASANTON
when you register.
Click
HERE
for registration.
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Saturday, October 5, 2019
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Our annual
South Texas Church Worker Clinic
is coming soon!
This year, we are hosting the event in
two different locations
to make it more convenient for folks from all parts of our Association to attend.
Session 1
- for our southern churches will be held at
Belen Baptist Church
202 E. White St.; Dilley, TX 78017
8:30am - Registration
9:00-11:00am - Conferences
Session 2
- for our northern churches will be held at
FBC Devine
308 W. Hondo Ave.; Devine, TX 78016
1:30pm - Registration
2:00-4:00pm - Conferences
The following sessions will be available at BOTH locations
:
Adults
- led by David Adams, Texas Baptists
Children
- led by Stefanie Litzler, Shearer Hills Baptist Church, San Antonio
Preschool
- led by Kellee Parish, Trinity Baptist Church, Kerrville
Please plan to attend whichever session is most convenient for your church.
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FBC Natalia
ordained some new Deacons on August 11th!
From left to right:
Rick Freeburn
,
Greg Cargile
,
Pastor Lenard Dossey
,
Michael Holley
, and
Arnulfo Lara
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FBC LaCoste
recently handed out teacher goody bags and drinks
to help their local public school teachers through their teacher in-service days
and get a jump start on another amazing day.
One of their volunteers noted: "
We are so thankful that
LaCoste Elementary
has allowed us to bless them the last 2 years by allowing us into their school.
We love being able share God's blessings with those in our community
and the teachers that serve them."
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FBC Charlotte
recently spent a week serving the Lord
through outreach and construction projects with
Connection Church
and
Queens Church
in Astoria/Queens, NY.
Please continue to pray for these churches and pastors
Daniel McGee
and
Larry Mayberry
.
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FRBA RESOURCE LIBRARY
This Bible study and many more are available
through our resource library!
Defined - Leader Kit: How God Has Identified You
Inspired by the Kendrick brothers’ OVERCOMER movie
(8-session DVD study)
Click
here
to download one of our checkout forms. Then just complete it and
bring it by the office to borrow a Bible study to meet your needs.
We’re also accepting donations of used DVD Bible study kits.
If you or your church have some that you are no longer using, we’d love
to have them here to share with other churches in our Association.
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Frio River Baptist Association | Phone: 830-334-2061 | Fax: 830-334-3025 |
Email |
Website
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