Sunday, December 28, 2008

New Year

It is the time of year for resolutions and then for resolution. Has it been a whole year already? Time does move on. . .and seems to pass more quickly each year. God has blessed us in so many ways this year, and now is a good time to thank Him. Sure, there have been bad things happening. Yes, there have been heartbreaks. Yet, the Lord has been faithful. He has helped us. His love does not fail.

Our lesson this week will focus on Jacob and his life-changing experience with God by the brook. He wrestled with the Lord, and he prevailed. God used a difficult situation to bring Jacob to a place of dependence and of surrender. God often does this in our own lives. So stop before cussing your situation. Seek the Lord and hold on to Him. When He requires the thing called confession, humbly agree. Then, ask Him to reveal something of Himself to you. He is always worth it.

Don't forget to pray. Pray for elected officials and our country. Inauguration is just around the corner. God will save elected officials, too. Keep praying for one another. I am excited about the good spirit at church and a God-given "mind to work". Pray for those who are looking for jobs. Praise the Lord for answers to prayer in this area, too. Our family will be traveling today as we go to preach and sing for a new church in the Jackson area. Harold and Theresa Parks are currently in this church. Ask God to use us to help these folks. Pray for a man who has cancer, requested by Joe Payne. Pray for those who have been visiting the church. Some need a good church home. Some need to be saved. Others are needing to reconnect with other believers so that they can grow and serve the Lord. Pray for Sunday School outreach. (Submit any names of families with children to the church office. A mail-out will be going out this week.) We will be passing out fliers this week as well. Some of our parents are not doing too well health-wise and need prayer. Pray for and remember our New Year's service coming up on Wednesday night. I always look forward to it.

What are your resolutions? Maybe it is best to ask: in what areas are you seeking to grow? Think and pray about it.

Have a wonderful week!

(Boomer Sooners!) - Bro. Mike

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Christian Life and Witness Video

With all that goes on "extra" at this time of the year, the video sessions for the last few weeks have been a help for my schedule. They have helped me in other ways as well. Sure, the information is not brand new, but the reminder and the timing of this truth has been a godsend. "Back to the Basics" or "Back to the Bedrock" would be a good description.

Beginning in January, we start a new children's Sunday School emphasis. It excites me to see so many who are involved and excited. Be sure to contact those who God lays on your heart, and give names and addresses to the office so that they can be included in our mail-out. Bible Explorers has a good ring to it, but I am most excited about the detective theme for the first quarter. Be in prayer. Be in prayer. Be in prayer. God is at work, and we want Him to work through us. May He grant us the sensitivity to His Spirit which we need. He will build His church according to Matthew 16, and He has chosen us as instruments.

Be in prayer for those who have been recently sick, for those who have need of employment, for those who are in spiritual traps and deception, for those who are struggling with family matters, for those whose parents are in poor health, for outreach and ministries of our church, for a spirit of encouragement to infuse each of us as we praise our Lord, and for a revival of true spirituality right here in Tupelo's Wildwood Baptist Church. Wow! That was a lot in one sentence!

Take some time to simply praise the Lord. I have noticed that when the enemy comes to attack me, and I start thinking about the struggles and the disgruntled, and the attacks upon God's work that I can get really out of sorts. I can get depressed and discouraged. Yet, if I would just stop and thank God for His most abundant blessings, the depression and the discouragement passes on. I have taken the steps into the throne-room of God, and the devils who bring the depression cannot come. Make the time to praise. It should be easier at this time of year, but do it on purpose.

Christmas caroling and fellowship are up for discussion today in our class. Youth Leadership Sunday is today. Be praying for the young people. God best to you!

Monday, December 1, 2008

How to Witness Effectively

Good class yesterday! Brother Mike didn't teach. I am so glad that I didn't hear that :-). We did have a good class time and, no, I did not teach. Instead we watched a video on effective witnessing. Since we have focused on living by faith, it seems like the thought of sharing our faith has paralleled our study. Indeed being a Christian means having faith and demonstrating it through good works. James makes this clear with the verse, "Faith without works is dead being alone."

Next week our study will focus on living a life of faith. Y'all come and bring a friend or two. Some have been working on bringing others and that is great. Trust God for leadership in this area. Pray about our outreach through the week and especially on Saturdays.

Beginning in January a new Sunday School program for kids will start at Wildwood. I am excited about it since it brings in some of the elements of Bible School. Pray with the teaches and workers about this. Wednesday nights in December will be times of preparation towards this goal. Our first quarter theme in 2009 (should the Lord tarry His coming) will be Bible Detectives. Our teens will also be involved and help for a part of the time and then have their own Bible study. Saturdays will be a time to reach out, make contacts, and invite visitors and backsliders to join us.

Praise notes! Both Terry and Mary gave words of rejoicing Sunday concerning their fathers. Both are doing better. Good reports from the doctors. Cari is feeling much better this week. Our services Sunday were blessed with a good Spirit! Praise the Lord for how He works. The songs touched my heart and the preacher had liberty in preaching. God is so good! Keep on praising as well as praying.

PRAYER REQUESTS:
Several in the church are in financial need right now. Jobs would be great.
Pray for souls to be saved.
Keep every ministry of the church in prayer. Leave none out.
Pray for our leaders in government both going and coming.
Shandra Wilson is planning to be baptized next Sunday morning.
During these holidays pray especially for our missionaries abroad.
Pray for a spirit of encouragement among Christians. . .that the joy of the Lord would be our strength.
Pray also for those who have been sick, Brother Wilemon and Brother Billy come to mind, but there are others as well.
Pray for my parents traveling in Australia.

During the week, draw near to the Lord and allow Him to give you rest and renewal.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Thank God for Abraham!

We did have a good class last weekend. A couple of folks were sick and we have been praying for them to get to feeling better, but our study encouraged me as I hope it did for everyone who was there.

Be praying for:
- Parents who are having health issues; David's dad, Suzanne's mother, Terry and Mary's fathers, Spence's mom, my dad and mom
- Francis' brother and his dairy farm in southern MS
- Outreach efforts throughout the week
- Terry has been sick
- Tammy was sick Sunday, too
- Church families
- Families who have been visiting the church
- Financial needs. . .lots of folks going through some tough times right now and this affects the church, too
- Missionaries during this time of the holidays
- The Lord to work in our hearts and through our lives to touch others
- Always be in prayer for pastors and church workers and show them how much you do care about them and are thankful for them during these holidays. God has blessed us through their lives.
- I am trying to line up summer missionary work for us. Pray with me about this.
- Always be praying for our youth as well. . .many temptations and decisions they are making

Special thanks to Mrs. Francis who has been bringing our treats and providing our coffee each week.

Next week (NO CLASS THIS WEEK) our study will be from the life of Isaac, Abraham's son. We may even get into Jacob's life and testimony a little bit, too. I hope that your holiday season is blessed and that God gives you opportunities to testify of His working in your life. Ain't it exciting to be able to witness for Him!!

Sunday we are going to have church at 10:30 in the morning. Our Harvest Sunday is a great time to invite guests. Also don't forget that we will be having a dinner afterward. Bring some dishes to help feed the crowd. Save your best pie recipe for the next Sunday night PIE COMPETITION. Our judges are probably going to be hungry. :-)

Have a wonderful week serving the Lord! Keep in touch!

Monday, November 10, 2008

Praising the Lord!!

Many blessings to recount this morning! And I hope your day is going well, too. Yesterday's class blessed me, even though I couldn't get the monitor going with the computer. We nearly had a room full! We had visitors that we knew not of :-). Folks were in town for a soccer tournament and dropped in. Several visitors came at the invite of class members. God blessed my heart during each service, too. It is great to see the Lord working. Had some visitors at church who returned from last week. PTL! God is still on the throne, and is not fixin' to vacate any time soon.

We can still squeeze some more into our classroom. It did get kind of warm in there, but we will survive.

Be praying for those who were mentioned during our prayer time Sunday. Especially all of our parents who are getting older and facing health issues. Pray that the Lord will enable us to be an encouragement to them as they have been a blessing to us throughout our lives. Also pray for Harold, Francis' brother, and the difficulties he is facing as a dairy farmer. Other people are needing jobs or are looking for better jobs. Keep each of our church families in your prayers as the devil would love to divide and destroy from within. James says, "Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you." So let's all focus on getting as close to the Lord as we possibly can. Maintain the prayers for all of our recently elected governmental officials. Pray as well for the Haas family, Brother Tom has to do some medical tests in the near future for work purposes. He also is recovering from being attacked last week while down in Hattiesburg.

Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. I am very thankful for the wonderful grace God extends to us and also for His abundant mercy. I am thankful that there is hope for our children in the tough times in which we live. It is also good to know that even though we might not see an immediate victory, when we serve the Lord victory is coming. Our Bible study for next week comes from the life of Abraham, Father of the faithful. You can read ahead by checking out Genesis 12 - 22.

Pray for our outreach efforts this week, and lend a hand where you can. God bless you all and have a wonderful, godly week!

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

NEW ROOM!!

:-) We moved back into our old Sunday School room and it was new. Thanks to all who took part in the painting this past week. We had a lot of help. Now we just need everyone to get back in the saddle of Sunday morning Bible study. You will be blessed if you do.

Currently we are studying the lives of the Hebrews 11 patriarchs. First was Abel and his faithful worship. Last week we looked at Enoch and his faithful walk. Noah is next! He was faithful in his work.

Speaking of being faithful in our work, let's be faithful this work in passing out tracts and speaking to people about their souls. I have been blessed these past couple of weeks by those who have joined me in trying to reach out for the Lord. It ain't easy all of the time, but the fruit is great. Spence Brandon and I have been visiting on Wednesday evenings. Tom Haas, myself, and our boys went out Saturday, too. If you would like to join us, please let me know. Tammy and Brenda are working on some brochures for our Bible Study class that we can begin to pass out this week. Also, many are praying each day, and prayer makes the difference.

Did I mention that it ain't going to be easy? Whenever anybody decides to get in with the program God has given us in Matthew 28:19-20, there is always a struggle. Often from the weirdest places, the places you would least expect it to come from. What shall we do? Give it up and head for the hills? NO! Let us go on and do what the Lord has given us to do. Pray for them that bring the opposition. Overcome evil with good. We are in a battle, but God has provided armor and a weapon for our use. Praise His wonderful name!

Don't forget the Men's prayer meeting Tuesday night. Our prayer list should also include a special unspoken request from our family, too.

Love ya'll!
See ya Sunday morning.

Brother Mike

Monday, October 27, 2008

Busy Week Ahead!!

Good class yesterday. We are focused on fulfilling our part of the Great Commission. It is exciting to me! Looked a the life of Abel from Hebrews 11. Here was a man whose faith looked forward to Calvary. I enjoyed the study and look forward to Enoch next week. The Brady Rochester family was with us Sunday morning and we enjoyed their company and ministry.

This week looks to be a busy one. Monday night some of us are going to be putting some Kilz on the walls of our old SS classroom which will become our new SS classroom Sunday morning. Since we are trying to reach out to families, we are going to be meeting at the church so that parents can be closer to their kids. We may even pick up a couple of old-timers who haven't been to class in a while. I hope so! Anyway, we will be working on the room. It has needed a face-lift for a while. Thanks to Mary and Terry for the paint. Thanks to Spence and Tammy (and Cari though she does not yet know it) for volunteering to help paint. :-)

Outreach this week: Need some folks to help make calls on the telephone. Be praying every day as we seek to touch people's lives and reach them for the Lord. Wednesday evening, Friday afternoon, and Saturday we will also be out in the field making contacts with prospective class members. I know that others will be in contact with people through the week, too. Let's see how quickly we can fill up the room, and then try to solve the expansion problem :-).

Keep people in your prayers.
- Pray for our country, elections upcoming
- Pray for Cari, she has started a new job at Belk and is very excited about it.
- Pray for those who are sick; Terry and Mary's parents, David's dad, my mother, . .
- Pray for Crystal who will start graduate school
- Pray for those who are away from God right now and needing a personal revival
- Pray for God's provision, we thank Him for what He has done and for His great promises to take care of our financial needs
- Pray for God's protection of His work against the attacks of the devil
- Pray for a spirit of encouragement upon our church folks
- Pray for the Rochester's ministry
- Pray for new class members, too

I hope you have a great week! Hey, I just thought of something. It is Pastor Appreciation month and I don't think we have done anything special for the Preacher. Try to do something as individuals this week to remind him how special he is. He has been a faithful minister for the Lord and they are not always easy to find anymore. Anyway, pass along some love.

God bless you all!

Monday, October 20, 2008

Great Class Sunday!

Enthusiasm is contagious! Your zeal has affected me. We had a really good brainstorming session in class Sunday. Good attendance, too. Our discussion focused on how we could reach more folks for our Bible study group. It seems like everybody spoke up.

We did begin a new study in Hebrews 11 as well. Next week we will study the life of Abel. Abel lived by faith as must we. "Without faith it is impossible to please (God)."

Please be praying for the many requests mentioned Sunday morning.
David Cook's dad- health
Terry's father - health
Mary dad - health
Suzanne's mom - health
There are some who have been visiting RU on Friday nights and need prayer.
Pray for Brandi
Pray for God to bless church ministries, the school, the Sunday School, RU, and our outreach this week.
Pray for our church folk who have been sick - McDaniels, Faye, the Wilemons
Pray for Rene' who was baptized Sunday and joined the church - also for her son soon to ship out with the Marine Corps
God has blessed out nursing home ministries and we thank Him for that. Keep these dear people in your prayers - the people who are living at Avon Lea, those who live at the Cedar's Nursing Home, also pray for those at Ashbury Court (Guinn and Faye both live out there.)

I am sure that there are other requests. Generally speaking, pray for each other. Some have physical needs. Others have spiritual needs. Many are experiencing financial difficulties right now and need prayer. In difficult times, we can and should pray more.

Think about this: GOD KNOWS ME BEST and STILL LOVES ME MOST.

Have a wonderful week serving our Lord and loving people. Ask Him for opportunities this week to share His love.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Beautiful October!!

I like the Fall of the year. Harvest time and all of the beautiful leaves coupled with the cool crisp mornings give me a lift. We begin a new study in our Bethany Bible Group this month. It will be a biographical study of the characters from Hebrews 11 called "Find Us Faithful". I hope that you can make it to every one of our classes.

Also, since we have come to the close of Matthew, I want us to focus on outreach for this next several weeks. Each week we will be brainstorming as to what we can do to bring new folks to our class. We will be praying each week for those who are lost, and seeking that God would grant us His compassion for those without Him. Our time will be filled so try to make it right at 9:45!

Please be in prayer for several things this week:
Frances' sister-in-law is having trouble with her health
Terry has been sick and in the bed for three days
Bible Conference now underway
Church ministries and people
My mother's health
Also, my parents will be traveling to Australia in November and staying for three months. . .I am envious :-)
David's father needs continued prayer for his health condition
Terry's father also needs prayer
Jordan, young man with cancer in the hospital

Our Bible Conference started with a BANG!! God answered out prayers for Brother Wilemon and he preached with great power Sunday morning. What can we expect in being a Christian? We can expect Opportunities to serve Him. We can expect Opposition and some adversities, "There are many adversaries." There is also Overcoming! I was blessed Monday night as well. Brother Rudy Smith preached on revival and called us all to love the Lord more. Remember, Repent, and Return was a part of his challenge to us. God is more interested in our getting revived than we are. He comes to us and allows us to see a fresh glimpse of His goodness and of His love so that we will once again love Him Who first loved us. I hope you can come tonight and get a blessing.

Remember, I love you and am praying for you today.

Brother Mike

Monday, October 6, 2008

New Study Starting!

We had a good time at the SS class cookout last Saturday night. Too much to eat!! Good fellowship with the Berean Class. Several commented that we need to do this again, soon, and I would have to agree. The weather God gave us was just beautiful, too.

Yesterday we finished up our study of the Gospel of Matthew with a challenge. Since Jesus has risen and given us a commission, what are we waiting for? Let's get on with the program! Actually, we only made it to the resurrection passage and what it means for us as believers. Isn't it great to have real hope?

Next Sunday we will take a one-week break from a series and have a special prayer time for the Bible Conference as well as a one-week wonder lesson. Two weeks away we begin a brand new study. I will let you know what that will be in our next blog.

Praise Note
- Todd Clardy, for whom we have been praying is doing very well according to Mrs. Guinn.

Prayer Requests:
- The preacher and Maxine are at the national Reformers Unanimous training this week. Keep them in your prayers.
- Be asking God to make your heart like His. We had some good preaching Sunday night that focused on this theme. Praise the Lord for men who have surrendered their lives to preach the Word of God! It would do us all well to surrender our lives to do whatever the Lord would have us to do.
- Pray for the upcoming Bible-Conference, especially Brother Wilemon for strength and power to preach Sunday morning.
- Jordan, young man with cancer.
- David's dad and mother
- Terry's dad's health.
- Brandi
- Frances' sister-in-law had a cow kick her in the shin (Ow!). It is black and blue.
- My mom has what looks like the start of emphysema, she had an x-ray last week on her lungs since she has been coughing a lot.
- My dad is really busy and needs prayer for this week of meetings.
- Pray for all church folks and ministries.


It is a blessing to be able to serve the Lord here in Tupelo, MS. Brenda and I look forward to God's continued working through us as we serve the Lord with ya'll. I would live for us to have a great Sunday School attendance this next week. Ya'll come and bring a friend or two. :-)

I Love You All!

Monday, September 29, 2008

COOKOUT!!

This Saturday at our home, we will host a two-class combined fellowship. Mitch's class and ours will join together for this activity. Bring something to grill. Bring one other dish, too. I think that is what Brenda has told some folks. Also, bring a friend or a family of friends. Plans are to start the grill at 5:00 PM. We won't start to eat until around 6:00 or so. Mitch works until around this time, and Spence will be working late, too. We would love to have a huge crowd. Call me if you have any questions about this. SEE YA HERE!!

News from Sunday September 28th

Good group Sunday! We focused our study on the three days when Jesus was in the grave. While it was dark time for the disciples, Jesus was certainly doing some major work. He descended into the grave, took captivity captive, and captured the keys of death and the grave. What a wonderful Savior. The disciples were a gloomy bunch. They forgot the promises Jesus had given. That happens to us, too. But what a change when the Lord arose! We look back at the resurrection and rejoice. Our outlook can't be anything but praise since we serve a risen Savior.

PRAYER REQUESTS
David Cook's dad is nearly bedridden
Francis will be having some more tests this week for diabetes
Keep praying for Spence's work
Pray for Justin, young man with cancer
Pray for the ministries of the church
Pray for church financial need
Thank God for the parking lot work!
Pray for our outreach this week
Pray for Daniel Moody - foot surgery soon
Corleys - missionaries to Philippines
Terry and Mary traveling to homecoming
Terry's dad's cancer
Brandi

Have a wonderful week!! See ya Sunday morning. Come early and rested.

New Blog!

Hi! Here is the new blog for our Sunday Bible Study at Wildwood Baptist Church in Tupelo, MS. You will find a variety of information, Bible study notes, and prayer requests pertinent to our group. We would love to have you join us at 9:45 Sunday mornings. God Bless You!