• /
    • Archives /
  • November 30, 1999

Archives For November 30, 1999

A Christmas Devotional Journey: Week 5

Meredith Flynn —  December 30, 2013

Christmas_bannerWeek 5: Home to obscurity

Read Matthew 2:19-25

Once again Joseph is the unsung hero. He is sensitive to God’s leading as he takes his stepson Jesus home. Joseph dreams, angels speak, God warns, Joseph turns. If anyone can say “wherever He leads, I’ll go,” it’s Joseph.

The carpenter sets up shop in Nazareth. He makes a home there with his young wife and “their” boy. And the Son of God lives in obscurity for the next 30 years.

“What good can come of Nazareth?” one disciple would ask later as Jesus emerged into public ministry. Well, to answer the question, the Messiah.

God chooses “the sticks” as the place to bring up the Savior of the World. And he chooses a rough-hewn woodworker to serve as His Son’s stepdad. And He chooses as his mother a little-known young woman whose only qualification is to say “whatever you want is fine with me” when an angel announces God’s wonderous plan.

In this obscurity, God quietly works to rescue remote, undeserving people. The King of Kings is willing to move to our neck of the woods, to endure obscurity, embrace humanity, and suffer ignominy on Calvary for our redemption.

Pray Lord, take your rightful place over all Your creation. Reign over my life this Christmas and always. Amen.

In Heartland , ,
permalink

A Christmas Devotional Journey: Week 4

Meredith Flynn —  December 23, 2013

Christmas_bannerWeek 4: Sad prophecy fulfilled

Read Matthew 2:16-18

This is the saddest part of the Christmas story. And for many people, it’s also the most uncomfortable. Some Bibles use as a heading for this passage “slaughter of the innocents.” Why would God allow such a horrible event to follow such a joyful one?

Herod is angered because the Wise Men do not return. He exacts his revenge on Bethlehem. Fearful of being deposed, he seeks to eliminate his replacement. Scholars debate the number of boy babies slain, but given the size of Bethlehem, it is probably between 20 and 40.

Anyone who has lost a loved one knows the anguish of even one death. Multiply that by dozens, and we can only imagine the grief in Bethlehem.
What is God’s point? Look at the tragedy in Bethlehem as a great and pitiful word picture.

God wants us to know that sending His Son into the world is exceedingly joyful and deeply sorrowful. Contrast Christmas morning and Good Friday night: Angels sing as they welcomed his birth; sinners weep at their Savior’s sacrifice.

The joy of our salvation has a high price.

Pray Lord, thank you for sending Jesus. I begin now to understand what it cost him – and You.

In Heartland , ,
permalink

A Christmas Devotional Journey: Week 3

Meredith Flynn —  December 16, 2013

Christmas_bannerWeek 3: Conspiracy threatens monarch

Read Matthew 2:12-15

The Magi give the infant Jesus gifts fit for a king–and for a dead man. Like giving a life insurance policy to a newborn, these men who studied the prophecy present oils and spices used in embalming. At his birth, their gifts predict his death. How strange.

The gold will surely be helpful when Joseph scoops up his young family and flees in order to save their lives. They will need cash for the journey – food for themselves and the donkey. And they will need living expenses while in Egypt. God knew that and made arrangements ahead of time. But why equip them with frankincense and myrrh?

Joseph probably regifted the unusual gifts, or sold them, because they were very valuable. Even after the funeral gifts are gone, they remind Mary and Joseph that this Child has a special purpose in the world. Somehow, it is connected to life and death.

Mary ponders these things in her heart: Angels, shepherds, star, royalty, gifts fit for a funeral.

Pray Lord, as we celebrate Jesus’ birth, remind us also of his death, because the Christmas cradle is pointless without the Cross.

We’ll post a new devotional here every Monday; read them all in the Nov. 25 issue of the Illinois Baptist, online here.

In Heartland , ,
permalink

A Christmas Devotional Journey: Week 2

Meredith Flynn —  December 9, 2013

Christmas_bannerWeek 2: Caravan heads to ‘nowhere’

Read Matthew 2:7-11

How hollow is Herod’s declaration that he wants to worship the new king, especially knowing the murder he harbored in his heart. His whole lifestyle is threatened by a mewling babe. Herod is only a half-Jew, an Edomite, and his reign on the throne of David is
illegitimate in the eyes of his subjects.

So when Herod says he wants to come see the newborn monarch, we know he has no intention to bow before his replacement.

In stark contrast, the royal advisors from the East worship even before they see him. They are like Abraham and Moses and others who believed in God’s Promise, even without seeing the Christ. The Magi rejoice when the star appears over Jesus’ birthplace, even before they set eyes on the Child. They rejoice “with exceeding great joy.”

The Magi celebrate the promise; then they bow before its fulfillment. They give him gifts fit for a king.

Pray Lord, help me to be a true worshiper this Christmas, setting nothing above You. Let me celebrate the Promise of God, even before I see its fulfillment.

We’ll post a new devotional here every Monday; read them all in the Nov. 25 issue of the Illinois Baptist, online here.

In Heartland , ,
permalink

A Christmas Devotional Journey: Week 1

Meredith Flynn —  December 2, 2013

Christmas_bannerWeek 1: Royal advisors seek new leader

Read Matthew 2:1-6

The journey to the hospital for a baby’s birth is familiar: suitcase packed and sitting by the door, route laid out. First-time parents rehearse the trip, often with comic results.

But the journey is actually serious stuff. Suppose the route is unclear or the destination unknown. Only the urgency of birth would force someone to set out on such an uncertain journey.

These advisors to an eastern ruler set out in search of a new king. They traveled by day and checked their coordinates at night. All they have to go on is an ancient prophecy and the strange and wonderful star that recently appeared.

But a promise is enough to keep them moving.

How odd it seems that these Magi who are not followers of Yahweh should believe and take action, and Herod, who should have known the prophecy in detail, is apparently ignorant of the Messiah or the place of tiny Bethlehem in his coming.

Pray Lord, help me to hold tightly to your promises and to move ahead because of them.

We’ll post a new Christmas devotional by Eric Reed every Monday; read them all in the Nov. 25 issue of the Illinois Baptist, online here.

In Heartland , ,
permalink

Reporter’s Notebook: Yellow shirts on the move

Meredith Flynn —  November 25, 2013

HEARTLAND | Eric Reed

Yellow_shirts_blog

Disaster Relief volunteers got to work in southern Illinois just two days after a tornado hit the area Nov. 17.

It’s a clear day in Springfield. The storms have passed. But in the third floor conference room of the IBSA Building, the effects of the tornado-band that killed six people in Illinois are real and present in the minds of those at the table. By this time on Monday morning, IBSA’s Rex Alexander has been working since just after the first storms touched down on Sunday, gathering reports from the Illinois Disaster Relief field teams on the scene, taking calls from across the nation with offers of help, and readying the response of Southern Baptists in Illinois.

In the “situation room,” the leadership team shares news of churches and members affected by the tornadoes, discusses their emergency needs, and our actions. Illinois Baptists are already headed to hard-hit communities. In at least two churches, DR workers prepare meals – more than 2,000 a day. And chainsaw teams from 13 associations are on standby for their assignments.

The yellow shirts are on the move.

What many people don’t know is that Southern Baptists nationwide have 82,000 trained volunteers. Our state conventions and associations have 1,550 mobile units for every need that arises after disaster, from childcare to showers to mobile kitchens, and more. Southern Baptist Disaster Relief is the third largest relief agency, after the American Red Cross and The Salvation Army. And a lot of people don’t know that.
But they do know in the northeast U.S., where our teams are present still in the wake of Hurricane Sandy and mission teams are planning return visits this summer.

And they know in New Orleans, where mission teams from churches and colleges and Campers on Mission are still helping devastated residents muck out, tear down, and rebuild eight years after Hurricane Katrina. A recent letter to the editor decried the fact that certain Catholic churches are still not repaired. The Catholics should ask the Baptists to help, the writer said, because Baptists could get the job done.

“You have changed the image of Southern Baptists in New Orleans,” SBC President and New Orleans pastor Fred Luter told Illinois Baptists during a visit here in April.

And they know in South Dakota and Colorado, where Illinois teams served last month. And they know in Moore, Oklahoma. National news anchor (and Methodist) Harry Smith said at the time of the tornado there, “…if you’re waiting for the government, you’re going to be in for an awful long wait. The Baptist men, they’re going to get it done tomorrow.”

And they know in Peoria, where spring floods drove hundreds from their homes, and Illinois Baptists were there mudding out, feeding hungry people, and sharing Christ.

And now they know in Washington and Brookport, and wherever help is needed.

The yellow shirts are on the move.

In Heartland , , ,
permalink

Pray for the IBSA Annual Meeting this week

Meredith Flynn —  November 11, 2013

MI_logoHEARTLAND | Lisa Sergent

We need every aspect of our IBSA Annual Meeting, Nov. 13-14, to be bathed in prayer. Please look over the prayer prompts below, and ask the Holy Spirit to remind you to return often to this list during the meeting.

Pray all the time. 1 Thessalonians 5:17

  • Give praise for all the ministry the Lord has accomplished through the work of the Illinois Baptist State Association congregations and ministries this past year.
  • Pray for the messengers as they travel to the meeting from across Illinois: safety, discernment as they hear reports, wisdom as they cast votes, and communication of the work of IBSA to their home congregation.
  • Pray for the guests, presenters and exhibitors who will be preparing and traveling to be with us; ears for us to hear speakers’ challenges and presentations, and for divine connections to serve our pastors and messengers.
  • Pray for North American Mission Board Vice President for the Midwest Gary Frost, as he travels and as shares with us; may they hear clearly from us for their work at a national level as we desire to hear compellingly from them for impact in our communities.
  • Pray for IBSA President Jonathan Peters as he leads the meeting and Tim Lewis as he preaches the annual sermon.
  • Pray for the IBSA Pastors’ Conference and Minister’s Wives Conference and Luncheon that precede the Annual Meeting: encouragement, enlightenment, empowerment … And ask the Spirit for a generous offering for Minister’s Relief.
  • Pray for the Annual Meeting Mission Illinois theme to inspire and inform each messenger so they may inspire and influence their congregation.
  • Give thanks for our new fellowship in the Spirit with congregations applying for affiliation with IBSA; pray they will be healthy, reproducing churches.
  • Bring to the Lord the many church plants scattered across our state and request we become known for fruitful new churches.
  • Pray as the messengers elect officers to serve the convention for 2013-14, that each officer will serve with faith and integrity, and will use their authority to build the work of IBSA.
  • Pray for the IBSA Executive Board as they meet to organize for their work for a new year … for IBSA staff members to have the resources they need to equip those who equip the saints for the work of the ministry.
  • Ask the Spirit to direct many to the Annual Meeting Prayer Room (Plaza 4) that they might spend even a few minutes asking the Lord how we can better pray and more effectively serve in the coming year.

Lisa Sergent is communications director for the Illinois Baptist State Association.

In Heartland , , ,
permalink

I want you to know

Meredith Flynn —  November 4, 2013
MI_logo

The IBSA Annual Meeting Nov. 13-14 will explore the theme “Mission Illinois: Churches Together Advancing the Gospel.”

HEARTLAND | Nate Adams

Opportunities for our entire Illinois Baptist family of churches to be together at once are all too rare.  But the IBSA Annual Meeting each November is one of those precious opportunities.  This year the meeting returns to the downtown Springfield Hilton for the first time since our 100th anniversary meeting in 2007. I hope to see you there November 13-14, or perhaps earlier at the Pastors Conference or one of the other related gatherings.

Click here for more on the IBSA Annual Meeting.

But in case you can’t come, let me preview some highlights of the information that I plan to share during that meeting.

I want you to know that Illinois Baptists are going into their Acts 1:8 mission fields in dramatically increased numbers. After several years of our churches reporting around 20,000 missions volunteers, last year churches reported more than 27,000 volunteers, a 34% increase! And there is no indication of that rate slowing down this year.

I want you to know that 28 new churches were planted across our state last year, and through August of this year at least 19 more have been planted. During our Wednesday night worship session at the Annual Meeting we will be hearing from seven of those creative and hard-working planters, and you will be able to meet them and others in person during a dessert reception following the session.

Dr. Gary Frost of the North American Mission Board will bring a challenging message that evening, and you will also meet Dr. Gene Crume, Judson University’s new president, and hear about an exciting new church planting partnership we are working on together in Chicagoland.

I want you to know that our dedicated staff continues to crisscross the state helping churches, and that through September they have already delivered 17,000 trainings in strategic ministry and mission skills to IBSA church leaders and workers.  Baptisms in IBSA churches were up over 2% last year, and the continued momentum of evangelism strategies like “Choose 2” give us hope of another increase when all the 2013 Annual Church Profiles are tabulated.

Finally, in case you can’t come to the annual meeting, I want you to know that the IBSA Board is exploring the option of acquiring a new property in Springfield, a retreat-like facility devoted to leadership development and pastoral renewal. You can read more about that possibility in this issue of the Illinois Baptist, and there will be additional information on http://www.IBSA.org.

Last year when the IBSA Board was exploring this possibility, I invited feedback, both positive and cautionary, from IBSA churches.  The responses were relatively few, but were favorable toward the idea by about a two-to-one margin.

The cautionary and even negative responses were just as helpful as the supportive and enthusiastic ones, however. They helped lead me to recommend to the IBSA Board that we not make an offer on the property unless or until we had the cash in hand to acquire it, even though that probably meant missing the opportunity. And they helped me discover some concerns about developing our camp properties that I felt could be addressed in time.

To my surprise, the potential leadership center property we looked at last year is still available, now at a further reduced price. That doesn’t necessarily mean we should acquire it. In fact, I’ve been praying that someone else would, if it’s not God’s best for IBSA churches. But the IBSA Board and I believe it’s in our best interest to at least explore the option again, because leadership development and renewal among pastors and church leaders is such a strategic need, and we think this property might play a role in meeting that need.

So please let me hear from you again, certainly if you support the idea, because often we leave positive feedback unexpressed. But if you have cautions about the idea, please patiently express them as well. Either way, I want you to know I’m listening.  And I hope to see you soon.

Nate Adams is executive director of the Illinois Baptist State Association.

In Heartland , , , , , ,
permalink

Music for your Monday: All Sons & Daughters

Meredith Flynn —  October 28, 2013

HEARTLAND | What an amazing promise God makes to His people who are in exile! In Jeremiah 29, He lays out a plan to rescue them, even though they’ve turned away from Him again and again. His instructions and comfort to them are so specific – look at Jeremiah 29:10-14:

For this is what the Lord says: “When 70 years for Babylon are complete, I will attend to you and will confirm My promise concerning you to restore you to this place. For I know the plans I have for you” – this is the Lord’s declaration – “plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. You will call to Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you” – this is the Lord’s declaration – “and I will restore your fortunesand gather you from all the nations and places where I banished you” – this is the Lord’s declaration. “I will restore you to the place I deported you from.”

“Oh How I Need You” by All Sons & Daughters says, “Lord, I find You in the seeking. Lord, I find You in the doubt.” God’s people in exile must have experienced intense doubt. But they found Him in the seeking, and even better, He sought them out for the express purpose of comforting them in exile.

Check out All Sons & Daughters “Oh How I Need You.”

In Heartland , , , , , ,
permalink

Centenarians remind church of its history

Meredith Flynn —  October 21, 2013

CELEBRATION YEAR – (From left) Georgia Griffin, Goebel Patton, and Maxine Ferrari, all members of Second Baptist in West Frankfort, turned 100 in 2013.

CELEBRATION YEAR – (From left) Georgia Griffin, Goebel Patton, and Maxine Ferrari, all members of Second Baptist in West Frankfort, turned 100 in 2013.

HEARTLAND | Meredith Flynn

Goebel Patton will turn 100 years old this week. But he’s not the only one in his community, or even his church, to celebrate that milestone this year. Maxine Ferrari and Georgia Griffin, fellow members of Second Baptist in West Frankfort, already celebrated their 100th birthdays in 2013.

The unique situation – three centenarians in one church – attracted the attention of a local newspaper and has given their church cause to celebrate. Together, they represent 238 years of church membership at Second Baptist.

Patton joined the church in 1926 as a 13-year-old. “Back in that day, the only social activities were at church,” he says. Drawn to Second Baptist for the fellowship with other young people his age, he has stayed for 87 years, and still serves as chairman of the finance and properties committees. He also started a men’s prayer group in 1991, and reports they’ve met every single Tuesday morning since then.

Having Patton, Ferrari and Griffin as part of the church “ties us to our history,” says Pastor Brett Beasley. The 100-year-olds help younger people understand the church’s history, and give a perspective of what church life was like and how it’s changed.

Their faithfulness is also a source of encouragement, Beasley says. Two years ago, Ferrari arrived at church on a messy wintry morning when only about half of the church’s regular attenders were there. Beasley remembers good-naturedly teasing his congregation: “Maxine made it today, so really nobody’s got an excuse.”

Each of the centenarians has already received a birthday party this year, but Second Baptist is hoping to celebrate the three of them together some time in the future.

Happy Birthday indeed.

In Heartland , , , , ,
permalink