New Blog

Just a reminder that we are now blogging at http://revealatfbc.blogspot.com/. I just put up a new post. Check it out.

-- Peace, Jamie

New blog site

It's time to make the transition from here to our new blog. We didn't have a name when we kicked this thing off. So we were just 1145 because that's about the only thing we were sure of at the time - that we'd be meeting at 1145 on Sundays.

Starting today, we will be posting updates and info about Reveal at http://revealatfbc.blogspot.com/. I will send out an email reminder later today.

1145atfbc will remain active, at least for a while so that we can post some items that may or may not be relevant to Reveal.

Don't forget, our next launch team meeting will be on Sunday, August 3 at 11:45 am in the Apex.

-- Peace, Jamie

Super Rabbit

As my wife will attest, I'm not a good pet owner. It's not that I dislike animals. I just don't have the patience for them. Marjorie on the other hand would have a house full of pets. As it is, we have two cats, two hedgehogs, two mice, and a frog. During the 18 1/2 years that we've been married, we've had parakeets, fish, hamsters, gerbils, a guinea pig, and two rabbits. One of the rabbits we had chewed on everything. It never seemed like the smartest or bravest rabbit around. But I hope that if we ever needed it to perform an act of heroism, it would have just like this Australian rabbit.

-- peace, jamie

Launch Team Meeting

We will have our next Launch Team meeting on Sunday, August 3 at 11:45 in the Apex. The meeting will probably last about 45 minutes to an hour. Some of the things that we will need to accomplish are getting support teams organized, setting future meeting dates, discussing Bible study options and more.

Also, we will be moving to our new blog sometime this week. I will let you know when we are live and ready to go.

--Peace, Jamie

Night

Elie Wiesel in his Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance speech uttered the following:

I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must - at that moment - become the center of the universe.

After spending a year in concentration camps in WWII Germany, Wiesel witnessed firsthand the terrible evil that is possible in mankind, the utter depravity that man apart from God is. Upon entering Birkenau for the first time and seeing the crematorium, he was astonished that such evil could happen in this world during this time without an outcry from the ends of the earth. He has dedicated his life to being the voice of the tormented and the victim.

What does this have to do with Reveal? Too often, we see those who aren't Christ-followers as the enemy. We condemn their lifestyles, their choices, their actions, and, in a very real way, we condemn them. Instead, we should see those who are follow the ways of the world as the tormented and the victim and Satan, the prince of this world as the true enemy, as the tormentor and the oppressor. More than that, we cannot remain neutral in the fight. We must take sides and overcome the darkness of this world with the Light. If the goal of Reveal is to shine Light into darkness, what are we as individuals doing now to shine? Are we conscious of who the real enemy is? Are we aware of the brokenness around us? We must make sure that we aren't neutral, and, as a church, we must make the lives of those living in darkness the center of our universe.

-- Peace, Jamie

Good, Better, Best

Do you ever feel like you can't add one more thing to your schedule and then some really cool opportunity comes up that you just can't pass on? Or do you ever feel like you're so busy doing a hundred small things that the one big task that needs your focus gets less attention than it deserves? How do you handle those situations?

Following up with some of what I said on Sunday, it's important for us to focus on what God's call is for our lives as individuals and our life as a church. It's easy to get so busy doing small things that the big task gets neglected. In the same way, it's easy to get busy doing good things and missing out on the best things.

I came across this passage today. The apostles had to make a choice - taking care of widows (a good thing) or focusing on prayer and the word of God (the thing they were called to do). In giving up the good thing to others, it did two things. It allowed them to focus on their calling. It also allowed other people's giftedness to be used.

What is distracting you from maximizing your value for the kingdom? What is distracting us as a church from doing the same?

-- Peace, Jamie

PS - If you're in our college ministry, we are planning an international mission trip to Costa Rica next summer. Put July 11-17 on your calendar and make plans to have your world rocked.

Monday AM Thoughts

• I had a great time speaking yesterday. That's twice in four weeks for me and I have to admit that I enjoy the opportunity to open up both scripture and my life and share what God is teaching me through both. My voice wasn't as shot after yesterday. But that's probably because I didn't speak as long yesterday because the worship services were so packed (especially the second).

• I love the response I get when I show up wearing a tie on Sunday mornings.

• I've heard some great things about the Reveal Band from yesterday's SEBO service. I'm looking forward to being able to worship with them this coming Sunday.

• It rained on our Young Adult couples last night at Bowater Park. So we did what any group of Baptists would do, we talked and ate until it was too late to get in the water. Also, there was a mean game of cards going on almost until the gates closed.

• Chad Wyatt posted this after a recent trip to Starbucks. I'd loved to hear of any similar experiences that you may have had. Also, do we focus on making our guests welcome at FBC on Sundays? If not, what do we need to do to make sure that we do?

-- Peace, Jamie