First Baptist Church of Ojai, California

Bravo!

To Cindy Mullins and all those who participated in the past season of Shelter ministry.  What a huge job!  Your service showed the love of Jesus to many people in need.  Thank you!

Marriage Retreat

Christy and I were blessed to spend the past weekend at a marriage retreat.  It was a great time away for us to focus on each other.  We heard God speak in two ways:

1. We were even more convinced about the power of prayer.  The organization who conducted the retreat had a team of prayer warriors that prayed before, during, and I'm sure even after.  We saw much fruit in our relationship and in others from those prayers.  God works through prayer.

2. We have realized how important Sabbath is.  Christy has been working full-time for over a year now.  With Saturdays and Sundays being so busy with good things, she and I don't have the time we need to give each other undivided attention.  If this doesn't change, it won't be good. 

Thanks God for speaking to us.

Tonight's Sports Schedule

Softball Team #1 Plays at 6:30

Basketball Team Plays at 8:15

Softball Team #2 Plays at 8:50

Everyone play nice!

The Fast: Day 26

Philip. 3:17-19 (NIV) 
    Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. [18] For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. [19] Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.

Ephes. 5:27 (NIV) 
    and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

Prayer Emphases:  Holy Trust; Spiritual Growth

The Fast: Day 25

Psalm 63:1 (NIV) 
A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.

    O God, you are my God,
        earnestly I seek you;
    my soul thirsts for you,
        my body longs for you,
    in a dry and weary land
        where there is no water.

Ephes. 4:24 (NIV) 
    and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Today's prayer emphases:  Holy Giving; Revival

This Week's Bible Reading

Wednesday, March 25th
Deuteronomy 4:1-49
Luke 6:39-7:10
Psalm 68:1-18
Proverbs 11:28

Thursday, March 26th
Deuteronomy 5:1-6:25
Luke 7:11-35
Psalm 68:19-35
Proverbs 11:29-31

Friday, March 27th
Deuteronomy 7:1-8:20
Luke 7:36-8:3
Psalm 69:1-18
Proverbs 12:1

Saturday, March 28th
Deuteronomy 9:1-10:22
Luke 8:4-21
Psalm 69:19-36
Proverbs 12:2-3

Sunday, March 29th
Deuteronomy 11:1-12:32
Luke 8:22-39
Psalm 70:1-5
Proverbs 12:4

Monday, March 30th
Deuteronomy 13:1-15:23
Luke 8:40-9:6
Psalm 71:1-24
Proverbs 12:5-7

Tuesday, March 31st
Deuteronomy 16:1-17:20
Luke 9:7-27
Psalm 72:1-20
Proverbs 12:8-9

Special Speaker This Sunday

Christy and I have the opportunity to attend a marriage retreat this weekend.  In our absence, Bruce Cripe from World Vision will be the special speaker.  Bruce is multi-talented and has a wealth of experience in witnessing what God is doing around the world.  You will be blessed by his ministry. 

Easter Update

Easter invitations have been printed and are now available for you to use to invite your friends and neighbors.  There is an invitation which speaks specifically to the egg hunt and one which speaks specifically to the worship services.  So, use the invitation that works best for your situation.

I received word today that a couple of bikes have been donated for the egg hunt!

Message Rewind

"Waiting On God"
Part 2 - "How We Wait"

How we wait absolutely matters.  When we fail to wait properly, we can prolong our waiting and even waste it. 

We must wait in such a way that God can accomplish His purpose of sanctification in our lives.

We must wait...

I. Humbly - Waiting reminds us that we are not in control.  God is the potter and we are the clay. 

II. Actively - Waiting is not a passive activity.  It is marked by praying, worshiping, and seeking. 

III. Expectantly - full of hope, future-oriented, God's best is yet to come.

John Ortberg:  "Waiting on the Lord is a confident, disciplined, expectant, active, sometimes painful clinging to God.  Waiting on the Lord is the continual, daily decision to say, "God, I will trust you and I will obey you even though the circumstances of my life are not turning out the way I want them to, and they may never turn out the way I want them to, I'm betting everything on you god, and there is no plan B."

The Fast: Day 19

1 Thes. 5:16-24 (NIV) 
    Be joyful always; [17] pray continually; [18] give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
    [19] Do not put out the Spirit's fire; [20] do not treat prophecies with contempt. [21] Test everything. Hold on to the good. [22] Avoid every kind of evil.
    [23] May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. [24] The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

I feel especially focused and spiritually sensitive today.  Yahoo!