Faith

Don and Paula Basham have been members of Living Hope since 1995. Paula has been a director in the preschool ministry now for over 10 years. Don is currently assisting with Plan B volunteers and also, is currently serving as a deacon .They have been involved with the same small group for over 11 years which now they consider them as family. They have a son Ross, age 13, that is activity in the middle school ministry, and their daughter, Hannah, age 9, is activity in children’s ministry. They will celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary this summer.

When you know God, you know there are no coincidence. Everything from every moment has a reason. So this morning when Paula and I arrived in worship at 8am, and we saw our names in the bulletin sharing our testimony in addition to “blogging” there was that deep breath before the plunge.

Quickly years of serving with preschoolers presented itself before my mind. I tried to make mental notes at dizzying pace but mostly I was reminded of my own initial training in God’s Word as a High School Junior not in Sunday school class of my peers but as an assistant to a friend who was teaching Royal Ambassadors (kids).

Benny put our mind at ease that Mr. Bill would be sharing his testimony.

I told Mr. Bill we should frame his 10 reasons for serving because each was very true.

Most of the initial truths about our faith I learned playing Bible baseball and other fun stuff with these little guys. The “Being” with Jesus I had done with my “Belief” in God’s power and sacrifice for me. I guess it was the “Belonging” I desired that was lacking at first. And it was my infants knowledge of the Bible and its truths that I needed training in. Faith can move mountains, make the lame walk, cast out evil, and see God at work all around us every moment. Faith comes easy to me because I believe without a doubt that each breath I take is sustained by Christ and every atom of my being is in existence due to Him. I take those spiritual gifts test and faith is always head and shoulders above the others in score. So it was no surprise to me that Jason’s sermon from Acts today was the “foundation” of a small group Bible study we currently have been doing called “Go Fish” by Andy Stanley.

Now since there is no such that as a coincidence it is opportune to tell you that that is a study you should take at the earliest opportunity. It will deepen your understanding about what a growing vibrant church like ours should be doing. (Sorry about that deviation from today’s sermon but I know God would have me tell you about something like that when he puts those doors in my path.)

Now faith means stepping on toes to do what/when God would have you do something. Being faithful can be painful in the world today because the world tells us to keep it inside the building walls on Sunday only. But I can’t argue theology with you and quote on demand multiple scripture to back up what I may say. But I can tell you that I have hung the hope of my existence, my future past the grave, and the center of my life and family on Jesus Christ because of his sacrifice for me and my trust in Him and His love for me. If we as a congregation want to be a thriving vibrant growing body of believers in the future we need to encourage deep faith in Christ from each other. Since God is love we encourage him into all we do when we do it in love. The preschool ministry is a great place to serve and love others.

You can gain experience to be:
1. a better parent – learning to guide children not your own will help you find nuances of positive influence instead of negative discipline.
2. a better spouse – learning the struggle of guiding and tending children you will experience the frustration and the joys your spouse may experience on a more frequent level. Or you may see the effects of separations on the lives of children.
3. a better brother/sister – you will come to close understanding of interactions and love strangers can provide one another and how children within the church can grow to become closer than family they were born into.
4. a better child – you will learn to see the interaction of parents with children and know that your life can be a blessing to your parents. You will see that the love you shown from kids to parents is a true blessing from God.
5. and a better community member through your interaction – as you watch the kids interact with each other you can see facets of our local community reflected in their actions. You will become keenly aware of both the negative and positive influences each of our interactions can have both for and against Christ at work around us and through our community.

All that is in addition to learning foundational elements of the Bible and Christ’s life here among us. So if you have accepted Christ and truly believe God’s power your next step is to gain that feeling of “Belonging”. Now you are not going to get that from a pew – although if you set in the same place time after time you will get the same smiles around you time after time. You can edge into it in an Adult Bible Fellowship class of your peers, but be fore warned you may need to sharpen your Biblical skills to participate there. You can most easily gain the feeling of “Belonging” from preschool ministry and service there. Who knows you may stumble upon those there you can fellowship with in small group and gain lifetime friends and all because you took time to read a story about Jesus to a kid who couldn’t even read…

Paula’s View of the Day
I was reminded in a statement Jason made on the founding members wanting Living Hope to be a church that embraced children and families today in the sermon. Don and I were members of another congregation when we realized that we would not want to bring our children up in what they valued. We made the decision to leave that congregation due to this even when we did not know if God would bless us with children. At Living Hope, we felt his spirit each week and knew that is where we should be. We were at Living Hope approximately a year when God blessed us with our son Ross through adoption. He came home at 4 ½ months from South Korea and within the first week of being home we took him to the church nursery. It was one of the best parent decisions we ever made.

Right off he was loved by some of the most caring ladies I had ever met. I am still blessed when I run into them and they dote over him. I know that he was loved. They also gave Don and I a gift - a time we could go to worship our Lord. That praise time with our Lord thanking Him for the precious life that he brought to us from across the world. We could also attend our ABF and grow in the word with out any worries. As Ross grew some of the first sentences he said were bible songs that he had learned in the nursery. He continued to grow and learn more truths of God’s Word in his preschool years. It was so precious to see him grasp those truths so innocently that we as adults doubt or forget. He made friends that are still his friends today. Because of these foundation truths that he learned in his preschool days, Ross came to Christ at the age of 6. There is nothing like knowing that you will be part of an eternal family.

When Ross was four God blessed us with a baby girl, Hannah that also came to us through adoption from Korea. I can too say that in her first week at home she was in the church nursery being loved on like Ross and that was beyond belief. I am telling you that it was not the easiest thing that I ever did to leave my babies after waiting so long for them to come home, but it was the best thing I ever did to establish a habit of them being in God’s house learning his word. I am so thankful to say at the age of 6 Hannah came to Christ.

What a joy to know that are family will always be together no matter what life brings. Again, when we were preparing for her baptism, I knew it was due to the precious men and women that had taken the time to plant those truths of his word into her heart. I can also say at the age of 9 and 13 they still will tell you they love Sunday school. They have had opportunities of being discipled unlike Don and I had as children.

How more blessed than that could the Basham’s be?

I am saddened each time I hear a child cry or parent struggle with a little one in the service. I just pray that they would realize what the blessing it would be to their family if their child was involved in the preschool ministry. I know as a parent and volunteer in preschool that child is going to be loved, prayed for, and taught the truth of God’s word.

I was blessed tonight with a lady in my discipleship class give her testimony. She stated that she can clearly remember the Sunday school room that she was in when someone told her that God loved her and he had a special plan for her live at age 3. She stated due to this that her life has always had hope. Do we not all want that for our children, our grandchildren, our neighbor, our niece or nephew? Please encourage our young parents to leave their sons and daughters in our preschool ministry. I know it can be hard but it can be the best decision you ever made for your child.

I continue to serve in preschool ministry because I love preschoolers and their parents. I want them to have the same opportunity that the Basham’s have had for our kids. I was blessed again today to overhear a mom tell a preschool volunteer that her 3 year old got up this morning and asked if this is a church day and when she said yes he got excited because it was his favorite thing to do. What bigger blessing than to see a 3 year old already loved in God’s house and by His people. The preschool ministry is not about childcare but about planting God’s word into little lives.

One Godly Thing You Can't Do in Heaven

Katie Lewis moved to Bowling Green, KY from Cookeville, TN with her family and became a member of Living Hope in 2000. Katie has served in the children’s ministry as a summer intern, attended many youth retreats, summer camps, and volunteered on a couple of mission trips with Living Hope over the years. She is now a sophomore at WKU pursuing a major in exercise science.

Earlier this week, I met with my bible study leader on WKU’s campus, where we decided to share our faith about Christ with someone we did not know. After an hour long conversation with an international student from China, I was reminded just what it means to be intentional about sharing the Gospel with others. That night I listened to someone preach. He said something that stuck, “When you know Jesus, we have to talk about it.”

Jason’s sermon was exactly what God had been reminding me all week – be intentional about sharing the Gospel. We are to present the Gospel when God gives us the opportunity and we should look for opportunities throughout the day. We as a church body must be intentional in sharing about who Jesus is and what Jesus has done.

In Acts 3, Peter and John were on there way to the temple when they came across a crippled man. Peter had nothing to offer the man in way of silver or gold, but he was willing to give the man what he did have. Peter had Jesus. He sensed the urgency of the Gospel despite his agenda in going to the temple. Peter was in the middle of something, he was preoccupied, and was headed to the temple with John, but he stopped. He stopped to share the Gospel.

How often do we share our faith?
How often do we sense the urgency of the Gospel?
How often do we stop our schedules and agendas to share with someone about the hope that we have?

Listening to Jason preach about the Gospel, I was convicted by my own lack of urgency. This week when I was sharing about Jesus to an international student, I left the conversation feeling blessed. Even though she did not choose to accept Jesus as her personal Lord and Savior I could tell He was softening her heart to the Gospel. She was open to hearing what my bible study leader and I had to share, and she listened. Our words were not eloquent and we had nothing [like Peter and John] to offer her, but we stopped long enough to share about Jesus. He can use the least of us to make His name known. It is not about the presentation, but about being obedient to the Lord by sharing what He has done in your life.

The Gospel is what the church should be based on. Are we as a body of believers intentional about sharing the Gospel? “And he [Peter] took him [crippled man] by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.” Acts 3:7 Peter stopped on his way to the temple. He gave all that he had, and helped the crippled man to his feet. The man leaped! When we are intentional about sharing the Gospel, we give all that we have so others might come to know the Lord. It is not the end result that matters, but about following God’s command to therefore go and make disciples.

Where will you go tomorrow that you can share your faith?
Will you stop long enough to share?
Who is that person that God has placed in your life that does not have a personal relationship with Him?

Jason’s Challenge: write three paragraphs.
1. Write about your life before you became a Christian.
2. Write about how you came to know the Lord – who, what, when, where
3. Write about your life now that you know Jesus – priorities, time, treasure

Before this summer, share with three people your three paragraphs.

Easter

Terri Hewitt is a key leader in the High School Ministry of Living Hope. She and her husband Keith have been a members of Living Hope for over twenty years. Terri has a deep love for people and a deep commitment to growing in and serving her Lord Jesus Christ.

Easter services are like funerals because the pastor gets to preach to people that rarely hear the good news of Jesus Christ. I believe that Jason knows this better than most. I pray that many of the lost made the most important decision to except salvation in Christ today. I also hope they didn’t fear their lives envisioning him with a gun shooting wild turkeys.

Jason was clear in his definition on when life begins. He also made it clear how long it takes for the world to destroy it. That’s why we have to be made alive again through Jesus Christ. Only Christ can make the dead alive. I find it amazing that when you turn to Christ for life somehow as a believer He becomes your life. Will you always do the right thing? No. Will things always go as planned? No. But you can always be sure that when you trust in God for the things He says He can do, you won’t be disappointed. The biggest problem is doing it. Jason listed the four big lies of the world: Possessions, Power, Popularity, and Pleasure. I also believe these to be a big problem because all four lies are common areas in all our lives and take control over our minds and hearts. They cause us to waste time on things that are not eternal; they take our eyes and thoughts away from our Savior.

I was at a Tennis Tournament in Louisville this weekend with my daughter Halle and the High School Tennis Team. While Halle was playing, I was on the edge of my seat watching and waiting for each point, happy if she got it and sick if she didn’t. If she won I was happy, if she lost I’d say, “You will have another chance.” While Jason was preaching today, I was thinking, if only I had the same passion for the lost as I did for a sporting event, watching and waiting for the Lord to return and take as many people as I can with me. The problem is the world can not see the winner’s trophy. Spending eternity with Jesus Christ won’t get you on the cover of a magazine or lots of money, so no-one cares. But they will, because the losers of the Eternity match won’t get another chance.

Watching the news on TV can be depressing. Like Jason said, pirates… where did they come from? I thought they were talking about a new movie coming out. Scary, but now Keith doesn’t need an excuse for never taking me on a cruise! The statement “The End is near” isn’t just a statement to me anymore. I can see it unfolding right before my eyes, now I just have to turn to Jesus and not worry about the world but focus on eternal life. I sense now more than ever the urgency to tell other about Christ. The Pinerolas were our roommates this weekend. We were talking about Christ and what we have to do in our families to hold on and stay strong in our beliefs. I told her, “You know for me to share the gospel with others it’s not that I don’t walk my talk, but that I don’t walk what I know in my heart, that God does make the dead alive and the weak strong.” I know this because He did it for me and I do know in my heart, He will do it for you too!

Crowd vs. Committed

Jeff Carlisle is the missions pastor at Living Hope. He has served at the church for over fifteen years. He came to faith at Living Hope, while he was a college student at Western Kentucky University.




Today Scott Kilgore, the executive pastor, delivered a great message today.
As usual Scott delivered a funny and applicable word about how we, as church
members, can be committed to the cause of Christ. He also dropped a nugget
of a take away for us. Scott said a golf club in his hands was worth about
$200. A golf club in Tiger Wood¹s hands is worth about a million. Same
club, but the worth all depends on whose hands it was in. He went on to say
that three nails in his hands might be enough to hang something on the wall,
but three nails for Jesus was a way for Him to save the world.

Wow! That illustration opened up the floodgates of thought. Two thoughts
surface after pondering this nugget. One, Christ saved me. There is nothing
I could have done that would have brought me closer to the almighty Father.
It was only through the actions of the Son that I have been forgiven and
saved. I often overlook the power of Christ's action. I take it for
granted.

The second thought refers to what God has put in my hands. God has placed
His word in my hands. He has given it to me, not to hide in, but to give it
away. It is so easy to hold on to His word instead of giving it away.

I think the Vanderpools' model is what hit me today. The Vanderpools are
committed followers of Christ. They realize what Christ did for them and
they don't take it lightly. They are taking what Christ gave them and are
going into South Asia to give it away. How cool is that?

What is stopping us from being committed? What is preventing us from taking
our faith into a dying world?