Due to some technical difficulties with this blog, we have a new web address. Same stuff, just a new address.

You can visit it here: http://fbccorona.wordpress.com/

Enjoy!

Who does your heart break for?

What are you passionate about?

…and what are you going to do about it?

I posed those questions in youth group last week. And now here they are again. We can’t forget about them: the broken, the impoverished, the sick, those who need help, those who need love.

Read Matthew 25:31-46. When was the last time you “did something for Jesus?”

Pray and meditate on those verses and on what God might have you do about it.

If you want some suggestions…

-The Circle of Hope Shelter and God’s Kitchen here in Corona

-Living Water (providing clean water around the world. Livingwater.cc)

-The Heifer Project (Providing sustainable income through giving families animals like cows and chickens. Heifer.org)

The list could go on forever, but those are just a few. So… what? What’s it going to be? What are you going to do? Who are you going to help?

By the time you are reading this, we will be about to celebrate Father’s Day.  It is said to be the least celebrated day (by Americans) of all the special days.

It is not so among the body of Christ.  Father’s Day is a day to reflect and thank God for His adoption of each one of us!

I would like to give a short list that just scratches the surface of how great our Father is.  He loves us unconditionally.  He sauves us by His grace.  He self-sacrifices for our sins.  He never leaves us or forsakes us.  Our Father is always available to us, never too busy for us, never moddy.  Our Father is our Father.  Isn’t it great to be chosen?

Many earthly fathers fall way short of what’s needed.  All fathers fall short in one way or another.  But please, make no mistake, on earth we have dads, but in eternity we have one Father.  I thank Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Savior and Lord, that we are all being re-raised by the Father of all creation and He is perfect!

Happy Father’s Day!

I love this family,

Pastor Buddy

Our emotions are powerful motivators and more than almost anything else in our lives, they will drive our behavior.  Sometimes, our greatest challenge is trying to understand what makes us tick. Why do we feel and behave the way we do?

I know two friends who were best friends but several years ago one thing led to another and they haven’t spoken since.  Someone identified the cure when he said, “Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the handcuffs of hate.”

Those are profound words and I know from personal experience that forgiveness works.   A few times in my life I’ve been wronged and taken advantage of.  My first reaction, of course, was anger and resentment.  I held it for a while and felt my stomach tie up in knots, my appetite wane and the joy slip out of my life.  Then I remembered that quote and it provided the wake-up call I needed to forgive the person who had wronged me.  You see, life is too short to stay angry, even for a day.  Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.  I hope we all learn to live ourl ives with forgiveness in our hearts and our lives with passion.

Pastor Harry

It’s called “Life.”  Yes, life on a fallen planet.  We are being built to live on a new earth with the Lord, not this one.  So, if the economy is bad and swine flu is a threat, if American morality is falling and the future looks frightful, come with me and look at the other tracj.  God is saving souls, people’s lives are being restored, we are building lifelong relationships with Jesus.  The outer person is perishing, yet the inward person is being renewed day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16).

I believe that Jesus would say, like the littel boy on the Kaiser Permanente commercial, “Things are looking up!”

I do believe if we keep our eyes on Jesus we will be looking up also.

I love you Saints,

Pastor Buddy

P.S. He sees all tracks and remains victorious! P.T.L.

In the long run, however, sameness is the fast track to mediocrity and mediocre churches won’t survive.  Someone said it best, “When patterns are broken, new worlds emerge.”  And that is our challenge: to convince the church that this new way we are trying to create is better than the one we are in.  Is it easy?  Of course not.  It takes planning, commitment, patience and courage.

The truth, or course, is taht change can be a wonderful gift.  In fact, it can be the key that unlocks the door to growth and excitement in any church.  And, most importantly, without it we will only start to slip away.  A big part of success will be our ability to get out of our comfort zones and look at change as the right path and for the right reasons.  Will you join us and be on the same page for the Kingdom?

Thank you,

Pastor Harry

I think it goes far beyond being flashy or “cool.”  It’s about being emotionally relevant.  We should be empathic with one another, feeling each other’s pain and joy, bearing each other’s burdens, walking in each other’s shoes.  When we stop being people who really care for the needs of others (whether it be spiritual, physical, emotional, social, or intellectual) we stop being the body of Christ.  I pray that you will join with me in striving to be an emotionally relevant person to those I already know and to those I will come across in the future.

From my heart,

Pastor Matt

Welcome to the blog for First Baptist Church of Corona.  We hope you’ll check back often and dialogue with us about various topics.  We’ll be posting the pastors’ Family Talk articles here as well as other thoughts we have along the way.

We look forward to your questions, comments, and discussions!

Your servants in Christ,

Pastors Buddy, Harry, and Matt