May 7, 2023

As I was reading and studying this week, I came across this little story that I thought would bring a smile and a chuckle. In our scripture today we saw where the Philippian church gave till it hurt to support Paul. See what you think about this old farmer in the story. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.

A farmer once went to hear John Wesley preach.  The great leader was dealing with the question of money, and was examining it under three divisions. His first thought was.  “Get all you can.” The farmer nudged his neighbor and said: “That man has got something in him; it is admirable preaching!  

Wesley reached his second thought.  “Save all you can.” The farmer became quite excited.  “Was there ever anything like this!” he said.  The preacher denounced thriftlessness and waste, and the farmer rubbed his hand as he thought, all this have I been taught from my youth up.  What with getting and with hoarding, it seemed to him that “salvation” had come to his house.  

But Wesley went on to his third thought which was, “Give all you can.”  “Oh, dear, exclaimed the farmer, “He’s gone and spoiled it all!”

I pray that you all have a great week!

April 23, 2023

The following article is something I read on a page called Spurgeon Books that made me stop and think. I think it will also make each of you stop and think. It is nothing new but I think sometimes we just need to be reminded. I hope you enjoy it.

We have nothing good to offer. We cannot do enough good to make up for our sin — we’re too broken and sinful. The Bible even says that “all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment” (Isaiah 64:6).

And yet, Jesus invites us to come.

Even though we have nothing to offer, Jesus saves us by his mercy.

When Jesus died on the cross, he took our punishment for us. When Jesus rose from the dead, he gave his good deeds to our account. The only person in history who ever had a right to hold a grudge against you (sinless Jesus), is NOT holding a grudge against you! He’s inviting you to come!

Being a Christian is not about knowing the right truths — it’s about being known by God.

Being a Christian is not about fixing ourselves or turning over a new leaf — it’s about being forgiven by Jesus. We come to Jesus with empty- hands. We don’t have anything to contribute, and he saves us by grace.

Spurgeon: “We have all failed in Adam’s failure; it is hopeless, therefore, to expect to win divine favor by anything that we can do, or merit divine blessing by way of reward.”

I pray that we have all come to Jesus empty-handed seeking Him first and foremost.

March 26, 2023

I read a lot of different things in the span of a week and for some time I have been following a page on Instagram that has a lot of quotes on it that come from C.H. Spurgeon. He is one of my favorite authors, but with each of the post they put what could be thought of as a devotion or something to make you think or consider something. Today’s article came from this source and from time to time I may use others but will always let you know that I have adapted it or that I am quoting someone else. So here goes an article that I believe gives us some good food for thought. I hope you enjoy it.

We need to remember that every time we are tempted to self-righteous pride: We are not judged based on how we compare to others. We are judged based on how we compare to God.

Paul makes this argument in Romans 1–3, where he argues that the Gentiles have sinned, but the Jewish people are not “any better off” (3:9). On what basis? Because “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (3:23).

Our condemnation is NOT that other people are better than we are — our condemnation is that we are not as perfect as God.

Our only hope is that God himself would give us his righteousness.
Our only hope is that we would be hidden in Christ, who will never fall short of the glory of God.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:23–24)

As we consider what we have read here may we always strive to be more like Christ and not the brother or sister down the pew from us no matter how good they are.

I love you all, Pastor Steven and Lesia

March 5, 2023

Psalm 85:6

6  Will You not revive us again, That Your people may rejoice in You?

Psalm 80:19

19  Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved!

As we are one week away from revival, I want to encourage each of you to continue lifting your prayers to God in heaven seeking Him for a

outpouring of His Spirit upon us a people who are in desperate need of revival.

We can come each night, we can sing all the songs, we can have the special music each night, we can pray for God to give Brother Billy

Cashwell the words to share with us each night but if we do not seek God we will not have revival.

Revival does not come because we put it on the calendar, it comes because we pray for it, we ask God to send it, we seek God for it.

Will you join me in praying for a great work of God to be done in each one of us as individuals and in our church, that we will see the Spirit of God fall upon us and do a great work in us.

I pray you will invite someone to our services each night.

Sunday night we will begin at 6:00 and Monday through Wednesday we will begin at 7:00. I look forward to seeing you there.

I love you all, Pastor Steven and Lesia

February 26, 2023

What would it take for you to put your life on the line for someone else?

What about for Jesus? Would you lay it all down for Jesus?

God’s word says in John 14:6: Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” The disciples saw the truth of Jesus Christ and all the truths of God and His word. because of this they were willing to put it all on the line, just look at the following list.

•  Andrew was crucified.

•  Bartholomew was beaten and then crucified.

•  James, son of Alphaeus was stoned to death.

•  James the son of Zebedee was beheaded.

•  John, exiled for his faith; died of old age.

•  Judas (Not Iscariot) was stoned to death.

•  Matthew was speared to death.

•  Peter was crucified upside down.

•  Philip was crucified.

•  Simon was crucified.

•  Thomas was speared to death.

•  Matthias was stoned to death. (Source: Fox’s Book of Martyrs)

How committed are we to Christ? Are willing to go the extra mile for Him after all He did for us? These 12 men were and did. Only one of them did not die by being put to death but he was exiled to an island and was blind. What a miserable life but he was used by God in a mightyway to write the book of Revelation. Just some food for thought!

May God bless and keep you in the coming week.

I love you all! Pastor Steven

February 19, 2023

Just some food for thought!

3 Things Jesus never said:

1. You will be healthy.

2. You will be wealthy.

3. You will be successful.

3 Things Jesus did say:

1. You will be hated. (Matthew 10:22)

2. You will have trouble. (John 16:33)

3. You will be persecuted. (Matthew 5:10-12)

3 Promises Jesus said:

1. He will give us rest. (Matthew 11:28)

2. He would give us an advocate, the Holy Spirit. (John 14:16)

3. He was going to prepare a place for us. (John 14:1-2)

Bonus Promise: 

1. He is coming back to take us to be with Him. (John 14:3)

There is so much in the Bible that we know and so much that we don’t know, there are many hidden golden nuggets that we can find as we go through the word of God searching it out. I pray these little nuggets will spurn an interest in you to know more about what is in His word for us to find.

May God bless you and keep you through this coming week, may He bring you back into his house next week.

I love you all, Pastor Steven and Lesia

February 12, 2023

In today’s society there are many people who claim Christianity but yet they do not live the life of a Christian, they are not producing fruit as a

Christian produces.

God’s word says in Matthew 7:20

“Therefore by their fruits you will know them”.

Many of these individuals that claim Christianity live lives that are Christian-ish. They are living lives that claim Christianity, but they don’t have any fruits that resemble Christianity.

Below is a list I borrowed from Justin Jenkins that shows the thought process of the Christian-ish believer.

1) To them God’s instructions are just suggestions.

2) They see the Bible as an asset not the authority.

3) To them Jesus is their Savior, but He is not their Lord.

4) They see church as encouraging, not essential.

5) They pray out of desperation, not communion with the Lord.

6) They think of worship as music instead of a lifestyle.

We all have seen individuals that think this way. We need to pray for these individuals that their eyes will be opened to the truth of Jesus Christ and His word.

May God bless you in all the days to come, may He keep you safe, may He guide all your steps, and may your steps lead others to Jesus and His truths.

I love You All, Pastor Steven and Lesia

February 5, 2023

Today I want to take this opportunity to invite everyone to come out to our Sunday School on Sunday mornings, our Mid-Week Prayer Meeting on Wednesday nights, and to our Sunday Night Bible Study Class. I cannot find anywhere in scripture where we are commanded and told to attend either of these so I will not try to throw at you that it is Biblical, and I am not trying to guilt anyone in to coming to any of these services. But, with that being said I do think that aa three of these events are beneficial to the life of the church and to the spiritual development of the individuals that choose to attend. The scriptures do mandate we as believers are to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, we see that in 1 Peter 3:18. We are also told in the scripture to desire the pure milk of the word in 1 Peter 2:2.

Below I have listed several benefits of these three services that we have here at Beulah Baptist Church.

•  Sunday School, Wednesday Night and Sunday night Bible Studies are another way for us to receive the whole counsel of God.

•  At these 3 Bible studies, it is less formal and more interactive.

•  It helps us as believers to stay grounded in the word throughout the busyness of life.

•  There is a better opportunity to fellowship with other believers and to get to know the Body of Christ that we serve alongside of.

•  What you learn at these different studies will help you in your walk and in leading your family well.

•  It is another opportunity to hone your gifts that we all as Christians have.

These are just a few benefits of attending these services at Beulah Baptist Church. Let me encourage you to come out and join us on Sunday mornings at 10:00, Sunday nights at 6:00 and Wednesday nights at 7:00.

I pray you have a greatly blessed week. I love you all, Pastor Steven and Lesia

January 29, 2023

As we are 29 days into the New Year, I wondered how everyone was doing on their Bible reading. It is something that is easy to fall away from if we do not make it a priority. I pray that everyone is still reading daily and that you are growing closer to the Father through that time with Him. God’s word is such a blessing and there is not a day that goes by that we as His children do not need to spend time with Him. I want to encourage you today. If you have fallen short in your Bible reading, maybe you have not even started, let me say, it is ok!

Today is NOT TOO LATE to begin!

It is never too late to begin. You can take the and begin today. You can read an extra 10 minutes a day or an extra 3 chapters a day and by the end of February you will be able to get caught back up. The main thing is that we get in the practice of going to God in His Word the Bible, reading, praying over it, meditating, growing closer to Him.

A quote I found says this:

“Whatever keeps me from my Bible is my enemy, however harmless it may appear to be” A.W. Tozer

Another quote and I do not know who said this one but it goes like this. “The Bible will keep me from sin and sin will keep me from the Bible.”

Think about those for a minute, there is a lot of truth in both of those quotes.

May we all become a man or woman of the Word of God!

I Love You All, Pastor Steven and Lesia

January 22, 2023

From the Pastor’s Desk

I was reading an article by John Piper this last Monday about prayer and in this article he listed six prayers that God will always say “YES” to. They all really made sense to me so I wanted to share them with you. Each one is something that if we were to pray for in our lives would do us good. I hope you will look at these and the verses that go along with each point!

·         Glorify yourself through me.

The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14).

·         Forgive me.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

·         Reveal more of yourself to me.

I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord (Jeremiah 31:33–34).

·         Give me wisdom.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him (James 1:5).

·         Strengthen me to obey you.

As you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure (Philippians 2:12–13).

·         Spread your gospel to the lost.

This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14).

May God always pour His blessings upon you! I love you all, Pastor Steven and Lesia!

January 15, 2023

“From the Pastor’s Desk”

Psalm 95:6-7 6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. 7 For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand……

How do you prepare for worship? Do we just jump up on Sunday morning, throw on our clothes, run a comb through our hair, brush over our teeth and run out the door knowing we are going to be late, ( Years ago that was my house), or do we begin on Saturday night preparing for the day ahead when we get to gather with the family of God, we get to come together and sing praises to the King of kings, we get to hear God speak to us through His word and through His vessels, is preparing to worship the risen Savior high on our agenda for the weekend or is it just another checkmark on our things to do list? Maybe the pointers below will help us all to make more out of preparing for worship from here on out! I borrowed this list from a post on Social Media! ( I added a few comments)

Preparing for worship with the Father

Pray before you get to church. Asking God to speak to you.

Listen to worship or gospel music on the way to prepare your mind and heart.

Bring your paper bible to church with you, read from it during service, write in it, underline key verses. Get involved in the service right in the pew you are in.

Sing out when the songs are being sung. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord.

Try to be there on time so you are not so rushed.

Bring a note pad and take notes. (Sermon notes are in the bulletin every week.)

This is a biggie: EXPECT GOD TO MOVE.

Sunday worship should not be a checkmark on our things to do list, it should be a time that we get to sit at the table of God and be fed spiritually. Will you join me for the greatest meal ever?

I Love you all, Pastor Steven and Lesia

November 20, 2022

“From the Pastor’s Desk”

Have you ever thought to yourself “I wish that I could have a better worship experience” or maybe you wish things were different when you come to church? Well, most of the time the first place we need to look to change things is in the mirror, not the Sunday school teacher, the deacons, or the pastor, but with ourselves.

I ran across this little snippet from Shane Pruit and thought that he had hit the nail on the head when he wrote this.

Want to change your worship experience at church?

•  Pray before you get there!

•  Listen to worship music on the way to church!

•  Take and use your bible, quit relying on the screens.

•  Don’t run late!

•  Sing loudly like you mean it!

•  Take notes.

•  Expect God to Move.

I know there have been times in my life when I could have used this thought process. Something I learned a long time ago was this: I would get out of church, what I put into church. If we come looking for God to move then we will see Him move, if we come seeking a blessing then we will leave blessed. What we put in; we get out.

May God bless you and keep you till we meet again!

I love you all, Pastor Steven

November 13, 2022

“From the Pastor’s Desk”

As we saw another election come and go this past Tuesday and we saw many different views from different sides of the spectrum, maybe you have asked the question what does all this means for me a Christian.

I think that is a great question for us to ask and I also think that there is only one answer that a Christian can have, and that answer is seen in the below:

God

is still in control and

Jesus

is still the answer!

Daniel 2:21

21  And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding.

May we put our faith in God above and always trust that even when we do not understand or we cannot see God’s plan for the trees that stand in the way, that He (God) is in control and as Romans 8:28 says, 28  And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

May God bless each of you in the days to come, I look forward already to being back with you next week.

I love you all, Pastor Steven

October 16, 2022

“From the Pastor’s Desk”

How big is your God?

Have you ever thought of that question before?

This day and time there are many Christians that have made God into just another friend. They have taken God and reduced Him to just one of the gang, that He is just a little grander than we are but that is the farthest from the truth.

When you and I really realize just how great and mighty of a God we serve we will be much better off.

It is time that Christians once again make much of God.

We must realize God is not just a big grandpa in the sky where all things go because that is what grandpas do, but He is our Heavenly Father, He is Great, He is Mighty, He is in Control, He does not need us but we need Him.

Let us as Christians make much of God. I challenge you to get off all by yourself and ask yourself this question: How big is my God? Answer it honestly. Don't inflate your answer but be completely honest with yourself.

May God bless you all. I love you all, Pastor Steven and Lesia

October 23, 2022

“From the Pastor’s Desk”

How big is your God?

Have you ever thought of that question before?

This day and time there are many Christians that have made God into just another friend. They have taken God and reduced Him to just one of the gang, that He is just a little grander than we are but that is the farthest from the truth.

When you and I really realize just how great and mighty of a God we serve we will be much better off.

It is time that Christians once again make much of God.

We must realize God is not just a big grandpa in the sky where all things go because that is what grandpas do, but He is our Heavenly Father, He is Great, He is Mighty, He is in Control, He does not need us but we need Him.

Let us as Christians make much of God. I challenge you to get off all by yourself and ask yourself this question: How big is my God? Answer it honestly. Don't inflate your answer but be completely honest with yourself.

May God bless you all. I love you all, Pastor Steven and Lesia

October 2, 2022

“From the Pastor’s Desk”

Today is an exciting day for us here at Beulah, we are celebrating the 127th Homecoming of Beulah Baptist Church. 

There are many of you that have attended Beulah for many years, some of you have been coming here since you were a little child. You have seen many members come and go, you have helped at many harvest days, you have taught classes, served on committees, led youth groups, went on church-wide retreats, you were here when the old church burned, you were a part of the rebuilding program, some were here when we were hit by the tornadoes and we began to reconstruct what was torn up, you have seen pastor’s come and go, you have been here in the good times, the bad times, the happy times, and the sad times, we have loved together, we have hurt together, we have cried together, and we have laughed together, we have walked a many an aisle to say goodbye to those we love that was called home before us, but we can be assured that as good as it is today to celebrate homecoming here at Beulah, there is a grander homecoming for us one day and that is when we reach our heavenly home. That’s the homecoming I believe we all are looking forward to.

We are told about that homecoming in Revelation 21:1-4 “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

May we all be ready, looking for that great homecoming when we will see our Jesus face to face, and we can bow and worship Him!

I love you all, Pastor Steven and Lesia

September 25, 2022

“From the Pastor’s Desk”

George Sweeting writes: A few years ago when I was in Northfield, Massachusetts, to conduct evangelistic services, I visited "Roundtop" where D. L. Moody is buried. As I knelt in prayer, I recalled vividly Mr. Moody's eloquent words:

"Someday you will read in the papers that D. L. Moody is dead. Don't you believe a word of it. At that moment I shall have gone up higher; that is all; out of this old clay tenement, into a house that is immortal—a body that death cannot touch, that sin cannot taint; a body fashioned like unto His glorious body. I was born of the flesh in 1837. I was born of the Spirit in 1856. That which is born of the flesh may die. That which is born of the Spirit will live forever."

Mr. Moody was right. And I expect to meet him one day in a glorified body that will never die. - George Sweeting

As any person who professes to be a Christian that reads this it should beg them to be certain that they can say the same thing as D.L. Moody said. A couple of verses comes to mind

2 Corinthians 13:5

5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.

Philippians 2:12

12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;

May God bless you and keep you as we each one examines ourselves and work out our own salvation. May you always walk hand in hand with the Savior. I Love You All, Pastor Steven and Lesia

August 28, 2022

This week I want to take a moment to remind each of you just how much you mean to us here at Beulah. Each one of you from the oldest member to the youngest member has a special place here and without you we would not be the church that we are. May we always keep God first in everything that we do, that we will allow God’s word to always guide our steps, that Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet

And a light to my path” will become truth in each of our lives.

Just a Reminder……………….

You are not alone.

People do care.

You are loved.

You matter.

You are strong.

You are amazing.

You are wonderful.

You will win this fight called life.

I love you and I care.

And never forget what a friend you have in JESUS!

Philippians 4:13 “ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

As a family in Christ, let us always pray for each other, encourage each other, fight our battles together, and love each other. I am always praying for each of you that God will truly bless you as you walk daily, that He will bless you in your private and your public lives. #GOGOD

August 21, 2022

I pray each of you has been working on memorizing our memory verse for the month of August. This is a part of our dedication and commitment to God as well as our desire to stamp out the spiritual famine that has become so widespread in this world that we live in today.

Last week I gave you 5 tips to help with memorization. Today I will finish up this list with a few more tips to help each of us in this scripture memorization.

1) Get a memory partner: Everything is easier when you have someone doing it with you. Get a memory partner to help

test you and work with you to memorize your verse.

2) Use flashcards: As a child, we would use flashcards to memorize our multiplication tables and spelling words. We do not need to reinvent the wheel; we just need to use what is already there.

3) Use a Bible Memory App: If you have a smartphone, you can download a bible memory app, this way we can use our phone for something good!!

4) Make it into a tune and sing it: Most people can remember songs when they cannot remember other stuff. If that is you,

then make it into a song and sing it to memorize it.

5) Repeat, repeat, repeat, and repeat it again: whatever strategy that you find works best for you, keep it up, do it over and

over and keep up the good work. If you memorize the ones we are doing as a congregation, don’t stop there, pick your own

verse and continue memorizing. We can never know too much of God’s word.

May God bless you and keep you until we meet again!!!!

I love you all, Pastor Steven and Lesia

August 7, 2022

From the Pastor’s Desk

Today we are going to begin something new here at Beulah, from here on out I will be putting a bible verse in the bulletin, and we are going to read this together every Sunday, this will be a verse that I hope each one of you will join me in memorizing. I am going to make a commitment to learn these verses by memory for myself and I hope you will also.

You may ask why pastor. Well as I have been reading the book “Where Do We Go From Here?” by David Jeremiah, and I have been watching the sermons that go along with the book, he has pointed out just how much of a spiritual famine we are in this day and time in this world. It is imperative that we as believers know God’s word. 

David Jeremiah said in his book: By grace, we can stay healthy even during a large-scale spiritual famine. Paul told us to be “nourished in the words of faith and of… good doctrine” (1 Timothy 4:6). The psalmist described scripture as sweeter than honey (Psalm 19:10). And the prophet Jeremiah said, “your words were found, and I ate them, and your word was to me the joy and the rejoicing of my heart” (Jeremiah 15:16). The Lord gave us a book containing everything we really need for life and eternity. It makes us unto salvation through faith in Christ. It’s portable; we can carry it anywhere. It’s simple; perfect for children. It’s deep; engaging the lifetimes of earth’s greatest scholars. And it’s yours! Jesus said, “People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).

May we go to the word of God and eat!

I Love You all, Pastor Steven and Lesia

July 17, 2022

From the Pastor’s Desk

7 Promises From God’s Word

• I am Forgiven

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

• I am Free

Psalm 118:5

I called on the Lord in distress; The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.

• I have Hope

Hebrews 10:23

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

• I am Gifted

James 1:17

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

• I have a Purpose

Ephesians 2:10

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

• I am Valuable

Job 33:4

The Spirit of God has made me,
And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

A lot of times in life we are thrown what I would call a hardball that knocks us down. We need to remember that just because we are a Christian that everything is not always going to go our way, but we can always remember that God is always with us. This is a list that when life gets hard, we can go to, we can pull from to let us know that we are special to God. This is just a starter list, what other verses could we add to this?

I love you all, Pastor Steven and Lesia

July 10, 2022

From the Pastor’s Desk

Have you ever thought what is the purpose of prayer? I thought this would be a good topic for today’s article as we will be looking at what is known as the “Lord’s Prayer” today in service.

Prayer is a very important part of the believer’s life. We all know as a believer that prayer is the way that we communicate with God. For us to understand what prayer is, we must also understand what prayer is not.

Prayer is not a time for us to bargain with God, it is not a time to make demands to God, prayer does not give us the opportunity to control God, prayer is not something we should use to draw attention to ourselves, and it is not the time for us to just come to God with a list of our wants.

If we want to know what the purpose of prayer is we need to look to the way that Jesus prayed during His life here on earth. In His high priestly prayer in John 17 we see that Jesus prayed for Himself, He prayed for others (His disciples, and even for us), He prayed simply to have communion with the Father.

We see in Luke 22:42 when Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane that He prayed submitting Himself completely to the will of the Father as He said, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”

Prayer is also the way that we strengthen our relationship with the Father. Jesus always prayed regularly to the Father. As a believer we should stay in constant communication with the Father as we are instructed in scripture in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “17 pray without ceasing,”.

Prayer is an act of worship to our Father in Heaven. All throughout God’s word we see the emphasis that Jesus Himself put on prayer. As a believer we should follow our Savior’s example and prayer is something that we should never neglect. If I can help you in any way please let me know. 

I Love you all, Pastor Steven and Lesia

July 3, 2022

From the Pastor’s Desk

Have you ever considered how we live our life for God?

As I sat and thought about that very question, I wondered what it takes for you and me to live for the Heavenly Father on a daily basis? The way that you and I can answer that question is to go no farther than the Word of God the Bible.

We see in scripture several scriptures that tell us what we need to do to live our life for our heavenly Father.

John 13:34-35, A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples if you have love for one another.”

Mathew 16:24, Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

1 Thessalonians 5:6-8, Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be 1sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.

The way you and I live for God daily is we must seek Him in His word. We seek guidance from the Holy Spirit so that we can apply His word to our lives, and finally we forget our desires and we seek God’s desires, we draw near to Him, we mature in this process, and through this we will desire more of God. 

I pray that you will meditate on these scriptures and see if you can find more guidance from the word of God and guidance of the Holy Spirit as you live daily for God. This is no way an exhaustive list of verses but may it just be the beginning of considering what scripture tells us about living for God!

I love you all, Pastor Steven and Lesia!

June 26, 2022

From the Pastor’s Desk

What a great week we have had with the youth of our church. We had great devotions, great conversations every time we joined together, very deep questions asked that our youth had, we all, adults included have grown closer to God this week and we know without a doubt that it is:

Worth It!

Jesus is Worth It!

He is Worth following!

I am Worth It!

Church is Worth It!

Acts 20:24

24 But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

Remember that no matter what you have done in your life, no matter the sins that you have that we have a God that loves us more than anything, He loved us so much that He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for us, not for the plants, the stars, the trees, or the earth, but He sent Jesus to die for us. He is WORTH IT, our time, our devotion, our commitment, HE IS WORTH IT!

I love each and every one of you and I pray that you know that Jesus is Worth It! If I can help you with this, let me know!

June 19, 2022

From the Pastor’s Desk

Tomorrow morning our young adults and their chaperones will be leaving to travel to Fort Caswell at Oak Island, NC and I can think of nothing better than for our church to blanket them in prayer. For this reason, I have a request of all of you and that is that you will vow to pray for our youth and the chaperones by name beginning today and every day this week. I have listed some prayer prompts below and I have included each person’s name that will be going for each of you.

• Pray for all who attend to be ready to hear from God. 

• Pray for spiritual growth for all. 

• Pray for a renewed love for Jesus and His church. 

• Pray for all to realize their need for a Savior because of our sinful nature that separates us from God. 

• Pray for unity in the youth groups and among other youth groups as they mix and hang around others all week. 

• Pray for those who are believing the lies of culture that make them feel less than or worthless. 

• Pray for safety for all. 

Maci McLamb…..Maddox McLamb…..Damion Wheeler…..Summer Herring…..Joshua Herring…..Delanie McCommons…..Mackenzie McCommons…..Emma Neal…..Tanner Campbell…..Saylor Campbell …. Caleb Campbell…..Berkley Campbell…..Ashlee Lee…..Michelle Wheeler ….. Karlyn Campbell…..Jamie Herring…..Stevie Herring……Lesia Campbell ….. Steven Campbell.

I pray that God will bless each of you over the coming days, I pray that His blessings will be evident each and every day, I challenge each of you to stop daily and to just count the many blessings that He pours out upon us daily.

I love you all, Pastor Steven and Lesia

June 12, 2022

From the Pastor’s Desk

What is the true meaning of the rainbow? Is it a covenant between God and man? Is it a symbol for the LGBTQ community?

In God’s word we see in Genesis 9:9-15

9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; 10 And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. 11 And I will establish my covenant with you, neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. 12 And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. 14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: 15 And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

According to the word of God the rainbow is the sign of a covenant that God made with the whole earth: that covenant was, He would never destroy the earth again with a flood. This was a promise for every living creature that inhabited the earth. Never again will God send a worldwide flood.

After a rain it is a reassuring sign for us to look up into the heavens and see a beautiful single and sometimes a double rainbow. We are reminded of the promise that God has made to us. It is a God-ordained symbol of His faithfulness and mercy.

Some people try to take a pure symbol of a covenant of God and to turn it into something that it is not. The rainbow is not a symbol to signify freedom for the LGBTQ community and it is not a symbol of pride month. 

Let us never forget when we see a rainbow what it truly means.

May God truly bless each of you!

I love you all, Pastor Steven and Lesia

June 5, 2022

From the Pastor’s Desk

I saw this little story that someone shared on Facebook earlier this week and it made a lot of sense to me. I pray you will take time to read it and that it will make you think as it did me.

A basketball in my hands is worth about $19. A basketball in Michael Jordan's hands is worth about $33 million. It depends on whose hands it's in.

A baseball in my hands is worth about $6. A baseball in Mark McGwire's hands is worth about $19 million. It depends on whose hands it's in.

A rod in my hands will keep away a wild animal. A rod in Moses' hands will part the mighty sea. It depends on whose hands it's in.

A sling shot in my hands is a kid's toy. A sling shot in David's hand is a mighty weapon. It depends on whose hands it's in.

Two fish and 5 loaves of bread in my hands is a couple of fish sandwiches. Two fish and 5 loaves of bread in God's hands will feed thousands. It depends on whose hands it's in.

Nails in my hands might produce a birdhouse. Nails in Jesus Christ's hands will produce salvation for the entire world. It depends on whose hands it's in.

As you see now, it depends on whose hands it's in. So put your concerns, your worries, your fears, your hopes, your dreams, your families and your relationship in God's hands because... It depends on whose hands it's in.

- AUTHOR UNKNOWN

May God bless you as you go through your day, may God bless you as you sit down to eat, may God bless you as you meet your family, may God always bless you beyond measure, and may you always be grateful for His wonderful grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love.

I love you all, Pastor Steven and Lesia

May 8, 2022

From the Pastor’s Desk

Today is the day that has been set aside to celebrate that special person in our lives that we call mom! It is a day that is filled with love, laughter, and memories. Today I wanted to share some facts about Mother’s Day that maybe you have never heard. I hope you enjoy these!

• Mother’s Day is not on the same day every year.

• More calls are made on Mother’s Day than any other day of the year.

• Mother’s Day is the third highest-selling holiday for flowers and plants.

• One of the earliest Mother’s Day celebrations was in Ancient Greece.

• Mother’s Day is normally the busiest day of the year for restaurants.

• In 2014 there were 43.5 million moms in the U.S.

• The history of the American Mother’s Day started with peacemaker Ann Jarvis.

• Ann’s daughter continued her legacy by creating the official holiday and it was first observed in 1908.

• Woodrow Wilson signed Mother’s Day into law in 1914.

• In 2018, over 23 billion was spent on Mother’s Day.

• The most popular gift for Mother’s Day is the greeting card.

• Most United States women have their first child in their 20’s.

So, there you have several little fun facts about Mother’s Day but the one fact that makes the difference is that a mother is someone who the moment she finds out she is pregnant she has a love that will never leave for that child, a true mother loves her children in a way that no one besides Christ Himself could love that child. I pray that all of you have experienced the love of a mother. 

I pray that God will bless each and every mother today and always, I pray that if your mother is still alive that you will always let her know how much she means to you. 

May God bless you all until we come together again.

I Love You All, Pastor Steven and Lesia

March 6, 2022

For the past several weeks we have been speaking of questions and ways to get the most out of our bible reading and to grow as close to God as possible through our study and meditating on God’s word. I pray that you have been using these ideas.

But it is just as important that we spend time in prayer and communication with our Father as it is that we spend time with Him in His word. So today I have a list of things we should do as we go to the Lord in prayer and bible study.

Here is the list of things that we can do, I challenge each one of us to spend time in the following areas as we go to God in prayer and bible study: 

• Praise Him.

• Intercede for the needs of others.

• Giving thanks to God.

• Petitioning God for what is on our heart (not necessarily our wants).

• Be sure to spend some time in our prayers confessing to God.

• Take time to stop and listen to hear God speaking to you. 

• Spend time in God’s word meditating on what He has revealed to you through His scriptures.

• Pray the scriptures.

• Maybe sing a song that encourages or excites you and puts you in a good frame of mind to worship our God.

• If you make any promises to God, take a moment, and write these promises out as a daily reminder to yourself about the promise you made to your Heavenly Father. 

I pray that these will help you. If we will all go to God in prayer everyday before we study in His word, it will make the greatest difference in all we do. Make your time with God the best it can be. If I can help you in any way, please let me know. God bless each of you.

February 27, 2022

 Appointments with God?

Did you realize that Christ began His day by spending time with God, praying in the early morning hours (Mark 1:35). Later in His busy schedule He "would often slip away … to pray" (Luke 5:16). Since Jesus took time to spend with God each day, and He had perfect communication with God, shouldn’t we get alone with God in a daily quiet time. A quiet time is a period set aside for two-way communication, communion, and meditation between you and God alone. Here are some suggestions to help you find time with God!

• Decide on a time. Early mornings are usually the best, but choose what works best for you. 

• Plan it into your schedule. 

• Choose a place. 

• Get alone - you need to concentrate. 

• Have a quiet attitude. Phil 4:6-7; Psalm 46:10; Lamentations 3:25-26. 

• Expect to meet with God and He with you. "In the morning, O Lord, Thou wilt hear my voice; in the morning I will order my prayer to Thee and eagerly watch." (Psalm 5:3). 

• Keep your appointment with Him. (This is important)

• Pray for the Holy Spirit to lead you in worship.

When we make an appointment, we are expected to keep that appointment. If it is with a doctor and we do not cancel it in a certain amount of time we have to pay for the appointment anyway. God wants you to make time for Him. If you need to write it down on your calendar or maybe you need to put it in your personal organizer or on the calendar on your iPhone, I challenge you to make time for Him daily, to strive to not break that appointment just as you would any other appointment.

I pray this will help you to grow closer in our relationship with our great and awesome God. If I can help, let me know!