New Location, Fresh Start

“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone”
I Timothy 2:1

Were you there? Were you able to be there at the first service for Desoto Hills Baptist Church? If not, you missed one of the most powerful worship services I have ever experienced!!

The house was packed. As an usher and greeter at the south door, I can tell you we ran out of bulletins quickly and the people kept coming. We moved chairs out of storage and out of class rooms just to make sure everyone had a seat and the people kept coming. The music was uplifting and Maurie Wright and her dad, Randy Jones, brought the house to their feet in celebration with a song about the new Jerusalem. And it was obvious that Brother James was excited about the “Fresh Start” available to us all through our new church home. The collection plates were full of visitor cards and I saw many friendly faces that I have not seen since we left Trinity. The grand hall was swarming with people after the service and smiles were everywhere. What a day…what a glorious day….and what an extraordinary worship service to lead us all on the journey of touching our community for Christ through the family of Desoto Hills. It has been a long time — maybe too long — since I left morning worship feeling as high as I do right now and I hope I can adequately put into words just how jazzed I am about my personal experience as the Lord descended on our church this morning. May we all seek to fulfill the mission God has given this fellowship of believers through this new location.

It was good to see a full class room this morning for our first Sunday School time. We were privileged to have Sonja Blair and Steve & Brandy Haynes visiting with us and it was especially nice to have Jay & Lucy Hasselman and Bud & Lori Gilbert back with us. The message today was from I Timothy 6:3-12, I Timothy 6:17-19 and asked the question “How can I learn to be content?”. The world leads us to believe that we will be content in the amount of stuff and money we have, but as Christians, we must recognize that our contentment is based on Christ-sufficiency and not self-sufficiency. God has promised to meet our basic physical needs and anything beyond food, clothing, and shelter is just stuff….so why do we all work so hard to get stuff that we cannot take with us? Our focus needs to be on laying up eternal treasures in heaven where it matters most…not chasing the latest must-have gizmo here on earth. But that is easier said than done, right? We all have that secret desire to be wealthy in earthly terms [bet you bought a Powerball ticket last time it was over $200 million, didn't you...I know I did]. But if you study the focus passage of this weeks lesson, you will learn from our Sunday School book that “our lives are far richer when we honor the Lord and center our lives on Him since one day all our possessions will be gone and all that will last is what is eternal”. The Sunday School book makes some point that each of us needs to consider:
The great challenge to modern believers who have so much more than the basic needs of this life, is to have and keep Biblical values and attitudes concerning wealth.
What is most important in your life: how much money you have or how much God has of you and your possessions?

Your answers to such questions will tell you much about whether you have or have not yet taken hold of contentment.
The beauty of this day is how much the Sunday School lesson and Brother James sermon shared in the lesson of contentment. In essence, we as believers must come to the point in our lives that serving Christ is our basis for contentment. Whether it is in our personal lives related to the material things of this world, or as a congregation related to our pretty new building, will we be content in following the Lord’s leadership or will we set out on paths of our own?

The sermon today was taken from Joshua 3:1-6 and was simply titled “Fresh Start”. Brother James emphasized that Desoto Hills, like the Israelites, is ready to cross the Jordan River into the promised land into a world of new beginnings. But how do we accomplish all the things God desires to accomplish in this community through Desoto Hills? We cannot be content in the fact that we have now opened the doors for our new building because it is only a shell unless the Lord is present and we are seeking to accomplish His will. Brother James made some solid points to motivate us on this “Fresh Start” that will keep us on track for God:

A Fresh Frustration

We need the attitude of “I am tired of this” – “this” being the old way
We need to not be obsessed with the things of this world [like the Israelites who longed to go back to Egypt where they remembered things being easier]
We need to get over “self” being the object of our focus – remember, it’s not about you…it’s about what God desires to accomplish through you [Joshua 3:5]
A Fresh Focus

In preparation to cross the Jordan River, the Israelites were told to consecrate themselves and follow the Ark of the Covenant wherever it led – the Ark represented the presence of God…are you ready to follow God where he leads?
The priority of the Ark was that it was the first thing God instructed to be built as part of the Temple so that the Israelites knew they were in the presence of God and that He was among them
The prestige of the Ark was that it was layered inside and out with pure gold as a symbol that God is a holy God who is the same on the outside as well the inside
The packaging of the Ark that carried symbols of his concerns for our relationship with him and others — compassion [a jar of Manna]; statement of power to remind who is in charge [Aaron's staff]; and the tablets with the Ten Commandments.
The power of the Ark that reminds us that we are here to do His bidding, He is not here to do our bidding. The Israelites recognized that the Ark gave them the power to defeat their enemies but they lost focus and lost the Ark when they forgot that it is not who has the Ark, but who the Ark has [i.e. it is not whether you have Jesus or not but how much of you Jesus has!].
A Fresh Fear

We must maintain a reverent fear and respect of our Holy God so that we can approach Him and be in His presence with a right heart
God cares more about our attitude in our worship than how we worship…He wants it from the heart!

Brother James will continue this lesson next week and I hope you can be there for this message!

Isn’t great to know that our Lord is in charge and we do not need to be in charge of anything except worshiping Him as Lord and Savior?
He alone is trustworthy and worthy of our praise and He will work all things to our good and we can claim the following verse as we seek to trust Him with our everything:
Proverbs 3:5-6 — “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.
Please keep all of the following prayer needs and requests lifted up for your Sunday School Class Family. Our God does answer our prayers so make sure you take time this week to intercede for your spiritual family. Have a blessed and Spirit filled week!

SOCIALS & CHURCH CALENDAR

Fall Festival – Sunday , October 29th from 3:30 to 5:30 at Desoto Hills for both Carriage Hills & Desoto Hills
October 22 – Dr. Jim Futral, Executive Director of MS Baptist Convention – preaching in evening service
November 5 – Desoto Central Elementary Choir – will be singing in evening worship
November 11 & 12 – John Yates and Friends
November 19 – Dedication Service at 3:00 pm
Youth Praise and Worship – 6:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall for 7-12th graders
Youth Choir – 5 pm Wednesday’s
6th Grade Choir – 5:15 pm Wednesday’s
GA’s & RA’s & Mission Friends – 6 pm Wednesday’s
Prayer Time – for adults with the pastor at 6 pm Wednesday’s in the Prayer Tower
Children’s Choir [1st to 5th grades] – 6:30 pm Wednesday’s
Pre-School Choir [4 & 5 year olds] – 6:30 pm Wednesday’s
BOOST – Mid Week Youth Service 6:30 pm Wednesday’s in the Attic
Power-Aide – 6:30 pm Wednesday’s – a mid-week spiritual boost for adults with curriculum based classes for equipping the saints for the work of the ministry through spiritual maturity

PRAISES [Our God is good....ALL THE TIME!!!!]
Class – praise for a good turn out and for our visitors today, Steve and Brandy Haynes
Dee Church – praise that the Spaghetti Dinner raised $2000 to help her Mom with final expenses for her Dad.
Paul Palmer – God is Good! Had his best day ever in sales this past Friday
Aimee Blaylock – her Dad was granted disability income plus 2 years back pay this past week at his hearing and the judge ruled in his favor from the bench rather than delaying it for 30 days like the process is normally done
Kelley Benson/brother Kevin Gunn – there is a bed open in a Southaven Nursing Home near Baptist Desoto but there are some problems with his admittance due to a lag time in the insurance coverage. Please continue praying that the Lord will bring him closer to the family so the family can better monitor his care and that He will move the bureaucracy mountain that is blocking Kelley from getting him transferred immediately before we lose that open bed.
HEALTH CARE PRAYER REQUESTS & UPDATES
Sonja Blair – her Dad is sick with splints in his brain stem and is depressed, not his usual cheerful self
Jay Hasselman – Mom is having pain in her hip that has kept her in bed for 3 weeks, doctors cannot find out what is wrong. She is a teacher and is trying to decide if she should retire or not.
Debra Adkins for Tim Vickers- Tim is waiting for the results of his liver biopsy last Thursday. He has been very sick and his condition may require that he be put on the liver transplant list and it may be hereditary which means it may have been passed to Zack. Keep Amanda & Tim in your prayers.
Dee Church/Blac – doctors have found a thyroid problem and will have to monitor closely
Gwen Cain – her cousin Phyllis is on dialysis and has been placed on the Kidney & Pancreas transplant list
Kelley Benson, brother Kevin Gunn – he is still in Baptist East for now but may have to go back to that awful Ripley Nursing Home where he receives such poor care that he keeps getting pneumonia prior to coming to Southaven . Continue to pray that God’s hands will astonish the medical professionals with a full and miraculous recovery.
Kelley Benson, Mom – Martha Tucker – recovering from back surgery
Jeff Cain – friend, Kenny Garrison, has inoperable esophagus cancer
Jeff Cain – Roger Cryer, Larry Jolly [uncle], Aunt Margie Lackey, and Susan Nunn all have cancer
Bob Benson – having a nerve block in back on Tuesday, pray it will help me feel physically better soon

PRAYER NEEDS
Steve & Brandy Haynes [visitors] – Unspoken
Dee Church – had a rough week last week, the family purchased her Dad’s tombstone yesterday and Monday will be one month since she lost her Dad. prayer as her mom goes back to work this week for the first time since losing her husband
Sonja Blair – home has been for sale for 6 months, just put up a for sale by owner and close to an offer. Pray that it will sell if it is the Lord’s will.
Lori Gilbert – pray for their children
Bud Gilbert – prayer for them as they are building a new home
Leigh Ann Baker – continue to pray for the well being of her sister
Sonja Dickey – some folks will be moving in with them who are unchurched and have custody of an 8 year old boy from another family member. Pray that they will come to church and see Jesus through the lives of the Dickey’s.
Brad Dickey – will be out of town for three weeks beginning the last week of October. He requests prayer for his travels, for his family in his absence, and he is asking that the class call and check in on Sonja during that period.
Kenneth Duck – traveling extensively [flying over 9000 miles in September & October]. Pray for safe travels and a safe return.
Kevin & Diane Avent – prayer for oldest son, Josh, who lives in Indianapolis and is facing some major decisions between now and the end of the year.

SPECIAL NEEDS FOR THE CHURCH
FAITH TEAMS – includes Gary Blaylock, Deanna Gray, and Leigh Ann Baker from our class family – prayer that they will make an impact on the community and prayer for ease in the learning process

SALVATION FOR FRIENDS & FAMILY
Bob Benson – Neel Rideout/business partner
Kelley Benson – whole family + Bryan Petrich/Brother- in-law
Paul Palmer – Margaret Ann Ferrez/Sister
Susan Palmer – too many to narrow to one name
Aimee Blaylock – too many to narrow to one name
Gary Blaylock – Mike Mullins/Step Dad
Leigh Ann Baker – extended family/in laws
Dewayne Eddington – close friends, family, & co-workers
Dee Church – Jeff/husband
Kristi Rikard – Dennis/Brother in Law
Lori Gilbert – Bud’s family
Cathy Chandler – Candice & Joey/her sister & brother
Norma Morreale – Russ & Joanna/Dominick’ s Dad and his girlfriend