EMMETT FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH
August 2020
Discover Christ's Transforming Love
126 S. Hayes Ave. Emmett, Idaho 83617
Lance Zagaris, Pastor
Pam Hodges, Worship Director
A Word From the Pastor
23 Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. 24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 25 Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
Dearly Beloved,
We live in challenging, exciting days. We are going through the COVID-19 Pandemic; we are experiencing racial turmoil from the George Floyd murder; we are experiencing anarchy and lawlessness in numerous large cities; and we are in a Presidential election year where the platforms and policies of the two major candidates and their parties are very diverse. When people discuss issues over any of the topics above, there is potential for strong opinions and heated emotions. In the Scripture reading above, Paul seeks to give Timothy some advice on how to navigate communicating with people who think differently than him.
In verse 23-24, Paul distinguishes between arguments and quarrels. We are to avoid foolish arguments and questions that produce quarrels. The Lord’s servants are to avoid quarrels. They are ineffective and unproductive, not only academically, but also socially and emotionally. Qurarrels, instead of leading people closer to the truth and closer to God and to one another, often create greater separation in each category mentioned.
Instead, the Lord’s servants are called to “be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful” (24). In the heat of a debate, with a competitive desire to win, this is hard to live up to when the pressure is on. But we are called to reflect Christ-like values and attitudes toward others. We are to be so influenced by the Holy Spirit, that kindness and self control win the discussion, that we allow the Lord to use us as instruments of truth and knowledge that help others learn to look at life from God’s perspective a little more often and a little more clearly as a result of spending time with us. When we battle resentment toward others, we must remember that we are in a spiritual battle , where Satan is at work trying to hold on strongly to those he has caught in his trap. He doesn’t want to relinquish them to the LORD. As a result, he doesn’t want them to learn the truth as its found in Jesus Christ (26).
Also, concerning resentment toward others, we must remember that we aren’t seeking to win them over to the truth and to the Lord in our own wisdom and strength! As we seek to gently instruct those who oppose us, we pray that God will grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth (25) and be set free from the devil’s bondage (26)! Our goal long-term is to see them grow in truth, to discard what is false and foolish and stupid, to turn away from idols and sinful behavior, to turn to God and be set free from the devil’s captivity. How we relate to them matters. God wants us to be firm with the truth and kind, gentle and respectful toward others. He wants us to both speak the truth in teachable ways and live out the truth attitudinally and behaviorally.
I encourage you to read the interview Scott Sauls: The Biblical Method For Soothing Rage
Shepherding you in His love,
Lance
FBC Holding Public Services In The Sanctuary
FBC has opened up for public worship service in the sanctuary. No Sunday School will be offered at this time. We are seeking to take precautions to make our setting safe. Pews are sectioned off to help us comply with 6 feet social distancing. Face masks are optional. Offering plates are stationed near the entrance/exit doors to the sanctuary, as well as in the front of they church by the organ and piano. The church pew, doors, etc. will be sanitized prior to and/or during services as needed.
We are excited to worship together again. We recognize not everyone will feel comfortable to join us at the beginning; and that is understandable and acceptable.
A video recording of the messages are posted online (Emmett FBC YouTube, Facebook and www.fbcemmett.org). Audio of each message will still be posted on the church website and CD’s will continue to be available.
God bless and keep you safe and healthy!
Brand New Start
God sometimes brings us to a place
where answers can't be found...
Where we cannot see tomorrow,
for confusion all around.
Yet deep inside we realize
that all things work for good..
Even times when we've been wounded
and we feel misunderstood.
Don't dwell on the injustice
and stay focused on God's heart...
Find forgiveness and go on,
You can make a brand new start.
Jill Lemming
When You Feel Like Giving Up - Encouragement for Today by SHARON JAYNES
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2 (NIV)
Have you ever felt like you just wanted to quit? Have you felt the ache in your spiritual legs, the weakening of your once-strong heart, the smoldering of the fire in your belly? I certainly have. I’ve also realized how many around me feel the same way.
Jolene Zagaris Retires From Teaching After Nearly 40 Years
Jolene retired in July of this year after nearly 40 years of teaching! After graduating from Western Oregon University, her first teaching job was in 1980 in Wallowa, Oregon where she taught 2nd grade. She knew the Lord had led her there. Jolene has taught in three different states with most of her career teaching Kindergarten and first grade.
When asked what she like most about teaching, Jolene said it was spending time with the kids and just being around little kids. “They are fun, nice and they love you.” She loved teaching them to read, especially when you see the “light come on”. She also liked the relationships she built with the kids and the families. A special memory she shared was with a tiny little boy, with some difficulty with motor skills. She had a hunch he was starting to read so she had him come to her and asked him to read a small book she had that he had never seen. He read it and then exclaimed “I can read that!” He didn’t know he could read. He then was reading things around the classroom and other things, still repeating his discovery that he could read.
Jolene became interested in being a teacher early in life. When she was Junior High age, she would help out in the church nursery and in Sunday School. From about 6th grade, she knew she wanted to be a teacher. She said it has been a great career and she has never been sorry.
Her decision to retire stemmed primarily from the restrictions and confusion of what is going on with the schools and COVID-19, however she really wanted to invest time in her grandchildren and teach them to know the Lord. She will be teaching her grandkids and a couple other kids who are Kindergarteners this year and is looking forward to it.
Jolene moved to Idaho in 2000 when Lance was offered the Pastor position at the FBC. Although she loved her job in Portland, they had been praying for something new when a Professor from Seminary contacted Lance to tell him about the opening here at Emmett FBC. Jolene said it was neat how the Lord led them here.
Jolene was not raised in a Christian home, but her father recently told her that it was her mom’s desire for her and her siblings to go to church. They lived in a rural community and there was a small community church down the road. Her mom took them and dropped them off initially and then the Sunday School teacher picked them up every morning. The Sunday School teacher was also Jolene’s first grade teacher and was a big influence on her and her brother. The teacher even had a chart in her first-grade class giving stickers for those who attended Sunday School. Jolene and her older brother were both saved during Vacation Bible School. Jolene was 6 years old and she remembers saving money to buy a Bible. Her brother, being 3 years older than her was also a big influence on Jolene’s desire to know the Lord.
Jolene was able to share faith in the Lord through her teaching career, even though she did wonder if she would get in trouble for it. At times, she shared her faith with others, prayed and talked with the kids about the Lord and even prayed with some parents. In her first couple years of teaching, she and some others would host an after-school Bible study for the kids. They were able, at that time, to hand out flyers out to the students to invite them to attend.
After two years in her first teaching job, they were reducing taxes, etc. and Jolene lost her job. She prayed for the Lord to lead and show her what to do. She was 24 years old and she had an interest in missionary work. She wanted to teach the children of Missionaries. She worked with a Baptist pastor who explained to her that she would need one year of Bible College to pursue missionary work. He encouraged her to consider going into the Western Seminary, which was a graduate college but offered a one-year study program. She enrolled, all in faith, as this was an expensive school due to it being a graduate level, and she had no money, no job, etc. Her parents thought she was crazy, but she really felt the Lord was leading her to do this. And the Lord was faithful ... leading her every step of the way. She prayed for a place to rent that was within walking distance to the school and for a job. She ended up finding a place to rent that was within 3 blocks from the school and she was able to get a job in the Library at Seminary. One thing after the other just fell into place.
The Baptist Pastor had also mentioned to her that she may also be wanting to get married and the Seminary would have plenty of good men, which it did seem to be primarily men. She met Lance in the chapel and the Lord continued to provide and lead them. Several times people paid for Lances seminary tuition at a point when they thought he would need to drop out because he couldn’t come up with it. All this was constant confirmation that she was on the right path.
When Jolene was asked if she had anything in particular to share, she wanted to share her favorite verse:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Thank you, Jolene, for your time and for sharing and for your many years serving the Lord through your teaching and demonstration of trusting in Him. We love you!
CERT (Christian Education Releif Time)
Are you familiar with the CERT ministry?
CERT is A nonprofit ministry giving Emmett High School students and their parents the option to supplement their secular education with Christian Education.
Located next to EHS, it also provides a safe/fun environment to all students, that fosters spiritual growth.
We encourage your high school student to talk a CERT class as an elective!
Check out the CERT facebook page!
The Return of "The Bostocks"!
When: August 30 @ 6:30 pm
Where: Emmett City Park Band Shell
Invite friends! Bring a lawn chair and relax as the Bostocks share stories and music.
A love offering will be taken and DVDs and CD's will be available for purchase. Flyers coming soon!
ANALOGY OF THE EXISTENCE OF THE INVISIBLE GOD
By Patrick Morley
My daughter-in-law sent me this story by Hungarian writer Utmatmutato Leleknek. It is the best analogy of the existence of the invisible God that I have ever heard.
In a mother's womb were two babies. One asked the other: "Do you believe in life after delivery?"
The other replied, "Why, of course. There has to be something after delivery. Maybe we are here to prepare ourselves for what we will be later."
"Nonsense," said the first. "There is no life after delivery. What kind of life would that be?"
The second said, "I don't know, but thee will be more light than here. Maybe we will walk with our legs and eat from our mouths. Maybe we will have other senses that we can't understand now."
The first replied, "That is absurd. walking is impossible. And eating with our mouths? Ridiculous! The umbilical cord supplies nutrition and everything we need. But the umbilical cord is so short. Life after delivery is to be logically excluded."
The second insisted, "Well I think there is something, and maybe it's different than it is here. Maybe we won't need this physical cord anymore."
The first replied, "nonsense. And moreover, if there is life, then why has no one ever come back from there? Delivery is the end of life, and in the after-delivery there is nothing but darkness and silence and oblivion. It takes you nowhere."
"Well, I don't know," said the second, "but certainly we will meet Mother and she will take care of us."
The first replied, "Mother? You actually believe in Mother? That's laughable. If Mother exists then where is She now?"
The second said, "She is all around us. We are surrounded by her. we are of Her. It is in Her that we live. Without Her this world would not and could not exist."
Said the first: "Well I don't see Her, so it is only logical that She doesn't exist."
To which the second replied, "Sometimes, when your're in silence and you focus and you really listen, you can perceive Her presence, and you can hear Her loving voice, calling down from above.
World Mission Conference
1,166 Watched the Live Streams!!
Recordings available on the
IM website
Thank you to everyone who made the Live Streams so successful! We are grateful to the global servants who shared about their ministries and the worship teams
who provided music.
Not everyone was able to watch the Live Streams when they happened. Whether you missed them because you were working, sleeping or dealing with a power outage – don’t worry! We recorded all 5 Live Streams and they are now available on
the IM website.
https://www.internationalministries.org/world-mission-conference/
We hope you’ll watch them again or for the first time. Each is 30 minutes long – perfect for a Sunday school class or small group meeting followed by discussion. The Live Stream recordings will be available on the World Mission Conference page for the next few months.
We hope you’ll join us again for future virtual events.
Bits and Pieces
Kelly Ayres blessed us with a beautiful special prior to moving to Lewiston
Ben Steiner got Married in June to his beautiful new wife Jessica!
Nate Campbell Has a New Virginia Guard Address
A. co. 1-222D2304
Marshall St
Fort Eustis, VA 23604
I CAN SEE NOW
“All I wanted was to break the monotony of my existence, but I didn’t know how. I knew I had to be done with the toxic life that I was living, and now I've learned that God has always been willing to give me another chance.” - Mike
MIKE'S STORY:
"After I got out of the Navy, I lived in darkness. I was basically just trying to find a way to get my hands on dope and alcohol."
In 2005 Mike moved to Boise, where, he says, he could stay with family or friends for cheap. This allowed him to drink freely. He worked in welding, doing jobs for trailer manufacturing companies all over the Treasure Valley, and he did whatever it took to get enough money for booze. His alcoholism made it hard for him to live in the same place for a long time; drinking was destroying his relationships.
Many of the people that he lived with were addicted to alcohol or drugs as well, which Mike says only fueled the fire of his alcoholism. "It was a vicious cycle, and I don't know why I did it. I would go on some bad benders, and afterward, I always kept asking myself, 'why?' I wanted to break the monotony of my existence, but I didn't know how."
Mike lived this way for over a decade. He drank at work, drank when he got off of work, he wasn't eating, and he wasn't taking care of himself. He says, "At one point I was hospitalized for a week to get two liters of fluid drained from around my liver, then I bounced right back and started drinking again. It was awful, but I couldn't stop.
"At that time, I lived by myself, and I was drinking by myself. Then my ex-wife told me that she couldn't pay her bills, and asked me to move back in with her." Mike started renting a room from his ex-wife. He says it cost him less than living on his own, but again, gave him more money to spend on alcohol. For the next two years, Mike says that he bounced around from her house, to her mother's house, to her brother's house, and occasionally to the Lighthouse Rescue Mission in Nampa.
"When I went back to live with my ex-wife again after being sober for a short time, things got really bad. Her son was living there as well, and he was using drugs. When he was coming down from using, he would get violent. It was a terrible, dysfunctional domestic violence situation, but I never fought back, and I never called the police.
"One night, when her son was coming down from a high, he freaked out and starting beating his mom. At that point, I was black-out drunk, but I remember just wanting to stop him, so I grabbed a knife and stabbed him. He took the knife from me and stabbed me right back. Then he fell to the ground, and I stumbled outside." - Read the rest of Mike's in this month's newsletter.
READ THIS MONTH'S NEWSLETTER HERE
Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies,
Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
Psalms 103:3-5, NKJV
Africa New Life - Mama Ganza's Story
In January 2019, Mama Ganza began learning how to sew at the New Life Family Center. Rising from an abusive relationship to care for her two boys alone, she needed a new way to strengthen her family. Now, Ganza operates her own sewing and tailoring booth in Kimironko, one of Kigali’s biggest fabric markets. We invite you to watch her story of transformation below!
Seventy-five women just like Ganza began 2020 with the fresh hope of learning how to sew and helping break their families out of the poverty cycle. The average sewing program graduate triples her income through her new trade! But the COVID-19 pandemic closed the New Life Family Center’s doors before these dreams could be realized. Staff quickly enacted a plan to regularly connect with each woman, providing biweekly food and hygiene staples, locally-made devotional booklets, monthly visits from staff, and other forms of crisis response.
The New Life Family Center is expecting to reopen this fall alongside all schools in Rwanda. We are excited for the women of the vocational programs to be able to return and continue their learning.
Chuckles
A bus driver and a minister were standing in line to get into heaven. The bus driver approached the gate and St. Peter said, "Welcome, I understand you were a bus driver. Since I'm in charge of housing, I believe I have found the perfect place for you. See that mansion over the hilltop? It's yours.
The minister heard all this and began to stand a little taller. He said to himself, "If a bus driver got a place like that, just think what I'll get."
The minister approached the gate and St. Peter said, "Welcome, I understand you were a minister. See that shack in the valley?"
St. Peter had hardly gotten the words out of his mouth when the irate minister said, "I was a minister, I preached the gospel, I helped teach people about God. Why does that bus driver get a mansion, and I get a shack?"
Sadly St. Peter responded, "Well, it seems when you preached, people slept. When the bus driver drove, people prayed."
Quote:
The great tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer, but unoffered prayer.
-- F.B. Meyer
Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Sugar Crisps
Simple fruit salsa with apple, strawberry and kiwi is the perfect topper for low carb cinnamon sugar crisps in this family-favorite low calorie dessert.
PREP TIME: 20 MINS; COOK TIME: 10 MINS; TOTAL: 30 MINS
Servings: 8
Calories: 100
Author: Peter | Simple Nourished Living
Ingredients
1 tablespoon low-sugar apricot preserves
1/2 medium apple, diced
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 medium kiwifruit, peeled and diced
1-1/2 cups diced fresh strawberries
2 tablespoons sugar1
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 (8-inch) high-fiber low carb tortillas (I used Ole Xtreme Wellness 100% Whole Wheat)
Instructions
1. In a small, microwavable bowl, add the apricot preserves and 1 tablespoon water. Stir to mix. Microwave for about 30 seconds, or until the preserves melt. Stir to combine.
2. In a medium bowl, add the diced apple and toss with lime juice.
3. Add the strawberries and kiwifruit to the apple and stir to combine.
4. Pour the preserves over the apple mixture and mix well.
5. When you're ready to bake the crisps, preheat oven to 350F degrees.
6. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon.
7. Lightly spray both sides of a tortilla with nonstick spray and lay flat on a cutting board. Sprinkle with 1-1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon-sugare mixture. Cut into 8 wedges. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
8. Place tortilla wedges on baking sheet (I used a pizza stone) and bake for about 10 minutes or until chips are lightly golden and crispy. (Bake in two batches if necessary.)
9. Serve cinnamon-sugar crisps with fruit salsa.
Recipe Notes
For a pretty look, cut fruit to the same size.
Serving size: 1/4 cup fruit salsa + 4 cinnamon crisps
Nutrition Facts
Amount Per Serving (1 /4 cup fruit salsa + 4 cinnamon crisps)
Calories 100; Calories from Fat 18
% Daily Value (Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.)
Fat 2g - 3%
Carbohydrates 18g - 6%
Fiber 7g - 28%
Protein 3g - 6%
Birthdays and Anniversaries!
Birthdays:
August 5 ........ Luke Chapman
August 7 ........ Levi Weers
August 9 ........ Jennifer Gragg
August 11 ...... Joy Slabaugh
August 13 ...... Bob Kaiser
August 19 ...... Dave Hodges
August 22 ...... Elijah Weers
Anniversaries:
August 9 ....... Ryan & Jessica Humphries
August 21 ..... John & Rachel Ayres