EMMETT FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH
July 2022
Discover Christ's Transforming Love
126 S. Hayes Ave. Emmett, Idaho 83617
Lance Zagaris, Pastor
Pam Hodges, Worship Director
A Word From the Pastor
1 After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to wage war against Jehoshaphat. 2 Some people came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army is coming against you from Edom from the other side of the Dead Sea. It is already in Hazezon Tamar” (that is, En Gedi). 3 Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. 4 The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him. 5 Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the Lord in the front of the new courtyard 6 and said: “Lord, the God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. 7 Our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? 8 They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying, 9 ‘If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.’
10 “But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt; so they turned away from them and did not destroy them. 11 See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance. 12 Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
Dearly Beloved,
When King Jehoshaphat learned that a vast army from three countries were coming to attack Jerusalem, he was alarmed, but not paralyzed. After considering his options, he resolved to inquire of the LORD and called upon the nation to fast. The people obeyed and came to Jerusalem to seek help from the LORD together.
Jehoshaphat stood before the nation at the temple of the LORD and publicly led them in prayer (5-12). He addresses the LORD as the God of our fathers and the God Who is in heaven, Who rules over all nations with power and might. No one can withstand You, LORD (6)!
Jehoshaphat reminds the LORD of His past work: God drove out the previous inhabitants of the land and gave the land forever to the descendants of His friend Abraham. The people have lived in the land and built a sanctuary for the LORD’s name, promising to stand in the LORD’s presence before the temple and cry out to Him in prayer, asking for his help when trials and hardship come upon them (7-10).
Jehoshaphat reminds the LORD in prayer that the armies from these three opposing nations were from territory that the LORD forbade them to invade when they left Egypt. Israel obeyed the LORD’s orders at that time. But now these same countries have forgotten, and they seek to drive us out of the inheritance the LORD has given us (11)!
- the One Who told them not to invade the land of their three nations!
- the One Who can judge them for their defiance!
- the One Who can save us, because we are crying out to You, to save us in our great distress!!
And the LORD answered their prayers of faith by setting ambushes against the invading armies (22-23). They turned on each other and destroyed each other. As the LORD told them “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s” (20:15).
This is a wonderful prayer to refer to as we face opposition and conflicts and feel alarmed and overwhelmed by the circumstances. As we pray, we fix our eyes on the LORD and how He can help us address the troubling circumstances we face. Our victory comes from trusting in Him and in His promises, trusting in His awesome power and amazing wisdom!! We don’t have what it takes to withstand the vast army attacking us, but we know the One whose Power is so great that no other nation or person can withstand Him!
Shepherding you in His love,
Lance
The problem ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.
Thank You, Jesus
Thank You, Jesus, for walking by my side, as long as Though art near no evil can abide.
I know I shall rest at the close of the day if Thou will walk beside me all the way.
I have no fear, I have no dread, Jesus will supply my daily bread.
Lead me, Jesus, night and day, hold onto my hand so I cannot stray.
When I am week, my strength renew, so I can ever walk with You.
I was lost in sin, could not be free, thank You, Jesus, for finding me.
Lasting Marraiges Take Work
In addition, some individuals in our congregation have also celebrated wedding anniversaries of multiple years and were asked, "what are some secrets to a long and happy marriage?"
Vi and Wayne Rexford - 58 years! Wayne said, "Vi is the budget queen. I just let her handle the money! and it has paid off wonderfully and blessed for us."
Flane and Connie Walker - 50 years! Connie explained, "The funny thing is, Flane and I had recently listened to Paul Simon's song, "Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover," which was written while we were still newlyweds. The music is great (especially the drummer), but the lyrics offer bad advice for people who want to stay married. On Sunday morning, I decided to make a parody of the song with "Fifty Ways to Stay Together." I did not expect to share it in church, but felt a "poke" from the Lord when Dave asked. Here is my advice, based on the framework of the song's chorus:
Don't slip out the back, Jack
Or make a new plan, Stan
Don't try to be coy, Roy
Just get on your knees
Don't hop on the bus, Gus
You need to discuss much
Just drop on your knees, Lee
And get yourself clean.
The parody originally was all in fun. Flane is usually the one to change lyrics in a song, and I got one up on him! But if my advice helped someone, I thank the Lord for that.
My standard advice for marriage was one I gave to a pair of newlyweds who sat across from us at a Hawaiian luau on our 40th anniversary. Couples who are as different as Flane and I can still make a marriage last if they have these three core beliefs in common: what they believe about God, what they believe about marriage, and what they believe about raising children."
Kenny & Megan Keene - 28 years (35 years been together)! Kenny said, "It's a long road - lots of ups and downs and bumpy ride but you got to stick together."
Cyndi Butticci - "God Equips Me"
Cyndi has been a member of FBC since 2005, although she has been attending faithfully since 2002/2003. Over the years, has helped with Sunday School, Youth Group, served on the Christian Education Board and the Social Committee. While Cyndi may come across as quiet, she is very friendly and outgoing. She does not hesitate to help where needed and when she takes the lead on something you can be confident it will get done.
Cyndi was raised under the sound of the Word and accepted Christ at a young age. She explained that a pivotal moment was when she watched the Easter story on TV when she was about 7 or 8. She said the realization hit home that Jesus went through that for her and she bawled. The church she belonged to didn’t do baptisms, so Cyndi was baptized in the river as an adult (around 29 years of age).
In 1987 Cyndi and Bill moved to Boston, after living in California and Texas with the military. They couldn’t find a church home for quite some time. Finally, they found a Bible Church to attend. They had the Pastor over for dinner and found that they weren’t on the same page in their beliefs.
Then, through some friends of her daughter, Bailey, they found First Baptist in Clinton, M.A. which they attended until they returned to Idaho in 1995. Working for the girl’s home in Emmett, Cyndi took the girls to different churches. She loved the people at the First Baptist Church (FBC). One girl on the list always wanted to come to FBC. There were people at FBC that Cyndi loved, knew and liked. She felt that her favorite group of people attended FBC. Cyndi also always loved Lance; he was good with her kids. Her daughter, Karissa, had a question about her boyfriend’s church and Lance talked with her and proved out what she had questioned. Lance was like an uncle to her girls. Cyndi talked with Bill, and he was very supportive and agreed they should join FBC.
Favorite things about FBC for Cyndi are the years when the youth Group was going to Cathedral Pines and riding the bus and picking kids up along the way from the various churches. Riding on the bus with the kids and spending time with them was fun even with the challenges of ear buds, etc. Cyndi talked about one boy who was like a lost cause. He made himself not welcome with his host family. He stayed with the Buticci’s often. By the time he went home, he was changed, but when he went home, nobody was there for him. He cried and said he realized his family was the Butticci’s. Cyndi and Bill are still in contact with him, and he loves the Lord. Cyndi also remembered an atheist that came to know the Lord at Cathedral Pines. She commented that she likes the way the Lord takes people who are very different and makes them a team.
Cyndi met Bill when they were kids. Bill lived next door to her grandpa’s farm. They began dating in high school. After Cyndi graduated high school, and Bill graduated from Tech school, they got married in 1982. [CO1] Cyndi is a Reflexologist. Even though her primary career has been raising her kids, she has always done reflexology on the side. Cyndi has always focused on her children, and her children’s friends. She has raised 5 girls and has been married 40 years. She says it is a fun family, all different, with different interest. She has tried to be involved with them and what they do, like girl scouts, riding horses and 4-H.
Cyndi loves spending time with people. She has done elderly care, professionally and as a kid. As mentioned above she worked at the girl’s home for 3 years overseeing 10 girls. She commented, “this is a big job being home so anything outside home had to be worth it.” She is now enjoying spending time with her grandkids and the 3 little neighbor boys while continuing her Reflexologist work.
Cyndi described a challenging time in her life where the Lord helped her get though it. Her baby[CO2] was born with a heart disorder and had to have surgery. While waiting for the surgery, about 5 ½ months, they had to keep the baby from getting sick. They had to gown up and wash before holding the baby. They missed things because of the time to care for their baby daughter. Cyndi missed one of her daughters’ first dance because she was at the hospital at the time. They didn’t know if she would live. She remembers driving and praying, thanking the Lord for holding them so close through this time[CO3] . They felt so supernaturally protected and the Lord took all the weight off her shoulders at a time when they should have been so “freaked out”. At one point after the surgery, the baby went into cardiac arrest. Cyndi and Bill knew everybody was praying for them. They could feel it because the stress wasn’t as much. Cyndi explained that she has a habit of doing it all and worrying about things, but the Lord helped her break her own bad habits during this time and made her feel so peaceful.
Cyndi’s husband, Bill, her husband, works a regular job at Micron in Boise, but also serves currently as County Commissioner. Prior to that he was the City Mayor. As a public figure, it is difficult to please everyone. But she is glad he serves in this capacity as he is honest and wants what’s best for our town. Since Bill works at Micron in addition to serving as a public official, he rarely has a day off. He is always on call even when at the regular job. Cyndi serves as Bill’s “unofficial” secretary. People feel free to ask her questions, so she tries to stay on top of the issues, so she knows how to answer. They pray all the time and believe the Lord wants him to do this. They don’t know how long, as it is outside his normal, because he is a quiet man. But they feel the Lord “made him do it …it just feels right to know what you are doing is what you are supposed to be doing.”
Cyndi’s message to others is to realize all your strength comes from the Creator. Wish she would have learned sooner. She said, “God equipped me for the things he wants me to do.”
“I can do all things through him who gives me strength.”
Philippians 4:13
Thank you, Cyndi, for your story, your time, all you do for FBC and the Community. It is good to see your love for the Lord and for FBC!
How Do I Hang On to Hope When I’m Still Hurting? LYSA TERKEURST
Lysa Terkeurst
“I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry.” Psalm 40:1 (ESV)
Are there deep disappointments in your life that seem to linger on and on? Do you feel like you’ve prayed the same prayers over and over, with little to no change?
I understand how hard that is. Over the last few years, I’ve walked through some of the most heartbreaking seasons. And although the circumstances of your life may be different, you probably have your own middle-of-the-night moments wrestling through tears, too.
There are memories that still hurt. Realities that make you wonder if you’ll ever feel normal again. Sufferings that seem forever long. And you’re disappointed that today you aren’t living in the promises of God you’ve begged Him to bring to pass.
In your most private moments, you want to scream at the unfairness of it all — words you don’t use around your Bible friends. But then there are more hopeful moments … when you want to turn up the praise music, lift up honest prayers and declare God is good even when the situation doesn’t seem good.
Hurting but still hoping — that is the human journey.
And that is where we find David in Psalm 40. In the first 10 verses, David praised God for delivering him, but then in verses 11 through 17, he was crying out for God to deliver him again. David was hurting but still hoping.
Hoping doesn’t mean we ignore reality. No, hoping means we acknowledge reality in the very same breath that we acknowledge God’s sovereignty — His absolute ability and power to work as He sees best.
Our hope can’t be tied to whether or not a circumstance or another person changes. Our hope must be tied to the unchanging promises of God. We hope for the good we know God will ultimately bring from our situation, whether the good turns out to match our desires or not. And sometimes that takes a while. The process often requires us to be persevering and patient.
Honestly, I know that can feel a little overwhelming. I want the promised blessing of Psalm 40:4 (ESV): “Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust …” But I forget that this kind of trusting in God is often forged in the crucible of longsuffering.
God isn’t picking on me. God is picking me to personally live out one of His promises. It’s a high honor. But it doesn’t always feel that way. I’ve got to walk through the low places of the process before I’m perfectly equipped to live the promise.
We read about some of the low places of the process in Psalm 40:1-3a (ESV):
“I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.” (emphases added)
The idea of waiting patiently is incredibly important in this psalm. The Hebrew word for “waited” in verse 1 indicates the wait is ongoing, and it holds a sense of eager expectancy and hope.
So while I want the solid rock on which to stand, first I have to wait patiently for the Lord to lift me out of the slime and mud and “set my feet” (v. 2). That word “set” in the original Hebrew is qum, which means “to arise or take a stand.” God has to take me through the process of getting unstuck from what’s been holding me captive before I can take a stand.
I also want that “new song” promised in the psalm (v. 3). Did you notice, though, what comes before the promise of a new song? It's the many cries to the Lord for help. The most powerful praise songs are often guttural cries of pain that have turned into beautiful melodies.
I know this is hard. So let me be the one to lean in and whisper these words to you as we begin to wrestle through this journey together:
God is working things out. He’s not far away. He is right here with us. Even if our prayers aren’t answered in the way and the timing we want. Even when this process feels messy. We will trust God is good.
Lord God, I know You often work in ways I don’t understand. There are parts of my story that feel incredibly hard to live in, but I trust You are making something beautiful even out of those parts of my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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FOR DEEPER STUDY
Psalm 40:3b, “Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD.” (ESV)
Psalm 40:3 tells us how powerful the life and testimony of a faithful believer is. Whose testimony has deeply impacted your faith walk? How can you let God’s faithfulness in the midst of your own difficult circumstances point others to Him?
Share with us in the comments!
© 2022 by Lysa TerKeurst. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 31 Ministries
P.O. Box 3189
Matthews, NC 28106
www.Proverbs31.org
Summer Camp
CATHEDRAL PINES CAMP
https://www.cathedralpines.org/events
July 24-29.......... Teen Camp, Gr. 6-12: $265
July 31 - Aug 4... Kid’s Camp, Gr. 3-6: $210
Shilo Bible Camp
https://www.shilohbibleconference.com/
July 25 - 29 ............ Explorers Camp #2 - Ages 10 and 12 years: $115
Cherry Cobbler II
Recipe by Allrecipes Member
Original recipe yields 12 servings
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk
1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling
Directions
- Step 1 - Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Place butter or margarine in a 9x13 inch baking dish and set on oven rack to melt.
- Step 2 - In a medium bowl, mix together flour, sugar, and baking powder. Stir in milk.
- Step 3 - Remove baking dish from oven as soon as butter or margarine is melted. Pour flour mixture into dish, but DO NOT STIR. Pour fruit evenly into pan, and DO NOT STIR.
- Step 4 - Raise oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake cobbler for 50 to 60 minutes, until golden brown.
Nutrition Facts Per Serving:
238 calories; protein 2g; carbohydrates 39.6g; fat 8.2g; cholesterol 22mg; sodium 112.6mg. Full Nutrition
Chuckles
The office said "I don't care who you know. I'm giving you a ticket anyway."