Tag Archives: Faith Baptist Church

Christmas Village at Faith

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Christmas Village from balcony by Lee

Christmas Village from balcony by Lee

“And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: … (Luke 8:1 KJV)

Yesterday I stopped by our church, Faith Baptist Church, and took some photos of the Christmas Village that is set up each year at this time. Our choir gets a few weeks of rest as the Village takes over the choir loft. They were setting up microphones and other things for tonight. The Village will be the background for our Christmas Candlelight service, which is always very special.

Christmas Decorations at Faith 2014

Jared Malcolm made them, starting with the Church and then the House. Each year another building was added. Now we have quite a village! Jared is now a missionary in Brazil, but even this year he made sure something new was added. He added the “City of Faith” Water tower and a Flagpole while he was home for a few weeks this year.

City of Faith Water Tower and Flag Pole

City of Faith Water Tower and Flag Pole

It has always been viewed by me from my pew, but while taking the photos, I saw a lot of details that I had no idea were there.

Christmas Decorations at Faith 2014 c (8)

The manger scene of Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus was made by Margaret Lofton this year for our Christmas float. It is now in the foyer.

Christmas Decorations at Faith 2014

So, trust you enjoy the slideshow of the village, church decorations, and the manger scene.

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P.S. – Thanks to the therapy I have been taking, I actually climbed the stairs to the balcony to take some of the photos. Praise the Lord! That is a great Christmas present.

Lord Bless you as you enjoy this Christmas Eve. May we remember why Jesus came to earth.

Gospel Message

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Sunday Inspiration – “One Day Too Late”

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Our Men’s Quartet added an extra voice last Sunday night and sung a very powerful song.

Before I say more about that, an interesting application can be made. The voices of a quartet, any singing group or a choir are made up of a variety of voices. Some sing base, tenor, alto, baritone, soprano, but those like me, “off-key”, don’t join them. But notice how they blend to make such beautiful music.

Likewise our birds the Creator gave us come in much variety, each with different looks, heights, purposes, habitat they dwell in, and voices. Yet, when you walk through a park, woods, or other place you go birdwatching, they seem to blend together to make music. Most times it is very pleasing, but there are times, some of those “off-key” birds sound off.

We all come in a variety of talents, voices, gifts, personalities, yet when we use them for the Lord’s service, they come together to make great “music” That all is true as long as we know the Lord as our Savior. Please listen to the words of the song, and I pray that you will not be “One Day Too Late.”

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“Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” (John 3:7 KJV)

“One Day Too Late.” – Men’s Quartet + 1 – Faith Baptist Church

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” (John 3:16-21 KJV)

And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; (Revelation 5:9 KJV)

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Sunday Inspirations

Gospel Presentation

ABCs of the Gospel

Good News

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Sunday Inspiration – I’ll Be A Friend

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Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) by Margaret Sloan

Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) by Margaret Sloan

But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me. (Psalms 13:5-6 KJV)

The birds trust the Lord because they know He provides for them. We can have Jesus as a Friend that is even closer and provides our needs, especially Salvation.

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“I’ll Be A Friend To Jesus” – Faith Baptist Quartet 2011

  1. They tried my Lord and Master,
    With no one to defend;
    Within the halls of Pilate
    He stood without a friend.

    • Refrain:
      I’ll be a friend to Jesus,
      My life for Him I’ll spend;
      I’ll be a friend to Jesus,
      Until my years shall end.
  2. The world may turn against Him,
    I’ll love Him to the end,
    And while on earth I’m living,
    My Lord shall have a friend.
  3. I’ll do what He may bid me;
    I’ll go where He may send;
    I’ll try each flying moment
    To prove that I’m His friend.
  4. To all who need a Savior,
    My Friend I’ll recommend;
    Because He brought salvation,
    Is why I am His friend.

May you enjoy your day, rejoicing in the Lord’s Great Salvation, and His beautiful birds He has created for His pleasure and our enjoyment.

If you haven’t received his salvation, remember:

John 3:14-19 KJV
(14) And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
(15) That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
(16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
(17) For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
(18) He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
(19) And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

Gospel Message

More Sunday Inspirations

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Sunday Inspiration – Sparrows II

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Savannah Sparrow singing by Ray

Savannah Sparrow singing by Raymond Barlow

Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise! Selah. (Psalms 84:3-4 ESV)

I know we used the Sparrows before with an orchestra playing “His Eye Is On The Sparrow, but this special by Kathy Lisby from Faith, is so good, I just have to share it.

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“His Eye Is On The Sparrow ” – by Kathy Lisby

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The Creator and His Love

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Long-tailed Broadbill (Psarisomus dalhousiae) babies ©WikiC coracii

Long-tailed Broadbill (Psarisomus dalhousiae) babies ©WikiC coracii

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:16-18 KJV)

This blogs’s byline is “Birdwatching From A Christian Perspective.” I thoroughly enjoy watching the birds that our Creator has uniquely created. But above all, as a Christian, the sacrificial offering of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Perfect Lamb, known as the Crucifixion, is key to my belief. Without it, I would be still lost in my sins. Also, the fact that the Lord resurrected Himself, is key to my eternal life. This was all remembered this last weekend.

On Easter Sunday, we had a fantastic service. I would like to share it with you. It is divided into five parts. The first one is shown here and there are links to the other four parts. Our choir, orchestra, solo and message, “Who Is Jesus?”, by our Pastor were very honoring to the Lord.

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Sunday Inspirations

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Little Yeshua & This Is God – Faith Baptist 2013

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“Little Yeshua” and “This is God” were part of the Everlasting Light Cantata – A Christmas Carol For A Dark World. The solo was by Caleb and the duet was sung by Jessie and Christina. The messages of these songs  are tremendous. When you consider that the Lord Jesus Christ, the Creator, put on flesh, so that He could redeem us is an awesome thought.

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He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John 1:10-14 KJV)

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In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. (John 1:1-5 KJV)

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Here are two more videos from yesterday. If there is interest, more will be added later.

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Everlasting Light Cantata – Christmas Shines

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Here is another song from the Everlasting Light Cantata we had yesterday. This one has the children singing. “Christmas Shines” by Faith Baptist Church, Winter Haven, FL

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Everlasting Light Cantata – Season of Light

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Here is a song from the Everlasting Light Cantata we had yesterday. I’ll be putting more up as I get them converted.

“Season of Light”  by Faith Baptist Church, Winter Haven, FL

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Great Day at Faith Baptist – 12/15/13

Faith Baptist Church, Winter Haven, FL

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Great Day at Faith Baptist – 12/15/13

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Pastor Jerry

Pastor Jerry

What a fantastic day! We had our Christmas Cantata this morning and then after a great boxed lunch, we had a praise time.

Our Music Director, Assistant Pastor, Visitation Pastor, etc. was honored. Pastor Jerry Smith has been here for almost 30 years and this was the last Cantata under his direction. He is “retiring” from that part of his ministry. He is not retiring entirely, just backing off some of his duties. He is in his 70’s now.

Pastor Jerry and Shirley

Pastor Jerry and Shirley

There were many testimonies given about him and his faithfulness to the Lord and to us at the church. He has visited so many of us when we have been in the hospital. Seven years ago I had back surgery and a nerve was nicked to my legs. I lost all feeling in my legs and feet. Each day I gained more feeling in my toes. Pastor Jerry came for a visit and when I told him that I had feeling in another toe, he broke into a song. “One toe at a time, dear Jesus.” That is just typical of him. He is a great soul winner, encourager, and has a great sense of humor. We all love him.

Here are some verses that Pastor Jerry is able to claim.

According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust. And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; (1 Timothy 1:11-12 KJV)

Our Cantata was absolutely super and honoring to Our Savior. It was “Everlasting Light” A Christmas Carol For A Dark World. Maybe in a few days, I can post some excerpts from it.

©©Bing

I have been busy getting a series of photos ready for some posts starting on December 17th. There will one a day. I have been updating a series from back in 2010. Stay tuned.

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Sharing the Gospel and Pointing Someone to Christ in the Scripture (Pastor Smith)

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Thoughts and Prayer for those in Newtown, CT

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And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7 KJV)

Yesterday during our morning service at Faith Baptist Church in Winter Haven, FL, our pastor had some thoughts and prayer for those in Newtown, CT. They are not the only ones affected by what happened there this last week at the Sandy Fork Elementary School. I feel all of us here and around the world  find what happened hard to “get our minds around it.” We were all moved by what was said and prayed.

Here is that part of our service. I just wanted to share it and also let those who are affected by this know that you are in our prayers. We love you and feel your pain and sorrow. Lord Bless you with a peace that only He can give.

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(There is about a 2 minute spot where there is an echo, but it clears back up.)

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Birds at the Ladies Retreat

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Singing - Broken and Spilled Out

Retreat Choir

We had our Ladies Retreat this last week-end. I got involved in it and became one of the coordinators. Jill, our pastor’s wife, was the other one. We have spent hours preparing for it over the last month or so. For me, I have had to depend on my other writers and an occasional article from me to keep this blog up. Now maybe we will get articles out a little more frequent.

Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, (Romans 12:6a KJV)

Our theme was “God Gives Good Gifts.” The retreat was Friday afternoon through late afternoon on Saturday and almost 80 ladies attended. The Lord blessed us with great weather (we had 6 inches the week-end before), lots of sweet fellowship, laughs, singing, testimonies, exercises, and challenges from His Word during three General Sessions.

There were workshops to choose from breadmaking, couponing, birdwatching (me), parenting, scrapbooking, card making, singing, Bible study with e-Sword (me), prayer journaling, organizing, how to handle trials, and make-up inside and out, all with a Christian emphasis. We have many gifted ladies in our church.

Ladies Retreat - Singing

Ladies Retreat - Singing

So how did birds show up at the Retreat? On Friday afternoon while not feeling well, I was told to go put my feet up for awhile and rest. I did, but my view from my lounge chair looked straight out at the lake. A Great Egret was fishing along the bank. Then, I taught a workshop on Saturday about Birdwatching. I shared birding tips and how and why to make lists. Binoculars were brought and we learned about them and how to properly adjust them to their eyes.

During my devotional on “Discover Your Gifts,” I had plenty of bird photos in my Powerpoint. They were all different and pointed out that as they are different, all of us are different, but the Lord uses those differences for His glory. They were challenged to find or discover their talents, gifts, and abilities. The other two devotionals by Jill and Lisa, our other speakers, challenged the ladies to “Develop”  and then to “Demonstrate” those gifts.

Ladies Retreat - Skit

Helen's - Too Many Hats

We had many others that talked about prayer, trials, gave testimonies, opportunities to serve, and even the skits left you with a challenge. The singing was sweet and the specials were fantastic. Kathy sang one of my favorites, “His Eye Is On The Sparrow,” just before my devotional.

It was a very good retreat, and even though I came home physically drained, my heart and spirit were totally filled up and over-flowing with blessings. God DOES Give GOOD Gifts.

Of course, the greatest gift of all:

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23 KJV)

More articles about the Retreat:

Article in the Fountain – Our Church Blog

Related Posts in the Fountain:

God Gives Good Gifts: A Ladies’ Retreat
Ladies’ Retreat – Workout Time & Break-Making Workshop
Ladies’ Retreat – Scrapbooking & Encouragement Through Card-Making
Ladies’ Retreat – Parenting & Prayer Journaling
Ladies’ Retreat – Couponing & Organization Workshops
Ladies’ Retreat – Joy in Trials & Singing Workshop
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Article in the Fountain – Our Church Blog

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Lee at South Lake Howard watching Wood Storks

Lee at South Lake Howard watching Wood Storks

But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. (Isaiah 64:8 KJV)

Birdwatching is not the only thing taking up my time these days. If you read the following article about our upcoming Ladies Retreat, you will discover another of my “adventures.” Just when you think you have discovered all your gifts and talents, the Lord gives you a new challenge and then He helps you accomplish that new task.

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. (Philippians 4:13 KJV)

The Fountain’s article – God Gives Good Gifts – A Ladies Retreat was written by Jonita Barram, also a contributor to the blog.

The Fountain is our church blog, Faith Baptist Church in Winter Haven. That is where this whole adventure of doing The Birds of the Bible blogs got started. And then this site.

The Lord is gracious and is helping us get the retreat ready. I knew our church was loaded with ladies with various gifts and talents. Much more than mine. Many have stepped up and are presenting workshops and talks, plus doing the many behind the scene projects. I praise the Lord for everyone who is helping and for all the ladies who will be attending.

God does give good gifts through abilities and a desire to use those. To me also, one of the Lord’s Gift is His Creation of all these birds we get to watch and observe.

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him. (Psalms 28:7 KJV)