<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996563379752542202</id><updated>2011-07-07T20:53:21.178-05:00</updated><title type='text'>First Baptist Church of Bixby</title><subtitle type='html'></subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default?max-results=100'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><author><name>First Baptist Church</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02443440915146101117</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='33' height='17' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_URA9MdXiWE0/SKm3GvhEdUI/AAAAAAAAFtQ/fLH2RVJ0_WM/S220/Heart+of+Downtown.JPG'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>20</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>100</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996563379752542202.post-5049993738799822413</id><published>2009-08-12T06:41:00.002-05:00</published><updated>2009-08-12T06:44:57.832-05:00</updated><title type='text'>MTI Classes Starting August 31</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs018/1101702987256/archive/1102666554027.html"&gt;'Click the Share button to create links to this email on popular social networking and bookmarking size like Facebook, Twitter, and Digg.'&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Shared via &lt;a href="http://addthis.com/"&gt;AddThis&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1996563379752542202-5049993738799822413?l=firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/feeds/5049993738799822413/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1996563379752542202&amp;postID=5049993738799822413' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/5049993738799822413'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/5049993738799822413'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/2009/08/share-button-to-create-links-to-this.html' title='MTI Classes Starting August 31'/><author><name>First Baptist Church</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02443440915146101117</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='33' height='17' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_URA9MdXiWE0/SKm3GvhEdUI/AAAAAAAAFtQ/fLH2RVJ0_WM/S220/Heart+of+Downtown.JPG'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996563379752542202.post-6215505215094191321</id><published>2009-07-15T17:02:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2009-07-15T17:02:50.735-05:00</updated><title type='text'>WHEN COMMON SENSE ISN’T ENOUGH</title><content type='html'>James 1:2-18&lt;br /&gt;LOOKING AT THE TEXT&lt;br /&gt;INTRODUCTION: James views life as it&lt;br /&gt;really is. And in real life, every person will go&lt;br /&gt;through some difficult times – even those&lt;br /&gt;who follow Jesus Christ.&lt;br /&gt;I. UNDERSTANDING LIFE, James 1:2-12&lt;br /&gt;1. James says we are to “rejoice” when&lt;br /&gt;trials come, 1:2&lt;br /&gt;2. Why should we rejoice in the midst of&lt;br /&gt;our trials? 1:3-4&lt;br /&gt;1) Because they make us stronger&lt;br /&gt;2) Because they make us “mature&lt;br /&gt;and complete, not lacking&lt;br /&gt;anything”&lt;br /&gt;3. So how can we stare into the face of&lt;br /&gt;our trials and rejoice? We must ask&lt;br /&gt;God and he will give us the wisdom to&lt;br /&gt;do it. Why do we need wisdom?&lt;br /&gt;1) We need wisdom, first of all, to&lt;br /&gt;properly understand the trial.&lt;br /&gt;2) We need wisdom to properly&lt;br /&gt;respond to the trial.&lt;br /&gt;3) How a person prays will determine&lt;br /&gt;God’s response.&lt;br /&gt;4. Both poverty and prosperity can&lt;br /&gt;present us with trials.&lt;br /&gt;5. The problems of poverty are quite&lt;br /&gt;evident.&lt;br /&gt;6. An abundance of money does not&lt;br /&gt;remove our troubles. In many cases,&lt;br /&gt;it increases them.&lt;br /&gt;7. This understanding will lead us to&lt;br /&gt;endure our trials.&lt;br /&gt;1) The person who endures is&lt;br /&gt;“blessed.”&lt;br /&gt;2) In addition, the person who&lt;br /&gt;endures “will receive the crown of&lt;br /&gt;life that God has promised to&lt;br /&gt;those who love him.”&lt;br /&gt;II. UNDERSTANDING GOD, James 1:13-&lt;br /&gt;18&lt;br /&gt;1. James begins by telling us what God&lt;br /&gt;does not do. God does not lead us&lt;br /&gt;into temptation.&lt;br /&gt;2. Where then does temptation come&lt;br /&gt;from? It comes from our inner&lt;br /&gt;desires.&lt;br /&gt;3. What does sin do in our lives? James&lt;br /&gt;describes the development of an&lt;br /&gt;embryo from the point of conception&lt;br /&gt;to the point of birth. Sin leads to&lt;br /&gt;conception and conception to birth,&lt;br /&gt;but in this case, what comes forth is&lt;br /&gt;still born.&lt;br /&gt;4. James returns to the main theme: our&lt;br /&gt;understanding of God.&lt;br /&gt;1) He is beneficent.&lt;br /&gt;2) He is majestic.&lt;br /&gt;3) He is consistent.&lt;br /&gt;4) He gives us the gift of eternal life.&lt;br /&gt;LIVING OUT THE TEXT&lt;br /&gt;v This lesson teaches us about SIN.&lt;br /&gt;v This lesson teaches us about GOD.&lt;br /&gt;v This lesson teaches us about LIFE&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1996563379752542202-6215505215094191321?l=firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/feeds/6215505215094191321/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1996563379752542202&amp;postID=6215505215094191321' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/6215505215094191321'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/6215505215094191321'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/2009/07/when-common-sense-isnt-enough.html' title='WHEN COMMON SENSE ISN’T ENOUGH'/><author><name>First Baptist Church</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02443440915146101117</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='33' height='17' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_URA9MdXiWE0/SKm3GvhEdUI/AAAAAAAAFtQ/fLH2RVJ0_WM/S220/Heart+of+Downtown.JPG'/></author><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996563379752542202.post-8462328608716040432</id><published>2009-07-15T16:58:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2009-07-15T16:58:55.210-05:00</updated><title type='text'>EXPLORE THE BIBLE LESSON</title><content type='html'>Brian L. Harbour July 19, 2009&lt;br /&gt;HOW GENUINE ARE YOU?&lt;br /&gt;James 1:19-27&lt;br /&gt;LOOKING AT THE TEXT&lt;br /&gt;INTRODUCTION: How do people recognize&lt;br /&gt;a person as a Christian? James says we&lt;br /&gt;demonstrate our faith by our actions. And&lt;br /&gt;then he identifies some of these actions.&lt;br /&gt;I. BY CONTROLLING OUR ANGER,&lt;br /&gt;James 1:19-20&lt;br /&gt;1. The anger James refers to in our text&lt;br /&gt;is not anger aroused when&lt;br /&gt;righteousness is being opposed but&lt;br /&gt;anger that emanates from personal&lt;br /&gt;hurt and that seeks personal revenge.&lt;br /&gt;2. This kind of anger, James tells us in&lt;br /&gt;verse 20: “does not bring about the&lt;br /&gt;righteous life that God desires.”&lt;br /&gt;3. So how can we deal with the real and&lt;br /&gt;constant temptation that our anger&lt;br /&gt;presents? James answers with three&lt;br /&gt;phrases:&lt;br /&gt;1) “Everyone should be quick to&lt;br /&gt;listen.”&lt;br /&gt;2) “Everyone should be . . . slow to&lt;br /&gt;speak.”&lt;br /&gt;3) “Everyone should be . . . slow to&lt;br /&gt;become angry.”&lt;br /&gt;II. BY AVOIDING IMMORALITY, James&lt;br /&gt;1:21&lt;br /&gt;1. James says we demonstrate our faith&lt;br /&gt;when we avoid immorality.&lt;br /&gt;2. The key moral issue of the Christian&lt;br /&gt;life is not condemning evil in others –&lt;br /&gt;particularly in non-Christians – but&lt;br /&gt;demonstrating morality in our own&lt;br /&gt;lives.&lt;br /&gt;3. How can we do that? We can remove&lt;br /&gt;filthiness from our lives when we&lt;br /&gt;“humbly accept the word planted in&lt;br /&gt;you.”&lt;br /&gt;4. However, it is not enough just to&lt;br /&gt;accept the implanted word. We must&lt;br /&gt;also be willing to act on that word.&lt;br /&gt;III. BY CONTROLLING OUR TONGUE,&lt;br /&gt;James 1:26&lt;br /&gt;1. James pictures the tongue as an&lt;br /&gt;unruly, powerful horse that needs to&lt;br /&gt;be controlled with bit and bridle.&lt;br /&gt;2. James says the tongue is a&lt;br /&gt;barometer that reveals our Christian&lt;br /&gt;maturity.&lt;br /&gt;IV. BY MINISTERING TO THOSE IN NEED,&lt;br /&gt;James 1:27&lt;br /&gt;1. “Orphans and widows” represents all&lt;br /&gt;of the helpless people who are&lt;br /&gt;around us.&lt;br /&gt;2. When we minister to them, then we&lt;br /&gt;are expressing our faith in a practical&lt;br /&gt;way.&lt;br /&gt;LIVING OUT THE TEXT&lt;br /&gt;v Our faith should SHAPE OUR ACTIONS.&lt;br /&gt;v Our faith should GOVERN OUR&lt;br /&gt;RELATIONSHIPS.&lt;br /&gt;v Our faith should DIRECT OUR&lt;br /&gt;DECISIONS.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1996563379752542202-8462328608716040432?l=firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/feeds/8462328608716040432/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1996563379752542202&amp;postID=8462328608716040432' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/8462328608716040432'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/8462328608716040432'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/2009/07/explore-bible-lesson.html' title='EXPLORE THE BIBLE LESSON'/><author><name>First Baptist Church</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02443440915146101117</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='33' height='17' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_URA9MdXiWE0/SKm3GvhEdUI/AAAAAAAAFtQ/fLH2RVJ0_WM/S220/Heart+of+Downtown.JPG'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996563379752542202.post-5563714106619403511</id><published>2009-06-09T14:53:00.002-05:00</published><updated>2009-06-09T14:57:04.606-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Ministry expansion doesn't automatically lead to attendance growth</title><content type='html'>LifeWay Research finds ministry expansion doesn't automatically lead to attendance growth&lt;br /&gt;Written by Mark Kelly&lt;br /&gt;NASHVILLE, Tenn., – Two-thirds of all Protestant churches have expanded their ministry space or outlets in the past five years. Two of these types of expansion correspond to higher levels of growth in church attendance: adding a worship service and building new space on site. Five other types tested showed no significant relationship with growth.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Yet pastors estimate that only 1-in-3 newcomers to their churches are actually newcomers to church in general, according to a research study conducted by &lt;a href="mhtml:%7BEC950A47-342F-4AA9-B724-CA0BF03058EA%7Dmid://00000010/!x-usc:http://www.lifewayresearch.com/"&gt;LifeWay Research&lt;/a&gt; for the &lt;a href="mhtml:%7BEC950A47-342F-4AA9-B724-CA0BF03058EA%7Dmid://00000010/!x-usc:http://www.theckn.com/"&gt;Cornerstone Knowledge Network&lt;/a&gt; (CKN). CKN was founded by Cogun Inc. and the Aspen Group as a network of firms focused on developing building and leadership solutions for churches.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The study, "Effects of Ministry Space and Outlet Expansion," was conducted Feb. 16-23, 2009, through a telephone survey of 1,000 pastors of randomly selected Protestant churches.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"We wanted to explore the various ways churches are expanding their ministry space as well as measure growth rate and type, costs, and staffing," said Jim Couchenour, director of marketing and ministry services at Cogun Inc. "We can now clarify the expansion options and how they might fit into a particular church’s DNA and vision for more effective ministry."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Seven types of expansion were included in the survey:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;– Building new or additional ministry space at the same site where your church is located.&lt;br /&gt;– Building a new facility at a new site.&lt;br /&gt;– Adding an additional worship service or venue on site.&lt;br /&gt;– Adding an additional worship service or venue off site.&lt;br /&gt;– Beginning to offer streaming video of worship services or teaching on the Internet.&lt;br /&gt;– Directly participating in helping start a new church or churches.&lt;br /&gt;– Merging with another church.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Of these seven types of ministry expansion, adding an additional worship service or venue on site is most closely related to higher growth in attendance, followed by building new or additional ministry space at the same site where the church is located. Churches that expanded in those two ways experienced significantly higher levels of growth in average worship attendance over a five-year period.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Protestant pastors were asked whether each of these types of expansion leads to growth. More than two-thirds of pastors agree (strongly or somewhat) that five of the types of expansion lead to growth. Only 42 percent agree merging with another church leads to growth beyond the attendance of the two merged churches, and 39 percent agree that offering online streaming video leads to additional in-person attendees.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;One-in-4 pastors strongly agree that building additional space leads to growth, and 15 percent strongly agree that relocating to a new or different facility leads to growth.&lt;br /&gt;Pastors in churches that have implemented a particular type of expansion are more likely to strongly agree that it leads to growth.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;No expansion, less growth&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Overall, 44 percent of Protestant pastors estimate that their worship attendance has grown by at least 10 percent during the previous five years, 23 percent estimate their attendance has declined at least 10 percent, and 33 percent report stable attendance.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Among churches that have not engaged in ministry expansion during the last five years, a far smaller percentage (34 percent) has experienced attendance growth. Thirty-seven percent report stable average worship attendance and 29 percent are declining.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Many churches who do not take steps to expand are struggling," said Scott McConnell, associate director of LifeWay Research. "Pastors of churches who take the same message to more people through new methods and new media are expressing the positive impact of these steps of faith."&lt;br /&gt;On average, Protestant pastors estimate 49 percent of their new attendees during the last five years have transferred from other congregations, while 32 percent were unchurched and 19 percent were children born to adults attending the church.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Among churches that have expanded their ministry the percent of new attendees who were previously unchurched does not vary significantly by type of expansion. The percentage of unchurched ranges from a low of 31 percent among churches that built a new facility at a new site to a high of 36 percent among churches that began streaming video of worship services and those that merged with another church.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sixty-five percent of Protestant churches have expanded their ministries within the last five years in at least one of the seven ways surveyed. The specific types of expansion broke down as follows:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;– 28 percent added an additional worship service or venue on site.&lt;br /&gt;– 28 percent directly participated in helping start a new church or churches.&lt;br /&gt;– 27 percent built new or additional ministry space at the same site.&lt;br /&gt;– 14 percent began offering streaming video of worship services or teaching on the Internet.&lt;br /&gt;– 10 percent added an additional worship service or venue off site.&lt;br /&gt;– 4 percent built a new facility at a new site.&lt;br /&gt;– 3 percent merged with another church.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Other findings&lt;br /&gt;Among the study’s other findings:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Churches that have expanded their ministries in any of these ways hired an average of 0.6 full-time and 1.1 part-time employees related to this expansion.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The relative cost of each type of expansion varies widely with the most expensive option being building a new facility at a new site, followed by building additional ministry space on site. The least expensive expansion option is adding virtual space such as utilizing the Internet for worship services and/or teaching.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The sample size of 1,000 pastors provides 95 percent confidence that the sampling error does not exceed +3.1 percent.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1996563379752542202-5563714106619403511?l=firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/feeds/5563714106619403511/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1996563379752542202&amp;postID=5563714106619403511' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/5563714106619403511'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/5563714106619403511'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/2009/06/ministry-expansion-doesnt-automatically.html' title='Ministry expansion doesn&apos;t automatically lead to attendance growth'/><author><name>First Baptist Church</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02443440915146101117</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='33' height='17' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_URA9MdXiWE0/SKm3GvhEdUI/AAAAAAAAFtQ/fLH2RVJ0_WM/S220/Heart+of+Downtown.JPG'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996563379752542202.post-4130265248209008843</id><published>2009-05-06T17:15:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2009-05-06T17:16:09.446-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Make Every Day Count</title><content type='html'>Originally appearing in &lt;a href="mhtml:%7BEC950A47-342F-4AA9-B724-CA0BF03058EA%7Dmid://00000006/!x-usc:http://www.walkthru.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&amp;amp;id=5419"&gt;Tapestry Magazine&lt;/a&gt;, May 2007&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In Alice in Wonderland, when Alice comes to a fork in the road, she asks the Cheshire cat, “Would you tell me please, which way I ought to go from here?”“That depends a good deal on where you want to go to,” said the cat.“I don’t much care where,” replied Alice.“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.”Can you relate to Alice’s response, or does the thought of not having a plan cause you to break out in hives? We are all wired differently. Some of us are planners, and others, like Alice, prefer to fly by the seat of our pants. And then there are those of us who wait to be “inspired” before we make a decision. “Great composers do not sit down to work because they are inspired, but become inspired because they are working” (Ernest Newman). Mozart, Bach, and Beethoven didn’t waste time waiting for inspiration, and neither did the Proverbs 31 woman.“She evaluates a field and buys it; she plants a vineyard with her earnings” (Proverbs 31:16). She saw the potential, made a plan, and followed through—making good use of her resources. Regardless of our personality type, the Bible has a lot to say about making plans and not wasting time. Paul said, “I do not run like one who runs aimlessly” (1 Corinthians 9:26). He told Timothy to train himself in godliness “since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:8). In Psalm 90, David asked God to help him number his days; David wanted to make every day count, which ought to be the prayer of every believer.Take a moment to evaluate your days. I’m not suggesting that we all need to go buy a field and plant it! But are you making your days count and wisely using the resources God has given you? “Our God has boundless resources. The only limit is in us. Our asking, our thinking, our praying are all too small. Our expectations are often too limited”(A.B. Simpson).&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1996563379752542202-4130265248209008843?l=firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/feeds/4130265248209008843/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1996563379752542202&amp;postID=4130265248209008843' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/4130265248209008843'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/4130265248209008843'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/2009/05/make-every-day-count.html' title='Make Every Day Count'/><author><name>First Baptist Church</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02443440915146101117</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='33' height='17' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_URA9MdXiWE0/SKm3GvhEdUI/AAAAAAAAFtQ/fLH2RVJ0_WM/S220/Heart+of+Downtown.JPG'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996563379752542202.post-5092997803971184614</id><published>2009-05-06T17:14:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2009-05-06T17:15:02.281-05:00</updated><title type='text'>For Mothers</title><content type='html'>Originally appearing in &lt;a href="mhtml:%7BEC950A47-342F-4AA9-B724-CA0BF03058EA%7Dmid://00000004/!x-usc:http://www.walkthru.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&amp;amp;id=5419"&gt;Tapestry Magazine&lt;/a&gt;, July 2007&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My granddaughter just had her second birthday. Need I say more? She has been growing a large vocabulary for months, but suddenly her two favorite words are “no” and “mine.” In response, my two favorite words have become “yes” and “share.” In time, she will outgrow the blatant “mine” stage, but in preparing to write about generosity, I saw a distinct parallel. If I’m not giving generously of the time, talents, and money the Lord has entrusted to me, I’m silently saying, “mine, it’s all mine.”Generosity begins in the heart. Generous people are others-focused; they go the second mile in serving others. Generosity becomes a lifestyle, one in which giving is an outgrowth of our relationship with Jesus. In the portrait of the Proverbs 31 woman, we see her generous heart, a characteristic that overflows from her relationship with her Lord. “Her hands reach out to the poor, and she extends her hands to the needy” (Proverbs 31:20).“There is a route to genuine and enduring satisfaction, but it flies in the face of this greedy, self-obsessed culture. It’s called generosity, and it involves giving our four most valuable resources—our time, talents, treasure, and touch—and receiving unimaginable riches in return” (The Generosity Factor, by Ken Blanchard and Truett Cathy).We are most like Jesus when we give because giving is at the very heart of who Jesus is. He gave His life so that we who were dead in our sins might live. He gives forgiveness to the sinner. He gives strength to the weary. He gives comfort to the grieving. He gives unconditional love when our attitudes are unlovely. He gives grace that is greater than our need. He gives hope in the midst of hopelessness. He gives new mercies every morning. He gives wisdom when we seek His face. He gives peace that passes all understanding. He gives unspeakable joy when we rest in Him. Jesus is the ultimate Giver of all things.Take a few moments and evaluate your “generosity factor.” How well are you reflecting the giving nature of Jesus in your day-to-day life?&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1996563379752542202-5092997803971184614?l=firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/feeds/5092997803971184614/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1996563379752542202&amp;postID=5092997803971184614' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/5092997803971184614'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/5092997803971184614'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/2009/05/for-mothers.html' title='For Mothers'/><author><name>First Baptist Church</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02443440915146101117</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='33' height='17' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_URA9MdXiWE0/SKm3GvhEdUI/AAAAAAAAFtQ/fLH2RVJ0_WM/S220/Heart+of+Downtown.JPG'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996563379752542202.post-3138395902798483314</id><published>2009-02-17T05:18:00.000-06:00</published><updated>2009-02-17T05:20:48.614-06:00</updated><title type='text'>Conservative Groups Declare Obama's Stimulus Bill a War on Prayer</title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;A provision in the House-passed stimulus bill -- banning money to be used to renovate schools from being spent on facilities that allow "religious worship" -- has ignited fury among those who claim it discriminates on the basis of faith and violates the right to free speech.&lt;br /&gt;By Cristina Corbin&lt;br /&gt;FOXNews.com&lt;br /&gt;Wednesday, February 04, 2009&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Democrats in Congress have declared war on prayer, say conservative groups who object to a provision in the stimulus bill that was passed by the House of Representatives last week.&lt;br /&gt;The provision bans money designated for school renovation from being spent on facilities that allow "religious worship." It has ignited a fury among critics who say it violates the First Amendment and is an attempt to prevent religious practice in schools.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;According to the bill, which the Democratic-controlled House passed despite unanimous Republican opposition, funds are prohibited from being used for the "modernization, renovation, or repair" of facilities that allow "sectarian instruction, religious worship or a school or department of divinity."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Critics say that could include public schools that permit religious groups to meet on campus. The House provided $20 billion for the infrastructure improvements, of which $6 billion would go to higher education facilities where the limitations would be applied.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"What the government is doing is discriminating against religious viewpoints," said Mathew Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, a Washington-based nonprofit organization that works to advance religious freedom.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"President Obama's version of faith-based initiatives is to remove the faith from initiative," said Staver, who believes Obama has "a completely different view on faith" from what he said during his presidential campaign.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"He is not the infallible messiah that some thought he would be," Staver said.&lt;br /&gt;Civil liberty groups like the Americans United for Separation of Church and State vehemently defend the stimulus bill's provision, arguing that it in no way violates the Constitution.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"This provision upholds constitutional standards established by the U.S. Supreme Court and in no way affects student groups that meet on public school campuses," said the Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The American Civil Liberties Union also defends the constitutionality of the restriction, which they say has been the law since 1972.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"It's almost a restatement of what the Constitution requires so there's nothing novel in what the House did in its restriction," said Christopher Anders, senior legislative counsel to the ACLU. "For 37 years, the law of the land is that the government can't pay for buildings that are used for religious purposes."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Not so, says the Traditional Values Coalition, which issued a statement Wednesday charging that Obama is using his stimulus plan to restrict the exercise of religion in public facilities -- a provision it says violates the right to free speech.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"The economic crisis is being used as a pretext to curb religious liberty at institutions of higher learning," said Executive Director Andrea Lafferty.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"We are not asking that federal funding be used to construct a church, but if a campus ministry wants to hold a Bible study or Mass in the student activity building, we should be encouraging that -- not punishing a college for permitting it," she said.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;According to some constitutional law experts, any complaint filed against the provision will gain little ground in court.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Certainly the provision is treating the act of religious organizations differently from the activities of the school itself," Harvard University constitutional law professor Mark Tushnet told FOXNews.com.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"It's not frivolous to say there's a constitutional problem with excluding religious facilities from these grants, but I think the way of the law is in the other direction," he said.&lt;br /&gt;Tushnet cited a 2004 Supreme Court case in which a Washington student lost a college scholarship awarded by the state after it was revealed that he planned to pursue a degree in pastoral ministries. Though the student argued that rescinding the money discriminated on the basis of religion, the court ruled in the state's favor -- declaring that the taxpayer-funded scholarship's restriction is constitutional.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The White House said Wednesday that it plans to keep in place the basic structure of the faith-based initiative office established by former President George W. Bush.&lt;br /&gt;Administration officials said the office is a substantial programming and policy arm of the federal government, which allows federal agencies to connect with local neighborhood and faith-based groups to deliver social services.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1996563379752542202-3138395902798483314?l=firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/feeds/3138395902798483314/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1996563379752542202&amp;postID=3138395902798483314' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/3138395902798483314'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/3138395902798483314'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/2009/02/conservative-groups-declare-obamas.html' title='Conservative Groups Declare Obama&apos;s Stimulus Bill a War on Prayer'/><author><name>First Baptist Church</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02443440915146101117</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='33' height='17' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_URA9MdXiWE0/SKm3GvhEdUI/AAAAAAAAFtQ/fLH2RVJ0_WM/S220/Heart+of+Downtown.JPG'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996563379752542202.post-5236184951977766922</id><published>2009-01-22T04:23:00.003-06:00</published><updated>2009-01-22T04:29:39.383-06:00</updated><title type='text'>Heard this Song on the Radio, and it made me wonder if this is really the way Heaven will be like, what's your Comments?</title><content type='html'>&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;When I Get Where I'm Going Lyrics&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When I get where I'm going&lt;br /&gt;on the far side of the sky.&lt;br /&gt;The first thing that I'm gonna do&lt;br /&gt;Is spread my wings and fly.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I'm gonna land beside a lion,&lt;br /&gt;and run my fingers through his mane.&lt;br /&gt;Or I might find out what it's like&lt;br /&gt;To ride a drop of rain&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Yeah when I get where I'm going,&lt;br /&gt;there'll be only happy tears.&lt;br /&gt;I will shed the sins and struggles,&lt;br /&gt;I have carried all these years.&lt;br /&gt;And I'll leave my heart wide open,&lt;br /&gt;I will love and have no fear.&lt;br /&gt;Yeah when I get where I'm going,&lt;br /&gt;Don't cry for me down here.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I'm gonna walk with my grandaddy,&lt;br /&gt;and he'll match me step for step,&lt;br /&gt;and I'll tell him how I missed him,&lt;br /&gt;every minute since he left.&lt;br /&gt;Then I'll hug his neck.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So much pain and so much darkness,&lt;br /&gt;in this world we stumble through.&lt;br /&gt;All these questions, I can't answer,&lt;br /&gt;so much work to do.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But when I get where I'm going,&lt;br /&gt;and I see my Maker's face.&lt;br /&gt;I'll stand forever in the light,&lt;br /&gt;of His amazing grace.&lt;br /&gt;Yeah when I get where I'm going,&lt;br /&gt;Yeah when I get where I'm going,&lt;br /&gt;there'll be only happy tears.&lt;br /&gt;Hallelujah!&lt;br /&gt;I will love and have no fear.&lt;br /&gt;When I get where I'm going.&lt;br /&gt;Yeah when I get where I'm going.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1996563379752542202-5236184951977766922?l=firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/feeds/5236184951977766922/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1996563379752542202&amp;postID=5236184951977766922' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/5236184951977766922'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/5236184951977766922'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/2009/01/heard-this-song-on-radio-and-it-made-me.html' title='Heard this Song on the Radio, and it made me wonder if this is really the way Heaven will be like, what&apos;s your Comments?'/><author><name>First Baptist Church</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02443440915146101117</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='33' height='17' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_URA9MdXiWE0/SKm3GvhEdUI/AAAAAAAAFtQ/fLH2RVJ0_WM/S220/Heart+of+Downtown.JPG'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996563379752542202.post-8764106508781662162</id><published>2009-01-13T05:40:00.002-06:00</published><updated>2009-01-13T17:08:13.857-06:00</updated><title type='text'>Let's Pray for Our New President</title><content type='html'>Written by Richard Land&lt;br /&gt;NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Shortly after Election Day, I released an open letter to President-elect Barack Obama in which I told the new president that I would pray for him, his family and his administration, noting that I would pray that God would bless him with “safety, health and all spiritual blessings.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.lifeway.com/product/?isbn=0805427651"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.lifeway.com/product/?isbn=0805427651"&gt;Imagine! A God-Blessed America&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.lifeway.com/product/?isbn=0805427651"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What prompted my promise to pray for the president-elect? The Scriptures are clear: While as a Christian I am a citizen of both the earthly and spiritual realms, I am under the authority of the civil magistrate (Luke 20:25). I am compelled to be a good citizen of the state “for conscience sake” (Romans 13:1-7).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In the Apostle Paul’s first letter to Timothy, Paul wrote that the first priority in our fulfillment of our civic duties (“first of all,” 1 Timothy 2:1) is to pray. We are to remember everyone, including all those in authority over us, with “petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings.” Paul sought to underscore the fact that proper conduct within the body of Christ includes praying for and respecting those in power as a primary spiritual civic duty.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Those in the first-century church, including the original recipients of this letter, were no doubt chafing under the yoke of a thoroughly pagan (and antagonistic) state that harbored no thought of affording the masses religious freedom.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Remember, the New Testament churches existed in occupied lands, under the watchful eyes of Jewish religious leaders in some areas, and everywhere under the steady and hostile glare of the Roman government leaders and their local lackeys, who were decidedly negative about any worship that didn’t involve their gods.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Joining the Apostle Paul on missionary journeys, Timothy experienced the fact that those in authority were hostile, often violently so, to followers of Christ. Paul experienced firsthand the wrath of those who opposed his proclamation of the Gospel. And he understood that Christians abused and victimized by government authorities would not be predisposed to remember such officials in prayer.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Apostle Paul was well aware that during His earthly ministry Jesus had promoted respect for the state, for His Kingdom was not primarily of this world. Jesus did not confront the Roman state directly, but taught respect for the civil magistrate (Matthew 22:21). Paul also would have known, as a rabbi, that in the Old Testament, God likewise told the Jews who were in captivity to respect those who took them from their homes (Ezra 6:10; Jeremiah 29:7).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Matthew Henry, the great 18th-century British expositor, commented on 1 Timothy 2: “Our duty as Christians, is summed up in two words; godliness, that is, the right worshipping of God; and honesty, that is, good conduct toward all men.” Thus, Henry concluded, by such means those who do not know God will be more likely attracted to the Gospel.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This teaching of the Apostle Paul, as summarized so aptly by Matthew Henry, reminds us that while we are commanded to be “salt” and “light” in the world (Matthew 5:13-16), we also are to seek to live peaceably with all men. That includes respect for whatever civil authorities God has allowed to be in power.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It is likely that, as with every person who has occupied the White House in our lifetimes, we will disagree with at least some of President Obama’s positions on social and moral matters. If we contend with his decisions with bitterness and an unflattering spirit, we run the high risk of bringing dishonor on the name of Christ.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We should urge those within the Obama administration to apply biblical principles and values in their decision-making. However, it could well be that how we convey our concerns will have as much, if not more, impact on our ultimate success than the nature of the concerns themselves. We must be mindful of our Gospel witness. We can, and must, disagree without being disrespectful.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You may not have voted for our new president, yet I imagine that as a follower of Christ you are thoroughly convinced of God’s Divine Providence. God is not surprised at who is serving in the White House, in Congress or in any other office in Washington, D.C. We can be confident that God does not ignore an institution He Himself ordained -- civil government (Romans 13:1-7).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;We can pray:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;-- for the safety of President Obama and his family, that God would foil the attempts of those who wish to harm him, that his family would be protected and blessed, that they would always trust God and know His Scriptures;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;-- that our president and other national leaders would look to God for His wisdom in dealing with the difficult issues of the day;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;-- that Christ would be glorified by the decisions made in the White House, the Congress, and the courts, and that good would triumph over evil in every policy decision;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;-- for policies that encourage moral behavior and attitudes, that prescribe justice for those who do wrong, that do not fetter our right to speak freely, and that recognize the foundational strength and importance of biblical marriage;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;-- that we would be willing to make the necessary hard choices and become a part of the solution to the troublesome problems we face as a nation and, that as churches and Christians, we would be particularly sensitive to those who are struggling and defenseless; and,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;-- that we would put our faith in God, not in man’s plans or government programs.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If we are not faithful in going to our knees in intercession for our new president and other national leaders, we can be assured that evil will be more likely to prevail. We hope that you will join us in praying for our new president, his family, and for those who advise him.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We have developed a prayer guide that can be downloaded at iLiveValues.com/prayer and distributed as you desire. We are hopeful your church will set aside time on Sunday, Jan. 18, or sometime during the week of President-elect Obama’s inauguration, to lift up to our Heavenly Father our new president and all those in earthly authority.&lt;br /&gt;Our prayers can change our country -- they will change us.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Richard Land is president of the Southern Baptist Ethics &amp;amp; Religious Liberty Commission.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1996563379752542202-8764106508781662162?l=firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/feeds/8764106508781662162/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1996563379752542202&amp;postID=8764106508781662162' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/8764106508781662162'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/8764106508781662162'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/2009/01/lets-pray-for-our-new-president.html' title='Let&apos;s Pray for Our New President'/><author><name>First Baptist Church</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02443440915146101117</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='33' height='17' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_URA9MdXiWE0/SKm3GvhEdUI/AAAAAAAAFtQ/fLH2RVJ0_WM/S220/Heart+of+Downtown.JPG'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996563379752542202.post-6895695737222102540</id><published>2009-01-13T03:36:00.001-06:00</published><updated>2009-01-13T03:38:53.537-06:00</updated><title type='text'>Does History Repeat Itself?</title><content type='html'>What have you notice where History keeps Repeating ?&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1996563379752542202-6895695737222102540?l=firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/feeds/6895695737222102540/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1996563379752542202&amp;postID=6895695737222102540' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/6895695737222102540'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/6895695737222102540'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/2009/01/does-history-repeat-itself.html' title='Does History Repeat Itself?'/><author><name>First Baptist Church</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02443440915146101117</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='33' height='17' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_URA9MdXiWE0/SKm3GvhEdUI/AAAAAAAAFtQ/fLH2RVJ0_WM/S220/Heart+of+Downtown.JPG'/></author><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996563379752542202.post-8721226715898588692</id><published>2008-12-30T04:31:00.007-06:00</published><updated>2008-12-31T16:51:12.764-06:00</updated><title type='text'>Heard this Song on the Radio, and it made me wonder if this is really the way most people think, what's your Comments?</title><content type='html'>&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven Lyrics&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Preacher told me last Sunday mornin’ &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;Son, you better start livin’ right &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;You need to quit the women and whiskey &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;And carrying on all night &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;Don’t you wanna hear him call your name &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;When you’re standin’ at the pearly gates I told the preacher, “Yes I do” &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;But I hope they don’t call today I ain’t ready &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;Everybody wants to go to heaven &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;Have a mansion high above the clouds &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;Everybody want to go to heaven &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;But nobody want to go now &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;Said preacher maybe you didn’t see me &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;Throw an extra twenty in the plate &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;There’s one for everything I did last night &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;And one to get me through today &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;Here’s a ten to help you remember &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;Next time you got the good Lord’s ear &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;Say I’m comin’ but there ain’t no hurry &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;I’m havin’ fun down here &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;Don’t you know that &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;Everybody wants to go to heaven &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;Get their wings and fly around &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;Everybody want to go to heaven&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;But nobody want to go now &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;Someday I want to see those streets of gold in my halo &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;But I wouldn’t mind waiting at least a hundred years or so &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;Everybody wanna go to heaven &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;It beats the other place there ain’t no doubt &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;Everybody wanna go to heaven &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;But nobody wanna go now &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;Everybody wanna go to heaven &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;Hallelujah, let me hear you shout &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;Everybody wanna go to heaven &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;But nobody wanna go now &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;I think I speak for the crowd &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1996563379752542202-8721226715898588692?l=firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/feeds/8721226715898588692/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1996563379752542202&amp;postID=8721226715898588692' title='3 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/8721226715898588692'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/8721226715898588692'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/2008/12/hearing-this-song-on-radio-made-me.html' title='Heard this Song on the Radio, and it made me wonder if this is really the way most people think, what&apos;s your Comments?'/><author><name>First Baptist Church</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02443440915146101117</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='33' height='17' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_URA9MdXiWE0/SKm3GvhEdUI/AAAAAAAAFtQ/fLH2RVJ0_WM/S220/Heart+of+Downtown.JPG'/></author><thr:total>3</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996563379752542202.post-5633019647938452260</id><published>2008-11-27T00:01:00.000-06:00</published><updated>2008-11-27T00:02:07.973-06:00</updated><title type='text'>Happy Thanksgiving.</title><content type='html'>We would like to give you a chance to tell us what are you most Thankful of ?&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1996563379752542202-5633019647938452260?l=firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/feeds/5633019647938452260/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1996563379752542202&amp;postID=5633019647938452260' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/5633019647938452260'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/5633019647938452260'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/2008/11/happy-thanksgiving.html' title='Happy Thanksgiving.'/><author><name>First Baptist Church</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02443440915146101117</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='33' height='17' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_URA9MdXiWE0/SKm3GvhEdUI/AAAAAAAAFtQ/fLH2RVJ0_WM/S220/Heart+of+Downtown.JPG'/></author><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996563379752542202.post-5538787335225691080</id><published>2008-11-14T19:11:00.001-06:00</published><updated>2008-11-14T19:14:58.284-06:00</updated><title type='text'>Protests held in Calif. on post-Prop. 8 Sunday</title><content type='html'>The amendment, passed last week, prompts backlash outside churches&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="javascript:vPlayer("&gt;Fight against ban on gay marriage escalates&lt;/a&gt;Nov. 9: The clash over gay marriage is escalating in California. Protests have been held every day since Tuesday’s vote to amend the state constitution and define marriage as between a man and a woman. NBC’s Chris Jansing reports.&lt;br /&gt;Nightly News&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;LOS ANGELES - On the first Sunday after a gay marriage ban passed in California, activists rallied in defiance, including hundreds of protesters outside an Orange County megachurch whose pastor brought Barack Obama and John McCain together last summer for a "faith forum."&lt;br /&gt;About 300 gay-rights advocates fanned out along sidewalks leading to Saddleback Church in Lake Forest to voice their anger of the church's support of Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment approved by voters Tuesday that overturns a state Supreme Court decision in May legalizing same-sex unions.Ed Todeschini, a Human Rights Campaign volunteer, accused Saddleback in particular of helping propagate what he called misinformation about the Supreme Court ruling, including that gay marriage would have to be taught to kindergartners.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1996563379752542202-5538787335225691080?l=firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/feeds/5538787335225691080/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1996563379752542202&amp;postID=5538787335225691080' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/5538787335225691080'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/5538787335225691080'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/2008/11/protests-held-in-calif-on-post-prop-8.html' title='Protests held in Calif. on post-Prop. 8 Sunday'/><author><name>First Baptist Church</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02443440915146101117</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='33' height='17' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_URA9MdXiWE0/SKm3GvhEdUI/AAAAAAAAFtQ/fLH2RVJ0_WM/S220/Heart+of+Downtown.JPG'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996563379752542202.post-5761098082790470067</id><published>2008-11-04T20:56:00.002-06:00</published><updated>2008-11-04T21:01:53.392-06:00</updated><title type='text'>Bible Trivia</title><content type='html'>Give us your best Bible Trivia!&lt;br /&gt;See if  you can stump our Pastor!&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1996563379752542202-5761098082790470067?l=firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/feeds/5761098082790470067/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1996563379752542202&amp;postID=5761098082790470067' title='3 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/5761098082790470067'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/5761098082790470067'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/2008/11/bible-trivia.html' title='Bible Trivia'/><author><name>First Baptist Church</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02443440915146101117</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='33' height='17' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_URA9MdXiWE0/SKm3GvhEdUI/AAAAAAAAFtQ/fLH2RVJ0_WM/S220/Heart+of+Downtown.JPG'/></author><thr:total>3</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996563379752542202.post-7017921855473432618</id><published>2008-10-16T13:15:00.005-05:00</published><updated>2008-10-16T18:17:12.690-05:00</updated><title type='text'>How do we keep ourselves on the path of righteousness.</title><content type='html'>&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1996563379752542202-7017921855473432618?l=firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/feeds/7017921855473432618/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1996563379752542202&amp;postID=7017921855473432618' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/7017921855473432618'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/7017921855473432618'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/2008/10/how-do-we-keep-our-selfs-paths-of.html' title='How do we keep ourselves on the path of righteousness.'/><author><name>First Baptist Church</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02443440915146101117</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='33' height='17' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_URA9MdXiWE0/SKm3GvhEdUI/AAAAAAAAFtQ/fLH2RVJ0_WM/S220/Heart+of+Downtown.JPG'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996563379752542202.post-6777468746302157517</id><published>2008-10-14T01:09:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2008-10-14T01:10:27.529-05:00</updated><title type='text'>God promise Abraham that he would be heir to the World.</title><content type='html'>How was that promise fulfilled ?&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1996563379752542202-6777468746302157517?l=firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/feeds/6777468746302157517/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1996563379752542202&amp;postID=6777468746302157517' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/6777468746302157517'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/6777468746302157517'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/2008/10/god-promise-abraham-that-he-would-be.html' title='God promise Abraham that he would be heir to the World.'/><author><name>First Baptist Church</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02443440915146101117</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='33' height='17' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_URA9MdXiWE0/SKm3GvhEdUI/AAAAAAAAFtQ/fLH2RVJ0_WM/S220/Heart+of+Downtown.JPG'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996563379752542202.post-3910460810187995366</id><published>2008-10-12T08:56:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2008-10-12T08:59:26.777-05:00</updated><title type='text'>What is some of your Favorite Christian Movies !</title><content type='html'>What are some of your Favorite Christian Movies that you have seen and think someone else would enjoy?&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1996563379752542202-3910460810187995366?l=firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/feeds/3910460810187995366/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1996563379752542202&amp;postID=3910460810187995366' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/3910460810187995366'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/3910460810187995366'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/2008/10/what-is-some-of-your-favorite-christian.html' title='What is some of your Favorite Christian Movies !'/><author><name>First Baptist Church</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02443440915146101117</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='33' height='17' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_URA9MdXiWE0/SKm3GvhEdUI/AAAAAAAAFtQ/fLH2RVJ0_WM/S220/Heart+of+Downtown.JPG'/></author><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996563379752542202.post-2490917252218340183</id><published>2008-10-08T03:15:00.003-05:00</published><updated>2008-10-09T04:54:38.876-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Self-Worth and Validate our Existence</title><content type='html'>Jeremiah 6:16&lt;br /&gt;This is what the LORD says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, 'We will not walk in it.'&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Do you believe that God has instilled deep within us says, we must belong to something bigger than ourselves ?&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1996563379752542202-2490917252218340183?l=firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/feeds/2490917252218340183/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1996563379752542202&amp;postID=2490917252218340183' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/2490917252218340183'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/2490917252218340183'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/2008/10/self-worth-and-validate-our-existence.html' title='Self-Worth and Validate our Existence'/><author><name>First Baptist Church</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02443440915146101117</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='33' height='17' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_URA9MdXiWE0/SKm3GvhEdUI/AAAAAAAAFtQ/fLH2RVJ0_WM/S220/Heart+of+Downtown.JPG'/></author><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996563379752542202.post-2094436441736543174</id><published>2008-10-06T07:25:00.002-05:00</published><updated>2008-10-06T07:31:35.046-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Internet Ministry</title><content type='html'>How are we doing with our Internet Ministry ?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What would you like to see our Web-Site do as a Ministry ?&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1996563379752542202-2094436441736543174?l=firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/feeds/2094436441736543174/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1996563379752542202&amp;postID=2094436441736543174' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/2094436441736543174'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/2094436441736543174'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/2008/10/internet-ministry.html' title='Internet Ministry'/><author><name>First Baptist Church</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02443440915146101117</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='33' height='17' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_URA9MdXiWE0/SKm3GvhEdUI/AAAAAAAAFtQ/fLH2RVJ0_WM/S220/Heart+of+Downtown.JPG'/></author><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996563379752542202.post-3915413584031178114</id><published>2008-08-26T12:53:00.002-05:00</published><updated>2008-10-07T01:49:16.729-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Who is the Anti-Christ ?</title><content type='html'>Who is the Anti-Christ?&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1996563379752542202-3915413584031178114?l=firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/feeds/3915413584031178114/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1996563379752542202&amp;postID=3915413584031178114' title='7 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/3915413584031178114'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/1996563379752542202/posts/default/3915413584031178114'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://firstbaptistchurchofbixby.blogspot.com/2008/08/who-is-anti-christ.html' title='Who is the Anti-Christ ?'/><author><name>First Baptist Church</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02443440915146101117</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='33' height='17' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_URA9MdXiWE0/SKm3GvhEdUI/AAAAAAAAFtQ/fLH2RVJ0_WM/S220/Heart+of+Downtown.JPG'/></author><thr:total>7</thr:total></entry></feed>
