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>WHAT GOD IS DOING AT OUR CHURCH
>By now almost everyone has heard of the tragedy that took place on >Sept.15, when a gunman entered Wedgwood Baptist Church and killed 7 >people and injured 7 others before taking his own life. That morning had >been the day of "See You at the Pole," when students gather around their >flagpole in the morning to pray for their school and nation.
What the >media hasn?t reported however, is how God has been so evident, both >during and after the shooting. He has done amazing works!>
>Before The Shooting: >Our pastor, Brother Al, had prayed that God would do whatever it took to >expand the ministry of Wedgwood Baptist Church. Our church is one that is >used as a model of how NOT to pick a location, because no one in the >world can find it. Now almost everyone in the world knows exactly where >it is.
>>Evidence of God?s Control During The Shooting: >To enter the church, the gunman walked past our children?s playground, >which should have been full of kids, but for some reason every single >children?s and preschool class was running late. No one had made it to >the playground yet.
>>He fired over 100 bullets into a crowd of over 400, but only 14 people >were hit. He did not shoot the over 60 bullets he still had with him. >>The bottom fell off of the pipe bomb he threw, and the bomb landed >without ever exploding.
>>One of the youth that was wounded (she was shielding a disabled friend >with her body) has scoliosis. The curve in her spine directed the bullet >away from major organs, saving her from serious injury.
>>Because the first 911 call came in on a police radio, emergency vehicles >were dispatched immediately, without spending precious time to verify >that the call was real. >>One of the people in the church at the time was a paramedic, and he was >able to stop bleeding and stabilize injured people before the emergency >crews arrived.
>>Leaders were able to get the children out of the building without the >kids having to see any victims or any of the mess. >>Each children?s worker stayed with his/her class even though they all had >children elsewhere in the building, and some had teens in the sanctuary. >Not one worker left his or her post.
>>None of the adults who died have children. >>All 7 victims were not just Christians, but bold Christians who were >passionate about their faith. "You intended to harm me, but God intended >it for good to accomplish what is not being done, the saving of many >lives." (Genesis 50:20)
>>Or, what God has done since the shooting: >Many denominations have pulled together to offer help and support. >One example is the United Methodist Church who sent 15 people the >following Sunday to cover our child care. They didn?t want any church >members to have to miss the service because they were taking care of the >children.
>>A church in Tulsa, Oklahoma drove over 5 hours just so they could march >around our church and pray during our Sunday morning services. >>The Fort Worth Police Dept. planted flowers in the flower beds before we >reentered the sanctuary to worship.
>>We have received over 10,000 e-mails, 5000 cards, and $60,000 from all >over the world. >>Al Meredith, our pastor has had the microphone in his face continually >and has over and over given an outstanding answer to the reason for our >hope. He presented the gospel beautifully on Larry King Live when >prompted by a question asked by Vice President Al Gore. >>Because of the live news coverage and interviews, over 200 million people >have heard the gospel because of this tragedy.
>>Fifteen thousand turned out for a community wide service at TCU football >stadium. Brother Al gave a very serious challenging message calling for a >day of fasting and heart searching (Monday the 20th). The service was >broadcast live in its entirety on WBAP 820 which is a news station that >covers most of north Texas. This same news station has replayed our >pastor?s first press conference due to people calling in and requesting >to hear his comforting words again.
>>CNN also broadcasted the memorial service live. Amazingly, because one of >the victim?s families lives and works in Saudi Arabia, that country >allowed the service to be broadcast there as well. In Saudi Arabia it is >illegal to say the name of Jesus on the street. >>Because of that same CNN broadcast, 35 people in Japan gave their lives >to Christ.
>>When President Clinton finally got through to him, Brother Al ended their >conversation by praying, after gaining permission, for the Clinton >family.
>>At several schools, students met around their flagpoles the next day. At >one school 25 students accepted Christ, and 110 at another. >>A teacher led 22 students to Christ in her classroom. >>Christian teachers all over North Texas have been able to share with >their classes because the students are asking questions about their >teachers? faith.
>>In Burleson, prayers and Scripture are being said over the intercom.
>>On the east coast, where "See You at the Pole" was delayed because of the >hurricane, record numbers of kids showed up to pray.
>>Governor Bush and the Fort Worth mayor quietly came to our pastor?s home >while the staff were meeting and praying and joined in the prayer >meeting. This was not political! Only those who are close to staff >members heard about this; the media never knew. >>Governor Bush has visited with our pastor several times, and Brother Al >has had an impact on him. Just think of the influence our pastor could >have if Governor Bush is the next president!
>>A caller to an area Christian radio station said that he didn?t know what >those people had but he wanted it. The DJ proceeded to lead him to >Christ. Many notes left in front of the church contain the same >sentiment. Those who don?t know Jesus want what we have!
>>The church has received so many e-mails asking us how we are able to have >hope and continue on. There are teams of church member volunteers >responding to these e-mails.
>>My friend Jodi has been praying for her husband for years. She and their >4-yr-old daughter were at the church that night. Three days ago Scott >gave his life to Christ.
>>We have had over 70,000 hits on our web page which displays the plan of >salvation in multiple languages.
>>Many members at Wedgwood Baptist are healing broken relationships within >the body and experiencing spiritual renewal.
>>These are just a few of the miracles that are happening. God?s grace is >almost overwhelming. Every time the gunman fired a bullet, he intended to >take a life. Yet God turned that around and saved several lives for each >bullet fired. The faith of those who died has been multiplied many times >over.
>>"I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith >is being reported all over the world." Romans 1:8>
HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR GOD-LISTENING SKILLS
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Prayer can be challenging - if not frustrating - because it often
Seems like we are having a one-way conversation with God. We can express our needs, wants, complaints, and gratitude with precise verbal clarity, but it seems like God?s only response is continuous silence.
Instead of insisting that God speak to us in the ways we want Him to
We need to begin listening and looking for other ways that God actually does speak to us. When we learn God?s language, we discover that God is intimately and lovingly communicating with us. Our prayers are not offered to a distant God who is deaf and mute, but to a God who is near, who hears, and who is right here with us at each moment.
As you improve your listening skills, you might be surprised at how eager God is to speak to you. Our tendency to over-talk may actually become a barrier to experiencing God?s loving efforts to
help us.How to improve your God-listening skills:
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Such a Waste of time to go to Church !
A Christian wrote a letter to the editor of the newspaper and complained for all to read, that it did not make sense to him to go to church every Sunday.
?I?ve gone for 30 years now,? he wrote, ?and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me I can?t remember a single one of them. So I think I?m wasting my time...and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving one at all.?
This started a real controversy in the ?Letters to the Editor? column, much to the delight of the editor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher:
?I?ve been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But for the life of me, I cannot recall what the menu was for a single one of those meals. But I do know this. They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me those meals, I would be dead today.?
No comment on the sermon contents anymore.
Keep your fork ?
There was a woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. So as she was getting her things "in order," she contacted her pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in. The woman also requested to be buried with her favorite Bible.
Everything was in order and the pastor was preparing to leave when the woman suddenly remembered something very important to her. "There's one more thing," she said excitedly. "What's that?" the pastor's reply. "This is very important," the woman continued. "I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand."
The pastor stood looking at the woman, not knowing quite what to say. "That surprises you, doesn't it?" the woman asked. "Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request," said the pastor.
The woman explained. "In all my years of attending church socials and potluck dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, 'Keep your fork,' It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming...like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. Something wonderful, and with substance! So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder 'What's with the fork?'. Then I want you to tell them: "Keep your fork...the best is yet to come". The pastor's eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the woman good-bye. He knew this would be one of the last times he would see her before her death. But he also knew that the woman had a better grasp of heaven than he did. She KNEW that something better was coming.
At the funeral people were walking by the woman's casket and they saw the pretty dress she was wearing and her favorite Bible and the fork placed in her right hand. Over and over, the pastor heard the question "What's with the fork?" And over and over he smiled.
During his message, the pastor told the people of the conversation he had with the woman shortly before she died. He also told them about the fork and about what it symbolized to her. The pastor told the people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it either.
He was right. So the next time you reach down for your fork, let it remind you oh so gently, that the best is yet to come. Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us. Show your friends how much you care.
As Michael Chang was here recently for the Heineken Open, he gave us a surprise visit last Saturday nite at Faith Community Baptist Church when he joined us for service...... after worship, he gave a short interview by Pastor Khong of how he came to know the Lord and some words of encouragement too..... very humble and cheerful guy..... and below is more of his testimony.... :)
Michael's testimony for Jesus Christ both on and off the court is quite evident. "I thank the Lord Jesus Christ," he proclaimed in 1989 after becoming the youngest male to ever win the French Open, "because without Him, I am nothing." Whether win or lose, he readily gives glory to the Lord, for it is the Lord who gave Michael the talent to play tennis.
In this section, Michael responds to the reader's questions and comments about Christianity.
How did you become a Christian?
I became a Christian in 1988. At 15 years of age, I was doing a lot of searching. I think at that particular age, at least for me, you're wondering about things like the meaning of life and you're really trying to find yourself.
I just had a lot of questions. My grandparents had given me a Bible and they wanted me to read it everyday. On this one particular evening I didn't have anything else to do so I decided to take a good look at my Bible and see what it had to say. I looked at the index in the back and found that it covered all these different subjects. So I looked up subjects like friendship and love and found the Bible to be very true, very pure, in a way in which I wanted to live my life. From then on I began reading about the Lord's life and His love for all people. Eventually, I accepted Him as my Lord and Savior.
How does God help you on the Tour?
I think there's a confidence knowing that everything is in God's hands. I see so many things happening in my life and I know that they aren't just mere coincidences. I know that the Lord loves me, that He looks out for me and that He will always be with me and walk with me. It just brings me a great deal of satisfaction and comfort to know that no matter what happens, He will always take care of me.
I've also learned that the Lord only asks that you go and you give your best for Him. I think it's very easy to get very frustrated sometimes. There are times when you go out, you try your best and for some people, it's just not good enough. Yet, I feel that God has given me this wonderful talent of playing tennis. I realize that I would not be where I am in tennis without the Lord, without Him giving me the strength to be able to do what I do.
What's nice is that, as long as my priorities are set and my priorities are straight, I'm able to go out with the mentality to really leave the winning and losing up to the Lord. You know, when you give your best, it's all He asks of you, it's all you can ask of yourself and it's really all people can ask of you. I think that life is really too short to be so caught up in the things of the world. Just go out and give your best. To me that's pretty simple.
How do you pray on the Tour? Do you pray to win?
I usually pray with whoever is with me on the Tour, whether that be Carl and Diana, my parents, or my trainer, Ken. We say a prayer before every match. We don't pray to win. We pray that our priorities are straight and that the Lord will shine through us and give us the strength and the peace to do His work and to do His will. We also pray that our actions and our words would be used to glorify Him.
What are your prayer requests?
I've been so blessed to have so many people praying for me. The power of prayer is something that is very underestimated. It is just incredibly powerful.
Hopefully, I'll pray and the people who are praying for me will pray that I will keep Him close to my heart and that I will walk closely with Him so that I won't stray. It's important for me to be able to go out and be focused, to keep my eyes upon the Lord and not get caught up in the money or the fame or the rankings or for winning particular tournaments. I mean, granted, those things are important to some degree, but they really don't compare to touching people's lives in a Christ-like way. They really don't compare to being able to encourage someone in the Lord, because that is really what lasts a lifetime and even beyond. So for me, I think it's important to stay close to the Lord
.
A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked,
"Who would like this $20 bill?" Hands started going up.
He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this." He proceeded to crumple the dollar bill up.
He then asked, "Who still wants it?"
Still the hands were up in the air.
"Well," he replied, "What if I do this?" And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.
He picked it up, now all crumpled and dirty.
"Now who still wants it?"
Still the hands went into the air.
"My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value.
It was still worth $20.
Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless.
But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value......
THOUGHT: The worth of our lives come not in what we do or who we are...
INSPIRING STORIES
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In 1962, four nervous young musicians played their first record audition for the executives of the Decca recording Company. The executives were not impressed. While turning down this group of musicians, one executives said, "We don?t like their sound. Groups of guitars are on the way out." The group was called The Beatles.
In 1944, Emmeline Snively, director of the Blue Book Modelling Agency, told modeling hopeful Norma Jean Baker, "You?d better learn secretarial work or else get married. " She went on and became Marilyn Monroe.
In 1954, Jimmy Denny, manager of the Grand Ole Opry, Fired a singer after one performance. He told him, "You ain?t goin? nowhere....son. You ought to go back to drivin? a truck." He went on to become the most popular singer in America named Elvis Presley.
When Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876, it did not ring off the hook with calls from potential backers. After making a demonstration call, President Rutherford Hayes said, "That?s an amazing invention, but who would ever want to use one of them?"
When Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, he tried over 2000 experiments before he got it to work. A young reporter asked him how it felt to fail so many times. He said, "I never failed once. I invented the light bulb. It just happened to be a 2000-step process."
In the 1940s, another young inventor named Chester Carlson took his idea to 20 corporations, including some of the biggest in the country. they all turned him down. In 1947 - after seven long years of rejections!
Wilma Rudolph was the 20th of 22 children. She was born prematurely and her survival was doubtful. When she was 4 years old, she contacted double pneumonia and scarlet fever, which left her with a paralysed left leg. At age 9, she removed the metal leg brace she had been dependent on and began to walk without it. By 13 she had developed a rhythmic walk, which doctors said was a miracle. that same year she decided to become a runner. She entered a race and came in last. For the next few years every race she entered, she came in last. Everyone told her to quit, but she kept on running. One day she actually won a race. And then another. From then on she won every race she entered. Eventually this little girl, who was told she would never walk again, went on to win three Olympic gold medals.
Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved. You gain strength, experience and confidence by every experience where you really stop to look fear in the face....
You must do the thing you cannot do. And remember, the finest steel gets sent through the hottest furnace.
Champion is not one who never fails, but one who never quits
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