Secondly, we have been blessed by having the opportunity to get food to individuals and families that have been struggling financially as all of us have encountered in some shape and form from the rippling effects of our staggering economy. In the winds of a recessionary period this is a food program that truly lightens the financial burden of the cost of groceries without compromising the quality of what you are accustomed to eating. What a blessing!

Lastly, this has been a ministry that has brought our dynamic and very diverse “Body of Believers” together as one “Family” to collectively carry out the work of the Lord in regards to feeding people. Men and women, college students, teenagers and even children have continued to donate their time to the ministry effort. To date, our Angel Food Ministry is one of the largest and most productive ministries in our fellowship. God is allowing us to touch His Heart and touch the lives of those living around us “one box at a time!” Angel Food offers a variety of balanced nutritional food to feed a family of four for about one week for $30.00. Angel Food also offers variety of other boxes of fruit and vegetables, allergen-free boxes, convenience meal boxes, and meat boxes of all varieties.

Please pray for us in the days to come as the Lord has laid on our hearts to endeavor to reach out farther into the surrounding counties in the days and weeks to come. For example: (Lauderdale Co. in Al., and Wayne Co. in Tn.)

This extension of our ministry will include cities like: Lexington, Greenhill, Killen, and Florence in Alabama, and Iron City, Collinwood, Holly Creek, and Waynesboro in Tennessee.

We always take orders after our worship services. The last time to order here at the church outside of our regular worship services this month is Monday-06/14/10 9:00am – 12:00pm. EBT Food Stamps accepted.

Pick-up date is Saturday – 06/19/2010 from 8:30-10:30 a.m.

For more info please call the church at: (931)-845-4303 or contact Marcie Hine at (931)-242-1129 Joan Nelson at (931) 242-9911

For more info click here: http://www.angelfoodministries.com/

In Christ,

Pastor Potts

Our church is eagerly waiting to welcome your children to this free event. Please call (931) 845-4303 for more details! Saddle Ridge Ranch offers something for everyone, so ask about our studies for adults.

Our van ministry will be running for this event. The pick up will be for children ages 5 years and older, within a one mile radius of the church. Our church vans are not equipped with booster seats, so if your child requires one, please provide it individually. Please contact the church at (931) 845-4303 to reserve a place for your child, or children, in the van by June 5, 2010.

Location: First Baptist Church St. Joseph

Address: 3698 Hwy 43 St. Joseph, TN 38481

Web site: SJFBC.com

Date: June 7-11 Time: 6:00-8:30 P.M.

For ages birth through 6th Grade

For more information, please call Becky Pettus, at (256) 710-3463.

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There will be a VBS Kickoff and Pre-registration Day for the entire family on Saturday June 5 from 4:00-6:00 P.M. there will be demonstrations, games, fun events and prizes; we will also have hamburgers, chips, and drinks. Please join us for an event filled evening. There will also be a Gas Grill given away during this event.

In our my way, right away, Burger King, and Daytona 500 paced lifestyle we are always looking for convenient talk shows, talk radio, (xm radio) clips, articles, blogs,blanket text messages,(you know the ones that if you don’t send to 10 people your not really a Christian! Give me a break!) e-mails, etc. etc. that will inspire and impact our lives in a positive way. The crazy thing is that on any subject matter or facet of our life that is need of a drastic make-over, we trust more in these convenient resources and their authors, and really don’t know what they believe to be truth theologically, spiritually, mentally, or morally!

Ok, let’s say we do know something about the character of these individuals that we allow to sow into our lives regularly through word or practice of life, could there be anyone on the planet that could assist us an help us through the tumultuous waters of the daily grind better than Jesus? Just a thought! We are a “Sponge Bob” culture that is always in soak up search engine mode, often in information overload, from negative and positive resources, and the resources that we are relying on are apparently letting us down! We as a nation have never been more overweight, over worked, over stressed, and in need of a major over haul make-over in every category of our lives! Back up that bus! Really! If this is true, and it is! Check or Google the stats! We need to revert back to a ”Resource” that has always been relevant to any culture, era, or people group that has ever existed on this planet. Are you ready for the answer? Drum roll please!……..The Holy Word of God-The Bible!

In Christ,

Pastor Anthony Potts

People of all these categories inside our body are stepping up and serving where the Lord is instructing them to, and people from the outside of our church who have been in an environment of faith that they feel was going against what God’s Word teaches, or have been washed up on the banks of Spiritual hurricane through church split or dissension, or from just scars that sometimes come from serving the Lord even in His Church! I know that’s hard to believe right?

 With that being said I have often been advised by several of my Spiritual mentors that when prayer should be the most intense within the Body of  Believers, for the Body,  is when You as a Body are having mountain top experiences! When I was told that for the first time I looked at the Man of God that Christ had given to me to help shape and mold and nurture me in the Faith and almost laughed out loud! I was like, WHAT? Ha ha! Yeah right? After about five years since that “Gold Nugget” of advice, I have come to know that he was right!

With all that Christ is doing in and through us right now we are prayerfully seeking another staff position to come along side of me and under-shepherd our student ministry. Since June of 2009, when our student pastor was led to another church field,  we have been following the leadership of the Holy Spirit as He leads us and guides us in this process! You can only imagine, especially if you are reading this post and are a pastor or you are married to a pastor; that we have experienced several ups and downs in this search because of this position being unfilled!

However, one of the most amazing things that I have seen has taken place in this spiritually tiresome and rigorous process! Christ has assembled a team of student small group leaders in our youth department that have been phenomenal! A sold-out,humble, faithful, and very excited group of Spirit led men and women who have been called to service by the Lord to assist(by teaching them the Word of God) and serve our youth even after the Lord provides us with a point leader in our youth department! Now that ’s awesome! Usually it’s like pulling teeth to get anyone to volunteer to  follow Christ by being obedient to Him in the calling He has for them! So that’s another  awesome “God”  thing to add to our Spiritual mountain top experiences.

To get to the point of this post though, I must say that it has been hard to know what to pray? As followers of Christ we know that we have been called to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him; right?(Luke 9:23)  That comes without saying! Duh! We are followers of Christ! This(Truly Following Christ) can only be done though by allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us in mind, heart, and spirit, and in body! Alot of times instead of allowing the Holy Spirit to burden us with what we should be praying for, we take it upon ourselves and pray what we would like to see happen! I cannot find anywhere in the Word of God where we are instructed to pray that way.

Jesus always prayed that the will of Father God would be done, so that He may be glorified through the Son because that was the intentions of the Spirit of God in Him!(John 13:31)  In the Garden of Gethsemane Christ prayed, “Father not My will but your will be done!”- (Luke 22:42)- right before the Roman guards were about to seize Him and He was to  fulfill the perfect will of the Father that would completely and wholly bring about Redemption and Salvation to all who would believe and follow Him with their lives-The Cross!  So, with all of that said, we as Christians know that we should allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to us what prayer concerns should be made priority, and how we should pray!

 But sometimes, just sometimes we don’t know what to pray or say(which is what prayer is by the way! just talking to God through Christ the Great High Priest, our Mediator) to Him! The  Apostle Paul instructed us on this topic or in our case a real life dilemma in our spirit! He said, 26 “In the same way the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with GROANS  that words cannot express. 27 And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.”- (Romans 8:26-27)

As we continue to live on this side of  Heaven and await our future Hope, Christ Jesus our Lords return, we can only hope for what we have not seen, and that is the basis of our undying faith in God. We are looking for Him to come and glorify His creation, and for all eternity wholly transform them into the “Sons of God!”  As we serve and wait for Him to return for His Church and His children, it is our Hope that sees us through all the trials and temptations and weak moments that arise! Hope, keeps our focus on the things of Heaven and the Lord Jesus until that great Day! Previously in the passages before this one the Apostle Paul said just as we wait on our glorification, on the future Hope that is coming for all who believe , the Holy Spirit helps us in our weak moments when we don’ t know what to pray! He intercedes on our behalf when we just can’t get the words out  to our Lord and God, audibly or just from our hearts cry! Finally he says that He- (God) who is always searching our hearts, also knows the mind of the Holy Spirit, and He knows that His allegiance is totally pledged to fulfilling His complete and perfect will!

 Wow! that’s a  comforting Truth! When we don’t know exactly what to say God in prayer on any topic or situation the Spirit of God in us GROANS or utters the very words that need to go up to Him, and it will be according to His will because the Holy Spirit only has one agenda! To bring Glory, Honor, Praise, and Pleasure to God our Father! Groaning has never been a personality trait that could ever be expressed in a positive light the way we as human flesh moan, groan, and complain, but the  petition that He (The Holy Spirit)  makes to the Father will always be productive,where alot of times ours will be counter productive! Something to entertain and ponder from God’s Love Letter to us- The Holy Bible!

In the Name of The Resurrected Christ,

Pastor Anthony Potts

Do you ever feel just spread so thin in your schedule that you don’t know how you could give anyone anything else? Anymore time, money, service, or anymore attention? You are maxed out ! Here is an awesome thought! Our God is so Omnipresent(has ability to be everywhere at all times); Omniscient(all knowing), and is Omnipotent(which means all powerful)! Our God is never spread thin! Or having a day of conflicting schedules! Or under the weather or sick , or undergoing some type of illness! He always has time to spend intimate time with us all throughout every minute of every day, and He knows exactly what we need, and has the ability and the authority to administer to us and provide what we are in need of the most! He loves His children and is fully capable of parenting them perfectly! Wow! What a Dad!

In Christ,

pastor anthony potts

– Fist Baptist Church, St. Joseph

TeamKID Administrators, Teachers, and Students

Secondly, we have been blessed by having the opportunity to get food to individuals and families that have been struggling financially as all of us have encountered in some shape and form from the rippling effects of our staggering economy. In the winds of a recessionary period this is a food program that truly lightens the financial burden of the cost of groceries without compromising the quality of what you are accustomed to eating. What a blessing!

Lastly, this has been a ministry that has brought our dynamic and very diverse “Body of Believers” together as one “Family” to collectively carry out the work of the Lord in regards to feeding people. Men and women, college students, teenagers and even children have continued to donate their time to the ministry effort. To date, our Angel Food Ministry is one of the largest and most productive ministries in our fellowship. God is allowing us to touch His Heart and touch the lives of those living around us “one box at a time!” Angel Food offers a variety of balanced nutritional food to feed a family of four for about one week for $30.00. Angel Food also offers variety of other boxes of fruit and vegetables, allergen-free boxes, convenience meal boxes, and meat boxes of all varieties.

Please pray for us in the days to come as the Lord has laid on our hearts to endeavor to reach out farther into the surrounding counties in the days and weeks to come. For example: (Lauderdale Co. in Al., and Wayne Co. in Tn.)

This extension of our ministry will include cities like: Lexington, Greenhill, Killen, and Florence in Al., and Iron City, Collinwood, Holly Creek, and Waynesboro in Tn.

We always take orders after our worship services. The last time to order here at the church outside of our regular worship services this month is Monday-02/15/10 9:00am – 12:00pm. EBT Food Stamps accepted.

Pick-up date is Saturday – 02/20/2010 from 8:30-10:30 a.m.

For more info please call the church at: (931)-845-4303 or contact Marcy Hine at (931)-242-1129 Joan Nelson at (931) 242-9911

For more info click here: http://www.angelfoodministries.com/

In Christ,

Pastor Potts

Place: First Baptist Church Fellowship Hall, St. Joseph

Meal: Lasagna or Fettuccine Alfredo

Adult tickets : $8.00

Children tickets: $4.00

-First Baptist Church-St. Joseph

Come be a part of our new young adult married small group bible study here at the church. We will be offering this life changing Bible study on Sunday mornings at 9:30 am and on Wednesday nights at 7 p.m, for 10-12 weeks, beginning February 14th. This study is based on the world renowned movie, “Fireproof.” In a home there are several different relationships that make up what is called a family! However there is only one relationship in the home that is to be the foundation that keeps the whole family together! The Marriage relationship! In the real world when life throws us it’s many curve balls that cause many hardships and difficult situations, the relationship that has to endure most of the strain and stress is the one between husband and wife! In this day and time there are too many marriages that are “burning to the ground” so to speak and that is why we feel that it is necessary to do everything we can to reach out and offer with God’s Word a “fireproof” plan for the marriage! We have called this study, “DARE TO LOVE!” With this thought being the entire purpose: “Dare to love your spouse like Christ! Through Christ! Unconditionally!” If you are a young adult couple that is married or married with children or know someone who is in this time and season of their lives, invite them and come along with them to grow closer to God, and closer to your spouses that God has given you! We hope to see you on Valentine’s Day or before!

God Bless,

-FBC St. Joseph