January Recap

• What Are Your Goals for 2012? (by Stephen Simpson) ~ Stephen encourages writing down specific goals. It's not to late, you can still write down your goals for the remainder of this year.

• How our family gained Financial Peace (by JR Foster) ~ Read how Financial Peace University helped the Foster family.

• 13 Books I read in 2011 (by Stephen Simpson) ~ Get a glimpse of 13 books that Stephen read last year.

• Listen to Pastor Osborne's Vision for FBC ~ Find the link to listen to the Vision that Pastor Osborne shared.

• FBC 2011 Annual Report ~ View the Annual Report electronically as a PDF.

• Some Books I've read in 2011, and some I Intend to Read in 2012 (by Peter Brock) ~ Find links to books that Pastor Brock has read and would like to read.

• A Letter to My Son (by Stephen Simpson) ~ Read a letter that Stephen wrote to his son Josiah.

A Letter to My Son (by Stephen Simpson)

(Josiah Benton Simpson - born December 16, 2011)

Dear Son,

It is hard to believe that you are finally here.  When I look at you, I see myself.  It is a strange feeling.  It feels like I have the opportunity to start my life all over again.

Someday, you may be able to understand how amazing it is that you are here.  Your mother was pregnant 4 times.  Each time, she was fiercely sick.  Our doctor has said that she almost died two different times.  After her third pregnancy, our doctor strongly encouraged us to not have any more children.  That was a difficult message to hear.  As time passed, we healed and prayed.  We sensed that God might want us to travel through one final pregnancy.  God chose to bless us with you, Josiah.  It is important for you to realize that God brought you into this world.  Your birth truly was a miracle.

Son, it is my prayer that you will grow up to be a godly man.  In order for this to happen, you must submit to authority.  This is no easy task.  Tragically, as you grow up, you will meet many men who have never been taught this lesson.  All of us are under authority.  A godly man submits to authority with a humble attitude.  You will be under someone's authority all of your life.  There will be the authority of your parents, teachers, boss, local church, government, and most all, God.  Son, I promise that I will help you learn to submit to authority.  I will endeavor to exemplify godly submission to authority in my own life.

Secondly, godly men work hard.  God expects us to work hard and to provide for our families.  As you will see, too many men are lazy.  Many of them intentionally avoid working and allow others to provide for them and their families.  Josiah - Don't be lazy.  Work hard.  Be a good steward of the body and mind that God has given you.  Again, I promise to exemplify hard work before you.  It will be easier for you to learn how to work hard if you see this quality in me. 

Finally, a godly man handles money wisely.  Son, money is powerful. It can do great things.  It can also be very deadly and destructive.  Any money we have is given to us from God.  He expects us to steward it well.  Josiah, I promise to teach you about money.  I will teach you how to spend it, how to save it, and how to give it away.  I will teach you this with my words as well as with my actions.

Being a godly man involves much more that these three principles.  But, the godliest men I know do all three of these things extremely well.

Josiah - I love you.  I promise to tell you this with my words and with my actions.  I promise to love your mother and to stay faithful to her because I know the consequences of failing to do this. I look forward to talking to you and to listening to you.  I look forward to the time that God gives us together on this earth.

Love,

Daddy

Some Books I’ve read in 2011, and Some Books I Intend to Read in 2012 (by Peter Brock)

    
5 Books I Read in 2011

• Unbroken (by Laura Hillenbrand) – A story that demonstrates the depths of man’s sin and the greatness of God’s grace. The book is a biography of the life of Louis Zamperini, Olympic distance runner and WW2 POW. A must read.  (Read an extended review on our blog.)
    
• The Valley of Vision - A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions (by Arthur Bennett) This is a resource that I go to several times throughout the year. The audio version is nice as well. The prayers of the Puritans challenge me like nothing else when it comes to my spiritual life. Their desire for holiness and sensitivity to sin causes me to look inward in honest evaluation each time I read or listen. Highly recommended.
    
• John MacArthur-Servant of the Word and Flock (by Iain H. Murray) - This is a good book for those who want to know of MacArthur’s background as well as ministry successes and challenges. Recommended for those seeking to serve in the pastorate.
     
• The Practice of Godliness (by Jerry Bridges) – An older book that I actually reread. Great for refocusing priorities and self-examination.
    
• At the Throne of Grace – A Book of Prayers (by John MacArthur) - Nice collection of prayers by MacArthur that are built around various themes.

    
6 Books I Intend to Read in 2012

• Killing Lincoln  (by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard) The heart-stopping events surrounding the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
    
• God Is Red: The Secret Story of How Christianity Survived and Flourished in Communist China - Liao Yiwu (Author); Wenguang Huang (Translator)
    
• The Works of Stephen Charnock (5 Vols.) - Charnock was a Puritan theologian and preacher who was also chaplain to Henry Cromwell.
    
• Sweetness – The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton (by Jeff Pearlman) - As a young boy growing up in PA, Payton was easily my favorite player. The only posters in my room were of Walter Payton. I’m looking forward to this one.
    
• What Is the Mission of the Church? Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission (by Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert)
     
• The Meaning of Marriage (by Timothy Keller with Kathy Keller) – The Complexities of Commitment and the Wisdom of God

   
Related Posts:

• 13 Books I Read in 2011 (by Stephen Simpson)

FBC 2011 Annual Report

FBC held its annual business meeting on Sunday night, January 22nd, 2012. The 2012 proposed budget was approved and 5 new deacons were elected. Additionally, the 2011 Annual Report was distributed. We have prepared the 2011 Annual Report as a pdf file for electronic viewing.

Click Here to view the 2011 Annual Report

Listen to Pastor Osborne's Vision for FBC

On Sunday night, January 8th, Pastor Osborne presented a vision for the future of Faith Baptist Church. He began by challenging us to focus on three incredibly important thoughts.

1. Do we really believe God is in control of the universe?
2. Do we really believe God truly loves us?
3. Do we really believe God will take care of us?

Listen to Pastor Osborne’s Vision for the Future of FBC.

Read more posts by Pastor Osborne:

• The Ox and His Dirty Stall
• A Specific Vision for Faith

13 Books I Read in 2011 (by Stephen Simpson)

One of my goals for 2011 was to finish at least one book per month.  As I reviewed my goals list for 2011, I got really excited when I realized that I read a total of 13 books.  Some were better than others.  But I thought you might be interested in what I read in 2011.  I’ve included some of my thoughts along with each book.
   

• Decision Points (by George W. Bush) President Bush reviews the major decisions/events of his presidency.
     
• Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters (by Meg Meeker) A very good book.  It helped me better understand the importance of my role as a father to two daughters.  Should be required reading for every man who has a daughter.  Read more about this book.
     
• Shepherding a Child’s Heart (by Tedd Tripp) The classic book on parenting.  Should be required reading for every parent.
      
• Slave: The Hidden Truth About Your Identity in Christ (by John MacArthur) Good book.  A little repetitive at times.  Read a review of this book.
      
• Open:  An Autobiography (by Andre Agassi)  Growing up, I was a big Andre Agassi fan.  He and Pete Sampras had one of the best tennis rivalries ever.  In this book, he tells his story.  It was very interesting to read.  But, it felt very one-sided.  I would imagine this one-sided perspective is common to autobiographies.  Nonetheless, I enjoyed this book.
     
• Dr. Gray at Moody Bible Institute (compiled/edited by William M. Runyan) A biographical look at Dr. James Gray and his time at Moody Bible Institute.  Short but interesting.
     
• Amazing Grace:  William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery (by Eric Metaxas) Excellent book.  Highly recommended.  I’m also looking forward to reading Metaxas’s biography of Bonheoffer.  Read a post on our blog inspired by this book.
     
• Guerrilla Marketing for Nonprofits (by Jay Conrad Levinson, et al.) Highly practical book.  I will revisit this book often.
     
• An Unexpected Journey (by W. Robert Godfrey) I did not enjoy this book as much as I thought I would.  I was hoping it would be more biographical than it ended up being.
     
• Servanthood as Worship: ThePrivilege of Life in a Local Church (by Nate Palmer) Short book.  Pretty good.  Read more about this book.
     
• Rawhide Down:  The Near Assassination of Ronald Reagan (by Del Quentin Wilber) A minute by minute account of the events surrounding the attempted assassination of President Reagan.  This book was hard to put down.  Highly recommended.
     
• Linchpin:  Are You Indispensable? (by Seth Godin) A good book on being an indispensable worker.  In my opinion, the format of Godin’s books makes them difficult to read.
     
• Steve Jobs (by Walter Isaacson) A fascinating book.  I enjoyed it immensely.  It is so sad that in spite of all of the unbelievable talents that Jobs possessed, he was an awful and ungodly person.  His life, in spite of all of his accomplishments, was truly tragic. 

What books did you read in 2011?

How our family gained Financial Peace (by JR Foster)

Proverbs 22:7 The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

Almost a year ago, JR Foster shared this testimony on our blog of how FPU helped him and his family.  In light of our upcoming FPU class, I thought I would re-post JR's testimony.  Our next class begins Thursday, Feb. 2nd.  Visit our Website for more info.
  
Before taking the Financial Peace University course, we were servants to many lenders. We were living paycheck to paycheck and going further in debt. We had heard of Dave Ramsey and Financial Peace but thought there was nothing we could take away from the course. After much prayer and consideration, I decided to enroll and my wife agreed to follow whatever guidelines I was taught. At the time we had no idea how God would change our lives. In August 2009, I enrolled into Financial Peace University.

God was definitely in control of this decision because by October, I was unemployed. Despite the loss of my job for 7 months, I had the tools necessary to see my family through and actually pay off debt during this time. Financial Peace has certainly changed my views regarding money and debt. I am thankful that God let me to take this course.

The principles from Financial Peace have helped to set my family on a course of financial peace for now and for the future. I certainly recommend this course; it will change the way you control your money and debt.

What Are Your Goals for 2012? (by Stephen Simpson)

Welcome to January - a time for resolutions and new beginnings.  It is a time to reflect on the past year.  It is a time for evaluation. 

I am not a big fan of New Year’s Resolutions.  In my opinion, they are usually too open ended and too un-specific.  For example, “I’m going to lose weight in 2012.”  How much weight?  When are you going to lose it?  To accomplish this resolution, you simply have to lose half-an-ounce at some point.  You do not have to keep the weight off, you just simply have to lose it.  

Instead of resolutions, I am a huge fan of setting specific goals.  A few years ago, I started writing down a list of goals each January.  Then, I supdate my goals list at least once per month.  If I have completed one of my goals, then I cross if off the list.  Doing this has tremendously helped me track my progress. 

I just finished working through my goals list for 2011.  There were many things on that list that I accomplished.  There were also many things that were left undone.  It was encouraging to track the progress that was made.  Here are some examples:

• "Fix the tail light on the minivan."  Done!
• "Fix the kitchen light."  Not done L yet…
• "Grow church facebook page to over 300 likes."  Done! Currently at 356!
• "Grow Window mailing list to 300."  Not done L  currently at 289 (but we did make progress by adding 35)

My point is this – writing down your goals will help you accomplish them.  Reviewing them each month will go another step in encouraging you to meet your goals.  As you write your goals, be as specific as possible.  Consider these examples:

• "Save more money" (very unspecific)
• "Save $5,000 by the end of the year" (very specific; If you update your goals list each month with the current balance in your savings account, you will be able to easily track your progress.)
• "Read more" (bad goal – too undefined)
• "Read 1 non-fiction book per month" (As you finish a book, add its title to your goals list.  At the end of the year, you will be able to easily count how many non-fiction books you have read.)

So, before the month of January ends, I encourage you to set aside some to think through all that you would like to accomplish during 2012.  Imagine yourself sitting down on January 1, 2013.  What would you like to be completed before then?  Write it down and then get to work.  

What are your goals for 2012?