January 14, 2009

Our Aurora 8 Mission Team departs January 17 for our eighth mission trip to the Philippines!  Our team of 10 will be striving to distribute over 600 shoeboxes shipped a few months ago and will also be involved in a variety of outreach opportunities while we are there.  Be sure to pray for the team members and for the families at home who will be awaiting their return!

You may have noticed that the Lord is very much at work here in the ministry of First Baptist Church of the Islands.  It seems that we have had an amazing number of visitors as of late and we need to remember to show them the love of Christ boldly each and every opportunity that we have.  Jesus said that He would build His church . . . what a privilege to be engaged in this work of God and to see Him use so many of us to accomplish work that will reap benefits that will last forever!

Let me take a moment to remind you how important it is that we walk closely with God each moment of each day.  The enemy is alive and well and still seeks to steal, kill, and destroy.  Our walk is not a weekend endeavor or a crutch to lean on when times get tough . . . our walk with Christ is our life and we can neither survive nor fulfill His call on our lives if we are not walking in a surrendered and submitted way with Him.  My quiet times recently dealt with Ephesians 4:1:  "Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called . . . ."  May that be your desire today and each day, for His glory!  Stay close, stay clean, and enjoy Him today!

In His Grip,

Pastor Brooks