Monday, February 20th Isn’t amazing how time seems to fly by so quickly?  It seems like yesterday that our children were just babies and now they are learning to drive.  It seems like yesterday that we were married when it has been 30 years.  It seems like yesterday that ________ (you fill in the blank).  When it comes to our children and grandchildren, time can get away from us ever so quickly. I want to encourage you to spend extra time each day with your family.  This time must not be pre- occupied with anything else.  Your children, grandchildren, spouse all need your undivided attention each day.  What is more important “the job you have, making more money” or your family? Please don’t sacrifice your family for other things.  Jesus said, “Bring the little children to me...and He placed His hand on them and blessed them.” Monday, January 30th What a wonderful day yesterday at our 53rd Anniversary celebration.  We enjoyed Three Plus One Quartet and Rev. Bobby Patton’s preaching.  The whole church stood proud during the “I’m Proud To Be an American” song and many Amens were shouted out during the preaching. If you were not here, you missed a great day of worship and then lunch together afterwards.  God is Good. Monday, January 23rd 53 years ago a New Church was born.  The Forest Hills area was growing with new families who seen a need for a church in their community.  Northgate Baptist was birthed in an area Riding Stable.  In 1959 Northgate was constituted as a church.  People have come and went over the years but Northgate still stands.  It is an honor as pastor to have some of the charter members still alive and attending worship services. The goal today is to win people to Christ, train them in God’s word, and watch them go out and make a difference in our community.  The history of Northgate is important as we go into the future.  Maybe God will allow another 53 years. Thursday, January 12th Are you tired of the way things are going presently?  I can’t completely say pray for better times although I would love to tell you that is what you can do.  But God’s Word tells us that difficult times and circumstances come our way to grow our faith in God. (James 1) The last post I used the statement “2012 could change you.”  Change almost always brings with it stress and discomfort.  These are two things we don’t want to deal with. So how do we need to pray?  Ask God to change you heart and attitude toward the circumstances that will happen to us this year.  No matter what happens, if our heart and attitude is correct with God, we can endure anything.  That is God’s promise to us. Saturday, December 31st It is 7 pm.  In a few hours 2011 will no longer exist.  It will only be a memory in time.  The things we didn’t do can’t be done, the time we shouldn’t have done can’t be undone, so instead we have another day, week, month, year given to us to make things right.  Make thing right with those you love, with those you have hurt, and most importantly make thing right with God. 2012 could change you if you will allow God to guide you. Happy New Year! Tuesday, December 27th I hope you were blessed this Christmas.  In our message on Christmas Day, we explored the idea of where Jesus was born.  Our storybooks all tell us that it was in a barn or stone cave somewhere outside of the hotel (inn).  Maybe we are wrong.  Most likely Jesus was born in the manger located at the entry of a relatives home.  The translation for inn is guest room.  Most likely Mary and Joseph were at a relatives house while in Bethlehem.  Then it was time for Mary to deliver.  There was not room in the guest room for the birthing scene so they had to go to the entryway stable.  Later when the Magi came to visit they could have been in the same house, but in the guest room. Read Luke 2 and think about it. Monday, December 11th We had a wonderful worship experience yesterday as we looked at “Why Celebrate Christmas”.  We looked at some reasons why people choose not to celebrate Christmas and then were challenged to consider how we are going to show and tell others why we celebrate Christmas.  Let’s not be caught up into a battle over how to celebrate but just do it the Bible way.  Take every opportunity God places in front of you to explain/proclaim that Jesus is the reason you celebrate Christmas. Monday, December 5th Today starts our new web page look.  Please let us know your thoughts about it. We had a wonderful Worship Service yesterday.  We learned about the story of the “Rich Man and Lazarus.  The thoughts left for us to think about were: 1. How many times a week are we around people whom we would not or will not speak too or that we are too busy with our won concerns that we just pass by an opportunity to tell about our wonderful alive God?  2.  Why is it that we can talk about everything in the world except telling others about the Good News of Jesus? Made with Xara “Taking Christ Into Our Community” 53 Years Old