DO YOU REMEMBER BEING EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD?

"If you could go back to your 18th year what advice would you have for yourself?" 

Tomorrow my first grandson, Jared,  (of 14 wonderful grandchildren) will be turning 18 years old.  The following question was put to me by a Christian friend today, "If you could go back to your 18th year what advice would you have for yourself?" 

I must tell you that a countless number of thoughts entered into my mind in a flash of time at that instant. I sent the question to my wife as well.  The person who asked me the question is also a dear friend of my grandson and they sent this question out to many folks around the world (Missionaries, Pastor's, business people etc). They are compiling all of this "advice" given and then handing it to Jared tomorrow on his birthday.  If I am allowed to do so I just might post all of their thoughts as well. I can not wait to read what they thought would be good advice for themselves to take should they be 18 years young again.

Below is first my list followed by the thoughts from my wife. 

Jared,

If I could go back to my age of 18 again and put into practice in my life the lessons I have learned along the path of my life these last 64 years I would make many changes…way too many to be able to name them all, so let me “sum up” with the major ones as they come to my mind for you:

I would have established a more deep & intimate spiritual life with the Lord Jesus Christ.
I would read and study the Bible more so I could help myself and others!
I would spend more time with my parents and siblings.  Family is more important than friends.
I would be a better son to my Mom and Dad than I was.
I would avoid the “friends” I had at that time who were influencing me in a negative way.
I would watch, listen & learn from truly spiritual Christians and ignore the foolish advice of my peers.  (Study Rehoboam and see what resulted from his neglecting advice from the ancients and instead taking the advice from his peers...it cost him dearly.)
I would be more serious and sober minded about the important issues of life.
I would work on not being an impulsive “buyer” of “stuff”. 
I would save more for the future. The future comes at you faster than you would think.
I would spend less on me and invest more of my finances on the things of God.
I would enjoy the life God is giving to me for there is no promise of a tomorrow coming.
I would be more God conscious in each moment of time.
I would flee from the sinful “pleasures” life and people throw at you as they attempt to entice you to participate in their sin with them.
I would know that sin always enslaves you.  It only leads to bondage and never “liberty”.
I would not run ahead of God’s leading.  Wait upon Him to lead you then follow His lead. Psalm 27:14; Psalm 37:23; Proverbs 3:5-6
I would do better at LISTENING to others.
In regards to marriage, I would not have gotten married so young.  Even though I have been happily married for 43 years now, it was extremely difficult in my young years as an immature husband and father. 
Remember, “Never be in a hurry to enter a room with no exits!” and “It’s always better to want something you don’t have, than to have something you don’t want."  Marriage is for life, until death do you part…so wait on the Lord for His choice for you…you will be glad you did!
Lastly, I would seriously consider all the advice I have received on my 18th birthday from people all over the world, and take and apply that advice as God directs me from His word!

Love you,
Papa

Here are some thoughts from my wonderful bride:

Jared,

Some advice I wish I had gotten when I was 18:

Spiritual:  Make sure you are saved!  And then after salvation realize that you must walk daily with the Lord (reading your Bible and prayer).  Realize you can't live the Christian life -- you must die to self and let God live through you.  Always put Jesus Christ first in your life.  Love your Lord.  Never make a decision without consulting God on it.  No matter how long it takes, wait for His guidance -- then heed to what He tells you.  Through the triumphs of life and the trials of life, give God the glory!  Confess and forsake sin.  Walk humbly before your God.  Always seek God's perfect will for every area of your life!!

Practically:  NEVER live above your means.  Learn to budget money, including a generous amount for giving to the Lord and savings.  Eschew credit cards -- they will be your ruin!!  Don't get drawn into the world's way in regard to credit!!  Take good care of what God has given you or allowed you to possess.  Maintain your home, maintain your cars.  Do not let either fall into disrepair.  Work hard.  There is no substitute for hard work.  Live a decent and orderly life!!!

Relationally:  Cultivate godly friendships.  Don't have a critical or judgmental spirit.  Give the benefit of the doubt unless you have proof otherwise.  Love unconditionally.  Don't be in a hurry to get married.  Do not marry until God has shown you the right lady to marry.  Seek godly counsel before you enter into this most sacred area of life.  Then after marriage, love your wife.  Be humble enough to admit when you have been wrong.  "…those that walk in pride God is able to abase."  When God blesses you with children, love your children enough to raise them according to the Bible.  Maintain a lifestyle of integrity. "Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life."

Love you,
Nana

Wednesday Night Classes at First Bible Baptist Church - June 5 to September 4, 2013

Sign up for a class next Sunday!

“The Family God Uses” – Pastor Benson  For all men (Teens and up)  

Every society down through time has had families that impacted mankind and influenced their world.  Some were a positive influence, and some were a negative influence.  We are all in a family, and we are all a vital part of our family unit.  The Bible teaches us that God has a planned purpose for the family.  Each member of the family is to be available for God’s purposes. We will look into the lives of many individuals in various family units found in scripture, learning how God used them. It is the goal of this class to inspire each of us to see how we can be used by God to influence this world for the Lord Jesus Christ.

"How Does Your Garden Grow" – Bonnie Benson  For all ladies (Teens and up)

Growing our faith—planting seeds and pulling weeds. Every day and throughout all the stages and phases of our life as women we deal with “seeds and weeds”.  Learning and applying the practical teaching of God’s word will help us become more fertile ground and enable us to have a “good crop” for the Lord.

"Sing A Song" – Kara Montanez 

A class is to provide assistance in establishing sound techniques to improve and develop their singing abilities.  This class will focus on some of the following topics:  

·       Vocal techniques

·       Take a breath!  Proper breathing techniques

·       Vocal exercises

·       How high? How low? Determining your vocal range

·       Solo, duets, trios and more

·       What song do I sing?  Choosing a special

·       Scared to sing:  Conquering your fear of singing in front of others

·       Something original:  Writing your own song lyrics inspired by the Bible

Genesis Chapters 1 - 11 – Rob Hanover

A Bible study about Genesis 1 - 11.  Study what the Bible teaches about “in the beginning”. The flood, dinosaurs, the age of the earth and other related topics.  We also are going to study what evolution teaches about those same topics and how they differ.  This class will strengthen your belief in scripture as well as helping you to dispute the false teaching of evolution.

Christian Ethics – Nate Howard

This class will consider the Bible precepts of morality which relate to a Christian's way of life in this world.  Foundational topics will be explored and some major moral issues will be examined in the light of scripture.  Our objectives will be to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ in our lives and enable us to better fulfill the commands of I Peter 3:15-17.

Integrity! It's Character!

Integrity! Read Character!

We are told in USA Today, April 9, 1997:
"Scientists now say that a series of slits, not a giant gash, sank the Titanic. The opulent, 900-foot cruise ship sank in 1912 on its first voyage, from England to New York. Fifteen hundred people died in the worst maritime disaster of the time."

Integrity! Read Character!

We are told in USA Today, April 9, 1997:
"Scientists now say that a series of slits, not a giant gash, sank the Titanic. The opulent, 900-foot cruise ship sank in 1912 on its first voyage, from England to New York. Fifteen hundred people died in the worst maritime disaster of the time."
"The most widely held theory was that the ship hit an iceberg, which opened a huge gash in the side of the liner. But an international team of divers and scientists recently used sound waves to probe the wreckage, buried in the mud under two-and-a-half miles of water. Their discovery? The damage was surprisingly small. Instead of the huge gash, they found six relatively narrow slits across the six watertight holds."

"Small damage, invisible to most, can sink not only a great ship but a great reputation."

Are you passing the "test" of this life when it comes to your character, your integrity?
Even when we come across test questions that seem simple on the surface, we find that they’re often not as simple as we first thought. For instance, the answer to the question, "How long did the Hundred Years War last?’ seems obvious, but the answer is 116 years. When a test asks, "Which country manufactures Panama hats?" the correct answer is Equador. Here’s another: From what animal do we get cat gut? From sheep and horses of course. In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution? November. What was King George IV’s first name? Well, everyone knows it was Albert. Ah yes...many test takers are glad to be out of school...far away from trick questions like that thought up in some teacher’s lounge.

But as far as we try to get from the rigors of the academic life, we find our lives are filled with other kinds of tests. We take driver’s tests, drug tests, polygraph tests, sobriety tests, eye tests, entrance exams. People in law enforcement have to qualify on the shooting range at least four times a year, many of you have to take a test for your chosen profession. Like it or not, tests are a part of life.

But is there a test to determine whether a person is on the right track spiritually? Yes! Are you maintaining a life of integrity?

Definition of Integrity:
INTEG'RITY, n.

1.  Wholeness; entireness; unbroken state.
2. The entire, unimpaired state of any thing, particularly of the mind; moral soundness or purity; incorruptness; uprightness; honesty. Integrity comprehends the whole moral character, but has a special reference to uprightness in mutual dealings, transfers of property,and agencies for others.
3. Purity; genuine, unadulterated, unimpaired state;

Integrity...this a character trait that sure seems to be lacking these days. How is it that so many Christian people seem to do and say that which is un-Christian, un-biblical, and even downright false, and yet, do so without the least bit fear of God? It amazes me! People can lie, speak & act improperly, and do so with such ease.

I think it really must nauseate God more than we even realize, even tho we are told so in Revelation 3 when writing to the Church in Laodicea.

Our political leadership lacks integrity. Sometimes Christians lack integrity, and sadly, sometimes even Pastors lack integrity!

Strive to live your life and lead your ministry with integrity so that when you stand before God at the judgment seat of Christ you will not stand there naked and ashamed. Speak the truth, do the right thing and teach those under your leadership to do so as well.

29th Anniversary Week Services Started Right….in Prayer!

What a blessing it was for all of us to join together in prayer all through the night last evening and into the wee hours of the early morning.  It was such an encouragement for me to see so many of the FBBC folks and families go in and out of the church building all night long. Doing what? Simply spending time together in prayer as a church family! Glory to God.

I know it pleased the Lord for us to enter into His Throne Room with thanksgiving and praise. Why? Well, for each of us to sacrifice some sleep during the time when we all would normally be asleep, in order to seek His face and His direction for the Anniversary week of services.  It was our desire to intercede on behalf of not only our church family, but also praying for our many lost family, neighbors, co-workers and friends.  We are praying for us as Christians to get into a closer walk with Him, as well as the lost to come to know Christ as Saviour. 

So, continue to invite folks!  Encourage them to attend these services!  Be faithful to attend yourself! (I remember a visitor coming to church one Sunday morning and saying to me, "Pastor Benson, I was invited to church by ________. I can't find them. Where are they?"  Well, they were not in church themselves and the one they invited came expecting to see _______,  only to be disappointed that they were not there. How heartbreaking!)  We need to be faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ, not just for our own spiritual edification and growth, but also for others! May the Lord be blessed this coming week as we come together as family to hear from Him!

Thanks for blessing my heart last night! I was so encouraged!  I love you!  Thanks for loving me!  Most of all, thanks for loving our wonderful Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ!

First Bible Baptist Church getting ready to celebrate its 29th Anniversary May 5th to 12th! Come join us as we remember all the Lord has done here these past 29 years!

Noelle is growing and is more beautiful with each passing day! The Lord sure has blessed us bountifully!

Breakfast with Some of the men at FBBC

It was a joy to share a meal of home fried potatoes, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, smoked kielbasa, butter milk biscuits, orange juice and coffee!  Then we ate some spiritual food from the word of God.  Certainly a time of refreshment with some of the men of FBBC!  Thanks for coming guys!

Ministry Updates: Preview "A Stormy Blizzard and A Soft Breeze Arive Together "

Ministry Updates: Preview "A Stormy Blizzard and A Soft Breeze Arive Together "

A Stormy Blizzard and A Soft Breeze Arive Together

THE "BLIZZARD OF 2013" did it's best to keep Noelle Faith Allen from making it to the hospital to be born there but the BREEZE OF NOELLE made it just fine! Mom & Dad got stuck in their driveway and an un-plowed street but a kind and caring neighbor let them use his 4 wheel vehicle to make it through the stormy snow and sleet to get to the hospital in time

Noelle was born at 12:28 PM and weighed in at 7lbs-12 ozs and she is 20-1/2 inches long.  She is beautiful for sure and Nana and Papa are rejoicing grandparents for the fourteenth time!  THANK YOU LORD FOR BLESSING US SO MUCH!

Hocus Pocus Politicus

I just read this article written by Dr. Del Tackett and thought I would pass it along to those of you who read my "once in awhile" rantings here on this site. He sure makes sense out of all the political non-sense!

"According to their accountant, Mr. and Mrs. Asu are in trouble.

Annual income:     $25,000 (this has been declining for years)

Annual spending:   $36,000 (this has been increasing for years)

Credit card debt:  $161,000

Total debt:         $700,000 (includes all their obligations)

Mr. and Mrs. Asu aren’t employed. Their income is provided by their children who are old enough to work, but are still living at home. Child 1, with the best job, pays $20,000 per year. Child 2, with the second best job, pays $5,000. The other two work but don’t pay anything. They are the parent’s favorites.

Mr. and Mrs. Asu have max’d out numerous credit cards and all of their income goes to make the minimum payments. But, they continually find ways to obtain new cards and keep spending more. In fact, this is the delight of their lives.

Their accountant has repeatedly told them that they have to stop doing this, but Mr. and Mrs. Asu find that irritating and think he is irrational. After all, they’ve been doing this for years and it has been working out so far.

In fact, they used to make up a budget. But since they never followed it, they realized that was just a silly waste of time.

But this year the accountant told them that credit was getting tight and they may not be able to open up any more new accounts.

That got Mr. and Mrs Asu’s attention.

After an evening of pondering their situation, Mr. And Mrs. Asu decided that the problem was that there wasn't enough money coming in. So, they told their children that they were facing a “fiscal cliff” and that if they didn’t come up with a solution, things could get really, really bad for the whole family.

To solve it, they suggested Child 1 pay $1000 more.

Child 1 suggested they stop spending so much.

The parents were horrified by this and called him “stingy” and “greedy”.

The first child protested by stating that he was already paying 80% of the load.

The other children started calling him names too and chanted “Pay your fair share! Pay your fair share!” The parents joined in.

Finally, after Child 1 was shamed into silence, Mr. and Mrs. Asu smiled at him and said they wanted to be fair about it all.

The decision would be put it to a vote, fair and square.

The choices:

1. Every child would pay more; or

2. The first child would pay the whole increase.

The children's votes were counted and the first proposal got one vote and the second proposal got three.

Mr. and Mrs. Asu were delighted. They had saved the family from plunging over the cliff and were excited to get back to their normal lifestyle. 
They planned to celebrate by increasing this year's spending to $40,000.

Happy New Year ’13"
(x100,000,000)