Thanks!....and Happy New Year! We pray God has great things in store!

Wow! What a whirlwind of activity! Christmas is over and the New Year 2011 has begun.

First of all, I would like to thank all of those that were involved in the Christmas Eve service. You did a beautiful job! The kids did a super job singing under the direction of Vicki Ley. The costumes were perfect for the occasion of celebrating Christ's birth! The Christmas choir presentation with narration was beautifully done, sharing the clear gospel message, portraying why Jesus came to this earth. Hannah Compton did a fantastic job singing her solo. Tim McGee did a super job with the narration. Thanks to Jess Rollema and Rod Woodbury for covering sound. Thanks Wendy Compton, for helping with the risers...along with the rest of your family!Thanks Becci Kalfell for gluing it all together with media. Also, thanks to Pastor Jess Rollema for the Christmas message.

So, what do we have in store for FBC Worship Ministries now? We are praying that the Lord has wonderful things in store for First Baptist. Pray for us as we continue to learn new songs to praise Him, as we look for new venues to spread the gospel, but also, continue to pray for those ministries that are already in place. Please continue to pray for the team going into the Wyoming Boys' School. Also pray for the opportunities that we have had in community outreach like Praise in the Park and Celebrate Recovery this year.

Pray that the Lord will be pleased with our service. God bless you First Baptist, Worland.

Jesus is Our Prince of Peace!

Isaiah 9:6 "For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

As I sit here at my desk wrapping up my day, I am listening to a beautiful Christmas CD with a fantastic combination of classical guitar and violin. The soft tones, melodies, and harmonies bring a calm to the end of my working day. It is so peaceful in my office, alone.

However, I am not alone. The Spirit of Christ is with me. He dwells within. Christ is truly my Prince of Peace. Any discouragement, any pain, any attack by the evil one, I know I can go to Jesus Christ. He truly is Wonderful, the Counselor. He is the Mighty God! Thank you Everlasting Father! Thank you for bringing peace into my life, Oh Prince of Peace!

During this Christmas season, Dear Lord. Help us not to forget, that you are with us. Help us not to forget the reason for the season! You were born to us, you died, and rose again! What a gift! Thank you for the gift of salvation! Thank you Lord and Savior! We praise and adore you!

Blessings as we draw closer to the celebration of Christ's birth.

Come and join us for "The Saints and Angel's Song"!

It's hard to believe how quickly this year has flown by. It's Christmas time once again! You know what that means? We look forward to worshipping together, on Christmas Eve.

This year, at First Baptist, we look forward to putting on a mini-production for Christmas called, "The Saints and Angel's Song". In addition to this production, we will be blessed to see and hear our children's choir sing a couple of Christmas favorites. This then will lead up to hearing God's word of the true meaning of Christmas, following by a candle lighting with a congregational sing.

We want to invite you for this special Christmas Eve Worship Celebration on December 24, 2010 at 6:00 p.m., here at First Baptist Church of Worland, Wyoming. Come early to find good seating! God bless you and Merry Christmas!

Wow! First Baptist.....Thank you!

First of all I want to thank all of you for your special gifts yesterday. I appreciate all of you. It is my pleasure to serve the Lord in the capacity of Worship Minister for 1st Baptist Church of Worland. I was completely speechless when I was called down in front of the church to receive your appreciation along with my wife. You folks really made my day. I really couldn't do the job that I have been called to if it wasn't for the Lord. I also want to point out that my wife, Sandra, is so gracious in allowing me to serve in this way. Yes, worship ministries can take a lot of time and effort, but it is all worth it when we can all praise our Lord Jesus Christ together as one.

I would also like to thank Pastor Jess Rollema and his wife, Heather. Not only has Jess been teaching the youth as our Youth Pastor, but he has been picking up the slack in this time without a lead pastor. Keep him and his wife in your prayers.

Thank you for your encouragement, your prayers, and support as we work for Jesus Christ. He is our only hope. He is our life. He is our salvation. We look forward to continue in service with you. God bless you First Baptist Church.

Appendix Adventure and Thanks!

Wow! What a month of September and into October! What am I talking about? Who would have thought that after worship team practice, on a Thursday night in early September, I would have to go to the emergency room to get my appendix taken out? Not a very pleasant experience.

I knew that I felt really tired that day. So much so that I wasn't sure if I had the energy to conduct worship team practice. I went anyway and set up everything for the rehearsal. After prayer time with the team, I made my way home, had a late dinner...relaxed with my family for a little while and then went to bed.

At about 10:00 pm I started to have pain in the lower right abdominal area. I thought... maybe I just ate my enchilada dinner too late? At 1:00 am in the morning when I was trying to alleviate the pain by taking a hot bath...I had a feeling it wasn't the enchiladas. At about 2:00 am I found myself trying to crawl back to bed in pain. After going through the medical books with my wife...I finally had to tell her, "Take me into the hospital!"

The Worland Hospital's staff was incredible and very helpful, and by 8:00 am, Friday, I was having surgery. It was a very long process in the recovery afterward. I'm thankful to Dr. Weaver that he caught the appendix right before it burst. He told me that I was one sick boy.

So...what did God teach me this time? To be thankful to Him. To be thankful for a wonderful caring wife. To be thankful that we have loving and caring people in our church that are willing to step up when you are in need. To slow down....in my time of need.

Thanks goes out to the following: My God for being my strength and Healer. My wife and family for helping with everything until I recovered.....Roger Pomeroy for taking care of worship along with the rest of the worship team in my absence....The youth in worship ministries on Wednesdays covering for me....My boss, Steve Wake, for helping me to get coverage during my absence at the Wyoming Boys' School....all the prayers, visitations, and cards from all of the people, especially from First Baptist Church.

God bless you for all of your help, patience, and prayers. We serve a Mighty God, and I am so glad to be back.

Great Chamber Barbecue! Go Warriors!

We had a wonderful time as a family, getting out of the house, and going down to the Worland Community Complex for the annual Chamber Customer Appreciation Barbecue- 2010. This is something I look forward to each and every year! Instead of being on the grass in front of the Washakie County Courthouse this year, it was held at the WCC for the first time. There was a lot more room for Worland citizens to sit and enjoy a hot served meal by chamber members which included, juicy hot roast beef sandwiches, great hot dogs, tasty potato salad, thirst quenching Pepsi products (of course!), and sweet desserts.

As we enjoyed laughing and visiting with family and friends, and eating our meals on the sidelines of the youth football field, the athletic directors, coaches, and teachers, introduced our student athletes and band members from Worland High School. Of course, the Worland High School Marching Band played a few tunes for us too. It is always a proud moment for us parents as our Worland kids are introduced to the community. I was also thankful that the sound system was adequate for all to hear the announcements; it is usually difficult to hear when you have over half of the town present. I was also thankful that most of the little kids, including my youngest son, had plenty of room to run around and play, especially in the playground area across the street at Sander's Park.

Thanks Worland-Ten Sleep Chamber for having this event each year. I look forward to meeting and greeting our friends and family each year at this event, kicking off the new school year, including all the athletic events. Thanks for supporting our kids! Thanks for the good food! Thanks for making our community a safe place to raise kids!.....and GO WORLAND WARRIORS!

Lord, please direct the paths of our children!

Proverbs 3:6 "In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths."

This is the first day of school for our children in Worland, Wyoming, and not just my children, but the children of our community. Let us, as Christian parents, pray for the well being and direction of our kids. Let us pray that our kids will acknowledge the Lord in all that they do in worship, because we want to see the Lord direct their paths. My prayer is that they will make good godly choices in every activity in class, in sports, and in travel; before, during, and after school. My they be the "salt of the earth" before their peers!

I pray that people who see them will see a glimpse of Jesus Christ Himself by the Holy Spirit. We all know the worldly influences that are out there. I pray that our children will stand firm in their faith in Jesus Christ.

Paul writes in Philippians 1:27-28a, "Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you."

Our kids do face opposition to their faith, whether we realize it or not. My prayer is that they too will have opportunities to share their faith in Jesus Christ and invite fellow classmates to church. I also pray that our youth ministries will continue to grow, discipling our young people. I pray that God will bless Pastor Jess Rollema, his wife Heather, and the rest of the First Baptist Student Ministries Team in this new school year, 2010-2011.

Kids, have a great year at school and all the activities that are involved with it. Parents, may God give you peace as you send them off. Be actively involved in their education...remember the TRUTH has been revealed to us! It is our responsibility as Christian parents to raise our kids, not the schools.

Have a safe and blessed school year!