1. religion and spirituality
2. christianity

THE HEARTBEAT
April 2015
Nampa First Southern Baptist Church
Coming up @ NFSBC:
Contact Us
Office Phone Hours
9 am – 2 pm M-F
208.466.0682
April
Good Friday Service
03
6:30 pm Join us for this special
service and celebrating of the
Lord’s Supper.
Pastor Shaun Matako
Senior Pastor
April
208.697.0058
05
[email protected]
Pastor Jerry Van Buren
Easter Sunday
April
Seniors Social
07
See article inside
208.463.4887
April
Ladies Breakfast
Pastor Randy Jackson
18
Senior Ministries
208.466.4402
[email protected]
Pastor Butch Schierman
Worship Ministries
[email protected]
Student Ministries
208. 514.5962
[email protected]
Shawna Strasburg
Ministry Assistant &
Children’s Ministries
208.284.0870
[email protected]
Rich Mathews
Deacon / Care Ministries
(208) 463-9323
[email protected]
Joyce Jones
Finance Ministries
208.466.0682
April 1 @ 5:30 PM
We will be having a Fellowship Dinner followed by a time
of family worship. We will be asking for a donation of $3
per person or $10 per household. If you would like to
volunteer for setting up, serving or clean up, please contact the church office @ 466.0682.
SEE YOU @ DINNER!
The ladies will be meeting at their
regular time for breakfast, fellowship and prayer @ 10:00
April
The Lord’s Supper
26
We will gather around the table
of the Lord during our evening
service .
April 1 - Burritos w/ Beans and Rice, salad and dessert
April 8 - Spaghetti, Bread, salad and dessert
April 15 - Pulled Pork, salad and dessert
April 22 - Potato/hamburger Casserole,
salad and dessert
April 29 - Pork Tacos, salad and dessert
First-Time visitors eat for free!
RSVP to church office @ 466.0682
Meetings this Month:
07—Church Council @ 6:30 pm
14—Missions Team @ 6:30 pm1
21—Deacons Team @ 6:30 pm
28—Christian Ed @ 6:30 pm
April 2015
By Dr. Shaun M. Matako
“Disciple”
dəˈsīpəl/ <noun>
a follower or student of Jesus who accepts His teachings both in word and in lifestyle
Are You A Disciple of Christ?
This is a question that all of us really have to ask ourselves and
only we and God really know the truth. It saddens me to contemplate how many people come to church on Easter Sunday or any
other Sunday for that matter and really think that they are a
“follower of Christ.” I mean, that is what we are called to do. To be
a follower of Christ.
Jesus, in Mark chapter two was walking along the Sea of Galilee
and saw Simon and Andrew fishing when He said to them, “follow
Me.” Now, if that’s all that Jesus said, the brothers would be under
no compulsion to do anything but to just show up where Jesus
was and watch Him do the things He did. But, that is NOT all
Jesus said. He said, “follow Me….and I will make you fishers of
men.”
Jesus said they would continue to be fishermen but instead of
catching fish, they would catch men. When we make the decision
to “follow Him” we make a decision to become a follower or disciple of Christ. That means that through the process of regeneration
by the Holy Spirit of God we surrender our character and motive in
whatever noble profession we are already in to become what God
has predestined us to become. From that point forward we begin
to surrender ourselves, our desires and our dreams of what we
want out of and for life and begin to follow after and work towards
those things that God wants for ourselves and for others. We call
this Kingdom living.
Actually what Jesus said was, “Seek first the Kingdom of God
and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto
you.“ Matt 6:33.
If you are seeking God’s Kingdom, then you are in fact a disciple
of Christ. That means that you are intentional and deliberate in
your:
1. Worship: first, you attend, then you give Him your full attention in worship through singing, giving, listening and learning.
2. Prayer: you pray seeking to discern the will of God for your
life, selflessly putting your own desires beneath what God wants
for you.
3. Bible study: you read His Word daily seeking to hear instruction, learning of sin to both avoid and confess, and also promises
that you can trust in.
4. Service: you look for ways you can give to God from tithing to
working in life-giving ministry that is selfless.
5. Soul-winning: you have a desire to see others come to Christ
and look for opportunities to ask them to “Follow Him”.
This is what it means to “follow Him”. If you cannot or will not deny
yourself, take up your cross and follow Him, then clearly you are
not a disciple and have not experienced the “New Birth”. That
means that today you are in need of salvation which God offers
freely to you by His grace. Right now you can receive it by faith, if
you will determine to repent from your way of thinking, and become a follower of Christ. The choice is yours. I beg you to
choose Jesus and follow Him.
The day is coming when God in Heaven will once again make the
declaration, “It is finished.” In that moment, in the twinkling of an
eye, the wheat and tares will be sorted, the sheep and goats will
be separated. Those that follow Him will go with Him because they
are the sheep that hear His voice and He knows them. The Bible
clearly teaches that if you are not a disciple of His He will in fact
say…..”I never knew you.” You have today, you have time, you
better be sure.
Pastor Shaun
By Pastor Jerry Van Buren
that had been filled by
the person who died. Do
what you have to do to
survive
On Tuesday, April 7 at 10:00AM we will be taking the
van and going on our annual trip to the Chocolate facStep-stone 5: Searching
tory in Weiser, Idaho for lunch and your favorite
for meaning. Even we as
chocolate or ice-cream treat. Join us we are going to
Christians may naturally
have a great time. For the musicians
question
the
in the crowd- there is Pickers Parameaning
and
dise. For the non-musicians, you will
Senior Social purpose of life.
be free to wander around the streets
How could God let this happen? The death
April 7,
of this charming small town which
calls for you to confront your own spiritualiprovides lots of local color.
ty. You may doubt your faith and have spirStepstones of “Understanding the six
needs of mourning*”
Chocolate
Factory in Weiser
Step-stone 1: Accept the reality of
the death. Knowing it in your head
needs to get into the heart. Too
many in our society do not want to acknowledge the
death of a loved one. Funerals and Memorials are for
the purpose of helping us accept the reality of the
death of a loved one.
Step-stone 2: Let yourself feel the pain of the loss.
Do not avoid it, repress it or deny it. And in the process, nurture yourself physical, mentally and spiritually.
Step-stone 3: Remembering the person who died.
Some suggestions might include talking out or writing
out favorite memories; Giving yourself permission to
keep some special keepsake of “linking objects;” Display photos of the person who died. In our music
room, at Judy’s suggestion, is a photo of my wife Sharon. It is significant to have it in the music room
where we spent so much time doing music. It is as if
she is looking down with approval.
Step-stone 4: Developing a new self-identity. The
way your define yourself and the way society defines
you has changed. You may need to take on new roles
itual conflicts and questions racing throughout your head and heart. This is a normal
part of the journey and so you move through
it at your own pace.
Step-stone 6: Receiving ongoing support
from others. There are three groups of others out
there. Those in neutral, who are neither, helpful, or
hurtful, and then there are those who will be hurtful
to your mourning process. i.e. Get over it! Get back
to normal! He or she is in a better place! But cultivate
those who are there to hear your story and will listen
and support you. The helpful person will appreciate
the impact of the death has had on you. They will
allow you the space you need to get thru the process
and be there when you need them.
*Source:
THE WILDERNESS OF GRIEF, Dr. Alan D.
Wolfelt, Ph. D. Companion Press, Fort Collins, Co.
Tuesdays
Bible Study 10 am @NFSBC
Thursdays
Karcher Estates Ministry 1:30 pm
3 Ways to Prevent an Attitude of Entitlement in Your Kids Andrew Linder
An attitude of entitlement poses a
It’s good for our kids to earn the things
greater threat to our children in their
they want by working to get them. That’s
future as adults than it may right now, the
called real life.
importance of curbing it right now is
Don’t expect that your kids can live in
vital. An attitude of entitlement robs a
fantasy land all their childhood by getting
person of an attitude of gratitude, servant
everything they want, and it not affect
hood, and the desire to work hard for
them when they enter the real world of
what they have.
adulthood someday. The older they get,
However, there are some things that, as
the more this point applies. As they get
parents, we can do to prevent this
older, increase their opportunities to work
attitude in our kids that the world around
hard for what they want. It’s a win-win for
them so naturally tries to instill.
both of you. Also, encourage your kids to
Here are three opportunities you can
earn money to pay for gifts they will give
intentionally give your children to help
to others. This allows them to be the
them avoid an entitlement mentality.
ones to actually give, instead of just mom
Give them opportunities to:
and dad giving for them.
1. WORK HARD for what they want
Secondly, give them opportunities to:
Who ever said that a child deserves an
2. GIVE BACK for what they’ve been
iPod, tablet, or game system, just because
given
they bear your last name? Is a parent just
Every child ought not to just expect
a Grizzly Gus for refusing to give their kids
that being a part of a family means an
whatever they want, or
automatic right to all
are they rather just exerthe benefits of a famcising good and effective
ily without any contriparenting skills by laying
bution of their own.
down some rules and
If everyone in the
limitations.
family benefits from
The next time your
food on the table,
child wants that new
clean dishes, clean
“something”, try one of
clothes, and many
the following:
other things, then it’s
1. Let them work around
not too much to exthe house for payment How to nurture and attitude of gratitude pect that everyone
(allowance) on chores
instead of an attitude of entitlement.
can contribute to
completed, etc.
cleaning off the table, washing the dishes,
2. For certain items, agree to pay for the
and folding the clothes, etc.
second half once they have earned the
As much as we love our kids, somefirst half. This still puts the ball in their
times we’re guilty to only give, give, give,
court to take initiative to get what they
and rarely expect much contribution in
want.
return for the overall good and success of
3. Encourage them to learn a trade or
the family. Helping our kids understand
develop a talent working or making sometheir responsibility to give back will be a
thing that can give them a small income.
preventative to an entitlement attitude.
Our kids have done duct tape pens and
Thirdly, give them opportunities to:
wallets as well as mowed lawns and shov3. EXPRESS THANKS for what they have
eled snow.
In addition to normal times like birthdays and Christmas, there are always
going to be people who choose to
be generous to your family and your
kids. It may be grandparents, friends, or
just acquaintances who desire to be a
blessing.
In any case, it’s very important to use
those opportunities to teach our kids to
be intentionally grateful by giving verbal
and written expressions of thanks.
Teach your kids that a handwritten
note for gifts they receive is still one of
the most effective forms of gratitude. Have them make personal phone
calls or home visits to people who have
done special things for them.
Nothing can seem less appreciated like
when someone gives of their time or
money to never hear from the person on
the receiving end of their sacrifice.
The more we teach our children to be
thankful and to express it, the less of an
entitlement attitude they will develop.
It’s not hard to spot an attitude of entitlement in a child nowadays. You can
hear it in their voice and see it on their
face from a mile away. And no one enjoys
it, not even the child who possesses it. It’s
taxing on the child, the parents, and anyone else within earshot.
But on the opposite extreme, how refreshing is it to meet a young person who
is willing to work hard, not afraid to give
back, and naturally expresses gratitude? I
think you’d agree, they’re diamonds in the
ruff.
What a blessing we can give to our kids
and the people whose paths they will
cross in their lives by nurturing into their
hearts an attitude of gratitude instead of
an attitude of entitlement. The difference
between the two is night and day. One
looks for opportunities to give while the
other seeks only what it can take.
Join us for this special service and celebrating of the Lord’s Supper.
Join us Easter Sunday!
We will keep our regular schedule with
Sunday School, Morning Worship and
Evening Worship. We will be celebrating
in believer’s baptism during the morning
worship service!
04 - Ray Smart
13 - Geneva Wadlington
05 - Sunny Thompson 17 - Shawna Strasburg
05 - Homer Tidd
23 - Kathy Hilderbrand
06 - Hunter Gamble 24 - Dylan Filan
Happy Anniversary
11 - Tyler and Sunny Thompson
30 - Dave and Shawna Strasburg
The women’s prayer breakfast is Saturday,
April 18th, at 10:00 am. All women are
encouraged to come pray and fellowship.
A NEW series………The Book of Ruth is a book of relationships, none
more important than our relationship with God. In this series of messages, Pastor
Shaun will unpack the relationship that God cultivated between Naomi, Boaz and of
course Ruth. We will see how His grace empowered each of them and how He will
empower each of us to live a life totally surrendered to Him and that both He and us
will be very pleased with the results of that life.
[email protected]
Pastor Shaun’s TEACHING @ NFSBC
On Sunday Evenings we will be celebrating heading back to the
beginning with an verse by verse teaching from GENESIS. Our
worship features the “Good Old Boys” and the classics from the
past.
On Wednesday Nights following dinner, we are working through
a verse by verse study in the book of Mark enjoyed with a time
of family style worship with some of todays best Christian music selections.
417 Almond Street
Nampa, ID 83686
“Developing a Heart for God, A Heart for Others and a Heart for Serving”