I still can remember the time I asked Christ into my heart and everything in my life changed.  I can still picture the moment it happened, the place, and the time.  It is something I will never forget, nor should I.  The question is as we get older and time moves on, do we still feel the spirit of God living in us?  Are we still living for Him and still remember the importance of that moment we were saved by God’s grace?  A lot of Christians, once they are saved fall away like the journey is over, but this is only the beginning.  Christian artists Big Daddy Weave have a song called “Jesus Move” and one of the lyrics state, “Jesus we’re alive to glorify, Your name. So let Your Spirit rise among us now, as we sing, Jesus move.”  We need to stay close to Jesus at all times to allow His Spirit to move us to do His will and work. Never let the spirit of God fall away from you.  So, do you still feel the spirit?
 
SENIOR ADULT CAR WASH
The Main Event students and adults proudly present an invitation to all senior adults to come get their car washed on May 4th in the church parking lot (weather permitting).  Our students and workers will be washing cars FREE of charge to help out our Senior Adults as a service of appreciation.  We are opening this invitation to the Mantachie community and asking our church members to be here between 8-9am that morning if possible.  Please allow us to give back to you for all you have given us.  We might be a little busy, so please be patient with us.  We will have a tent set up for you to sit back and relax as we take care of your car.  

Bro. Trent and Ms. Rebecca

Do you ever feel like you’re going the wrong way on a one way street?  I have, in fact I turned down a one way street with a van full of my students and they quickly reminded me that one way meant “the other way”.  It was very embarrassing as well as a quick reminder of how going against the grain can feel very awkward.  The question here is what if going against the flow is actually the right way?  In other words when being a Christian and doing the Lord’s will, we are faced with challenges that present themselves as though we are going against the flow of everything around us.  We want to do right, and it seems as though everyone else wants to do wrong. 

How does that make us feel? Here’s the question; do we have a tendency of giving in and just going with the flow, or are we going to stand firm and obey our God?   This scenario reminds me of the story of Nehemiah as he is
trying to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and he encounters a nemesis named Sanballat whose number one function in the life of Nehemiah was to keep him from serving God and carrying out his purpose.  Now the most fascinating thing about Nehemiah was instead of him asking God to rid the world of Sanballat or give him a disease or even sow his lips together, he simply prayed for God to strengthen his hands.  Wow!  Now that’s the way we should all learn to deal with our nemesis. 

Bro. Trent and Ms. Rebecca

I’m excited to announce that our youth yard sale was a big success.  We managed to make around $1500 for our mission trip this summer and the best part of it is……..it’s over! 

Now, saying that, when I look at yard sales I see something we can learn from.  I gave away enough clothes to furnish a small country and I don’t even notice them missing from my closet.  Have you ever stopped to consider how much clutter we accumulate in our lives?  What about how much money we spend on stuff we buy and “think” we need then hardly ever use? The truth is, yard sales really open my eyes when I begin to pull items from my closet and home and realize these are things I “felt” I needed, but then I see someone else buy them and I see something that is truly appreciated. I then realize we take things for granted way too much in life and
yet don’t realize how some people aren’t as fortunate.  I then come to one conclusion, I buy way too much stuff I don’t need or appreciate what I already have. 

I am reminded of a Bible verse that helps me to put this into perspective.  Matthew 19:21 “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.  Then come, follow me.”  The bottom line is, all we need is God.  We all are guilty of pampering ourselves with material items we don’t need, clothes we don’t wear, and equipment we never use.  Why do we do this, because it’s a worldly culture we live in.  I am the world’s worst about buying too many shoes, t-shirts, and souvenirs that only attract dust and take up space.  I really need to ask the question, what do I really need?  Again, all we need is God!   Material things will eventually fade away, but God is forever.  So take a lesson from yard sales, and don’t hold on to things you can do without, but instead hold on to the one thing you can’t live without.  
 
Bro. Trent and Ms. Rebecca

There are a lot of things that bring me great joy in my life, for example; my wife, vacations, good movies, Christian music, and a great Bible study that pulls my focus closer to God.  There is another thing that drives me by being a youth pastor and that’s having a successful youth group.  I have been here for over 7 years and with that I have seen our youth group grow and prosper in many ways.  I know not every student is going to change for the better right away, but over time the seeds we plant inside their hearts begin to grow and later on in life they blossom into what God wants them to become.  I’ve never been one to measure the success of a youth group by the amount of students we have but by the quality of students we have.  For our size church we have an average youth group size of around 35 to 40 students each week and I am thankful for each and every student who participates.  One of our unique and fun activities that we have occasionally is movie night.  We are very thankful to have a fantastic youth room with great video and sound to make our movie nights as good as going to the theatre……and a lot cheaper.  It is great to see about 30 or so students and a few parents come together on a Saturday night and enjoy a good “clean” Christian movie at the church.  The experience to me is just breath taking because it shows me they want to be there. This is just one example of many that truly make me proud to be a youth pastor.  I do ask for your prayers as my wife, youth workers, and myself continue to lead our students in direction of God.  It takes a lot of patience, love, and heart to work with teenagers and I am so glad God has blessed me with the youth group here at FBC Mantachie.  

Youth Yard Sale
Our Youth Yard Sale is set for this Saturday April 13th in the church gym in the lower parking lot.  Donations are still welcome up to the day of the event.  The yard sale is scheduled for 7am until 12pm. 
We have a large variety of items to choose from and yard sale will take place rain or shine since it will be indoors.  

Bro. Trent and Ms. Rebecca