F. S. B. C. N E W S L E T T E R
Phone: (918) 455-2118 | E-mail: [email protected] | Web: www.florencestreetbaptist.org.
Senior Pastor: Dwight West
Music Minister: Sam Patton
 Pastor’s Pen
When hard times come, we easily get
discouraged. But behind the clouds God
is still present, and can even use them to
water our souls with unexpected blessings. Longfellow wrote, “Be still, sad
heart, and cease repining; behind the
clouds is the sun, still shining.”
As God’s people wandered in the wilderness, He declared, “Behold, I come to
you in the thick cloud” (Exodus 19:9).
Each of us experiences dark clouds in
life – something slight, but sometimes
dark and frightening. Whatever clouds
you face today, ask the Lord Jesus, the
Light of the world, to help you look behind the cloud to see His glory and His
plans for you.
Associate Pastor: Matt Raines
Church Secretary: Cara Raines
January 15, 2014
 Vital
Signs

January 12
Sunday School . . . . . . . . .
Morning Worship . . . . . . .
Evening Worship . . . . . . .
Mid-Week Bible Study . . . . .
137
192
101
140
We all need an example to follow.
Jesus encouraged His disciples to follow Him. You cannot go wrong if you
decide to follow Jesus this year.
*************
Dressing Down For Church
This Sunday morning, we will have a
guest speaker. Brother Al Valladares
will be with us to share the mission work
in Mexico and bring the message. He is
president of the Mexican Baptist Institute
in Reynosa, Mexico, which is just across
the border from McAllen, Texas. He
also pastors the Good Shepherd Missionary Baptist Church in Reynosa.
I encourage everyone to make a special effort to be with us this Sunday and
hear this faithful man of God.
We almost never hear anything these
days about how we should dress when
we go to church. Shorts, t-shirts, miniskirts, spaghetti strap dresses, holey
jeans, leotards; almost anything goes. I
fear we’ll soon see pajamas worn to
church, just in case the sermon is boring
and the wearer decides to take a nap.
Most preachers are running scared,
and get the shakes whenever God speaks
to them about the need for sermons on
certain topics, like proper dress.
It would do us good to read what God
says in the Holy Bible about how to
dress. God’s Word points out the difference between fallen man’s and God’s
standard for dress. A Christian woman
certainly should not dress like a harlot.
The impact of fashion designers on the
styles worn by Christian women today is
sad. Hemlines, tightness, sheerness, and
immodesty are mostly determined from
clothing designs worn by the immodest
supermodels who strut and prowl the
catwalks at fashion shows. And since
image (not godly modesty) became the
driving agenda for women, many Sunday
morning church services are often slightly sanitized versions of the world’s catwalks. The typical congregation today is
largely composed of slouchy men, immodest women and scruffy kids. [The
girls want to look like Miley and the
boys want to imitate Snoop Dog.]
If the fear of God ever falls upon us
again, our hearts and mouths will be
hushed with a godly fear and we will
begin to dress in a manner befitting an
audience with the King of kings.
We had originally planned to go to
Winter Jam on March 9th, but I recently
discovered that the 9th is a Sunday
night. So, we will have to adjust our
plans. Winter Jam is coming to OKC
on my birthday, February 1st. If we
are going to go, it will have to be on
this Saturday. We will meet very early
and make the drive to OKC to ensure
that we will be able to get seats as this
has been a problem in the past.
The cost is $10 at the door. If you
are interested in making the trip, please
let me know. It will be a great time
and we can all celebrate my birthday
together! ;)
Also, OYEAH is just around the
corner. This camp is held at Cedar
Hills and will be over Spring break.
The dates are March 20-22.
The cost is $30 for the camp and $8
for a T-Shirt. Please make plans to go
and be with us for this great time of
fellowship.
- Buddy Smith, Grace BC, Queensland, Australia
MEMORY VERSE 
“Examine yourselves, whether ye
be in the faith; prove your own
selves.”
- 2 Corinthians 13:5
Weekly Reminder
Special Music
A.M. Worship ---------------------------------------- Robin Looney
P.M. Worship ------------------------------------------- Karen Pratt
Infant Nursery
Sunday School -------------- Sherry Jobe / Niommi Harper
A.M. Worship --------- Francine Gustafson / Mamie Moore
P.M. Worship --------------- Cathy Howard / Jaci McAllister
Chapel Workers
Preschool (2-4 yrs.) ------- (Jan.) Regina & Donna Looney
Junior (5-10 yrs.) ----------------------- Matt & Tracie Carlton
Evening Chapel ------------------------ Rachel & Gloriann Day
Ushers
Trent Brown / Matt Carlton / David Day
Erik Houghton / Jonathan Stine
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Discovery
Our children’s program, Discovery, is
each Wednesday at 7PM. We also have
Bible classes for teens and for adults.
Ladies Meeting
All the ladies of FS are invited to attend
this planning meeting this Thursday at 7PM.
GROW Outreach
Each Saturday at 10:30AM. Recruit a
partner and help us reach our community.
Guest Missionary
Bro. Al Valladares, president of Mexican
Baptist Institute in Reynosa, Mexico, will be
speaking this Sunday morning.
Faith Bible Institute
Enrolling for next semester, which begins January 27th. See Jerry McAllister.
Jesus is coming again!
Get right or get left!
This coming year, to have a truly victorious faith:
* Be saturated with the Scriptures.
Remember that faith comes by hearing
from God’s Word.
* Be dedicated to the Saviour. It’s not
so much a great faith, as it is faith in a
great God.
* Be separated from sin. Unconfessed
sin is a faith killer. If it’s not working,
try repentance.
* Be activated by the Spirit. Remember, faith is belief with legs on it. Get
started today.
Kids In Church
As we continue the sermon series,
“Building Blocks of the Faith”, the
next building block will deal with
‘Church Membership: the Affiliation
of our Faith’. A believer in Christ
should become a part of a local church
and be affiliated with other believers in
a church covenant relationship. It is an
important and essential building block
in the Christian life.
It is possible to be a saved person
without going to church, but it is not
possible to be a good, growing, godly
Christian and not go to church.
This series of 7 sermons is based on
Jude 20, “But ye, beloved, building up
yourselves on your most holy faith.”
A little girl looked at her wrinkled
grandpa and asked, “Grandpa, did God
make you?”
“Yes, sweetheart; God made me a long
time ago.”
“Grandpa, did God make me too?”
“Yes, indeed, honey. God made you
just a few years ago.”
Then she observed, “God’s getting
better at it, isn’t He?”
Recipe For Child Raising
Welcome New Members
Carroll & LaDonna Crass (L)
1511 North 19th Place
B. A., OK 74012 | 355 - 1792
[ Family deacon: Leroy Richards ]
Jeff & Sonia Thompson (L / B)
7100 South Birch Avenue
B. A., OK 74011 | xxx – xxxx
They have 5 children: Paola, Salestrial,
Danielle, Alyssa and Jeff.
[Family deacon: xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Matt & Lisa Hillstrom [Baptism]
3105 West Mobile Street
B. A., OK 74011 | 812 – 9765
[Family deacon: Xxxxxxxxxxxx]
Satan is not only fighting churches; he
is also joining some. He does more harm
by sowing tares than by pulling up the
wheat. He accomplishes more by imitation than by outright opposition.
-Vance Havner
Godly Mothers
Proverbs 31:28 says, “Her children
arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.” This
pastor would have been shocked to see
his godly mother:
* Attending a cocktail party.
* Smoking a cigarette.
* Using profanity & telling smutty jokes.
* Wearing a skimpy swimsuit in public.
* Laying out of church in a backslidden
condition.
You see, my mother practiced why I
preach!
1 cup of Proverbs 22:6
2 tablespoons of Proverbs 19:13
1 dash of Proverbs 23:13
1 teaspoon of Proverbs 3:5
½ cup of Titus 2:3-7
Mix all the ingredients, add a pound of
persistence, a cup of love, and whip until right
consistency; add just a pinch of Eph. 6:4.
Which Disturbs You Most?
A soul lost and heading to hell, or a
new scratch on your car?
A sermon ten minutes too long, or a ball
game going into overtime?
Missing the worship service, or missing
a day’s work?
The church not growing, or your garden
not growing?
Your Bible un-opened, or your newspaper unread?
Your children late to Sunday School, or
late to public school?
Church work neglected, or your house
work neglected?
To miss a GROW outreach, or to miss
your favorite TV program?
Low attendance on Sunday evening, or
low attendance at your party?
[The answers will indicate your
true spiritual condition.]
On The Lite Side
One fellow told his friend, “I think I’m
gonna divorce my wife – she ain’t spoke
to me in over 2 months!”
His friend shook his head and said,
“Better think it over, buddy; women like
that are hard to find!”
People deeply in love find absolute
bliss simply being in each other’s presence. In the same way, simply being in
the presence of God in His house of worship brings us great joy. It happens as we
listen to Him speak to us in His Word;
and it happens when we pray. It happens
as we meditate on His goodness, delight
in His creation, and rejoice in the surprise of an unexpected blessing.
Some day we will be in the presence
of His Shekinah glory forever. In the
meantime, delight in His spiritual presence now and join us this Sunday as we
worship Him together.
The Bible teaches that our minds are
to be brought under the control of Christ.
The reason? How we act will be determined by how we think. If God is to
change our lives, He must first change
our minds.
The human mind cannot be a vacuum.
It will be filled either with good or evil. It
will be filled either with Christ or with
carnality. What will make the difference?
It depends on us, and on what we allow
to enter our minds.
We are not to be conformed to this
world in the way we think. The world by
its advertisements, its conversation, and
its philosophy is engaged in gigantic
brainwashing.
Compare the amount of time you
spend reading your Bible and praying to
the time you spend watching TV and
surfing the internet. Is God getting His
share of your time and attention?
Is the world shaping your mind, or is
the Lord Jesus?
Both optimists and pessimists contribute to society. The optimist invents the
airplane and the pessimist invents the
parachute.
The great tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer, but unoffered prayer.
Faith enables us to walk fearlessly, to
run confidently, and to live victoriously.
The Power of Prayer
Have you ever wondered how a bird
sleeps on a branch without falling? The
secret is in the tendons in its legs. They
are constructed such that when the leg is
bent at the knee the claws contract and
grip like a steel trap. The claws refuse to
let go as long as the legs are bent, as they
are when it is sleeping. When it straightens its legs when awake, it can let go.
How true of us, too. It is only when
we bend our knees in prayer that we become anchored, so much so that our lives
are like a steel trap, never letting go of
God and falling. If you want to get a
better grip on life, then try bending your
knees in prayer more.
In the Bible, Christians are called
“children of light and children of the
day” (1 Thess. 5:5), because it pleased
God to share His mysteries and secrets
with us. We are no longer in the dark –
we know where we came from, we know
why we are here, and we know where we
are going. In the midst of a world living
in spiritual darkness, walk as a child of
the light!
Two conflicting forces cannot exist in
one human heart. When doubt reigns,
faith cannot abide. When hate rules, love
is crowded out. When selfishness rules,
there love cannot dwell. When worry is
present, trust cannot crowd its way in.
In the same way, God will not share
His rightful place in your life with anything or anyone less that Himself. Is
anything crowding God your of your
heart today? Don’t give first place to
anything less than Christ, but “commit
your way to the Lord.”