It’s that time of year again! Is it Costume Night or Halloween Night? Is it simple fun or a demonic holiday? Should I, as a Christian, participate in Halloween or not? Watch Matt Chandler’s answer below…

Just a reminder that our Annual Election of Officers is fast approaching! All church members, who are 14 years of age or older, are kindly invited to prayerfully nominate and then vote for individuals in the following categories: Deacon, Clerk, Financial Secretary, Treasurer, and Sunday School Superintendent. Indeed, just this week, we sent out a letter to all church members, outlining this year’s nomination and election process. Here are some of the main details to be aware of…

Sunday, October 28 – Nomination of Officers Commences…Our nomination ballot box is located in the church foyer… 

Sunday, November 11 – Nomination of Officers Closes…Our Nomination and Election Committee will meet on this Sunday to contemplate the official ballot…

Monday, November 12 – Wednesday, November 21 – The Nomination and Election Committee will contact nominees to see if they’re interested in serving…These individuals must reply by the close of business (5 PM) on Wednesday, November 21…

Sunday, November 25 – We will post the official ballot of our 2019 Officer Nominees…Posting of nominees will be done on the church bulletin board and via our church app…

Sunday, December 9 – Annual Election of Officers…Election will be held by secret ballot…

All elected officers will take office on January 1, 2019. Please be in prayer concerning who you would have serve and if God is leading you to serve at Prairie Flower Baptist Church! 

I don’t know about you, but I am truly enjoying our difficult journey through the book of Ecclesiastes on Sunday mornings. And to better understand the overall flow and message of this puzzling book, this video from our friends at the Bible Project should be fairly helpful…enjoy!

The 2018 midterm elections are upon us! Yes, I know, this time of year can awaken our fleshly desires to complain, worry, and become angry, but God calls on us to simply pray “for kings and all who are in high positions” (1 Tim. 2:2a). To help you pray, below is a wonderful Prayer Guide provided by our friends at the Family Leader. Indeed, be sure to pray for these items and when the time is right (i.e. November 6th), get out there and vote!

October 11 – Zechariah 4:6, “’Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.” Pray a mighty move of the Holy Spirit across this land will bring about genuine repentance by all.

October 12 – “Lord, have mercy on our country which ‘calls evil good and good evil’ (Isaiah 5:20); raise up leaders who will not compromise with evil, but will stand on the Word of God.”

October 13 – Pray the governing authorities take their established place as a servant of God. May they govern to do good toward their citizens and to discipline the wrongdoer (Romans 13:1-5).

October 14 – As citizens of the U.S.A., give thanks for the opportunity to vote in the election process. May our votes advance God’s kingdom purposes.

October 15 – Pray for voters to have a hunger for truth, a determination to learn truth, and courage to stand for truth.

October 16 – “In the midst of political, racial, and church division, we pray God’s people will bring the message of peace in Christ Jesus, who is the Prince of Peace.”

October 17 – “May our citizens understand that our government should be rooted on biblical values with the intent to submit to God’s divine order.”

October 18 – “May the Church of Christ humble herself before God and be reconciled with each brother/sister in Christ, so that restoration can begin across any racial, economic, or political divides.”

October 19 – 1 Samuel 2:30, “Those who honor me I will honor.” Pray our elected men and women will choose to honor God and commit to live by His principles.

October 20 – “Father, we ask that you will place leaders in office who uphold the divine institutions of marriage and family” (Psalm 127:1).

October 21 – Pray elected officials are capable of discerning good from evil, and therefore able to provide a peaceable land for its citizens to live (1 Timothy 2:1-3).

October 22 – Matthew 6:13, “Lead us not into temptation.” Pray that God reveals in our hearts the tendencies we have in this volatile political process to compromise our kingdom values and seek our own political agendas.

October 23 – Pray for those Christian leaders who are in office to be a strong voice of truth and able to take up the shield of faith in defense of religious liberty.

October 24 – Pray God will work through his Body of Believers to transform culture. “Enable your servants to boldly speak the Word and perform wonders in the name of Jesus” (Acts 4:23-31).

October 25 – “Our hope is in the Lord, and as a Body of Believers we do have a responsibility to contend for the faith. May God’s people stand firm.”

October 26 – “May the people of our nation hear the Gospel message, repent, and turn to God so that times of refreshing may come from the Lord” (Acts 3:19).

October 27 – Pray the Christian voting bloc would cease complaining about the political process, and seek the Lord’s direction in how to engage in the process and be a light in the world.

October 28 – Our God is the giver of divine wisdom. Pray for present and future judges to make decisions in line with God’s decrees. Pray His Word be the standard for our judicial branch.

October 29 – “Raise up a Body of Believers, a remnant, who are brought to complete unity to let the world know of God’s love for people in Christ Jesus” (cf. John 17).

October 30 – “May racial harmony begin in the Body of Christ, so that our oneness in Jesus Christ would positively influence our communities, schools, and businesses (Philippians 2:1-3). Father, help us to hear above the political chatter, your voice of wisdom and truth.”

October 31 – Today, renew your commitment to pray for our authorities: President, Congress, Justices, Law Enforcement, Diplomats, Governors, and Mayors (1 Timothy 2:1-3).

November 1 – Pray each believer will be an equipped and informed citizen. May they research trustworthy sources of information, seek the Lord, and vote.

November 2 – Pray for protection of each candidate seeking an elected office, and pray for their families to be guarded and strengthened in the Lord.

November 3 – “Father, raise up leaders at all levels of government who value the dignity of every human life.”

November 4 – “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 3:3). Pray our country and world will hear the Gospel truth this election.

November 5 – Let us put our hope in the sovereign power of our LORD God who alone can deliver. The strength of man’s army or worldly knowledge cannot save (Psalm 33:12-19).

November 6 – In the days to follow the election, “Show respect for everyone. Love your Christian brothers and sisters. Fear God. Show respect for the king” (1 Peter 2:17). To God be the glory!

As some of you may or may not know, my younger brother, Steven (Age 20), has just joined the U.S. Army. He heads off for Basic Training at Fort Benning, Georgia in just four days. Words fail to fully explain just how proud I am of my brother. Indeed, we’ve become brothers three times over with his recent enlistment. That is to say, we are blood brothers, spiritual brothers, and now military brothers…and that type of threefold brotherhood is incredibly strong.

In fact, just last week, I spent the weekend with Steven in Nashville, Tennessee. Nashville was a good half-way point for us as he lives in Florida and I live in Iowa. We rented a cabin in the woods and spent some quality time bonding, exploring some cool sites, and (of course) I gave to him a ton of brotherly advice about life in the military. It was so good to spend some time with my brother. Indeed, I shall cherish the memories of that weekend for a long time to come.

Well, Steven, just in case I forgot to say it last weekend. Here are my top seven pieces of advice (in no particular order) as you head into the Army…

1. Anything worth doing is worth doing well. Don’t be half-hearted in any of your tasks. From mopping the floor to leading the formation, mop and lead with passion.
2. Never forget who you really are. You are not simply a United States Army Soldier; you’re a Born-Again United States Army Soldier. You belong to Jesus Christ! Never forget that.
3. Being a man is so much more than speaking loudly and lifting heavy stuff. Being a man entails things like graciousness and gentleness. Approach manhood with this balanced approach and you’ll find yourself successful both in the field and in the ballroom.
4. The day you find a young lady that makes you understand God better, marry that girl. Yes, buy a ring (a nice one), get down on one knee, and wax eloquent concerning your undying love for her. I promise you, you’ll not regret this.
5. Speaking of regret, the longer you live, the more regrets you’ll accumulate. I know there are people out there who say that you can live with no regrets (and to a point I understand what they mean), but to be a fallen human is to live with some degree of regret. Just remember, as Winston Churchill said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
6. Life in the military will take you many places. Indeed, some of those places will quite literally be “the valley of the shadow of death.” But remember, you don’t have to be overcome by fear in this valley because God Himself is always with you. So, when the darkness is very dark and the way seems difficult, cry out to Him, He’s always there.
7. I don’t care what the news reports say, we live in the absolute best country on the planet. I love being an American. I know you do as well. So, serve your country with honor. Remember to read your Bible and pray often. Volunteer to do hard things. And if need be, die like a man…die like a solider…because, in the end, this world (and even our precious American way of life) is not the end, there is eternity that awaits us.

I love you, Steven. I am so very proud of you. I’ve told you plenty of my own stories, it’s now time for you to live your own story. I can’t wait to hear of all your adventures. Stay safe. I’ll see you when I see you…