The summer is just zipping by and August is nearly here! Below you’ll find all the events and activities that are projected to take place out here on the prairie. Please keep these things in mind and in prayer…

Saturday, Aug. 3 – Friday, Aug. 9 = Family Camp 4 at IRBC (Pastor Dave is Program Chairman For This Camp Week)

Sunday, Aug. 4 = PFBC Associate Pastor, Tim O’Tool, Preaching at 10:15 AM

Wednesday, Aug. 7 = Summer Night of Prayer at 6 PM

Saturday, Aug. 10 – Friday, Aug. 16 = Family Camp 5 at IRBC (Pastor Tim Attending)

Monday, Aug. 12 = Women’s Prayer Group from 10 – 11 AM (Prayer Focused on VBS)

Tuesday, Aug. 13 = Men’s Prayer Group from 6:30 – 7:30 AM (Prayer Focused on VBS)

Saturday, Aug. 17 = VBS Volunteer Training Night from 6 – 7 PM

Sunday, Aug. 18 – Wednesday, Aug. 21 = VBS 2019 from 6 – 8 PM Each Night!

Friday, Aug. 23 – Saturday, Aug. 24 = Men’s Revive at IRBC

Saturday, Aug. 24 = Liz Yoder’s Bridal Shower at Cheryl Bohn’s Home at 10 AM

Sunday, Aug. 25 = Youth/Parent Fall Kick-Off Event (TBD) Leadership Team Meeting (TBD)

Wednesday, Aug. 28 = Youth Group from 6 – 8 PM

Friday, Aug. 30 = Special Youth Event (TBD)

Saturday, Aug. 31 = Indoor Church Work Day (TBD)

Prairie Flower Men, are you getting excited for this year’s Men’s Revive (formerly, Men’s Retreat) at Iowa Regular Baptist Camp? This year’s event will be done on the weekend of Aug. 23-24. A sign-up sheet for this weekend is located on the bulletin board in the church foyer. For more information, please see the letter below that I wrote as the Retreat Liaison for our State Fellowship…

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Men,

In just a few short weeks, we will all converge on the beautiful campground of Iowa Regular Baptist Camp for Men’s Revive (formerly, Men’s Retreat). Ultimately, the purpose of Men’s Revive is to give the men of the Iowa Association of Regular Baptist Churches (IARBC) an opportunity to “revive their passion for God to revitalize their local churches.” This is accomplished through much-needed time away with other brothers in Christ, solid preaching, good food, and a great camping atmosphere. Indeed, we are praying for you as this year’s event approaches. 

Men’s Revive is slotted for Friday, August 23 – Saturday, August 24. Our speaker this year is Mike Hess, the new National Representative of the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches (GARBC). He will be speaking to us on the topic of “Church Revitalization.” Mike will be tackling subjects, such as: The Word Revitalizes, Why Revitalization Matters, and The Workers of Revitalization. As many of you know, Mike is an excellent communicator and will challenge and motivate us through the Word.

Another exciting feature of this year’s Men’s Revive is the introduction of select workshops on both Friday and Saturday. Tim Capon, our IARBC State Representative, will host a workshop on Friday on the topic of evangelism. Then on Saturday, Dr. Dean Taylor (from the faculty of Faith Baptist Bible College) will host a workshop for pastors entitled, “What is a Healthy Pastor?” For our laymen, a Saturday workshop will be hosted by Pastor Stephen Moore entitled, “What is a Healthy Church Member?” These workshops are optional, but it’s our hope that many of you will plan to attend at least one of these sessions.

As this year’s Men’s Revive approaches, we hope that you’re planning to come. This year’s event is shaping up to be truly exciting. Indeed, we hope that you’ll come and perhaps motivate a few men from your church or community to come along with you. Men’s Revive will be here before you know it, and we truly hope to see many of you there!

David Cotner on Behalf of the IARBC 

Have you ever struggled to love someone that you knew you should? Maybe it is a lazy coworker, or an obnoxious sibling, or a mean boss. We read of Jesus’ command to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself. We all know that there are people who we are called to serve and to love but sometimes it seems that the expectation is that we should be doing this naturally. When we do not feel this way it is easy to ask what is wrong with me? There is something wrong with us. We are naturally programed to love those who love us and to hate those who hate us. For the Christian this should not be so.

During my high school years, I was a homeschooled student who was duel-enrolled at the public high school. This allowed me to attend any classes I wanted to as well as compete in athletics. During my time playing basketball I had a particularly hard time fitting in. I could not understand this because I was an above average athlete. I assumed this would punch my ticket to acceptance if not popularity. I was wrong. There was a particular group of boys who made it their goal to make me feel like an outsider. I can say there was no love in me for these individuals. I knew that I should be trying to reach others with the gospel but I was so concerned with what people thought of me that I completely lost sight of that.

I think many of us have people in some if not all areas of our lives that for whatever reason we find difficult to love. This is where we need to understand that love is not a feeling but an act of obedience. We are sinful people who are prone to love people who love and add benefit to us, and to treat people who don’t with indifference or even animosity.

There were days during my time in school where I realized that even though I did not have a natural love within me for particular individuals, I was called to love them anyway. How is it possible to love someone you don’t feel like loving? It is possible because we love our Savior who loved us when we were unlovely and continues to love us even when we fail Him over and over. We can act in love toward someone out of obedience to the Savior. It follows this principle, “He who has been forgiven much loves much, but he who has been forgiven little loves little.” Now it isn’t as if Jesus was saying here that some believers didn’t need as much forgiveness as others. He is saying that those who truly recognize how much they have been forgiven will truly love the way we should. I believe that when we fail to love, we fail to recognize just how bad we were and even still are.

So, what is the point of all this? The point is, we can truly act in love toward people we find unlovely. Not out of a “faking it” love, but because we truly love our Savior for what He has done for us. It is at this point He will begin to change our hearts and we will be able to truly love those who are unlovable. Who is the person in your life that you are being called to act in love toward? You really can love that person if you recognize the love that God has first shown you.

Last week, Pastor Tim and I (along with our families) had the special privilege of attending the GARBC National Conference in Des Moines. The theme of this year’s conference was entitled, “The Essence of Worship.” It was a great theme with many great messages on the what, why, and how of proper worship. I am so glad that we were able to attend this conference.

However, of all the messages last week, one hit me in a unique way. It was given by our Keynote Speaker, Mark Vroegop. His message was entitled, “The Minor Key of Worship: Learning the Grace of Lament.” I have never cried so many tears during a message.

Are you in pain? Is someone close to you walking through the Valley of the Shadow of Death? This message will immensely speak to and bless your heart. Take a listen at https://garbcconference.org/conference-news/the-minor-key-of-worship-2/.