Alive!

About 30 years, 8 months, and 5 days ago I was ALIVE for the first time. I came kicking and screaming (as most newborns do). My parents gave birth to a boy named Beau Alan Ballard in Temple, TX at King's Daughter Hospital. I also became a younger brother to Bradley Wayne Ballard (hope my brother does not mind me telling his full name) for the first and only time in my life! I was born into a heritage that dates back many years. My father's family had a heritage. My mother's family had a heritage. Not only did I have parents, but I had grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. Also, about 3 years later, for the first and only time I had a younger sister (Crystal Nicole Ballard). As I learned about these families, I learned that there is a legacy; a rich environment in which I am a part of. It does not revolve around me, but I contribute to this legacy and heritage.

As I grow and become a dashing and charming young man, I contribute to this legacy. Not only was I born into this heritage, I contribute to it again by marrying a stunning woman named Erica Anne Thomas. We are joined for life and we contribute as a couple and add Elijah, then Sadie. They are our children. They become ALIVE for the first time when they are born.

I again became ALIVE for the first time 15 years and about 11 months ago. I was "born of water and of Spirit" - John 3. I was born into a family that had a long lasting heritage that dated back many years. I have brothers and sisters, but only one Father. There is a legacy with this family. This family cries and laughs together. We smile and frown together. We explore and sit together. We eat and fast together. We drink and thirst together. We work and play together. When this family hurts, I hurt. This family does not revolve around me, but I contribute to this legacy and heritage. All this is possible because one man, who is the Son in this family, surrendered and became obedient to His Father. I don't deserve a place in this family, but my Father desires for me to be a part of this family. He holds me just as I hold Elijah and Sadie and loves me. He scolds me when I need a redirection. His Spirit counsels me when I need guidance. His love is never ending! All this is a rich heritage to which I am a part of.

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us ALIVE with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. - Ephesians 2:5

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Genesis 2 for Friday, July 8

Psalm 119:11

Tonight we spoke about the power that words have in your life. Words can either build us up or tear us down. Our communication is mostly made up of verbal words that we express to others. We hear words in songs, pray words to God, read words in a book, listen to words from our parents, sing words in worship, and the list could go on and on. James speaks about our words and sometimes words of praise and words of cursing come out of the same mouth. And for Christians that is not acceptable to God. We need to monitor the words we hear and the words we say, for it is the foundation of our communication.

What words did you hear tonight? Was it the words on the radio? Were they words from your parents telling you to clean your room? Were they words spoken in hatred toward another? Were they words that were offered up to God in prayer? Or were they words that you were reading in a book? Post at the bottom what you heard.......then say if it built you up or tore you down.

BB

Whatever you do, whether in word or in deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ
Colossians 3:16

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Last Chapter of Matthew for Thursday, May 12. Matthew 28

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Matthew 27 for Wednesday, May 11

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Matthew 26 for Tuesday

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Matthew 25 for Monday, May 10th

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Sunday, May 9
Matthew 24
Happy Mama's Day!!

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Matthew 23 for Saturday

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Matthew 22 for Friday

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Matthew 21 for Thursday for Cinco de Mayo.

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Matthew 20 for Wednesday, May 4. Sorry been off track due to Senior Day.

BB

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Matthew 19 for Monday

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Matthew 18 for Easter Sunday!!
Hoppy Beaster everyone!! (that's what Sadie says)

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Matthew 17 for Saturday

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Matthew 16 for Good Friday

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Matthew 15 for Thursday

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What comes after 13? 14 right, that would mean Matthew 14 for Wednesday.

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Matthew 13 for Tuesday

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Matthew 12 for Monday

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Matthew 11 for Sunday, April 17

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Matthew 10 for Saturday

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Matthew 9 for Friday

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Matthew 8 for Thursday

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MATTHEW 7 FOR WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13

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Matthew 6 for Tuesday, April 12

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Matthew 5 for Monday

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Matthew 4 for Sunday, April 10

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Matthew 2 for Friday, April 8th

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We are starting 20 for 20 reading/quiet time. Although it won't actually be the original 20 minutes for 20 days. It will more be like 20 for ????, because it will go longer than 20 days. But we are going to begin in Matthew 1. So Thursday night (7th of April) read Matthew 1. We will try to do a chapter a day. i'm ALL in BB

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John 19

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John 18

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John 17

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John 16 for Monday night

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We have 2 chapters for tonight: John 14 and 15

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John 13

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John 12

I hope everyone is keeping up with their daily reading. After day 10 it gets really hard to stick to our agreement, so try really hard to keep up with it.

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John 11

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John 10

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John 9 tonight at 8 pm

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John 8

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I forgot to post for Sunday's reading of John 7.

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John 7

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J. o. h. n. 6.

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It's John 5 tonight.

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John 4 tonight at 8:30 pm since we have BC.

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John 3 tonight at 8 pm

If you want to comment on the blog, click on the 0 comments link at the bottom. It should pull up a window that will let you leave a comment.

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Leave comments or questions for John 2 by clicking on comments below.

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At Soul Link, one of the speakers gave us a challenge. The challenge is to take 20 minutes of your day to read and pray and do it for 20 continuous days. It is to be 15 reading and 5 prayer minutes. Our youth group is going to take on this challenge and spend 20 minutes at 8:00 pm each night for 20 days. We are going to begin in John 1 and read the entire first chapter tonight (Feb 27) at 8 pm. Everyone read at 8 pm. We are all doing it together. Remember to at least read it twice, then spend the rest of the time in prayer. The duration of the time should last 20 minutes. The word of God is powerful and if we take this challenge serious, we could greatly grow from this challenge. TAKE THIS CHALLENGE SERIOUS!! God takes covenants very serious. Then after you read chapter 1, if you have any comments you would like to add look at the bottom of this post and make a comment, either on blogspot or facebook.

i'm ALL in,

BB

But you can't expect the church to change the whole world....

I came across this video and it hit me hard. Watch it and let me know what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrMLlZqPT50&feature=related

Don't read this part until you watch the video.....

My hair on the back of my neck began to stand up a little and I got a little perturbed at this man's view of our church (and maybe yours did too). Now I know it this is a clip from an old movie (some of you may know what it's from), but I know several people today who have this same view. And I bet some of you know people in your school or job who have this view. The view is that in the world there are thousands, millions of hurting people and what is God's church doing about it? We gather together once or twice a week and sing songs, pray, collect money, listen to a sermon, discuss the Bible, eat of a cracker, drink a little juice/wine, talk to our friends, and what purpose does it serve? What do we do about it? It's almost as if we are in training, but we never go out and perform. For example a police officer, they train for serveral weeks and learn the laws, but do they sit in the police station after their training all the time? Or do they go out and fight crime and write tickets?

The statement that hit me hard in the clip, was when the guy sitting on the right said "you can't expect that the church can change things over night, can you?" It hits me hard in two ways: 1. How many times have we used an excuse like this? You can't expect for me to talk with him/her and change their life, do you? You don't expect that we can change those rough neighborhoods of Waco, do you? You are really saying that God can't do something or that he is powerless. 2. When we say this, it is focused on ourself and not focused on God. We are saying that the church is making the change. It is saying that the people who call themselves Christians are the driving force. COMPLETELY WRONG!! It's God doing the change!!

I have been guilty of thinking this way, and it limits God power to work in this world. If God can part the Red Sea or cure people of cancer, then surely he can change the hearts of people. Let us be known by what we DO, rather than what we DON'T DO.

i'm ALL in,
BB

Youth Announcements

This message is for everyone in the RCC youth group: We have a lot of stuff that will be coming up and changing over the next few months. So here goes:

- Beginning next Wednesday night (Jan. 19th) we will not meet at the church building for class. Instead, the JH will meet at the Hectors and the HS will meet at our house. There will be, however, a van that will go to each house from the church building at 6:45 pm if you need a ride. Now don't worry we will not be stoned or dismembered from our church if we do not meet at the church building, you can relax. We will still be talking about Jesus and God and all that other stuff. We are beginning a new study over the book Do Hard Things. Books will be distributed beginning this Wednesday. And begin to read the book, it's a good read! But this Wednesday we will have combined classes in the fhall. Parents if you would like to donate $5 per book to help reduce the costs of the book, it would appreciated.

- Those of you signed up to go to Soul Link, you need to pay $40 by January 30. (Remember to use your money in your accounts)

- Also on January 30 is our Chili and Dessert Cookoff with an Auction that is Silent. If you plan to be going on this summer's mission trips, it would be wise to be involved with this cookoff, it helps support the trip. There are a number of tasks to be done:
5 youth judges to taste the chili
5 youth judges to taste the dessert
4 youth people to help make a advertisement for the cookoff
6-8 youth people to help prepare the church building on Sunday afternoon
4-5 youth people to serve chili and fill drinks
3-4 adults to supervise the teens so they don't throw chili on the walls and call it creative art.

- On February 18-19, we are going to take a trip to Abilene to watch Sing Song. If you are interested in going, look for the sign up and info sheet on the Family Matters board.

- (youth member, maybe Bailey) Hey Beau!
- (Beau) What's crackin?
- You mentioned mission trips in the earlier announcement. What are we doing for our mission trips in the summer?
- Well we are going on a trip that will have a mission! That's why we call them mission trips.
- No what I mean is where are we going? What will we be doing? That kind of stuff.
- Oh you want to know specifics? Why didn't you just ask that? The HS is going to Tuba City, AZ and serving the Navajo Indians on June 5-11.
- The Navajo?
- Yeah, you know like the Native American tribe. But you don't want to call them Navajo. You want to call them Dine'.
- Why that?
- I'm not going to tell you right now. Sign up to go on the trip, then you will learn all kind of stuff about their culture and you will get to experience it as well. And the JH is going to go to Foster's Children Home in Stephenville and serve the families on August 7-11.
So be looking for info brochures coming out in the next few weeks about these trips.

That's it for now. i'm ALL in!

BB