Normandale Baptist Church

The resource website from Normandale Baptist Church, Fort Worth, TX

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Missions|Africa

Here is an update from the Shelton's serving in Africa:

Hey Everyone!!

So we have been here 2 weeks already, I can’t believe it! Things have been going pretty good- we are adjusting well, but still have soooo much to learn! So far the only MAJOR mishap we have had is…I (April) blew out our printer because i plugged it into a 220 volt. socket….uh oh is right! I thought i was plugging it into a converter…but it wasn’t. opps. But, I am not the only missionary to do that, so hopefully we can get it fixed! ha

But anyways….some of you have been wondering about packages and things we could receive here, and we appreciate that! I know that we have sent our address to everyone before, but we didn’t include a list and many people were asking specifics about what they should send. So I thought I would send a mass email with the list I have come up thus far.

*Side note: Unfortunately, sending packages to us is expensive, i will go ahead and tell you that, because the only way to guarantee delivery is through International Express Mail. So, if you feel the Lord leading you to send a package, maybe getting together with your sunday school class or a few families/friends to help the cost of shipping would be the best way!!

Ok..here is the list

Coffee- you can’t get good coffee over here :( Both decaf and caffeinated are good. No special brand, folgers is good, Starbucks is good. It may be lighter to send in a bag rather than a can. Just a thought. Koolaid/Gatorade/crystal light- anything in powder form is good. Tea bags- For Anthony’s Sweet iced tea :) Chocolate Chips Instant oatmeal packets- original/regular flavor Seasoning packets- chili mix, spaghetti packets (!!!), alfredo packages—anything in the seasoning realm… Conditioner for my hair- we can get shampoo here, but no conditioner. I do not have a preference for brand name, i don’t care really Benadryl spray- for itches Zip lock bags- any and all sizes (we brought some with us, so that is not a huge request. We are rewashing them) Beef bouillon for cooking Candy- Anthony loves starburst, twizzlers Candles- cinnamon flavor smell Cream of tarter- for baking Maybelline Pure Stay Powder Foundation (30 Nude)

This is all i can think of at the moment- If you have questions please ask, I have tried to start this list ever since i got here just to see as we live life here what I would need and this is what I have come up with.

Thanks Everyone~!!

In Christ, Anthony and April

If you would like to send a package as a life group or as individuals, contact the church office for the Shelton's address.

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Update from Carissa, one of our missionaries serving in Europe

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Missions|Europe

Here is another post from the team in Europe:

I am writing today at 5:30 before some of us head out for the night.  Today has been a pretty "easy" day so far.  7 of us in the city started with breakfast and heading out from the hotel at 8:30. While paul and john mark were driving in from Skopje (2 hours away). This morning we painted 2 rooms in a house. As far as physical work goes, it was pretty easy. But our group had a good time interacting each other...good team bonding. We wrapped up the work by 3:30 and headed for the hotel. The girls showered and are now at the town center, they will meet some locals tonight and go to a couple of their houses. The rest of us are getting ready for our home visits tonight.  So it has been a good day. Tomorrow we paint at 2 houses, pass out fliers for a seminar we are having in the town center tomorrow night at 8:00, then talk with the nationals.

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Missions|Europe

This is a post from Brent Lightsey about the mission team in Europe:

Today was a very good day! Many of us woke up early (like 4:30-5:30 AM), which is pretty typical of traveling to Europe through the night and being 7 hours ahead of ur normal schedule, but we laid in bed, fought through it, and eventually ate breakfast at 8. Afterwards, we walked to the community center where the mission team is based for our orientation about the city, the people, the culture, and their religious beliefs, as well as to go over our schedule.

We then went up on a mountain (hill) over looking the city and had a very cool time of prayer for the city. There are 70,000 people living here and there are not enough believers to have one evangelical house church. They have been trying for 4 years to plant a church here and still don't have enough nationals to get a house church off the ground. There are 2 small weekly bible studies that meet (like 6 people or less), but it is heartbreaking to see how little fellowship (community) a follower of Christ has in this country and how much we take our body of believers for granted.

After that time of prayer we went into an orthodox church (the common Christian church here), which was interesting. There is not much time now to describe it all, but it did remind us how these people feel that they can not have a personal relationship with God because they are not worthy (which we would agree with) but they must go through a priest and saint where as we have access to God through Jesus because of his work on the cross.

Then we had a great lunch and took a break around 2:30, during which we went to the hotel and most got an hour nap. At 4:30 we headed back out for coffee (drinks) with different people who have a connection with the missionaries through language classes, bible studies, and just relationships. Then we followed that up with an 8pm mixer where our purpose was to intentionally talk with people and try to have spiritual conversations. I had 2 very long conversations with 2 guys and it was very cool. At the end I was tired, but it was a good night. Both guys I talked with were not evangelical believers but I did learn a lot more about what the eastern orthodox church believes and how that plays into them not having a personal relationship with Christ.

After that was over, I went with our 4 younger members and about 10 locals and rode some bumper cars and then got pizza. Then we headed back to the hotel. We get to sleep in a little tomorrow, breakfast is at 9am. I am going to post pics to Facebook and then go to bed...or maybe shower. Keep praying for us...thanks and good night!

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Missions|India

Here is a letter written by Taylor, a college guy from Normandale, as he leaves for India this week: ​ Hello, this summer God has provided me with the opportunity to travel to Southeast Asia on a medical mission trip. I and three other pre-med students will be going for ten weeks. We will spend six weeks shadowing doctors in a Christian hospital, where we will help continue the ministry that has already begun there. The following four weeks will be spent in villages evangelizing. We are leaving in late May and will return in early August. This is an opportunity that I really feel God leading me towards and I am incredibly excited to see how he works while we are there. A few things you as a church could pray for are: ​-That God would be present and work in people’s lives (including our own) while we are there ​-Continued Christ centered unity among our team that is going ​-That we will be encouragement to the national believers that are there (there are very few) ​-This is many of our teams first time to shadow doctors so we are not exactly sure what it will look like ​-Boldness in the gospel of Christ Thank you so much for your prayers! ​TM

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Normandale Futbol League in action!

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The Bible Alone?

When I was in middle school, we did a group activity in Sunday school about being stranded on a desert island. The question was, “If you had to be stranded there for the rest of your life, what 10 items would you want to have with you?” Basically it was an exercise to boil our material lives down to the bare minimum in order to see what is the most important to us. A few slots were filled with living necessities like a fishing pole, matches, or some kind of shelter. Then it got interesting. A few people wanted to bring their TV or their cell phone or their laptop. A dog? Photographs? Bubble gum?

The one thing we all had in common should be no surprise. This was Sunday school, after all.

The Bible.

Every single one of us wanted our Bible to be with us on that desert island. Even the people that routinely left their Bible in the Sunday school classroom during the week because the next time they would need it would be next Sunday morning. But the Bible was the right answer. Of course it was the right answer. I remember a sermon illustration where the pastor offered a man $100 if he would promise to never read the Bible again. The man refused. What about $1,000? Still no. What about $1,000,000? The answer didn’t change. That was the right answer, too. Of course the Bible—and being able to read it—is beyond price. No one could offer me enough money to get me to give up reading my Bible forever!

Then what would it take for me to read my Bible today? Well, that’s a different question. We all agree on the benefits of reading the Bible: wisdom, instruction, guidance, comfort, peace, insight, and truth. But why is it that I need more motivation to read it? Why is it that I can’t seem to “find time” for something that I’ve confessed to be so vital to my life?

Perhaps it’s because I’m not on a desert island with only nine other belongings vying for my time and attention. In my real life other things press for precedence. Work, sleep, grocery shopping, TV, Facebook, time with my spouse, time with my friends, cleaning the house, phone calls to family members, visits to the dentist—the list goes on and on. I’ve filled my desert island with stuff and piled it so high that I’m too busy, too distracted, too occupied to ever open it and focus on it. I live out my hypocrisy on a daily basis; I say that my Bible is important to me, but the way I live doesn’t show it.

Just like a lot of things that are worthwhile, like getting an education or getting in shape, reading the Bible takes commitment. There are times that are fun and enjoyable, times that are hard and strenuous, and times that are—well—boring. But the benefits are priceless! I need to be committed to reading my Bible, and my commitment has to be lived one day at a time. Every day I must choose to keep the Bible important by actually reading it.

Have you read your Bible today? If not, you know where it is. Go for it!

Have struggled with wanting to read your Bible? Pray! Ask God to give you a thirst for His word. That’s the kind of prayer He loves to answer!

Psalm 19:9-10 “…the ordinances [words] of the Lord are reliable and altogether righteous. They are more desirable than gold—than an abundance of pure gold; and sweeter than honey, which comes from the honeycomb.”

Tina Floyd

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Passing on the Faith to our Children

 In Deuteronomy 6 God commands his chosen people to love him with all their heart, soul, and might (6:5).  In other words God is saying, “Give to me your everything!  Give me all of your love, all of your faith, all of your passion, and all of your strength!”  God teaches them how to go about this- to keep his words, his truths, and his commands on their hearts (6:6).  This is followed by the most amazing blessing and challenge commanded to parents- to teach these truths to their children (6:7).

 The most important role of a parent is to pass on their faith in the Lord to their children!  There is nothing that comes close to this.  Successes in this world are great but we are talking about eternity here!  We are talking about teaching our kids what true life is and whom they are to live for, the Lord Jesus Christ!  Ultimately it is God who softens the heart and saves our children so we must be constantly in prayer.  However the Lord has given parents a command to teach their children about him and he tells us how to go about this (6:7).

 We are to have a burning passion for God and we are to share this all day long!  Deuteronomy 6:7 says to ‘teach [his commands] diligently to your children’ and then the verse explains when we should do this.  If we put it into our modern context this verse is commanding us to teach our kids about God when we are sitting on the couch, when we are driving them to practice or to school, at bedtime, and when they wake up (6:7).  In other words, all of the time!  God’s Word is to be ever before them (6:8-9)!  Because at the end of their life when they stand before the Lord their relationship with Jesus will be what matters most, nothing else comes close.

Thankfully God is with us throughout the process of parenting and is the One who leads our children to faith in Him and transforms them.  However, God calls parents to be faithful to him in the passing on of the faith to their children.  What a great blessing and challenge.  We should all have a healthy fear of the Lord knowing only he can save us.  We should also have a passion for the Lord who loves us, died for us, and saved us for eternity!  When we share God’s Word with our children this reverence, passion, and love should shine through!  When you are at a loss for how to love and teach your kids just think about how Jesus loves and teaches you.  Patiently guide your children and pray for them at all times, especially in the rough seasons.  Honor our great God by keeping his command to lovingly and diligently pass on the faith to your children.  Remember you are not alone.  Your church family is here to partner with you in this passing on of the faith.  For there is nothing more important.  Nothing comes close.     

David Zablocki

Children’s Minister [email protected]