Mark's Email - Tuesday Edition

Greetings Lifers!

Hope this is hitting your email box at a time where you’re aware of God’s bountiful blessings in life. I had the joy yesterday of sharing the gospel with a guy who’s been coming to church for a couple months and seeing him pray to receive Christ, so I am feeling pretty in awe of our God and the way He transforms a person through His grace. Be praying for our new brother in Christ that he might be rooted firmly in his new found faith and transition quickly to a life of serving His Savior.

And speaking of prayer, I mentioned this past Sunday that we are gathering as a church to pray tonight at 7:00 in the Student Worship Center. I know it’s a busy season, but with all that’s going on, aren’t we too busy NOT to pray? If you’ve never been to a prayer gathering, let me de-weird this one – we sing some songs (just like Sundays), I talk a little bit (not near as long as on Sundays :)) and then we gather in groups to pray through the areas we designate as needing prayer. You need not be seasoned in public prayer ministry – just come willing to talk to God (and hear from Him) on behalf of our church family and the work of the gospel here and around the world. In fact, if you are still trying to figure the whole prayer thing out, think of tonight as a training session as well – you can pray and hear the prayers of others.

So come on and pray with us, as just you or as a couple or as a life group (2 or 3 groups make this another gathering place for them) or however – let’s just take a night to lift our praise and thanks, our needs and our dreams to our Father in heaven.
--

Free,

Mark Saunders

Lead Pastor
Bay Life Church
1017 Kingsway Road
Brandon, Florida, 33510
813-661-3696 (w)

Veteran's Day 2011

Greeting Lifers!

I was driving back to the office today after a great lunch with a good friend when it occurred to me just how much God has blessed our country (epiphanies hit me often while I am driving). I know you know this, but ponder it anyway with me - you and I are free to live and work where we want, raise our families how we want, eat what we want where and when we want – what an incredible gift our liberty is.

Just then a commercial came on over the radio that mentioned Veterans Day, which made me think about the men and women of our armed forces who gave their lives to provide for and protect our freedom. Many of them live on to tell the story of the high price paid for our way of life – too many gave their all while defending it. That’s why I am using this week’s email to say thank you to all who have faithfully served our country in our armed forces and to the families they come from – this citizen appreciates your sacrifice. God has blessed our country through each of you - may He richly bless you and yours.

I rarely do what I am about to do, but I thought it appropriate for this email. Today I received a message from the mom/wife of a young family that just recently started attending Bay Life. I will let you read her note in a second, but you’ll note that she is here raising her baby boy while her husband is away serving as a military contractor in Afghanistan. I include her request so that we can be praying for their specific needs with their son Benjamin, but in addition I am calling us as a church to  remember in prayer all of the families in similar situations in our midst and around our community. She mentions an opportunity to support an organization - be a part of the fund raising initiative if you feel led, but know that my main concern is that families like this one get the prayer and nurture they need from God’s family (and that’s us). Thanks in advance for lifting them up – see you this weekend.

Peace,

Mark


Hey, Mark.
I've gone back and forth about emailing you. I've never been one to step out and ask for money on behalf of anything. But a lot has changed in our family the last year or so and I couldn't let this go without seeing if there was a way you and Bay Life could help.

Let me explain...
About a year and a half ago, my husband got a job as a military contractor. While we knew it was an exciting opportunity, we also knew it would be he would have to be gone most of the year. At the time, it was just Micah and I so the decision seemed easier.
Fast forward a few months. Right before he was set to deploy, we found out we were pregnant. Even though it made the deployment a little more on the sour side, we decided to continue with the original plan.
8 months later, Micah came home on a month long leave and we welcomed Mr. Benjamin on March 29th, 2011. 5 pounds, 11 ounces of perfection.
The day after he was born, we found out Ben had a secret. A nurse practitioner handed me pamphlets about Down Syndrome and my heart sunk. It's been a long road of grief and research since then. His diagnosis didn't change the way we loved our son, but we couldn't deny the fact that things were going to be different.
Our little dude is amazing. We really couldn't imagine life without him and we're so excited about seeing what God does in and through him as he grows and matures. He already charms the hearts of people everywhere we go!
Ben's first birthday is in a few months and we've decided to open a donation page in his name. All proceeds will go to the National Down Syndrome Society in support of those, like Ben, with Designer Genes. We'll keep it open until March 29th, 2012 and our goal is to see how much we can raise between now and then. Last month was theoretically Down Syndrome Awareness Month, but why not be aware all the time. :)

Here's the link - - http://ndss.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=470145&supid=344294949
Micah is back in Afghanistan now and will be home for Christmas this year. Ben and I have been in this area for a couple months and we're really enjoying Bay Life! So, thank you for what you're doing around here.

There's a lot more to our story if you're interested in reading it on my blog. amber-webb.blogspot.com

Thanks! Looking forward to Sunday!
-Amber Webb

Are we doing this?

Greetings Lifers,

Those were the words I used to close our services last week as we confirmed together from God’s word what we stand for as a church. If you weren’t with us, I reintroduced our church’s mission, which is as follows:
Our mission is to surrender to God as He makes disciples through us, here and around the world.

We talked some about what surrender looks like and how part of our surrender lies in us making ourselves not just available to God, but intentional with God in seeing others start/grow up in their faith. I was so pleased to hear reports from our Front Yard Fall Festivals that took place at various Lifer homes on Monday night. Hundreds of families got to hear about our church from those participating, and I am praying that all who who now carry the little flashlights we handed out will find themselves in our midst this weekend. A simple thing, handing out flashlights and letting people know about Bay Life. But it all goes into us accomplishing our mission of making disciples here in our community.

I heard a story recently from our 5th grade Sunday class, a huge “Yay God” as we see Him work through our faithful service to Him. Read and see what Miss Vicki and her team got to see God do in their midst... 

October 16, 2011 was a great day. Our 5th grade class has been studying the Old Testament peoples and events to answer the question “Why did Jesus have to come”? They saw the fall of man through Adam, the calling forth of a people and race through Abraham, Joseph saving them from famine and Moses rescuing them from Egypt. We went through the 40 yrs. in the wilderness, the Ten Commandments, Elijah, and then 800 yrs. later Jesus comes. We worked on building up to the big day that salvation would come to mankind. The penalty of our sins would be dealt with by the Son of God. Sunday was the BIG DAY. Finally, He came, chose His disciples, taught them, and established the new covenant by going to the cross. 

We talked about His sacrifice, his agony, and the extraordinary events that happened that wonderful day. He rose from the dead and salvation was complete with his resurrection and the sending of the Holy Spirit

I grabbed a dollar bill, held it up high and said “Whoever comes up here and takes this dollar can have it. They all just looked at me. I repeated the phrase. After a bit, two boys came at me and jumped and one of them took the dollar. I looked at him and said, “put it in your pocket and make it yours.’ I said to the class, it was mine to give to whoever wanted it, but this boy reached out and took it. Now it’s his. The rest of you just looked at me. They said, “but it was too easy, we thought you would call us greedy or something.”

I said “a lot of people say that faith alone is too easy when accepting what Jesus did.”

“You have to take His payment as your own. Make it yours, make him your Lord. YOU have to take it. No one else can take salvation for you, it’s your choice.”

One of the boys in the front row looked at me and said, “Can we do it now?”

Now this is the part that I love. My mind raced, I glanced around the room. Every eye was looking at me. Should I leave this to small group time or just go with it? In about a nanosecond I said “Sure, lets all bow are heads. If this is the first time you REALLY understood about what Jesus did for you on the cross that day, and if you want to take His offer of salvation and make it yours, then you need to grab it. If you want Him as YOUR savior and you receive what He did for you, in your place, then raise your hand.”

The room was so thick with the presence of God. Hands, arms raised as high as they could go and it took our breath away. My mouth fell open, I looked at Ken, he was frozen, I glanced at Susan her mouth was open. I could barely breathe. 17 hands had lifted. 17. All I could do was whisper “thank you Jesus.”

Stories like these happen because faithful people like you make yourselves available to be used of God. May God keep us mindful of and applied to our mission as we serve Him as a church. See you Sunday – bring a friend.

Peace,

Mark