Please Pray for the Holt family!

Jason and Lori Holt are missionaries to Santiago, Chile. This morning, Chile experienced an 8.8 earthquake that lasted for approximately two minutes. Please read below for more information:

From Chris Gardner's Blog:

Please be praying for the Holt family. Chile just experienced an 8.8 earthquake. I just read on facebook that everyone is ok at the Holt household but they have to wait till they can see how much damage was done. Pray for the country of Chile during this time. The phone lines are down and there is no electricity. Keep everyone in your prayers during this time. We will let you know as soon as we know anything else.

Then I saw a post on facebook by Jason’s mom:

Barbara Howard Holt Jason just called me to tell me that there was a 8.5 Earthquake in Chile. He said it lasted for about 2 minutes and that he is feeling tremors. He has talked the Kenney’s and McBrayers and they are all okay. The phones are done but he has a cell phone he bought for emergencies and that is what he called me from.

Barbara Howard Holt Please pray for them. I will let you know as soon as I talk to him again. He will try to call me as soon as it gets light and he can see how much damage there is.

Here is a link to more information

Please pray for all the missionaries and the many believers there.

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Two "already 's" that should concern us most!

Look on the Fields...

John 3:18 says, "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is CONDEMNED ALREADY, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."

And John 4:35 says, "...Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white ALREADY TO HARVEST."

There are two "Already 's" that should determine how we live our lives on a daily basis!

1) There is a world that is CONDEMNED ALREADY!

Indonesia is a country made up of 17,508 islands. With a population of around 230 million people, it is the world's fourth most populous country, and has the world's largest population of muslims! Indonesia has eight major cities ranging from 5 million to 30 million in population, that have never heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

There is a world beyond our little town, our little home, and our little lives, that has never heard and that the Bible says is CONDEMNED ALREADY!

2) There are fields white ALREADY TO HARVEST!

Jesus looked on the multitudes and was moved with compassion! He said the there is a world that is dying and going to a devil's Hell because they are condemned already! But Jesus told the disciples, and us to "Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest." 

What are you doing to get the gospel message to the world? They are ready to hear! There is no better time to reap the harvest fields! It is our command, our Great Commission, and Christ said that the fields are ready to harvest. Let us be laborers in the fields! Pray for countries like Indonesia, where people are dying everyday, lost and going to Hell. Pray for China, where great servants of the Lord Jesus, like the Tolson's are going to reach them with the gospel. Pray for India, where no missionaries to going, that the Lord would send forth laborers! And pray that the Lord would speak to you about serving Him in the field of missions!

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Ashlee and Stephen's 2nd Anniversary!

I want to start by saying publicly that I love my wife dearly and I am truly blessed to have her as my help meet! I thank God daily that He made Ashlee especially for me, and had me in mind as He created her! Today, we celebrate two wonderful years as husband and wife. Though there have been trails and tough times, the Lord has shown Himself faithful to supply our need, Himself!
Ashlee and I were married February 22, 2008 while I was recruiting in Canton, GA. Our story is quite humorous, as I was going to fill out the required papers to get a concealed carry permit for my gun. We did have a date set for June 6th (D-Day) to be married, but as I finished up the papers for my gun, I turned it in and I had filled out the required papers for a marriage license!
Needless to say, I am so very grateful that I can be so absent minded, and that even the Lord has a sense of humor. Since we have been married, we have also been blessed to have a son, Peyton Joshua Underwood and he is such an amazing creation of God! So, after two wonderful years of marriage (I know, breaking the surface) and a beautiful baby boy, the Lord has given me more than I deserve! After salvation, my family is most precious to my heart and I thank God for His goodness.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY ASHLEE UNDERWOOD!!!

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The Big Three February 21, 2010

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PRAY FOR THE TOLSON'S (True Servants of the Lord Jesus Christ)

Please Pray for Our Baby and Family

This is one of the hardest posts for me to write. Today, we went to the Doctor to find out about our baby that we are expecting in 19 weeks. Because this pregnancy hasn't gone as smoothly as our first one, we were a little worried going into the appointment, especially since we had been given no new information at our last appointment. Well, we finally received some answers today.

We were able to hear the baby's heart beat and see it's profile (got a picture). We were excited! Then the ultrasound technician had to get the doctor and the doctor came in to look at the rest of the baby's body. After she was done, she took us into a different room and explained the condition of our little baby.

Our baby has what is known as "Body Stalk Anomaly." Basically, all the organs from the mid-chest down have developed outside the body and have attached themselves to the wall of the placenta. This condition makes the baby incapable of living outside the womb. The baby has a 5% percent chance of living. If the baby does make it full term it will only live for a minute or two.

With that being said, please be in prayer for the baby, my wife, and our family. The baby is currently living, and Natasha will continue to carry the baby as long as it lives. We know the Lord is in control, and we will continue as normal to see what the Lord does. If the baby passes away before it is full term then Natasha will be induced and give labor to the baby. This could happen at anytime, so we will be going to the doctor at least every other week to check up on it.

We will love this baby as long as it lives. We will tell it of it's Creator and the love He has for us. We will tell it how it could soon be meeting Him.

We are thankful that the Lord has given us this child. The LORD gives, and the LORD takes away; blessed be the name of the LORD. As the baby lives we will praise the Lord for everyday He has allowed us to have it, and once it passes on, we will continue to praise the Lord!

Thank your for your prayers and concern!

Stephen Underwood
Acts 20:24

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The Big Three for This Week

Stephen Underwood
Acts 20:24

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Snow,snow,snow!

It's amazing to think that just a little over a year ago, Peyton was born! He is now 15 months old, and such a smart boy! Yes, I am a little biased, but if you knew him, you'd agree! I hope you enjoy the pictures, and go try out the snow before it's gone!

Stephen Underwood
Acts 20:24

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Stewardship: God's Principles of Investment

Stewardship: God's Principles of Investment

Text: Matthew 6:19-24

 A Principle is a comprehensive and fundamental law or rule.
 We cannot be obedient nor can we be blessed if we refuse to obey God's Principles.

I. The Decision Principle of Investment
    A. Decide to obey ALL God's Principles
    B. Decide to obey God's Kingdom Principle of Riches (Matthew 6:19-24)
    C. Your decision is all important

II. The Giving Principle of Investment
    A. Giving and receiving can be a never ending cycle
    B. God is looking for a giving channel he can use to bless others

III. The Guaranteed Return Principle
    A. God guarantees a high yield on our investment
    B. God's guaranteed returns are measured, not by what we give, but by what we have left over.
    C. God guarantees a return on our investment according to the principle of Sowing and Reaping.

 God's investment principles run contrary to the world.
 The real joys of the Christian life are found in giving.

Stephen Underwood
Acts 20:24

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Business and Ministry, the Right Balance

http://prioritiesdecisionsandbalance.eventbrite.com

Stephen Underwood
Acts 20:24

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Prayer Letter 2/9/10

 Dear Praying Friends and Family,

God has been so good to the Underwood family these past few days! As we continue training and preparing for the field, the Lord continues to increase our faith day by day. It's so exciting to see Him work in our lives on a daily basis. I would like to share with each of you some areas to pray with us about:

1. Ashlee had a wonderful job interview today! We thank the Lord that she is having opportunities to interview. Pray with us that she will get this one, as it would allow her to continue spending time with Peyton, but also working as we prepare at the Training Center.

2. As some may already know from past prayer letters; my car has had a few issues. Saturday, as I was on bus visitation with a young man from the church, my clutch went out in my car. Thanks to Trent Cornwell, I was able to get it towed to the mechanic. It was repaired and we are now driving it again, but it cost $365 to get it fixed. Pray with us about this unexpected expense this month!

3. Continue also to pray for the Lord to reveal and confirm in our lives, His will. There are so many ministries, and opportunities to get involved that one might get caught up in so much that he loses focus of what the Lord has called him to do! My focus right now is training and learning, and I need to remain diligent it that, and not try to move too quickly!

    Thank you all for your persistent prayers and continued intercession for the Underwood's. I thank God daily for my family, health, and most of all Salvation! Please feel free to email me anytime at underwood@bcwe.org I am reminded even through trying times that the Lord is faithful! I just want to give Him all the glory!

Stephen Underwood
Acts 20:24

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Your Life is But a Vapor!

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Idol Worship

http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=d2875c97162a1c34dce0

Stephen Underwood
Acts 20:24

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Irresistible and Undeniable

    In Acts 6, we see the ordination of the first deacons. This was done so that the Apostles could be given wholly to the ministry. (Act 6:4) But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. Out of the chosen deacons; one stands out among the rest, Stephen. Even when the opposition arose, the Bible says that they could not resist the wisdom and spirit by which he spoke! In order for them to attempt to stop him from teaching and preaching, and seeing people saved, they had to make false accusations toward the godly deacon. Yet, while on trial, and being falsely accused, Stephen's face was noted as being that of an angel! I pray that I will be so full of wisdom, and that the Holy Spirit will be so evident in my life that even the opposition cannot resist or deny the power of God on my life!

Stephen Underwood
Acts 20:24

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Good Habits for Young Preachers

     After having the opportunity to preach and hear other young men preach at Vision Baptist Church last night; I was able to see some important habits to keep in mind for young preachers:

• Learn to keep within your time! Most pastors give you a certain amount of time, respect it!

• Iron your clothes! If the pulpit is not a place of high respect, then get a job that you don't have to look like a preacher!

• Polish your shoes! Wear the right socks!

• Have a point to your message! What are you trying to get across to the people? What is the aim?

• Be a voice for the text! Preach the text not find a text to say what you want to say.

• In a five minute message:

1. Have One point!

2. There are 300 seconds in 5 minutes!

3. Adapt what you are going to preach to that time, and keep your Bible reading minimal.

4. Cause them to understand your text!(Neh 8:2) And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month.

5. Tell them why the text spoke to you!

• When you walk to the pulpit, leave your problems behind!

    This is not a game you can play! This is a high calling of God. You are expounding on the very word of God. People's lives and souls are at stake! Treat it as such!

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The spake the word of God with Boldness!

    In Acts chapter 4, we see Peter and John preaching and teaching to the people in Jerusalem and many believing and being saved! There were some however, the priests and the Sadducees, that were not happy about how God was working in the lives of the Jews. We then see that the Sadducees took Peter and John prisoner and brought them to trail for preaching Jesus Christ.

    When we come to verse 13 however, one thing stood out in this passage. The Bible says, "they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus." Even though they were against Peter and John, and they were persecuting them, the Sadducees could not deny the work that the Lord had done in Jerusalem through Peter and John.

    As we continue reading, we come to verse 31, and the Bible says, "And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness." I would like to point out a few things in this verse:

    1) They prayed! They prayed for the power of God on their lives, they prayed that they would have boldness to speak the word of God. Vs 29

    2) They Spoke! Even in this midst of persecution and threatening, Peter and John were not silent, but bold to preach and teach salvation through Jesus Christ!

    3) They Spoke the Word of God! It's not important what we have to say, but it's the preaching of the Bible that is our responsibility. It's the word of God that draws people to salvation!

    4) They Spoke the Word of God with Boldness! Peter and John had ever excuse to be quiet and go home. But they knew the importance of preaching the word of God! They knew that without the power of God on their lives, that it wouldn't matter! And because of this, when they had prayed, the had the boldness to preach, and people believed!

    As we live day to day, can people take knowledge of you, that you have been with Jesus? Let us have boldness as we witness, by our lives, but also by our mouths! It's not enough to just be the silent testimony, but we are commanded to tell others, they saving power of Jesus Christ! Have you been with Jesus today?!

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Prayer Letter 2/3/2010

Dear Praying Friends and Family,

    I want to start by thanking each of you each of you for your continued prayers for the Underwood's! It has been very evident in our lives, that there are many people making mention of us in prayer to the Lord! We are very excited to see the Lord working in our lives, and His mighty hand leading us daily.

    It has been one month since we made the move from Dalton to Cumming/Alpharetta in order to attend the Our Generation Training Center. Classes are going strong, services at Vision are being blessed, and our new church is growing! It is encouraging to see the Lord working right before our eyes.

    If I can ask each of you to continue lifting us up in your prayers, I would ask that you remember the following:

    1) We need to find an inexpensive/gas saving car for Ashlee. We sold hers yesterday, due to some increasing problems that would have cost us much more than the car was worth.

    2) Although the Lord has blessed me with the Pizza Delivery job; pray that I can have more hours during the evenings other than just Friday and Saturday nights. I would like to deliver on Tuesday and Wednesday evening as well.

    3) Continue praying with us about Ashlee's job. She has not started yet, and we are still praying for an opportunity a little closer to home. If she doesn't find one by next week, she will be working about 45 minutes away from the house. And gas is not cheap as you all are well aware!

    Finally, I would like to share with you how the Lord is leading in our lives. As we train and learn under Pastor Austin Gardner, my personal walk with the Lord is increasing daily. For that, I want to give God all the praise! It is so easy sometimes, to be in Bible classes, working at the church, and doing the work of the ministry, that one can easily begin to neglect their own personal life with the Lord. I pray that this will not be the case for me. In part, I hope that you will read my blogs, and that it will have an accountability driven purpose! Thank you again for your steadfast, and continuous prayer on our behalf!

Stephen, Ashlee, and Peyton

Acts 20:24

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Business and Ministry: The Right Balance

Businessmen Seminar: Priorities, Decisions and Balance?

Do you desire to serve the Lord but find that many distractions in your life shift your focus away from Him? Do you have a difficult time wanting to know God better but find that there's not much time to do so? When you're with family and friends who don't know Christ, do you find yourself distracted by their priorities?

Join us at Vision Baptist Church on Saturday, March 6th from 9AM to 1PM as we discuss the answers to some of the following questions:

• How can pastors believe that my life should revolve around God when I do not have the luxury of time that a pastor has?
• How do you keep focused on God when your life is consumed with business and worldly distractions?
• How do I keep from focusing on my needs, concerns, ambitions, and allow God to use me?
• How do I balance my time between family, friends, God, and business?
• How can I increase my ability to draw close to God and remain close to Him when I am consumed by business and work?
• How do you love God when your life is filled with unsaved family, friends, coworkers, etc?

Come hear from the personal experience of John Pearson, a businessman from our church, on how he has focused on Christ and avoided distractions. Hear what God's word says about balance from Austin Gardner     our pastor. Come with questions.

Who: Businessmen, Professionals, Career People and all others who are interested.

What: Businessmen Seminar: Priorities, Decisions & Balance Seminar with John Pearson and Austin Gardner    

When: Saturday, March 6th, 2010, 9 AM to 1 PM (Lunch to be served at noon.)

Where: Vision Baptist Church, 1125 Alpha Drive, Alpharetta, Georgia 30004 | P: | E: info@visionbaptist.com | W: www.visionbaptist.com

Why: To learn what would be a biblical answer to your questions!

We look forward to spending some time together discussing how we can keep our focus on Christ and avoid distractions in our lives. Please RSVP by Monday, March 2nd to help us adequately prepare for lunch

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Get Involved Today!

If you've ever missed an opportunity to help, Make it up NOW!

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All Things Common...

    In Acts 2:42-47, we see the characteristics of the early New Testament church. In verse 42, the Bible says, that they "continued steadfastly" in the doctrine and fellowship that the Apostles have taught them! It is much to our shame that we have left this idea of continuing in the foundation laid for the early New Testament church. How often are we guilty of adding to or taking from doctrine by our traditions and what seems to be the "popular" practice of our time?

    The early church was also one of fellowship! The Bible says that they continued steadfastly in fellowship, breaking of bread, and in prayer! They new that in order to have the power of God in their lives, that they must be a people of prayer! They fellowshipped together, they ate together, and the prayed together! We have a hard time being around each other for two hours on Sunday morning, that we neglect to come back Sunday evening! The early Christians believed together, "and had all things common."

    What happens to a church when we are all on the same page? All have the same heartbeat? And all have the same mind?! Here we see the example of the early church; they sold everything they had, and parted them to all men that had as they had need! They were genuinely concerned for one another! They also had "gladness and singleness of heart!" There is a joy in serving our Lord together, and because of their bond, and single heartbeat, "the Lord added to the church daily!" Souls were being saved and lives were being changed!

    I want to challenge each of us to continue steadfastly in sound doctrine, and fellowship one with another! Instead of striving and fighting with our brother or sister in Christ, let's share one heartbeat! A heartbeat to reach the world with the Gospel, and the Lord will bless and grow our church, and we can know real JOY!

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South Africa...

    South Africa consists of 62 different people groups that make up a total population of 50,110,000 people. Of this total population almost 10% have never heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ! There still remain five of the 62 people groups that have never heard the Gospel message in a seemingly predominantly "Christian" country!

    I would like to challenge each of you to pray this week for the country of South Africa. Pray that God would raise up laborers for the field and that there might be some that would give their lives to Go and take the Gospel to South Africa! If you are interested in learning more, or you would like to get involved in reaching South Africa; please feel free to email me at underwood@bcwe.org or Veteran Missionary Kevin Hall at kevin@hallsinafrica.com

    We are dedicated to serving the Lord Jesus Christ with our lives, and reaching the entire world in Our Generation with the Gospel of Christ! Please, if nothing else, pray for those that are willing to go! And support those that are willing to stay!

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