tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63455605207874878492012-02-16T03:38:26.375-06:00Come visit First Baptist Church of Turner, 701 S. 55th St., Kansas City, KS and experience XL4JC (Xtreme Life 4 Jesus Christ)! Xtreme Kidz (K - 6th grade), Xtreme Teenz (7th -12th grade), Xtreme Life for Adultz, each Thursday 5:30-8:00 p.m. Sunday School for all ages at 9:00 am, followed by worship at 10:00, each Sunday. Church office 913-287-7756. contact pastor Steve at revrun.steve@gmail.com. First Baptist Church of Turner website: www.FBCTurner.comSteve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.comBlogger621100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-82406063416244441992010-05-17T12:41:00.000-05:002010-05-17T12:41:39.681-05:00

Once upon a time there was a man who wanted to see Niagara Falls. He lived back when people didn't travel much and most travel was done on horseback or on foot. He had heard how beautiful the falls were, so he started out on a long journey to see for himself. He travelled for several days and as he got closer – less than a day’s journey away – he began to hear a faint roar off in the distance.

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-27329854250594931422010-03-10T14:41:00.000-06:002010-03-10T14:41:07.538-06:00

When I was 5 years old, on a warm summer night, at a little Baptist church in Bonner Springs, KS, I was saved. Later at the age of 9 I was baptized. Many of you have a similar story about a time in your life when you were saved; that’s the term we use, isn’t it? We got “saved”. The big Christian word is “salvation”. The problem for a lot of us, is that we’ve used that word so much – we’ve

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-26675420284859295282010-02-08T14:49:00.003-06:002010-02-08T22:06:14.477-06:00

I just started reading a book called "The Atonement: Its Meaning and Significance." It’s written by Leon Morris. For us Christians the word “atonement” has to do with us being made right with God through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. In this book, Morris says that the cross “is the difference between EVERY other religion and Christianity.” For instance, we’ve got to remember that the

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-89982860350379297542010-02-06T18:49:00.002-06:002010-02-06T19:28:03.813-06:00

Just want to let you know, it’s good to be back on Kansas City soil! We made our way home from Rapid City, South Dakota, by way of Whiting, Iowa (a little town south of Souix City).As Laurie and I waited to be towed out of a snow bank on I-29, James and Sandy and Mom made their way to Whiting and waited at Goodtime Charlie’s Ice Cream Parlor, Hot coffee, cinnamon rolls --– they were well taken

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-88206543957340945232010-01-13T15:33:00.002-06:002010-01-13T15:55:06.071-06:00

There’s a story about a guy who tries to get a job with a logging crew. He asked the foreman for a job. The foreman said, "That depends, let's see how well you can chop down this tree." The guy stepped forward and in a short time had the tree cut down. The foreman told him, “You can start Monday!" The guy went to work; Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday went by...Thursday afternoon came and the

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-33234284126458391222009-12-22T13:29:00.002-06:002009-12-22T14:10:38.962-06:00

"For we are Gods's masterpiece. He has created us to be outsiders. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." Ephesians 2:10 Peter writes in I Peter 4:10, "God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another."Do you have ALL your Christmas shopping done? Maybe you even started! Did

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-34292315053989738152009-12-20T16:53:00.002-06:002009-12-20T17:28:18.205-06:00

"What can we bring to the Lord? What kind of offerings should we give him? Should we bow before God with offerings of yearling calves? Should we offer him thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for our sins? No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy,

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-51793708809778573472009-11-10T15:37:00.002-06:002009-11-10T16:44:45.523-06:00

Let me start by offering you some statistics that are relevant to our day to dayliving. Statistics that reflect what’s going on in the United States – a nation that claims to be a Christian nation. Did you know that in the United States,according to Forest Institute of Professional Psychology in Springfield, Missouri, 50% percent of first marriages, 67% of second marriages, and 74% of third

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-32447876318609207972009-10-27T11:58:00.003-05:002009-10-27T12:25:21.975-05:00

"This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News. God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy Scriptures. The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line, and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-84137877535689519572009-10-22T21:18:00.002-05:002009-10-22T22:06:16.187-05:00

Scripture: Romans 1:3-4; Ezekiel 37:1-10I want to talk a little bit about breathing. Breathing is a good thing, isn't it? Take a deep breath. Don't forget to let it out! Breathing is a good thing. It's a sign of life. If we're breathing - we're alive. If we're not breathing - we're dead. Or, we'll be dead soon! That's why, us human beings, when we go somewhere where there's a lack of oxygen, we

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-16017172798586954242009-10-18T22:35:00.002-05:002009-10-18T23:21:30.597-05:00

i was 9 years old when neil armstrong walked on the moon. according to the history books - between 1969 and 1972 - 12 men walked on the moon. we've seen pictures of men walking on the moon. we've heard recordings of men's voices from the moon. several hundred pounds of moon rocks is given as evidence that men were on the moon.and yet, if we took a survey of 100 people, 23-25 of them would say

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-19299149229364135702009-10-15T15:20:00.002-05:002009-10-15T15:49:18.800-05:00

one of my favorite scripture passages is chapter 2 of the book of luke. i love to hear it in the old king james version, "and it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from caesar augustus that all the world should be taxed....and joseph also went up from galilee, out of the city of nazareth, into judaea, unto the city of david, which is called bethlehem; (because he was of the

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-61482031384765700852009-10-01T11:09:00.002-05:002009-10-01T11:26:17.149-05:00

there’s a picture somewhere of me as a little baby, sitting on my dad’s knee. you look at the picture and my dad is holding me like he’s not real sure what to do with me. there’s been a lot of those times throughout my life when he wasn’t real sure what to do with me! but in this picture, you can tell he’s a new dad. you can see the pride on his face. he’s holding me like i’m a fragile, precious

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-24357537925602288512009-09-14T09:21:00.003-05:002009-09-14T10:01:07.168-05:00

i was talking with a friend the other day. we were having an honest discussion about jesus christ, who he was, who he is, is it really a big deal that he came to earth and did what he did. like I said, it was an honest discussion. my friend's point was this; he had a hard time relating to jesus, especially the idea that jesus understood what he was going through - or that jesus had really faced

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-1946167190902801602009-09-09T10:32:00.002-05:002009-09-09T11:04:52.082-05:00

two disciples – cleopas and one who's name isn't mentioned. they're walking down the road towards a little town called emmaus. emmaus was located about seven miles northwest of jerusalem. some say that the unknown disciple may have been luke himself - others believe that the cleopas mentioned here may be the one called clopas in john 19:25, where he's mentioned as the husband of a woman named

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-87987385912959250802009-08-27T20:16:00.003-05:002009-09-01T10:36:54.249-05:00

a young farm boy accidentally overturned his wagon load of corn. a neighbor heard the noise and all the commotion. he said, "hey bob, leave it there. come on in and eat dinner, then i'll help you get the wagon back up along with your pile of corn." bob, said, "that sounds nice, but I don't think pa would like that." the neighbor said, "what are you talking about, come on and have some dinner!"

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-72732868912674669102009-08-10T10:34:00.002-05:002009-08-10T11:47:00.358-05:00

caleb was tired -- tired all the way down into his bones. most of us have probably never been as tired as caleb. everyday, he was up at sunrise and worked until sunset for his master, simeon. simeon was a kind man; almost six years before, simeon had brought caleb and his family into his household. he had covered all of caleb's debt. he had given his family a house, and had faithfully made sure

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-82063059790879493562009-08-04T11:21:00.002-05:002009-08-04T12:24:50.911-05:00

just so you know, the book of romans is paul's longest and deepest letter and a lot of bible scholars consider it to be his most important letter. martin luther said, "this [letter] is...the very purest [good news], and is worthy not only that every christian should know it word for word, by heart, but occupy [themselves] with it everyday, as the bread for the soul." john calvin said, "if we

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-34813343535078908202009-07-21T11:02:00.002-05:002009-07-21T11:27:59.452-05:00

a little boy was sitting on the curb beside his lawn mower. he looked kind of sad. the local baptist preacher came along riding a bicycle. he noticed the boy looked discouraged so he thought he'd try to help. the preacher said, "hello there! how'd you like to trade your lawn mower for this bicycle?" the little boy said, "sure, mister." a few days later, the preacher saw the boy on the street. he

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-61289985353259980612009-07-13T10:13:00.003-05:002009-07-13T11:54:31.900-05:00

the lord gave this message to jonah son of ammitai: "get up and go to the great city of ninevah. announce my judgment against it because i have seen how wicked it's people are." but jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the lord. he went down to the port of joppa, where he found a ship leaving for tarshish. he bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-52344680993002050092009-07-03T12:41:00.003-05:002009-07-03T13:19:23.928-05:00

if you grew up in sunday school, you might remember this little song; "the b-i-b-l-e, yes that's the book for me, i stand alone on the word of god, the b-i-b-l-e." joshua 1:8 says, "study this book of instruction continually. meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do." pretty cool words - don't you think

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-40112195016880651282009-06-16T11:46:00.003-05:002009-06-16T12:26:09.819-05:00

(abbreviated sermon from flag day, 06-14-09. scripture: isaiah 62:10-12; I peter 2:9-12; II chronicles 7:14)as the legend goes, it was george washington and two other members of the continental congress who asked betsy ross to sew the first american flag. it was sometime in the late spring of 1776. betsy ross was a young widow in her early 20's when she designed that first flag with thirteen

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-76863410290240068552009-06-16T09:56:00.004-05:002009-06-16T12:26:23.548-05:00

(abbreviated sermon from graduation sunday, 06-07-09)i heard a story about a professor who was teaching his class about priorities. he took a one gallon, wide-mouthed jar - and set it on his desk in front of the class. he took about a dozen fist-sized rocks and put them in the jar one at a time. he asked the class if the jar was full - they all agreed that it was. then he pulled out a bucket of

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-61019395572563353842009-06-01T11:58:00.003-05:002009-06-01T12:15:28.138-05:00

brennan manning in his book, "the signature of jesus," writes, “we have made it too easy to be a christian.” he continues by saying, “christianity used to be risky business; it is no longer.” we look around and see churches that are dying and powerless, buildings with the pews sparsely sprinkled with defeated christians practicing a dead religion - refusing a vital, real relationship with jesus -

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-27330962973541810002009-05-18T10:57:00.005-05:002009-05-18T11:10:52.701-05:00

'for the love of christ urges us on, because we are convinced that christ has died for all...so that those who live might might live no longer for themselves, but for christ who died and was raised for them. from now on...we regard no one from a human point of view, even though we once knew christ from a human point of view...if anyone is in christ, there is a new creation, everything old has

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-56361063588218882009-04-21T07:31:00.002-05:002009-04-21T07:47:49.908-05:00

it's early morning. the sun is shining. the day is crips and clear. i've just read a passage in the book of job - it's an interesting book. i've heard it said that job is probably one of the oldest books in the bible, written somewhere between 2000 and 1800 b.c. - a loooong time ago! job was a guy who had everything - then lost everything. thiings really couldn't have gotten much worse. his wife

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-27917405990926771962009-04-12T16:57:00.002-05:002009-04-12T17:04:23.821-05:00

7:30 am...praise and song and dance...our youth leading a full house in worship, followed by breakfast afterwords. today we sang the words, "because he lives, i can face tomorrow! it really struck me this ressurection season - that's what easter is really about - being able to face tomorrow. i'm glad that i know who holds my future. all i have to do is remember that because he lives, i don't have

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-61761105283313415872009-04-10T22:26:00.002-05:002009-04-10T22:45:14.967-05:00

there's a passage in the bible that i really like. it's a passage we hear a lot at funerals - especially at the graveside committal service. it says, "....let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. we will not all die, but we will be transformed!" it goes on to say that "those who have died will be raised...and we who are living will also be transformed." that's pretty cool stuff, isn't it? i had

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-6290166147526166892009-04-09T14:55:00.003-05:002009-04-09T15:11:13.211-05:00

hard to believe, huh? it happened today. i get under pressure and overwhelmed and before you know it, i'm acting really childish - then after it's all over - i feel really sheepish. there's a really good passage in I Corinthians 13. this is the chapter where paul talks about what love is and what love isn't. you know - "love is patient, love is kind, love is not jealous or boastful or proud or

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-34200201677531438662009-04-08T09:48:00.005-05:002009-04-08T11:39:04.437-05:00

sometimes, if it wasn't for mapquest, i'd never get where i'm going. i'd really like to get one of those gps doo-dads. it's amazing, with mapquest or gps, i can hop in my car and head off down the road to someplace i've never been before and end up where i'm supposed to be. when you think about - that's the way life is. it's not necessarily about knowing where we're going - it's about having the

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-20265716594390556262009-04-07T15:50:00.004-05:002009-04-07T16:15:34.038-05:00

ever had one of those weeks when it feels like you're getting your butt kicked from several directions at the same time? this has been one of those weeks for me - and it's only tuesday! honestly - sometimes i mess up and deserve some of what i get - sometimes - i've done everything right - but i get kicked around anyway. but - most of the time, it's this weird mix of both - that's just the way

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-88067499999016782602009-03-11T14:25:00.002-05:002009-03-11T14:42:50.756-05:00

I've been thinking about that little saying we use to help us remember to set our clocks, either forward or back - depending on what time of year it is. You know what I'm talking about - SPRING Forward - FALL back. It helps us remember to set our clocks an hour ahead in the spring and set them back an hour in the fall. Think about that phrase. Consider what it would mean for us to "spring forward

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-87151929615987281362009-03-05T12:48:00.002-06:002009-03-05T12:57:52.645-06:00

I remember one of my first cars. I was 17 or 18 years old (just a few years ago)! I bought a 1964 Oldsmobile. It was a 2 door Cutlass - lots of chrome - bucket seats. It had a nice shiny paint job. I was really proud of that car. I worked hard at keeping it clean. I'd wax it and keep it all shiny. I put dual racing mirrors on it - racing emblems in the windows - a nice chrome extension on the

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-72711823387071970052009-02-23T11:23:00.003-06:002009-02-23T11:53:00.785-06:00

Anybody like a good mystery? My wife reads mystery novels. I’m usually not a mystery reader, but I did stumble across a good msytery writer. Her name is Donis Casey. In her novels, the main character, is Alafair Tucker. The setting is early 1900's in the state of Oklahoma. Alafair's husband, Shaw Tucker is a farmer. They have 10 kids - I won’t name them all! In Donis Casey’s mystery novels - she

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-20747985175112803732009-02-10T13:07:00.002-06:002009-02-10T13:49:31.304-06:00

Genesis 16:1-15, New Living Translation"Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had not been able to bear children for him. But she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, “The Lord has prevented me from having children. Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her.” And Abram agreed with Sarai’s proposal. So Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian servant and

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-72908712354698635522008-12-09T10:50:00.003-06:002008-12-09T11:16:41.042-06:00

I want you to think about some of the concerns that you're facing from day to day. What's some of things you worry about? What are some of your concerns? We ALL have those things in our lives that we're concerned about - don't we? That's the reality of life, isn't it - even as Christians - we face sickness and sadness - financial problems - family problems - marital problems - it's not hard to

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-42095776415923878672008-11-05T10:54:00.003-06:002008-11-05T11:15:17.581-06:00

I want to begin this blog by first thanking the congregation at FBCT for the great Pastor's Appreciation Dinner, as well as all the cards and gifts. Laurie and I are truly overwhelmed with your expressions of love and appreciation. Know that we are thankful to be a part of the Turner Baptist family and a part of the exciting things that are happening in our church, in our community, and in our

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-16795464385135412292008-09-11T21:07:00.003-05:002008-09-11T21:42:29.825-05:00

In his autobiography Will Campbell, tells the story of P. D. East, a newspaper editor who had rejected Christianity. He grew up in church, but in later years he turned his back on the Christian faith. Will Campbell wrote that P. D. East referred to the Church as “the Easter Chicken.” Each time he saw Will, he’d say, “What’s the state of the Easter chicken, Preacher Will?” Will Campbell was pretty

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-48376191131583545992008-08-28T09:45:00.004-05:002008-08-28T10:05:04.651-05:00

Once upon a time there was a little girl named Goldilocks. You all know how the story goes - She  went for a walk in the forest. Pretty soon, she came to a house. She knocked and when no one answered, she walked right in. At the table in the kitchen there were three bowls of porridge. She tasted the porridge in the first bowl, but it was too hot. She tasted the porridge in the second bowl, but

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-13558859985144411652008-07-22T07:54:00.002-05:002008-07-22T08:21:23.401-05:00

Last Sunday I passed out paper clips. Everybody got one. Then I told the story of Kyle MacDonald. On July 14, 2005, Kyle MacDonald traded a red paper clip for a fish-shaped pen. Then - that same day he traded the pen for a doorknob. A couple of weeks later, he traded the doorknob for a Coleman camp stove. Later that year he traded the campstove for a generator. In November he traded the generator

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-70236238377798249832008-06-16T10:38:00.003-05:002008-06-16T10:43:34.202-05:00

May was Mental Health Month. During the month of May, congregations all over the Kansas City Metro Area participated in Sabbaths of Hope. Sabbaths of Hope is about faith communities responding to depression. Our Sabbath of Hope at First baptist Church of Turner was Sunday, May 18th. Did you know that each year more than 18 million Americans suffer from clinical depression? According to RAND

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-18729857919328553032008-04-22T11:32:00.002-05:002008-04-22T11:57:02.156-05:00

If you had to pick on a scale from 1 to 10, 1 being not happy at all, and 10 being totally delirious, HOW HAPPY ARE YOU? In my previous post I talked about living OVER the circumstances. Too may Christians live too much of their lives UNDER the circumstances. It's time to consider the possibility that REAL HAPPINESS comes from learning to live OVER the circumstances. There's a song from the '60's

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-71028026495217524712008-04-01T13:06:00.002-05:002008-04-01T13:31:37.222-05:00

What if I told you that today, you can begin your journey towards REAL happiness? I'm not talking about just being happy - I'm talking about being REALLY, REALLY happy - not giddy or goofy - but a DEEP, PEACEFUL, CONTENTED, happiness. Do you believe that kind of happiness is available? And - if you do - are you willing to do what needs to be done to experience it? Let me ask you another question

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-4532287552810439842008-03-03T15:57:00.003-06:002008-03-03T16:32:35.956-06:00

Remember "Superman: The Movie?" Remember the first time in the movie when Clark Kent becomes Superman and reveals his power? Lois Lane is hanging from this cable that's dangling high above the Dailey Planet building - she's screaming at the top of her lungs (which is understandable) - she can't hold on any longer - She let's go -and just as she begins to fall, Clark Kent heads for the phone

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-29334492073586377242008-02-12T10:35:00.000-06:002008-02-12T13:08:33.081-06:00

Wow!!! I'm having a hard time believing that it's been over a month since I last blogged; but, I'm checking my sermons here - and I have four in the pile - so...it's time to catch up again! In my last blog, we began the year introducing the PowerChurch - a church - empowered by the Holy Spirit to do the work of Jesus Christ. Really, we're asking the question, "What did Jesus intend the church to

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-53433939661149607292008-01-15T11:27:00.000-06:002008-01-15T11:57:23.205-06:00

Here it is the 15th of January already! I've gotten a little bit behind in my blogging. We began the year here at Turner by starting a study of the first few chapters of Acts. The series is called PowerChurch! Really - a better name for "The Acts of the Apostles" (of course, who am I to criticize) - anyway - a better name might be "The Acts of the Church," because the book of Acts really is the

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-73935623364508018852007-12-17T11:03:00.000-06:002007-12-17T12:06:17.688-06:00

You know with the Hew Year coming up, there's going to be a lot of people starting their New Year's resolutions. For instance, it's a proven fact that health club memberships drastically increase every January - did you know that? Every January, exercise rooms get crowded. But by March, membership dwindles and most of the newcomers have quit coming. I went to amazon.com the other day. I wanted to

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-55064899159006022742007-12-10T11:05:00.000-06:002007-12-10T11:35:53.783-06:00

There's a story about a farmer down south, sitting on the front porch of his house on a hot day in July, smoking his corncob pipe. A stranger comes along and asks the farmer, "How's your cotton?" The farmer says, "Ain't got none. Didn't plant none. 'fraid of the boll weevil." The stranger asked, "Well - then how's your corn?" The farmer said, "Didn't plant none. 'Fraid of drought." The stranger

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-75858784133954975912007-12-10T09:50:00.000-06:002007-12-10T10:44:30.869-06:00

Here's the challenge...consider the story of Moses (chapters 3 and 4 of Exodus)...standing on holy ground...the angel of God appearing to him "in flames of fire blazing out of the middle of a bush." Verse 4 tells us that "God saw that Moses stopped and looked" and "God called to him from out of the bush." Take time to stop and look...listen for the voice of God calling to you.... Let's look at

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-50009257147443273602007-11-20T10:41:00.000-06:002007-11-20T13:57:51.709-06:00

A church somewhere thought they'd be of help to the community and put this message on their church sign. That's quite an offer - don't you think? It kind of reminds me of the Sunday School teacher who was having trouble one Sunday morning - the class was in an uproar - the kids were loud and unruly - She finally got totally exasperated and shouted, "WOULD YOU SHUT-UP AND LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-79351132389664230372007-11-14T10:55:00.000-06:002007-11-14T13:02:03.320-06:00

Ever feel like your back's against the wall? There's no way out? Over the next several weeks, we're going to be taking a look at some of the giants that show up in our lives - the giant of negativity...the giant of fear...self-centeredness...low self-esteem...disappointment...At First Baptist Church of Turner, using weekly clips from the movie "Facing the Giants," my hope is that we can begin to

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-61341982148314082252007-11-06T10:42:00.000-06:002007-11-06T11:22:10.065-06:00

Isaiah 43:18-19, in the New Revised Standard Version, says, "Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a NEW thing; NOW it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." The New Living Translation says it this way, "...forget all that - it's nothing compared to what I'm going to do, for I am about to

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-58752589088229019662007-10-30T11:46:00.000-05:002007-10-30T13:30:53.218-05:00

Nehemiah 2:17-20, "then I said to them, 'You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we may no longer suffer disgrace.' I told them that the hand of my God had been gracious upon me, and also the words that the king had spoken to me. Then they said, 'Let us start building!' So they committed themselves to

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-64721563084301128812007-10-22T09:16:00.000-05:002007-10-22T11:42:01.655-05:00

Last week, we took a look at what it means to enlarge our tent. We looked at that passage in Isaiah, chapter 54, verses 2-4, "Clear lots of ground...make your tents large....use plenty of rope....drive the tent pegs deep....don't be afraid...don't hold back..." My goal with this series is to stimulate the congregation's thinking - to trigger the congregation's thought processes - in the words of

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-52791723024702347062007-10-16T08:58:00.000-05:002007-10-16T09:53:05.116-05:00

Last week, at church, we finished our last message in our series titled "God Has a Plan - You Have Place" (see previous blog postings). This week we began a new series - which, in many ways, is a continuation of the previous series. Our plan is to spend the next few weeks learning to think a little bigger - a little bolder - learning to dream a little more and expect a little more from God. We

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-58246256238767474242007-10-08T13:26:00.000-05:002007-10-08T13:57:42.635-05:00

When I was in the Navy, I spent about four years on a dock landing ship. It's mission was to get close to shore and let the marines out in boats so that they could land on the beach - kind of like you've seen in the movies. You've probably heard marines say that they're always the first ones in. When trouble breaks out - when we need protection - the marines will tell you that they're always the

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-34631674746497178242007-10-02T08:58:00.000-05:002007-10-02T11:05:48.638-05:00

Galatians 1:15 tells us we are set apart - we're called - God is pleased and will reveal Jesus to us, so that we can proclaim Jesus Christ to others. At least that's my version of it - Paul says this is what God did for him and I believe God does the same for each of us. Even more exciting is what Paul tells us in Romans and I Corinthians about gifts. We can see in these scriptures that God

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-21118004672006531712007-09-24T09:09:00.000-05:002007-09-24T10:16:46.987-05:00

In Galatians 1:11-12, the Apostle Paul writes to the church in Galatia. In the Contemporary English Version (CEV), he says it this way, "My friends, I want you to know that no one made up the message I preach. It wasn't given or taught to me by some mere human. My message came directly from Jesus Christ when he appeared to me." Or as the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)says, "...the gospel...

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-3167696588098155332007-09-17T08:29:00.000-05:002007-09-17T09:14:42.943-05:00

So -- God has a plan and you have a place....That's a good thing to know, but how do you discover God's plan for your life? I don't want to leave you hanging with the "what if..." I want to help move you to the "what next..." If God has a plan - if you have a place, then "what next...." My hope - my goal - is to give you every opportunity to grow deeper in your relationship with Jesus - to help

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-4721172607397481462007-08-30T19:51:00.000-05:002007-08-30T20:22:42.661-05:00

The BIG question. What if.....I remember when I was a kid, we used to play this game. A guy would be asked to name five girls - or a girl would be asked to name five guys. Then we'd name five things we'd like to be when we grew up - and five kinds of cars - and five cities - and five kinds of houses - and five numbers...And then, through the process of elimination, we'd end up with one of

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-49713283964204203392007-08-02T11:06:00.001-05:002007-08-02T11:06:53.173-05:00

In uncertain times, I'm learning that God is in control --- that through it all, God will make way, even when there seems to be no way...

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6345560520787487849.post-88812735215911717072007-07-14T11:09:00.001-05:002007-07-14T11:09:44.720-05:00

Steve Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226680094964682994noreply@blogger.com0