Accept the Good, Accept the Bad – That’s the Journey

The Facts of Life theme song exemplifies the journey we are on…

“You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have the facts of life, the facts of life.”

The song lyrics provide a glimpse into life, but also the journey.  You have good, you have bad, you have to find out what everything is all about.  That is the journey.  You have to show that you are growing and you understand the journey.  You have to understand the journey.

 

The journey will be fun, exciting, treacherous, hard, discouraging, pleasant, tedious, interesting, motivating, fascinating, remarkable, attractive, boring, dreary, monotonous, humdrum, and more.  The most important thing to remember is… we have HOPE that is written in 1 Thessalonians 1:3 (NASB). If we constantly keep in mind that our work of faith is a labor of love and that we can persevere in hope because of our Lord Jesus Christ who is in the presence of our God and Father we will be successful.

 

On the journey we will make mistakes, make bad decisions, make wrong turns, and just plan mess up.  But, that is okay… that is a fact of life and it is a fact of the journey.  Even the Apostle Paul wrestled with this as he tells us in Romans 7:19 (NASB)… Even when I want to do the right things and do good, I do not do it.  I end up doing the wrong thing that I was trying not to do.

 

In the moments that we do things we want to forget, remember Romans 8:8 (NASB)… you cannot operate effectively on the journey if you are in the flesh.  So, as you travel from place to place, from moment to moment, and from adventure to adventure – focus on God as Hebrews 3:1 (BSB) tells us… Therefore, holy brothers, partners in a heavenly calling, keep your focus on Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession.

 

God will tell you where to go as Isaiah 30:21 reminds us.  God will give us what we need as Philippians 4:19 tells us.  God will also give us people for our journey to encourage us and build us up as 1 Thessalonians 5:11 says.

 

Accept the journey wholeheartedly and everything that comes along with.  It is all a part of God’s plan.

 

If I may rephrase the last part of the Facts of Life theme song… You got the future in the palm of your hand, all you gotta do to get you through is understand. You think you rather do without, you will never make through without the truth… the journey is all about you completing the work God has for you.

 

This is your journey.  Have a FUN ADVENTURE, filled with JOY.  Focus on your PURPOSE.  Remain true to your FAITHFULNESS.  Trust God through the ANXIETY, FEAR, GRIEF, and PAIN.  Adhere to godly WISDOM.  Maintain HOPE in Jesus, and you will have the VICTORY.

Be blessed,
Pastor Samuel Bailey Wilson , III

 

source: http://www.lyricsondemand.com/tvthemes/thefactsoflifelyrics.html

Follow Your Journey

 2 Timothy 1:9 (NASB) says… “who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was granted to us in Christ Jesus from all eternity,” this reminds us that we all have a journey and a purpose to fulfill for God.

 

You must fulfill your journey.  It will not be perfect.  You will not always get things right or exact.  You may have some missteps, as well.  You just need a willing spirit, heart, and mind to fulfill your journey.  Yes, the journey will have turns, swirls, ups, downs, highs, lows, and so much more, but as long as you keep God first, keep moving, and know that all the is happening is part of God’s plan as it states in Jeremiah 29:11 (NASB)… “For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

 

This is your journey.  Have a FUN ADVENTURE, filled with JOY.  Focus on your PURPOSE.  Remain true to your FAITHFULNESS.  Trust God through the ANXIETY, FEAR, GRIEF, and PAIN.  Adhere to godly WISDOM.  Maintain HOPE in Jesus, and you will have the VICTORY.

 

Blessings,
Pastor Samuel Bailey Wilson, III

 

 

Embracing the Journey

 This year, the theme God has given me for the church is… EMBRACING THE JOURNEY.

 

God has called each of us to a work and completing that work will take us on a JOURNEY.  We will have various ADVENTURES that we hope are FUN.  We must be determined to fulfill the PURPOSE God has for our life.  Our FAITHFULNESS is key to embracing, completing, and fulfilling the journey that we are on and the purpose God has designed for us.

 

You will have to trust God when you face ANXIETY, FEAR, GRIEF, and PAIN, while heeding godly and sound WISDOM.  We have to maintain our HOPE in Jesus, who will give us the VICTORY as we complete the work.

 

The focus scripture for the year is Isaiah 30:21 (NASB)… “Your ears will hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left.”  This verse reminds us that our steps are ordered and when we hear God’s voice to follow directions.

 

Our sermon series this month will be Embracing the Journey.  The sermons this month will focus on following your journey, accepting the good and bad of your journey, trusting God on the journey, being entrusted with the journey, a reminder that we are on a journey for the Lord, praising and worshipping on the journey, as well as recording the journey by writing things down.  We will have a revival featuring Pastor Darvine Jacoby where he will talk to us about Trusting God on the Journey from Proverbs 3:5-6.

 

Join us for our January sermon series and focus on embracing the journey with us.

 

This is your journey.  Have a FUN ADVENTURE, filled with JOY.  Focus on your PURPOSE.  Remain true to your FAITHFULNESS.  Trust God through the ANXIETY, FEAR, GRIEF, and PAIN.  Adhere to godly WISDOM.  Maintain HOPE in Jesus, and you will have the VICTORY.

 

Be Blessed.
Pastor Samuel Bailey Wilson, III

 

Greetings Pastor Samuel Bailey Wilson, III

 Dear Members,

How can one begin to thank God for the excellent privilege of serving members such as you? I always knew I was called to be a pastor, but I could never have imagined that God would call me to be the shepherd of this flock. I have had a wonderful journey, that I embraced wholeheartedly.

The past 21 years have been such a great journey and adventure. We are on a journey to follow the example of the Acts church of the Bible, and I focus on the vision God has and is giving me for the church, the goals that we have set for the church and the goals I have set for myself. I am so appreciative for your support, hugs, kisses, smiles, gifts, encouragement, comments, complaints, critiques, love, and most importantly your prayers. Seeing your growth as a body and as individual Christians has been my greatest joy. It is very affirming to see your love for Jesus Christ consistently grow and show.

The Christian life is a journey. The road can be difficult, and we get tired and frustrated. Sometimes, we even get discouraged and consider quitting our journey, thereby foregoing our God given purpose. In times like these, I am glad to say that our church serves as burden bearers for each other, helping each other grow, move forward, and continue on the journey. God always sends us friends, companions, and family to help us on our journey. Each one of you have become not only my friend and compassion, but my family, and I am grateful for that.

As we focus on EMBRACING THE JOURNEY this year, let us be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. I am here to travel with you as you go our your journey and I am grateful that you are here to travel with me. Let's have a FUN ADVENTURE, filled with JOY, where we focus on our PURPOSE, remain true to our FAITHFULNESS, despite the ANXIETY, FEAR, GRIEF, PAIN; adhering to godly WISDOM, maintaining the HOPE we have in Jesus, which ultimately leads to VICTORY.

Here's to an excellent 2022. May God bless each one of you. As you follow the example set example set by the Apostles: preaching, teaching, fellowship, and prayer.

In Christ,
Pastor Samuel Bailey Wilson, III