Detours

Joseph and his life of DETOURS (see Genesis 37 for where his “detour” began) 

What a crazy turn his life is about to make...I can’t imagine being in his shoes. However, we all have had situations when life doesn’t make sense. It's okay, go ahead and trust God when things don't make sense. He's got you. And He has a purpose in every twist, turn and detour we find ourselves facing. In life, as when traveling, detours exist because construction is taking place somewhere. When you are on a highway and there is a detour, it’s usually because workers are trying to fix, build, correct, or improve something (ughhhh the Pocahontas bridge). Similarly, God will take us on a detour because He is constructing something in our lives as well. Granted, detours are anything but convenient. Detours take us out of our way, mess up our agenda, throw us behind our timeline. They are LONGER than we originally had planned to travel, but they are necessary.  Think about this excerpt from Dr Tony Evans book, “Detours”:  

"God didn’t keep Daniel from the lion’s den; He met him in it. He didn’t keep Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the fiery furnace; He joined them in it. He didn’t keep Joseph from being a slave to Potiphar; He gave him favor in it. And He met him in the prison as well. The proof in knowing you are where God wants you to be in your detour is that God doesn’t deliver you from it but rather joins you in it."

If you like books as much as me— read Detours by Dr Tony Evans —-it’s a quick read about the life of Joesph. I have read it 3 times it’s so good! 

http://detoursbook.com/

But without Faith it is Impossible!

I hope you were uplifted by starting the new year in God's Word all of last week! Memorizing verses is a challenge the older I get, but it is worth it to be able to pull out His Word when we need it, instead of having to go search for it. In Children's Church our kids memorize a verse each month and can do it so easily...aaahhhh to be young again.  I pray that they will continue hiding God's Word in their hearts all of their lives. 

Week 2 in F260 we are reading: Job 38-39 - God Speaks to Job,  Job 40-42 - What Can Job Say? Creation Shows God's Power, Genesis 11-12 - The Towel of Babel & The Call of Abram, Genesis 15 - God's Covenant with Abram, and Genesis 16-17- Abram & Sarai/birth of Ishmael. 

Our Memory Verses are Hebrews 11:6 and Hebrews 11:8-10. 

These memory verses make me think of the few times in my life I have had to step out in faith and follow God. When Kevin surrendered to ministry, I told him, just as Ruth told Naomi, "where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God" (Ruth 1:16). I wholeheartedly believe that God calls our WHOLE family when He calls us. When Kevin felt led to different churches, the boys and I knew that meant a lot of change, but we knew with faith in God it wasn't impossible and that the new people God gave us would become our people, our family, our new land where we would grow and prosper. He has never failed. Was it always fun to have transition?  Of course not...at first, most people don't like changes in their lives, but we are not called to be comfortable, God wants us to GROW! Like Abraham, God calls each of us, we must choose to obey (or ignore Him), then take action, get up and obey! Only after we take action are we truly in a growing relationship with Christ.  If we want to grow as a Christian then we need to be moving forward.  One day we can look forward to our city of promise, to our heavenly homes we will receive!...Hopefully, one day it can by said, by faith, the Barnetts obeyed! "By faith, Abraham obeyed."

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Hebrews 11:6KJV

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. Hebrews 11:8-10ESV

F260 Bible Reading Plan

Harvest Day

Suppose Jesus declared today “harvest day” in our lives, and He asked us to gather up the yield of our everyday choices over the past year. What would we have to show Him?

"Things of the world often pull at my heart,

But, Lord, help me see the end from the start;

Open my eyes to where my life’s going,

What I will reap from all I’ve been sowing."

—K. DeHaan

The seeds we sow today 

determine the kind of fruit we’ll reap tomorrow.

Help us to see a world bigger than our own lives. Help us to make a difference each day in the world around us. May we be the hands and feet of Jesus every day. May we see the world as He does.  Brandon Heath's lyrics in Give Me Your Eyes says: 

Give me your eyes for just one second

Give me your eyes so I can see,

Everything that I keep missing,

Give your love for humanity.

Give me your arms for the broken-hearted

The ones that are far beyond my reach.

Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten.

Give me Your eyes so I can see.

Perhaps, if we have His eyes each day we will have a bountiful harvest. It all depends on the seeds we are sowing! What are you planting daily?

Galatians 6:1-10: Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ...Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Through His Word in 2019 with Robby Gallaty's F260 & HEAR Plan

The F-260 is a two hundred and sixty day reading plan that highlights the foundational passages of Scripture that every disciple should know. The plan expects believers to read 1 or 2 chapters a day for 5 days each week, with an allowance for weekends off - if you use the YouVersion Bible App you will get ahead unless you intentionally skip each weekend to study your verses and/or catch up on reading.  You can use the weekends to study lessons for church instead!  Then start the next week OF each Monday. 

"The F-260 encourages believers to read less and to keep a H.E.A.R. Journal. Here is a sample H.E.A.R. entry. While many plans for memorizing Scripture are effective, a simple system has been effective for me. All you need is a pack of index cards and a committed desire to memorize God’s Word. It’s easy: write the reference of the verse on one side of the card and the text of the verse on the other. Focus on five verses at a time, and carry your pack of Scripture cards with you.  Throughout the day, whenever you have a few minutes, pull out your pack of Scripture cards and review them. Read the reference first, followed by the verse. Continue to recite the verse until you get a feel for the flow of the passage. When you are comfortable with the text, look only at the reference side of the card in order to test your recall. The H.E.A.R. journaling method promotes reading the Bible with a life-transforming purpose. No longer will your focus be on checking off the boxes on your daily reading schedule; your purpose will instead be to read in order to understand and respond to God’s Word. The acronym H.E.A.R. stands for Highlight, Explain, Apply, and Respond. Each of these four steps contributes to creating an atmosphere to hear God speak. After settling on a reading plan and establishing a time for studying God’s Word, you will be ready to H.E.A.R. from God." ----Robby Gallaty

So today we are reading Genesis 1 & 2 - before reading the text, pause to sincerely ask God to speak to you. It may not seem necessary, but I always try to ask God’s guidance in order to understand His Word. I try to remember to ask Him to open by eyes to understanding, so that I may comprehend and gain knowledge and wisdom.  

David prayed in Psalm 119:18: “Open my eyes, that I may behold

wondrous things out of your law (God's Word).

Gallaty teaches in his H.E.A.R. technique, after praying for the Holy Spirit’s guidance, open your notebook or journal, and at the top left-hand corner, write the letter H. This will remind you to read with a purpose. While reading, one or two verses will usually stand out and speak to you. After reading the passage of Scripture, Highlight each verse that speaks to you by copying it under the letter “H”. Write out the following: (twist up crayons are great to mark in your Bible!)
H -HIGHLIGHT

The name of the book - Genesis
The passage of Scripture - Genesis 1 and 2
The chapter and verse numbers that especially speak to you - (verses 3, 10, 12, 18, 21 and 25) - multiple times during the re-telling of the creation  we are told "and God saw that it was good", then in verse 31 "and behold, it was very good"

A title to describe the passage - Creation

(This practice will make it easier to find the passage when you want to revisit it in the future.)

After you have highlighted the passage, write the letter “E” under the previous entry. At this stage you will EXPLAIN what the text means. By asking some simple questions, with the help of God’s Spirit, you can understand the meaning of a passage or verse. This can be short or as lengthy as you feel led to journal at this point! Here are some sample questions you may want to ask yourself: 

Why was this written? To whom was it originally written? How does it fit with the verses before and after it? Why did the Holy Spirit include this passage in the book? What is He intending to communicate through this text? 

E - EXPLAIN

This is to give us a recording of the creation of the world.  It didn't just happen by accident. Genesis was written by Moses for us to have a recording of the beginning of history.

After writing a short summary of what you think the text means, write the letter “A” below the letter “E”. Under the “A”, write the word APPLY. This application is the heart of the process. Everything you have done so far culminates under this heading. As you have done before, answer a series of questions to uncover the significance of these verses to you personally. Sample questions: How can this help me? What does this mean today? What would the application of this verse look like in my life? What does this mean to me? What is God saying to me? 

A - APPLY

God created everything and it was good! He placed man in a position to care for all of it. We need to take care of the people and world He has placed around us until He calls us to our eternal homes. We are created in His image so we should act as much like Him as possible.  

These questions bridge the gap between the ancient world and your world today. They provide a way for God to speak to you from the specific passage or verse. Answer these questions under the “A”. Challenge yourself to write between two and five sentences about how the text applies to your life.

Finally, below the first three entries, write the letter “R” for RESPOND. Your response to the passage may take on many forms. You may write a call to action. You may describe how you will be different because of what God has said to you through His Word. You may indicate what you are going to do because of what you have learned. You may respond by writing out a prayer to God. For example, you may ask God to help you to be more loving, or to give you a desire to be more generous in your giving. Keep in mind that this is your response to what you have just read.
R - RESPOND

We should imitate Him, not the fallen world around us. It was good...do we reflect GOOD in our daily walk? I will strive to reflect GOOD, VERY GOOD, every day.  I want to be the salt and light that I am called to be!
Notice that all of the words in the H.E.A.R. formula are action words: Highlight, Explain, Apply, and Respond. God does not want us to sit back and wait for Him to drop some truth into our laps. Instead of waiting passively, God desires that we actively pursue Him. 

Jesus said, Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, 

and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you (Matthew 7:7).

What is God going to speak to us in 2019? I'm not sure, but I know if we spend time in His Word and put forth effort to learn from it, we will end 2019 with more knowledge and wisdom than where we are today!  Jump in on this journey with me and start F260 and your own HEAR journal today!  Also, try to memorize the weekly Bible verses...I know it's hard, but we can do it!

WEEK 1 MEMORY VERSES: Genesis 1:27 and Hebrews 11:7

So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27

By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, 

in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. 

By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness 

that comes by faith. Hebrews 11:7

F260 Reading Plan     Follow Along Using the YouVersion Bible App    

 Join Sutton FWB Church Reading Together on YouVersion

The H.E.A.R. journaling method promotes reading the Bible with a life-transforming purpose. HEAR entry F260 Day1.

It is almost National Collection Week for Operation Christmas Child!

Drop of locations in your area: FIND MY DROP-OFF LOCATION

May these shoebox stories from years past, to make your heart smile! 

Your gift-filled shoeboxes are tangible expressions of God’s love for children around the world suffering from poverty, natural disasters, war, disease and famine. These children, many of whom have never received a gift before, learn they are loved and not forgotten. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 157 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 150 countries and territories around the world. Since 2009, more than 14.9 million children who have received a shoebox gift have participated in The Greatest Journey - our 12 lesson discipleship program where they learn what it means to follow Jesus and share their faith with friends and family.

If you need a little motivation as to what and why to put certain things in your shoebox, check out my video from back in 2016! YOU CANNOT PUT TOOTHPASTE OR CANDY THIS YEAR! 

In 2018, Operation Christmas Child, the world's largest Christmas Project of its kind, hopes to collect enough shoebox gifts to reach another 11 million children in more than 100 countries! Pack yours today or build one online: Build-a-box-online-for$25

Click here for: SHOEBOX PACKING TIPS

Climb out of that tree and accept freedom!

Climb out of that tree and accept freedom!

When we think of freedom, we often think about doing what we want without hindrance, our free country in the USA, the end of slavery, our rights...What would you like to be free from? Bills, taxes, homework, housework...we all have things we wish we could be free from...I would choose to never have to dust again!!!  However, our greatest need is to be free from is the debt of sin we cannot pay. The good news is, someone has paid that debt for us! True freedom comes from following Jesus. Only Jesus can deliver us from the bondage of sin. In John 19 we are taught of a tax collector named Zacchaeus. He was dishonest.  He was disliked. He over-collected to make himself rich.  He was chasing financial stability and fortune.  We often chase after things in this life too...money, fame, good grades, cool toys or fancy cars, friends, or followers, likes on social media - while all these may not be bad, the most important thing we should be chasing after is following Christ.  We should have a desire to follow Him, first.  Zacchaeus had a choice to make while he was sitting in the tree watching Jesus pass by. When Jesus called his name, he could respond and come down to a life more abundant, or he could just keep sitting there watching in the tree top, being a spectator.  Do we just want to watch Jesus from a distance or get down and jump into action? Jesus knew when He was in Jericho that day that He had an appointed time at that specific tree to meet Zacchaeus. He knew Zacchaeus was a sinful.  He knew Zacchaeus was a dishonest tax collector.  He purposed for that very tree to grow in that spot many years prior to Zacchaeus needing to climb it to see Him.  He knows our past.  He knows our present.  He knows our future, too. He knows our sins.  Has he placed a "tree" in our life for us to climb to see Him.  Are we sitting in the treetop watching Him pass us by?  Is Jesus standing at the base of your tree calling your name, asking for you to come down so He can come to your house today? 

We must choose to come down from our tree and follow Jesus. It’s our choice and no one can make it for us. Will we choose to follow Him daily and have an abundant life? As we read in John 19:1-10,  Zacchaeus climbed down, he invited Jesus in, he changed, he chose to follow Jesus. Will we do the same each day? Is He seeking you today?  Choose life more abundant!  

Go ahead and climb out of your tree today!

"For the son of man came to seek and save the lost" John 19:10

True freedom comes from following Jesus Christ!

Barnett Year in Review 2017

December 16, 2017

Merry Christmas!

Another year has passed, all too quickly…so here it goes – 12 months of quick review for each of you. We started on Sunday, January 1, 2017 in a new place! It was Kevin’s first Sunday as Pastor of Sutton Free Will Baptist Church in Pocahontas, Arkansas. Matthew, Michael and I stayed in our Lake City home until the end of the school year, joining Kevin on Wednesdays and weekends in Pocahontas. We now live in the Sutton Church parsonage in Pocahontas. Matthew turned 18 on January 20th. Matthew and Michael played basketball once again so we spent lots of time watching basketball.

February was exciting because Bay played Pocahontas in basketball – we sat with Bay one last time as both boys were ending their season as Yellowjackets.

March winds blew in Kevin’s 44th birthday; the church gave him a Redskins baseball cap and other wonderful gifts!!! It also blew in a storm with lots of lightning which struck our Lake City house hard...Matthew was home with a friend and slept through all of it! Michael got his age-waiver approved for his driver’s license in preparation of Matthew not being around to run him everywhere once summer would come and during the upcoming school year.

During April we celebrated Easter and had a play at Sutton. Matthew was Jesus and Michael was Judas…our boys are total opposites, if you couldn’t guess! We were thrilled on April 30th to watch Matthew be ordained as a Minister by our association. Be still my heart, on May 5th Matthew and our niece, Sydney, graduated from Bay High School as co-valedictorians! Sydney went to ASU in the fall and Matthew headed to Welch Bible College.

In April and May we also watched our new community that we quickly fell in love with flood. It was so sad to see such devastation in the area. Finally on May 24th Bay school ended and we all were able to live under one roof again!!! On May 25th we left for vacation in the Smoky Mountains. It was exciting to be in a mountain cabin during a thunderstorm without water or power. I FINALLY got to see a BEAR! The momma with her cubs was my favorite!

June 9th-28th we watched Matthew fly across the Atlantic Ocean with E-Team Kazakhstan to serve on a mission trip. He had a wonderful time. Michael was busy in June with Basketball Team Camp.

On July 3rd, after only 3 days to recover from an 11 hour time change from his mission trip, Matthew and Michael headed to Truth and Peace Leadership Conference. Matthew attended his 4th and final year. It was Michael’s 1st year at Truth and Peace. Thankfully he ended up loving it!!! We ended July heading to Louisville, Kentucky with a group from Sutton to attend the National Convention of the Free Will Baptist & the Vertical III, National Youth Conference. Matthew taught Teen Sunday School at the conference and Michael worked some of the conferences. Both the boys competed in Bible competitions and with the Sutton Youth Group in a Drama. We made a quick trip to the Ark Encounter at the end the NAFWB, it was worth visiting. As soon as we got back home, Michael started playing on the Pocahontas Golf team and had his 15th birthday.

On August 6th Kevin and I had our 23rd wedding anniversary, but we rescheduled it until September (when life slows down for us). On August 14th Michael started Pocahontas High School as a sophomore…Go Redskins! On the 17th we moved Matthew into the dorms of Welch College….Go Flames! We had our 1st family photos made for our church directory without Matthew on the 18th – I didn’t like it.

In September the leaves were starting to change and I love our big backyard full of color, birds, and deer! We also finally celebrated our anniversary, we had rescheduled, by a little get-away to Branson.

October began my favorite time…Operation Christmas Child kick-off of collection season, starting to decorate for Christmas (yes I am that crazy person!), and deer season for the boys. Kevin and I both volunteer year-round with Operation Christmas Child. I am the Area Coordinator and he is the Logistics Coordinator for Northeast Arkansas. We had Parent/Teacher conferences…Michael is surviving and adjusting to a new normal. Michael has started playing keyboard in our youth praise band at church, we are very proud of him for using the talent God has given him.

November meant basketball was in full season for Matthew at Welch and Michael’s season was beginning. Michael skipped ½ a day of school on November 10th so we could head to Nashville to watch Matthew play ball – we had fun. Michael spent the night in the dorm with Matthew and Trenton. November 13-20th was National Collection Week for Shoeboxes and NEA collected 9,868 Gospel Opportunities (shoeboxes). Sutton had a 150th Celebration of the church, what a blessing. On the 21st I turned 42 and we spent Thanksgiving with family. Kevin and I continued our tradition of doing most of our Christmas shopping on Black Friday...he is a keeper!

December has been busy but fun so far…now I have 2 houses to decorate for Christmas!!! Matthew has wrapped up his 1st semester of college and seems to enjoy Welch. Matthew’s team came to Crowley’s Ridge College (in Paragould, AR) to play, then to Sutton Church, so of course the grandparents all came to hear Matthew preach! Michael has completed ½ a year at PHS. We just received news that Michael has been selected for his 2nd year at the Truth and Peace Leadership Conference, we are all excited (now to raise his $1500)! Kevin is busy as always and I am still doing my teeth thing. The hour drive to work hasn’t been bad at all; I have become a fan of audio books and have listened to 13 since June! Keep our family in your prayers as we strive to follow God's will for us. We are very thankful for all the blessings He has bestowed upon us in 2017. We are excited to see what will unfold in 2018. We are thankful for all the wonderful friends and family we have. We pray that you will have a blessed Christmas and will have a prosperous 2018.

We love you and hope to see you soon!
Kevin, Jennifer, Matthew & Michael
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