Amidst all the bustle of soccer games, birthday parties, tae-kwon-do lessons and dental appointments, it’s easy for Christian parents to neglect one of their primary responsibilities—to rear respectful, disciplined children. Solomon’s mandate to “train up a child in the way he should go” (Proverbs 22:6) sometimes receives short shrift, a duty that too often takes a back seat to other more positive pursuits. It is tempting for parents to forego facing their child’s misbehavior because they are too tired, too busy, or simply too weak to deal with it. So they let it slide, promising themselves that “we’ll deal with it tomorrow.” Parents unwilling to make childrearing a priority, at least on par with Little League and ballet lessons, may eventually find themselves “reaping the whirlwind” (Hosea 8:7). They run the risk of nurturing a child who feels free to disregard his parent’s directives while freely expressing how he feels about them.

Posted February 25, 2008

If you have a heart to share the truth of Jesus Christ with the people of Florida, then you are strongly encouraged to attend this year’s statewide evangelism conference, iTell, to be held at First Orlando from March 2-4. The conference is sponsored by the Florida Baptist Convention. It will begin with a 6 p.m. worship service on Sunday, March 2 and will feature guest speaker Pastor David Uth as well as the First Orlando worship teams. The three-day conference will continue through Tuesday, March 4. Pastor David will also be speaking on Monday at 1:30 p.m. and will be delivering the message at the Tuesday night session. The iTell Conference is an in-depth evangelism event featuring 31 speakers. Besides Pastor David, others include First Orlando Pastor Jimmy Knott as well as renowned evangelist Junior Hill, Orlando Magic Senior Vice President Pat Williams and inspirational speaker Pam Tebow, the mother of Heisman Trophy winner and University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow.

Posted February, 21, 2008

It’s called The Drive and its purpose is to help lead Christian singles to a deeper relationship with God. “The Drive will allow singles to come together to fellowship and worship our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” said John Rowe, who will help facilitate the weekly meetings. The Drive meets Tuesdays at 7 p.m. in the Student Center and focuses on singles in their 20s and 30s. Snacks will be provided. And though The Drive is being run by the Singles Ministry at First Orlando, it is definitely an outreach for all of Central Florida. “Our hope is to see people who have no relationship with Christ come join us,” John said. “This is a great opportunity to invite friends, neighbors and people you work with to an environment that’s less threatening than a Sunday morning service.”

Posted February 20, 2008

In the musical blockbuster “West Side Story,” the lead character Maria is preparing to attend the big dance that evening. As she preens, trying on various outfits, she excitedly sings a catchy little ditty:
I feel pretty, oh so pretty, I feel pretty and witty and gay.
And I pity any girl who isn’t me today.
I feel charming, oh so charming, it’s alarming how charming I feel.
And so pretty that I hardly can believe I’m real.
See the pretty girl in that mirror there?
Who can that attractive girl be?
Such a pretty face, such a pretty dress, such a pretty smile, such a pretty me!

Posted February 19, 2008

One of the objectives of the College Ministry is to make church more meaningful. “As a generation, it’s tough for a lot of college students to relate to a church or a worship service,” said First Orlando’s Justin Stowell. “They think the roof will cave in when they walk through the door.” That is where “Reset” comes in. Reset is the new college worship service for First Orlando designed for people ages 18 through 25 and, just for the record, you don’t have to be in college to attend Reset; it’s designed more for the age group than whether you are actually going to school. Justin, who works in the College Ministry, is overseeing the new worship service. Reset will be meet Sundays at 6:30 p.m. in Henry Chapel beginning February 24.

Posted February 14, 2008

“A Taste of the Sweet Life” accomplished the two goals it was created to achieve: Raising funds for the upcoming Thailand mission trip and providing a great evening of food and fellowship. “It was just amazing from beginning to end,” said Marcus White, Director of the Food Services Ministry at First Orlando. A Taste of the Sweet Life featured gourmet desserts, pastries and cakes. Pastry chefs from all over Central Florida showcased their tasty talents Sunday, February 10 at Faith Hall. Proceeds supported First Orlando’s ambitious Thailand mission trip June 20-July 5. The Global Impact Office is looking for about 110 people to make the trip; they are only 10 to 15 short at this point, an amazing figure considering the trip is still months away.

Posted February 13, 2008

Pastor David Uth had some serious things to say to hundreds of men gathered for Part 2 of “Men’s Fraternity: The Great Adventure,” Tuesday, February 12 in Faith Hall. “What are the weights that hold men back?” he asked the crowd. “What keeps men from being their very best?” That was the launching point from which Pastor David began his frank discussion on those things that shipwreck men in their quest to be the best men of God, husbands and fathers they can be. Tuesday’s session was the continuance of the series that began last September. It is scheduled to conclude the last week of April.

Posted February 12, 2008

As parents, we tend to find ourselves occupied more with our child’s bad behavior than his good behavior. That’s because bad behavior requires action on our part, to stop it, while good behavior requires nothing. Bad behavior draws attention to itself. Ask any schoolteacher which students’ names she learns first, and invariably it’ll be the ones who misbehave. The teacher is forced to learn those names the first day or two because she uses them regularly to put a stop to their classroom antics. The identity of well-behaved students, on the other hand, is left until the second week of school, after a teacher has gained control over the troublemakers. Negative behavior always trumps the positive.

Posted February 11, 2008

Sometimes it takes someone with a very special testimony to light a fire under today’s youth. Such was the case on Wednesday night and Thursday morning February 6-8 at First Orlando when powerful youth speaker and evangelist Ken Freeman addressed more than 1,000 students at both the Amp’d Student Center and the Worship Center. In all, more than 200 of them either gave their lives to Christ or recommitted themselves to Him. “I wasn’t expecting that kind of response,” said Keith Harmon, the Youth Pastor at First Orlando. Freeman first spoke to about 100 junior high schoolers at their Wednesday night praise & worship service. “Ken began to share his testimony and the message God had laid on his heart that night,” Keith said. “I could tell it was going to be a good night. The students were really paying attention and sensitive to what was being said.”

Posted February 8, 2008