Pastor Bob Felber Does It Again!!!

Good Monday Morning To You!

I hope you have had a good, safe, and happy week. Did you get to go to church yesterday? Many of our northern churches had to close due to the harsh winter weather conditions. If yours was one that closed, I hope next week will be better. I trust you are one of those people who enjoy going to church and feel bad whenever you have to miss. May I make a suggestion to you? If you missed hearing a message this week, I’d like to invite you to listen to and view the message preached from our church this past Sunday. It is a short message of about ten minutes and was preached by our associate pastor, Bob Felber. Our video messages are a brief synopsis of the sermons delivered in the morning worship services at friendship Harmony by either Pastor Felber or me. You can see it at www,facebook.com/friendship harmony. You do not need a Facebook account to view any of the messages. All of us here at Friendship Harmony Baptist Church hope the video ministry is a blessing to all who view it.

If you are anywhere near Friendship Harmony this coming Sunday, let me invite you to come and join us as we conclude our Gospel Music Series with a visit from Fiddlin’ Bill. Bill is always a favorite with our people and I couldn’t think of anyone better to sing for us at our final concert of southern gospel music for the 2013/2014 season. The day is also the day of our monthly fellowship carry in dinner. It is shaping up to be a great day, so I hope you can be with us.

I want to thank you for your prayers. I still feel horrible and my voice comes and goes. I am grateful to have a dear friend and colleague like Bob Felber. Whenever I call upon him, he is always so faithful to step in and fill the FHBC pulpit. I totally trust him with the pulpit because I know his desire is to preach God’s word to the very best of his ability. If you have never heard him preach, check out the video at www.facebook.com/friendshipharmony. It should be ready for viewing by Tuesday morning. Bobby’s preaching will bless your soul. It certainly does mine.

Have a great week and I’ll see you next Monday Morning With Pastor Vic!!!

Attacked By An Alien

Good Monday Morning to you!!!

Early Sunday Morning, about 4:00 am, I woke up fully covered, but freezing like I was laying on a hockey rink. If that wasn’t bad enough, I couldn’t catch my breath. You have never experienced fright as what you have when you cannot breathe. My first thought was my heart. In an action very uncharacteristic for me, I asked Miss Bessie to call 911. She called and they very quickly assured us that my heart was fine. With my chills, my body aches, and the fever, they thought I might have a bug that is going around. I made several visits to several hospitals last week, so I expect I picked up something in the hospital. Miss Bessie had spent 4 days in the hospital. But my symptoms were nothing like hers.

At this point I want to thank our associate Pastor, Bob Felber. I called Bob about 7:00 am, and he graciously agreed to fill the pulpit. Bob and I both understand the Biblical mandate we are under as preachers. 2 Tim. 4:2 says
“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” I have been on both sides of that mandate as has Pastor Felber. In any event, it seemed so weird to be in bed on Sunday morning. Thank you to Bob for pinch hitting. I heard he knocked it out of the park. Thanks also to Bill Wolfe, Eleanor McDonnell, and the entire FHBC congregation for carrying on. I’m so proud of you!

Sitting here typing is physically draining, so I’d better get to bed. Rotten is the best way to describe how Vic and Bess both feel. Miss Bessie is still sick herself, so this will be interesting.

Pray for Miss Bessie and me when it goes well with you!!! May God bless you and I’ll see you next Monday Morning With Pastor Vic.

I Told Them

Good Monday Morning To You!!

Have you had a good week since we last visited? I hope so. Last week I told you about the lady at my church in Cincinnati who told me the Bible says communion grape juice has to be purple, and it has to be Welch’s. I jokingly told you that I intended to tell it to the seminary class I teach. I ended by saying I wouldn’t do it though. To those of you who know me, you know that sometime my mouth spouts words before my brain has a chance to stop it. I can’t help it; it’s just my nature. I don’t mean to do it, it’s just that sometime I start talking and I can’t shut up. At Norwood High School I stayed in trouble because most of my teachers failed to understand my sense of humor. I suppose I was just ahead of my time. My English teacher, Mrs. Wilson, finally admitted in front of the class that I was smarter than her. (Yes ending my sentence with “her“ is incorrect, but the proper way sounds goofy.) She said, “Victor Cooper, I just can’t teach you anything.”

I told my class that according to Sister Adam’s Bible, (not her real name) grape juice had to be purple, and it had to be Welch’s. Incredibly, they didn’t believe me. Oh, they believed the good sister had told me, but they rejected the notion about proper grape juice. I guess I have my work cut out for me.

We spent two weeks looking at ancient Egypt. You cannot teach as much as you’d like about Egypt in two classes. Egypt and Babylon are my two favorite ancient civilizations. Actually, I believe I must be part Egyptian. I think it comes through the tribe of Ephraim. I’ll have to check with my good friend, Rabbi Jim Pickens about this.

Yesterday was an awesome day at Friendship Harmony. In Sunday School we looked at the first Passover, and the other plagues. Egypt could have been the most blessed country on the planet if only Pharaoh would have listened. Instead, he decided to reject God and do things his way. As you know from your readings in the Book of Exodus, the results were both devastating and catastrophic. How about you? Is God speaking to your heart about a matter? Take a lesson from Pharaoh and obey the voice of the LORD. Had Pharaoh listened, Egypt might have become an oases of Christian teaching. Instead, look at her today.

Pastor Bob Felber brought our morning message. It was a message I wish thousands could have heard. Perhaps they will. As you know, the preaching part of our services are video recorded and posted to both YouTube, and Facebook. The easiest is through Facebook. Simply go to www.facebook.com/friendshipharmony. You do not need a Facebook account to view the video. Bob’s message should be posted by Tuesday.

Some of our winter visitors are returning, so if you’re heading our way, we look forward to seeing you soon. For those of you whom I have never met, let me say how much I appreciate you for being such a loyal reader. Without you, this blog would have no reason to exist. Thank you! Wherever you are, have a good week, and be sure to pray for Pastor Vic and the Friendship Harmony Baptist Church. I’ll see you next Monday Morning With Pastor Vic.

Purple Grape Juice

Good Monday Morning To You!

What a busy week it has been! I’ve had something to do nearly every day. I love busy times though. One thing Bess and I was privileged to do was to attend a Pastor’s premier screening of a new movie to be released later this month. Our associate Pastor, Bob Felber, and his wife Wanda accompanied us to see The Christmas Candle. The film is set in a small village in England near the turn of the century. If I go into too much detail, I might spoil it for you. If you would like to see the preview, go to www.christmascandlemovie.com. Be sure your sound is turned on! I highly recommend this film and I heartily endorse it, and I hope to see it again when it is released. The movie is appropriate for all ages, and is very well done with a good story. If you do not see any other picture this Christmas season, do yourself a favor and treat yourself to this one. As soon as this movie is available on CD, it will definitely be added to the Cooper collection. Check out the preview and I hope you will enjoy it as much as Bess and I did.

Yesterday was Communion Sunday at Friendship Harmony. That is always a very special day. I had to announce to the congregation that the communion juice was clear. When I went to the store to buy a bottle, clear (they call it white) was all they had. I told the story of a dear little lady in my former church in Cincinnati who scolded me for having the wrong color grape juice. The deacons were supposed to take care of the supplies, and each of the men thought the other had done so. However, Kroger was less than a mile away, so I slipped out during Sunday School to buy a bottle. It never occurred to me that they might be out. “This is Kroger,” I told myself, “they never run out.” They ran out! All they had was white grape juice. I figured since it was 100% pure juice, it would not matter. It mattered! The elderly lady told me in no uncertain terms, “The Bible says the grape juice has to be purple, and it has to be Welch’s!” She was deadly serious and meant every word of it. I thought to myself that the school I had attended had cheated me because they never taught me that. Do you think that perhaps I should inform my students in my class later tonight that communion juice has to be purple and it has to be Welch’s? If I do, it’s likely the Dean of Old Testament Studies and the school’s president will call me into the office for a chit-chat. I think I’ll pass.

I hope you have a really good week, and that the LORD’s blessings come to you and your family abundantly. Pray for me when it goes well with you; I do so appreciate it. I’ll see you next Monday Morning With Pastor Vic!

In Appreciation For Our Fulltime Residents!!!

Good Monday Morning To You!!

How have you, been since we last met? Are you staying busy? I hope it is doing the things you love. Our associate pastor, Bob Felber stays busy in his garden in Kentucky. With much of his harvest, he and Wanda can what they grow, and then bring it with them to Florida. Bess and I really enjoy the beans, kraut, corn, and other things they bring. I’m especially partial to Bob’s sour kraut. It is really good when Wanda fries it. Have you ever had fried kraut? It is delicious! If you would like to try some let me hear from you and the next time she fixes it, I’ll get you an invitation to supper.

Yesterday was a good day at Friendship Harmony, although the attendance was slightly down due to rainy weather. My former pastor, B. J. Thomas, used to say that it only took nineteen raindrops to keep twenty Baptist at home. Even so it was a good service and the LORD really blessed.

I began a new series called, “The Making Of A Man.” We looked at Ezra and saw that he was descent, honest, and honorable. It should be the desire of every Christian to have these three character traits. There were no sermon notes, but you can view the message on YouTube, or on the church facebook page. Most people are viewing by facebook. To find it go to www.facebook.com/friendshipharmony. I hope you will help our video ministry to grow. Would you consider sharing the videos on your facebook page?

As some of you know, here in Florida we are honored to have many winter visitors when the north is blanketed by snow, ice, and cold. After Easter our “snowbirds” return home, and church attendance naturally drops. Sadly, many churches go into hibernation mode during the summer. Many cease, or greatly curtail ministry events. To me this is wrong. It sends a wrong message. It tells our full-time residents that they do not matter. They DO matter. They are the backbone of the church. To honor the full time residents of the Flamingo Bay community where Friendship Harmony is located, we are hosting a picnic/gospel music concert this Saturday at Noon. If you are in the area feel free to come and join us. We will be serving hamburgers, hotdogs, and other picnic foods, and Fiddlin Bill will provide the music. It is going to be a great day and we hope our fulltime residents know that they are appreciated. We are also using the occasion to introduce ourselves to those that might not know us. If you cannot be with us, please pray for the success of this event.

Wherever you are, please have a safe and healthy week. For some of you who might not know, the church has a new mailing address. It is P. O. Box 583; St. James City, Florida 33956. Our e-mail address is fhbcsjc@gmail.com. Don’t forget if you have a Bible question that you would like to have answered, please e-mail it to me, and I’ll attempt to get you an answer. Stay well and I’ll see you next Monday Morning With Pastor Vic!!!

Happy Second Anniversary!!!

Good Monday Morning To You!

Last week you did not get a Monday Morning Blog. I was having computer issues, but I believe the kinks have been worked out. Last week Friendship Harmony celebrated its second anniversary as a fully constituted, fully functioning church. It doesn’t seem like two years, but indeed it has been. Friendship Harmony was actually launched on August 29, 2010, but it takes several months to work out the legalities. Sister Jennifer Horton of the Royal Palm Baptist Association was our guide through the process. I speak for our entire Church when I say, “Thank you,” to both Jennifer, and our local Director of Missions, Everett Rafferty. Without them, the process would have been very difficult.

This year we celebrated with the music from Fiddlin’ Bill. Bill sings and saws a hot fiddle. The folks jumped in with him and sang along to most of his songs. It indeed was a Christ honoring time.

What Christian celebration would be complete without food? There was a ton of it! The meal featured turkey, ham, stuffing, potatoes, and other delicious items. Desserts? There was enough to raise you blood sugar to a thousand. I took it easy on the desserts, but our Associate Pastor, Bob Felber, made his “Black Walnut Cake.” It is by far and away my favorite. I love black walnuts however you care to use them.

Yesterday, I continued the sermon series, God’s Doors. It was number two in a series of four. The notes are below and the video should be on YouTube by mid week. If you missed the notes from message one, from this blog scroll down to the blog from Monday, January 28. The video from part one, as well as other videos can be found at www.youtube.com. At their home page, type Friendship Harmony Baptist Church into the banner. Here are the notes from yesterday’s part two.

God’s Open Doors ©
various
Series: God’s Doors By: Pastor Vic Cooper
2 of 4

Intro: Last time we saw four different open doors. To refresh our memory they were a door of answered prayer, a door of utterance, a door of service, and a door of Heaven. Today we will look at a door of opportunity, a door of faith, and a door of hope.

I. A door of opportunity. Rev. 3:7-8 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; [8] I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
A. Note: The Lord opened the door and put it in place.
B. Note also: The open door is a reward for faithful service.
1. “In this life, the greatest reward for faithful service is more opportunities for service.” Pastor Vic Cooper
2. In the life to come the reward will be the crown of righteousness. 2 Tim. 4:8a Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day…
C. Pray and ask God specifically for a door of opportunity.

II. A door of faith. Acts 14:27 And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles.
A. You cannot come to Christ without faith. Hebrews 11:6 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.
B. You cannot have faith unless God gives it. (v27)
C. What it teaches is that, “You had no more to do with your spiritual birth than you did your physicial birth. Pastor B. J. Thomas
D. Pray and ask God for a door of faith.

III. A door of hope. Hosea 2:15 And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.
A. Israel is being promised a future reversal of God’s attitude toward them.
1. The vineyards will grow in the very wilderness through which once they wandered.
2. The Valley of Achor was the site of Achan’s sin. Then it was a door of disaster. (Joshua 7) In the future it will be a door of hope.
B. Israel will be restored - God said so!
C. Pray and ask God for a door of hope.

Conclusion: A door of opportunity, a door of faith, a door of hope. The door is there - the door is open; what will you do.

I hope you are staying warm where you are. It is even cold here. As I write this blog, it is 49 degrees. I know for some of you that might seem warm right about now, but for us 47 feels like 27. By Tuesday we should be back into the low 80’s. By way of an announcement, we are trying raise $5000 for our building fund. Right now, Friendship Harmony meets in rented space. Because of that, we are limited as to what we can do. Many times we would like to have something on Saturday evening, or through the week, but we cannot. If you would like to help, please send your check to Friendship Harmony Baptist Church; 2296 Date Street; St. James City, Florida, 33956. Your gift is tax deductible, and a receipt will be returned to you. Please help us reach our goal! Have a good week and I’ll see you next Monday Morning With Pastor Vic!!!

Video From February 3rd Is Posted

Just a note to let you know that the video from February 3 is posted on YouTube. To view it go to www.youtube.com. At their home page, type in Friendship Harmony Baptist Church. Scroll till you find us, but it should come right up. It features Pastor Bob Felber preaching How Far Did Adam Fall? You will be blessed by Pastor Felber's preaching. I always am.

Don't forget if you are in town, our second anniversary homecoming will be this coming Sunday Morning. It will feature music by Fiddlin' Bill and a fellowship meal afterward. Come and join us!

I'll see you right here next Monday Morning With Pastor Vic!!!

I'll See Ya Soon

Good Monday Morning To You!

Due to Pastor Vic being out of town on family business, there will be no post this week. An announcement will be posted when yesterday's video is ready for you to view. It features our Associate Pastor, Bob Felber. Pastor Vic should be back by this weekend.

Headed For Heaven

Good Monday Morning To You,

Some of you are wondering where your Pastor Vic blog was last week. Bess and I along with Bill and Patty Wolfe left after church last Sunday morning to attend a two day Celebration for mature and senior adults at the First Baptist Church of Central Florida. We heard outstanding preaching by Junior Hill and Clayton Clorer, and superb music. Dino Kartsanakis played piano, and he is literally a concert master. If you like good piano music, go and purchase some of his cd's. Also, please add Dino and his family to your prayer list. They lost their home in last years tornado that ripped through Missouri. If you remember the movie, Chariots Of Fire, the theme song was played by Dino. He is a great showman, and a very nice man. The Taylor Family sang as well as Ernie Haas and his group, Signature Sound. I also promised Ernie we would be praying for him as his knee is going to have to be replaced. I received a tremendous blessing from our worship leader for the conference, David Crain. He had us singing, laughing, and crying. What a blessing! If you ever get the chance to see him in person, do so. Pastor Vic promises you will receive a blessing. Next year's event will be on October 8 & 9. I hope Bess and I can go, and I'd like to take as many of you as I can. As time gets closer, I'll share the information with you.

Yesterday, our associate Pastor, Bob Felber preached. He is a super preacher and one of the most humble men I know. It is indeed my pleasure to be serving with him. He preached a message titled, Headed For Heaven from 1 Peter 1:3-5. Bro. Bob's message wasn't so much about what Heaven is like (but he touched on it), but rather he spoke about the road to it He presented a tremendous lesson on the Doctrine of Sanctification. He reminded us that we have been saved from sin's penalty, we are being saved from sin's power, and that at the moment of death, we will be saved from sin's presence. Bob fed us meat from God's word.

After the service, the ladies fed us a bean and cornbread dinner. As usual, they prepared a fine meal. They tell me that next month wev will be having a Mexican Fiesta. If you like food from south of the border, come be with us. That date will be the second Sunday, which is November 13. Our meals always preceed our Sunday Morning service.

Last Sunday, I finished my sermon series about spiritual Cardiology. The message was titled Treating Spiritual Heart Disease. The notes are below for your personal study.

Treating Spiritual Heart Disease
Luke 6:43-45

Sermon Series: Spiritual Cardiology By Victor Cooper
(Sub points)

(Main Points from the Preach The Word Commentary)

When treating the spiritual heart, treat it:

humbly.
The spiritual cardiologist must have his/her heart right.
The spiritual cardiologist recognizes that he/she has experienced sin before God.
The spiritual cardiologist understands that his/her own heart is, “... deceitful above all things.” (Jeremiah 17:9)


prayerfully.
The spiritual cardiologist must pray for him/her own self as well as the patient.

Biblically.
The spiritual cardiologist must treat the heart condition as, “thus saith the LORD.” 2 Tim. 3:16-17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: [17] That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

lovingly.
The spiritual cardiologist must love his/her patient.
The spiritual cardiologist understands the difference between judgement, and judgementalism. The Preach The Word Commentary says, “Judgmentalism is rooted in ill will, while judgment has the best interests of the other person in mind. Judging others must be an act of love for God and his moral revelation, and also an act of love for the sinner, giving him the truth for his ultimate good.

mercifully.
The spiritual cardiologist understands that mercy is what Jesus is all about. Remember: mercy is not receiving from Jesus that which you deserve. Luke 6:36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
The spiritual cardiologist understands that he/she must exemplify Jesus.)

For those of you interested in deeper Bible study, I have discovered a website you might be interested in. It is www.mybiblestudy.com. This site is provided by Lifeway, and is easy to use. The site is free, but there are expansions that can be purchased. Check it out and let me know what you think.

My thanks goes out to the many of you who have asked about my health. I am now two full weeks into my cardiac rehab, and I am feeling better than I have in a long, long time. I have more stamina, and I am feeling much stronger. I appreciate your prayers. Keep yourself healthy and strong so that I can see you next Monday Morning With Pastor Vic.

ALENE COOPER REFUSES TO ANSWER ADOPTION QUESTION!

Good Monday Morning To You!

What happened in your life last week? I hope everything was good. I told you last time we met that I thought I was adopted. Mom usually comments to me by phone about what I’ve written. Whenever I’m mistaken, she tells me. However, this time she is being mysteriously quiet. She hasn’t denied my adoption theory. Hmmm! That’s frightening!! I know my brother Greg is adopted. On his shelf at home is a …. I can’t say it. I’m embarrassed and ashamed. I cannot believe it. It’s a black mark on our family name. No Cooper has ever been guilty of such an atrocity. It is so hideous and vulgar that whenever I’m in Cincy and borrowing his room, I have to hide it. I cannot believe it and I hope my laptop does not explode for what I’m gonna have to type. I’m surprised that Mom allows it. Here goes! He actually has a Los Angles Dodgers baseball cap on display. Please forgive this blasphemy. Greg is a Reds fan first and foremost as is the right thing to do, but to display a Dodgers cap within 5 miles of Great American Ballpark - OOOoooohhhhh! I offered to buy it for twice what he paid for it. I wanted to take it down to the Ohio River and toss it in. If I ever go home and find a Philadelphia Phillies cap on his shelf, you’ll be reading about me in the papers! (Yes, he used to have one as a kid, but somehow it disappeared. No mom, I didn’t do it!)

Yesterday was another super day at Friendship Harmony Baptist. Burt Nelson pointed out verses in Scriptures that spoke of correct medical procedures taught thousands of years before man “discovered” them. What an awesome God we serve! Our minister of music, Ken Birdsong and his wife Margaret, out keyboardist, did a piano - trumpet duet of selected hymns that made your hair stand on end! I whispered to Pastor Felber when he came to preach, “You get to follow that!” He followed it well as he preached to us from Psalm 22. He preached about how the history of mankind was affected one particular Friday. That event, the crucifixion of Christ, is still effecting man today. The crucifixion demands a response from every individual who ever lived, lives, or will live in the future. You must either believe it and confess Christ, or dismiss it and reject Him. What have you done? What will you do? If I can answer any questions, let me know.

Pray for Pastors Felber and Cooper as together we attempt to lead Friendship Harmony into the paths God has provided for us. This is an awesome group of dedicated Christians whose main desire is to follow Christ. It’s an honor to Pastor such fine people. I know I speak for Bobby when I tell you that we will keep Christ first in our lives and that we will do our best on behalf of the Friendship Harmony Baptist Church. The LORD and each of you deserves nothing less.

Have a good week and I’ll see you next Monday Morning With Pastor Vic!!!