A Summer of Reflection and Blessing

by Barrett Vanlandingham
August 8, 2021 

            It is a true gift to be able to continue serving here in this place as your youth minister. Even though I have always tried to listen to God’s voice in regards to the present and the future, so far the only nudge from God seems to be to keep working with this church. Lisa and I are in year number TWENTY as of May 1, and we just want you to know how much we love this family of believers.

            It is easy to love and develop deep bonds with the kind of people we have here in our congregation.  Yes, Tahlequah will always have a warm place in my heart as my hometown, but somehow along the way Fort Gibson has broken the 8^th commandment and has stolen both mine and Lisa’s hearts…see what I did there?  😊   It’s where we raised our family, and where we feel at home.

Geographically, Fort Gibson has also worked out great for us because my parents live in Tahlequah, and Lisa’s parents live in Tulsa. Both sets of parents are in their 80’s and doing well.  Our children live in Tulsa, OKC, and Nashville. So, Fort Gibson still seems like the most practical place on the map to live. Plus, Lisa really likes her job of teaching 2^nd grade at the Fort Gibson Early Learning Center. She has taught there for 16 years.

Before we moved here in 2002, my very first Bible professor at Oklahoma Christian, Dr. Howard Norton, told me he thought Fort Gibson would be “a fun little place to work.” Little did I know I would still be loving this church and community more than ever 20 years later!  Thanks to some great youth parent volunteers, youth deacons, a very active missions deacon, and some great elders over the years, Lisa and I have been able to give our youth group kids (and our own kids) a lot of memorable, life-changing experiences in many different towns and states, inside and outside of the U.S.  All of these pieces working together have resulted in a great start to the faith journey of thousands of kids over the years. 

God blessed our youth ministry this summer with much success, especially after such a devastating year-long slow down due to covid.  With help from many volunteers, a lot of awesome teens, and my two interns, Hannah Hackworth and Thomas Holton, we completed an ambitious summer schedule. We had devotionals nearly every Sunday night at members’ houses or at the lake, a rafting trip on the Illinois River, a trip to Frontier City in OKC, and a fantastic week at Burnt Cabin Christian Camp with friends from several area towns.  We witnessed 14 baptisms at camp, and two more within a few days afterwards, and untold changed lives.  Pictured below is a friendly elk that made an appearance at one of our devo’s at Greenleaf State Park at the Wilson’s campsite. Chris spoke that evening. I led songs. And yes, my first song was… “As the Deer.”

A beautiful heart makes beautiful feet!

by Barrett Vanlandingham
August 29, 2021 

As we are all aware, people can say anything and not really mean it. But if we believe something in our heart of hearts, it makes a difference in how God views us and how we commit ourselves to whatever mission we are trying to accomplish. It’s a lot like when someone has only heard about God, as opposed to knowing God to the point it changes your life, your heart, and results in God knowing you and recognizing you as one of His own. Now that is a truly beautiful thing!

As Paul told Christians in Rome: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” (Romans 10:15)

This passage gets used a lot to describe those who bring the gospel message of salvation to our friends, acquaintances, co-workers, and even to strangers. But for context, let’s look at what Paul said just a few verses earlier in regards to Jews who thought their salvation was based on their good deeds, instead of God’s grace and a faith in Christ that leads to obedience and good works.

“Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved” (Romans 10:1).

That’s a nice thing to say. But Paul modeled what it meant to believe in Jesus Christ so much that his faith resulted in a life committed to Him, doing good to all, and teaching lost souls what it meant to live as a disciple of Christ even in the midst of persecution. He stated that he had poured himself out on an altar, after having given everything for the sake of Christ.

Paul didn’t just hope the Jews would come to Christ, but he took those concerns that were weighing so heavily on his heart to God in prayer. God opened doors of opportunity for Paul to step through, and he did. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Paul healed the lame, raised the dead, and cast out demons. His faith in God’s power was so contagious that people even took Paul’s handkerchiefs and other pieces of clothing away from him so they could heal others.

It was Paul’s beautiful heart that resulted in his beautiful feet. It is important for us to do the same, to make sure our hopes and dreams match up with God’s word, and to let the beauty of Jesus be seen in us.

Have a great week!