November S.E.E. Blog

Choose Criticism or Christ?

Wow! What a year 2020 has been. It’s been a year filled with fear, uncertainty, change, anxiety, disappointment, depression, anger, illness, concern, love… it has exhausted just about every emotion we have. And the year’s not over yet!

We continue to see our world pointing fingers, placing blame, demeaning, bullying and most of all criticizing each other. Finding fault seems to be the most popular flavor and openly expressing it has become the norm. Whatever filters and restraints we once had have now been replaced with “rights”, justice and moral narcissism. And that’s just among Christians! 

So, what are we to do when we’re hurt, attacked or tempted to retaliate or deflect something on someone to “show them” or get our point across? Well, I think scripture is very clear about how we should respond so let’s start there.

First, do what you know is right and good. Not just what feels right…but what IS right.  And remember that we can’t handle everything by ourselves but “we can do all things through Christ”. Philippians 4:13.  
Galatians 6:9-10 encourages us to not give up… “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”. 

Secondly, do you remember the line in children’s song “Oh be careful Little tongue what you say”? Guess what….it still applies today as adults. So, let’s be careful!Because our words do matter and we need to control them.  Ephesians 4:29-32 says… Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you”.

And finally, strive to get along with fellow believers regardless of their opinions, and value and love them unconditionally. That’s was Jesus did. I like how the Apostle Paul addressed the Christians in the city of Philippi …he said, “then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus”.  Philippians 2:2-5

See how easy that is? Ha! I wish!!! No, it isn’t easy at all. But thankfully, God gives us the tools and warnings to combat our emotions and keep our perspectives, words, motives, attitudes and criticisms in check. But it’s up to us to make that choice. 

So, which will you choose? Criticism or Christ?


Dave Grube
Executive Administrator

While we are all adjusting for yet another disruption in this COVID season, we encourage you to designate some time to count your blessings. Set aside time to pray for those around you that are personally recovering from COVID. For those that are working on the frontlines. Ask God to show you specific ways you can represent Christ on your frontlines. Take time to grieve the losses that we are dealing with as Thanksgiving plans more than likely are different this year. But also, ask God what you CAN do to count your blessings.

We encourage you to look for the invitation from sheryl@frontlinebible.com to join our new updated directory. You can download the Church Center app and have the FBC Directory directly on your phone! You can even include a photo if you would like. This is a great way for us to stay in touch with each other even as we are not meeting in person through at least December 6. Dwayne Huff, chairman posted/sent an updated message November 18. Read it here. 

We are thankful for all of you who have chosen to worship and grow and give at Frontline Bible Church. We look forward to growing together through this tough time. We are so thankful for all of you and the part that you are in the body of Christ. If there are needs that come up that we can help with, please reach out to us elders@fronltinebible.com or decons@frontlinebible.com. Happy Thanksgiving!

FBC Board of Directors

So what now? Sickness all around us. Political divisiveness ever present. Holidays approaching. Is Thanksgiving really here? This feels so different. Are there really reasons to be thankful? Could it really already be “The most wonderful time of the year?” If I’m being honest, in many ways, it sure doesn’t feel like it. It feels like we’re stuck. It feels like night more than day (Especially now with how early it gets dark). It feels gloomy. It feels more discouraging than hopeful…

* ENTER EMMANUEL *

Emmanuel: God With Us

Friends, this is the world Jesus entered into. The chaos. The darkness. The in-between. The messy. The brokenness. To hold to Jesus is to believe just that. The “incarnation,” God becoming flesh, becoming human. Becoming like us. More than anything lately, as it can be hard to see the God above it (God’s sovereignty) & being in control, I’m encouraged of the God in it. The God through it. The God with it. That same God is with us today. That same God is in us today. His love has been poured out in us (Romans 5:5), so we don’t have to be ashamed. We don’t have to be afraid. That is the Hope we have. That is the Hope we celebrate. I pray these “Messianic Melodies” lift your spirits, warm your hearts, strengthen your bodies, calm your mind, & give you a new & afresh joy as we count our blessings over Thanksgiving and look forward to celebrating the advent season, Christmas, even in 2020. 


JD Dulinsky
Worship Arts Director

Enjoy listening to Messianic Melodies on these three Music sites:

Greetings to you all, I have personally been part of the Frontline Men’s Ministry leadership team since its origination in 2006. Over those years the interaction I have been part of as a team leader and discipleship group leader have helped me grow and see many others grow spiritually. There is a true sense within these groups of a brotherhood and genuine care for the needs of each individual. I believe most guys think they are able to handle life on their own, but when part of a group they have a true feeling that they “can do life better” similar to being like part of a sports team concept only spiritually.

I want to give a special thanks again to Brian Johnson for serving as the leader of the Frontline Men’s leadership team for the last 14 years. Brian was crucial to the success of this ministry and the spiritual growth of so many men, including me. He is and will be greatly missed in this leadership role, but we will continue to pray for his success and joy in his future endeavors as he continues to seek to serve the Lord in a new way at Frontline and beyond. As Brian steps aside the leadership team will be looking for a few new men to come alongside the remaining members of the team. As of now Pastor John and myself are the only remaining members (John Records has been part of the team but has health issues that are more pressing currently) of the team. If you want to help fulfill our Frontline mission and have a passion to see men connect and grow in the Lord, please talk to Pastor John or me or email us at frontlinemen@frontlinebible.com. Our discipleship groups continue to meet though, either virtually or in person, providing the much needed life-on-life community so desperately needed in this time of isolation. We would like to challenge and encourage each of the men here at Frontline Bible Church to consider becoming part of a discipleship group. Try it! You will most likely ask yourself why you didn’t do it sooner. You may also ask others from outside the church to become part of this community.

God bless and keep you safe,


Lynn Thomas
Building Manager

Ready. Set. Starting Line.

STARTING LINE is the place to connect with others as you discover the Mission, Core Values, Beliefs and Culture of Frontline Bible Church. As the name implies, it is primarily geared for those new or newer to Frontline, but anyone can benefit from a refresher course and the chance to meet some different people.
STARTING LINE classes run for two consecutive weekend evenings (we rotate back and forth between Friday evenings and Sunday evenings). We share a meal with each other, and there’s always plenty of conversation to be enjoyed. COVID has made getting a group together challenging to say the least, but we were finally able to get another one scheduled. Here are some comments from those that attended.

STARTING LINE was a great opportunity for us to learn more about the mission of Frontline. As Pastor John described in the first class, sometimes you just need to go back to the foundation and cover the essentials. We learned about how the church is fostering growth for individuals in the church and as a body working together in Christ’s kingdom. We learned about words like dispensationalism and learned about fellow Frontline attendees. We didn’t know anyone in the class at the beginning, but we built relationships with others and learned about their stories. (Samantha Deppe)

STARTING LINE is a fantastic way to get introduced to the mission and vision of Frontline Bible Church in a comfortable and intimate setting. It was also great that Pastor John led the group, many churches may lay the responsibility of introducing the church to other leaders, but getting the information straight from the pastor is invaluable and it is also a way to connect on a more personal level to the Pastor and the church. The fellowship was very warm and authentic, and the food was fantastic! If you are serious about making your journey with Christ through Frontline a successful one, then STARTING LINE is the place to start building the foundation. (Ty Marzean)

STARTING LINE is a requirement for anyone hoping of becoming a member, but you don’t have to become a member if you attend. Usually we offer a class about 4-5 times a year, so be on the lookout for the next one sometime early next year, COVID-permitting. You’ll be glad you came.

For more information about STARTING LINE, please contact Pastor John at john@frontlinebible.com.

Look What God is Doing!

The Outreach Team are thankful for the opportunities we have had to reach out to our neighbors and those on our frontlines this fall. And we are especially thankful for those of you that have joined the team for these outreach events. 

October 31 the weather cooperated and we were able to SERVE our neighbors in Byron Garden Neighborhood. We were able to clear the leaves for several grateful neighbors. We are so thankful for Frank and Donna Ringewold for welcoming us to set up the TREAT TENT to serve cider, hot cocoa, coffee and donuts! One of the neighbors was invited to FBC, because she has actually been looking for a church. We pray that God will bring more opportunities to serve our neighbors like this.

November 7 we help Disc Golf Tournament 2.0 again at Grace Christian University. There were 33 participants about half of whom are unchurched. What an opportunity to share Christ with them… all through a game of disc golf and over a piece of pizza. We saw one participant invite six people to participate! At the first Disc Golf event, he had invited one person. Excitement is spreading. Another participant shared that though he had accepted Christ, he had never been in a church before. Please join us as we pray about how to continue this incredible opportunity to reach this community. 

We also are praying about how to directly reach out to our business neighbors (Trillium Woods, Stanley Steamer, etc) over the Christmas season. Will you pray about this with us? 

The Outreach Team