Ladies Night Out

For April, our Ladies Night Out will be a special time of ministry by Angela Thomas. We will leave the church at 5:30PM, pick up a quick bite to eat on the way, and travel to Hebron Baptist Church in Dacula. Angela is a gifted speaker and teacher. If you have never heard her before, don't miss this exciting opportunity. Call the church office at 770-867-8888 if you would like to go. Deadline to sign up is
April 20th.

The With Us God

This week in our class, we began a four-part series on Jesus, the One and Only based on the Bible study by Beth Moore. On Sunday, we focused on Jesus' birth and childhood. We have all read the nativity story and sometimes it becomes routine and mundane and we miss the beauty and mystery of God becoming "flesh and dwelling among us." Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies that had been told for years about the coming Messiah. We won't recount them all but one bears repeating. Matthew 1:22-23 says, "All this took place to fulfill what the Lord has said through the prophet: 'The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Emmanuel' which means God with us." The Greek word Emmanuel is translated from the Hebrew Immanu'el. El means God. The rest of the word means with us. Literally, the terms means the with us God. Amazing how a little word reversal can bring such a big impact. He is a with us God. Think about it. Wherever you may be in your life - whatever season you may currently be walking through - Jesus is with you. He is the "with" of God. AMEN. Be blessed in knowing that whatever need you have, Jesus has the answer. He is Emmanuel, the with us God.

Close to His Heart

Every lady is invited to attend our seventh annual Women's Seminar. This year's theme is Close to His Heart and will feature three dynamic topics ~ His Heart: A place of Satisfaction, His Heart: A place of Safety, and His Heart: A place of Strength. Call the church office at 770-867-8888 to register or learn more.

Entangling Relationships

This week in our Beth Moore study When Godly People do Ungodly Things we talked about entangling relationships. I think it really hits home - especially in today's society. Unhealthy relationships are rampant. We are wise to ask God if we are in an entangling relationship with anyone. Entangling relationships can be costly. When we are desperate for someone else's approval, we are in an entangling relationship. When we are looking to someone else to fill needs in our life that only Christ can meet, we are in an entangling relationship. To untangle unhealthy relationships is hard work, but it is not without benefits. As we begin to untangle our relationships, we will find freedom and peace. We must do our part to make sure all our relationships are balanced and healthy. Even if the other person in the relationship never changes, we can change. Remember that the most important relationship we have is horizontal - the relationship between us and Christ. Once that relationship is right, the vertical relationships in our life will begin to work correctly.

Thank You!

Dear Ladies,

I am still overwhelmed by your kindness and generosity to me at Christmas! I am blessed by each of you all year long, not just at Christmas. I love my new Bible! I have already started making it mine. The pages are so fresh and new that it made writing in it a little hard, but I got over it. I will treasure this Bible forever because it came from you. I can’t wait to use the manicure/pedicure certificate and the Hallmark card. You really went over the top, and I am very grateful.
The generous soul will be made rich, and she who waters will also herself be watered. Proverbs 11:25
I look forward to serving God with you this year. My prayer for our ladies comes from Ephesians 1:15 – 19 which says,
“For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.”

You are greatly loved,
Nancy

The Abandoned Life is a Fruitful Life

So, my brothers (and sisters), you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God. Romans 7:14
Paul says it so well. When we abandon our lives to God, then they no longer belong to us. Sounds simple, doesn't it? But do our lives really belong to God or are we holding on to parts of it? Every area of my life where I am putting my will above His is like a branch that bears no fruit. Jesus says in John 15 that if we will remain in Him and allow Him to remain in us then we will bear fruit. Remaining in Him is the goal of the abandoned life - surrendering myself to Him. Jesus goes on to say in John 15 that every tree that bears fruit, He will prune so that it will bear more fruit. You may find yourself in a pruning season right now. God may be doing some cutting, but it is all for your good and His glory. He wants to produce much fruit in our lives and He can only do that when we allow Him to prune us. Now, I'm not much of a gardener, but I have talked to women who are and they shared some very important purposes of pruning. One purpose of pruning is to make the tree fuller. Another purpose is to make the tree grow in a certain direction. Still another purpose is to make the tree stronger. If we apply all of those reasons to our lives on a spiritual level, can you see what God hopes to accomplish when He prunes us? His purposes are the same - to keep us growing in the right direction, to make us stronger, and to make our tree bear more fruit. I know we are right in the middle of the Christmas season, but I encourage to take some time during this busy season to do some soul inventory. Are you producing much fruit for Him? Are there areas where your will is still dominating? Jesus gave everything He had to follow the will of His father. Are we willing to do the same. If so, then we will be like a tree planted by rivers of water and our leaf shall never wither and everything we do will prosper. (Psalms 1 paraphrased)

The Abandoned Life IV - The Faith Factor

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I took a little break myself and that's why I didn't update last week. I pray that our study of The Abandoned Life is speaking to your heart. The last time we met together, we talked about how faith plays an important part in our Christian walk and how it is a key weapon in our fight against fear. Hebrews 11:1 says that faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. Faith requires that I believe even when I don't see the answer. Isn't that where our worries and fears overtake us? When we can't see the path clearly in front of us, we begin to worry about what might happen. If we are not really trusting and believing God in an area of our life, no matter how many Scriptures we quote or how much praying we do, nothing will change. Ultimately, we will not abandon our lives to God if we don't fully believe that He knows best and that He can be trusted. Unbelief then becomes the battleground. Every place where we allow unbelief to reign is a place ripe for taking by the enemy of our souls. Oswald Chambers says it like this, "Have you ever noticed what Jesus said would choke the Word He puts in us? Is it the devil? No, it is the cares of this world (Matthew 13:22). It is always our little worries. We say, 'I will not trust when I cannot see' - and that is where unbelief begins. The only cure for unbelief is obedience to the Spirit. The greatest word of Jesus to His disciples is abandon." When we truly follow Christ with our WHOLE HEART, we will be free to trust Him and obey Him in all circumstances. We will no longer be ruled by fear, but we will be ruled by love (I John 4:18). How do I know if I have truly placed my faith in God? Well, here's a short little test.
F - Am I FOLLOWING God wholeheartedly?
A - Am I AWARE of God's purpose for me?
I - Am I INVESTING in God's Kingdom?
T- Am I THANKFUL in all circumstances?
H - Am I HONORING God with my actions, thoughts, and attitudes?
I encourage you to take some time and answer these questions honestly. A life that is 100% abandoned to God is a life lived by faith, and a life lived by faith is a life God rewards (Hebrews 11:6).