Holy Reminders

Over and over I am reminded that our God never needs reminders, but we humans sure do! I received an e-mail this week from someone asking for permission to use material I posted in 2009 on this blog. WHAT?!? At first I was so surprised that I was speechless (hard to believe I know;). Then, I thought, "Wow, I totally forgot about that blog." Sure enough when I pulled it up today, I have not written in it since 2011. I know blogs are a thing of the past, but I believe the sweet Holy Spirit sent me a holy reminder to get back on here and begin updating again. Why? Because you never know when God might use a word, a phrase, or a paragraph to impact someone else. I ask your forgiveness for being away so long, and pray that our sweet Heavenly Father will continue to remind me to share with you as He shares with me. I am no expert - not by a long shot - but I never want to stop giving away what the Spirit gives to me. I pray that you will be encouraged today that YOU are never out of HIS thoughts! Jesus needs no reminder to intercede for you - it's what He lives for!! Be blessed.

Project ADAM Gift Bags

Ladies, don't forget that we are collecting items for Project ADAM gift bags this Chirstmas. Be sure to bring in your items by November 27. We will be putting the bags together at our annual Ladies Christmas Luncheon on December 3.

2011 Women's Seminar: Beauty for Ashes

This year's women's seminar will be held on August 19-20. Our theme this year is Beauty for Ashes. God is already moving in our ladies and we are excited to see all that He will do through this year's seminar. Registration forms will be available soon. Make plans now to join us!! If you would like to be a part of the planning and organization join us for our next meeting on Wednesday, April 13 at 6PM in Room 108.

Women's Mission Trip

We are gearing up for our first Women's Mission Trip! We have about 24 ladies who are traveling up to Williamsburg, Kentucky on April 3 to minister with Friends of Families Ministries. We will be hosting a mini VBS, a Ladies Banquet, taking food to those in need, ministering at the Homeless Shelter, and helping wash clothes for those without a washer and dryer. Please pray for our ladies (and the two men who are going with us) as we minister to those in one of our nation's poorest regions. If you can donate food or school supplies, we would appreciate it. Contact the church office at 770-867-8888.

It's Been Too Long....

Wow, I can't believe it has been over four months since I have updated our blog. So much is going on in our Women's Ministry right now. We have four Bible studies going on - Breaking Free; Here and Now, There and Then; Believing God, and Love and Respect. We have been overwhelmed at the women's response to get into a weekly Bible study and dig into the Word of God. Since January, different ladies have been stepping up on Sunday mornings to teach on a name of God during our LIFE School hour. I have been so blessed by each woman's teaching and God has given me so many nuggets from His Word. If you are not currently involved in LIFE School, please make plans to join our Sister to Sister class. We meet in the church fellowship hall on Sunday mornings at 9:30AM.

The Faith of Martha

For the last two weeks I have been teaching out of John 11 - Lazarus' resurrection. Each time I read this chapter, I get something new out of this timeless, miraculous story. From Jesus' deliberate delay to Martha's extraordinary faith, there is so much to learn about our God and how He works in our lives. Often times, we pray and pray and we don't get the answer we prayed for. What do we do then? Do we give up on God? Do we decide He is not trustworthy or do we continue to hold on to Him even though life has gone suddenly awry. Martha and Mary faced the same crossroad in their relationship with Jesus. Jesus was their friend. They knew Him well. They had listened to Him teach. They had eaten with Him. They had sent for Him when their brother got sick, but Jesus, their good friend, didn't come right away. He deliberately waited until Lazarus had been dead for four days before going to Bethany. Did his delay mean he didn't really love Lazarus, Martha, and Mary? No, Scripture is quick to point out to us in John 11:5 that Jesus loved them all. Surely Martha and Mary were upset that Jesus didn't come to their rescue immediately. They watched their brother die without ever seeing Jesus. They buried him and still Jesus did not arrive. Four days after Lazarus' burial Jesus shows up. Martha goes running to meet him declaring, "if you had been here my brother would not have died." What I love about Martha is she doesn't stop there, she goes on to say, "But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask." Wow, talk about faith. I don't know if Martha even in her wildest dreams expected Jesus to call Lazarus back to life, but she believed in her friend Jesus. She knew He was "the Christ, the Son of God" (v.27) and just because life hadn't gone as she hoped, she still believed. We could all learn from Martha's example. When you know Jesus, really know him, you will be able to trust Him even when hard times come. Circumstances cannot change who He is. Bad things happen - yes, even to good people, but Jesus is always our ever present help in time of trouble. Take a lesson from Martha - when life goes awry, run to Jesus!

Are you a Faithful Bride?

For the last two weeks, we have been discussing the importance of faithfulness in our relationship with Christ. There is no denying that our bridegroom is faithful to us. Morning by morning, He shows us His faithful ways. Too often, however, we are not faithful to Him. We choose sin over obedience. We choose laziness over discipline. We choose complaning over praise. Every time we choose anything other than Christ, we are being an unfaithful bride. I encourage you to take some time in the Word of God. Read Hebrews 10 and 11 and ask God to give you the courage to be a faithful bride!!
Ladies, the CD of last week's lesson is available. See Stacy Pennington if you would like a copy.