I have been a member of SMBC for 17 years. It’s very hard for me to believe it has been that long! But, of course, every time I look at my kids, I realize how true it is. My daughter, Brittney, was just 2 yrs old when we moved here and now she is 19! It is so true that the older you get, the faster time flies. This whole “getting older” thing is really very weird. As a kid I thought forty was sooo old. Now I think, “My, 60 is looking not so bad!” Some may get depressed at the thought of growing old, with its wrinkles and reading glasses. And why not, with the way we are bombarded with advertisements telling us how to get rid of any signs of age. But recently something happened that made me rethink the ‘blues’ of old age. A younger lady friend of mine, whose oldest is 7 yrs. old, asked me for advice about a situation with her daughter! Then she said, “I’ll be calling you again with more questions later!” I felt so honored that someone younger than me saw my life, my family, and thought I would be one to ask for advice. It was really quite wonderful, and I thanked God for the opportunity.
This past June, I went with the SMBC High School Choir, New Wind, to Delaware on their mission trip. I was given a group of girls to share/lead devotions with each night. I felt that same delight the last night as I thanked them for making me feel so welcome. Their response was to tell me I must come again next year, and the next, and the next! It was more than just feeling needed (though that is great, too). It was a feeling of being able to be used by God, in a situation, because of my age and experiences.
Prov.20:29 says ‘...gray hair is the spender of the old’ and in Psalm 92:14-15 it says, ‘They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, “the Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”
I think the key may be in my focus. If I focus on my gray hairs and how many I have now, or the fact that my eyes are getting worse, or the pains I feel in my back when I get up in the morning, I miss the moment I could have shared with someone else, the moment God had intended me to be used.
The beginning of Ps.92 says this: “It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night, to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp. For you make me glad by your deeds, O Lord; I sing for joy at the works of your hands. How great are your works, O Lord, how profound your thoughts!”(vs.1-5).
Music is a big part of my life and I am so grateful that God brought us to Shades where there are so many ways to praise Him with music. But it is a choice to be involved, to focus on Him, not me. It’s not about me. It’s about Jesus. So I am now going to choose to embrace my old age, each day as it comes, in each opportunity I am given. I will focus on the joy Jesus gives me as I praise Him, and when I invest in lives around me.
Getting to Know You -
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Christy Perkins
I grew up in church and have always been involved in church and youth groups and Bible studies. There haven't been many points in my life that I have not been HEARING the Word of God from somewhere. So many times I have been overwhelmed and strongly convicted by a passage I read or a sermon I hear, but most of the time that's where it stops. The other day I was reading James and read "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." This summer, God has been teaching me and challenging me to be a DOER of His Word not only a Hearer. I can agree with what the Bible says all the time, but until I step out and do and be what God calls me to be, then I am deceiving myself in thinking I am following God. As this next semester of school begins for me this week, I believe God will continue to teach me and grow my heart to truly follow Him.
After working this summer at the SMBC Kids Kamps as a director, Christy is about to begin her second year at the University of Alabama. She grew up on the mission field; her parents and younger siblings are currently serving in Thailand and India.
After working this summer at the SMBC Kids Kamps as a director, Christy is about to begin her second year at the University of Alabama. She grew up on the mission field; her parents and younger siblings are currently serving in Thailand and India.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Connie Scollin
When I was asked to share my story, I realized how very much my story has changed in the past four years. In the span of one year, I had 2 heart surgeries, breast cancer, chemotherapy, and my brother died. Once verse that meant so much to me during this time was “My grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9a)
Certainly there were times when I was weak physically, but there was so much strength in the love and power of my Savior. I am very blessed to be in a great Bible study group – we were doing “Big Girls Don’t Whine” when I got sick! God knows our needs before we do!!
I am blessed with wonderful girlfriends and a precious husband. Along with my church family, they surrounded me with the love of Jesus, prayers, food, cards, etc. How thankful and blessed I am!
If anyone knows anything about me, it is that I am from a small town. I love the intimacy of a small town, which can be both good and bad. Everyone knows your business, they share in your heartache, and most all of your social events revolve aroundour church or high school athletics.
One of my goals when I moved to Birmingham 10 years ago was to visit around and find the “right” church for me, but I really wasn’t sure what this would be. I mean….my options were endless. Big versus small; contemporary services versus traditional; preaching styles; Sunday School versus Small Groups. So seven churches and 13 months later, I walked down the aisle of Shades Mountain and moved my membership. This small town gal had given up the Baptist hymnals and teaching children’s Sunday School to big screens with words and an active singles group. As much as I knew that this was exactly where I was supposed to be, I wondered about my place in a church this size. I was no longer a rotating soloist in the choir, or the youngest member of the Steering committee. Every person was new. Every relationship had to be established. I was just one of a large congregation….would this place of worship ever become home?
Over time and through much prayer, I came to understand that to make this place home, meant to embrace the talents, abilities that God has given me and use them- not for my own glory but for his. With every commitment, obligation, or promise of yes, a new bond to this church was strengthened. With each passing year, I feel like I try something new and immerse myself into another ministry. Not to conquer it but to see what value God has given me to add.
This past weekend, I served with some mighty warriors at the Chinese Vacation Bible School. To see the heart and commitment of the ones I served with was inspiring. I invited a dear friend to join me this past weekend. For me it was another VBS, different faces, but something I had done before. For him, it was stepping out in faith and using a gift God had given him that he had never used before. As I stood back, and watched him do his thing, I was completely in awe of his service and I was so proud. I couldn't help but ponder if God feels the same when we use our gifts for his mission.
Lord, let me use my gifts for your glory. Not just when I sign up for mission trips or projects. But every day...with every breath. Make you the center of each decision and with every yes commitment to you be the glory. Please help me to immerse myself in your ministries and to encourage others to join with me.
Psalm 24:1-2 says "The Earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world and all who live in it; for He founded it on the seas and established it on the waters."
If we ever questioned who is really in control of the universe, I believe these verses answers that question. We think we are in control because we think we can do a pretty good job of making a life for ourselves, building homes and families and providing for them. We have doctors who can identify the specific composition of certain cancer cells so they can match the exact medicine to fight that individual cancer. Information from every venue is beamed to us from the farthest reaches of the Earth or outer space, in just a matter of seconds. We can know things now that we didn't even know we could know, or needed to know when many of us were children.
But, when things go wrong, or disaster hits, or sickness or death comes, we're left either feeling out of control, or actually out-of-control. And when those things happen, think of Deuteronomy 31:8 where God said through Moses: "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."
We don't have to be afraid or discouraged because "The Earth is the Lord's and everything in it."
I read this week that scientists are now saying that our Earth day is 1.26 milliseconds shorter, because of the change in the earth's axis, as a result of the recent 8.8 earthquake in Chili. As if our day's weren't short enough already! I don't even want to know how smart you have to be to be able to figure that out! Talk about feeling out of control.
But, if God made someone who is smart enough to find out that the day is shorter, or how to treat diseases, or how to bounce information all over the world, then how much greater is our God, who made all things possible? Our God is The Most High God, God of the Universe, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the GREAT I AM! And He is in control.
I'm not saying don't have a care in the world, and don't be concerned. I'm saying take comfort in our God, who loves us so much that He sent Jesus, His only son to die for the forgiveness of our sins. And by us, I mean you specifically, and me specifically, as if we were the only ones to do that for. God knew why Jesus would be born long before any of us knew we even needed him. Our God, who set the whole world in motion, and breathed the breath of life into Adam and Eve is in control.
Next year, our son plans to leave home and go away to college. Part of me is so very proud of him and the things he has been able to accomplish, and I want him to be a happy, and successful in college. But, another part of me wants to keep him at home or close by so his Dad and I can still exercise a little more "parental control" over him. But, I am content that he is going to the place where God wants him to be, and he will be doing what God wants him to be doing. It also means that my day to day influence will be toned down a few thousand notches. I won't be so much in control. But, when he was born, I prayed that our son, whose life is not ours, but a gift from God, could be used by God for His glory. At this point, I think I can relate to how Hannah might have felt when she brought Samuel to the priest because of the promise she made to God.
So, this is where the hard part starts for me, because I have to completely TRUST. It's time for me to use the "head knowledge" that God is in control, and truly know it in my heart that God is really in control. It's time for me to trust that the same angels that God has looking over our son now, will follow him to college and watch over him there, or where ever else he may go. (And on the roads between here and there, please!)
The same Most High God, who set the universe in motion, and provided a way for our salvation through Jesus, and who made scientists smart enough to tell us when our day just got a little shorter will still watch over me... and you...and the ones we love.
Another Bible verse that makes me feel comforted when all about me is in chaos is Matthew 6:26-27. It says "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?"
Yes, God is in control.
Certainly there were times when I was weak physically, but there was so much strength in the love and power of my Savior. I am very blessed to be in a great Bible study group – we were doing “Big Girls Don’t Whine” when I got sick! God knows our needs before we do!!
I am blessed with wonderful girlfriends and a precious husband. Along with my church family, they surrounded me with the love of Jesus, prayers, food, cards, etc. How thankful and blessed I am!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Susan Wood
Last year, I was able to go on a church mission trip to Capetown, South Africa. As our group went door-to-door each morning, it was very easy to be overcome with not only the poverty but the hopelessness in the air. The people would invite us into their “home”; which was really a shanty made out of any materials they could find. In many cases, there would be multiple families living in a space no bigger than the size of one room in my house; and there would be only one bed. Rain would be pouring through holes in the roof . We would ask them if we could pray from them….they would open up about different areas of their lives. Their stories were all so similar - needing jobs, food, comfort and healing. We would pray for their specific needs and make sure to insert the message of Jesus’ love into our prayers.
In the afternoons, we would work with the Kid’s Club at the church in the community. No matter where you are in the world, a “kid is a kid“. They would come in with smiling faces and want attention and love. We played games, sang praise songs and integrated the Bible verse for the week into several activities. A fun time was had by all. Then snack time would come around. This is when reality would really hit you right between the eyes. These children are hungry! For many of them, this is their only food for the day.
Each day my own hopelessness increased with the new stories from the neighborhood visits and the little hungry faces. One becomes overcome with the vast number of needs and human limitations. It is easy to ask, “How can the little time I am here make a difference?”
Then included in one of my encouragement cards given to me by one of my friends, the following story was enclosed:
The Starfish:
Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day he was walking along the shore; he looked down the beach, and he was a human form moving like a dancer. So he began to walk faster to catch up. As he got closer, he called out, “Good morning! What are you doing?” The young man paused, looked up and replied, “Throwing starfish into the ocean.”
“I guess I should have asked why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?”
“The sun is up and the tide is going out and if I don’t throw them in they will die.”
“But, young man, don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You can’t possibly make a difference!!”
The young man listened politely. Then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves and said “It made a difference for that one.”
What a message!! I had heard this story before and it reaffirmed that the part I was playing on this mission trip was to plant the “Hope of Glory” in the heart of those I come in contact with. Jesus saves the world one heart at a time. Any message of Jesus makes a difference to those who hear. Jesus in each and everyone of us gives us the ability to make a difference by word and deed. With Jesus we have the strength and power to shape the future. We must find our starfish; and if we throw our stars wisely, the world will be changed. We can all make a difference!!!
Colossians 1:27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
In the afternoons, we would work with the Kid’s Club at the church in the community. No matter where you are in the world, a “kid is a kid“. They would come in with smiling faces and want attention and love. We played games, sang praise songs and integrated the Bible verse for the week into several activities. A fun time was had by all. Then snack time would come around. This is when reality would really hit you right between the eyes. These children are hungry! For many of them, this is their only food for the day.
Each day my own hopelessness increased with the new stories from the neighborhood visits and the little hungry faces. One becomes overcome with the vast number of needs and human limitations. It is easy to ask, “How can the little time I am here make a difference?”
Then included in one of my encouragement cards given to me by one of my friends, the following story was enclosed:
The Starfish:
Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day he was walking along the shore; he looked down the beach, and he was a human form moving like a dancer. So he began to walk faster to catch up. As he got closer, he called out, “Good morning! What are you doing?” The young man paused, looked up and replied, “Throwing starfish into the ocean.”
“I guess I should have asked why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?”
“The sun is up and the tide is going out and if I don’t throw them in they will die.”
“But, young man, don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You can’t possibly make a difference!!”
The young man listened politely. Then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves and said “It made a difference for that one.”
What a message!! I had heard this story before and it reaffirmed that the part I was playing on this mission trip was to plant the “Hope of Glory” in the heart of those I come in contact with. Jesus saves the world one heart at a time. Any message of Jesus makes a difference to those who hear. Jesus in each and everyone of us gives us the ability to make a difference by word and deed. With Jesus we have the strength and power to shape the future. We must find our starfish; and if we throw our stars wisely, the world will be changed. We can all make a difference!!!
Colossians 1:27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Tonya Dedmon
It’s almost Summer … a time to do fun, family “things”. Today I was working on our “Family Fun List” of things we could do over the summer and I can’t help but think about the children I met in South Africa over Spring Break’s mission trip. Those kids won’t have a “Summer List.” They will be happy if they get 3 meals a day. Trips like that make you ask the big question…Why me? Why am I so blessed? I’ve thought about that a lot since I’ve been home from South Africa. I don’t have a magical answer but I do know that “To whom much is given, much is required”. So what do I do with this??? Well, I’m still working that out in my head but it definitely helps put things in perspective. On days that I think “I wish I could update my kitchen” or “I wish I had a newer car” I am reminded of how these families in Africa lived. I’m not saying we shouldn’t take care of our homes or make plans to buy new cars (well, maybe not new) but I certainly don’t feel like it is an injustice to have to live like I do (with an older car and a not-so-new kitchen.) I love that our church gives us so many opportunities to do missions- to get outside our bubble and see what else God sees. I would encourage anyone to go on a mission trip…even if it is just down the road from “home”. I’ve always ‘known’ how blessed we were but seeing is believing.
What difference can I make? I’m just one person!? I’m back here now, how can I make a difference in Africa now? I’m not with those kids anymore…but there are GREAT people still there with them every day. They are the Life Skill Educators (LSE) who work for Living Hope. They are with these kids everyday making a HUGE impact on these kids lives. They are showing them the true meaning of Hope. They are with them in school teaching life skill classes and after school doing programs with Biblical lessons. The money raised in the “Dollar-a-Day” program that our church helps promote for Living Hope goes directly towards the salaries for these Life Skill Educators. If that program doesn’t raise enough money, those kids loose those LSEs! That would be devastating! I feel like God gave me the opportunity to get outside of my bubble so I could see that “much has been given” to me and therefore, “much is required” of me. I currently support the Dollar-a-Day program and strongly believe in its cause. You can find more about the program at http://www.livinghope.co.za
So, as I sit here in my “not-so-new” kitchen, looking over my “Summer List” I am reminded to pray for those kids and the LSEs. I also pray that I remember how blessed I am and how I am called to be responsible for what I have been given…even the planning of my “Family Fun List”. I don’t want to feel guilty for what I have but be intentional about looking for ways to bless others, such as planning a time for my family to serve at a homeless shelter or another local ministry, helping with VBS, or just helping a friend by watching their children one day.
So, this summer, let’s all bloom where we are planted, or in the words of Pastor Danny: “Pray, give, go”. Have a great summer!
What difference can I make? I’m just one person!? I’m back here now, how can I make a difference in Africa now? I’m not with those kids anymore…but there are GREAT people still there with them every day. They are the Life Skill Educators (LSE) who work for Living Hope. They are with these kids everyday making a HUGE impact on these kids lives. They are showing them the true meaning of Hope. They are with them in school teaching life skill classes and after school doing programs with Biblical lessons. The money raised in the “Dollar-a-Day” program that our church helps promote for Living Hope goes directly towards the salaries for these Life Skill Educators. If that program doesn’t raise enough money, those kids loose those LSEs! That would be devastating! I feel like God gave me the opportunity to get outside of my bubble so I could see that “much has been given” to me and therefore, “much is required” of me. I currently support the Dollar-a-Day program and strongly believe in its cause. You can find more about the program at http://www.livinghope.co.za
So, as I sit here in my “not-so-new” kitchen, looking over my “Summer List” I am reminded to pray for those kids and the LSEs. I also pray that I remember how blessed I am and how I am called to be responsible for what I have been given…even the planning of my “Family Fun List”. I don’t want to feel guilty for what I have but be intentional about looking for ways to bless others, such as planning a time for my family to serve at a homeless shelter or another local ministry, helping with VBS, or just helping a friend by watching their children one day.
So, this summer, let’s all bloom where we are planted, or in the words of Pastor Danny: “Pray, give, go”. Have a great summer!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Olivia Wood
In 1968 we moved to Birmingham. We had been married for a year and a half and were embarking on a new life together with a new job for my husband and a new city for us both. It was an exciting time, but scary and lonely without any friends or relatives. We found SMBC and immediately felt welcomed and at home. It seemed God had led us after visiting other churches to find Shades as our place of worship and service. (Carl Giers made sure we were welcomed, but that’s another story!) We’ve grown and learned and been nurtured. We’ve rejoiced with the birth of two girls; celebrated with the marriage of one; grieved with the death of the other. We’ve had other joys and other sorrows during our time with this church and through every one of them, we’ve had love, support, and encouragement from a loving, ministering church family. There is no way I can write of all the influence of staff and members, programs of worship and service, or times of celebration and fellowship we have enjoyed or been involved with. They are too numerous!
Now, 42 years later, retirees, we are embarking on a new venture in a new city with the expectations of enjoying company with our daughter and her family and of finding a new church family where we can worship, serve, and hopefully minister as God will lead us.
We often hear quoted Jeremiah 29:11…that God has plans for us to give us hope and a future. I believe that, but one of my students once reminded me that I should keep reading. (You know it is by your students that you are taught!) Verses 12 and 13 give me my instructions for finding that hope and future. God says “Then you will call upon me, and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” God was speaking to the Israel captives, but His Word applies to all, I believe. So I must daily seek God in order to be close enough to hear what His plans are. My hope is in the Lord Jesus, as is my future. But I know God has plans still for me here on this earth.
We’re looking forward to continuing to seek God even as we go to a new place. We trust Him to show us our mission in a new chapter in our lives. We’re grateful for our years with the Shades family and will treasure friendships here always.
Now, 42 years later, retirees, we are embarking on a new venture in a new city with the expectations of enjoying company with our daughter and her family and of finding a new church family where we can worship, serve, and hopefully minister as God will lead us.
We often hear quoted Jeremiah 29:11…that God has plans for us to give us hope and a future. I believe that, but one of my students once reminded me that I should keep reading. (You know it is by your students that you are taught!) Verses 12 and 13 give me my instructions for finding that hope and future. God says “Then you will call upon me, and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” God was speaking to the Israel captives, but His Word applies to all, I believe. So I must daily seek God in order to be close enough to hear what His plans are. My hope is in the Lord Jesus, as is my future. But I know God has plans still for me here on this earth.
We’re looking forward to continuing to seek God even as we go to a new place. We trust Him to show us our mission in a new chapter in our lives. We’re grateful for our years with the Shades family and will treasure friendships here always.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Linda Brandsma
Discerning whether God was calling me to a ministry has always been something that I struggled with over the years. I have learned that by looking back over my Christian walk that God has spoke to me in many different ways. Seeing how He has worked in my life has led me to pay closer attention to all the ways that God has spoken to me previously.
For several years I sat in the balcony feeling a small tug at my heart when the Builders for Christ trip was announced. However, I thought that because it was a construction trip there would be no way God could use me in this ministry. Finally, I responded to the small tug and volunteered and have been a part of this ministry for 10 years.
God has also called me through scriptures into a ministry. While participating in a bible study I heard the Director from The Foundry Women’s Ministry use a scripture from Mark 8:13 which challenged me to leave my safe and secure area and go to the other side. Thus begin my ministry to the Ladies from the Foundry.
God created in me a passion for women’s ministry which was confirmed through participation in the Networking class now called Divinely Designed that is offered through SMBC. This led to involvement in our Women’s Ministry at Shades and to mentoring women at the Foundry.
He prepared me for the role of Sunday School teacher and Bible Study facilitator by placing me in secular jobs that involved training development and delivery. Jeremiah 29:11 says that God has a plan and I can see how He equipped me to teach through using my previous experience.
I have found that God is ready and willing to reveal His will to us if we are willing to listen and respond. When you feel that small tug at your heart, or a scripture or sermon touches your heart listen to what God is calling you to do and obediently follow His leadership. Sometimes God speaks to us through others or calls us to a ministry through our church leadership. One thing I learned is that when God speaks to me, I need to listen, prayerfully consider what He is calling me to do and move forward with the assurance that He will equip me for the task. Once I have discerned that I am following God’s will I am overcome with a sense of peace that I am where He wants me to be.
For several years I sat in the balcony feeling a small tug at my heart when the Builders for Christ trip was announced. However, I thought that because it was a construction trip there would be no way God could use me in this ministry. Finally, I responded to the small tug and volunteered and have been a part of this ministry for 10 years.
God has also called me through scriptures into a ministry. While participating in a bible study I heard the Director from The Foundry Women’s Ministry use a scripture from Mark 8:13 which challenged me to leave my safe and secure area and go to the other side. Thus begin my ministry to the Ladies from the Foundry.
God created in me a passion for women’s ministry which was confirmed through participation in the Networking class now called Divinely Designed that is offered through SMBC. This led to involvement in our Women’s Ministry at Shades and to mentoring women at the Foundry.
He prepared me for the role of Sunday School teacher and Bible Study facilitator by placing me in secular jobs that involved training development and delivery. Jeremiah 29:11 says that God has a plan and I can see how He equipped me to teach through using my previous experience.
I have found that God is ready and willing to reveal His will to us if we are willing to listen and respond. When you feel that small tug at your heart, or a scripture or sermon touches your heart listen to what God is calling you to do and obediently follow His leadership. Sometimes God speaks to us through others or calls us to a ministry through our church leadership. One thing I learned is that when God speaks to me, I need to listen, prayerfully consider what He is calling me to do and move forward with the assurance that He will equip me for the task. Once I have discerned that I am following God’s will I am overcome with a sense of peace that I am where He wants me to be.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Melanie Gannon
“I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let my foot slip—he who watches over me will not slumber; indeed he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over me—the Lord is a shade at my right hand; the sun will not harm me by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep me from all harm—he will watch over my life; the Lord will watch over my coming and going both now and forever more.” Psalm 121
My sister and I did Beth Moore’s Psalm of the Ascents a few summers ago. In this particular study she asks you to memorize Psalm 121. I have a funny habit of working on scripture memory on the treadmill, and I could not seem to get these verses into my head. Over time I realized that I was not sure I believed the words of Psalm 121.
My dad was killed suddenly and tragically in May 2002. Even in the midst of those first days and weeks I knew God was in control and that he loved me. So it startled me to be overcome by distrust and unbelief six years later. In my heart though, I did not believe God had helped my dad. I did not believe God had kept him from harm.
Months and months went by as I struggled with this issue. And it is difficult to struggle with God when you need him to help you with two toddlers. Day after day, I poured my heart out to him because he can handle the depth of our emotions. Over the past two years he has shown me precious words in his Bible.
Matthew 11:6—“Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.” John the Baptist was in prison and sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he was the one to come. John was struggling with unbelief. How could the Messiah leave his forerunner in prison? Jesus knew there would be many things that don’t make sense to us but said we are blessed if we still follow by faith. My dad’s death was horrible and senseless, but I can say that while I don’t understand, I will still trust and follow.
Isaiah 51:3—“You forget the Lord your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth…you live in constant terror every day because of the wrath of the oppressor, who is bent on destruction.” I become so fearful that I forget, just like the Israelites, my God who created all things.
Be honest with God! He already knows your thoughts! Our relationship with him grows as we are honest before him even in our unbelief.
My sister and I did Beth Moore’s Psalm of the Ascents a few summers ago. In this particular study she asks you to memorize Psalm 121. I have a funny habit of working on scripture memory on the treadmill, and I could not seem to get these verses into my head. Over time I realized that I was not sure I believed the words of Psalm 121.
My dad was killed suddenly and tragically in May 2002. Even in the midst of those first days and weeks I knew God was in control and that he loved me. So it startled me to be overcome by distrust and unbelief six years later. In my heart though, I did not believe God had helped my dad. I did not believe God had kept him from harm.
Months and months went by as I struggled with this issue. And it is difficult to struggle with God when you need him to help you with two toddlers. Day after day, I poured my heart out to him because he can handle the depth of our emotions. Over the past two years he has shown me precious words in his Bible.
Matthew 11:6—“Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.” John the Baptist was in prison and sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he was the one to come. John was struggling with unbelief. How could the Messiah leave his forerunner in prison? Jesus knew there would be many things that don’t make sense to us but said we are blessed if we still follow by faith. My dad’s death was horrible and senseless, but I can say that while I don’t understand, I will still trust and follow.
Isaiah 51:3—“You forget the Lord your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth…you live in constant terror every day because of the wrath of the oppressor, who is bent on destruction.” I become so fearful that I forget, just like the Israelites, my God who created all things.
Be honest with God! He already knows your thoughts! Our relationship with him grows as we are honest before him even in our unbelief.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Emily Sanders
Small Town Girl
If anyone knows anything about me, it is that I am from a small town. I love the intimacy of a small town, which can be both good and bad. Everyone knows your business, they share in your heartache, and most all of your social events revolve aroundour church or high school athletics.
One of my goals when I moved to Birmingham 10 years ago was to visit around and find the “right” church for me, but I really wasn’t sure what this would be. I mean….my options were endless. Big versus small; contemporary services versus traditional; preaching styles; Sunday School versus Small Groups. So seven churches and 13 months later, I walked down the aisle of Shades Mountain and moved my membership. This small town gal had given up the Baptist hymnals and teaching children’s Sunday School to big screens with words and an active singles group. As much as I knew that this was exactly where I was supposed to be, I wondered about my place in a church this size. I was no longer a rotating soloist in the choir, or the youngest member of the Steering committee. Every person was new. Every relationship had to be established. I was just one of a large congregation….would this place of worship ever become home?
Over time and through much prayer, I came to understand that to make this place home, meant to embrace the talents, abilities that God has given me and use them- not for my own glory but for his. With every commitment, obligation, or promise of yes, a new bond to this church was strengthened. With each passing year, I feel like I try something new and immerse myself into another ministry. Not to conquer it but to see what value God has given me to add.
This past weekend, I served with some mighty warriors at the Chinese Vacation Bible School. To see the heart and commitment of the ones I served with was inspiring. I invited a dear friend to join me this past weekend. For me it was another VBS, different faces, but something I had done before. For him, it was stepping out in faith and using a gift God had given him that he had never used before. As I stood back, and watched him do his thing, I was completely in awe of his service and I was so proud. I couldn't help but ponder if God feels the same when we use our gifts for his mission.
Lord, let me use my gifts for your glory. Not just when I sign up for mission trips or projects. But every day...with every breath. Make you the center of each decision and with every yes commitment to you be the glory. Please help me to immerse myself in your ministries and to encourage others to join with me.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Martha Atkinson
God is in Control
Psalm 24:1-2 says "The Earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world and all who live in it; for He founded it on the seas and established it on the waters."
If we ever questioned who is really in control of the universe, I believe these verses answers that question. We think we are in control because we think we can do a pretty good job of making a life for ourselves, building homes and families and providing for them. We have doctors who can identify the specific composition of certain cancer cells so they can match the exact medicine to fight that individual cancer. Information from every venue is beamed to us from the farthest reaches of the Earth or outer space, in just a matter of seconds. We can know things now that we didn't even know we could know, or needed to know when many of us were children.
But, when things go wrong, or disaster hits, or sickness or death comes, we're left either feeling out of control, or actually out-of-control. And when those things happen, think of Deuteronomy 31:8 where God said through Moses: "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."
We don't have to be afraid or discouraged because "The Earth is the Lord's and everything in it."
I read this week that scientists are now saying that our Earth day is 1.26 milliseconds shorter, because of the change in the earth's axis, as a result of the recent 8.8 earthquake in Chili. As if our day's weren't short enough already! I don't even want to know how smart you have to be to be able to figure that out! Talk about feeling out of control.
But, if God made someone who is smart enough to find out that the day is shorter, or how to treat diseases, or how to bounce information all over the world, then how much greater is our God, who made all things possible? Our God is The Most High God, God of the Universe, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the GREAT I AM! And He is in control.
I'm not saying don't have a care in the world, and don't be concerned. I'm saying take comfort in our God, who loves us so much that He sent Jesus, His only son to die for the forgiveness of our sins. And by us, I mean you specifically, and me specifically, as if we were the only ones to do that for. God knew why Jesus would be born long before any of us knew we even needed him. Our God, who set the whole world in motion, and breathed the breath of life into Adam and Eve is in control.
Next year, our son plans to leave home and go away to college. Part of me is so very proud of him and the things he has been able to accomplish, and I want him to be a happy, and successful in college. But, another part of me wants to keep him at home or close by so his Dad and I can still exercise a little more "parental control" over him. But, I am content that he is going to the place where God wants him to be, and he will be doing what God wants him to be doing. It also means that my day to day influence will be toned down a few thousand notches. I won't be so much in control. But, when he was born, I prayed that our son, whose life is not ours, but a gift from God, could be used by God for His glory. At this point, I think I can relate to how Hannah might have felt when she brought Samuel to the priest because of the promise she made to God.
So, this is where the hard part starts for me, because I have to completely TRUST. It's time for me to use the "head knowledge" that God is in control, and truly know it in my heart that God is really in control. It's time for me to trust that the same angels that God has looking over our son now, will follow him to college and watch over him there, or where ever else he may go. (And on the roads between here and there, please!)
The same Most High God, who set the universe in motion, and provided a way for our salvation through Jesus, and who made scientists smart enough to tell us when our day just got a little shorter will still watch over me... and you...and the ones we love.
Another Bible verse that makes me feel comforted when all about me is in chaos is Matthew 6:26-27. It says "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?"
Yes, God is in control.
