Winter 2025 Newsletter by First Southern Baptist Church

Happenings

Women’s Ministry Newsletter, Winter, 2025

“Connecting Women to Women with God’s Love”

MESSAGE FROM JANIE CARNAL, WOMEN’S MINISTRY LEADER

The new year is already well on its way. For many of us, including me, we usually begin a new year with thoughts about how we can improve on the previous year. We look within ourselves for things that need to be changed or for ways we want to do things differently. Most of the time, we make a few resolutions in the early days of the new year, and for me, those resolutions are in place for about two weeks and then it is on to the next thing. It’s still important to reflect on what went well and what didn’t go so well anyway because we all have things in our lives that need to improve or take first place.

As we look forward with hope and determination for our lives to be better this year than last, I would encourage you to join me in looking at these top ten commitments to our Lord and Savior that we can all focus on for 2025 to make this world a better place. You can always add more or change them to make them more applicable to your life.

• Read and study God’s Word everyday.

• Improve our prayer life seeking God’s direction and guidance.

• Count our blessings everyday.

• Worship regularly with fellow Christians.

• Allow the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts and minds.

• Think on heavenly things rather than earthly things.

• Be open to opportunities of service to others in need.

• Maintain strong relationships with family and friends.

• Be an encourager to others.

• Develop a thankful heart.

God will bless us and our outlook on life will improve if we make God first in our lives. See you in church and Bible Study. Have a wonderful 2025.

Here is an example of how you can get started being an encourager to others and serving those in need. Loving Your Widowed Friend by Marsha Findlay, 2024 (Nancy Joseph shared this.)

In the book of Ruth, we find Naomi, a woman of God, who became a widow. She had Ruth, who stuck by her side. All widows need a Ruth, someone who can help in this difficult season. You can love your Naomi, if you know how. This writing is composed of many ideas from the widowed themselves.

Shock is an amazing thing. It helps the widowed cope. However, many describe their brain as mush!! Hence, this pamphlet was created to help you know their needs. Because of the fuzzy head at the time of grief, the widowed do not know how to express themselves. As you pray you may find new and different ways to help. Hugs and love are always at the top of the list. All of this pamphlet applies to men who have lost their spouse as well as to women. Please extend your love and help to both. (continued on page 3)

DEVOTIONAL BY MAGGIE SMITH

HOW TO LIVE IN HOPE

“These days peace on earth is hard to find, And I need You to remind me one more time. You’re still the Hope of Christmas

You’re still the light when the world looks dark; You’re still the Hope of Christmas And You’re still the Hope of my heart.”

Matthew West

How is 2025 going for you so far? Maybe you are where I am – struggling to find HOPE in all that’ s going on around me. None of us like disappointment, do we? In fact, disappointment tends to drag our spirits down. With all the events of the past 4 or 5 years, many of us find ourselves discouraged or even depressed. Proverbs 13:12 says, “HOPE deferred makes the heart sick.” We’ve experienced this at various times, haven’t we? What can we do when it’s hard to find HOPE?

CHANGE OUR FOCUS!

When we can’t find HOPE, or we feel down and discouraged, it’s at least partly because we’re looking at the wrong things. By this I don’t mean we should bury our heads in the sand. It’s wise and right to see things as they really are, but once we’ve done that, we need to set our sights and hearts on who God is. Yes, the world really is a mess, and it appears to be deteriorating rapidly. Sometimes it looks like evil is winning, but we know the end of the story – GOD WINS! The prophet Jeremiah said it well in Lamentations 3:19-26. There isn’t room to include all those verses here, but I urge you to look it up. Here’s the gist of it.

“I remember my affliction and wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me.

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have HOPE: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, For His compassions never fail….

The Lord is good to those whose HOPE is in Him…. It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”

We need to cling to God and His Word. We need to rehearse His attributes and His precious promises. What blessings each of those are! Isn’t that what we need to focus on?

And very importantly, we need to stay in fellowship with other believers. You’ve heard the illustration of a campfire burning brightly: What happens if you take a log out of the fire and set it off by itself? It goes out! Each piece of wood in the fire draws from the other logs. This is a perfect picture of Christian fellowship. God made us to be together in the Body of Christ, to draw strength and courage from one another, and to contribute to all the other parts of the Body. What an amazing and wise Heavenly Father we have!

Here are just a few of God’s wonderful promises about Hope:

“Faith is the assurance (that’s a pretty certain word, isn’t it?) of things HOPED for, the conviction (another certain word) of things not seen.” Heb. 11:1 (NASB)

“This HOPE we have as an anchor of the soul, a HOPE both sure and steadfast… (Hebrews 6:19)

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living HOPE through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you…. (1 Peter 1:3-4)

“And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character, and proven character, HOPE; and HOPE does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:3-5)

“May Your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our HOPE in You.” (Psalm 33:22)

Here are a number of other verses I found; perhaps you can add to the list?

Psalms 25:3; 33:18-22; 42:5; 62:5; 119:74; 130:5,7; 146:5; Isaiah 40:31; Romans 12:12….

Here are lyrics from another beautiful song, this one by Casting Crowns:

“God is With Us”

Love is raining down on the world tonight

There’s a presence here I can tell

God is in us, God is for us, God is with us, Emmanuel He’s the savior we have been praying for

In our humble hearts He will dwell God is in us, God is for us, God is with us, Emmanuel.

HOW TO LOVE: Choose one or two or more ideas that fit your life and pray for God’s direction. Find ways to help that use your best abilities. May you find great joy in helping.

BLESSINGS YOU CAN GIVE: Ask this question: How can I pray for you? Let this always be on your lips! They need you and they need God. Knowing you and God are together about their future is very comforting.

Spend the first few nights with them. They will say NO. Tell them you will sit on the couch and read. Be insistent and sensitive.

Make calls for them. Volunteer to phone people and organizations.

Sit with them at church EVERY WEEK. Sitting alone is devastatingly hard.

Call them every day for as many months as you can. They need to know someone cares about them. They need to talk. And they especially need prayer.

Ask permission to put them on a prayer chain.

Invite them to a small group that meets regularly. It can be Bunco or Bible study or a hiking club or friends having lunch together each week on a specific day. (Note: Encourage them to attend a Grief Share class. Our church now offers this program every Monday morning at 10:00 a.m. in the FH.)

Help with the paperwork. Even if they are very organized, the shock that comes with grief can make the mind a blur.

Take food to them every week for at least two or three months! It can be a meal or a snack of something from Costco that just needs heating or pulling out of the package. They will let you know when there is no need.

There are several more suggestions in this pamphlet, but I am out of room. If you would like to see the rest, I would be more than happy to make it available. Thank you, Nancy, for sharing this valuable information.

Ladies, join us on Tuesday mornings at 10:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall as we discuss the Immerse Bible Reading Experience in Kingdoms. Immerse Kingdoms tells the story of Israel from the time of its conquest of Canaan (Joshua) through its struggle to settle the land (Judges, Ruth) and the establishment of Israel’s kingdom, which ends in a forced exile (Samuel-Kings). The nation of Israel, commissioned to be God’s light to the nations, falls to division and then foreign conquest for rejecting God’s rule.

This discussion continues the rest of January and all of February. Come and enjoy fellowship with a great group of ladies in a warm and friendly atmosphere.

NEW BIBLE STUDY STARTING MARCH 4, 2025

AREYOUMAKINGTHEMOSTOFWHATGODHASDONEFORYOU?

God’s gift of grace to you is total and complete. He’s given it in abundance, and there’s nothing you can add to it. Are you allowing His all-sufficient grace to transform you? In Colossians and Philemon you’ll learn about . . .

• The riches you possess in Christ

• The incredible spiritual power that resides within you

• How a thankful heart helps you to endure suffering

• How you can show God’s grace to others

You’ll find yourself spiritually enriched as you explore the heights and depths of God’s grace, and discover how to extend it freely to others.

March 4-May 20, 2025, Tuesdays, 10:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Facilitated by Janie Carnal. Book is included and will be available in February.