New city? New church! Whether you are a military family, job transfer, or just new to the community, we know change can be hard. Finding a place of worship can help. At Frazer we welcome new faces. We invite you to explore our faith family, discover our ministries for children, students and adults, and learn more about how you can get connected at frazerumc.org.
Frazer Church: find hope, Follow Jesus • Sunday worship 8, 9:30 & 11AM 6000 atlanta Hwy. Montgomery • frazerumc.org • 334.2728622 •
Volume 16, Issue 4
Feature Articles
AU G U ST 20 1 4 Columns page 2
Publisher’s Note page 14
Jason Watson
Faith @ Work
page 4
Pastor's Perspective
Seth and Megan Rhodebeck Both staff attorneys for the Alabama Supreme Court, this husband and wife share how their faith impacts their lives outside of the church walls, including their careers and commitment to help revitalize their neighborhood.
Pastor Kyle Searcy, Fresh Anointing House of Worship
page 12
Pondering the Journey Sam Whatley
page 16
Shine
Kim Hendrix
page 18
With All Your Mind Matt Jordan, Ph.D.
page 24
page 20
Counselor’s Corner
Respite Ministry
Nancy Thomas, MA, NCC, CCMHC, LPC
page 28
First UMC, Montgomery
The Intersection
by Rachel Fisher Discover this beautiful ministry that is giving fellowship, freedom and identity back to Alzheimer’s patients and those with other forms of dementia.
Bob Crittenden
page 33
Dave $ays Dave Ramsey
page 34
Family Teams for Christ Lisa and Mike Conn
page 30
In Every Issue
My House is Your House
page 6
Books to Read
by Karen Wingate If you have ever felt overwhelmed by the idea of “Christian hospitality,” you will find comfort here. You can remove the typical expectations, and simply love those God puts in your path. 1
page 8
Around Our Community page 26
Support Groups page 36
Event Calendar page 40
Movie Reviews August 2014
River Region’s Journey
Our Mission... We believe the Good News concerning the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is worth sharing with our friends and neighbors in the River Region. Each month we deliver this life-changing message to the centers of activity across our community in a user-friendly and relevant way to empower and equip all those seeking to grow closer to God. Join us in this mission by sharing a copy with your neighbor or by becoming an advertising partner starting next month.
Editor DeAnne Watson deanne@readjourneymagazine.com
Publisher
Jason Watson jason@readjourneymagazine.com
Associate Publisher Savannah Bowden
Research Editor Wendy McCollum
Contributing Writers
Tim Challies Lisa and Mike Conn Bob Crittenden Rachel Fisher Kim Hendrix Matt Jordan, Ph.D. Dave Ramsey Pastor Kyle Searcy Nancy Thomas, MA, NCC, CCMHC, LPC Sam Whatley Karen Wingate
Advertising Opportunities Jason Watson ads@readjourneymagazine.com (334) 213-7940 ext 703
Ad Design
Tim Welch, Welch Designs
Distribution Team Kristy Brennan Wendy McCollum Chris Mitchell Manzie Moore Richard Ward Lesa Youngblood
From the Publisher Last month someone wrote in to tell us what a difference Journey is making in the lives of some of her friends. Also, one of our writers shared with me that he’d received several emails from people encouraged by his article and Journey. It’s always great to hear those stories because seeing lives changed through the powerful message of God’s good news in Christ is why we publish Journey each month. When the magazines come off the press every month, I’m honored to hand my friends the new issue because I know they’ll be encouraged through all that’s offered inside. I hope you’ll join me in doing the same with your friends, family, neighbors and co-workers. Are you a man? Do you know a man? Then, “MAN UP! Be the Man You’ve Always Wanted to Be.” Pastor Kyle Searcy, in this month’s Pastor Perspective, offers us excellent wisdom on what it means to be a real man. In our times when men are often remaining boys, we need to hear the message Pastor Searcy is sharing. Ladies, we haven’t left you out. Do you ever struggle to invite people into your home because of the pressure you feel to make everything “just right” for your guests. You’re not alone, but it also doesn’t have to be that way. In “My House is Your House,” Karen Wingate shares about true hospitality. For her everything changed when her family learned “that hospitality is partnering with Jesus to use our home and its contents to care for others.” This freeing perspective is a must read for all of us as we seek to bless others using the gifts God has given us. Each month we like to spotlight the work of a local ministry in order to connect people with that ministry, whether as a volunteer or if you’re in need of their support. This month we’ve highlighted the Adult Respite Ministry at First United Methodist Church of Montgomery. I lost two grandparents to Alzheimer’s and have seen the amount of care needed, as well as the toll it takes on the care giver. This is such a special ministry and I hope you’ll read all about them so you or a friend who is need can take advantage of all that they offer. These are just a few highlights in this month’s issue, but there is much more for you to enjoy. Now that you have the issue in hand, take the time over the next few weeks to read it cover to cover. As I said above, in these pages is a powerful, life-changing message that you don’t want to miss. I pray that as you read it and share it with others you’ll be blessed by all that we’ve shared.
River Region’s Journey is published monthly by Keep Sharing, P.O. Box 230367, Montgomery, AL 36123. For information, call 334-213-7940. River Region’s Journey is copyrighted 2014 by KeepSharing. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited. The opinions expressed in River Region’s Journey are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the owners, nor do they constitute an endorsement of products or services herein. River Region’s Journey has the right to refuse any content that is not consistent with its statement of faith.
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Pastor Kyle Searcy, Fresh Anointing House of Worship
Man Up! Be the Man You Always Wanted to Be When I was a boy, my dad used to tell me that when he wasn’t around the house, I had to “be the man.” That sounded really important so I loved it when he spoke those words. But things never really changed…I didn’t get to boss my Mom around. I didn’t get to make the rules. What my dad was really saying was, “Behave for your mother and watch out for your siblings.” The truth is that manhood is a lot more than just bossing somebody around. The world espoused some odd definitions of manhood…like “men get in touch with your sensitive side” and “real men don’t eat quiche.” Hopefully neither of these statements declares your manhood. So what do I mean by “Man Up?” Man Up speaks of taking responsibility for yourself. Stop making excuses for things that are not the way they should be. Your past can only cripple you as much as you let it. It is time to be strong…now! Man Up speaks of movement. Your future trajectory is upward. Your manliness should be directed toward a positive goal. You need to believe in the best God has to offer you. He has called you to be something unique and that purpose will fulfill everything that your heart desires to be. Man Up also requires that you help others become better men as well. You will find great reward by lifting up another man toward his divine purpose. Here are a few principles to help us “Man Up.”
1. Prioritize the relationships in your life. We are not thermometers; we are ther-
mostats. We set the temperature and others reflect what we set. If the relationships in our life are not healthy it is because we are setting an unhealthy tone. Although men can be highly task oriented, we often fall short in prioritizing the task of making sure all of the relationships in our lives are healthy. The important people in our lives will let us know when they are no longer a priority. We should listen to them and make adjustments immediately. River Region’s Journey
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1 Timothy 5:8, NCV – “Whoever does not care for his own relatives, especially his own family members, has turned against the faith and is worse than someone who does not believe in God.”
2. Rest in the mercy and grace of God. I
strongly believe in personal and practical holiness. I believe that every man, woman, and child can live according to the way God calls and commands us to live. But when we mess up it is comforting to know that the mercy and grace of God is available. I have met far too many men who allowed condemnation and morbid introspection to keep them in a place of perpetual defeat. It is time to embrace God’s mercy which judicially forgives us, and encounter His grace which empowers us to overcome whatever we have done wrong. Romans 4:16, RSV – “That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants-not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham, for he is the father of us all.”
3. Reach out. As men we often try to figure
things out on our own and solve problems in a vacuum, but we must reach out to other men. Every one of us should pray that God would show us a mentor – someone we can learn from and through whom we can process life’s challenges. This may be someone you physically meet or someone who mentors you through books or CDs. It is important to be diligent to find someone who can help sharpen us. Romans 1:12, WNT – “in other words that while I am among you we may be mutually encouraged by one another’s faith, yours and mine.”
4. Prioritize personal development. One
of the worst things we can do as men is accept life the way it is and not earnestly strive to better ourselves. I encourage you to sit down today and map out two or three things you’ll do every day that can help develop you 4
personally. Maybe something like reading 10 pages of a self-development book every day. Or walking 30 minutes daily. Or reading three chapters of the Bible each day. Determining what is needed to become a better person is not going to happen without intentional effort. Ephesians 4:13, CEB – “until we all reach the unity of faith and knowledge of God’s Son. God’s goal is for us to become mature adults—to be fully grown, measured by the standard of the fullness of Christ.”
5. Change your attitude. This may sound like a cliché, but it is so true. Remember, our attitude, not our aptitude, determines our altitude. To go up externally we first must go up internally. We must cultivate an optimistic, faith-filled attitude. Our attitude is usually revealed by our feelings – negative feelings of unforgiveness, offense, bitterness and defeat – these are evidence that our thoughts and attitude are not optimistic. We should instead embrace an attitude of gratitude. We may need to look in unlikely places for the silver lining in the cloud. For some, it will take an act of God to see the glass half full rather than half empty. Galatians 6:8, CJB – “Those who keep sowing in the field of their old nature, in order to meet its demands, will eventually reap ruin; but those who keep sowing in the field of the Spirit will reap from the Spirit everlasting life.”
Yes, we may have heard some or all of these principles before, but our wills must embrace these, not just our ears. So finally, just do it! Man Up!! Kyle Searcy has a passion for developing a new generation of leaders. He serves as senior pastor of Fresh Anointing House of Worship in Montgomery, and also in Norcross, Ga. Learn more at KyleSearcy.com.
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Our Statement of Faith In keeping with Protestant theology, we believe that the Bible, as contained in the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, is fully inspired by God and therefore inerrant in the original manuscripts. The Bible is the only essential and infallible record of God’s self-disclosure to mankind. The Scriptures are the authoritative and normative rule and guide of all Christian life, practice, and doctrine. They are totally sufficient and must not be added to, superseded, or changed by later tradition, extra-biblical revelation, or worldly wisdom. The Bible is perfect in every way and shows us how to become and live as Christians. The way of becoming a Christian is by faith alone in Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, who came to us, born of a virgin, in full human form while remaining fully God. Jesus was, and is, perfect, and was crucified so that others could live. Three days later He rose from the dead, never to die again. He ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God the Father, where He, the only mediator between God and man, continually makes intercession for His own. Those who have faith in Jesus as their Lord in this life, and Savior from damnation in the next life, now live by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, becoming more like Jesus everyday. We believe that God is one God. The one God has three persons: the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Just as God is one, so also, all believers are to be one. We believe in the unity and fellowship of all those that have faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. We are one in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, His Body, which is composed of all men, living and dead, who have been joined to Him through saving faith. *All editorial content published needs to be in agreement with our Statement of Faith
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It starts like this: “My name is Nate, but you can call me Samson. That’s the code name my friends have given me, and for reasons you’ll eventually understand, I’ve given the same symbolic name to each of them. We are the Samson Society.” It’s an intriguing start to the book Samson and the Pirate Monks and I, for one, wanted to know more. Nate Larkin is founder of the Samson Society, a group for men who are looking for male friendship, (dare I say it?) accountability, and authentic brotherhood. It is a group for men who have tried to do the Christian life on their own and have found it impossible. It is a group that anyone can begin, without cost, without contracts, without hassle. I have long observed that men tend to do pretty poorly with friendship. I don’t know if we are really bad at friendship or if most of us have just never given it a fair try. In either case, I think it’s clear that too few men have genuinely significant friendships. Larkin was there. From the early days of his marriage he developed bad habits which, in time, grew into outright addiction. Before long he was hooked on pornography, visiting the seedy parts of town and, eventually, visiting prostitutes. Despite being raised in a Christian environment, despite being a pastor himself, he gave in to his habits, gave in to his lusts, and found his life and marriage crumbling around him. And he dealt with it all in River Region’s Journey
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isolation, without men around him who could help him and guide him. Even when he saw his sin and was desperate to overcome it, his life was devoid of meaningful relationships that could make a difference. For too long he wallowed in his sin. It was only when he got other men deeply involved in his life that he was able to gain real victory over his sin. He came to realize that Christian friendship—men befriending men—is a precious gift. As he emerged from the mess of his addiction he says, “I was willing to trust Christ, but I was not ready to trust the body of Christ. … What I did not yet understand was that while Jesus does offer a personal relationship to every one of his disciples, he never promises any of us a private one. … The church, according to the New Testament, is not a loose confederation of individuals. The church is a body—a living, breathing organism whose members are so intimately connected that they can only move together. On any given day, every member of that body needs help, and every member has some help to give.” Samson and the Pirate Monks is partly Larkin’s biography and partly an account of the founding of the first Samson Society. It is also a call for men to put aside their pride and inhibitions and to find meaningful relationships with 6
one another. And it provides more than a call—it provides a defense and a structure. The book is full of helpful insights about life and faith. Things like this: “I have found that for short stretches of time I can convince myself that I am being faithful to God if I define faithfulness in terms of only one behavior.” That resonates, and so does this: “Self-righteousness … is a doubled-edged sword. If I have reduced holiness to a single behavior, then I am standing on one leg. One slip and I am nothing again, absolutely useless.” And this: “God, in his grace, has used addiction to shatter my moralistic understanding of the Christian faith and force me to accept the gospel. I am not a faithful man. That’s why I need a Savior. I cannot live victoriously on my own. That’s why I need a Helper and brothers. I cannot keep my promises to God—the very act of making them is delusional— but God will keep his promises to me.” I find books like this easy to dismiss, perhaps especially because so many of us have tried accountability relationships and found them wanting. That and we have had so many calls to relationship, to accountability, to Eldredge-style openness. But then I think about men I know and wonder how they would receive this book and, even better, the kind of relationships it models. And then I realize that men are desperate for exactly what Larkin describes here. The book may be easy to dismiss, but to dismiss it too quickly and too easily would probably say more about me than about the book and its ideas. I enjoyed Samson and the Pirate Monks thoroughly and would commend it to any Christian man. Read it, pillage it for ideas, and start pursuing true brotherhood.
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Macon East Academy is an independent, college preparatory school focused on excellence in academics, athletics, and achievement. Our accelerated curriculum is complemented by offerings in performing and visual arts, music, foreign language, and over 20 interscholastic sports, as well as a 1:1 Apple iPad program for students in grades 1 - 12. At Macon East, our students are held to high standards in all areas of student life, and Christian values are reinforced throughout all school programs. Small class sizes and a safe, nurturing environment give every student the opportunity to excel. Macon East is more than a school; we are a family. Schedule a campus tour today, and find out why Macon East is the right school for your student.
Macon East Academy
15396 Vaughn Road | maconeast.net | 334.277.6566
Located 7 miles east of Chantilly Parkway, just minutes from Montgomery 7
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Agape of Central Alabama Chosen as Charity for
“Changing Oil, Changing Lives” Event
Agape of Central Alabama has been selected to be a part of All American Auto & Tire’s first Changing Oil, Changing Lives event, to be held in Montgomery on Wednesday, August 27th. All American Tire & Auto will launch its Changing Oil, Changing Lives campaign by donating 100% of one day’s worth of oil changes to Agape. By participating in Changing Oil Changing Lives, All American Tire will be regularly giving back to local charities, choosing a different recipient for each event. “We’re thrilled to have been selected as the beneficiary of the Changing Oil, Changing Lives event,” said Emily Thames, director of operations for Agape of Central Alabama. “Don has a big heart and has built his business on being an upstanding member of the community with strong morals and values. We’re blessed that he asked to work with us on this.” Those interested in participating on August 27th can stop by either of All American Auto & Tire’s two locations in Montgomery: 2700 Bell Road and 408 Madison Avenue. Proceeds from oil changes that day will go to Agape of Central Alabama, but monetary donations will also be accepted at the locations. As a ministry of Jesus Christ, Agape helps hurting children find permanent homes with nurturing Christian families. This mission has led Christians through Agape to serve more than 2,000 children through foster care, and more than 250 children through the permanency of a Christian adoptive family. Agape is a non-profit agency with locations in Montgomery, Birmingham, Enterprise and Daphne. To learn more about Agape, call (334) 272-9466 or visit www.agapeforchildren.org.
Heart For Homeschooling 2014 Conference
There is a great need in our city - young moms have a heart and conviction for homeschooling, but don’t know where or how to start. This conference will provide practical advice and wisdom from homeschooling veterans who have been there. Prayerfully, Heart For Homeschooling will help to ease the fears and anxieties of overwhelmed homeschooling moms by reminding them of the freedom and rest to be found in Christ and by sharing helpful homeschooling strategies. - Hosted by Eastwood Presbyterian Church - Saturday, August 16, 9:30-2:00 in the Fellowship Hall - The conference will consist of 3 speakers and a 4-person Q&A panel - Speakers will teach on: Fighting Against Legalism and Treasuring Your Child, Curriculum: How To Choose It; How To Use It, Being Part of a Homeschooling Community A light breakfast and lunch will be provided; Fun door prizes throughout the conference Large book/curriculum table; A room will also be available for moms to bring their own gently used curriculum to sell; Booths with representatives from local homeschooling co-ops and groups, as well as local cover schools $15/person or $25/couple if you register by August 14 @ 11:30pm; Otherwise tickets are $20/person. To register and find more information, visit the event’s website: HeartForHomeschooling.com. River Region’s Journey
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Stronger: Finding Hope in Fragile Places
You are invited to hear Angela Thomas (Bible teacher, national speaker and author) Thursday, September 25 6:30 pm to 9 pm First Baptist Church Worship Center 138 S. Washington Street, Prattville Admission is free. Refreshments will be served and an offering will be taken. Please join the event on Facebook at “Angela Thomas at FBC” or call the church at 365-0606 to register.
Email your ministry or church news to deanne@ readjourneymagazine.com.
An Evening with the Gaither Vocal Band
Frazer Memorial United Methodist Church Montgomery, AL October 10, 2014 at 7 pm. More information and tickets: www.premierproductions.com/tour/gaithertour-2014/montgomery-al.
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Conference for Women
at Vaughn Forest Church, vaughnforest.com / 334-279-5433 September 26-27, 2014 Fri. 7-9:30pm Sat. 8:30a.m. -12:30 p.m. Jo Hancock, Speaker Kim Hendrix, Guest speaker Jonathan Green, Worship Leader Tickets $25, Event Saver till 9/5 $30 regular after 9/5 $35 at door.
Obsessed
A Christian music and ministry festival
Featuring Rush of Fools with guests Kevin & Jordyn Boyer Band Event speaker: Daniel Bridgman Saturday, August 16, Lake Martin Amphitheater, Eclectic Gates open at 5pm, Show 6-10pm A privately organized event to be held at THE AMP, Obsessed is a Christian music and ministry “festival” to benefit Wounded Warrior Project. Tickets are $5 in advance, and $8 at the gate. Tickets and t-shirts can be purchased in advance by contacting Mt. Olive Church, Tallassee, at 334.415.9086. For more information, call Katelyn Hamilton at 334.283.4810 or 334.799.3797, or by email at obsessedcmfestival@aol.com.
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Gateway to Hope
Living Proof Live Simulcast
1639 Kowaliga Road in Eclectic, Alabama September 13, 2014 Call 334541-3051.
Breaking the Stigma of Moral Injury
Gateway to Hope: Breaking the Stigma of Moral Injury will be taking place September 9-10 at First United Methodist Church in Montgomery. Gateway to Hope seeks to educate clergy, lay ministers, mental health and other health care professionals about the spiritual wounds of war and the faith community’s moral and spiritual responsibility to support their recovery. The two-day conference will equip the “first responders” to provide pastoral and mental health care as they reintegrate into the civilian world. Has someone come along side of you like Titus? Will you pay it forward? Will you be a comfort to others? Contact www.gatewaytohope2014. wordpress.com to spread the good news!
Christian Comedian Tim Hawkins
Prattville First Baptist Church August 24 at 6 p.m. Call (888) 780-1116 or visit www. fbcprattville.org/ for tickets.
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New friends are now best friends. New experiences are now the best times ever. No wonder it’s so easy to tell others about it and include them in the fun.
Welcome to Riverview Camp for Girls!
We’ve do put Itogether everything you’re looking for in a perfect“I saw camp onemy of Why choose Riverview each summer? mysetting! first river Recognized on a mountain,as I rode Golf,times Dance, Dance, Outdoor Sports, Soccer,use Beach Volleyball, Basketball, “As go,Stomp it was one of the BEST.”Skills AndClass, what child couldn’t some of that these days?
Riverview Refinement, Program, Campfires night,Recognized optional trips and more! We’ve put together everythingCIT you’re looking for in a perfect every camp setting! as one of the Southeast’s best all-around summer camps for girls, Riverview is an oasis of fun, friends and happiness. Spring and Fall &available 2 week Sessions ages to 16... Mother-Daughter Weekends1are also! Registeredfor Nurses and6 Physician on Staff. Entire full-summer staff is First Aid andand CPRFall Certified. Camper/Counselor Ratio 5:1 Spring Mother-Daughter Weekends...
waiting lists start early...sign up soon!... Waitingwww.riverviewcamp.com! lists start early...sign up soon!... 1
Call for FREE DVD and catalog 1-800-882-0722 Accredited by American Camping Association • Members of Christian Camping International
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Only 1 /Mountain 2 hours from Huntsville Located on top of Lookout in Mentone, AL. Only a 3 hr drive.
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Dr. Larry & Susan Hooks, Owners/Directors • Donna Bares,Asst. Director
1 & 2Week Sessions for Ages 6-16
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first I had campfires every night. Icamps felt close to God. giggled a lot is with friends and counselors. time flew by! thehorse. Southeast’s best all-around for girls,IRiverview annew oasis of fun, friends andThe happiness... I Exciting felt safe and secure. Iinclude: gained confidence in myselfPool,Tennis, through the world around me.” activities Riding, Heated Canoeing, Ropes Course, Climbing Tower,
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FLAG TWIRLING • CHEERLEADING • RIFLERY • ARCHERY • TRIP DAY • GOLF
We don’t wonder anymore how it happened, that one summer could bring such happy memories.
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• R OPES C OURSE • C LIMBING T OWER • O UTDOOR L IVING S KILLS • C AMPFIRE F UN • C OUNSELOR -I N -T RAINING •
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River Region Sacred Music Festival
Do you love to sing? Do you sing in a small church choir? Did you sing in high school or college and now miss the experience of singing those masterpieces of choral music? Then We Want You to add your voice to ours! First Presbyterian Church, Prattville is hosting The River Region Sacred Music Festival this fall. Singers will have an opportunity to perform some of the finest sacred choral music ever written in a supportive and collegial environment under the direction of a master choral conductor. Rehearsals will begin in late August and the concert will take place on Sunday, October 12th at 3:00 in the afternoon. For additional information or to register visit www.sacredmusicfest.org or call 365-6387.
“4th Saturday” Outreach Event, August 23 from 9-11am
River City Church, a United Methodist congregation, invites the entire community to their 4th Saturday Outreach event on August 23 from 9am-11am at the church, located at 301 Dexter Avenue. Admission is free. The River Region will have access to blood pressure/glucose screenings, dental screenings, career services, free haircuts, hygiene items and canned goods. Participants can register for a drawing for a weekly bus pass. During the 2-hour period, attendees can speak with prayer partners, and purchase items in the River City Rummage Sale located on the lower level of the church. Nurses will screen for diabetes (glucose testing), assess body mass index, blood pressure, and other vital signs. Volunteers will also provide homework help and a craft for children. For more information, please call 263-0549 or visit www.rivercity umc.com.
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Prattville Location 460 McQueen Smith Road Prattville, AL 36066 (334) 358-6411
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Hidden From the Wise The Bible has some interesting comments about people who are wise in their own eyes. Consider this passage from I Corinthians 3:18-20: “Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a ‘fool’ so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: ‘He catches the wise in their craftiness’; and again, ‘The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise are futile.’” By contrast, Jesus said, “…anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” Luke 18:17
A good example of this paradox may be found in the life of an uneducated French cook in the 1600s. In a monastery in Paris he was known as Brother Lawrence, but he entered this life as Nicholas Herman from Lorraine. A disabled veteran of the Thirty Years War, he did not enter the Carmelite priory until he was about 40. His battle wounds made walking almost impossible and very painful. Herman described himself as clumsy and awkward. Coming to the small priory, he hoped to redeem himself for his many mistakes by enduring strict discipline and the punishment he expected from those in authority. But he was wrong in his expectations. After years of seeking an awareness of God’s presence, he came to feel God with him always. He became noticeably peaceful and joyful, even when spending hours washing pots and pans. And that is when people starting talking about him. Word reached the abbot of the monastery that something strange or vEry was happening to the crippled cook in the E n E r at i o n kitchen. He didn’t worry; he didn’t complain. He smiled a lot. He said that he talked Prattville First United Methodist Church to God silently nearly all the time. He said 100 E. 4th Street, Prattville, AL 36067 that he was “practicing TRADI TI O NAL W O RSH I P 8 : 3 0 AM & 11 : 0 0 A M the presence of God.” SUNDAY SCH O O L 9 : 4 5 AM Someone needed to TH E W ELL 11 : 0 0 AM find out what was going on. The abbot asked Brother Lawrence how he had come to faith in Christ. Brother Lawwww.prattvillemethodist.org
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rence described a winter scene that he had witnessed at the age of 18 that he believed changed his spiritual life. He said it was not a vision, but a supernatural clarity of a common occurrence. He said he saw a barren tree in the snow and realized that God would bring leaves and flowers to that tree in the spring and fruit to it in the summer. Then he realized that the same One who would regenerate the tree each year can bring redemption to any of us, if we will but seek Him. After that Brother Lawrence sought to do all things for the love of God and to seek His presence. He had come to the monastery to pay for his sins, but now he realized Jesus had already paid for them. He had only to praise God and carry on a silent conversation with Him at all times, even when he worked. He said he felt as close to God in the kitchen preparing a meal as he did on his knees at communion. Word reached Abbot Joseph de Beaufort, counsel to the Archbishop of Paris, to come and interview Brother Lawrence. Beaufort and Brother Lawrence soon became friends, having several conversations and eventually exchanging letters over the next 25 years. Beaufort wanted to print a pamphlet of Brother Lawrence’s conversations, letters and spiritual maxims, but the cook would not allow it. He did not want to attract any attention to himself. However after Brother Lawrence died in 1691, Joseph de Beaufort published The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. The little book is still being printed and has touched and challenged millions of Christians in the past 300 years. John Wesley recommended it to all new believers. A.W. Tozer, the theologian of the 20th century, encouraged many to read it. Brother Lawrence did not intend to write a book. He did not have enough formal education to be a clergyman, but he had a relationship with God that many church leaders longed for, but did not achieve. But any of us could achieve it if we truly humbled ourselves and practiced the presence of God.
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Megan: I began really pursuing God for the first time shortly after I finished my undergraduate degree. I realized that I knew a lot of facts about Him, through the biblical foundation my parents gave me, but I didn’t really KNOW Him. I met some amazing people after I moved to Virginia Beach to begin law school who fostered my desire to know God more. RRJ: So you both had some participation with the Christian faith early in your lives, but how would you describe the difference between now and those early years? Megan: I would describe my Christian faith early in my life as fact-based, passive, and lifeless. I never thought about what it really meant that I was sinner who desperately needed the grace and forgiveness freely offered by the Father through Jesus Christ. My faith is now an active pursuit of God — to know Him and to make Him known. Seth: It’s Religion v. Relationship. In John 17:3, Jesus defines eternal life as knowing the Father and the Son. Once I came into relationship with God and began to know Him, everything changed. My desires for this world began to fade and my desire to know God grew. I began to seek Him and realized that He had already found me.
RRJ: Thank you so much for taking the time to share how your faith is at work out in the community where God has placed you. To begin with, how long have you two been followers of Christ? Seth: I have been following Jesus with my whole heart for 12 years. I was raised in the church and attended Christian schools. However, even though I knew the truths about Christianity, I would not say that I became a follower of Jesus Christ until the summer between high school graduation and starting college at Lee University in the fall of 2002; that’s when my faith became my own. River Region’s Journey
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RRJ: After finishing up law school at Regent in Virginia, was moving to the River Region your goal? Seth: That was an interesting time and, looking back on it, really exciting. We were in a place where we were totally dependent upon God to direct our steps. We had applied for jobs all over the country and were willing to go anywhere, but we were met with shut door after shut door. We were brought to the end of ourselves; neither of us had anymore leads to pursue. It was at this time, when we had no other hope, that the Lord directed us to Montgomery. I had interned in Montgomery with the Supreme Court of Alabama while in law school, but at the time I was looking 14
for a job, the judge I had interned for had a full staff and no room for anyone else. There was no reason to move to Montgomery, and it certainly was not a goal of ours (in fact, Megan said early on that she was open to moving anywhere but Alabama). So, out of obedience, we moved to Montgomery. About two weeks after we moved here, the judge I had interned for offered me a job; he did not even know we had moved to Montgomery! I accepted the job. Then, seven months later Megan was hired by another judge. It was an amazing demonstration of God’s love for us and His provision. RRJ: In your roles as staff attorneys for Supreme Court judges is your Christian faith something that can be put on display? If so, how? Megan: Certainly our faith can be on display as staff attorneys for the Alabama Supreme Court. Pertaining to work generally, each day, before we leave for work, we stop to recognize God as God and to ask His blessing upon our lives and the day’s work. We recognize that our being alive at this point in history is solely to make Jesus Christ known to this world. With this mindset we approach our work. Convinced of the fact that God has planted us in Montgomery, in Capitol Heights, and in the Alabama Supreme Court, we work “as working for the Lord.” (Colossians 3:23) Our faith also has implications for how we approach our specific work as staff attorneys. We recognize that God is the origin of law. As a result, we seek God’s wisdom in each case we review for our judges. The law is a gift of God to govern men and keep order and peace on this earth. All of us, apart from God, will seek our own interests at the expense of others’ interests. Because of man’s sinfulness we need the law. It is imperative to the continued stability of this nation, composed of the states, that the rule of law be staunchly defended. We are a nation and state governed by laws, not by men. Therefore, we ask the Originator for discernment and
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wisdom as we seek to interpret and apply the laws of Alabama. We also seek to serve those around us, whether it be by making coffee, reloading the copy machine, giving an encouraging word, praying for a coworker, coaching up an intern, etc. God is always working; we ask God to show us where He is working and to incorporate us into that work. RRJ: You just mentioned Capitol Heights, and I know from our earlier conversations as well, that you two have a heart for seeing the Capitol Heights area of Montgomery revitalized. Why is that? Megan: Just as I am confident that God called us to live in Montgomery, I am confident that God called us to live in Capitol Heights. I was afraid to move to Capitol Heights because, not being from Montgomery, I listened to everyone who told us that it was a bad neighborhood. Once again God has abundantly exceeded my expectations. This neighborhood is great because of the amazing people who live here. Seth: So what does “revitalization” look like? We are certainly seeing an economic revitalization. We have neighbors who are investing their time and money to save and restore the beautiful historic homes in this neighborhood. We have neighbors who are operating businesses in this neighborhood and working to open new businesses. We have neighbors who are organizing against crime in our neighborhood. We commend all of these efforts and pray that God will bless them; they are an answer to prayer. We are seeing the physical neighborhood come back to life. We are also praying for a spiritual revitalization in our neighborhood; we want to see the people come to life. We want to see our neighbors come to experience eternal life by knowing the Father and the Son. We want to see the believers who live in our neighborhood come together to function as the Church and serve Capitol Heights. As unbelievers and believers alike turn to God, this neighborhood will truly come alive. I long for that.
Him. God has been faithful to answer that prayer. We have had the opportunity to share the Gospel with several people. For the past two years we have been able to help weekly with a Bible study at a local middle school. We also attended all of the middle school’s football games last season to build relationships. We have cut yards, prepared meals, given rides, and provided basic needs. We are constantly asking the Lord to show us where He is working, and He is always working.
Megan: Living in the South, I think it is easy to get caught up in the culture of religion. The “society” we are in projects a Christian identity, but the challenge of living in Montgomery is to see past cultural Christianity and to make a deliberate, daily choice to die to yourself and to ask God what good works He has planned for you each day. It sounds cliche, but starting your day with prayer and, more specifically, thanksgiving, is the best way to stay tuned in to the Lord throughout the day.
RRJ: How have you seen God work through these things in which He’s called you to participate?
Seth: I spend time daily praying, reading and studying the Word, and in worship. Megan and I spend time daily talking about the Lord and praying with one another. I also have several brothers in Jesus Christ I meet with throughout the week to encourage me in my faith and pray for me. I am mentored by a couple of different guys. All of this helps keep my wandering heart focused on the task at hand and why I am on this earth at this time in history.
Seth: One of the most amazing things I have seen happen is the relationships that we have been able to form with people from very different walks of life. Capitol Heights is a very mixed neighborhood racially, spiritually, economically, and politically. Given all of this diversity, it would be easy for everyone to withdraw to their comfort zones and build barriers along these differences. However, by demonstrating the love of God several opportunities to build relationships have arisen. We have experienced a wonderful sense of community in this neighborhood.
RRJ: What are some specific ways you’re serving that area?
Megan: When we started meeting with other believers to pray for Capitol Heights, we were immediately overwhelmed with the problems we were facing — drugs, slum lords, children with no supervision, etc. Seth reminded us about the story in the Gospels about Jesus feeding the 5,000. After Jesus gave thanks for the bread that the disciples collected He gave the disciples a seemingly finite amount of resources - only what they could hold in their hands - to feed the crowd. In the same way, what we have to offer to this neighborhood, to this city, is a finite amount of resources. But we come to God with open hands saying, “What we have to offer is finite, but we ask you to bless it and multiply it and do with it whatever you will.” It’s a mental picture that I reflect upon frequently. God doesn’t ask us to come to Him with all the answers and all the solutions. He only asks us to be willing to serve, and we are. God has blessed our meager efforts to bring His kingdom to this neighborhood.
Megan: First, we pray. We try and walk through our neighborhood and pray each morning. There are also a few of us who get together weekly to lift up our neighborhood in prayer. We ask God to show us where He is working so that we may join
RRJ: Your Christian faith is clearly something that guides your life. Often times the Christian faith is opposed to the ways of society, so how do you two stay rooted in Christ as you live for His glory outside of the church walls? 15
RRJ: What message can you share with our readers to encourage them to live out their faith full-time? Seth: In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul indicates that the grace of God was his motivation to live out his faith and surrender all; he worked harder because of grace! We must remember that we are daily in desperate need of grace, receive that grace from our loving Father, and allow the love of God to compel us into our daily ministry. Do not “receive God’s grace in vain.” (2 Corinthians 6:1) Megan: Living out your faith full time can look very different once you consider the infinite variety of ministry that God calls his children to participate in. The common denominator is having a willingness to do whatever God has called you to do. Even when it is out of your comfort zone and even when it seems illogical according to the wisdom of the world. Trust God with big things and with the most minuet details — He cares about it all and He wants to be a part of it all. Plus, I can tell you from experience, it is just more fun! Stop trying to control everything and let God take over. God has me doing things that I never in a million years would have imagined. Doing a Bible study with middle schoolers is not a desire I was born with! RRJ: Thank you both for sharing your lives with us. Your witness in the community is an inspiration! August 2014
River Region’s Journey
How Did You Get So Much Bigger Than Me? Luke 2:49-52: “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he was saying to them. Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. I understand Mary. At this very moment, the mother of our Lord and Savior said, “How did you get so much bigger than me?” She and Joseph were like any other parents--worried for their son! Where in the world are you, Son? How could you not call or at least text and let us know? (Okay that’s us today, but you know what I mean.) You’re only 12 years old—where are you? My Bible commentary puts it this way: “Mary was looking for a boy, not the young man who was in the temple astounding the religious leaders with his questions and wisdom…It is both sweet and painful to see our children as adults.” Mary knew she had a special son— the Messiah. But in the heart of parenting she was thinking about the little boy she had been nurturing, so when his wisdom and maturity suddenly surfaced, even she was taken aback and blessed. (“..his mother treasured all these things in her heart.”) Proverbs 20:11: “Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right.” As the mother of a 14-year-old daughter, I find myself having a similar River Region’s Journey
August 2014
conversation albeit to myself most of the time. When friends and situations become difficult I may see one way out while my daughter takes a higher road. I may think avoidance is best while she chooses to love and reach out even when the likelihood of getting hurt is very present. How did you get so much bigger than me? It’s interesting to note that most thriving churches today are keeping things simple—focusing on small groups and worship. When you think about a teenager’s faith, it’s usually pretty simple too—involving a life group (small group) and worship. They’re not involved in too many ministries, or spending their time debating which denomination does things right—they’re just focusing on loving each other and loving Jesus. In the process of keeping things simple, they are blessed with great strength. Proverbs 22:6: “Train a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn form it.” Couple a child’s simplicity with instruction from parents and youth leaders, and we have reason to have great hope in our younger generation. Don’t get exhausted parents in teaching your children the way; don’t give into peer pressure or decide you just want to be your child’s friend because it’s easier; don’t ever think your efforts won’t pay off. Sure there will be stumbles and mistakes, but every now and then God gives us a glimpse of who our children are meant to be in Him. If your teen isn’t in a small group, search out a life 16
group through your church or start one in your home. Meet weekly and share in each other’s lives, pray for one another and talk through the tension of being a teen in today’s world. Make sure your children get the opportunity to worship. Take them to church and youth group activities, find a camp that focuses on fun and growing in Christ. In other words live out: Deuteronomy 11:19: “Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Over the years I’ve often been told, “Everything doesn’t have to be a teachable moment, Mommy!” What can seem annoying to them today just may be sinking in. I heard the founder of the Big Oak Ranch, John Croyle, say, “Parenting is like having a suitcase and you have 18 years to pack it.” Keep packing mom, dad and youth leaders and keep your eyes open for those treasured moments when you find yourself saying, “How did you get so much bigger than me?” Dear Heavenly Father, We love you so. We know parenting is a privilege and one we are incapable of doing well without your constant leadership. May we stay focused on the main thing, loving well. Thank you for glimpses of all you have planned for our children and please hold them in your loving, accepting and forgiving arms. In the mighty name of your son, Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen.
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Truth and Beauty In 1819, the poet John Keats wrote these lines: “beauty is truth, truth beauty— that is all/Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.” It’s an overstatement, of course; the identification of beauty with truth is surely not all ye need to know. And yet… Keats’s words have been on my mind quite a lot lately. We should take them seriously. My wife and I recently had the opportunity to travel to Oxford, England for a week. There, we were literally surrounded
River Region’s Journey
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by beauty. From gothic buildings constructed centuries ago, to acres and acres of meticulously tended gardens, to walking paths along the rivers, it is an extraordinary place—a “thin place,” as some say, where the boundaries between heaven and earth seem a little less fixed. Our experience there got us thinking about the importance of beauty in human life, and motivated us to work harder to bring beauty into our lives and into the lives of our children. Reflecting on such things, one is reminded of Paul’s exhortation to the church at Philippi: “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Living, as we do, in a culture that seems to get coarser with each passing day, this idea is of particular importance. Contemporary American society does not often push in the direction of either truth or beauty. We are too busy too much of the time to pause or reflect, let alone to walk in the woods or visit an art museum. We prefer titillation over contemplation and entertainment over edification. Thus our recreation consists of sitcoms and Hollywood blockbusters rather than literature or great music. It’s a shame, isn’t it? For my part, I’m 18
not actually as curmudgeonly as the preceding lines may suggest… I really enjoy TV and movies, and I don’t believe there is anything intrinsically wrong with relaxing now and then in front of a screen. I do wonder, though, whether we American Christians aren’t missing a golden opportunity to bear witness to a different, richer kind of human life. My pastor and friend, Alan Cross, likes to speak of Christians “telling a different story,” and it seems to me that one of the ways in which we can do so is to unplug frequently from our hyperactive, superficial, entertainment-obsessed culture. As the psalmist says, “deep calls to deep.” My fear is that we have become far too content with life in the shallows. For non-Christians (or at least nontheists), I suppose that this is excusable. After all, if you don’t believe that human beings are made in the image of God, then you probably believe that we’re just animals, nothing more. We have powerful bodily desires and an existence that ends when our bodies cease functioning. So why not be content with simply enjoying whatever pleasures come easiest? “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.” But for those of us who worship a God of both truth and beauty, who see our lives as being embedded in His creative work, living in the story He is telling and will go on telling for ever and ever… Well, for us it’s a bit harder to justify devoting much time to the trivial. The pursuit of truth and beauty is part of what we are made for. By taking it seriously, we bear witness to the One who is the very personification of beauty and truth, the Lord Jesus Christ. We remind ourselves and, God willing, those around us that human beings are extraordinary creatures who are offered an extraordinary future in the Kingdom of the Beautiful One, the One who is Truth. Perhaps Keats was right after all: beauty is truth, truth beauty— perhaps this is all ye need to know.
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River Region’s Journey
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by Rachel Fisher
Jenny Garnett’s aging mother was once a vibrant and outgoing woman, but began falling deeper and deeper into what Jenny called a dark hole of depression. She quit talking and memory loss soon followed. “I felt like I had lost my mother,” said Jenny. “We didn’t know what to do.” But then something happened. Something miraculous. It didn’t happen in a moment or even noticeably, at least not at first. But slowly and surely, Jenny Garnett’s mother began to show glimmers of her “old self.” She smiled. She laughed. She sang and she danced. Jenny and her mother are not the only ones celebrating something that was lost being found. Close to 50 people ranging in age from 54-90 who are suffering from mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, due to Parkinson’s or a stroke, have found a place of camaraderie in Montgomery, while caregivers are given a much needed break. It all happens at First United Methodist River Region’s Journey
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Church of Montgomery’s (FUMC) Respite Ministry. “This ministry gave me my mother back,” says Jenny. “It brings so much joy out in my mom. When I pick her up after her time there, I see so much laughter…it’s like she is a child again.” Jenny and other caregivers have found that this unique ministry takes people back to a place they wouldn’t be able to go otherwise--a place of safety and a place they feel loved and cared for. A place where structure is 20
abandoned and they are free to be themselves. A true community effort, the ministry is a partnership between seven area churches, including two synagogues. Their goal is to return fellowship to people who have been isolated due to their illness. “Picture this,” says ministry director Daphne Johnston, “Your wallet, car keys and phone are taken away from you. Your wallet represents your identity because it contains your driver’s license. Your keys represent your freedom and your phone represents connection to friends and family. This is what the people we serve are dealing with – loss of iden-
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tity, freedom and community, and these are the very things we want to provide a place for them to experience again.” The entire program is run by Daphne and 85 committed community volunteers. Daphne has worked in assisted living centers and programs and even has a master’s degree in Gerontology. This ministry is her passion and that passion has overflowed into the lives of the volunteers and participants, and isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Their goal is to raise enough money to build a respite center in Montgomery that would serve the River Region as a whole. The program is quickly gaining recognition in Alabama for being one of the best from the number one Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s doctors at The University of Alabama Hospital in Birmingham (UAB). Recently, the ministry began taking referrals from UAB and doctors say every patient they refer to the program is making significant progress. What began as a suggestion from the Health and Welfare Committee at First United Methodist Church, with only two participants and 12 volunteers two years ago, has turned into nearly 50 participants
Enrollment
Participants must be independent in the following: • Ambulating • Attending to their own bathroom needs • Participating in social activities • Feeding themselves We require a completed medical examination from the participant’s physician and a list of current medications. Caregivers are invited to call and schedule a tour of the Respite Care Center prior to enrollment. Please call for enrollment: 334-834-8990; Fax: 334-834-4333 For more information or to volunteer, contact Daphne Johnston at DJohnston@fumcmontgomery.org. and 85 volunteers meeting four times a week at FUMC. Daphne says she has never been short on volunteers once since the ministry began. “All these volunteers have gotten so addicted to the ministry that I have to email them back many times and say I don’t have space for them to come some days. Whenever our volunteers are out and about at a party or other social gathering they often say they meet someone else who is a volunteer at the
Respite Ministry. It gives them something good to talk about because so many people are connected through it.” There are some volunteers who even say this ministry has saved their life, Daphne explains. “They’ve never experienced really giving to someone else and it reminds them there is always someone in a worse situation.” As for the participants, they feel safe because they aren’t with someone in scrubs, but the volunteers are essentially
Sunday Morning Worship Services 8:45 & 11 am Chapel Service & Holy Communion Wednesdays | 5:30 pm View live stream of Sunday services at www.fumcmontgomery.org/livestream Dr. R. Lawson Bryan | Senior Minister
2416 W. Cloverdale Park Montgomery, AL 36106 334.834.8990 fumcmontgomery.org
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their peers. “It’s been a life changer for me, too,” says Daphne. “These people have become my friends. They are so thankful and they don’t know how to communicate it, but they are so grateful.” And it’s not just the spouse or the caregiver they are helping, but their kids who live across the country. “For instance,” said Daphne, “I got to send a photo to three sisters of their mother being normal again and it was the best feeling. They love knowing their mother is being cared for when they can’t be there.” Perhaps Dr. Geldmacher at UAB said it best when asked why the Respite Ministry at FUMC had a better advantage over other daycares in the area. “The Montgomery program is not daycare, their
says Daphne. “We even have participants program actually adds value to spontaneously break out in song and people’s lives.” dance and “perform” for the others… When you think of an Alzheimer’s and Dementia ministry it’s so joy-filled it’s crazy!” Daphne you don’t necessarily think about explains that many who suffer from memory loss also lose their inhibitions games of balloon volleyball that typically cause people to doubt their or art projects, dancing to Bob abilities. Perhaps this is best seen in the Dylan or making pizza. But for art projects the participants create. “Art is Daphne and the volunteers, it’s the medium,” says Daphne. “It’s the way just another day. “We are defithey communicate.” nitely outside of the box,” she says. “We don’t just play bingo. Care for caregivers We do stuff. Caring for a family member or loved one is Fun stuff!” gratifying, but it is also challenging. FUMC Most days begin with Respite Care Ministry is designed to relieve the mind games, short caregivers for free time so they can: history lectures or • Run Errands • Take care of business • Relax even a yoga instrucCaregivers enjoy peace of mind knowing tor stopping by to give the participants some their loved ones are cared for in a safe and exercise. Then, they caring environment. have activities like art Caregiver support groups meet the third projects, dance lessons, Monday of each month from 11 a.m. until games that get them moving around, and 1 p.m. in the Emmaus Room, located behind even pet therapy. “Muthe sanctuary of FUMC. sic is always playing,”
po of “a da the lif Da ha wa to the to no to fun for mi Th ev vic the cre an the lov mi giv
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“We’ve had war veterans and former police officers create gorgeous drawings of flowers and butterflies,” says Daphne, “and they’ve never drawn seriously a day in their life!” Daphne has found ways to use their art to make note cards to sell as fundraiser for the ministry. They even give them opportunities to do service projects for others. “All their lives they’ve been servers and we let them create cards and other gifts for shut-ins and others in nursing homes. This gives them an outlet to serve, which they love.” The Respite Ministry is truly a ministry with a foundation of giving – giving time to caregivers for rest, giving a sense of community back to the participants and allowing them to give to each other and beyond. Daphne has seen an overwhelming outpouring from the community toward the Respite Ministry. “People have given greatly through donations and their time. They so believe in this and all of our donations are aimed at building a center that is completely focused on returning fellowship back to people who are lonely.” If you are interested in being a part of this life-changing ministry, contact Daphne Johnston at 440-9911 or email her at DJohnston@fumcmontgomery.org.
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Rachel Fisher loves learning about what God is doing in the world and writing about it. She and her husband Chase live in Montgomery. 23
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August 20
Are We Gateways to Hope for Our Returning Warriors? I was raised as the daughter of an Army officer. He was my hero and a highly decorated warrior of WWII, Korea and Viet Nam. He was a successful officer and businessman and enjoyed the pleasure of family, many friends, and multiple projects and adventures. As with most WWII era veterans, he did not talk a lot about his war time experiences until later in my life. I often wondered how he survived three combat experiences without developing PTSD. Even now, his endurance, optimism and confidence inspire me to meet life’s challenges. Alabama will have over 20,000 returning warriors by 2015. Veteran friendly faith communities, clinicians and clergy can provide healing sanctuaries for our warriors through ceremonies, rituals, support and encouragement. Recently research has renewed interest in the role of spirituality in resiliency. Despair significantly increases when spirituality is lost and warriors are at much greater risk for poor outcomes. Combat experiences may leave invisible wounds of war unknown to the rest of us. Invisible and deep spiritual wounds are not easily addressed in the secular world. “We have been called to heal wounds, to unite what has fallen apart, and to bring home those who have lost their way.” ― Francis of Assisi
Rita Nakashima Brock and Gabriella Lettini describe moral injury in In Soul Repair: Recovering from Moral Injury, as a violation of warriors’ core moral beliefs during combat leading them to have negative self-images. Warriors with moral injury find River Region’s Journey
August 2014
their world unreliable, void of meaning and they may question their humanity. We are reminded that Paul experienced pressure beyond his ability to endure leading him to rely on God again and again in his ministry, but clearly discussed in his letter to the Corinthians. 8b We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, 11 as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many. II Corinthians 1: 8-11 (RSV)
Paul spoke of how Titus came along side of him and lifted him out of worry to tranquility with encouragement. I find the wording in II Corinthians 7:5-7 of The Message so touching. Then the God who lifts up the downcast lifted our heads and our hearts with the arrival of Titus. We were glad just to see him, but the true reassurance came in what he told us about you: how much you cared, how much you grieved, how concerned you were for me. I went from worry to tranquility in no time!
Titus is a perfect example of how the Holy Spirit equips us for the ministry of reconciliation to those who are suffering, making us Ambassadors for Christ! Again in Corinthians Paul reassures that God is equipping us for this ministry. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! 18 All this is from 24
God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, [d] not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. 20 So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. II Corinthians 5:17-20 (NRSV)
Fortunately, Gateway to Hope: Breaking the Stigma of Moral Injury will be taking place September 9-10 at First United Methodist Church in Montgomery. Gateway to Hope seeks to educate clergy, lay ministers, mental health and other health care professionals about the spiritual wounds of war and the faith community’s moral and spiritual responsibility to support their recovery. The two-day conference will equip the “first responders” to provide pastoral and mental health care as they reintegrate into the civilian world. Has someone come along side of you like Titus? Will you pay it forward? Will you be a comfort to others? 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. II Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV)
Contact www.gatewaytohope2014.wordpress.com to spread the good news! Nancy W. Thomas, M.A., N.C.C., C.C.M.H.C., L.P.C.
Nancy Thomas is the Executive Director of Clinical Services at The Samaritan Counseling Center, Inc. in Montgomery. She is a National Certified Counselor, Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor and Licensed Professional Counselor. She graduated from the University of Alabama with an M.A. in Counselor Education in 1994. She has extensive training and experience in mental health and marriage and family therapy. Her professional interests are in mental health recovery, adolescent and college issues, life transitions, healthy relationships, marital counseling, parenting, spirituality and identity development, and preserving marriages and families. Nancy works primarily with adolescents and adults.
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Adoption
Location: Frazer Memorial UMC, 6000 Atlanta Hwy and Glynwood Baptist Church, Prattville APAC- Alabama Pre/Post Adoption Connection Support Group provides education and social interaction for adoptive families. Montgomery Group meets 3rd Thursdays, 6-7:30 p.m., Room 8114 at Frazer UMC. For information, call Hannah Taylor at 409-9477 or the church office at 272-8622. Autauga/Elmore Group meets 4th Tuesdays, 6-7:30 p.m., Glynwood Baptist Church, Prattville. Childcare, children’s group and dinner provided. For more info, call 409-9477 or e-mail htaylor@childrensaid.org. Location: Landmark Church, 1800 Halcyon Blvd. Leaders: Chad & Betsy Emerson (334) 201-5241 Wednesday, 6:30pm in Rm. 116. The Orphan Care Group will focus on God’s call to help orphans through adoption, foster care, and missions work. The group will share experiences, study and Biblical themes regarding orphan care, and provide a support and network for individuals who want to support orphans.
Alcoholic / Addict
Location: Caring Center of FBC, 52 Adams Avenue CrossRoads Support Group is for addicts/alcoholics and family members. Meets at 6 p.m. Tuesdays and follows a Christ-centered 12-step program. Call 264-4949. Location: Cloverdale Baptist, 608 E. Fairview Celebrate Recovery, a Bible-based Christ centered approach to recovery from hurts, habits and hang-ups, meets Friday nights, beginning with dinner at 5:30 p.m., Praise and worship, 6:30, Open Share Small Groups, 7:30, and Cafe, at 8:30. Call 265-9223. Location: Dalraida UMC, 3817 Atlanta Highway Alcoholics Anonymous meets at 6 p.m. on Tuesdays. 272.2190. Alanon meets at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Location: First Baptist Church (Huff Community Ministries Bldg., 200 S. Perry Street) Celebrate Recovery, a Bible-based Christ centered approach to recovery from hurts, habits and hang-ups, meets Friday nights, from 5:30 p.m.- 8 p.m. For more information, contact Jane Ferguson at 241.5141. Location: Grace @ Bell Road, Corner of Bell Road and Atlanta Hwy. Alcoholics Anonymous and Alanon meetings are held Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, at 6 p.m. An Open AA Speaker meeting is held on Saturday at 6 p.m. An Alanon & AA held on Sundays at 2 p.m. Location: Grace Point Community Church, 78223 Tallassee Hwy (Hwy 14), Wetumpka Celebrate Recovery- every Tuesday night- 6:15pm. All are welcome! These meetings are a safe and loving environment for individuals seeking to conquer their hurts, habits and hang-ups! gracepoint.info. River Region’s Journey
August 2014
Location: Journey Church, group meets in Fellowship Hall at Coosada Baptist Church, Millbrook Celebrate Recovery - Christ-centered 12-step for anyone struggling with addiction or life-challenging issues. Mondays at 5:30pm (meal), 6pm (large group), 7pm (small group). Childcare available. Call Larry at 334-832-5714 or visit myjourneychurch.com. Location: Prattville Church of Christ, 344 East Main St. RSVP - 12 step (Christians Against Substance AbuseCASA) spiritual recovery program, for overcoming addictions. Class begins each Wednesday evening @6:30 PM. Please call 334-365-4201 for addition information. Location: Santuck Baptist Church, 7250 Central Plank Rd. (Hwy 9), Wetumpka. Celebrate Recovery meets each Thursday evening at 6:15 in the Fellowship Hall. This is a Chrsit centered 12 step-program for anyone struggling with hurts, habits, and hang-ups. Call 567-2364. Location: Victory Temple Church (located behind Wetumpka Walmart) ‘Fresh Start’ Recovery meets every Monday, 6-8pm (meal included). In 2011, Fresh Start Motorcycle Ministry (FSMM) began when God laid it on the heart of a lifetime biker to minister to those with his background. All are welcome, not a requirement to own/ride a motorcycle. Format used is the Holy Bible. For any info contact ministry leader, Paul Henderson, 334-201-5428. Location: Landmark Church, 1800 Halcyon Blvd. RSVP- This is a 12 step spiritual recovery program for overcoming addictions. Using the steps and Bible we help build self-esteem, responsible behavior, the making of amends for our destructive actions, and to fill the void in our hearts in a loving relationship with God. Wednesday @ 6:30pm in Rm. 121 of the Life Center. Location: St. James UMC, 9045 Vaughn Road Celebrate Recovery meets every Thursday night from 6-8 pm in the Youth Room. This is a Christ-centered 12-step group for anyone struggling with an “addiction or life-challenging issues.” For information, call Chris Henderson at 334-215-0427. Location: Trinity Episcopal, Wetumpka (Across from Winn Dixie on HWY 231) Gamblers Anonymous-Saturdays at 7 p.m.
Alzheimer’s / Dementia
Location: First United Methodist Church, 2416 W. Cloverdale Park, Wesley Hall Bldg. An Adult Parkinson/Alzheimer’s respite ministry meets from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Lunch is served. Contact Daphne Johnston at 834-8990. Location: Frazer Memorial UMC, 6000 Atlanta Hwy An Alzheimer’s and Dementia Caregivers’ Support Group meets on the first Thursday of each month at 11 a.m. in Room 3103. Call 272.8622. Location: Frazer Memorial UMC, 6000 Atlanta Hwy A Dementia Daycare is held each Thursday in Rm. 3101 from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Each participant may bring a 26
sack lunch. There is no charge. REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. For info, call the LifeCare office at 272-8622. Location: Memorial Presbyterian, 2130 Bell Road A Dementia Morning Out for caregivers is offered each Tuesday from 8:45-noon. There is no charge. Each participant may bring a sack lunch (juice provided). Registration is required by calling 274-1018.
Cancer
Location: Aldersgate UMC, 6610 Vaughn Road, Montgomery Cancer Survivors Support Group is sponsored by Samaritan Counseling Center. We would love to have anyone (patient or family member ) join us. Thursdays at 1 pm. Please call before attending just to make sure we are meeting that week. Please call Debbie D at 467-4578 or Ben W at 202-1912. Location: Dalraida Baptist, 3838 Wares Ferry Road. Just for Men -- Faith based cancer support group for men. Meetings are held the second Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. in the conference center. Please call 2722412 email stan.hurst@knology.net. Location: ChristChurch, 8800 Vaughn Road Cancer Support Group for general cancer. Tuesday afternoons at 1 pm. For more info, please call Christy Holding at 531-1390 or Debbie at 467-4578. Location: Frazer Memorial UMC, 6000 Atlanta Hwy Women of Hope Breast Cancer Support Group, providing education, awareness, and mentoring for breast cancer patients/survivors, family, and friends, meets the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. in Rm 8253. Call 272-8622 or womenofhope@charter.net.
Depression
Location: Frazer Memorial UMC, 6000 Atlanta Hwy A Depression/Bipolar Support Group meets on the 1st Thursday of each month from 7:00-8:30pm in Room 3101. This group also meets on the 3rd Saturday afternoon, 12-2 pm, Dalraida UMC, 3817 Atlanta Highway in Church Annex. For more info, call 334.652.1431 or email dbsamontgomery@yahoo.com.
Divorce
Location: First Baptist Church, 305 S. Perry Street Divorce Care is held Wednesdays, 6:30-8 pm. Childcare available. $15 for workbook. Dinner at 4:45 ($5 adults, $3 kids). Call Kathy Cooper at 241-5125. Location: First UMC, 100 E. Fourth Street, Prattville Divorce Recovery meets Wednesdays at 6:15 p.m., Bldg. 101. Call 365.5977. Location: Frazer Memorial UMC, 6000 Atlanta Hwy A Divorce Recovery Support Group meets each Tuesday, at 5:30 p.m., in Fellowship Hall Lobby. 272-8622.
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Location: Heritage Baptist Church, 1849 Perry Hill Divorce Care Support Group meetings are held Sundays at 6:15 p.m. Divorce Care for Children also at this time. Call 279.9976. Grief Share groups are held each Sunday at 5 p.m. Call 279.9976. Location: The Special Grind, Pratt’s Mill Shopping Strip, 2096 Highway 14 DivorceCare, Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. For more information, dates and time changes visit www.fbcprattville.org and click the DivorceCare link.
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Gambling
Location: Trinity Episcopal Church, 5375 US HWY 231 (Across from the Winn-Dixie shopping center) Wetumpka. Saturdays @ 7pm. 334-5677534
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Location: Mental Health Association, 1116 South Hull Street, Montgomery. Sundays @ 5 pm. Location: St Paul’s Lutheran Church, 4475 Atlanta Hwy, Mondays @ 6pm. Gamblers Anonymous Hotline number: 334-541-5420
Grief
Location: Eastmont Baptist, 4505 Atlanta Hwy. Compassionate Friends is a national self-help support organization for families grieving the death of a child meeting first Tuesdays at 7 pm. We have an annual special event on Tuesday, Dec. 4. We will hold a Candlelight Ceremony in memory of our children at 7 p.m. at Eastmont Baptist Church. Registration is encouraged and may be made by calling (334) 284-2721. We will also collect Toys for Tots. Location: First UMC, 100 E. Fourth St, Prattville Grief Recovery, Thursday nights at 7 p.m., in Wesley Hall Room 104. Call 365.5977. Location: Frazer UMC, 6000 Atlanta Hwy Grief Recovery Support Group meets Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m., Rm 3105, in Fellowship Hall Lobby. 272.8622. Location: Grace Baptist Church, 304 Old Montgomery Highway, Wetumpka Mourning to Morning is a Christian growth group for mothers who have lost a child, from before birth through adulthood. Meets the last Thursday night of each month. For more information, contact Alice Scarborough (334) 462-4775 or Gwen Ellis (334) 567-8754 or e-mail us at mourningtomorning@gmail.com. Join us on Facebook-Mourning to Morning Group. Location: Millbrook FUMC, 3350 Edgewood Rd Grief Share meets – Tuesday 5:30 PM in the Friendship Sunday School Class Room. Call 285-4114 for more info. Grief Share is a friendly, caring group of people who will walk alongside you through one of life’s most difficult experience. Location: Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church 1550 E. Washington Street Grief Ministry is a grief recovery support group that meets every Monday at 6:00 P.M. The ministry is designed to help anyone through the hurt of losing a loved one by successfully traveling the journey from mourning to joy. Alicia Glover is the coordinator. For information contact Glover at 334-281-2754.
Homosexuality
Location: Landmark Church, 1800 Halcyon Blvd. The Barnabas Group, created to address the needs of those in conflict with homosexual thoughts and feelings meets first, third and fifth Tuesday evenings at 6:30 p.m., in the library at the Life Center. 277.5800.
Mental Illness
Location: Frazer Memorial UMC, 6000 Atlanta Hwy NAMI Montgomery (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill) This group provides understanding, education and information to family members & friends of those who suffer mental illness. This group will meet on the second Monday of each month from 6:30-8:30 in room 3103. For more information contact Mary Jo Logan (334) 271-2280.
Parenting
Location: First Baptist Prattville, 138 S. Washington Moms LIFE (Living In Faith Everyday) meets twice monthly from 8:30 - 11:45 am in the chapel at the Church from Aug - May. We offer a time of fellowship, Bible study, musical guest, special guest speakers and a lot of fun!! Cost is $5 per meeting. For moms of all stages and ages of life. Childcare provided by reservation. For more info and to reserve your spot, call April Scott at 828-446-6666. Location: Frazer Memorial UMC, 6000 Atlanta Hwy Frazer mom2mom is a playgroup to connect mothers of preschoolers at Frazer United Methodist Church to share fun and inspiration in our journey together, with our children, and with Christ. Email Mom2mom@frazerumc.org for more information.
for those with vision loss and their caregivers. Our mission is to assist those experiencing vision loss to maintain their independence by providing access to valuable information and spiritual support. Call 272-6152. Location: Frazer Memorial UMC, 6000 Atlanta Hwy An MDA/ALS Support Group will meet Tuesday August 10 6:00p.m. – 8:00 p.m. in room 3101. Anyone who is affected by a neuromuscular disease or family members of those affected are encouraged to attend. To receive information, please call 396-4534. Location: Frazer Memorial UMC, 6000 Atlanta Hwy A Parkinson’s Support Group will meet the 4th Thursday at 6 p.m., in room 8114 at Frazer UMC. This group is for those who have Parkinson’s disease and the family members. 272-8622. Location: Taylor Road Baptist Church, 1785 Taylor Rd., Montgomery Gluten Intolerance Group of Montgomery meets on 2nd Thursdays from 6-7 p.m. Check the blog for special “alternate site” meetings and other info at www.glutenfreemontgomery.blogspot.com.
Pregnancy Loss & Infertility
Location: First UMC, 100 E. Fourth St., Prattville Hannah’s Prayer--for women dealing with pregnancy loss/infertility issues. Meeting 2nd Thursday and 3rd Sunday of each month. Call 365.5977.
Location: Perry Hill UMC, 910 Perry Hill Road Single Moms’ Care and Support Group meets 2nd and 4th Thursdays from 6:15 - 8:00 PM. Free snack supper provided to moms and children. Child care for infants -16 years. Call 272-3174 for information.
Singlehood
Location: Vaughn Forest Church, 8660 Vaughn Road Are you in need of a time-out? MOPS joins mothers together by a common bond, to be better wives, moms, and friends along this journey in the trenches of motherhood. We meet the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month from 9:30—11:30 a.m. Childcare is provided. For info e-mail VFCMOPS@gmail.com.
Location: Frazer Memorial UMC, 6000 Atlanta Hwy T.N.T. (Tuesday Night Together) for Singles meets Tuesdays from 7-8 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall, bldg. 7000. A meal ($5.00) and program are provided. For reservations, call 272-8622.
Location: First Baptist Church, Montgomery 305 S. Perry Street MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) Moms, need a little break? MOPS is a place you can share a good meal, make new friends, and find encouragement as you face the everyday challenges of raising your little ones. We have educational speakers, great conversation, and fun activities. Free childcare is provided. Meetings are every 2nd and 4th Tuesdays, 9:30-11:30 a.m., September through May. Go to www.montgomeryfbc.org/MOPS or contact Tiffany Alewine at 241-5165.
Physical Challenges
Location: Aldersgate UMC, 6610 Vaughn Road Visually Impaired Support Group – Meets monthly on second Thursday 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. The group is called Outward Sight - Inward Vision and is 27
Location: Frazer Memorial UMC, 6000 Atlanta Hwy Singles’ Small Groups meet each Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall Lobby. Call 272-8622.
Location: Cornerstone Christian, 301 Dalraida Rd. Unavoidably Single Again (USA) Fellowship, a support group for widows and widowers. Informal meetings for fellowship and fun are held on the third Saturday of each month starting at 10 AM. Contact Lynda at farauthor@ aol.com or 354-8869.
Veterans
Location: Frazer Memorial UMC, 6000 Atlanta Highway Veterans OEF/OIF Caregivers Support Group meets on the 3rd Wednesday from 11am-1pm in Room 3108. Contact LaQuana Edwards, Caregiver Support Coordinator at CAVHCS (334) 727-0550 ext. 5350.
Email your support group info to deanne@ readjourneymagazine.com! August 2014
River Region’s Journey
“I’ll Pray For You” Four simple words. Powerful. A promise. I’ll. Pray. For. You. A piece in Converge magazine starts out by saying: “I’ll pray for you.” Four powerful, simple words, yet each time you speak them, you know that there’s a good chance you won’t put them into action. The indictment continues: ...We use journals, spending hours writing and rewriting prayers. We use Post-it notes until our desks are covered. We create prayer lists, prayer chains, and still, there’s a 99 percent chance we’ll forget to actually pray. The piece introduces the Echo prayer app. Its website, EchoPrayer.com, gives some history. In 2006, Ben Rugg began to develop a prayer reminder service online to help him and his small group keep track of their prayer requests and remind them to pray for each other throughout the week. After working solely on this web-based service for three months, he launched Echo Prayer, which has grown to nearly 20,000 users around the world. Rugg and Jim Elliston then co-founded Clover, which makes websites and provides donation tools for ministries and non-profit organizations. They wanted to develop a more modern version of Echo Prayer, and eight years later, they did. Now, the Echo phone app is available. Its website states: Echo’s number one goal is to help people pray. Whether it be to simply keep track of prayer requests, give space to engage with River Region’s Journey
August 2014
God, or simply help remind people to pray... Echo is a tool to help Christ-followers engage with God. I think there are some important considerations for us here. First of all, people ask us to pray for them all the time, and we have to ask ourselves, do we actually pray when asked to? Do we make that promise to pray, but then fail to follow through? That is quite the integrity issue, isn’t it? The Bible encourages us to be in prayer for one another. James 5:16 contains an encouraging directive which illustrates how we, as Christians, can be involved in interacting with our fellow believers: Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. (NKJV) We have to make sure we are engaged with prayer for one another, and to seek to be faithful when people share their needs with us. To remind us, we can rely on the prompting of the Holy Spirit as he places the needs of people on our hearts. There are all sorts of reminder tools that we have available to us. Perhaps a prayer journal, list, or notebook can help us to keep track and to stay on track. The Echo app sounds like an intriguing electronic tool. It’s important that we find the most effective way or ways for each of us to stay connected and keep our promise to pray. 28
And, in our follow through, as someone voices his or her request for prayer to us, perhaps we can pray for someone at that moment, to pray for them on the spot. That may be a step or two - or ten - outside your comfort zone, but if you’re involved in a personal conversation, taking a pause to petition Almighty God can be effective, and will activate the power of agreement. Jesus talked about two or more coming together to pray. One person praying for another is certainly a powerful demonstration of united prayer for someone else. I think it’s also helpful for us to evaluate how seriously we believe in the power of prayer. Seriously. If we serve the God of the universe - and we do - and believe that He has infinite power, and desires to respond to our requests, then we can be confident when we go to Him. We have to train ourselves to make prayer our first and preeminent option, rather than just one of many options or an afterthought - a last resort, if you will. He invites us to earnestly come before His throne of grace to find mercy and grace to help in time of need. God will unite the hearts of His people as we join together in prayer for each other. We have the amazing opportunity to be participants in the glorious work of prayer, to see God do great and mighty things in our midst as we seek His face. Our God has made Himself available to us - because He loves us; so that He can display His glory through us in response to our petitions. He takes our prayers seriously. With a sense of reverence and awe, we can take Him at His Word and bring our requests to Him - not just for ourselves, but for others, including those who have personally asked us to pray for them. Bob Crittenden is host of “The Meeting House”, heard weekday afternoons from 4-6pm on Faith Radio, 89.1FM in Montgomery. Described as “the intersection of faith and culture”, the program features Christian music and conversation about a variety of topics. Learn more by visiting www. meetinghouseonline.info.
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August 2014
River Region’s Journey
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on the guest bed within the last week. But God knew that Lester would be coming to my home. God and I were ready. “Of course he can come,” I answered. On my own, I would have never invited this man into my home. I didn’t know him. He was old. He smelled. He was so dazed that night, he wasn’t a very good conversation partner. What in the world was I exposing my children to? That night became a turning point in all of our attitudes about the ministry of hospitality, for by sharing our home with Lester, my family learned that hospitality is partnering with Jesus to use our home and its contents to care for others.
gourmet meal to a houseful of guests I welcomed to my clean and uncluttered home. With two small children, a smaller budget and a lack of talent in the art of small talk, I felt like a perpetual failure. Then I met Lester Hostetler. One icy winter day, my husband, an on-call chaplain with our local hospital, phoned me from the hospital waiting room. Earlier that afternoon, a postal truck skidded on an ice-strewn highway and jackknifed across the road, causing the death of the driver in the oncoming car. “The postal worker wasn’t injured, but his truck was totaled. He lives 60 miles away and he can’t reach his family,” my husband explained. “Can I bring him home?” I looked at my stove simmering with scents of supper, and shook my head in amazement. I had not planned for guests that evening, yet I had prepared more food than our family needed. I had done other things out of character for me - like buying ice cream in the middle of winter, taking time to make homemade biscuits, and putting fresh sheets River Region’s Journey
August 2014
Love Inspired
My parents and my husband’s parents rarely invited guests for dinner. Early in our marriage and ministry, we determined we would be different. Eager to practice hospitality, we combed through the church directory, looking for people to invite. Too often, we found ourselves doing 30
it just to be doing it, and we ended our evenings feeling empty and frustrated. We missed the point. In his book, Cross Cultural Servanthood, Duane Elmer says, “It [hospitality] is the idea of being gracious to all people, welcoming them into your presence and making them feel valued.” Hospitality is inviting others to invade my comfort zone so they can be comforted. It’s sharing my space with a stranger. The Greek word for hospitality is a combination of two words: love and stranger. The word translated as love is not agape, the common Christian word for love, but philos, a word used to portray affectionate love in the home. A warm meal and a clean bed are merely tools we use to include the stranger as part of our family. John was a homeless man who spent many cold winter nights on the couch in our den. He had a way of showing up for supper just as we were about to sit down. I learned to let down my standards of perfect meals with plenty for seconds, and share what we had. Our greatest gift of hospital-
ity to John came, Hospitality puts daily tasks on hold so however, when we can give full attention to the guest, his my husband and I were both flat needs and his calling. A hospitable attitude on our backs focuses so much on the person that a clean with the flu. John moved in for the house, enough food and well behaved childay, took care dren become secondary. Our guest’s need of our preschool age children and for food, rest, security, companionship or served us tea and a listening ear motivates us to divide our toast in bed. It wasn’t easy to let family life into more pieces so God, through someone besides us, can provide for them. my mother see me sick in bed, yet I reach out, not for our personal pleasure realized we were of associating with new acquaintances, practicing hospitality by allowing John but to provide the security of a safe, to see us at our worst. loving environment to those overwhelmed by life’s perils. Christ asks us A Safe Haven to step beyond the externals of a bed Why should we welcome the and breakfast mentality to determine stranger into our private space? Jesus the core needs of those He sends our wants us to go beyond the cultural way. norm of reciprocal entertainment so Alone at Thanksgiving, during His grace, exemplified through our my husband’s two week stay in the welcome, will shine brightly to people hospital, I accepted Alice’s invitation accustomed to an uncaring world. We to dinner. So tired from caring for my
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River Region’s Journey
husband, I’m embarrassed to say I fell asleep at the table. Alice encouraged, no, insisted I take a nap on her bed. She practiced hospitality by giving me what I really needed: a safe, undisturbed place to regroup. Hospitality puts daily tasks on hold so we can give full attention to the guest, his needs and his calling. A hospitable attitude focuses so much on the person that a clean house, enough food and well behaved children become secondary. Our guest’s need for food, rest, security, companionship or a listening ear motivates us to divide our family life into more pieces so God, through us, can provide for them. My friend Pam has that attitude. The day our infant daughter was diagnosed with a genetic defect, Pam brought dinner to us, then encouraged us to come to her home after awhile, “so you won’t be alone tonight.” Later, as we sat on her couch, still reeling from the news that our baby would face two immediate eye surgeries, my husband expressed what I felt. “It’s so peaceful here,” he said. Pam laughed, gesturing toward the toys layering her living room floor and her two rambunctious boys bouncing
from one end of the room to the other. “This is peaceful?” she asked. Yes, it was. We had a haven where, for a few short hours, we didn’t have to be responsible for anything. Experiencing that safety net, where Pam and Bryan non-judgmentally allowed us to express our fear and pain, infused us with strength to face the next few tumultuous weeks. Protecting a guest with their very lives was a sacred duty in Old Testament days. That is why Lot was willing to let the citizens of Sodom ravage his daughters so he could protect the angelic guests under his roof (Genesis 19:1-10). We protected Lester that icy night by working with the sheriff’s department to make sure his postal truck was impounded, a task Lester was in no shape to handle by himself.
God’s Provision
The prospect of widening the family circle to include others different from us, to give up family resources for those whose needs loom larger than life, can be downright scary. Should I deprive my family to help a stranger? As I discovered
in welcoming Lester, God knows about our unexpected visitors long before they enter our lives. He will give us more than enough to care for them. Paul assured the Philippians of that very principle when he commended them for the generous offering they gave to meet his needs. Philippians 4:19 says, “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Warren Wiersbe said, “If the Lord calls you, He will equip you for the task He wants you to fulfill.” In spite of the many people who have sat at our table, my family has never gone hungry. In fact, my daughters say they feel richly blessed for the variety of people they have been privileged to meet. Everyone needs to know someone cares about them. Everyone needs frequent reenactments of God’s grace. Hospitality - using the resources of our homes to provide acceptance, safety and healing - is one of the most effective tools we have to mirror God’s grace to those outside the circle of our daily lives.
Karen Wingate is a freelance writer and speaker. Visit her website at www.graceonparade.com.
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Q. My wife and I just became debt-free,
and we’re saving for our first house. We have about $75,000 in savings, and we’d like to buy a home with cash in the next few years. Where do you think we should place our money so it’s working for us while we save?
A. I don’t advise playing the market on the
short term. If I were in your shoes, and looking at possibly a two- to four-year window, I’d just pile the cash in a money market account or possibly a balanced fund. I’m a big fan of growth stock mutual funds when it comes to long-term investing. The problem with that in this scenario would be the volatility of the market. By the time you’ve saved up more money and spent time deciding on a house, the market may be down. All you’re looking for in this scenario is a wise, safe place to park it and pile it up while you prepare. Congratulations! Debt-free is the way to be when you’re looking to buy a nice, new home!
Q. My husband has a great job, and I love my work and schedule as a substi-
tute teacher. However, he wants me to take a full-time position so we can build more wealth. The only debt we have is our house, and we’ve already saved and invested a lot of money. What’s your suggestion for this situation?
A. First and foremost, you two have a responsibility to take care of each other and your own household. It sounds like you’re doing that pretty well. So, if he wants you to take a full-time job only to build more wealth, I think that’s a bad idea. Wealth is for quality of life, and quality of life includes giving. It also includes a safe and stable future. But if you have to surrender the joy in life to do that — to build extra wealth or build at a different pace — well, to me that’s just wrong. Contentment has nothing to do with how many hours you work or how many zeroes are in your bank account. Contentment has to do with your state of being. It’s
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connected to your sense of gratitude, happiness and your priorities. The idea that contentment is on the same spectrum as ambition? No, it’s not. I don’t think you should take on a job or a schedule you hate just to pay off your house a couple of years earlier. I wouldn’t do that, and I don’t recommend you do it either. People should do something with their lives they find enjoyable and they’re called to do. Now, if your kids are going hungry and your bills aren’t getting paid, then you do whatever it takes. But in this case, you’re happy and you guys are in a great place. I’m sure your husband is a great guy, but I think he’s wrong on this one.
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Falling Off the Wedding Cake Remember the cute little plastic couple who graced the top of your wedding cake? After our wedding, 31 years ago, I saved our cake topper and despite being transported around the world during many military moves, the happy couple now lives in our china cabinet, broken, patched up, yet still together after all these years. On the day of our wedding, this little bride and groom stood together as one on top of the cake, infallible and undefeatable. After the wedding, however, we found that the challenges of life were eroding our marriage foundation. We start sliding down that slippery slope of isolation, feeling powerless to stop our descent. What could we do to get back on the wedding cake? Here are some tried and true tips:
1. Set aside time for your Creator—to
read His Word, be still and listen for His quiet voice. Ask God to change you (not your spouse). “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 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.” (Jeremiah 29:11-13) Take your concerns, fears, and disappointments to God. He promises to hear our prayers and answer them.
2. Pray with your spouse. Just take
their hand and ask how you can pray for them. And then do it—out loud—and with a humble spirit—not to preach or teach, but to simply lift up your loved one to the Lord. Remember that change in the home begins with you.
3. Read your Bible. Hide God’s word
in your heart. Your brain is like a computer without a delete button. Whatever goes in is what spills out. “Finally, brothers, River Region’s Journey
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whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me— put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:8, 9)
4. Guard your heart. “Do not conform
any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2) The world we live in is so contradictory to the ways of God. Much of today’s entertainment is focused on violence, selfishness, and immorality. Be careful what you allow in your home and in your heart.
5. Be content.
“Godliness with contentment is great gain.” (1 Timothy 6:6) Paul shares, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:1113) When we count other people’s blessings instead of our own, we risk becoming discontent and envious. Remember the parable about the rich man who wanted to join Jesus, but couldn’t because he would not part with his possessions (Matthew 19)? We will never find contentment in our stuff, only in our savior. 34
6. Love one another deeply. The Great
Commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself—and our closest neighbor is our spouse. God emphasizes the importance of loving one another throughout the Bible. 1 Corinthians 13 describes what love looks like, saying, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy…it is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” Think of how wonderful our marriages will be if we take God at His word and obey his commands to love one another!
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7. Make your marriage a priority. It’s easy to get our
priorities mixed up in the midst of our busy and demanding schedules. When we put God first, spouse next, then children, and followed by everything else—then we truly live the abundant life. Set aside a day each week to meet for lunch or have a date, even if it’s just to take a walk together. Read the Bible and pray together every day possible. Make your marriage a top priority and leave the results up to God. Share these tips with your spouse and commit to hold on tightly to each other when you feel like you are sliding off the wedding cake. It’s not an easy climb, but the view from the top makes the journey worthwhile! Lt. Col Mike Conn and wife, Lisa, founded Covenant Family Ministries when Mike retired from the Air Force in 1997. CFM is an independent marriage and family education ministry committed to partnering with churches, organizations, and individuals in Montgomery and across Alabama to build Family Teams for Christ. Married for over 30 years, Mike and Lisa have three daughters, two sons-in-law, and two grandchildren.
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Shopping, Dining & Family Fun — All INside Belk, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Sears & over 85 Specialty Shops, including Chuck E. Cheese’s® and the River Region’s only Build-A-Bear 35Workshop®
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August 2014 Community Calendar Monthly events can also be found in the Around Our Community Section starting on page 8. Saturday, August 16
Heart For Homeschooling will help to ease the fears and anxieties of overwhelmed homeschooling moms by reminding them of the freedom and rest to be found in Christ and by sharing helpful homeschooling strategies. Hosted by Eastwood Presbyterian Church, from 9:30-2:00 in the Fellowship Hall. The conference will consist of 3 speakers and a 4-person Q&A panel. A light breakfast and lunch will be provided. Also, find booths with representatives from local homeschooling coops and groups, as well as local cover schools. $15/person or $25/couple if you register by August 14 @ 11:30pm; Otherwise tickets are $20/ person. To register and find more information, visit: HeartForHomeschooling.com. Obsessed, a Christian music and ministry festival, featuring Rush of Fools with guests Kevin & Jordyn Boyer Band, plus event speaker Daniel Bridgman. Lake Martin Amphitheater, Eclectic. Gates open at 5pm, Show 6-10pm. A privately organized event to be held at THE AMP, Obsessed is a Christian music and ministry “festival” to benefit Wounded Warrior Project. Tickets are $5 in advance, and $8 at the gate. Tickets and t-shirts can be purchased in advance by contacting Mt. Olive Church, Tallassee, at 334.415.9086. For more information, call Katelyn Hamilton at 334.283.4810 or 334.799.3797, or by email at obsessedcmfestival@aol.com.
Saturday, August 23
River City Church, a United Methodist congregation, invites the entire community to their 4th Saturday Outreach event on from 9am-11am at the church, located at 301 Dexter Avenue. Admission is free. The River Region will have access to blood pressure/glucose screenings, dental screenings, career services, free haircuts, hygiene items and canned goods. Participants can register for a drawing for a River Region’s Journey
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weekly bus pass. During the 2-hour period, attendees can speak with prayer partners, and purchase items in the River City Rummage Sale located on the lower level of the church. Volunteers will also provide homework help and a craft for children. For more information, please call 263-0549 or visit www.rivercityumc.com.
Sunday, August 24
Prattville First Baptist Church will host Comedian Tim Hawkins, at 6 p.m. Call (888) 780-1116 or visit www.fbcprattville.org/ for tickets. Block Party at Aldersgate United Methodist Church. Held from 5-7pm. Dinner from 5-5:45 in the Christian Activity Center (back of campus) and 5:45-7pm is Fun, Fellowship and Music at the Pavilion and Playground (back of campus). Enjoy live music from the Goat Hill String Band, Games and Inflatables, Dunk Tank and Pie Eating Contest. Located at 6610 Vaughn Road, in Montgomery. Call 334-2726152 or visit www.aldersgateumc.org.
Wednesday, August 27
Agape of Central Alabama has been selected to be a part of All American Auto & Tire’s first Changing Oil, Changing Lives event, to be held in Montgomery. Those interested in participating can stop by either of All American Auto & Tire’s two locations in Montgomery: 2700 Bell Road and 408 Madison Avenue. Proceeds from oil changes that day will go to Agape of Central Alabama, but monetary donations will also be accepted at the locations. As a ministry of Jesus Christ, Agape helps hurting children find permanent homes with nurturing Christian families. To learn more about Agape, call (334) 272-9466 or visit www. agapeforchildren.org.
September 9-10
Gateway to Hope: Breaking the Stigma of Moral Injury will be taking place at First United Methodist Church in Montgomery. Gateway to Hope seeks to educate clergy, lay ministers, mental health and other health care professionals about the spiritual wounds of war and the faith community’s moral and spiritual responsibility to support their recovery. The two-day conference will equip the “first responders” to provide pastoral and mental health care as they reintegrate into the civilian world. Has someone come along side of you like Titus? Will you pay it forward? Will you be a comfort to others? Contact www.gatewaytohope2014.wordpress.com to spread the good news!
Thursday, September 25
Stronger: Finding Hope in Fragile Places will be held at the First Baptist Church Worship Center, 138 S. Washington Street, Prattville. You are invited to hear Angela Thomas (Bible 36
teacher, national speaker and author) from 6:30 pm to 9 pm. Admission is free. Refreshments will be served and an offering will be taken. Please join the event on Facebook at “Angela Thomas at FBC” or call the church at 365-0606 to register.
September 26-27
God of Order Conference for Women at Vaughn Forest Church, vaughnforest.com. Friday 7-9:30pm, Saturday 8:30a.m.-12:30 p.m. Jo Hancock, Speaker; Kim Hendrix, Guest speaker; Jonathan Green, Worship Leader Tickets $25, Event Saver till 9/5; $30 regular after 9/5; $35 at door. Call 334-279-5433.
Ongoing Happenings AGLOW International meets every third Thursday, 9:30 at the Montgomery House of Prayer. All women welcome to join together for praise, prayer and an anointed message. Contact mboudousquie@yahoo.com. Bridge of Life Assembly of God, 9000 Vaughn Road, Montgomery, holds Sunday morning worship at 10:30 a.m. each week. Sunday school classes meet at 9:30 a.m. We offer classes for all age groups and childcare is provided. Our goal is to build bridges...not walls. We invite you to come join us if you need to learn how to build those bridges. For directions or information call 334-396-0208. Email jon@bridgeoflife.tv or visit www. bridgeoflife.tv. Central Community Christian Church, 981 South Perry Street, Montgomery, holds new members training classes on Sundays at 9 a.m. Sunday School (9:30), morning worship (11:00), Tuesday night Bible study (6:30). Every fourth Sunday of the month is our youth Sunday. For more information please call (334) 269-0457 or by email at centralccchurch1@gmail.com. We are a church where you can be you, you can be loved and where you can grow! Christchurch, 8800 Vaughn Road, Montgomery, offers a Women’s Enrichment Bible Study led by Jeanne Dean on Thursdays, 9:30-11:30 a.m., in Canterbury Hall. All women are welcome. Childcare for ages birth-4 years is provided. Call 387-0566 x 201 for more info. Christchurch offers a men’s Bible study led by Fr. John-Michael van Dyke, on Thursday mornings on the 11th floor of Goode Medical Bldg, Jackson Hospital. Breakfast is served beginning at 6:45 a.m. and teaching begins at 7:15 a.m. Call 387-0566 x 201. Chisholm Baptist Church, 2938 Lower Wetumpka Road, Montgomery, holds Sunday morning Bible study (9:30), Morning wor-
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ship (10:45), Tuesday prayer breakfast (8:30) Wednesday evening prayer service (6 pm) and Senior Body and Soul Group (every 1st Tuesday at 1 pm). Email jbass9784@charter. net or call 262-6437. First Presbyterian Church, 9299 Vaughn Road, hosts Family Night every Wednesday beginning at 5:20 p.m. with supper, followed by a study on prayer. Everyone is welcome. For more information call (279-1372). First Presbyterian Church, 9299 Vaughn Road, hosts a Men’s Prayer Breakfast every Friday morning, 6 a.m. The Youth of First United Methodist Church, Montgomery every Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. for Wednesday Night Live, a time of praise and worship in “the attic”. Also, every Sunday night at 6:00 p.m. is MYF which includes a snack supper $3.00 followed by activities, small groups and lots of fun! Visit www.fumcmontgomery.org. First United Methodist Church will host Terrific Tuesdays. Please come and join us for fellowship, a program and lunch. Terrific Tuesdays will meet each Tuesday in room 204 of Wesley Hall. Fellowship time will begin at 10:00 a.m. followed by a program at 10:30 a.m. and lunch at 11:30 a.m. The cost of lunch
is $2.50. For additional information please contact NeeNee Webb at 834-8990. Frazer mom2mom is a playgroup to connect mothers of preschoolers at Frazer United Methodist Church to share fun and inspiration in our journey together, with our children, and with Christ. Email Mom2mom@frazerumc. org. Good News @ Noon is an interdenominational Bible study, held at the First Baptist Community Ministries Building on Adams Street, Thursdays, at noon. Small cost for hot lunch. Call 272.1133. Hall Memorial CME Church, 541 Seibles Road, Montgomery, offers Bible Study Tuesdays at 5:30 P.M. and Wednesdays at 6: 30 P.M. For directions or information call 334-288-0577. Email HallMemorialCME1@ aol.com or visit www.HallMemorialCME. blogspot.com. Hall Memorial CME Church says: VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! Tutors, prayer-warriors, and office/clerical volunteers needed for the Montgomery City Jail Ministry & G.E.D program. Opportunities are ongoing. No experience or certification necessary. Contact Pastor Anderson T. Graves II, at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com. Call 334-288-
0577. The City Jail ministry is an in-reach ministry of Hall Memorial CME Church, 541 Seibles Road, Montgomery. www.hallmemorialcme.blogspot.com. Macedonia Miracle Kingdom & Worship Center (MMKWC), 3070 Selma Highway, Montgomery, services are Sunday School and New Members Class, 9:00 a.m., Morning Worship, 10:45 a.m.; Tuesday Night Bible Class, 7:00 p.m. and Friday Night Prayer, 6:00 p.m. (BOTH at The Pattern-Mt Meigs Road) Messiah Lutheran Church, 6670 Vaughn Road, invites all to Wonderful Wednesdays starting with a $3-5 meal at 5:30 pm (RSVP 277-4213 by Monday noon), worship with eucharist 6:15-7:00 pm, and adult choir rehearsal and Catechism class for 7th-9th graders at 7:00 pm. Please call for Wednesday schedule due to seasonal breaks. For information, call 277-4213. Mt. Gillard Missionary Baptist Church, 3323 Day Street, holds Wednesday Bible Study in the church Fellowship Hall and lasts for one hour. Please come and participate in roaming the Bible learning God’s word through teaching. The Rev. Henry M. Carnegie, Jr. is the teacher and pastor. Mid-
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August 2014 Community Calendar day Bible Study begins each Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. Evening Bible Study begins each Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. Call 233-8750. New Freedom Worship Center, 6004 –A East Shirley Lane, Apostle T. Briggs~ Pastor; Sunday Worship Service 10:30 a.m. and Wednesday Night Bible Study 7:30 p.m. Open Door Christian Faith Church, 1601 Dewey St. Montgomery, offers Women’s Prayer Mondays at 5:00, Men’s prayer Wednesday at 5:00, followed by bible study at 6:00. Couples ministry held every 1st Wednesday of the month at 7:00. Pastor Wil-
liam Cromblin, and the Open Door Church family invites you to “come experience the move of God. Call 334-269-6498. Perry Hill UMC, 910 Perry Hill Rd, sponsors a Bluegrass Jam in the Church Fellowship Hall on the third Saturday of each month from 9AM - 12AM. All Bluegrass Artist plus Fans are invited to attend. Attendance is FREE. For information call Kathy@ 272-3174. Perry Hill UMC, 910 Perry Hill Rd, hosts a Wednesday Night Supper and Revive! program each week from 5:30pm til 7:00pm. Reservations are required by noon on the Monday prior to the supper. Cost is $4 per person or $12 per family. Call 334-272-3174 for more information. River City Church, 301 Dexter Avenue, offers a Friday Christian Night Club (free of alcohol and smoking) with Ballroom Dancing every Friday at 6:30 P.M. Cost is $10 for a one hour lesson, devotional, and 3 hours of DJ music. All denominations welcome. 7:3010:30 open dance floor. The River of Life Church, located at 116 County Road 40 E (in the Pine Level Community Center) Prattville. Pastor Nick Edwards invites you to a “Place of New Beginnings”, where families come and
grow together. Church Service Schedule: Sunday 10:30 a.m. Sunday School; 11:00 a.m. Morning Worship; 5:00 p.m. Evening Worship. Wednesday 6:00 p.m. Adult Bible Study, Teens (Genesis Project), Jr. High (Limitless), Royal Rangers, MPact Girls, Rainbow’s/Noah’s Zoo Club. Thursday 9:00 a.m.Women of Grace Bible Study. Nursery provided. We invite you to”come experience God in a personal way, feel loved by all and know that you belong”. Call the church office 334-657-0392 or visit www. theriveroflifechurch.net. Saint James UMC, 9045 Vaughn Road, offers S.N.A.G. (Sunday Nights About God!) This program starts at 5:00p.m. and ends at 6:30p.m. Childcare is provided for small groups until 7:00p.m. Don’t forget this program is available for all children! Saint James UMC, 9045 Vaughn Road, offers Wild & Wacky Wednesdays! Wednesday night supper starts at 5:15p.m. We will start checking children in at 6:00p.m. This program ends at 7:30p.m. and childcare is provided until 8:00p.m. for small group participants. Call 277.3037 for more info. Saint Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church, 706 E. Patton Avenue, “Clothes
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Closet” is open to the public each Thursday morning from 10 a.m. – Noon. The Men of Saint Paul host a free Men’s Prayer Breakfast the Third Saturday of each month at 8 a.m. in the Church Fellowship Hall. The Men’s Prayer Breakfast is open to all men of all ages. Come and share your concerns and needs of our Men of today. For more information, please contact (334) 354-1897. Bible Study is held each Wednesday, 6-7 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Pastor Farrell J. Duncombe is the teacher and Senior Pastor of the church. Come and join us for Sunday School each Sunday at 9 a.m. and Morning Worship at 10 a.m. Need transportation, call (334) 264-7618. For info call 286.8577 or www. saintpaulamemontgomery.com. S-STOP, a commUNITY Bible study for Singles. Souls Strengthened Together for One Purpose. Psalm 46:10 “BE STILL and know that I am God.” Meets at Prattville Christian Academy on Sunday nights at 6 p.m. For info email sstop04@gmail.com. Vision Full Gospel Ministries, 163 Rifle Range Road, Montgomery, holds Bible Study Tues. Night 7:00 p.m., Pray & Praise 2nd & 4th Thurs. Night 7:00 p.m., Sunday School 9:30 am, Sunday Worship Service 10:45 a.m., Internet radio-homecominggospel.com Sunday 3:00p.m. Central & 4:00 p.m. Eastern. and Satellite Radio -wlsg 1340am Sunday 3:00p.m. Women at The Well Ministry invites you to attend its women’s fellowship at 1 pm every 1st and 3rd Saturday. We are women who desire and have a heart to see broken, crushed, hurting women be transformed through the one man who can fulfill their every need... JESUS...THE POTTER. All women of all denominations or race are welcome. This ministry is available to teenagers as well. Come join us as we lift, encourage and build each other up through the Word of God and the words of our testimonies. For more information contact Evangelist Dr. Linda McCall, 334-220-1924.
FALL/WINTER‘14 Sale dates Saturday, Sept. 6 Wednesday, Sept. 10 we're open: Sat-Wed. 9am-6pm • Sun. 1pm-6pm
Want to make some money too? Become a consignor and receive 65% of the sale price of your items visit our website to find out how to become a consignor, www.childrensclothingexchange.com (Consignor receiving dates 8/23-8/25 & 8/30)
Fabulous Buys on Excellent-Condition Used Children’s Clothing From Sizes Newborn to Juniors, smocked clothes, trunk show items and a selection of new clothes. We also have christmas and halloween themed clothes, Furniture, Shoes, Equipment and Toys. women’s purses, accessories & Jewelry and Home Furnishing Too!
www.childrensclothingexchange.com for more information call anne at 462-2591 2260 Eastern Blvd, Next Door to Harbor Freight Tools
Young Meadows Presbyterian Church, 5780 Vaughn Road, invites you to attend its Sunday Respite Care Program on 1st Sundays from 4-6 pm. Children with physical and cognitive disabilities (and their siblings) ages 6-18 are invited for a time of activities and a light dinner so parents can have a night out. Call Susan Clements at 301-0355 for information and to make a reservation, or email rooftopfriends@gmail.com.
Send your events to deanne@readjourneymagazine.com. 39
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Movie Reviews Reviews provided by MovieGuide: A Family Guide to Movies and Entertainment Ratings are based on production quality and moral acceptability. See details below. ***Reviews do not necessarily reflect views of the publishers of River Region’s Journey.
Hercules
Persecuted
Production Quality: *** Moral Acceptability: -2 (Extreme Caution) Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Ian McShane, John Hurt, Rufus Sewell, Aksel Hennie, Ingrid Bolso Berdal, Reece Ritchie, Joseph Fiennes, Tobias Santelmann Genre: Action Adventure Audience: Teenagers and adults Rating: PG-13 Content: Strong pagan worldview with many references to pagan Greek gods, including prayer, prophecy and superstition, but for the most part, the movie avoids anything unexplainable and mythical, with some moral, redemptive elements of warriors fighting and dying for each other and others; eight obscenities (including one “f” word); strong action and battle violence with people dying by sword, arrow, knife, spear and mere force, many dead bodies are seen, scary beasts, decapitated heads are seen, it’s implied that wolves kill a woman and her children, a man is smashed by a statue; some sexual references are made; brief naturalist upper female nudity as mother puts young baby to bed, brief rear female nudity, and some upper male nudity, a woman warrior shows he midriff, some belly dancers perform at a celebration; moderate alcohol consumption with some brief drunkenness; no smoking or drugs; and, no other immorality. HERCULES stars Dwayne Johnson as the mythical Greek demigod Hercules and twists the legend into a more human tale. A young boy narrates the legend of Hercules, the son of Zeus and a human woman, and his rise to be the greatest warrior the world has known. However, most of the legend is just a tall tale. Now, Hercules travels as a mercenary leading a small band of warriors. When the king of Thrace beckons for his services, Hercules agrees to help fight an evil army. HERCULES has three things going for it: a unique take on the mythical tale, some campy humor that works in its favor and entertaining action. Otherwise, HERCULES is a big miss. Instead of focusing on the fantast mythology surrounding Hercules and the great beasts he defeats, this version avoids the unexplainable for the most part. The story has some moments of redemption where Hercules and his men fight for the innocent and lay down their lives for others. Though the violence is action oriented, the pagan worldview of HERCULES and brief foul language warrant extreme caution.
Production Quality: *** Moral Acceptability: -1 (Caution) Starring: James Remar, Bruce Davison, Fred Dalton Thompson, Brad Stine, Deamn Stockwell, Gretchen Carlson, Natalie Grant, Raoul Trujillo Genre: Thriller Audience: Older children to adults Rating: PG-13 Content: Very strong Christian, biblical, moral, patriotic worldview with positive references to God. No foul language; strong violence with some blood includes man shot in head, man wounded in lower chest by gunshot, FBI officer shot dead, FBI officer wounded in leg, two henchmen shot dead; no depicted sex, but Christian evangelist is drugged and forced to have some photos made with older teenage girl sitting on his lap and looking at camera to take phony photos of him as if he’s drunk and later it’s said she’s been found raped and murdered; brief alcohol use and references to hero’s past alcoholism; man smokes cigar and evangelist is drugged so he can be framed, but this is seen as bad; and, evangelist blackmailed and framed, extortion, conspiracy, government corruption. PERSECUTED is a suspenseful political thriller about a renowned evangelist who finds himself targeted by a conspiracy to limit religious freedom in America. Popular Christian evangelist John Luther is framed for an innocent teenage girl’s murder when he decides to publicly oppose a new law he believes will limit religious freedom. John tries to get evidence to clear his name while avoiding the police and government agents. John’s father, a Catholic priest, helps him, but the bad guys send assassins after them. PERSECUTED is exciting and suspenseful, but slow and slightly confusing in a places. Though well directed, the story probably could use a little more focus, action, or conflict, and some more dramatic dialogue. The acting is top-notch, however. It features several veterans, including James Remar as the evangelist, Dean Stockwell, Bruce Davison, and Fred Thompson. PERSECUTED is fairly clean but has some strong violence. It deals with an important issue, religious freedom, in an intelligent, balanced way. It’s not preachy or ham-fisted. PERSECUTED lets the villain make his case for the new law. This makes for a more interesting movie.
The previous reviews are a selected sample of informative reviews from MOVIEGUIDE: A FAMILY GUIDE TO MOVIES AND ENTERTAINMENT, a syndicated feature of Good News Communications, Inc. To subscribe to MOVIEGUIDE which includes a complete set of at least 10 reviews of the latest movies as well as many informative articles, please visit our web site at www.movieguide.org or write or call:”MOVIEGUIDE,” P.O. Box 190010, Atlanta, GA 31119 (800) 899-6684. What the ratings mean: Production Quality: (1 to 4 stars) Moral Acceptability: -4 (Abhorrent), -3 (Excessive), -2 (Extreme Caution), -1 (Caution), +1 (Wholesome), +2 (Good), +3 (Moral), +4 (Exemplary) River Region’s Journey
August 2014
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Gospel Sing Capital City
First Baptist Church Sunday, August 24 6:15 pm | Main Sanctuary An evening of Southern Gospel music that you will not forget! Come hear soloists, trios, quartets and choirs share timeless gospel music and sing along with treasured favorites in old-fashioned homecoming style.
Join us for these events plus many more! 305 South Perry Street | 334.834.6310
www.montgomeryfbc.org