River Region's Journey November 2016

ATLANTA HIGHWAY 8, 9:30 AND 11AM PIKE ROAD SCHOOL 10:00AM WWW.FRAZER.CHURCH • 334.272.8622

Volume 18, Issue 7

Feature Articles

N OVEMBER 2 0 1 6 Columns page 2

page 12

Publisher’s Note

Faith @ Work

Jason Watson

Local mom Jodi Hargrove wears many hats in her day to day life. While working as a speech therapist and launching a Christian clothing line make for two gratifying careers, raising her children in the ways of Christ tops the list as her most meaningful and important job. Jodi shares how she and her husband strive to create a home environment where loving and serving Christ comes first.

page 4

Pastor's Perspective Dr. Teman Knight, Heritage Baptist Church Montgomery

page 14

Women Arising Pastor Kemi Searcy

page 18

page 16

Pondering the Journey

Guarding Integrity

Sam Whatley

by Candy Arrington

Saralu (Sam) Belkofer, LPC

page 24

Counselor’s Corner

Our level of integrity impacts not only our personal reputation, but the reputation of Christ, when we call ourselves Christian. Explore four ways to guard your integrity in the temptations of daily life.

page 34

The Intersection Bob Crittenden

page 36

Dave $ays

page 22

Christmas in the River Region Our listing of musicals, festivals, and sacred services will help you start planning for a wonderful Christmas season!

Dave Ramsey

In Every Issue

page 30

page 6

Choose Water Day

Books to Read

November 15 is the day you can get involved in providing water for hundreds in Zambia, Africa. Your donation will not only provide the water these people need for nourishment, but this water will flow over into improving their quality of life in numerous ways.

1

page 8

Around Our Community page 12

Faith @ Work

November 2016

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 Gena Hill

Research Editor Wendy McCollum

Contributing Writers Saralu (Sam) Belkofer, LPC Laura Bell Tim Challies Bob Crittenden Dr. Teman Knight Dave Ramsey Kemi Searcy Sam Whatley

Advertising Opportunities Jason Watson Heather Watts ads@readjourneymagazine.com (334) 213-7940 ext 703

Ad Design

Tim Welch, Welch Designs

Distribution Team Wendy McCollum Chris Mitchell, Manager Manzie Moore Richard Ward Lesa Youngblood

From the Publisher Thankfulness I recently started reading True Spirituality

by Francis Schaeffer. It’s been a challenging book because it’s been confronting the false spirituality trap I sometimes fall into with the life-giving true spirituality explained in the Scriptures. The older I get the more I understand the snare of religiosity that the religious leaders of Jesus’ day fell prey to.

One particular point Schaeffer made was regarding the fullness of a Christian’s salvation; past, present, and future through the work of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Of course, I was aware of this work in my life, but Schaeffer’s explanation was a fresh delivery of God’s love for me. I even stopped my reading, wondering if this is really true. Wondering if the finite can have a personal relationship with the Infinite to the point of being made His child. And this being accomplished through the sacrificial atonement of His own Son’s death for my sake and the indwelling of His Spirit in me to empower me to walk out this salivation. That is AMAZING GRACE! I sat at my desk early that morning filled with thanksgiving that, yes, it is true!

Of course, this month we pause to give thanks. We’re all in different places. Life is complex and full of highs and lows. Maybe your pantry is a little bare. Maybe you just got that promotion you’ve been wanting.

Maybe your candidate didn’t win the election. Maybe a new baby has just come into your family. Above all things is a God who loves you with an amazing grace and who promises you an abundant life as His child when you place your trust in His plan of salvation. Let us all feast on Christ Jesus the Savior who declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35).

May the fullness of your salvation be the greatest source of your thanksgiving.

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 2016 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.

River Region’s Journey

November 2016

2

ty

d

as -

al is

to y

ust

n

o y”

3

November 2016

River Region’s Journey

Pastor’s Perspective

O

Dr. Teman Knight, Heritage Baptist Church, Montgomery

Never Alone Several prominent pastors have stepped down from their pastorates over the past few months citing burnout and depression. No matter the size of their church, all pastors must deal with stress and difficult situations.

Having been a pastor for 32 years, I know that sometimes you feel alone, overwhelmed, isolated and inadequate.

We can end up feeling like Elijah under the juniper tree—like we are the only servant God has left. Whether we are pastors or not, we know the theological truths that we are not alone and that God is with us, but frustration and discouragement can often rob us of the joy of these truths. We get so busy

River Region’s Journey

November 2016

working for God in our churches or our communities that we do not make time to spend with God. We need God and we need each other.

One reason I have been pondering this subject is that I have the privilege of serving as the president of the Alabama Baptist Pastor’s Conference.

Part of my responsibilities as president is to plan a conference for hundreds of pastors from all over our state which will be held at Heritage Baptist Church on Monday, November 14, 2016. (For more information see alpastorsconference.com).

At this conference we want to encourage pastors and remind them that they are not alone. Our theme is “Together.” As Christians, we are all in this together--together with God and together with each other.

Togetherness starts with our relationship with God and our love for Him. Togetherness also means our relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ within the body of believers.

The preacher in Ecclesiastes said, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend

4

can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!”

(Ecclesiastes 4:9-10). Remember these two important truths today: We can accomplish more when we work together, and you have friends here to pick you up when you fall down.

We all need friends in our lives who will encourage us, invest in us and pick us up when we fall down.

Both pastors and parishioners need friends like Timothy, Barnabas and Paul in our lives. Like Paul, friends who will teach and mentor us. Friends who will walk beside us, pick us up when we fall down and encourage us like Barnabas. Like Timothy, friends who will allow us to invest in them and then go on to do great things for the kingdom.

I hope you will pursue those kinds of relationships in your own life. I hope you will pray for and encourage your pastor. I hope you will be that kind of friend for your pastor and church leaders, so that together we can make a greater impact for the kingdom.

Dr. Teman Knight is the Pastor of Heritage Baptist Church on Perry Hill Road in Montgomery. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor for New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary extension centers in Birmingham and Montgomery. Teman and his wife Darlana have a daughter (Alana), a son (Jay) and an awesome grandson Adam. He can be reached at teman@hbcm.net.

t a O i r B l t a a t s t t w i b

C C c h G a c f H d F b m T t f l S e

G s a o o f f a C o c d t

Our Statement of Faith

ho

se

ds

s pe

a

st lso

n fe d at

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

5

November 2016

River Region’s Journey

Sexual Morality in a Christless World

by Matthew Rueger

The times are changing. Sexual morality is undergoing nothing less than a revolution as traditional morality gives way to something radically different. The former morality, based on the Christian scriptures, is being shoved aside by a new one that not only departs from the Bible, but outright rejects it.

Meanwhile, Christians who abide by those traditional sexual morals are increasingly seen as outcasts, backward people dangerously hung up on ancient, oppressive principles.

It is all very disconcerting.

Into the fray steps Matthew Rueger with his book Sexual Morality in a Christless World. Though the last few years have brought us no shortage of books on how to live on this side of the sexual revolution, Rueger offers something unique in examining and explaining the historical and cultural backdrop to the New Testament’s teaching on sexual morality. In this way he shows that Christian sexual morality has not always been traditional but was at one time its own revolution. In other words, Christians have been here before, and there is much we can learn from our own history.

Rueger turns first to the Roman context in which the early Christians lived and into which the Bible was written. Here he offers a fascinating, disturbing examination of what Roman culture considered good and normal.

“Rome’s sexual climate is a model of the utopia for which today’s sexual ‘progressives’ are striving.” Yet it was hardly utopian. He shows that “In the Roman mind, man was the River Region’s Journey

November 2016

conqueror who dominated on the battlefield as well as in the bedroom. He was strong, muscular, and hard in both body and spirit. Society looked down on him only when he appeared weak or soft.” Respectable men were permitted to have sexual relations with just about anyone, provided they were the aggressors rather than receivers of such sexual acts.

Marriage existed, of course, but was not first about mutual love, but about the provision of an heir. A far purer form of love was the love of a man for a boy, so a culture of pederasty arose in which adult men carried on overt sexual relationships with adolescent boys. Prostitution was rampant. Rape was widespread and accepted, provided a man raped someone of a lower status. In so many ways Roman sexual morality was abhorrent and one of its most prominent features was the strong dominating the weak.

And then Christians showed up. Christians began to teach that men were to be chaste, that homosexuality and pederasty were sinful, that men were to love and honor their wives, that wives and husbands had equal authority over one another’s bodies. Such teaching was not only seen as repressive, but as full-out destabilizing to the Roman system. No wonder, then, that the whole culture turned against Christians. “Though Christian morality promoted genuine self-emptying love and was positive for society, it nonetheless set Christ’s people against the prevailing culture. Romans did not like being told that some of their favorite activities were displeasing to the Christian God, and they pushed back.” And here is where we can draw important lessons for our day, for today, too, Christian sexual morality is seen 6

as destabilizing to the culture around us, as a serious societal sin.

And so far we have only discussed the first chapter. In chapter 2 Rueger sets the Jewish context, showing that Christian morality was almost as opposed to contemporary Judaism as it was to Rome. This was especially true in according equal rights to men and women, in protecting women from divorce, and in putting away notions of sexual purity that harmed women. Again, Christianity offered a sexual morality that was kind and equitable and that protected the weak and marginalized.

And with all of that in place, Rueger now works through the New Testament texts on sexuality. With all of that context, he is able to show how these Christian teachings were full-out counter-cultural, how they were radical, not traditional. He shows how Christian sexual morality helped individuals, it helped the marginalized, it helped society—it was a tremendous blessing to everyone. Yet Christians suffered because their views were seen as destabilizing and harmful. Though today we see that their morality was actually a blessing, at that time it was considered a curse. And Christians suffered terribly for it.

The rest of the book turns from the roots of Christian sexual morality to modern sexual morality, offering the biblical alternative to society’s revolution. Rueger says, “My desire in writing this book is to help Christians engage the world around them in reasoned discussion.” He does so very well. And his greatest contribution is helping us understand that this is not the first time that Christians have been at odds with the culture. This is not the first time the biblical understanding of sex and sexuality has caused the culture to turn on Christians, to consider them disloyal, to push them to the margins. For that reason we need books like this one to interpret the times and equip us for today and the days to come.

I thoroughly enjoyed this work and highly recommend it.

a

m ual n-

nd

ow

in d

e

y

. ts ual

re

nd

ot ex

e es e.

7

November 2016

River Region’s Journey

November Fall Festival

Jason Crabb in Concert

Capital City Church of the Nazarene is hosting a Fall Festival Sunday, November 6 from 1:00 – 3:00. There will be inflatables, candy and lots of games with prizes! There will also be free hot dogs and drinks. All ages are welcome, but children must be accompanied by an adult. Capital City Church of the Nazarene is located at 4450 Vaughn Road in Montgomery.

For more information please call 272-8176.

First Assembly of God, Montgomery 135 Bell Road, (334) 277-2670 Sunday, November 27, 11 a.m.

Visitors are welcomed for this very special event!

“Surviving the Holidays Single or Single Again”

Appalachian Craft Fair Saturday, December 10, 9:00 - 2:00 Sunday, December 11, 8:00 - 12:00 The Aldersgate United Methodist Church will be hosting the Red Bird Craft Fair featuring works by as many as 100 different crafters from Appalachia.

Items including handmade reed baskets, jewelry, woven mats, dolls, benches, toys, games, ornaments and nativity sets.

Call 272-6152 for details.

This Special Seminar/Brunch features practical suggestions for single adults facing the holidays alone. Topics to be discussed include dealing with hard-hitting emotions, what to do about traditions, how to survive social events, helping your kids have a good holiday experience, and where to find comfort and strength. Call 334-495-6368 or e-mail singles@frazerumc.org to register. (No childcare is available for this event) Saturday, November 12; 11am-1pm Frazer UMC, Room 8114 Cost: $5.00

0000067769-01

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

D RAMA

www.riverviewcamp.com

Only 1 /Mountain 2 hours from Huntsville Located on top of Lookout in Mentone, AL. Only a 3 hr drive.

AND

Dr. Larry & Susan Hooks, Owners/Directors • Donna Bares,Asst. Director

1 & 2Week Sessions for Ages 6-16

C RAFTS • C HORUS

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,

AND

FLAG TWIRLING • CHEERLEADING • RIFLERY • ARCHERY • TRIP DAY • GOLF

We don’t wonder anymore how it happened, that one summer could bring such happy memories.

B ASKETBALL • S OCCER • A RTS

• H ORSEBACK R IDING • S WIMMING • T ENNIS • C ANOEING • D ANCE • A EROBICS • G YMNASTICS • B EACH V OLLEYBALL •

• R OPES C OURSE • C LIMBING T O WER • OUTDOOR L IVING S KILLS • C AMPFIRE F UN • C OUNSELOR -I N -T RAINING •

River Region’s Journey

November 2016

8

p 10

d

Ryan’s Run 5K Show Your Team Spirit!

l

o en e

g . s,

Kari Jobe in Concert November 16 at Frazer UMC! Event starts at 7 p.m.; doors open at 6 p.m. General admission: $22; groups of 10+: $18. Tickets available for purchase at the Frazer Bookstore or online at www.frazerumc.org.

Email church or ministry news to deanne@readjourneymagazine.com.

Saturday, November 26, 2016 8AM 5K 9AM 1 Mile Fun Run/Walk For info call 334-356-1986 after 6PM, or email ryansrun5k@gmail.com.

Kick-off your college football rivalry weekend and join us for our 5K Run and 1 Mile Fun Run/Walk. Show your team spirit and wear your favorite team colors!

Day of Race Registration and Packet Pick-up begins at 6:30 AM. Where: Frazer Memorial United Methodist Church (in back of the JEMAC) 6000 Atlanta Highway, Montgomery Race Information: This event is being held in memory of Ryan Colburn, who was an avid sports fan, and especially loved this time of year & the Iron Bowl Rivalry. Proceeds will go to support The Frazer Youth Worship Arts Program & also The Ryan Colburn Youth Scholarship which will support youth with disabilities to attend the national Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs Annual Conference. Registration is also available online at www.runsignup.com and Like us on Facebook.

Annual Harvest Day at Mount Gillard Missionary Baptist 3321 Day Street, Montgomery; Sunday, November 13 The program will begin at 9:30 am. during regular services. The Rev.Keith Ellis pastor of Spring Hill Baptist Church of Tuskegee, Al will be the guest speaker.

The public is invited. Rev. Henry M. Carnegie Jr. is the pastor. The Missionary Department of the church is sponsoring this program. Please contact Mrs. Myrtle K. Evans at evansmyrtle@yahoo.com if additional info is needed.

B ASKETBALL • S OCCER • A RTS

•

AND

C RAFTS • C HORUS

AND

D RAMA

•

9

November 2016

River Region’s Journey

E

9th Annual An Eclectic Christmas The 9th annual An Eclectic Christmas walking tours begin December 1-10 2016. This event will take place at the Falk Farm. Located at 1733 Claude Road Eclectic AL, 36024. It is just south of Eclectic on AL Highway 63.

Come join us in December to experience the true story of the first Christmas. In the atmosphere of an outdoor walking trail, you and your guests will be part of live drama that is set during the Roman Empire. As decreed by Caesar, everyone must be counted in the census. As you make your way to Bethlehem, you will visit the field where shepherds received the angel’s message and news of the Messiah.

Then visit the wise men as they journey in search of the New Born King.

The 6 and 8 O’clock time slots on each production night are handicap accessible. Please notify us when registering if you require assistance. Reservations are suggested and may be made by: Calling 334.578.4846; Email: reservations@ aneclecticministry.org; Visit www.aneclecticministry.org. Time slots are scheduled in 15-minute increments. * Admission is free, and donations are accepted and appreciated to help with expenses.

Election Day Communion Tuesday, November 8 7 a.m., 12 p.m. and 7p.m.

Aldersgate United Methodist Church is offering communion services in the Chapel on Election Day. The Sanctuary will be open from 7 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. for prayer. Contact 272-6152 for details.

Baptist Health Presents Natalie Grant & Danny Gokey December 1, 7 p.m. Christian singers Natalie Grant and Danny Gokey team up for A Montgomery Family Christmas. Tickets begin at $25. Visit www.mpaconline. org or call (334) 481-5100.

T a d ho f so ca t C ha w c m

T

sh pr in d C

cl an re v the m the ce “

T fi w i c t in t t in F o als C

ce e in co ar

T

River Region’s Journey

November 2016

10

g n o ls.

ny

y ets sit ne.

0.

Christmas Clearinghouse Encourages Participation The Christmas Clearinghouse would be a great recipient of your generous giving during the holiday season. The Clearinghouse helps those in need feel special and that someone really does care! For 30 years, the Christmas Clearinghouse has partnered with the community to help solve enormous problems for poor families.

The Christmas Clearinghouse, a program of HandsOn River Region, is a partnership of churches, organizations and service providers who join together to assist those in need during the holiday season and avoid duplication of giving. The success of the Clearinghouse depends on the efforts of thousands of volunteers. We encourage clubs, organizations, individuals, churches and agencies to “adopt” families who have registered for help. “Adoption” means providing food and gifts for each member of the family. Another important way the community can help is by making donations to the Christmas Clearinghouse to provide gift certificates for families who have not been “adopted” so that they too can experience the joy of the season.

The Christmas Clearinghouse is a central file of needy families who have registered with local churches and service providers in the community. All registration forms come to HandsOn River Region, where the information is entered into the Clearinghouse database. Some agencies are able to help those families who register with them. These names are entered for clearing and to help avoid duplication of giving.

Families who are not helped by agencies or organizations where they registered are also entered into the system. The Christmas Clearinghouse tries to assist these families through community “adoptions” or gift certificates made possible through fundraisers and donations to the Christmas Clearinghouse. With the combined efforts of our community, about ten thousand individuals are cleared and helped annually during the holiday season.

To get involved, call (334) 264-3335 or visit www.handsonriverregion.org.

11

November 2016

River Region’s Journey

hoods of your children are different from your own?

Jodi: Times have certainly changed from my childhood, and the most obvious examples are the cell phones, social media, and instant everything. Our kid’s lives also seem light years busier than ours ever were. The challenges come in new and different packages, but if boiled down, the issues appear to be the same. With the issues deceptively the same, we believe that the ultimate solutions are also the same, to love where we are. Our best quality times as a family come when we can laugh, play, and be ourselves with no fear of being judged. It takes putting all distractions temporarily on the shelf and opening up to be loved...true family time.

RRJ: God…Father, Son and Spirit are timeless.

Their wisdom unto salvation and hope for this life and the next are eternal principals. As a parent, how do you set an environment for your children to know God’s love for them?

RRJ: You grew up in Gadsden, Alabama in a Christian home. How did your parents create an environment for you to come to know God’s love through Christ?

Jodi: I was blessed to have parents who provided a home of unconditional love. It was not until I became a parent that I began to understand just how much my parents created a home environment of love and support, which established my foundation of confidence and security in my faith. My parents demanded hard work and also practiced tough love, when needed, but I never questioned their love. Through these early years at home, I began to understand and see the depths of God’s love. Now that I am a parent, we have strived to create the same home atmosphere of love and security, and pray that our kids will learn how much our Heavenly Father loves them. Through this we pray they will have confident foundations for their own faith.

RRJ: Times certainly have changed rapidly in recent years. How would you say the childRiver Region’s Journey

November 2016

Jodi: Having children and the responsibility of raising children has created the necessity in my life of enhanced prayer. Parenting is an amazing gift and wonderful blessing, but it is HARD. Raising children has taken me to emotional places that I never thought existed. Raising children has also taken me physically “to my knees.” During those times of confusion, self doubt, and questioning I find that prayer is the only means to true comfort and peace.

When we were brand new parents, we had a guest teacher in our Sunday School class. I am sure that she shared many meaningful lessons, but the one that spoke directly to me that day was to “establish NOW a morning devotional and prayer time with your children.” She convinced us that it was imperative to establish, fight for, and protect that time EVERY morning.

Teach them to pray, show them how to pray, and let them know you are praying for them daily.

It has been hard, especially during the daily tornado of getting ready for school. However, our 10th grader and 9th grader know that each morning (since they started kindergarten), we will have devotional time and prayer for them and others. I am so grateful for that Sunday School message so many years ago.

To that guest teacher (you know who you are) – I THANK YOU and I know in their hearts my children thank you.

RRJ: You mentioned intervening for your children through prayer. How have you seen your prayers answered?

Jodi: I would say the best example of answered prayer is that through every trial and time on our 12

knees we get closer and closer to Him – seeing more of His character and who He created us to be. I guess that’s the ultimate answer to all prayers.

RRJ: What means did God use in your life to mature your faith and prepare you to minister to your family in these and other ways?

Jodi: Being a parent has helped me grow and see a glimpse of God’s love for His children. This stage of my life has created deep growth out of necessity. Through realizing and understanding my shortcomings as a parent, I have come to understand that HE is in control and He waits to hold us and meet us where we are. Through many stumbles, and routine attempts to be self sufficient, I am slowly realizing that the only right way is His way. He is slowly peeling away layers to reveal His purpose.

RRJ: Another unique way you put your faith to work is in your startup clothing company, TheChristianCollection.org, where you combine fashion and faith. What was the inspiration for this venture?

Jodi: The Christian Collection has been a complete leap of faith which has taken me utterly out of my comfort zone – it has to be all God. God had been gently nudging us for years to take this step. Many of His nudges were ignored, scary, and doubted.

Finally, after many years, the leap was taken.

The Christian Collection is a clothing line which combines fashion and faith. The Collection allows Christians to make a confident statement about their faith, wherever life leads them. The inspiration behind The Christian Collection are the men and women who desire to take a stand within their daily walks of life. The Collection line started with men’s ties. Bankers, financial planners, lawyers, administrators, ministers, and college students are just a few of the examples of men using The Christian Collection to share their faith.

RRJ: Finally, what encouragement would you give young mothers just starting out in raising their children in the Christian faith?

Jodi: The blessing of raising children and raising them in faith is exciting and daunting. I am slowly learning that God’s love for His children, your children, is far greater than anything we could give or imagine. With each up and down, success and failure, moment of joy or tears, the only way is to continually call on His name and be open and ready to be used by Him. Know that His ways are right and true.

Jodi Hargrove is married to her husband Alan and they have two children. The Hargroves attend First United Methodist Church in Montgomery. Vist www.TheChristianCollection.org.

ers.

o

his

s

ht s

ork

ete

n ny

s

on

ly s

n

ir

There is a tug of war for the hearts and minds of our children. Here are critical questions E astwood Christian S chool believes every parent should be asking:

K4 / K5 Open House January 12, 2017 / 11:00 a.m.

¥ Do I believe in a quality, classical education provided with a biblical worldview?

New Student Registration (K4-12) January 23, 2017-February 3, 2017

¥ Who is shepherding my child each day, five days a week, and 175 days a year?

Eastwood Christian School 1701 East Trinity Blvd.

¥ What has gone wrong with the product of modern education?

e d

(334) 272-8195

¥ Will those leading my child’s extra-curricular activities be godly, mature, skilled leaders and coaches?

re

www.eastwoodschool.org

¥ Who are you joining with in the great struggle of developing a Christian mind and heart?

Our Headmaster invites you to set an appointment with him.

t

Eastwood Christian School admits students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.

November 2016 River Region’s Journey 13

I Want to Forgive But How? An offense creates highly detrimental weather between us and our fellow humans or even God. Holding onto an offense is never profitable because it allows our souls to be poisoned by the slime of bitterness, resentments, anger, rage, and un-forgiveness that brings about a wounded spirit.

You may recognize that you took the pill of unforgiveness, expecting someone else to suffer for it. Then you discovered that your offended heart had become so heavy, it weighs you down like a ton of bricks.

Jesus told a story of a king who forgave a huge debt his servant owed him. He later learned that this same servant had refused to forgive another fellow servant a very small debt. The king became incensed by the unforgiving act of his unmerciful servant, and queried him by saying, “I forgave you an enormous debt, could you not have reciprocated the mercy given to you?” The king concluded by saying that because the man refused to forgive, he was handed over to tormentors.

(See Matthew 18:23-35.)

Are you feeling weighed down, heavy hearted, confused, oppressed, ruffled in the inside, or experiencing a lack of peace? If you are, take a deep look inside your soul. It could be that you may have given access to the tormentor, whose name is the devil, through an avenue of unforgiveness.

The apostle Paul was clear on the fact that if we don’t forgive, Satan will outwit us and take the advantage we give him, in order to torment us. (See 2 Corinthians 2:11.)

Perhaps you want to forgive, but don’t know how. To really forgive and live the life you were created to live, a life void of stress and anxiety, I want to share a few points that River Region’s Journey

November 2016

have helped me navigate through my own hurts and pains.

1. Move On to the Next Act I will borrow a statement from Wayne Dyer that helps give language to my thoughts: “Your past history and all of your hurts are no longer here in your physical reality. Don’t allow them to be here in your mind, muddying your present moments. Your life is like a play with several acts. Some of the characters who enter have short roles to play, others, much larger.

Some are villains and others are good guys.

But all of them are necessary, otherwise they wouldn’t be in the play. Embrace them all, and move on to the next act.”

2. Knowing Why You are Offended Can Help You Forgive Here are some questions to consider:

Do I have an unhealthy desire to please others?

When I feel offense coming on I ask myself why. I know everybody is entitled to their opinions, but why am I allowing myself to be defined by what they say? I have learned that it is usually because I care too much about what they think.

14

Am I too serious about life?

It could be that I am taking life too seriously. We have only one life to live, and only 24 hours in each day to live it. I believe we need to let our hair down sometimes, and enjoy the gift of life we’ve been given. God does not want us be so uptight about everything.

Choose to ignore some of the provocations that life throws at you and focus on a positive aspect of your life. By doing so you will gain perspective and find that there is not a whole lot to forgive.

Am I confronting the real issue?

Jesus says if your brother does something against you, go to him to settle the matter between you and him.

If he refuses to listen, take the matter to a respectable party. If he refuses to go with you, just leave the issue alone as you have done your part. Your only responsibility is to make sure you forgive him truly from your heart immediately. Scripture tells us to not let the sun go down on our anger. This will help issues not to fester.

You know you have forgiven when you can look squarely in the eyes of the person who has wronged you, without animosity in your heart. You can also know you have forgiven when you are able to remember the issue without experiencing a prick in your soul.

We have a responsibility as Christians to model Christ’s life to others, but that is only possible when we submerge our flesh in the Holy Spirit. The Spirit’s power then helps us to subdue our fleshly nature toward unforgiveness. It is then only that we truly can forgive as Christ forgave us.

y

2017 MARKETPLACE OPEN ENROLLMENT

FREE ENROLLMENT ASSISTANCE

noes

ve g

e

h-

3058 Mobile Highway Montgomery, AL 36108 P: 334-293-6670

m.

ue ur ty

mun s

u

e

to y e

n

15

November 2016

River Region’s Journey

Va

ing ego rea our our “yo tru sai wh con unt and Yo to t oth nes and con rig lik (Co

Re

ery to k

When my father was young, my grandfather lost his business and their home when our country experienced an economic crisis. My grandfather was forced to move his family of eleven to a tiny rental house on the edge of town and grow vegetables in the backyard to feed them. While he eventually managed to rebuild his business and another house, this experience of loss reminded them that while things can disappear, certain qualities remain. As a result of their losses, my grandfather told his children, “Your name is all you’ve got.

Don’t do anything to tarnish our name.”

The family name stood for integrity in town because my grandfather had been honest and fair with his customers. When he experienced loss, people watched this man with a big family to see how he responded, just as they watched him before to see how he lived with prosperity. In the same way, others observe us to see if our actions and words equal integrity and to see if we live out Christian values when things aren’t going well in our lives.

When we compromise personal integrity, we tarnish our witness and the name “Christian.”

River Region’s Journey

November 2016

16

Here are 4 ways to Guard Integrity: Value Honesty. On the surface, telling the truth seems simple enough, but often ego and pride take center stage, and before we realize it, we’re enhancing the truth to elevate ourselves or escape reality that may diminish our image. The same grandfather who said, “your name is all you’ve got” also said, “tell the truth and you don’t have to remember what you said.” If you tell a lie, you have to remember what you said, who you said it to, and in what context. And unless you keep a detailed list of untruths, you’re bound to slip up, at some point, and say something different. So, tell the truth.

You expect others to be honest, so hold yourself to that same standard. “Don’t tell lies to each other; it was your old life with all its wickedness that did that sort of thing; now it is dead and gone. You are living a brand new life that is continually learning more and more of what is right, and trying constantly to be more and more like Christ who created this new life within you” (Colossians 3:9-10 TLB).

Remain Trustworthy. Have you every shared a concern with someone, asked them to keep what you discussed in confidence, and

then heard your words come back at you from multiple people? It hurts, doesn’t it, to have someone betray you by talking to others about what you told them in private. “Trustworthy” means you are worth trusting with information or a requested action. Some people have a hard time being trustworthy because they just can’t resist the feeling of power it gives them to have information and then share it. But it only takes one time of breaking a promise to lose the trust component of integrity. “A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret” (Proverbs 11:13 NIV).

Accept Responsibility. The current trend in our culture is to accuse and blame others rather than accept responsibility for our mistakes. When someone fails to read directions and misuses a product, she blames the manufacturer and sues for damages. A person who is diagnosed with a disease, blames his employer, claiming the illness resulted from job stress rather than admitting years of unhealthy living. The list could go on, but the point is most people don’t want to take responsibility for their actions. Sidestepping responsibility goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden: “The man replied, ‘It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it’” (Genesis 3:12 NLT).

However, unlike Adam, people of integrity

admit mistakes without putting a “spin” on the event that implies others are really at fault.

Avoid Corruption. Satan has a way of tricking us into thinking no one will know if we compromise integrity. But remember, Satan is all about enticing us to do things that will reflect poorly on the name “Christian.” Corruption usually refers to someone who accepts money or something else of value to perform a dishonest action. Another definition of corruption is decay.

If you’ve ever taken a walk in the woods in the fall, you know the smell of decay—rotting leaves and berries. Corruption stinks. It damages your reputation and it doesn’t just happen in the business world or to government officials. Corruption happens when a person writes a paper for someone else, texts an answer to a test question,, or implies something about someone that damages their reputation. No matter how careful you are, this type of activity eventually becomes public.

“Extortion turns a wise man into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart” (Ecclesiastes 7:7 NIV).

Integrity honors fairness, by-passes selfish motives, and mirrors Christ-like qualities. It is more valuable than any financial gain, fame, or position. Integrity is worth preserving and guarding.

Candy Arrington is a contributing writer.

PHYSICIANS TO CHILDREN

welcomes

DR. KAREN DOLES Now accepting new patients ages newborn to 18 years

PH YS IC IAN S TO C H ILDR E N Taylor Medical Complex 470 Taylor Rd, Suite 210 Montgomery, AL 36117 (334) 293-5033

PHYSICIANS TO CHILDREN ChildrensAL.org/physicianstochildren

17

November 2016

River Region’s Journey

God’s Fingerprints God’s fingerprints are everywhere, especially in the world of nature. This point came back to me as I watched a documentary about the migration of barn swallows from Africa to Europe and back.

Barn swallows are called the birds of summer. They gather into giant flocks that fly from England and Northern Europe in September to arrive below the equator where spring is just beginning. Then in the autumn month of April they depart Nigeria to fly back across the Sahara Desert to return to their European homes. Why do they do that? Because God created them with an irresistible desire to do so. It is their calling. And their calling protects

River Region’s Journey

November 2016

them from the freezing winter. But sometimes there are hazards in answering one’s calling.

Consider their flight over the Sahara, a desert as large as the United States. Much of it includes ranges of jagged, lifeless mountains.

The rest is a constantly changing mass of sand dunes, over a thousand miles across. Temperatures can go over 150 degrees Fahrenheit.

Nothing can survive on the surface for long.

The barn swallows instinctively know that there is a place in the middle of that scorching wasteland where water comes up from an underground reservoir. Surrounded by palm trees, it is the only water for many miles. This looks inviting to the weary birds. But there is a catch. The water is poisoned by a high concentration of desert salt. No animal can drink it and live. Well, except for the flies.

Flies love this toxic brine. A giant swarm of them buzzes across the little lake frequently. Which is good, because they are God’s provision for the barn swallows. Without landing on the sand, the swallows swoop in to snatch the flies in midair. In doing so they consume not poison, but pure water that the flies have filtered with their bodies. After a day of this feasting, the birds are refreshed and continue their long migration to Europe.

So what has that to do with us? Quite a bit, I think.

18

Like the barn swallows, we each have a divinely created desire to do something useful, something important in God’s sight. Some would call it a gift, a talent, or a passion. But we all have something. Once we accept the Lord, He begins to nudge us toward the one activity or responsibility that will make us fulfilled and glorify His Name.

And I don’t mean just the professionals, the teachers, preachers, or missionaries. One’s calling may be caring for a child, singing in the choir, or preparing meals in the kitchen. It may be mowing the grass or driving a bus. It may be flying an airplane, building a house, or writing a poem. It may be exciting, intense, or very low key. But when it is done to the glory of God, it matches up with our personality and we feel His pleasure in our souls.

However, sometimes there are roadblocks between where we are in our calling and where the Lord has called us to be. The distance can appear to be as great as the span between continents. The effort needed can seem as exhausting as crossing a burning desert. The roadblock can be financial, physical, mental, or relational. But it is there and we don’t know how to overcome it. Achieving the goal seems impossible to us. But it is not. God has a solution to our roadblocks.

Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30 NIV).

Don’t be turned off by the miles of burning sand, the bitter water, and the flies in your life. Maybe His answer will appear to be part of the problem, but trust Him. Look for His provision in unexpected ways and places. Then just keep on keeping on.

Remember, Jesus loves you. When He sends you to do His will, He always provides for the journey. Just watch for His fingerprints along the way.

75

ul,

, ’s

It

or or y nd

cks ere

n

w ms u-

e

or

nd

nr t

hen

s ts

Sunday Morning Small Groups - 9:15 a.m.

Sunday Morning Worship - 10:30 a.m.

7505 Wares Ferry Road Montgomery, Alabama 36117 334.396.9811 19

November 2016

easternoaks.org River Region’s Journey

“F an cei

Fa

• Our daughter accepted at the college of her choice • The birth of baby birds in the tree outside our bedroom window • A misunderstanding with a co-worker cleared up

“Daddy, I know what I wanna put in our blessing basket,” said six-year-old Dena as her father walked in from the office.

“I got to be line leader at school. Can we thank God for that?”

This scene occurred at Pastor Mike’s home. He and his family had begun keeping track of their daily blessings by writing them down on slips of paper and accumulating them in a large basket placed on the dining room table.

Pastor Mike shared this story with me a few weeks after he heard me talk about our family custom of keeping a Blessing Basket. He and his wife decided to include this practice in their family life. In just a few days, it had made a “positive difference” in their conversation around the dinner table. Each of his four daughters had something uplifting to say about her day and then eagerly jotted it down and added it to the Blessing Basket.

I loved hearing this. It confirmed in my heart and mind the value of this custom that had been passed on to me by a woman I met years ago when I was going through a difficult time in my life.

Our Blessing Basket bulged with a written record of God’s daily blessings in our lives.

By the time we got to the last scrap of paper our eyes were wet.

How could we ever doubt that God provides for all our needs!

Miles of Gratefulness The more we became alert to life around us––from the delicate flowers on the hillside along the freeway, to the presence of a good friend when we needed a confidant––we became more and more grateful as individuals and as a couple. An inch of awareness led to miles of gratefulness.

But giving thanks does not seem to come naturally. We have to be taught. We need to learn and practice this ‘discipline.’ Remember in Luke’s Gospel (chapter 17) where Jesus healed ten lepers, yet only one returned to give thanks?

Grumbling or Gratitude?

“He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him––and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, ‘Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?’” (vs. 16-18).

“If you want to be content,” she had said, “focus your energy on giving thanks. You might even jot down your blessings on slips of paper and accumulate them in a bag or a basket. When it fills up, read what you’ve written. You’ll be surprised at how God has been there for you all along.”

My husband and I adopted this idea immediately. Several months later we propped ourselves up in bed one morning and dumped the papers on our quilt and read them one by one. What an eye-opener it was!

“Thank you”––two words that have been in short supply for centuries––in our homes, offices, churches, and communities. Many children are growing up in such plenty, they may not realize how much they have to be grateful for. They need to be taught that life is a gift, not an entitlement! And the more we all begin to view our lives through the lens of gratitude the more humility and joy we experience.

We can begin to count all of life good.

• Healing of a hurt relationship.

• A new book contract for me River Region’s Journey

November 2016

20

rea in tio sh co Ge de so Ba in ev

few sti mo the in aro do tha the

s.

t.

ss

o e

od

“For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude...” (1Tim. 4:4 NAS).

Family Blessing Basket You may be thinking even as you read this article how a Blessing Basket in your home could transform conversations, prayers, attitudes, even relationships in your family. I hope you will consider making it a communal project.

Get everyone involved. You may wish to decorate the basket, then label it (Johnson’s Blessing Basket or Our Blessing Basket) and set it in a prominent place in your house where it’s accessible to everyone.

Add a pile of cut paper, put out a few pens or pencils and some colorful stickers and markers. Then spend a few moments each day talking about what there is today to be grateful for at home, in school, at work, and in the world around you. Invite each child to write down or draw a picture of what he/she is thankful for and then put the papers into the basket. At the end of each week, take

turns reading a few aloud and talking about them.

Pass on the Blessing You can bless others, as well, by giving away Blessing Baskets as gifts, writing an annual thank you letter as a family to friends and relatives who have contributed to you in special ways. You might want to create a collage of photos that depict some of the many blessings God has given your family and then hang them in your home for all to see.

And you can end each day sharing an original prayer of thanks with your children before they go to sleep.

By practicing some of these customs, you will not only raise children with hearts of gratitude but you also will be carrying out Paul’s reminder to “... give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1Th 5:18 NIV).

Karen O’Connor is an award-winning Christian writer and speaker who lives in Watsonville, California. Visit Karen at www. karenoconnor.com.

e

d

m7) et ?

t thurn s

r , n

engh e.

21

November 2016

River Region’s Journey

G C

ad

33 Sa Ca at

Pi

Montgomery Aldersgate UMC

6610 Vaughn Road Sunday, December 4 at 4:30 p.m.

The Great Christmas Cookie Caper Christmas Cookie contest, Mission projects and concert.

Saturday, December 10, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Sunday, December 11, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Appalachian Craft Fair The Aldersgate United Methodist Church will be hosting the Red Bird Craft Fair featuring works by as many as 100 different crafters from Appalachia. Items including handmade reed baskets, jewelry, woven mats, dolls, benches, toys, games, ornaments and nativity sets. The craft fair will be open from 9:00 to 2:00 on Saturday, December 10 and 8:00 to 12:00 on Sunday, December 11.

Sunday, December 11 “The Word Became Flesh” 10:30 a.m. Lessons and Carols Service A heart stirring presentation featuring the Chancel Choir, Drama Team and Orchestra. Narrators: Charles Laubach, Cheryl Davitz and Kacey Vardaman.

Saturday, December 24 Christmas Eve Service; 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Communion, Carols and Candlelight For more information call the Aldersgate music ministry office at (334) 272.6152.

Centerpoint Fellowship ChurchCloverdale location 608 E. Fairview Ave., Montgomery Saturday, December 24 Candlelight Service Times to be announced.

Christchurch ad on page 3

8800 Vaughn Road Friday, December 9 6:30 p.m. Candlelight Harpischord Chamber Concert at. You are invited to a free concert of sacred and secular music. The 45-minute performance will feature instruRiver Region’s Journey

November 2016

mental and vocal pieces performed by the church’s chancel choir and soloists from the church, as well as outside professionals. The free concert in the church’s sanctuary will begin at 6 p.m. Reception to follow in Canterbury Hall. Reception tickets will be available by calling (334) 387.0566, ext. 203. Please visit www.christchurchxp.net for more details.

Dalraida UMC

3817 Atlanta Hwy. Sunday, December 4 at 6 p.m.

A Christmas musical put on by the children. Multi-generational Christmas Musical. Please call for more information. Call (334) 272.2190 for info.

Eastern Hills Baptist Church

3604 Pleasant Ridge Road (in the Forest Hills neighborhood) Sunday, December 4 60th Anniversary Celebration Sunday at 10 a.m. Call (334) 272.0604 ext. 214 or visit us online, www.ehbconline.com.

Eastmont Baptist Church

December 3, 9 am to 12 pm Children’s Christmas Festival Admission is one canned good or school supply item. Enjoy breakfast with characters, pony rides, inflatables, crafts, manger museum and more. Located at 4505 Atlanta Highway. Call 277.6300 or visit www. eastmont.org for more information.

First Presbyterian Church

9299 Vaughn Road, Pike Road Saturday, December 24 Christmas Eve Candlelight Worship Service. 5:30 p.m. with Communion. Join us as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Call 279.1372 or visit www.firstchurchmontgomery.org.

First United Methodist Church ad on page 23

2416 West Cloverdale Park Sunday, November 27 22

Hanging of the Greens, 4 – 6 p.m.

Come with unwrapped toys or monetary gifts for families in need as we dress our Sanctuary for the season of Advent.

Sunday, December 18 Festival of Christmas Concert, 4 pm Our annual concert featuring our music ministry and a professional orchestra.

Saturday, December 24 Christmas Eve: Communion Service and Candlelight services from noon-7 p.m.

Saturday, December 31 The Watch Night Service, 5 to 6 p.m.

A service of hope and healing in the Sanctuary. Call (334) 834.8990 for info.

Frazer Memorial UMC ad on Inside Front Cover and page 25

6000 Atlanta Highway Saturday, December 3rd at 9 a.m.

Women’s Christmas Brunch Sunday, December 4 at 6 p.m. Youth Worship Arts presents “King of Salvation” in Wesley Hall Sunday, December 11 Christmas at Frazer Musical: A Celtic Christmas Celebration in Wesley Hall, 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Frazer presents this community wide production, Christmas Theatre.

Fun for the entire family! Please call (334) 272.8622 or visit www.frazerumc.org.

Saturday, December 24 “Candlelight Worship” 3:30 p.m. in Wesley Hall 6:30 p.m. in Sanctuary.

First Baptist Church ad on Back Cover

305 South Perry Street Sunday, November 27 The Joy Singers Christmas Program at 6:15 p.m. Stakely Sanctuary; Come join us as the JOY Adult Choir leads us in worship celebrating the birth of Christ.

December 9-11 The Living Christmas Tree Performers will delight you atop the 40 ft. set resembling a Christmas tree on stage.

Tickets go on sale November 7. Please call (334) 834.6310 or visit us at www. montgomeryfbc.org.

15 Sa An Ho the Ca

Sa

90 Su Ch tua Ch Sa Ch 12 go 5p co 7p co Ca

c-

”

me. )

ey

in r-

e.

Gateway Baptist Church

Vaughn Forest Church

ad on page 11

3300 Bell Road Saturday, December 24 Candlelight Service and Communion, held at 5 p.m. Call (334) 272.9494 for details.

Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist

1550 East Washington Street Saturday, December 3 Annual Christmas Production at 4 p.m.

Hosted by the Youth Dept. Join them as they celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

Call (334) 462.3048.

Saint James UMC

9045 Vaughn Road Sunday, December 11 Christmas Cantata in the traditional sanctuary at 11 am. The service will feature the Chancel Choir.

Saturday, December 24 Christmas Eve Services 12 p.m. - Sanctuary, Early service for those going out of town.

5 p.m. – Worship Center, Candle lighting communion service 7 p.m.- Sanctuary, Candle lighting and communion service.

Call (334) 277.3037 for more info.

8660 Vaughn Road Friday, December 2 A Christmas in the Forest Everyone is invited to celebrate the sounds of Christmas at 6 p.m. in the worship center.

Christmas Services Friday, December 23 at 6 p.m. and Saturday, December 24 at 4 p.m.

For more information please contact Vaughn Forest Church at (334) 279.5433.

Prattville Centerpoint Fellowship ChurchPrattville Location Marriott Conference Center 2500 Legends Circle Saturday, December 24 Candlelight Services, Times to be announced. Call (334) 356.3076.

Christmas at East Memorial Baptist Church 1320 Old Ridge Road December 4 at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.

For more information contact the church office at (334) 365.7500 or visit our website at www.eastmemorial.org.

First Baptist Church, Prattville ad on page 26

138 South Washington St. Saturday, December 24 Christmas Eve Service, 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Please call (334) 365.0606.

Glynwood Baptist Church

376 McQueen Smith Road N. Sunday, December 4 10:15 a.m., Children’s Christmas Musical, “Glorious Night” Sunday, December 11 10:15 a.m., Adult Christmas Musical Sunday, December 25, 10 a.m.

Special Christmas Day Service Call (334) 361.9180 for details.

Wetumpka Centerpoint Fellowship ChurchWetumpka Location Bienville Square Shopping Center 4876 U.S. Highway 231 Saturday, December 24 Times to be announced.

If your church has a Christmas event you would like to list in our December issue, please email the details to deanne@readjourneymagazine.com.

HA NG I NG

OF THE GREENS

All families are welcome to join us as we decorate the sanctuary for the Advent and Christmas season.

At the conclusion of this service, there is a Service of Giving when families have the opportunity to place new unwrapped toys or monetary gifts under the trees. The Christmas Clearing House will distribute these gifts to needy families.

Sunday, Nove mbe r 2 7 4 : 0 0 p. m . in the s anc tuar y 241 W. C P M, AL 310 334.34.990 .. @ Worship | Sundays, 8:45 & 11 a.m. & Sunday School, 9:45 a.m.

Chapel Service & Holy Communion | Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m.

View live stream of Sunday services at www.fumcmontgomery.org/livestream

23

November 2016

River Region’s Journey

Hearing the Love 1 Corinthians, Chapter 13 Verse 1: “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal…”

River Region’s Journey

November 2016

Verses 4, 5, and 6: “… Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth…”

Since the Thanksgiving season is here, I had planned to write about choosing to be thankful. I believe that it is important and possible for us all to make a conscious effort and decision to actually choose to be thankful. By this I mean that rather than waiting to feel our blessings and being thankful to God, we become proactive and work to see and acknowledge our blessings before we feel blessed. As I see it, this helps us avoid a lot of negative feelings such as resentment, jealousy, anger, worry and unhappiness.

However, I have realized that I am not hearing “The Love”, and I don’t think that I am alone. So I chose the topic of hearing the love. This seems to be a pressing matter in light of the presidential election in which our country is embroiled. Daily we are bombarded with angry, bitter, blaming words.

They come from every direction and from numerous sources. It is hard to escape them and hard to maintain the filters that should help us sort out words that we normally choose to avoid.

It almost seems that we have lost our compass regarding words and their meaning that are acceptable to us and those that are not. We seem to be making excuses for unkind, judging, unforgiving, even hateful words. We find ourselves 24

reframing and interpreting these words to make them okay. We dismiss the emotional and spiritual damage they create, and by doing so, we increase the damage to others and ourselves.

What if we use Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth as our compass? In Chapter 1:10, 11 and 12 Paul says in the New International Version of the Bible, “… I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers and sisters, some … have informed me that there are quarrels among you…” Verse 20: “Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law?

Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?”

The angry, venomous, damaging words that are flowing around all of us from all sides are detrimental to the way that we see ourselves and see others. We do not have to agree regarding our political views, but we can be true to the direction in which our Christian compass has always directed us. That is toward Christ and Paul’s definition of Love.

1 Corinthians 13 Verses 4, 5 and 6 “… Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth…”

As Christians, this is the best of us. May we be united in this.

Saralu (Sam) Belkofer is a Licensed Professional Counselor. She is a 1969 graduate of Auburn University with a BA in Education and graduated from Georgia State University with an MA in Counseling in 1988. Prior to coming to The Samaritan Counseling Center, Sam counseled adults at Chemical Addictions Program from 1994 until 1999; Therapeutic Programs, Inc., where she worked with children and foster parents of children in need of therapeutic foster care; and at Helping Montgomery Families Initiative, sponsored

by Ellen Brooks and the District Attorney’s office, assisting troubled children/youth in Montgomery Public Schools and their families; and as the Montgomery County Director of Adult Outpatient Services with Montgomery Area Mental Health Authority until November 2013. Sam counsels adolescents, young adults and adults, employing psychotherapy to gain insight into problems to develop needed strategies for life transitions, survivors of abuse and neglect, addictions, forgiveness, ADHD, anxiety and depression, issues of abandonment, attachment and development of life skills.

ATLA PIKE WW

ual e

n d

rs, you

rs e

? od

t

r

ni-

; r iro-

y

he is and elter, 94

ster d bled s;

Nots, op ect, f

ATLANTA HIGHWAY 8, 9:30 AND 11AM PIKE ROAD SCHOOL 10:00AM WWW.FRAZER.CHURCH • 334.272.8622

25

November 2016

River Region’s Journey

Loc RSV spir beg 365

Loc (Hw day cent hab

Adoption

Location: Frazer Memorial UMC, 6000 Atlanta Hwy and First UMC, Millbrook APAC- Alabama Pre/Post Adoption Connection Support Group This group provides education and social interaction for adoptive families. Montgomery Group meets 3rd Thursdays, 6-7:30 p.m., Room 8114 at Frazer.

For information, call Monica Russell at 409-9477 or email mrussell@childrensaid.org. Autauga/Elmore Group meets 4th Tuesdays, 6-7:30 p.m., First UMC, Millbrook.

Childcare, children’s group and dinner provided. For info, call Hannah Taylor at 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.

River Region’s Journey

November 2016

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: 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.

26

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.

Location: Journey Church, 2960 East Cobbs Ford Road across from The Catfish House in Millbrook Celebrate Recovery - Christ-centered 12-step for anyone struggling with addiction or life-challenging issues. Mondays at 5:30pm (meal-CrossTalk Cafe), 6-6:55 pm (large group), 6:55-7:45 (small group).

Childcare available. Call Larry at 334-832-5714 or visit myjourneychurch.com.

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.

Sex with a pr mig men http eryS nigh p.m

Loc Cele pm grou chal at 3

Loc (Ac Gam

Loc 306 ‘Fre incl beg

. vr

ng ,

r

. m ble he

p e

Location: Prattville Church of Christ, 344 East Main St. RSVP - 12 step (Christians Against Substance Abuse-CASA) spiritual recovery program, for overcoming addictions. Class begins each Wednesday evening @6:30 PM. Please call 334365-4201 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.

Sex Addicts Anonymous (SAA) is open to all struggling with addictive sexual behavior. If you believe you have a problem with sex addiction (or are wondering if you might) and you want to change your behavior, we recommend you visit our group. For locations, please visithttps://saa-recovery.org/ or please contact – MontgomerySAA@outlook.com. Meetings are held: every Sunday night - 7:45 p.m, men only. Every Monday night - 7:30 p.m, men and women.

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 lifechallenging 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.

Location: First United Methodist Church, Wetumpka 306 W. Tuskeena Street ‘Fresh Start’ Recovery meets every Thursday, 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.

Alzheimer’s / Dementia

Location: First UMC, 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 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 sack lunch. There is no charge. REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. 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.

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 272-2412 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.

Location: Frazer Memorial UMC, 6000 Atlanta Hwy. The Central Alabama Multiple Myeloma Support Group meets from 10 a.m. to noon the second Saturday of every month in Room 3105. We have guest speakers, video presentations, printed information and a group that welcomes sharing their journey with myeloma in an informal setting. Refreshments are provided.. Contact Lorenzo and Elaine Duncan at 334-281-8158, or at duncan6563@gmail.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.

Cancer

Location: Aldersgate UMC, 6610 Vaughn Rd, 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.

27

Location: Frazer Memorial UMC, 6000 Atlanta Hwy Divorce Care meets each Tuesday from 6-7:30pm. in the

November 2016

River Region’s Journey

Fellowship Hall Lobby. This group will provide support & guidance to assist you in working through the issues, pain & pressures surrounding divorce. Also, are you stuck in a pattern of going back to the same relationships or situations hoping for or expecting different results? In this new study “Never Go Back”, you will recognize and truly change those life patterns that hold you back and keep you from your goals. Call 495-6368 or e-mail singles@frazerumc.org.

Location: First UMC, 100 E. Fourth St, Prattville Grief Share, Tuesday evenings at 6:30 pm in the church parlor. Call 365-5977.

Miscellaneous

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: Vaughn Forest Church, 8660 Vaughn Road DivorceCare fosters a weekly supportive and caring environment to heal the hurt of separation and divorce.

Call 279-5433.

Location: 5500 Ash Grove Circle, Montgomery.

OCD Support Group (obsessive- Compulsive Disorder) Long showers, multiple hand washing, rituals, checking stove, hoarding and symmetry. This support group is open to anyone who has struggled with OCD. You’re not alone anymore. Call Donald: 220-7555.

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 info, contact Alice Scarborough (334) 462-4775 or Gwen Ellis (334) 567-8754 or e-mail mourningtomorning@gmail.com. Join us on Facebook--Mourning to Morning Group.

Gambling

Location: Cedarwood Community Church, 10286 US HWY 231 in the Wallsboro/Wetumpka community Gamblers Anonymous, Saturdays at 6 pm. 567-0476 Location: Mental Health of America Bldg, 1116 South Hull Street, Montgomery. Sundays @ 5 pm.

Location: St Paul’s Lutheran Church, 4475 Atlanta Hwy, Mondays @ 6pm.

Gamblers Anonymous Hotline: 334-541-5420 or you can call 2-1-1 and ask for meeting information.

Alabama Council on Compulsive Gambling: 277-5100

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. Call (334) 284-2721 for info.

River Region’s Journey

November 2016

Location: Eastmont Baptist Church, 4505 Atlanta Highway Take Heart is for women dealing with infertility and/or miscarriage. The group meets the first Monday of each month at 6 pm in room 116. Contact Melissa at (205) 9132667 for more information.

Parenting

Location: First Baptist Prattville, Location: Millbrook FUMC, 3350 Edgewood Rd Grief Share meets Sundays from 5-7 p.m. For more information or to sign up, please call the church office at 285-4114 or email churchoffice@mfumc.org.

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.

Location: Vaughn Forest Church, 8660 Vaughn Road GriefShare is a support group that meets Wednesdays from 6-8 pm. This program is non-denominational and features biblical concepts for healing your grief. GriefShare will be led by Howard and Carol Payne and Jim Williams. Call 279-5433 for more information.

28

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: First Baptist Church, 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. Contact Tiffany Alewine at 241-5165.

Loc Fra of a sha chil org

Loc Sin p.m

Loc Sin Thu be o chil

Loc AM mo and Wh lov Bra .

Loc Are tog frie We 9:3 VF

Ph

Loc Vis sec

n e

Location: Frazer Memorial UMC, 6000 Atlanta Hwy Frazer mom2mom is a playgroup to connect mothers of ages birth to 5 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.

Location: Landmark Church, 1800 Halcyon Blvd.

Single Moms Support Group, Wednesday nights at 6:30 p.m. in classroom 118. For more information call 277-5800.

way

3-

le,

y

gwrs l n.

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. December meeting will be on the 11th. Free snack supper provided to moms and children. Child care for infants -16 years. Call 272-3174.

Location: Redland Baptist, 1266 Dozier Rd, Wetumpka A MOPS group will be held 1st and 3rd Tuesday’s of every month during the school year, and has scheduled play dates and moms nights out through the summer and beyond.

While moms are in a MOPS meeting, their children are lovingly cared for in the MOPPETS program. Email Denise Braswell at deniseorscott@yahoo.com .

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.

e

s.

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 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 affected by a neuromuscular disease or family members of those affected. To receive information, call 3964534.

Location: Vaughn Park Church, 3800 Vaughn Rd. Montgomery Area Down Syndrome Outreach Group meets 2nd Friday of each month from 6:30- 8 PM. We have activities, speakers and special events throughout the year for the parents, siblings and children with Down Syndrome Childcare is provided. Please visit our website at www.montgomeryareadownsyndrome. com or visit our Facebook page (MADSOG) for more information. Please contact MADSOG at montgomeryareadownsyndrome@gmail.com for more information.

Same Sex Attraction

Location: Huff Community Ministry Building of First Baptist Church at 305 S. Perry Street Pathway Support Group for those dealing with unwanted same sex attraction. The group meets at 6:30 pm every first, third and fifth Tuesday evenings. For more information about the Pathway call (334) 241-5141 or (334) 241-5140.

2600 Bell Road Montgomery, Alabama 334.277.6690

Singlehood

Location: Frazer Memorial UMC, 6000 Atlanta Hwy Boundaries study for singles meets each Tuesday from 6-7:30pm in the Fellowship Hall Lobby. This study will help singles learn to set boundaries with emotions and help avoid the harmful behavior of others. For more information, call 495-6386 or email singles@ frazerumc.org.

Location: Frazer Memorial UMC, 6000 Atlanta Hwy Single and Parenting! A New Group for Single Mom’s. This group meets every Tuesday from 6-7:30pm for hope & encouragement & guidance & parenting ideas. For information, call 495-6386 or email singles@frazerumc.org.

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 Hwy 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!

460 McQueen Smith Road Prattville, Alabama 334.358.6411

Dr. John H. Payne IV • Dr. David Stanley • Dr. Davis Denney • Dr. Rob Owen 29

November 2016

River Region’s Journey

River Region’s Journey

November 2016

30

31

November 2016

River Region’s Journey

October Declared Bullying Prevention Month in Montgomery Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange and Montgomery County Commission Chair Elton Dean, along with other City and County leadership, passed proclamations in support of the River Region ROCK Task Force and declared October as Bullying Prevention Month in Montgomery.

The move signaled the important role all citizens play in creating kinder, more respectful communities that are free from bullying in all its forms. In addition to local leaders and elected officials, members of the ROCK Steering Committee were also present for the proclamation events October 17 and 18.

“Bullying is a serious issue,” said Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange prior to reading the proclamation. Laura Hicks, a member of the ROCK Steering Committee, said, “Bullying is a serious issue that requires a community-wide effort. Every citizen should respect others and be an ‘upstander,’ not a bystander.”

Bullying is defined as any unwanted, aggressive behavior that involves a real or perceived power imbalance and includes teasing, name calling, taunting, threatening harm, leaving someone out intentionally, spreading rumors or harassment, such as hitting, kicking, pushing or hurting someone physically.

The numbers are astonishing. One in four U.S. students have been affected by bullying at some point in school. About 20% of middle school students are being affected by cyberbullying, and in recent years, there has been an increased connection between suicide and bullying. Also in recent years, crime has risen in our communities and a culture that is less respectful now permeates music, media, our work places and our homes.

In response, the ROCK Task Force (Respect Others, Create Kindness) was formed in 2013 and is made up of more than 60 members representing public and private schools, community-based organizations, government, law enforcement and churches whose mission is to reduce bullying behavior

and promote acts of kindness in order to create a safer, kinder River Region.

ROCK hosts an annual ROCK Rally at schools to empower students to report bullying and stand-up for those who are being bullied. It offers resources and a bullying prevention tool-kit for educators, parents and youth leaders to foster open discussions about respect. Plus, ROCK supports Montgomery Public Schools and the Family Sunshine Center’s character education, anti-bullying/violence curriculum, which is delivered through the district’s Positive Behavior Support Intervention program and prevention educators with the Family Sunshine Center throughout the school year.

County and city leadership acknowledge the importance of bullying dangers to children and teens. Bullying can be prevented! To find online resources and get involved, visit www.

ROCKTaskForce.com. For more information about joining the ROCK Task Force, email info@ROCKTaskForce.com.

Him

River Region’s Journey

November 2016

32

BH01-350

y

Let’s get you back in the game, together.

r

n

d

-

OUR SPECIALISTS

UAB Medicine Urology Don’t let a urologic problem disrupt or endanger your life. Central Alabama’s most advanced urology center is at the new UAB Medicine Multispecialty Clinic at Baptist Medical Center South. With specially trained UAB doctors and a compassionate clinical staff from Baptist Health providing the highest quality of care for every major urologic

Himanshu Aggarwal, M.D., M.S., F.P.M.R.S.

health concern, from incontinence to cancer.

Specializing In

Robotic surgery | Prostate cancer | Kidney stones Urogynecology | Female pelvic floor reconstruction

Geoffrey Habermacher, M.D., Ph.D.

MULTISPECIALTY CLINIC BAPTIST MEDICAL CENTER SOUTH

Knowledge that will change your world

334.613.7070 UABmedicine-Baptist.com/urology Joseph Pazona, M.D.

BH01-35013-Journey Ad Nov 2016.indd 1

33

2119 East South Blvd, east of the Emergency entrance at Baptist South

November 2016

River Region’s Journey

10/17/16 2:51 PM

November

The Value of Faith What do you think is the value to society of the practice of religion? Could you place a “dollar value” on it?

Well, two researchers have attempted to do just that. Brian Grim of Georgetown University and his daughter, Melissa Grim of Newseum Institute, have released a study that has calculated three estimates of religion’s socio-economic value to the United States, according to an article on the Christianity Today website.

Estimate #1 is just over $378 billion. The story relates that in a recent article posted at Religjournal.com, it was explained how the Grims arrived at the three estimates in their study, which was sponsored by Faith Counts. They wrote: “The most conservative estimate takes into account only the revenues of faith-based organizations falling into several sectors: education, healthcare, local congregational activities, charities, media, and food.”

Faith-based health care systems raise about $161 billion a year. Congregations raise revenues of $84 billion a year, with $74.5 billion of it coming from individual donations.

This total represents an amount greater than the global revenues of Apple and Microsoft combined.

Estimate #2: $1.2 trillion. The Grims say the first estimate is an undervaluation because it does not take into account the actual value of the goods and services provided by these organizations. So, this next estimate factors in the price of social services. The article states that: Churches sponsor more than 1.6 million social services programs in America each year, and provide 7.6 million volunteers. More than 9 in 10 congregations actively recruit volunteers for outside projects (93%), half allow their building to be used for non-congregational purposes (50%), and close to half have groups that think about how to meet community needs (48%).

River Region’s Journey

November 2016

Included in that estimate is what is called a “halo effect” of having a church nearby: “...it encourages investment in family and children; stimulates the local economy by buying goods and services; provides a place to host weddings, funerals, or large community events; may run schools or day cares; provides outdoor space for leisure activities; and augments the city’s social services.” The value: $418.9 billion.

The study also factored in the effect of businesses with religious roots, such as Hobby Lobby, Tyson Foods, Chickfil-A, and Walmart. These businesses pull in $422 billion dollars per year, with $279 billion from Walmart.

Estimate #3: $4.8 trillion. This is a calculation of just the personal revenues of people of faith, the equivalent of a third of America’s gross domestic product. The study states: “The third estimate of this study recognizes that many, if not most, people of faith aim to conduct their affairs (to some extent, however imperfectly) guided by and inspired by their religious ideals,” adding, “To the extent that religious ethics and ethos pervade how Americans approach work and life, it could be argued that religion’s socio-economic contribution to American society is incalculably large.”

A closing quote from the study, as related in the Christianity Today story: “Religion is a highly significant sector of the American economy,” the study said. “Religion provides purpose-driven institutional and economic contributions to health, education, social cohesion, social services, media, food and business itself. Perhaps most significantly, religion helps set Americans free to do good by harnessing the power of millions of volunteers from nearly 345,000 diverse congregations present in every corner of the country’s urban and rural landscape.”

34

Recently, I commented on God’s economy. And, indeed, applied to Christians, if we are using our money according to His principles, we recognize that it all belongs to Him, as it’s been said, and we are stewards of those resources. God will direct us to use those resources wisely, and I believe that giving from a charitable heart is an essential component of Christian money management.

I think it is also important that society recognize the significant contribution of the church. In his closing comments at The Gathering, a national solemn assembly held recently, Dr. Tony Evans referenced a three-prong strategy, one of which involves helping people recognize, essentially, the value of the church to their communities. I believe in order for that to occur, we have to be doing the work of Christ, allowing the Holy Spirit to direct and empower our work. Imagine a culture without the work of Christian charities, including hospitals, the social services that are provided by Christian organizations, and businesses run by Christian principles, not to mention those believers who reinforce the good in society by the financial decisions we make.

So, finally, we can think together about using what God has entrusted to us to make a positive impact on our culture. We all have resources, whether in physical form, or in the form of gifts and talents, to be used to advance the Kingdom of God - and we are called to be about our Father’s business.

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.

Cont

November Crosses 2016.qxp_Layout 1 10/21/16 9:59 AM Page 1

A Faith Radio donor and neighbor is providing hundreds of 7 foot freestanding wooden Christmas crosses for us to distribute to our listeners for a generous donation. This donation helps Faith Radio continue to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ. We will have the crosses available on Monday, November 21, at the Faith Radio Studios. There is a limited supply of crosses. Reserve your cross today by calling 800-239-8900 or visit www.faithradio.org.

,

ve

an nt y

so igon is al

t, wer k e

n o

ll in ed

he

crosses... will be displayed this year in the Christmas season proclaiming the love of Christ Jesus!

Call to get your Christmas cross magnet!

The ministry of Faith Radio/WLBF is supported by individuals in the Christian community. You can participate in strengthening families as we provide spiritual encouragement with your financial support.

November 2016 River Region’s Journey 35 Contact us at www.faithradio.org, call 800-239-8900 or by mail at P.O. Box 210789 Montgomery, AL 36121-0789.

Q.

I just read The Total Money Makeover, but I’m still unclear as to why you recommend saving for an emergency fund and retirement before paying off your home.

Shouldn’t a house be paid off as quickly as possible, since it’s a liability?

A. I appreciate the fact that

you’re asking questions and thinking things through. But please don’t fall into the trap of thinking of your home as a liability. That mindset is way off base, in my opinion.

Your house is definitely an asset; it’s the mortgage that’s a liability. Some folks may try to position a house as a liability simply because it costs you money. But the truth is your home will make you more money than it will cost you over time. Therefore, it is an asset.

Some of the saddest situations I’ve seen in all my years of teaching are seniors who have paid-for homes and nothing saved or invested. Money isn’t the most important thing on earth, but it is a fact of

life. That’s why I encourage people to build an emergency fund of three to six months of expenses and begin saving for retirement before they tackle paying off their homes.

Then, after all that is addressed, take every dollar you can scrape together and put it toward paying off your mortgage as fast as possible.

Q. I make $2,100 a month after taxes, and I have accumulated $46,000 in credit card debt. My husband makes more than I do, but he won’t help me. He says I got myself into this mess, so it’s my job to stop being irresponsible and fix it on my own. Do you have any advice?

A. You’ve got a load of debt hanging over

your head right now, but I think you’ve got bigger problems than that. You told me you’re married, yet it sounds to me like you two are living entirely different and separate

MEN’S MINISTRY 1.800.777.0305* • knights21.com * To contact our Alabama representative, Chap Noles, press 1 for Knights, then press 4

SQUIRE: THE TRAINING OF THE KNIGHT This 24-lesson DVD series challenges men to become their best. This is the first volume of our 5-year series, The Heroic Man’s Journey.

River Region’s Journey

November 2016

LIVING BETTER: VOLUME 1 This 18-session DVD series was created to guide Christian women and those who have yet to receive Christ toward their greatest potential.

The world needs to feel the impact of Godly women.

Don’t lose your moMENtum. Build a thriving men’s ministry with K21.

Our DVD study programs for men are changing lives in churches, prisons, rescue missions and communities.

lives. This seems more like a roommate situation than a healthy, loving marriage.

I don’t like your husband’s attitude, but he does have a valid point in one respect.

You were irresponsible with money, and now you’ve got a pile of debt on your hands. My big question is this: Where was he while all this was going on? Were you hiding it from him? And where was the communication and decision making, financial and otherwise, couples should engage in? Married people can’t live this way and win in their relationship or with money.

The two of you desperately need to seek marriage counseling together. This relationship is on the rocks. You and your husband obviously have no trust or respect for each other, and there’s a definite lack of communication, unity and shared goals. I don’t know what happened to bring things to this point, but the preacher didn’t pronounce you guys a joint venture when you got married; he said you were now one.

A little maturity, extra work, and living on a simple budget will go a long way toward fixing most personal finance issues.

But your marriage is in big trouble. Please seek help!

Our mission is to draw women together to discover God’s truths and directives that are found in the Bible.

1.800.777.0305 (press 2) • realwomen21.com

Real Women 21 st Century 36

one test two lives

Get tested for HIV. For you and baby. for more information, call 1-800-228-0469 www.adph.org/hiv

The

Living Christmas Tree December 9 • 7 pm December 10 • 4 & 7 pm December 11 • 4 & 7 pm Tickets available online beginning November 7.

Call 334.241.5156 or order online at

www.thelivingchristmastree.org No offering will be taken during the presentation. $5 per ticket suggested.

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH montgomery

2016_FBC_NovemberAd.indd 1

305 South Perry Street Montgomery, AL 36104

10/14/16 9:49 AM