January 2014 Metro Christian Living by Mississippi Christian Living

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JANUARY 2014

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contents JANUARY 2014 ➺

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columns 8 The Way I See It Simple Math

10 Modern Motherhood My Lifestyle Upgrade for 2014

12 Let’s Talk It Over A Longing for More

14 The Middle Ages Views from the Mezzanine: Midlife Moments

STEGALL IMAGERY

16 All in the Family

features

What Other People Think About You Is None of Your Business

18 This Is My Story Operation Christmas Child Is on My Heart All Year Long

20 Pastor’s Perspective Reclaiming Life

CJ Stewart

32 Food for Thought

Wounded Warrior On a Mission

Super Bowl Snacks

34 Healthy Living

New Year, New You—Healthy Tips from the Pros!

36 Legal Advice Just Do It—You Have Procrastinated Long Enough!

18 34

in every issue

6 39 40 41 42 42

Editor’s Letter Rave Reviews What’s Going On Event Calendar Quips & Quotes Advertiser Index

What’s Coming Next Month? I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing; the Story of Lillian Lee and the Mississippi Girl Choir

Volume 8, Number 8 Publisher: MHS Publications, Inc., Member, M.I.P.A. Editor: Marilyn Tinnin marilyn@metrochristianliving.com Associate Editor: Suzanne Tanner Durfey Art Direction/Graphic Design Sandra K. Goff Sales Marilyn Tinnin, Kimberly Stephens, Suzanne Tanner Durfey Contributing Writers Lydia Bolen, Dr. John L. Cox, C. Rochelle Culp, Rob Futral, Sherye S. Green, William B. Howell, Mary Patton Murphy, Robin O’Bryant, Susan E. Richardson, Lee Smith, Martin E. Willoughby, Jr. Cover Photography Stegall Imagery Distribution Assistants Laura Kidder, Randy Fortenberry, Andrea Sabillion, Rachel Schulte, Jerri Strickland, Priscilla Sullivan, Bob Whatley, Amanda Weems

Metro Christian Living 573 Highway 51 North, Suite C Ridgeland, MS 39157 Phone 601-790-9076 • Fax 601-790-9078 www.metrochristianliving.com

Metro Christian Living is committed to encouraging individuals in their daily lives by presenting the faith stories of others and by providing information that will point every person, at every stage of life, to a deeper, authentic, personal, and lifechanging encounter with Jesus Christ. Views expressed in Metro Christian Living do not necessarily represent those of the publisher. Every effort has been made by the Metro Christian Living staff to insure accuracy of the publication contents. However, we do not guarantee the accuracy of all information nor the absence of errors and omissions; hence, no responsibility can be or is assumed. All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2013 by Metro Christian Living, Inc. Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of International Bible Society.

Metro Christian Living is published monthly and is available at high traffic locations throughout the metropolitan area. Copies are also available by subscription, $29 for one year. Single issues available for $3 an issue. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to Metro Christian Living, 573 Highway 51 North, Suite C, Ridgeland, MS 39157.

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4 JANUARY 2014 ❘ Metro Christian Living

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➺editor’s letter Meandering Thoughts for the New Year

Be very careful, ❝ then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

❞

– Ephesians 5:15-16

he Ad Council and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) unveiled a campaign last year with the motto,“You never know when the day before is the day before.” I could speak on that topic for hours. Most of us can

look back on a painful event or a defining moment. It came without warning and wreaked emotional havoc when it caught us off guard and unprepared. A diagnosis, an accident, a loss, a natural disaster—ill timed and beyond our control. It did to our world as the “great fall” did to Humpty Dumpty. The nursery rhyme concludes, “And all the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty together again.” I would add: at least, not in the same way. Remember the television game show, Let’s Make a Deal? The audience dressed themselves in outrageous costumes vying for the opportunity to compete for valuable prizes. Those lucky enough to move from spectator to contestant were presented several “deal” options by host Monty Hall. Often an eager contestant had his hopes dashed by a “Zonk,” a deal that turned out not to be a good deal at all. A curtain would open to reveal some undesirable prize like a pet mule or a rusty rowboat instead of a dream vacation or a new car. The humor was lost on me. It was too much like real life. In a philosophical moment like a New Year’s reflection, many of us spend a few soul searching moments looking back on the year, remembering the good times as well as the difficult ones, totaling up our lessons learned and making note of those events that have altered our lives forever, at least on this side of eternity. I start to really miss my mother and daddy and those mentors—like my friend Gaga or my best friend’s mother, Mary—who are no longer here. I think I have always been like that. Something about turning that last page on the calendar brings to mind a mental Technicolor autobiography of my entire past as well as a thoughtful consideration of future goals and the steps I should take to make those goals reality. I have to remind myself that I have only so much control over that future. And did I mention that the future is coming at me much too fast these days? I have said before that I do think one of God’s most gracious gifts to us is that He doesn’t reveal what’s just around the bend in our personal lives. I dare say it was because we would miss the joy of the present by dreading the “thing” that was going to happen tomorrow. Instead he gave us the certain promise that He would be there, that He would go even as far as the “Valley of the Shadow of Death” (Psalm 23) to give us exactly what we needed in that critical moment we could not control. He meant it when He said, “Fear not,” and His presence with us was evidence that whatever life could dole out, He was going to be strong where we were weak, giving us exactly what we needed to deal with the challenge (2 Corinthians 12: 9). In my “Backdoor Lessons” talk—and the book I keep thinking I am going to get together at some point—one of my principles is to prepare for the storms of life before they happen. The only certainty about the future is that, for us in our present human form, we have no clue about what that looks like. The New Year, 2014, is out there before us all—a blank page, a question mark. What will be its challenges? What unforeseen thing will change life, as we know it? CJ Stewart, whose story you are going to LOVE this month, says we, as individuals, can only control our attitude and our effort. Everything else is beyond us. Scary stuff if you think you are out there solo. Thank God for His mercy and grace. None of us has to face the uncertainty alone! I think we have packed about as much encouragement into this January issue as we could possibly afford to print! We have an array of contributing writers who have outdone themselves with their take on the New Year. They have touched on about every theme related to New Years and new beginnings. Enjoy. Take it in. Store in your mind and heart. Something tells me we are all going to need it! The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23) Y

6 JANUARY 2014 ❘ Metro Christian Living

Marilyn H. Tinnin, Publisher and Editor marilyn@metrochristianliving.com

Every life is a beautiful life. Before I formed you in the womb I knew you…, (Jeremiah 1:5).

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Children are a precious gift and deserve our protection. Provide pre-born children a “license to live” by providing their mothers with the assistance they need when you purchase a CHOOSE LIFE license plate.

With over one million families waiting to adopt newborn babies, we urge you to help support Mississippi pregnancy resource centers that are empowering women to choose life for their unborn children. We have provided over $2.5 million dollars to agencies who assist women who are desperate and considering abortion as an option instead of adoption.

Something as simple as purchasing a CHOOSE LIFE specialty license plate for only $31.00 per year can provide grants to over 40 pregnancy resource centers and adoption agencies in Mississippi. You may also give a tax-deductible gift at ChooseLifeMs.org.

January 19th Is Sanctity of Human Life Sunday Churches across America will be praying for women and their pre-born children. Please take a moment to join us in remembering the lives that have been lost due to abortion. January 22 is the uncelebrated anniversary the1973 Supreme Court Decision that legalized abortion in America. Roe vs. Wade has led to over 56 million abortions in the U.S. Pray for women as they will be making this decision about every 6 seconds.

9 5 3 H I G H WAY 5 1 , S U I T E 2 E • M A D I S O N , M I S S I S S I P P I • 6 0 1 . 2 0 6 . 5 8 1 6

➺the way i see it by MARTIN E. WILLOUGHBY, JR.

Simple Math ow do we live effectively in an age of excess? That is a question I have spent a considerable amount of time thinking about. That is a question I have spent a

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considerable amount of time thinking about. I am no psychologist, but in my work as a business advisor and coach, I have come to the conclusion that the most challenging aspect of modern life is self-mastery. By that, I mean in a world of unlimited choices at our fingertips, how do we not ruin our lives? I call this the “Pizza Buffet” problem. It is wonderful to have a nice buffet of pizza to choose from; however, when it is all you can eat of your favorite choices—too much can be a very bad thing! Coming off the holiday season, most of us can probably relate – we probably all ate and spent more than we should! I was reminded recently that the “Age of Excess” is not a universal problem. I was visiting with a friend who has established churches and orphanages in the third world, and he pointed out that many of the people he visits with on his mission journeys are just worried about how to get enough food on the table each day. For thousands of years, this type living was the norm. It is a testimony to human progress that we have the ability to go to a local Walmart or buy almost anything from our computer on Amazon. I believe that simplicity and developing the art of self-control are the keys to navigating the modern world. I believe some simple math is in order for a simpler life. Essentially, Less = More.

Subtract “Stuff” INTERNET SAFETY

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For the past six months, almost everything I “own” has been sitting in a storage unit as my family and I have been living in an apartment. It has been a growth experience as we have had the opportunity to spend far less time tending to our stuff, and much more time hanging out together as a family. As megachurch pastor Andy Stanley says, taking care of our stuff is a “rich people” problem. The challenge is we are not inclined to reduce our stuff; instead, we are encouraged to accumulate more and more. Own less; spend less? That just seems un-American. However, after studying the lives of many people that the old saying “money does not buy happiness” is true. Less stuff equals more financial margin to save and live an extravagantly generous life. That is the path to “good life.”

Subtract “Commitments” Just like too much debt and too little income can send us to financial bankruptcy, I believe that too many commitments and not enough time creates “time bankruptcy.” Whether living the life of a busy stay-at-home parent or a modern worker, the familiar theme is “busyness.” When we are time bankrupt, we simply run from task to task, and often the “tyranny of the urgent” drives our lives instead of what is most important. I find that time bankruptcy often leaves little margin for quiet, reflective time at the feet of Christ, little time for exercise and maintaining our health, and little room for spending quality time visiting unhurriedly with family and friends. Fewer commitments equal more time for the truly important things in life.

Subtraction can be scary. We are programmed to think more = better. Unfortunately, it is a myth. Subtraction can be scary. We are programmed to think More = Better. Unfortunately, it is a myth. When we look at Christ in his humanity, we see a man who owned nothing, was not overscheduled, but changed human history. I believe the “good life” is one that fulfills our calling as a follower of Christ and brings glory to His name. To do that, we must be intentional in our choices and purposeful in how we live our lives. As we begin 2014, perhaps some simple math can help us live a simpler life and bring more peace and joy to ourselves, as well as those around us. Have a blessed New Year! Y

Martin E. Willoughby, Jr,. is Chief Operating Officer of Butler Snow Advisory Services, LLC located in Ridgeland. He and his wife, Nicki, have two children, Ally and Trey, and live in Memphis, Tennessee.

The Baptist Health Foundation enhances lives through community involvement and continuously improving Christian healthcare. Whit Hughes has joined Baptist Health

and families, expect and deserve. Hughes adds, “Our people

Systems as the Chief Development Officer

are our most important asset. Our team’s dedication to

and President of the Baptist Health

delivery of innovative and compassionate healthcare is what

Foundation, the philanthropic division of

will make the Baptist Health Systems experience special today

Baptist.

and for generations to come.”

Baptist Health Systems CEO, Kurt W. Metzner, said, “Whit’s

One of Baptist Health Foundation’s many

fundraising experience, coupled with his economic

meaningful programs is fund for the girls, which

development leadership, will be indispensable to Baptist as we

lifts women-in-need above financial anxiety

raise funds in support of state-of-the-art technology and

through provision of mammography and other breast

leading-edge programs emphasizing our mission to provide a

imaging services. To learn more about fund for the girls, or to

Christian healing ministry to our community.”

make a supportive contribution, visit www.fundforthegirls.com.

Recently, Hughes was Founder and President of P3 Elevations,

Baptist HealthTeacher is an

LLC, an economic development and strategic consulting firm.

example of Baptist’s service-

He previously served as Deputy Director and Chief Operating

minded community

Officer for Mississippi Development Authority.

involvement. Baptist HealthTeacher is an online

“Baptist Health Systems plays such a meaningful role in

curriculum that helps instill

Mississippi communities. I am proud to join this leadership

lifelong health habits and

team and excited about our daily opportunities to make a

personal responsibility in

positive difference through the Baptist Health Foundation,”

today’s youth with the goal

said Hughes.

of dramatically changing the

Hughes, who earned both a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a MBA from Mississippi State University, resides in Madison with his wife Shelley, their two sons and one daughter.

A recent HealthTeacher event at Brown Elementary School introduced 3rd graders to US Olympic Gold Medalist Joanna Hayes (back right). Foundation President Whit Hughes (below) leads a classroom discussion with Brown 3rd graders on healthy habits for life.

lives of Mississippians— forever. Right now, Baptist HealthTeacher is reaching K12 students in 18 counties / 34 school districts.

The Baptist Health Foundation serves the community with a constant eye on providing the highest quality of care patients, To learn more about the Baptist Health Foundation, visit www.mbhs.org/foundation or contact Whit Hughes at whughes@mbhs.org.

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➺modern motherhood by ROBIN O’BRYANT

My Lifestyle Upgrade for 2014 t’s that annoying time of year again. Time for New Year’s Resolutions, promises you make to yourself with zero intention of keeping. This year my aim isn’t to impress others, to lose weight, or better myself.

Nope. This year I’m being realistic. My New Year’s Resolution for 2014 is, drum roll please, to stop buying clothes at WalMart. Now don’t get upset with me, I like Wal-Mart clothes. No, actually, I love them. I love them beyond all reason. I may not need a bedazzled sweatshirt that says “QT Pie,” but for $4.99, why wouldn’t I buy it? Who could walk away from a deal like that? I mean it’s a sweatshirt, for less than five bucks! See, my life for the last six years has been a constant cycle of feeding babies, burping babies, changing diapers, wiping runny noses, breaking up fights, cooking, cleaning, dropping off and picking up kids and other glamorous pastimes that I really don’t want to rub in your face. Everybody can’t handle the Mommy high life. Because of my extremely chic lifestyle, I end up in sweatpants and a t-shirt most days. For the past six years, it has been pointless to pay more than $4.99 for a shirt. I mean, would you pay $25 for a t-shirt at Banana Republic if you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that within the first 24 hours, someone was going to throw up (or worse) on you? I’ve taken off one too many shirts at night to find that someone had puked over my shoulder and down my back without me knowing it. And, yes, that I had been to the grocery store, the pediatrician and who knows where else like that. So I took a brief, 6 year hiatus from clothing shopping anywhere that didn’t have shopping carts and preferably a snack bar. (It’s much easier to try on clothes if your kids are trapped in a buggy eating popcorn or fighting over a foot-long hotdog.) So this is the year. In 2014, I will just say no to bedazzled sweatshirts and $4 purple yoga pants with questionable slogans written across my derriere. It’s going to be hard, seeing as how I just moved to Small-town, Mississippi and the closest mall is a two-hour drive away. But I’m determined and I’ll be strong. (Unless I get a recommendation from a friend, because my friend Kasey told me Wal-Mart has corduroy pants on sale for $10 and they look and fit just like the ones from JCrew. And if I find them I plan to buy them in every color available. TEN dollars, people!) But that’s it and I mean it. No more Walmart clothes for me. I will stick to the grocery store and will not even browse through the ridiculously low priced sleepwear and mix and match bathing suits. I can do this. Luckily for me there is a JC Penney right down the street, so if I really get a hankering for some low-dollar high-fashion, I have an out. Y

Robin O’Bryant is mother to three daughters, wife to one husband, and The New York Times best-selling author of Ketchup Is A Vegetable And Other Lies Moms Tell Themselves. She shares the drama and hilarity of motherhood in her syndicated family humor column, “Robin’s Chicks” and on her blog by the same name, robinschicks.com.

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14th Annual Governor’s Prayer Luncheon Thursday, January 30, 2014

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Medicare Made

➺let’s talk it over by LEE SMITH

Eas y! I

A Longing for More

t happens at the turn of every New Year. A longing for a fresh start stirs somewhere deep within us.

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Like clockwork, January brings a surge of new gym memberships, as well as the largest drop in tobacco sales. More people begin new jobs and start new diets in January than any other month of the year. Did you know that January is also the month when more divorces are filed for than any other month? Why is all of this? Why do we see these same trends year after year? You see, you and I were created with a longing for more— something this broken world can’t give us. Deep down we feel this, but we don’t always know what do with it. So, we spend our days filling it with stuff, and emptying it of other stuff, until we find a temporary balance and all seems right in the world. Each year, new resolutions are formed and new practices are started in the hopes that we find what we so desperately long for—contentment. So that I don’t lose some of you, let me say that I am a huge fan of setting goals and

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seeking ways to improve overall life. The two questions I want to pose are “What are you looking for?” (I mean really looking for) and “What are you looking for it in?” As a pastor and counselor, I meet people who land new jobs with higher salaries, people who get in the best shape of their lives, people who marry someone else who is “more exciting” only to find themselves still longing for something more. Here is a lie the enemy sells us: “True contentment is found outside of God.” This lie started in the garden, and it has worked ever since. We embrace the lie, failing to realize that true contentment can’t be found in a lucrative career, in well-rounded children, in six-pack abs, or in a marriage. None of these things are evil, but when we place our hope in these things, we find ourselves longing for more every single time. The only thing that can truly fill us is a Savior—a True Savior. We are in desperate need of a Savior that will redeem our brokenness and fulfill us throughout the entire year—every year. Listen to what God offers us when we seek to live His way. “…He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely,” (Galatians 5:22, The Message). Can you imagine if this defined your life? Isn’t this what we are really looking for? When I consider the fruit that comes from a life lived God’s way, nothing else seems to match up. So, as you set your resolutions for this year, do so resolving that your contentment will not be dependent upon you achieving these goals. Rather, let your contentment this year grow from your relationship with God. He will never leave you longing for more. Y

www.summitfirst.org

Lee Smith is a pastor at Pinelake Church and is a Licensed Professional Counselor. He and his wife, Jenni, will celebrate 15 years of marriage this year. They are the proud parents of: Ford (7), Millie (4) & Moses (1). He can be reached by dialing 601.949.1949.

Meet Our Care Management Team Over 60 Years of Combined Experience in Service Delivery to Seniors RHONDA BOLES, Office Manager. Rhonda has been with Covenant Caregivers since day one. She has been instrumental in developing the systems and processes that we utilize today. She directs the day-today operation of our Madison office. In this role, Rhonda is involved in every aspect of what we do. Her background includes over seven years of administrative work in the assisted living industry during which time Rhonda developed a desire to serve and be with senior citizens. PATRICIA COWARD, Client Care Manager. Tricia’s primary responsibilities include new client consultations, care coordination, and community education. She has spent the last 16+ years working in the retirement and assisted living industry then hospice care. Through these experiences, she has gained a tremendous knowledge of senior resources in our area. As our Client Care Manager, Tricia is able to offer “tried and true” advice to those we serve.

Freda Jackson, Mike Davis, Patricia Coward, Nona Beal and Rhonda Boles

NONA BEAL, Scheduling Coordinator. Nona is responsible for insuring that our clients have the one-onone coverage they desire. She carefully selects caregivers for our clients based on the skill set of the caregiver and needs of the client. Her daily interaction with both our caregivers and clients gives her the information she needs to find the best possible match. Nona’s background includes 14+ years in both hospice care and medical clinic operations. FREDA JACKSON, Administrative Assistant. Freda’s role includes assisting our Scheduling Coordinator, maintaining caregiver records and files, making checkup calls to clients and families and much more. Known as “Friendly Freda,” she is likely the voice you will hear when calling our office. Freda’s passion for serving the elderly came from over 12 years in the assisted living industry where she coordinated resident services on a daily basis.

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MIKE DAVIS, Owner. In the latter part of 2011, Covenant Caregivers was formed by our owner. Mike’s desire was to create a service for senior adults that would be unmatched in the Jackson area. This became a reality with our first client in January 2012. Having served this “greatest generation” for nearly 15 years in multiple venues such as retirement, assisted living, and memory care communities as well as hospice and palliative care, Mike felt strongly led to create Covenant Caregivers.

Call us today for a FREE in-home consultation 601.856.5660 • www.CovenantCaregiversMS.com metrochristianliving.com ❘ JANUARY 2014 13

➺the middle ages by SHERYE S. GREEN

Views from the Mezzanine: Midlife Moments ond memories emerge as I sift back over my childhood. I with new discoveries. The wonder of flight imagined by Leonardo da especially remember accompanying my mother on Vinci. The expression of color and shape as shown by the genius of shopping trips to Kennington’s department store in Michelangelo. The unleashing of information with the invention of downtown Jackson. How beautiful the store seemed to me. Dazzling Gutenberg’s printing press. Inventions like the hourglass, eyeglasses, and lights. Smartly dressed mannequins. Shiny, brass rails and polished the mechanical clock allowed man to count time in a measured way and mirrors reflecting a wondrous array of items. I had been transported to to focus in new ways on the wider world. the world of merchandising and high fashion. For those of us between the ages of 40 and 65, even though we may The memory of one location in the store stands out in particular—the look like sophisticates, we are hungry for encouragement and thirsty for mezzanine level. A seating area awaited tired customers, who might need dialogue about this oftentimes challenging and confusing season of life. a place to rest a bit and perhaps wait on others with whom they were Our bodies are changing in mysterious ways. Many of us face thoughts shopping. This mezzanine level also formed a balcony of sorts, from and emotions that are unsettling at best. Some look backwards towards which one could watch the hustle and bustle of busy shoppers. the past and whisper to themselves, “Did I get it right?” Years later I now find myself on the mezzanine level of Others yet struggle with the question, “What do I do my own life, the years referred to by psychologists as now?” This can also be a time when marriages and the middle years, midlife, or “midlife transition.” mortgages fall apart and when new ways of Remembering the mezzanine view of my inventing oneself through the accumulation of For those of us between the childhood, I am reminded that this season of life material possessions or building new relationships ages of 40 and 65, even is sandwiched between the years of earlier have more appeal than the older model “toys” of though we may look like adulthood and those that lie yet ahead of me, responsibility, faithfulness, and integrity. sophisticates, we are hungry the golden years. From my perch, I can look If you’re not careful, your attitude toward back over the past thirty-plus years since for encouragement and thirsty life can suffer a malaise all its own during the becoming a grown up and remember, sometimes middle years. My dad taught me years ago a for dialogue about this with a chuckle and other times with tears, various lesson that I’ve never forgotten: “Your attitude oftentimes challenging and snippets from my life. In this middle passage in determines your altitude.” Your mindset will be a confusing season of life. which I find myself, I also have time to reflect on crucial compass with which to navigate this path. what I’d like to accomplish in the time I have left on Claim a positive attitude. Give Christ control of your this earth. thoughts. Develop a sense of expectancy in God’s The writer part of me is always looking for a better promise to provide for you, no matter the circumstance. word, a more descriptive expression for the thoughts that The mezzanine in Kennington’s had a railing around it, a struggle to escape my mind and find life on the page. In trying to protection for anyone venturing too close to the edge of the raised floor. determine the best way to capture the spirit of this intermediate semester God’s Word provides that sure, solid “railing” for my life. Like the of life, the terms mezzanine and Middle Ages seemed to call out with the psalmist of old, I want to learn how to number my days that I might gain loudest voices. As the architectural reference has already been explained, a “heart of wisdom.” That is only possible by trusting in God’s timeless let me shed light on the historical analogy. truths. If you’ve seen, like I have, the goodness of God in the earlier As a student of and a teacher of history, the time period called the years of your life, expect His goodness in this age as well. His love and Middle Ages has long been one that has fascinated me. This thousandfaithfulness will keep us both safe and secure on the mezzanine of life. year historical span was one steeped in doubt and confusion, angst and Y despair. This was a new, uncharted benchmark on the timeline of world Sherye Green is a lifelong Jacksonian, a Social Studies teacher at history. Millions of people migrated from one area of the world to Jackson Prep, and a wife, mother, and grandmother. Sherye and her another. Many new kingdoms were born and nation states united. husband Mark are members of First Baptist Church in Jackson. She Civilization as a whole was threatened by wars and disease. is also the author of Abandon Not My Soul. As gloomy as the Dark Ages were, they were also centuries bursting

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➺all in the family by DR. JOHN L. COX

What Other People Think About You Is None of Your Business on’t you love that quote from Regina Brett! She understands one of the most driving forces in our civilization; one of the most powerful forces on Earth. It’s not

nuclear. It is not the gravity of the sun. It’s our fear of what people think! If we could harness its energy, we could power our nation’s largest cities. We could build starships to colonize other worlds. Because as I look around (and within), I see that our fear of what people think runs the world! Think about it. You’re invited to a party that you don’t want to attend. You’d rather rake the yard than go to this party, but you drag yourself up, get dressed, and go anyway. Why? Because you’re afraid of what people will think if you don’t! I walked up to a guy the other day, looked him square in the eye and said, “Hey, Bob! I like your new glasses!” The only problem was,

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IT WASN’T BOB! (In my defense he could’ve been Bob’s clone, but that’s another story.) Now you tell me, what did I feel— dumb and embarrassed? Of course I did! I care what people think! (Even this dude who is NOT BOB!) We are addicted to approval and terrified of scorn! We can see this play out in our marriages without looking hard. Your spouse says, “I’m mad at you!” Since we care so much about what people think about us, it outrages us that they are mad. Now we are mad at them for being mad at us! This stuff keeps me in business! There are two reasons that we care so much about what other people think. One is spiritual and the other is emotional. The spiritual reason is that God created us to be fueled by love. When he told Adam that it was, “not good for the man to be alone,” he wasn’t just referring to marriage. He meant that people need people. So when we sense that someone is upset at us, something in our created core is threatened. “I might lose the love that God created me to thrive on,” is our unspoken inner dialogue. So something in us remains vigilant—on the lookout to avoid scorn. God made us that way. This is why I never believe those people who say, “Hey man, I don’t care what people think.” I always want to say, “Wow! Well I’m dying to know why you left your home planet to come to Earth—because everyone born on Earth DOES care what people think at some level. It’s the way we are made.” The other reason we care what other people think is emotional. This version goes like this. All kids are born with core questions: Do you want me? Am I good? Am I loved? And they need loving, safe relationships to answer those questions in good ways. As kids walk through life, their hearts are always on the lookout for how those questions are being answered by the people around them. I always say, “Children get their view of themselves from the eyes of their parents.” Now here’s where it gets interesting. To the degree that a child gets good answers to his questions, he will cease asking them. (Don’t you know those people for whom it never crosses their mind that anyone would not like them?) But to the degree that we don’t get those questions answered satisfactorily as kids,

we will continue to ask them at some level as adults. And we will ask them all the time. And we will ask them of everyone we encounter! Your spouse. Your Sunday school class. The lady at the Wendy’s drive-through window. In our interactions with people, these questions will be being asked in the background: Do you like me? What did that look mean? Why is it taking him so long to text me back? And before we even realize it, we’ve given everyone in our life the power to answer our core questions. And at that point, we DEFINITELY CARE what people think! So what’s the answer? It is not to “stop caring what people think.” And it is not to stop having core questions. The answer is to get our core questions answered in the right places. God knows that we are not complete. He knows that we are all still doing patch-up work from our childhood. He knows that we had some of our questions answered in awful ways. So He offers new answers. He invites us to start coming to Him and to His body of people, and asking our core questions to their eyes. One of my clients has been working on this process with some success—learning new good answers from God and from his people. He told me recently that he had to speak publically (everyone’s phobia, right?), but as he stood up to speak, this peace washed over him as something inside of him said, “I don’t need anything from these people I’m speaking to, because I already know where I’m loved.” Once we have good answers to our core questions, we can stop asking them of everyone. In other words, in order to stop caring what other people think, we need to care what the RIGHT people think.

Dr. John L. Cox is a clinical psychologist who has been practicing in Jackson for 25 years. He works with adults, marriages and children at Live Oak Psychological Associates. You can contact him at 601-352-7398, or at his website: www.liveoakpsych.com.

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➺this is my story by MARY PATTON MURPHY

Operation Christmas Child Is on My Heart All Year Long ver since I can remember, my family has been a part of Operation Christmas Child. Our church, Pear Orchard Presbyterian Church, began serving as the Central Mississippi collection center for shoeboxes before I was born, but it wasn’t until a couple years ago that I really got involved. Operation Christmas Child is a ministry of the Christian organization, Samaritan’s Purse. The program encourages groups, families, churches, and individuals all across the United States to pack shoeboxes full of toys and gifts to be sent to children all over the world. Once the shoeboxes are filled with gifts, participants drop off their boxes at local collection centers. Once all boxes have been received, the local centers transport their shoeboxes to their area collection center. Once there, volunteers sort them by gender labels and age categories, reinforce the shoeboxes with rubber bands, then place them into larger brown boxes on a shipping truck to be sent to a regional processing center like the one in Atlanta, Georgia. This year, 33,250 shoeboxes were processed at the Pear Orchard Presbyterian collection location and sent to Atlanta. Upon arriving in Atlanta, the boxes are checked for things like the spoke for chapel at my school, Christ Covenant School, to our $7.00 shipping amount, military or war toys that not appropriate, liquids elementary and middle school students, my youth group, and to my that could spill, and other things to ensure they arrive to their final grandmother’s church, as well. Her small town hosted a packing party destination in good condition. Finally, the boxes and collected 102 boxes! are ready to be shipped to a country where a boy Throughout the year, I make bracelets and sell them to or girl will receive their shoebox filled with gifts. my friends to raise money to buy things for our shoeboxes. I opened the letter and Why do they do this in the first place? Sure My mom and I have also used coupons to get good deals. saw a picture of two the toys inside are nice, but the main—and most During the year, we save things like school supplies in young girls. The older of August, candy in October, and so on! My dad’s a salesman so important—gift is Jesus. These children will the two, Esther, had receive their shoebox hearing the words, “Jesus I’ve asked him to save bars of soap from hotels when he goes loves you,” from a local mission partner in their out of town. All of this goes into a bin where we keep it until received the shoe box I area that will assist them in knowing more about packing time arrives, and we try to beat last year’s total of had packed! Her story this Jesus. For me, it has been such a humbling Murphy family shoeboxes packed. was so neat to hear, and experience and privilege to hear so many As you can see, I love Operation Christmas Child and I her love and joy could wonderful stories of children whose lives have hope you will too. Everyone can be a part of this ministry. If be felt by reading it. been changed because of this simple gift. And you’re a dentist, maybe you can collect extra toothbrushes. If that’s what it is really—the story of a simple gift. you have a Sunday school class, you could host a packing Several years ago on a day after school, my party next year. If you are too busy to collect and pack the mom opened a compartment in our car and pulled out a letter. She was shoeboxes, you can give a monetary donation to help with expenses to smiling so big, and I had no idea what it was. I studied the unfamiliar ship boxes! writing, the cobra stamps (so interesting!), and the envelope paper, which The main thing I’m going to ask you to do now is pray. Pray for the was different too. I opened the letter and saw a picture of two young children who received their shoeboxes this past Christmas that God will girls. The older of the two, Esther, had received the shoebox I had work in their lives, and ask Him if He would like you to be involved with packed! Her story was so neat to hear, and her love and joy could be felt Operation Christmas Child this year. Y just reading it. My friend, Esther, and I still write back and forth to this day. Mary Patton Murphy is a seventh grade student at Christ Covenant Since I have gotten that letter, I’ve become even more committed to School and attends Pear Orchard Presbyterian Church in Operation Christmas Child. I began speaking to any group that would Ridgeland, MS. listen about how this ministry impacts the lives of children like Esther. I

18 JANUARY 2014 ❘ Metro Christian Living

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➺pastor’s perspective by ROB FUTRAL

Reclaiming Life s one year ends and another begins, I generally find myself wrestling with the challenge of two distinct activities: reflecting on the past year and preparing for the coming year. Trying to focus on these two

different activities is never easy as I find myself processing all of the challenges, victories, failures, and unresolved struggles from the previous year alongside all of the opportunities, responsibilities, goals, and hopes for the coming year. The passing of the pages of the calendar from one year to another annually reminds me that what I do with the moments that I have been given really does matter. So, I generally intend to take an honest evaluation of how I have lived my life in the past year and develop a game plan for the coming year. But then it happens, as I shake off the holidays the year starts and the barrage of phone calls, emails, family activities, bills to pay, places to go, and problems to solve all start piling up and filling up every second. If I’m not careful, the activities of life will keep me from focusing on the essentials of life. When that happens, I know it is time for me to Reclaim Life. Maybe you’ve felt that way too. It is a reality that all of us have to face. Life trends toward complexity, confusion, and sometimes, even chaos. Somehow we have to find a way to sift through the competing interests to gain clarity about what is most important. I have often gone to one of my favorites mentors, Paul the Apostle, to bring some clarity to my confusion. Take a moment to read his inspired words and I think we will find some helpful steps for Reclaiming Life. “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brother (and sisters), I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God called me heavenward in Christ Jesus, (Philippians 3:12-14).

STEP #1 Reflect on Your Life Purpose (v. 12) The first thing that I glean from Paul is the discipline of reflection. Paul was self aware and willing to self-evaluate. He recognized that he was not perfect and still had a long way to go. But, he also knew that he was making progress. Because of His relationship with Jesus, he knew his life had purpose and meaning. He knew whose He was and He knew why He was alive. He had been taken hold of by Christ, and now he was seeking to take hold of everything that Jesus had in mind for his life. 20 JANUARY 2014 ❘ Metro Christian Living

As you start this new year, carve out time to reflect on your life. Always start with the fact that your life has purpose. What do you have to celebrate? How has God uniquely created and gifted you? How has God uniquely worked in your life? Where is there clear evidence of progress in your life? What areas of your life need change, growth, or development? What has God brought you through? What unique opportunities has he placed before you?

STEP #2 Refocus Your Life Priorities (v. 13) At first glance you will see that Paul struggled with the same challenge of fitting all the components of life into a single commitment like we do. He tells us that he does one thing, but then he lists three! All three actions were aspects of the discipline of prioritizing. Paul’s first priority was to move past the past by “forgetting.” Forgetting is a priority I can remember! Remembering to forget is not as easy as it might sound. In fact, the word that Paul used carries less of the idea of failure to remember and more of the idea of successfully choosing to look past. It’s not that Paul didn’t remember; rather, he was refocusing his life by choosing not to live life looking back. Having reflected on the previous year, what are the lessons you have learned of which you need to take note and to put into practice? What are painful lessons you’ve learned from personal failures, devastating losses, moral compromises, or relational blunders? Make a list. Take responsibility. Choose to change. Make amends. Learn from

these past experiences but don’t live in them. Look at them, but look beyond them. Many priorities are developed out of the pain of past experiences. Paul’s second priority was to press toward the future. He was not willing to wait for the future to come to him; he was “straining toward what is ahead.” The idea behind this phrase is more easily described than defined. Think of a sprinter coming down to the final steps of a race and pressing ahead with every fiber of his strength to reach the finish line. That is the picture of how Paul was seeking to live his life. He had a goal in mind and a determination to complete it.

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Nothing so fills our lives with resolve as being reminded that God has called us! Before we ever thought about pursuing Him, He was pursuing us! As you approach the coming year, don’t just drift toward the future, pursue it with energy and intensity. This may be the hardest but most rewarding part of reclaiming life. To press toward the future, we must be clear about the plans that we are pursuing. Develop a plan of action for those things that you value the most. Take time to pray about how God would have you to live life in the coming year. Be clear about what you are pressing toward and write down practical and measurable action steps to carry out your plan.

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STEP #3 Resolve to Pursue Your Life Potential Paul’s final priority is our final step. This step is actually a path for us to pursue. It is the discipline of perseverance. Paul says, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” In short, Paul was completely resolved to pursuing the potential that God had placed within and before him. Nothing so fills our lives with resolve as being reminded that God has called us! Before we ever thought about pursuing Him, He was pursuing us! As you approach the coming year, don’t just drift toward the future, pursue it with energy and intensity. Live life with a passionate pursuit in your relationship with Christ, in your primary relationships, and in your life calling. I love what Erma Bombeck said about her life, “When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me.’” I couldn’t agree more. Let’s resolve to make this year our best yet by living out the full potential that God is offering to us. When we do, I think we will find that we have found the life that we are meant to live. Reclaim Life this year.

Rob Futral has been the Lead Pastor at Broadmoor Baptist Church in Madison for 10 plus years. Rob was born in Texas, and grew up in different places in MS and TX. He and his wife, Kimandria, have three children: Trea, Ridge, and Rivers. metrochristianliving.com ❘ JANUARY 2014 21

CJ Stewart STEGALL IMAGERY

Wounded Warrior On a Mission

22 JANUARY 2014 â?&#x2DC; Metro Christian Living

une 15, 2010, dawned no different than any other day for 21-year-old CJ Stewart, U.S. Army medic. His

platoon manned a small outpost near Kandahar where enemy attacks were a daily occurrence. In the few weeks of this first deployment, he had become quite accustomed to the sights and sounds of war, the rocket propelled grenades (RPG) and the machine gun fire. It was noon. His platoon had just finished filling sand bags and had stopped to eat lunch when the attack began. With the first explosion, CJ started for his aid bag. Just before he reached for it, a second explosion knocked him off his feet. “I just remember it being loud, deafening, in fact. There was a tower close to where I was standing, and I thought it had been hit. When I looked back I happened to look down the right side of my body and saw it was covered in blood,” he says. It was surreal, but he was calm as he grabbed a tourniquet and started walking toward the aid station. Once there, he got a good look at what was left of his right arm. The RPG had struck the building above him crushing the bones, tendons, and nerves below his elbow. The skin on his forearm was gone, and he was losing a massive amount of blood. But oddly, the most excruciating pain came from his thigh where a

piece of concrete about the size of a piece of gravel had gone through his flesh and exited the other side. It was a 40-minute transport in the back of a truck to the next aid station where the battalion surgeon wrapped him up and put him on a helicopter to Kandahar. The

doctors at Kandahar performed the first of his 40 surgeries in an effort to save his right arm. He is thankful for their tenacity. He could so easily have lost his arm. He went from Kandahar to Bagram for a second surgery, from Bagram to Germany for yet another surgery, and from Germany to

Washington, D.C., where he was admitted to Walter Reed Hospital. Such was the itinerary for CJ between June 15 and June 20, 2010. He arrived on Father’s Day, and Robin and Chuck Stewart were there to greet their son. The call that CJ had been wounded came just a few hours after the attack. Robin was leaving for work when the telephone rang and the caller ID read Fort Campbell, Kentucky. She knew before she said, “hello” what it meant. CJ had prepared his parents well telling them that the bad news would come via telephone from Fort Campbell, but that the worst news would be a knock at the door delivered by a person in uniform. CJ was able to talk with both of his parents even before he left Afghanistan. Hearing CJ’s typical, upbeat spirit in his voice was great comfort, but it wasn’t a great surprise. Robin and Chuck had seen their son tested so many times before. The first status update the Stewarts received said, “amputee.” That was a blow, but the Stewarts did not doubt CJ’s resilience. They knew God had given him an extra dose of courage, strength, and a firm metrochristianliving.com ❘ JANUARY 2014 23

faith in Jesus Christ. He would get through this. It was later that they discovered the potential loss of his arm was the least of his worries in the beginning. His heart actually stopped during the first surgery. CJ describes seeing the words on his medical chart, “Patient underwent resuscitation,” as almost impossible to comprehend. Forty surgeries later, this once righthanded, wounded warrior—who has retrained himself to use his left hand—had absolutely no doubt in his mind and heart that God had some major plans for him.

CJ’s Role Models He was actually named Charles Allen Stewart, III. As is so often the case, friends and family trying to differentiate in conversation between the baby and his father,

24 JANUARY 2014 ❘ Metro Christian Living

began calling him “Chucky” or “Little Chuck,” nicknames his dad did not like at all. Chuck decided his son needed a designation that didn’t smack of anything babyish and something that he would not be ashamed to answer to when he was older. He came up with the name CJ, which is short for Chuck, Jr. The rugged, athletic, tough guy whose lifelong dream was to be a soldier had a rather shaky beginning. He was born in Bossier City, Louisiana, on February 20, 1989, and was almost immediately diagnosed with a digestive disorder that required three surgeries and an extended stay in the neonatal unit. Doctors from around the country consulted on his treatment. Thankfully, he came through that early trial without any long-term effects, and CJ laughs that it was just a foretaste of what was down the road.

The Stewarts moved frequently in CJ’s childhood—something that could be daunting for some children. Not so much for CJ. They were a close family, and wherever they went CJ could count on two constants; they would join a church, and he would play sports. And within that framework, he would make lots of friends. The Stewarts eventually settled in Madison. CJ enrolled at Madison-Ridgeland Academy and jumped into sports—playing football, baseball, basketball, and soccer. “I loved high school,” CJ says. He has a great affection for his alma mater and claims he never wanted high school to end. One of his favorite things these days is going back often as a Young Life volunteer. Chuck Stewart shares his son’s enthusiasm for all things athletic. If CJ was playing in a ball game, Chuck was there. Throughout CJ’s

growing-up years, the father and son also followed their favorite college and professional teams. At least once a year, they took a man trip to a ball game in some unfamiliar place like California or New York. As a child and as a teenager, it was pure fun for CJ, but as he looks back, he sees his fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s intentional and very wise strategy. It was about much more than a ball game. Sharing their interest in sports opened a level of communication on deeper things that could never had happened if Chuck Stewart just sat his son down one day and said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am going to

metrochristianliving.com â?&#x2DC; JANUARY 2014 25

the desire to be a soldier was so great. His memories of small town Veteran’s Day parades when these former soldiers filed past and the crowds cheered touched his heart in a profound way. He was mesmerized by the selflessness of men who gave so much, who represented—in CJ’s mind—everything that was good and honorable and definitive about manhood. The words “Greatest Generation” captured his imagination and his heart. He adored his grandfathers and longed to be like them. When CJ was an eighth grader, his Social Studies teacher asked the class, “If you could be born in any other time in history, what would it be?” CJ quickly answered, “1923.” His classmates asked incredulously, “Why would you want to be born right before the Great Depression?” CJ’s answer was, “Because I would have been 18 when Pearl Harbor was bombed, and I could enlist.” teach you about life.” Chuck Stewart is firm in the belief that raising boys to be godly men requires quality time, as well as quantity time. The conversations, the trust, the bonding that occurred because they were sharing something they both enjoyed paid spiritual and moral dividends in great ways, especially after CJ’s injury. Reflecting on his father’s role over the years CJ says, “He was always there in the right way. When I was in high school, he didn’t come to practices and complain about the coaches, none of that. But for the games, he was there. Same spot, same seat, that kind of thing. And it was a comfort thing. That was the thing. I knew my dad was there.” In his earliest years, CJ also enjoyed the company of three grandfathers. Two had served in Korea, and his great grandfather lost a leg in the Philippines during World War II. It may have been precisely because of these grandfathers CJ so loved and respected that

26 JANUARY 2014 ❘ Metro Christian Living

His Opportunity After high school, CJ enrolled at Mississippi College. He majored in Administrative Justice and thought he would go on to law school not to practice law, but he thought those degrees would equip him for something like the FBI or a U.S. Marshall. He liked the rigors of something so structured and demanding. He was restless. College was fine, but something did not seem right. There was something else he wanted more than that college degree. He yearned to be a soldier, and the tensions in the modern world made that dream seem very close. He began to pursue his options, discussing enlistment with both Army recruiters and his family. With his family’s blessing, he enlisted. And he had no doubt that this was exactly God’s unique plan for Charles Allen Stewart, III. CJ graduated from Basic Training at the top

of his class with awards for Marksmanship and Physical Training and received the Distinguished Honor Graduate designation. As a side note, he also developed a reputation as the spiritual leader among his peers. Nothing overbearing, but nobody could be around CJ for long before discovering exactly the driving force in his life. The training to be a medic involved two distinct courses. He had a six-weeks course in civilian EMT school, and then a 12-week course in San Antonio at Fort Sam Houston, where he learned how to treat the injuries that were typical in a war zone. By the time he deployed in May 2010, CJ was prepared and eager for combat. Only a supernatural calling could cause someone to be so incredibly enthusiastic and eager to jump in harm’s way! Scott Steele, local radio celebrity and believer, remembers when the congregation at Broadmoor Baptist Church prayed specifically for CJ a few days before his deployment. “I put my hand on CJ’s right arm when our pastor encouraged our church to pray. Thirty-five days later, a member of our ministry team informed me that CJ had been injured in Afghanistan. I immediately reached out to Chuck Stewart through Facebook and invited him to dinner. I thought our family could offer a few meals and some spiritual encouragement.”

Reality Three years later Scott is still marveling that in his effort to minister to the Stewarts, he is the one who has received the great blessing. “…It turns out they were the ones encouraging me! I’ve grown more as a man,

husband, father, and child of God than I ever could have imagined because of the way the Lord has been glorified through the Stewart family.” He adds that their incredible faith, courage, and determination have had such an impact on him personally that he lives with a new sensitivity to the battle young people face every day because modern life is its own war. It is his personal calling to be a

part of the Board of Directors of the CJ Stewart Foundation. CJ, during his 18-month recovery and rehabilitation at Walter Reed, had the opportunity to observe countless families who, like his, were processing the enormous life changes that war inflicts on its victims. In CJ’s words, it is a “dark place.” To see families with no spiritual foundation grappling with the

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fallout of a disabled family member affected CJ greatly. There were many breakups and he saw so many people walk away simply because the demands and the challenges—both personal and monetary—were bigger than one regular person could manage. It is a heavy reality for even the most spiritually minded, but for those who have no foundation in Christ, there is absolutely no refuge and no hope. “Families…” he says with a sigh. “I can’t tell you how many families broke up from that experience over money, over the time spent in Walter Reed, over someone losing a job because of staying to take care of someone. So many families broke up when someone said, ‘I can’t do this. I’m 20 and you’ve lost both arms and/or both legs. I’m out.’” Never before had CJ been so sensitive to family dynamics and the impact the whole thing can have when crisis hits. Simply by being there and observing, he came to have a heightened sense of how much one’s family history contributes to one’s ability to withstand the kind of trial he faced. It was an incredibly sad place to be, and CJ did indeed thank God every day for the faith that had been instilled in him by family and significant others who had invested in his character throughout his life. The strength to endure came from that very grace. Even though he was not sure what was coming next, he never doubted that God was in it. Therefore, it was going to be okay—and much better than just okay.

CJ’s Dream Takes Shape

www.writteninstoneclean.com 28 JANUARY 2014 ❘ Metro Christian Living

Although CJ’s plan for a military career had been derailed by his injury, his passion for the discipline and lifestyle was as strong as ever. Did God intend to use that training in some way? Key principles to everything in his belief system were the following: (1) He was created for a purpose. (2) God had spared his life for that purpose. (3) The only two things he could completely control were his attitude and his effort. During those long and difficult days at Walter Reed, CJ spent much time considering that purpose. It was there during his 18month rehabilitation that the CJ Stewart Foundation was born. CJ’s perception was that he had not “lost” anything in the entire experience since nothing in this life was his very own to begin with. He knew that God had mercifully prepared him in advance with the coping skills to face his injury and the adjustments that came with it. He knew, too, that he had a great heart for kids and a keen awareness that he had been immeasurably blessed by having a father who had so

beautifully modeled for him what it meant to be a godly man. He had seen the struggles of some of his fellow soldiers whose entire identity had been wrapped up in the military, and how broken their lives were when that dream was taken away in an instant. He was aware of the heartbreaking statistics of boys who grow up without fathers. He now had a platform, a story to tell, and a personal understanding of what an overwhelming challenge really looks like. He could definitely help other young men who think life is stacked against them. We live in a culture where there has never been a greater need for boys to become godly men. CJ wants to help make that happen.

Down Range and Camp Kickapoo By the time the old Camp Kickapoo near Clinton was up for sale, CJ had a board of directors, a mission statement, and a plan for reaching out and providing a place, an experience, and a program that will equip boys to be men of character, substance, and faith. The CJ Stewart Foundation has a threephase plan to bring new life to this 193-acre property that has for many years nurtured young men as a Boy Scout camp. The vision includes a new name—Down Range. In military jargon, Down Range refers to deployment overseas, usually in a combat zone. CJ sees everyday life as a combat zone for Believers since modern life is filled with obstacles, challenges, disappointments, and an enemy seeking our destruction. “Only the strong survive,” he says, and he wants to be sure there are many who are strong and ready. Down Range will use team sports, obstacles, and rope courses and the outdoors to instill the values and the faith in young people—the values and the faith that God so graciously allowed CJ to embrace and that he desperately wants to pass on as his legacy to others. There are also plans for Down Range far beyond the ministry to boys who need a role model. Couples, families, corporate retreat— there is not an individual or a group left out of the blueprint. CJ is hopeful, and certain too, that God is going to bring this together. Funds, talents, people, equipment—everything. After all, He has already done immeasurably more than CJ Stewart could ever have imagined or dreamed! The foundation hosts its first fundraiser on April 8 when Tim Tebow comes to Jackson to speak on the foundation’s behalf. “His heart and his story run parallel to what our mission is,” says CJ. Check the website www.cjstewart.org for more information. Y

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ROBIN AND CHUCK STEWART Parents’ Perspective—In their Own Words Robin Stewart, CJ Stewart’s mom reflects on her son. She carried him, loved him, and knew he was special long before anyone else did! As you can see, {by these photos} my sweet little man has always had a smile on his face. He was the happiest baby. Such a pleasant child to be around. Everyone loved CJ. I don’t believe he ever met a stranger. He loved playing outside and anything with a ball. I do believe his first word was “ball.” He absolutely loved sports and played them all! He was very competitive yet always the little encourager to his teammates. His coaches called him the quiet leader. He also loved working with kids and participated every year helping out with sports camps. He and a few of his buddies would often pop into my first grade class to read and mentor those precious students of mine. And now those kiddos are seniors, juniors, and sophomores at MRA—and once again CJ is involved in their lives as one of their Young Life leaders. In high school, he was involved in Sports Ambassadors traveling and sharing the Gospel through sports during spring break. He was so excited to be able to share his faith at a juvenile prison in Guatemala. He came back with an empty suitcase because he gave away all of his stuff. I remember the week after Katrina he came home asking me if I still had a box with all our board games, because he and several buddies were on a mission. They were gathering up games and balls and heading out to all the area churches to play with all the kids who were displaced and living at the shelters. He felt that would give the parents, who were already stressed from not knowing if they had a home to return to, a much-needed break from their kids with cabin fever. There are so many more stories going over and over in my head of how he has always put others first. Sharing his gifts and talents with the younger kids. Giving away his baseball glove after his last game his senior year to a young man who thought CJ hung the moon. He was always aware, and occasionally I would remind him, that the younger boys were watching and to be a positive role model. 30 JANUARY 2014 ❘ Metro Christian Living

Was I surprised he emerged from his injuries with this passion and purpose? I would have to say no, not at all. His passion and purpose has always been part of who he is. He’s always been a very caring and giving individual. That is why when he told us that he wanted to join the Army to become a Combat Medic I

While at Walter Reed with CJ, I witnessed things that no child should ever have to go through. Those were so pretty tough days—the surgeries, the pain, the challenges, and the unknowns, but I’m so very thankful that we serve a God who answers prayers. During those days, I saw a young man turn to God and seek

wasn’t surprised at all. He loves his country and loves helping others. It was the job that he had prayed for. The job he could not wait to train for. The job to deploy for. It was his calling. It was tough not being able to be there for CJ in those early days before and after each surgery. I was ready to hop a plane and fly to Afghanistan or Germany but was told I needed to wait. He would be stateside soon. Then some pictures were emailed to us by a friend of a friend who just happened to be in Germany, and when I saw his smiling face—that sweet smiling face—I knew in an instant he was going to be fine. That whatever had happened to him was going to be okay. That smile was a smile of acceptance and, “don’t worry about me, Mom—God’s in control!”

His will for his life. I saw him accept what had happened to him and embrace that God gives His toughest battles to His strongest soldiers. That God had given him a story to share with others who may be going through pain, challenges, and unknowns too, and that there’s no obstacle too big for God to overcome. As soon as CJ was able to start learning to write left-handed, he did. Seeing him writing with his left hand with his right arm in a sling, brought back sweet memories of a little boy of about 4 years old coming to me with a rope asking—almost demanding—his mother to tie

his right arm down because he wanted to be a lefty like his sister and the grandfather he shares his name with. I had to remind him of that and to be careful what you wish for. We both had a good laugh that day. Some days we just needed a good laugh. The days I shared with CJ while at Walter Reed, although they were some of the toughest days of my life, were also some of the most precious and beautiful days. I can say that I’m closer to God now because of the journey I was so blessed to travel with my son. Seeing my son draw closer to God, seeking His will for his life, sharing the vision God gave him, and witnessing how God places individual in CJ’s life to help at that very moment with the foundation is truly a blessing! I cannot wait to see the young lives that are going to be touched and changed for eternity with Down Range. Chuck Stewart, CJ’s proud father, shares his thoughts on his son’s journey. We were warned early that CJ would have a lot of bad days and we would need to be

CJ, Robin, sister Megan, and Chuck

very patient during those days when his anger would take over for a while. But CJ never had a bad day. He recognized early that he was where God wanted Him to be and was being prepared for something special. I know people have a hard time believing that, but he never wavered. Forty surgeries and more pain than I thought the human body could endure are hard to watch your son experience, but CJ reminded me that he had two great examples

of men (his grandfather and great grandfather) who lived with daily pain. He lost over 30 pounds in a month fighting bacteria and told me that for a week, the smell of water made him sick. Yet in all that, he continued to remind us of Hebrews 10:23, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.” I’m not surprised CJ wants to help young people. Kids have always flocked to him. Most 24year-old men have no desire to be a role model, but he relishes the chance to be a positive influence. The Foundation started with a disability check and has a vision that will cost millions of dollars to execute. He is so steady and reminds me daily that the battle is the Lord’s and our job is to simply be faithful. We live in a world of instant gratification. CJ understands that he has a lifetime purpose and simply puts one foot ahead of the other knowing God will open the right doors on the right days. Go to www.cjstewartfoundation.org. Check it out. It would be hard to NOT want to help here! Y

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➺food for thought

“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to finish His work.”

by LYDIA BOLEN

– John 4:34

Super Bowl Snacks S uper Bowl Sunday 2014 will be upon us in a few weeks.

Even if one is not a football fan, everyone is aware of the date February 2, 2014, coming up. It is not only a football game, but also a great time to be together with friends, family, and share good food. There are many recipes for crowds with hearty appetites. Start early this year and plan ahead for a stress-free football weekend. Once a menu is in place, you will be able to cook ahead and enjoy your own gathering. These two appetizers—warm sausage dip and turkey pinwheels—are staples at many football gatherings. They are easy, delicious, and can be done ahead of time. Pulled pork is our favorite of all the types of BBQ. Make your own at home and save the expense of buying it from a local restaurant. Pulled pork can be served warm with buns or simply served on a platter with extra BBQ sauce. Y

WARM SAUSAGE DIP 1 pound sausage, cooked and crumbled 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese 1 can Rotel tomatoes

Crumble and brown sausage in a skillet until cooked. Drain on a paper towellined plate. Combine sausage, cream cheese, and Rotel in saucepan over low heat, or add all ingredients to a crock pot and heat on low until ready to serve. Serve with your favorite corn chips.

PULLED PORK Pork shoulder roast (any size) 1 can Pepsi 1/2 bottle barbecue sauce Seasoning salt

Cover roast completely with seasoning salt. Place roast in slow cooker. Pour Pepsi and barbecue sauce in a bowl and mix together. Pour over roast. Cook on low for at least 6 hours. (After 4 hours of cooking, take two forks and shred the pork, then continue cooking) The shredded pork will soak up the flavors. Check pork after 6 hours and cook longer if the roast is large. Shredded pork can remain in slow cooker until time to serve. Reheat. Serve on rolls or buns.

Remember to make memories through the kitchen— “the heartbeat of the home.” E-mail me at lbbolen@gmail.com for any questions. 32 JANUARY 2014 ❘ Metro Christian Living

TURKEY PINWHEELS 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (Reserve 2 crumbled slices for garnish) 1/4 cup green onion, chopped fine 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened 2 tablespoons mayonnaise 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt 4 10-inch Garden Spinach tortilla wraps (Green in color) 30 fresh spinach leaves, cleaned with stems removed 10 slices smoked deli turkey (approximately 1 ounce each) 8 ounces shredded Velveeta Cheese Salsa (for serving) Plastic wrap (for wrapping)

Cook bacon in microwave until crisp. Crumble very small. In mixer, beat cream cheese, mayonnaise, and garlic salt together. Add crumbled bacon and chopped green onion. Combine well. If needed, add a teaspoon or so of milk to achieve an easy spreading consistency. WRAP ASSEMBLY: Using a flat spatula, spread 4 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture evenly over entire surface of each tortilla. Sprinkle 1/3-cup shredded Velveeta cheese onto cream cheese mixture. Arrange 7 or 8 spinach leaves over the cheese, keeping spinach one-half inch away from side/bottom and 2 inches from the top of tortilla. Layer two turkey slices over the spinach. Roll tortilla up tightly from the bottom toward the top. Fold the open ends down. Secure each rolled tortilla tightly in plastic wrap. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Unwrap tortilla rolls and slice with a very sharp knife into 1-inch slices. Arrange pinwheels on a platter and garnish with remaining crumbled bacon for extra color. Serve with salsa. Makes about 32 pinwheels.

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➺healthy living by C. ROCHELLE CULP

New Year, New You HEALTHY TIPS FROM THE PROS!

am asked year after year, “How do you stay energetic and passionate about health and wellness”. It is a three-fold answer—Faith, Food, and Fitness.

My faith in God allows love and hope to dwell in my heart so that I approach each day energized, renewed, and recognizing that life is awesome with endless possibilities. Over the years, God has placed some great people in my life to share and learn more about how important food is to living a healthy lifestyle. If you have tried to doing it by yourself, fad diets, or the latest “do this, not that” trend, try employing a dietitian to help you meet and maintain your goals. This month, dietitians from the Metro Jackson area share tips to help you kick off a Happy, Healthy New Year!

34 JANUARY 2014 ❘ Metro Christian Living

DONNA SPEED Director of Nutrition Services with the Mississippi Department of Health I love being a registered dietitian and know that I am exactly where God wants me. I am able to make a difference in the lives of some of the children in our state and hopefully inspire adults to eat better and be more physically active. Our preschool children have a much better chance at being healthy in the childcare setting. Mississippi is in the top three states in the United States for best nutrition guidelines in the childcare setting. Centers are required to serve a minimum of two fresh fruits and a fresh vegetable, children over two must be given fat free or 1% milk, and water must be served with all meals and snacks. This all contributes to healthier children. I know how hard it can be in our own lives to be active and eat better, but it’s a commitment everyone needs to make. I often have people ask about lunch and eating on the go. Some tips that’s I’d like to share include:

Plan ahead, shop, cook, and package on the weekend for the week. Cook chicken, roast or pork loin and have for sandwiches and salads. Wash and package grapes and other fruits for the week. Have green leaf or spinach salad ready with toppings in bags for an easy mix. By Friday if you have left over vegetables, sauté the veggies in with brown rice or quinoa. There are over 125 healthy recipes on the Mississippi State Depart of Health website (www.HealthyMS.com) that I’ve cooked and enjoyed, so no excuses for not trying something new. Use your leftovers. Invest in some plastic containers and cook extra and pack for lunch if you don’t want a sandwich or salad. Keep healthy items available. Keep a drawer at work with instant oatmeal, dry cereal, crackers, peanut butter, canned fruit, tuna, and soup. In the refrigerator keep fat free yogurt, fat free milk, and salad dressing. Have fruit on your desk and water available. Plan for success. At night, I prepare my bag for the gym and my lunch for the next day, before I settle in for the night. My bag is in the car and my lunch is ready in the refrigerator. I keep water in the freezer to put in my lunch bag to keep everything cool. If you eat lunch out, then plan your meal before you walk in the restaurant. Limit the starchy vegetables- peas, butterbeans, corn, and any potato. Limit the pasta, rice, and bread. Have baked or grilled meat-not fried. Fill up on other vegetables. NO dessert—unless you share one slice with at least 3 people. NO sweet tea or regular soft drinks. I have those days when I want to eat everything…That’s when I remember that my body is a temple for the Lord and that “whether I eat or drink or whatever I do, I do it all for the glory of God,” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

REBECCA TURNER Seeker + Nutrition Expert + Runner Born and raised in Mississippi, I am a selfproclaimed twenty-first century Southern Belle on the go. As a registered dietitian and certified specialist in sports nutrition, I believe everyone should take time for a run and good health. Being a mom, I know that expectations are high to be a “steel magnolia” and it is tough to balance it all. Runners know that the marathon is conquered with the mind and the feet are just along for the journey. That goes for all of life’s biggest obstacles; the mind is the most powerful muscle. My new blog, Mind Over Fork, is a resource for anyone who has everyday battles with food but doesn’t realize they are losing the war in their mind. Through sharing my story, I hope to help readers win the war over food with faith and achieve freedom from dieting! The New Year is upon us and it’s time for Mississippians to commit to a healthy lifestyle. This year make health a family resolution with

exercise, breakfast, and smart snacks. To keep kids healthy, we need to keep them moving. Make time for family activities like playing tag, bike riding, or neighborhood walks. Purchase toys and gifts that will keep your kids off the couch and outside. Don’t skip the most important meal of the day: Breakfast! Kids who eat breakfast have better attendance in school, improved test scores, and are less likely to be overweight. Fuel up first with old-fashioned oatmeal topped with dried fruit and milk, or top whole grain bread with low-fat cheese and apple slices. Children (and adults) are snacking more than ever! Healthy snacks shouldn’t be boring or bland, try kid-approved snack kabobs, and put cubes of low fat cheese and grapes on pretzel sticks or serve pita chips and hummus. Rebecca Turner, MS, RD, CSSD is a mom, nutrition expert, and runner. Reversing obesity in Mississippi is a marathon, not a sprint. For more information visit www.mindoverfork.com or tweet her @myRDrebecca.

C. Rochelle Culp is the owner of Ro-onthe Go Health & Wellness Consultants and on staff at Fitness Lady Health Clubs, Inc. She is a member of the Today Show’s Joy Fit Club and featured in The Joy Fit Club Cookbook, Diet Plan and Inspiration (published 2012).

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➺legal advice by WILLIAM B. HOWELL

Just Do It—You Have Procrastinated Long Enough! ere we are in a brand new year filled with promise and opportunity. In order to realize the promise and take

advantage of the opportunity, you have to do something. Neither of these comes to you automatically. Will you just continue to leave your family at risk because you find it more convenient to procrastinate rather than face the reality that something may happen to you in this New Year? What if it did and you had continued to procrastinate? What then? Your family will likely have to spend a significant sum of money going to court to get permission to deal with your assets and to take care of you (and them) if you are still alive but incapable of caring for yourself and handling your own business dealings. But what if you are not living? Court will again be necessary (with all its expense and delay) in order to give authority over your assets to your administrator who will then pay your bills and distribute your assets according to the laws of the state of Mississippi— probably not the way you would want it done. Have a spouse and children? The state considers the spouse as just another child, so he or she will get a child’s portion of your assets. And if one or more of your children are minors or disabled, then their share will have to be administered separately, resulting in even more expense and delay. While on the subject of minor children, if there is no surviving parent, then the court will appoint someone to care for the children until grown. It may well not be the person you would have chosen, but you had the chance to name that person and instead you procrastinated. By that time you are dead and can do nothing to correct this very large mistake. And let me give you a tip: it is often wise to have one person (or couple) rear your children and someone else to manage the money for them. Incidentally,

these issues apply to a disabled adult child as well. They need special planning also. As you can see from the above, planning for the future does not involve just “death planning.” It is also crucial to plan for what would happen if you did not die, but could not act for yourself for whatever reason. Give your family the tools to do the job. Obviously, a Will is only for death. Many people have a Power of Attorney (for business, not for healthcare) that they are relying upon. Twenty years ago that may have been satisfactory. But now, powers of attorney are often refused—particularly by financial institutions like banks. So, what will solve that problem? People today are turning to a Living Trust to avoid complications in the event of incapacity or death, to give the family the needed authority, and to do so without ever going to court with all its delay and expense. A Living Trust is private so that there is no public record as to what you had, what you owed and who got what after you are gone. I have an attitude: I have nothing to hide, but my business is my business and not anyone else’s. I want my family’s privacy preserved. As to seeing that your healthcare wishes are carried out your way and not just left up to chance, particularly what treatment you want at the end of your life, you need special documents: an Advance Health Care Directive (which includes a healthcare power of attorney and a very much improved living will), and you need written provisions to allow your family to have access to your medical information if you are unable to speak for yourself. Y William B. Howell is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and practices law in Ridgeland.

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A school where the heart of your child matters.

Come Visit Us! Wednesday, February 12 Tuesday, March 18 Wednesday, April 23 8:30 a.m. Chapel visit (optional) 9–10:30 a.m. Coffee & Campus Tour Please call FPDS at 601-355-1731 to schedule your tour or sign up online at fpds.org.

1390 North State Street | Jackson, MS 39202 | 601.355.1731 Visit our web site fpds.org and like us on Facebook at facebook.com/FirstPDS

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s u n n y b r o o ke s t a te s . n e t

If I gave everything I have to the poor & even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. – 1 Corinthians 13:3

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rave reviews

➺

BOOK

Finding God in Tough Times

Reviewed by Susan E. Richardson

Finding God in Tough Times by Kristi Holl gives middle school girls 90 devotions to encourage and help them find God’s guidance and comfort when dealing with difficult situations. Holl uses an initial Scripture and then a story format, showing how to make good choices in various circumstances. She follows with more Scripture, ways to connect to God, a journal prompt, and action points. Writing about various issues can be challenging, but doing so for children adds an additional level. The author must be careful not to give enough detail to traumatize a child not dealing with a particular issue but enough so the child with the issue sees herself reflected. Holl does a good job with balancing the two. The author also does a good job with the layers needed in a book of this type. She avoids “happily ever after” endings where all works out as the girl

wants. Cases like death, divorce, or blended families often leave participants without the ability to alter the primary situation. Instead, Holl shows girls how their own choices can lead to a positive ending, even if the main situation does not change. Children’s ministers, Christian counselors who work with middle school girls, Sunday School teachers, and parents need to be aware of this book. The journal prompts would be good discussion starters in helping girls work through issues. If you know a girl struggling with pain and change, give her a copy of Finding God in Tough Times. Y Susan E. Richardson is a writer, critique reader, and former Christian retailer with a passion for meeting people’s needs through the written word. You can reach her through her website www.nextlevelcritiques.com.

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â&#x17E;şwhatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going on 20 YEARS OF HISTORY 1993-1997 â&#x20AC;˘ 1st Mission Mississippi Unity Rally â&#x20AC;˘ Jarvis Ward hired as Executive Director â&#x20AC;˘ 1st Annual Two and Two Together Restaurant Days â&#x20AC;˘ 1st Pastor and Spouse Appreciation Retreat â&#x20AC;˘ Dadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s of Destiny Conference 1998-2002 â&#x20AC;˘ Dolphus Weary hired as Executive Director â&#x20AC;˘ Pat Morley speaks at Mayorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Prayer Breakfast in Jackson â&#x20AC;˘ 1st Grace is Greater than Race tour â&#x20AC;˘ 1st Governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Prayer Luncheon and Statewide Unity Conference â&#x20AC;˘ Mission Mississippi Delta holds Mayorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Prayer Breakfast in Indianola 2003-2008 â&#x20AC;˘ Mission Mississippi brings Promise Keepers to Jackson, MS â&#x20AC;˘ Dolphus Weary named President â&#x20AC;˘ Mission Mississippi responds to Hurricane Katrina by partnering with churches â&#x20AC;˘ 40/40 initiative launched, team members preach at over 80 churches statewide â&#x20AC;˘ 1st Mississippi Mayorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Prayer Breakfast, Mayors statewide invited to attend â&#x20AC;˘ Days of Dialog instituted and held in communities around the state 2009-2013 â&#x20AC;˘ Tri-Generational focus launched â&#x20AC;˘ On stage interviews conducted with students at Fundraising Luncheon â&#x20AC;˘ Neddie Winters named President â&#x20AC;˘ 1st Racial Reconciliation Celebration Banquet honors John Perkins and William Winter â&#x20AC;˘ Gracism Concept and Challenge launched â&#x20AC;˘ Mission Mississippi sought out by businesses and communities to educate on racial tensions â&#x20AC;˘ Celebrates 20 years with Mississippi Glowing for Christ, an 82 day journey and celebration

It was an historic moment. Over 200 local leaders, two-thirds clergy, one-third business leaders, had gathered at Primos Northgate, Jackson. They were there for one reason: they had accepted an invitation by two local businessmen, Lee Paris and Victor Smith, to hear a vision for a city-wide crusade involving national evangelist Tom Skinner and author Pat Morley. But God had even greater plans for this gathering on this November day in 1992. As Pat and Tom shared their hearts with this racially diverse crowd, something else EHJDQ WR RFFXU OLNH D 'LYLQH VWLUULQJ :KHQ WKH Ă RRU ZDV RSHQHG IRU UHVSRQVH WKHUH VHHPHG WR EH a growing sense of excitement that Pat, a Caucasian, and Tom, an African American, were demonstrating in their friendship one of the great social needs in Jackson: racial reconciliation. In fact, one leader noted that if John17:23 (â&#x20AC;&#x153;May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved me.â&#x20AC;?) was true, then there would be no effective evangelistic outreach if the church was not in unity, even racially reconciled. As Tom and Pat stood before these spiritual leaders, their love, friendship and camaraderie proved to be a prophetic picture in exposing the racial division in the city.

40 JANUARY 2014 â?&#x2DC; Metro Christian Living

Joshua Bell to Present Benefit Concert for Wesley Biblical Seminary Although this event is still six weeks away, you will want to put it on your calendar and get your ticket now. A great way to celebrate Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day Eve with someone special! Wesley Biblical Seminary is excited to host an evening with Joshua Bell, world renowned violinist, on February 13, 2014, 7:00 p.m. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What Joshua Bell does is play the violin. What Joshua Bell is is a poet,â&#x20AC;? according to an Interview magazine profile. Mr. Bell, often referred to as the â&#x20AC;&#x153;poet of the violin.â&#x20AC;? enchants audiences with his breathtaking virtuosity, tone of sheer beauty, and charismatic stage presence. His restless curiosity, passion, universal appeal, and multi-faceted musical interests have earned him the rare title of â&#x20AC;&#x153;classical music superstar.â&#x20AC;? Recently named the Music Director of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Bell is the first person to hold this post since Sir Neville Marriner formed the orchestra in 1958. Equally at home as a soloist, chamber musician, recording artist and orchestra leader, Bellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2013 summer highlights include performances with the Israeli Philharmonic and at Eastern, Brevard, Tanglewood and Mostly Mozart festivals. As the featured soloist he will tour for the Inaugural Season of the National Youth Orchestra of the U.S.A. with Valery Gergiev to New York, Washington, D.C., London, Moscow and St. Petersburg; with the Australian Youth Orchestra in Australia and Europe; and with the San Diego Symphony to China. He performs a South American recital tour with pianist Alessio Bax and a European tour with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. Bell guests with the Houston, Dallas, St. Louis symphonies, and Carnegie Hallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s season opening gala with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Wesley Biblical Seminary is pleased to support the arts in the greater Jackson, Mississippi, community. This evening with Joshua Bell is a benefit concert for Wesley Biblical Seminary and will be held at Christ United Methodist Church, 6000 Old Canton Road, Jackson, Mississippi. The tickets are $50 each and may be purchased by visiting WBS.edu or call WBS at 601-366-8880, ext. 119. Tickets will be mailed through February 1st, after that tickets will be available at 787 E. Northside Drive. Corporate sponsors are available. Please contact Johnny Gainey at jgainey@wbs.edu. Y

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events calendar January 8 Julia V. Taylor, a renowned certified school counselor and author of The Bullying Workbook for Teens, Salvaging Sisterhood, G.I.R.L.S: Group Counseling Activities for Enhancing Emotional Development, will present “Parenting Girls in a Crazy World.” St. Andrews Episcopal School North Campus Center for the Performing Arts at 7 p.m. For info, contact Ruthie Hollis at 601-853-6053 or hollisr@gosaints.org.

January 9 St. Andrews Episcopal School Boys Summit presents “Building Boys, Making Men,” with a lunch and keynote address by Lee Burns, Head of School at Presbyterian Day School in Memphis. Event is held at Broadmoor Baptist Church on Highland Colony Parkway 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. For info, contact Ruthie Hollis at 601-853-6053 or hollisr@gosaints.org.

Moore of the Alabama Supreme Court as keynote speaker. Begins 11:30 a.m. at Wesley Biblical Seminary at 787 East Northside Drive. For reservations, call 601.956.8636.

January 17 Belhaven University (inside the Center for the Arts at 835 Riverside Drive) presents Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at 7:30 p.m. (also on Saturday the 18th at 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.) This is a little opera for children based on the Grimm’s fairy tale. A clever, one-act classic that children will love! Complimentary admission. Doors open 30 minutes prior to each performance.

January 18 Pro-Life Mississippi holds its 27th Annual Candlelight Vigil at 6:00 p.m. in the First Floor Rotunda of the State Capitol Building at 400 High Street.

January 18

January 11 The 7th Annual Mississippi Blues Marathon and Half Marathon sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi draws runners from all across the country. Get more info and register at www.msbluesmarathon.com.

January 11 The Mississippi Children’s Museum presents, Question It? Discover It! from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Dr. Lawrence Haber and the pediatric orthopedic team from the University of Mississippi explain the skeletal system and how bones interact with each other. Children will also learn the names of bones, the different layers of bones, and how to keep their bones healthy. Fun, interactive, educational, and a great way to stay warm in January!

January 17 Pastor for Life Luncheon sponsored by ProLife Mississippi welcomes Chief Justice Roy

Belhaven University presents Two Hilarious Operas for Grown-ups! University Concert Hall at 835 Riverside Drive at 2:30 p.m. and again at 7:30 p.m. La Serva Padrona (The Servant Wife) is about love, social status, and the winsomeness of wit to overcome. A Game of Chance is a comic opera in one act that is perfect for first time operagoers. English. Funny. Complimentary admission.

performed for over 450 school, library, and museum audiences. Her animated and imaginative style engrosses children and adults alike into her stories and performances. Other local celebrities will be guest readers during the festival. Visit www.mschildrensmuseum.com for more details about performance and reading times.

January 30 Mission Mississippi hosts its annual Governor’s Prayer Luncheon at 11:30 a.m. at the Jackson Convention Center complex. Join others to pray for Governor Bryant, Elected Officials, State and Federal Senators and Representatives, and Court Judges/Justices. Individual tickets and sponsorships are available. For more info, contact 601.353.6477 or www.missionmississippi.org.

January 31 Mid-South Men’s Rally will be held at First Presbyterian Church at 1390 North State Street. Dinner served from 5:15-6:30, followed by inspiring worship service with Dr. Sanders Willson of Second Presbyterian Church in Memphis. No charge for dinner or the rally. For more info, call 601.353.8316.

January 20 Two and Two Restaurant Day sponsored by Mission Mississippi. Participating restaurants are offering a 20% discount for lunch or dinner to racially diverse groups in celebration of Mission Mississippi’s 20th Anniversary, to honor God, to highlight the progress of race relations in Mississippi, and to actively participate in promoting racial reconciliation and healing. Participating restaurants in Jackson are: Bravo, Broad Street Bakery, Koinonia Coffee House, Sal & Mookie’s, Two Sisters Kitchen, and High Noon Cafe.

PEARL January 11 The Mississippi Opry begins its 11th season presenting Alan Sibley with the Magnolia Ramblers at the Pearl Community Room, 2420 Old Brandon Road in Pearl, 6:00-9:00 p.m. $10 admission. Children under age 18 admitted free. Contact Sharon Fiveash at 601.331.6672 for more info.

MADISON January 25

January 25

Storytelling Festival at the Mississippi Children’s Museum from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Let your imagination wander to a lost ancient land; dance among damsels, knights and dragons; and tame a wild beast! Acclaimed storyteller Doris Jones will read and perform some of her favorite children’s books. Doris has

Germantown High School at 200 Calhoun Parkway hosts its 2014 Maverick Stampede Race/Walk at 8 a.m. Events include several races for adults, a fun run for children under 12, and a Kiddie Gallop for children eight and under. Contact Nicole Shows at ghsstampede2014@gmail.com or Arlette Thompson at 601.502.6788. Y metrochristianliving.com ❘ JANUARY 2014 41

JANUARY 2014

JACKSON

➺quips & quotes

ADVERTISER INDEX

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{

Cut out the scriptures and quotes and place them around your home for daily encouragement!

✂

Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

Home is where we are known the best, misunderstood the most and are constantly open to scrutiny and criticism. But it is supremely here that the Christian life has to be lived, because it is here that the gospel is put to its severest test. – Stuart Olyott

– Psalm 90:1-2 Optimism isn’t about trying harder but about trusting more. We all grow weary from the battles every now and again, but we always have a choice to either believe in our circumstances or to believe in our Father. Hope is our calling and is a precious gift and grace given to us by God. It is the anchor of our souls and the thing that produces in us endurance and perseverance. – Karen Janous

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. – Matthew 6: 19-21

Each New Year, we have before us a brand new book containing 365 blank pages. Let us fill them with all the forgotten things from last year—the words we forgot to say, the love we forgot to show, and the charity we forgot to offer.

The wisest are not the ones with the most years in their lives, but the most life in their years.

It is sobering to contemplate how much time, effort, sacrifice, compromise, and attention we give to acquiring and increasing our supply of something that is totally insignificant in eternity. – Anne Graham Lotz

People shop for a bathing suit with more care than they do a husband or wife. The rules are the same. Look for something you’ll feel comfortable wearing. Allow for room to grow.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

– Erma Bombeck

– Isaiah 40: 29-31

It is never too late to be what you might have been. – George Eliot

– Peggy Toney Horton

Radical obedience to Christ is not easy... It’s not comfort, not health, not wealth, and not prosperity in this world. Radical obedience to Christ risks losing all these things. But in the end, such risk finds its reward in Christ. And he is more than enough for us. – David Platt

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42 JANUARY 2014 ❘ Metro Christian Living

– Max Lucado

ADVERTISING PARTNERS PAGE ABC & More, LLC .....................................................10 Baptist Health Foundation .........................................9 Belhaven University.....................................................5 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi......................33 Broadmoor Baptist Church ......................................21 Callaway's Yard & Garden........................................31 C Spire .........................................................................3 Choose Life..................................................................7 Christ Covenant School............................................34 Comprehensive Pain Center (Dr. Kevin Vance) ......19 Covenant Caregivers ................................................13 Cypress Depot ..........................................................28 Energy Insulation.......................................................39 ERGON......................................................................29 EyeCare Professionals...............................................13 First Presbyterian Day School ..................................37 French Camp Academy............................................37 Gentiva Hospice........................................................43 GI Peds at GI Associates ............................................2 Grantham Poole Certified Public Accountants ......37 Highland Village........................................................21 Jackson Academy .......................................................2 Jackson Preparatory School.....................................17 Joshua Bell Benefit Concert.....................................39 Ken'ts Cajun Kitchen...................................................8 Law Firm of William B. Howell, Ltd. ........................36 Madison-Ridgeland Academy .................................29 Maine's Best Kept Secret.........................................14 Marcia G. Hale, Licensed Professional Counselor..35 Mars & Steel, Inc.......................................................39 Mid South Men’s Rally..............................................17 Mission Mississippi’s Governor Prayer Luncheon...11 MWG Senior Services...............................................12 N. State Animal Hospital..........................................42 O! How Cute.............................................................16 O'Mire Financial........................................................38 Pennington & Trim Alarm Services, Inc...................11 Prime Care Nursing ..................................................39 Private Collection......................................................14 Sitters, LLC ................................................................11 Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company....19 St. Dominic's Healthy Weight Advantage ..............15 Stegall Imagery .........................................................43 Summit Counseling...................................................12 Sunnybrook Estates ..................................................38 TEC ............................................................................29 The Orchard ..............................................................17 The Waterford...........................................................33 Tim Tebow.................................................................27 Tinnin Imports ...........................................................44 Venable Glass Services .............................................38 WHJT Star 93.5.........................................................38 Wright & Ferguson Funeral Home..........................37 Written in Stone, LLC ...............................................28

We believe that every moment matters. Maybe that’s why so many families believe in us when it comes to choosing a hospice provider. Ask us about volunteer opportunities. Provide the gift of companionship and a listening ear to a family facing a life-limiting illness. For more information or to receive our free DVD, “Hospice and Your Loved One,” call 601-983-3193. gentiva.com/hospice

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phone 601-849-5803 / fax 601-849-5805 Gentiva accepts patients for care regardless of age, race, color national origin, religion, sex, disability, being a qualified disabled veteran, being a qualified disabled veteran of the Vietnam era, or any other category protected by law, or decisions regarding advance directives. © 2014 Gentiva Health Services, Inc. MKT3144

metrochristianliving.com ❘ JANUARY 2014 43