SB Faith & Family by SB Faith & Family

APRIL 2013

Newkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s-

A Family Business

APRIL 2013 | Faith and Family

contents

APRIL 2013

on �e cover 12 Newk’s- A Family Business Inside with Spencer & Janie Mooney, owner of Newk’s

10 Joyful Noise Hymns

11 Faith Under Fire

Mysterious Mary Magdalene

16 From the Heart

Morning Devotion

17 Chick Chat

Our Adoration Demands our Action

17 Dave Says

Financial Straight Talk with Dave Ramsey Broken World, Big God Forgive Everyone for Everything

4 From the Publisher 21 Wise Words

22 Ad Directory

Contributors Candace Chaney, June Rose Dowis, Terry Farnell, Dianne Howell Rob Stockton, JoAnne Timothy, Debbie Wilson, Steve Wilson Mission Statement SB Faith & Family exist to provide Christians and the community at large with ways to grow and develop as a part of their faith & family. The local publication is designed to promote positive living by sharing with readers the latest news on entertainment, healthy living, parenting and inspirational literature as well as what individuals and organization are doing to try to address needs of the family. SB Faith & Family is published monthly and is available at high traﬃc locations throughout the Shreveport/Bossier Area. SB Faith & Family can also be read online at www.SBFaithandFamily.com

19 Little Bits

in every issue

Mary Driscoll

Advertising Mary Driscoll ladriscﬀ@yahoo.com 318-423-4483

I Love Comfort!

20 Thoughts in Christ

Angelique Milliken

On the Cover Spencer & Janie Mooney

7 Marriage Matters

Jason Foster

Ad Consultant

The Spring of Life

Ashley Foster

Graphic Design

6 Shepherd’s Staff

19 Good for the Soul

Publisher Editor

columns

features

April 2013

Theoria Publishing 6658 Youree Dr. Suite 180 #297 Shreveport. LA 71105 SBFaithandFamily@gmail.com

from the publisher

ne of my greatest pleasures is the occasional chance to eat out. It is not the healthiest option and I know it is better for my family to all be at the dinner table with roast and potatoes. Regardless, it is very freeing (when the kids are older) to sit down, eat your meal, and leave! Moreover, I come home to a clean kitchen. That makes for a ‘better’ mama. When we do go out to eat, one of our favorite places to go is Newk’s. Recently, we had the pleasure of meeting and visiting with the owners of Newk’s, Dr. Spencer and Janie Mooney (one thing I love about interviewing people is really getting to know the hearts and minds behind some of our local Christian businesses). I realized very quickly that Spencer and Janie’s love for people and God overﬂow to their employees. We know this because we had the chance to visit with them as well. The common theme was, “it feels like a family!” I can’t wait for you to read the centerpiece and begin enjoying Newk’s in a diﬀerent light as you learn about the Mooneys - this will make the black cup with Newk’s on it even more special! You will also be encouraged in this issue as Pastor Rob challenges us to embrace change and gives us some steps on how to change ourselves. Also, Dianne Howell, our ‘Faith under Fire’ columnist, had the rare opportunity to explore the mystery of Mary Magdalene via Louis Glanzman’s painting of her from his Women of the New Testament series. It is a really good read. Finally, we are very thankful to have some wonderful new advertisers this month: Newks, Holy Angels, BarnTalk, Cypress Baptist Church, Holiday in Dixie, and Bless you Christian Gifts. Their support, along with our ongoing partners, make the magazine possible. Please support our advertisers as they support SB Faith & Family. For more information about our advertisers, check out our new website. Until then, God bless you and yours. In Christ,

Publisher SBFaithandFamily@gmail.com

Shreveport

318-797-2520

Bossier City

318-797-2520

Bite into a crispy Buffalo Chicken, Salmon, Steak & Mushroom or Crawfish Pizza—but hurry, because theyFre only here for a limitied time.

APRIL 2013 | Faith and Family

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/Change is in the Air

The Spring of Life

I was walking out in the yard the other day and I looked up at a tree that was completely bare the day before and it was budding out with ﬂowers. You know, spring is a time of change, a time of new growth, a time of new life all around us in nature. Are we as a society, like nature, dealing with the ever changing world that we hue in the way that God that would have us to?

It has been said, the only thing sure about change is that it will happen. So, the questions that come to mind are these: 1. How will I respond to change in my life? 2. Do I need change? Response (or the way we respond) to change can be crucial to our lives and can affect many different aspects of our lives. You know, I have noticed that I have been “left behind” in several areas of my life. I am sitting at a desk writing with a pencil on a big yellow pad of paper (how behind times is that?) So when change comes, do we ﬁght it tooth and nail, do we ignore it, do we shove it under the rug or do we do our best to understand it, learn about it, open up to it and learn how maybe we can use it to give glory and honor to God through it! Our lives are only for that very purpose. To give glory and honor to God. Do we believe that “all things work together for good for those who are called according to His purpose?” “All things” include change! I would challenge young and old alike to embrace change in the changing world and put those change to the test: does it ﬁt the criteria of honoring God and bringing Him glory and does it stand the scripture test? The other question is this, do I need to change? I have found that whenever I want to effect change in the life of others I need to get them to the place of thinking it was “their idea” to do so. It has been said, that you can’t change others, only yourself. You know that husband, wife, parent, or child that you would love to change probably will only do so if you yourself change. So what do we do about changing ourselves: 1. Trust God for Guidance 2. Be Obedient to God’s leadership 3. Don’t be completely close minded 4. Have an attitude of love and humility Is change important? Well, we don’t want to go back to horse and buggy, no air conditioning, and camp lights (or maybe you do). Just remember; change is inevitable. Use it for the Glory of God! He is the only one who never changes. The same yesterday, today and forever. Brother Rob Stockton Associate Pastor Barksdale Baptist Church, Bossier City, LA 6

APRIL 2013 | Faith and Family

I A

Love

M COMFORT!!!!!

s I sat and drank my coffee this morning I couldn’t get my mind off of the fact that I am so geared to comfort. It is not something I like to think about or dwell on because if I do, it is going to require me acknowledging it and then I will have to look at how it con�nues to play out in my life and what I will need to do to change it. I like to get up in the morning leisurely and do things at my own pace and I also like a certain type of coffee and if I am going to be real honest, I like to stay in bed for awhile a�er I wake up. Now, can I do this everyday....No! But it is always my first op�on. You see, my struggles are not any addic�ons, or major sin in my life, my issue is comfort. It can be as destruc�ve as any addic�on because it can keep me from moving out of the easy, into the uncomfortable. Steve and I meet weekly with people trying to help and guide them into healthy lifestyles and rela�onships. I witness everyday what happens when people resist change and opt for comfort. I guess at this point I believe every one must struggle with comfort, we just seldom acknowledge it. Are you one who just

arriage

wants life to be comfortable? If so, have you no�ced what you are missing out on? Marriage is where I want to be comfortable but I don’t want to become stagnant. My marriage cries out for change, adventure, growth, deeper conversa�ons, tears and joy and so much more. If we choose comfort every day, we will miss life and all that God has in store for two people he joins together. Will you ﬁght to not just be comfortable but be challenged to be move, change, risk and go deeper? A few thoughts on what comfort denies us of: 1. If I stay comfortable, there is no need to trust God. If I play it safe all the �me, I will never experience the peace that comes from doing something out of my control where I must lean totally on God and not myself! 2. Fun, Change and Adventure! Comfort will make you boring and stagnant and there is nothing appealing about a

Matters person who is comfortable. I believe God placed in us a desire to risk. We must risk with love, we must risk the unknown, we must risk making a wrong decision, we must risk trus�ng our God that we cannot touch, see or smell. What is your marriage dreaming to do? 3. Comfort denies you the opportunity to be used by God. When we get comfortable, all we care about is OUR comfort. We have no thought or focus on others. Comfort makes life all about YOU! Psalm 31:24 says. “Be courageous, and He will strengthen your heart and give you Hope!”

Steve & Debbie Wilson

www.MarriageMattersNow.com

sbfaithandfamily.com | APRIL 2013

has a new website!

Find us on Facebook!

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BarksdaleBaptistChurch

APRIL 2013 | Faith and Family

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Joyful Noise

HYMNS

n Saturday, April 20, 7 p.m. and Sunday, April 21, 6 p.m., Cypress Baptist Church will be hosting, Hymns, presented by the combined choirs of Cypress Baptist Church, Eastwood Baptist Church, and First Baptist Bossier, along with The Shreveport Symphony. Television personality, will be serving as Master of Ceremonies in this stirring presentation. Minister of Music, Philip Wade arranged and orchestrated this collection. This is the second year in a row for this production. “Several years ago I met with the conductor of The Shreveport Symphony, Michael Butterman, and we discussed the possibility of a joint endeavor between area churches and the symphony. It took a few years to get this ready, but we ﬁnally premiered the work last spring. We were packed last year when we did, Hymns, and therefore decided to do two performances this year,” said Wade. According to Wade, “the hymn has been the foundation of Christian music for centuries and should continue to be so. There are many new and God-honoring songs that

have been introduced to the worshipping church in the last decade, but we do our congregations a disservice if we do away with the great hymns of our faith.” Some of the featured hymns are, The Solid Rock, O Worship the King, It is Well with My Soul, and many more. Pastor, John Fream, added, “we were thrilled with the response to this production last year, and are very excited about this year’s presentation; we expect a packed house.” Cypress Baptist Church is located 6 miles north of I-220 on Airline Drive.

Location:

Camp Bethany, 9766 Hwy 79 Bethany, LA (Just 6 miles south of 1-20)

Date: May 11th

Times:

Tickets:

Gates open at 1PM & close at 10PM. FIRSTBAND STARTS AT2. 9 Bands will be perfoming!

$15 at Lifeway in Shreveport or online at www.itickets.com

What to Bring:

Blanket, Lawn chairs, Money for food

$20 at the Gate Children 5 & under are FREE!

Also Performing:

For more info go to: www.morphefest.com

Last Flight Out Alive by Sunrise The Bandon Pierce Band Doxa Gregg Gober All for One ...and more!

Morphé Ministries is a non-prof t organi ation. Check us out at: www.morpheministries.org

APRIL 2013 | Faith and Family

Faith Under Fire

Mysterious Mary Magdalene

Don’t you love the deep mystery, the serenity, the touching vulnerability in this rendering of Mary Magdalene? I absolutely fell in love with it. To me it is “just right.” www.louisglanzman.com Mary’s presence ﬁgures heavily in Christ’s ministry, His cruciﬁxion and the resurrection. Her story is told is all four Gospels, albeit with slight nuances.

Mary was from the town of Magdala which is located on the northwest shores of the Sea of Galilee. Magdala (Aramaic) and Migdal (Hebrew) mean “tower” or “great place.” It seems to have been a prosperous ﬁshing village nestled between Tiberias and Genessaret along an important trade route. The Talmud calls it “the city of color,” and indigo dye may have ﬁgured into its economy. (Wikipedia.org; The Topical Bible; Bible Atlas) If the “Magadan” (NIV/NASB) of Matt. 15:39 is the same as “Magdala” (KJV), Jesus visited there. If not, he was just 3 miles

away in Genessaret the day especially God-sized ones. We before (Matt. 14:34). Many of want to be in the loop and in the His miracles and much of His know all the time. When we are ministry took place in this area not provided with the information we think we - feeding the deserve, we start 5,000, feeding inserting data, the 4,000, and premises and walking on suppositions. water. Mary of I’m a bit tired of Magdala was the way Mary probably in one Magdalene has of the crowds. been maligned Luke 8:2-3 tells down through us she received the ages by a miracle when people bent Jesus cast seven on filling in demons from the blanks just her. She and to make her others helped Mary Magdalene by Louis S. Glanzman story more fund Jesus’ from his Women of the New Testament series s c i n t i l l a t i n g. ministry from their private treasuries. And John There really isn’t any confusion. 19:25 reveals she was among the The Gospel accounts (Matt. 28, brave women standing near the Mark 16, Luke 24 and John 20) cross. However, we are not told were written years after the why Jesus chose Mary Magdalene events by people who were as the first person to whom He in a state of shock when they revealed His resurrected Self. happened. Their slightly different stories simply add texture and And here the trouble begins. depth. They do not negate one Humans don’t like mysteries, another. Besides, we Christians

are not on an empirical, factﬁnding mission. We are in a faith walk with the Omnipotent One who operates on a “need-toknow” basis only (Job 38:1-42:6; John 21:15-22). Moses could not explain the phenomenon of the burning bush, but he stopped to get a closer look and met I AM. Saul never understood how his heart and name got changed, or why his “thorn” was not removed, but Paul explained God’s mysteries to the Gentiles. To us!

The Almighty is rarely predictable. The manner in which He chooses to reveal Himself and execute His promises is His alone. As C.S. Lewis says of Aslan (Jesus) in The Chronicles of Narnia, “He is not a tame lion.” God does not perform within the conﬁnes of a circus ring and answer to our commands. We are in His arena bowing to His will in all things. Let the mysteries remain.

Dianne B. Howell Shreveport, LA

Every Tuesday and Thursday 9:00am-2:00pm

Barksdale Baptist Church

sbfaithandfamily.com | APRIL 2013 11

he foundational building block of a society is the family unit. For Christians, family goes beyond the immediate social context and includes others referred to as brothers and sisters in Christ. While home and church usually constitute family to most of us, there are certain entrepreneurs that are able to marry the concepts of domestic and religious family and bring about the feeling of support, security and God’s love in the workplace – a business built on the Cornerstone, so to speak. These unique business people see their staff as family and it is evidenced by their actions and by the responses of their employees. The result is a going concern that transcends revenues and expenses - it is life changing. Dr. Spencer and Janie Mooney, the owners of our local Newk’s in Shreveport and Bossier, are these type of business proprietors.

Thanks to the prompting of Melissa Davis who told us about the Mooney family two years ago, SB Faith and Family was recently blessed with the opportunity to sit down and learn more about Dr. Spencer and Janie’s journey to Newk’s and their business model. Our time with them was a tremendous blessing. Following is our conversation. FF: What are some things that drew you to Newk’s?

Dr. Spencer: For years I owned an Ear, Nose

and Throat practice in Brookhaven, MS. We always wanted to invest in a business. My children were aware of that desire. While one of my daughters was attending Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi, she went to eat at the local Newk’s. She called me and said, ‘Dad, I found what you need to invest in.’ Shortly, thereafter, we made our way up there and loved the food, the atmosphere and the systems. To make a long story short I called Don Newcomb, who along with his wife Debra and son Chris founded Newk’s, and after a period of time he agreed to let me take the franchise in Clinton, MS. In regards

Spencer & Janie Mooney 12

APRIL 2013 | Faith and Family

to how we ended up with the franchise in Shreveport, it is funny how God directs your steps. Sometimes it is thought out and other times it is serendipitous. I met with a Newk’s representative in Flowood, MS and I had to select two locations in Louisiana. We selected Baton Rouge ﬁrst and then the operations manager whispered in my ear, ‘Shreveport,’ so we selected it. We beat the streets in Baton Rouge but could not ﬁnd a location we liked. Kaelon Gerard, Hope Black, Lori Pickens, Grant Williams, Ross Roussell, and Eean Tingle all agree it’s a family environment. However, our real estate agent here in Shreveport, Karen Hannigan, really helped us and showed us them, their families and we are interested in various locations in the area. When she took who they are, what they are doing and what us to the Youree Drive location we knew that they hope to become. We try to treat each was where we needed to be. We have really employee as we want to be treated. It goes loved the town and the people. Shreveport back to the ‘Golden Rule.’ and Bossier are great kept secrets. Dr. Spencer: We have had some employees FF: How have you been able to bring experience very traumatic life events about such a family atmosphere at Newk’s? that allowed us to demonstrate the same appreciation and loyalty that showed us. We Janie: We see our employees as people in tried to be there to help them walk through the truest sense of the word. We care about it and continue on in life. In the end, it is the

A Family Business relationship that is important. This is the same way we look at our guest. Janie: We realize each person that comes into Newk’s could have chosen to eat somewhere else that day. But they chose Newk’s. Therefore, they are not just the people sitting at table six or order number 24. They are our guests and we appreciate them coming. FF: What are some faith principles you implement as business owners?

Dr. Spencer: Again, the ‘Golden Rule’

Mooney family altogether

is a huge one. Another one that gives us a tremendous sense of peace is FF: Tell us about your large family. trusting that if we do the right thing then God will take care of the rest. There is a little Janie: We have five boys and two girls ranging saying, ‘Duty is ours and the consequences in age from 31 to 14 and two grandchildren. are God’s.’ We know that if we treat people I had the blessing of homeschooling right then we will be fine and there is a lot them and we are a very close family. Matt, of peace in that. In turn, our oldest, his wife Anna, we put a lot of trust in Conner( 3) and Kathryn (1) our people with the live in Scottsdale where he business and they rise to is in real estate. Our oldest the occasion. Also, we try daughter, Mary Grace, lives to make sure, as with our with her husband, Jean, in family, that we praise our an artsy community in San employees. It is easy to Diego. Our third son is Daniel. show up from Mississippi He is a high functioning and start wagging your special needs autistic young finger at little things, but man. For five years, between we try to come in and the ages of 18-23, we really see what they are doing sought God’s guidance right for our guests. If and direction regarding His they, our employees, are plans for Daniel. God just only afraid of me it does opened the door for him to not work. Instead, we try attend college at Mississippi Daniel Mooney at his desk at to communicate the idea State through a wonderful Mississippi State that we need to do certain things because program called Access. When Daniel found these things are what our guests deserve. out he was accepted into the program he

said, ‘Thank God! This is what I have been praying for the last ﬁve years.’ Through this we found out how much we limit God. His plans are often more than we could ever imagine. The next brother, Patrick, is a senior at Ole Miss. He is our academic and desires to pursue PhD studies. John, the next one, is a sophomore and a very gifted triathlete. He is hoping to go pro in the next couple of years. Sam is our gifted musician who plays piano and Lizzie, who is 14 going on 21 from a maturity standpoint, keeps the boys under control. As you can see they are all diﬀerent.

Janie with her girls

Dr. Spencer: We never wanted them to be formed in a mom or dad cookie cutter mold. Instead, we told them we wanted them to live for God and be who He designed them to be. Each one has certain strengths and weaknesses and we encouraged them to use both and enjoy a Godward happy life. This to us is more important than dollars in their bank account, titles, etc. As a family, we are a team that is going to be there together in tough times and in diﬃcult times. I think this continued on pg 15 sbfaithandfamily.com | APRIL 2013 13

APRIL 2013 | Faith and Family

continued from pg 13

approach is something we have taken from our family life and implemented at Newk’s. We try to give our employees every chance to move forward as we move forward with them.

Spencer & Janie finish the Iron Man together

waters and riding through the dessert – the Iron Man we did together was in Arizona. My favorite passage that became ‘my verse’ is Isaiah 41:10, ‘Fear you not; for I am with you: be not dismayed; for I am your God: I will strengthen you; yes, I will help you; yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness.’ We made it through the swim, and the biking portion, which was really hard due to the wind, (we saw a double rainbow over Inspiration Rock that we took as a sign) and we ﬁnally got into our run. As we struggled along, a blond haired man in a white wet suit came up to us and was very encouraging. He was saying God bless you. You can do it and many other inspirational things. As he was running oﬀ he yelled out, ‘‘Fear you not; for I am with you: be not dismayed; for I am your God: I will strengthen you; yes, I will help you; yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness.’ We never saw him again, but today I still consider him my angel. I learned a lot about perseverance and God’s presence during the Iron Man. And these are things I hold close to me today, even in business.

There are some people in this life you get the chance to visit with and you know God FF: On a different note, what did you take sent them your way. We consider Dr. Spencer and Janie Mooney these types of new away from your Iron Man competition friends. Our time with them was inspiring, experience? educational and challenging. There is no Janie: As a family, we did triathlon events doubt that our community in Shreveport together. Every Saturday we would find a and Bossier is better off because of their race and go do it. Spencer had competed in influence and investment in our area. Next an Iron Man and I wanted to do one myself. time you are trying to decide on where to The biggest thing for me was overcoming eat lunch or dinner, I recommend going to the fear of it. As I prepared I tried to fortify Newk’s – let’s keep it in the family. myself with a lot of Scripture. Including texts that referred to being delivered through the

Spencer with grandson, Conner Kaelon Gerard – Certified Trainer – From the first day you automatically feel as if your manager, general manager and the owners really care about you as a person. They are about making sure that all of the hourly partners succeed and are happy. This makes working here a great experience. You can fall down and family will pick you up. At Newk’s it is the same. When you struggle there is someone to help. Grant Williams – Shreveport Manager Working for Dr. Spencer and Janie is unique because they treat us like family. They are interested in us as people and this makes us care about the company. I love working for them. Hope Black - Certified Trainer – I love the family environment. Lori Pickens – Regional Manager – The Mooney’s care about their employers inside and outside of the business. When I had about 48 hours to transfer to Shreveport, Janie called to make sure my new apartment had enough room for my dog. Her asking about my pet showed me they cared about me as a person. Moreover, they trust me to make the right decisions and do what is best for the company. It is a sense of empowerment that I am thankful for as a Regional Manager. sbfaithandfamily.com | APRIL 2013 15

F�om �e Heart Read, study, pray read, study pray, out of this ordinary routine a shard of truth leaps from the page piercing to the core, surely I’ve read this passage before 16

APRIL 2013 | Faith and Family

these words that never change change everything, fresh yet haunting, guiding my steps as I live the day

read, study, pray read, study, pray out of this ordinary routine prayers are answered miracles manifested I’m hu mbled once more, surely I’ve read this passage before

Morning Devotion June Rose Dowis Shreveport, LA

Our Adoration Demands Our Action James 1:22 says “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” When was the last time that you saw or knew of someone that was in need? Did you feel the tug on your heart to help in some way? God calls the believer to not only ‘hear’ what the Word of God says but to also ‘do’ what it says. The Bible clearly tells us that as believers we should love the LORD and LOVE others. Jesus expresses this to the Pharisees in Matthew 22:37-39. If we SAY we love JESUS then it should not be a far stretch to put that love into action and help those who we know to be in need. God calls us to love others so that they will KNOW we are who we say we are – representatives of God! Are you helping others today? God calls us as believers to give Him away to others through love! There are many ways to reach out. Some speciﬁc ways are to help widows (those whose husbands have died). Many times the love that you show to these ladies is a love they won’t soon forget, a kindness that uplifts them for a period of time. You may never know the impact you could have on the life of a widow unless you are putting action to your adoration of the Lord! Another way to help is to help sisters in need. There are women that you know, whether at your job, in your neighborhood or even in your church, that need to be uplifted in some way. God made us so that we crave the

human touch! When was the last time you hugged a sister in need and told her that you are there for her if she has a need? Living in the ‘information age’ has had the opposite eﬀect on society. Although we have the means to reach out and touch people at any time day or night – we are becoming lonelier! In order to follow God’s command in the Scripture – we have to make a decision to put ACTION to our adoration outside of technology and use the human touch! We also can love the unbeliever! If we ‘adore’ Christ then it should not be a reach for us to share Him with those who don’t know Him! When was the last time that you shared the Gospel with someone who was lost? When was the last time you told an unbeliever that God had done something miraculous in your life? If we love God then we should love others. Spend some time with some unsaved folks with the intention of sharing Christ. It has always been my experience that God WILL GIVE YOU THE WORDS TO SAY! No need to be afraid! Put ACTION to your ADORATION this week and spread the Kingdom of Heaven to others just like James instructs the believers in the Word of God! You will never regret sharing Him!

JoAnne Timothy

joanne@heartsﬁreministry.com

Dave Says...

Financial Straight Talk with Dave

Ramsey

What are some tips for sticking to a budget?

How can I avoid student loans?

1. Make sure you write it down. Give every dollar a name on paper. Spend your income on paper before you actually spend it. Use our free, downloadable budgeting forms. 2. Stay away from places that tempt you to spend. If you are overspending, you need to buckle down and get serious. It’s a sign of maturity when you delay pleasure today so that you can ensure a better tomorrow. 3. Use Dave’s envelope system to help you spend cash in line with your budget. Take some envelopes, write the budget categories on the envelopes, and use only the allotted money to purchase speciﬁc things. When an envelope is empty, don’t buy anything else in that budget category. Stay motivated! Don’t give up! A budget gives you hope that your money situation can and will get better. Dwelling on the failures of the past, or fearing that you will never get to the end, will steal your hope. To avoid this, break your plan down into smaller goals. You can change your ﬁnancial picture. You can change your life.

Start with grants and scholarships. You’ll have a much better chance if your GPA is much higher than average. Good grades are an investment. Students in the top 10 percent of their classes have many more options. Work part-time if you need the money. You could also try attending an aﬀordable local college to complete your ﬁrst few years of required classes. Then, if you can pay cash, transfer to the school of your dreams. Other alternatives: 1. Internships with commitment to hire after graduation 2. Church gifts and scholarships 3. Private scholarships and grants 4. Working prior to college admittance 5. Working on campus or while in college

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APRIL 2013 | Faith and Family

Little Bits

Broken World, Big

God

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” 3 John 1:4 The husband sent me an article this morning about raising kids with character and if nothing else, it reminded us of how important it is to go to bat for the welfare of the hearts of our children. It was a wake up call of sorts- a reminder that we can’t just sail through parenthood without a lot of intentionality and a lot of work, especially in this plugged-in, online, super connected world we live in. And the reminder actually made me grateful for the struggles that one of our children has had with fear in as much as it has focused us in prayer over his ﬂedgling little heart. We’ll do what we feel is necessary and appropriate to keep our children safe from the evils of this world, but just as important, and maybe more importantly, we will continue to employ what we DO know about parenting: above all else, we will guard our hearts and above all else, we will teach them how to guard theirs. (Proverbs 4:23) After we read stories and say nightly prayers, I’ve been starting to ask the kids about their hearts. Is everything is ok? Is there is anything lingering? (A great habit I learned from Andy Stanley). I don’t always remember to do it and they don’t always understand what I’m asking, but I feel like it’s a good starting point and an open door to communicating with them on real and important issues that might eventually weigh on their hearts and minds.

And, thank you Jesus, we’re given some principles in scriptures that really help and that we can teach our kids as we practice them ourselves: Afraid? Trust is fear’s anecdote. Greedy? Give generously. Jealous? Celebrate with others. Envious or discontent? Practice gratitude. Bitter or angry? Forgive as you have been forgiven. So maybe we don’t have a plethora of clear directives in scripture on how exactly to parent when it gets down to the nitty gritty, but at the same time, we have what we need. There are countless ways our children could fall prey to the ways of this broken world, but as parents, we must not be afraid, but trust that the God who has brought us this far will continue to lead and help and guide us on the path of parenting on which we are so often uncertain and unsure of ourselves. I certainly and for sure don’t have all of the answers, but the Lord- who made our kids to begin with- certainly does. No doubt it will get really difﬁcult at times- probably painfully so- but as we daily thank Him for what He’s done and who He is and ask Him to continue to help us on the journey, He’ll be faithful.

Candace Chaney

Shreveport, LA

special feature

Good for the Soul My husband and I started this small business about a year ago. We love our small farm and we adore our farm animals! I was raised in the country and I know how special the connection with animals can be to young children. I spent many summers at my grandparents home, where there were always chickens, horses, and cows, along with a cat or two! So many children today have never held a chicken, or a rabbit, or even brushed a pony! I think these animals just bring out the best in us and make us happy to be around them. Not only do the animals love the attention, but it sure brings a lot of joy to the people! They just make all ages smile! It has been a lot of hard work and sacriﬁcing to make this all possible. I just thought it would be so neat, if the animals could come to the party, or the event that someone may be hosting! I offer different packages to suit whatever kind of party or event you may be having. I have done several Carnivals, and am looking forward to doing more in the future! We can do birthday parties, church events, family reunions, or any special event you may have coming up soon! Our business is very personable and we feel it’s rewarding to the community. We are USDA approved and always have a current license. If you would like to schedule a birthday party, or have a church function coming up in the future please remember us, BarnTalk, “It’s Good for the Soul”! We can do any event with or without the pony, but most folks want pony rides! Some only want the chickens, ducks, and rabbit! We can stay for one or two hours, depending on what you need, most birthday parties are one hour. Please call us @ 318-426-1239. Thanks, Terry Farnell Owner-BarnTalk sbfaithandfamily.com | APRIL 2013 19

Forgive Everyone for Everything ‘Mama,’ he replied to her, ‘do not weep, life is paradise, and we are all in paradise, but we don’t want to realize it, and if we did care to realize it, paradise would be established in all the world tomorrow.’ And we all wondered at his words, so strangely and so resolutely did he say this; we felt tender emotion and we wept....’Dear mother, droplet of my blood,’ he said (at that time he had begun to use endearments of this kind, unexpected ones), ‘beloved droplet of my blood, joyful one, you must learn that of a truth each of us is guilty before all for everyone and everything. I do not know how to explain this to you, but I feel that it is so, to the point of torment. And how could we have lived all this time being angry with one another and knowing nothing of this?’ [He spoke even of being guilty before the birds and all creation] ...’Yes, he said, ‘all around me there has been such divine glory: birds, trees, meadows, sky, and I alone have lived in disgrace, I alone have dishonored it all, completely ignoring its beauty and glory.’ ‘You take too many sins upon yourself,’ dear mother would say, weeping. ‘But dear mother, joy of my life. I am crying from joy, and not from grief; why, I myself want to be guilty before them, only I cannot explain it to you, for I do not know how to love them. Let me be culpable before all, and then all will forgive me, and that will be paradise. Am I not in paradise now?’ As difﬁcult as it may sound, the reality described by Dostoevsky can be summed up very simply: forgive everyone for everything. Stated in such a blunt fashion, such a goal is overwhelming. How can I forgive everyone for everything? This life of forgiveness, which is nothing other than the life of Christ within us, is our inheritance in the faith. The life of blame, recrimination, bitterness, anger, revenge and the like are not the life of Christ, but simply the ragings of our own egos, the false self which we exalt over our true life which is “hid with Christ in God.” The rightness of a cause, or the correctness of our judgment do not justify nor change the nature of our ragings. For none of us can stand before God and be justiﬁed – except as we give ourselves to the life of Christ, who is our only righteousness. The question of forgiveness is not a moral issue. We do not forgive because it is the “correct” thing to do. 20

APRIL 2013 | Faith and Family

We forgive because it is the true nature of the life in Christ. As Dostoevsky describes it: it is Paradise. In the same manner, the refusal to forgive, the continuation of blame, recrimination, bitterness, etc., are not moral failings. They are existential crises – drawing us away from the life of Christ and Paradise, and ever deeper into an abyss of non-being. I have lately spent some of myprayer-time each day with a modiﬁed form of the ‘Jesus Prayer.’ It runs, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner, and forgive all those who hate me or do me harm. Forgive them freely without reproach and grant me true repentance.” I offer no great authority for this prayer – indeed, as I pray it, I ﬁnd that it changes from time to time. But it is a way of offering prayer for my enemies – of teaching my heart to “forgive everyone for everything.” There is a further thought that is of great importance. Forgiveness

and unforgiveness are not private matters. As Christ taught the Apostles, “Whosoever sins you loose are loosed, and whosoever sins you retain are retained.” This, of course, has a particular meaning for the Apostolic ministry given to the Church. But it also alludes to another reality. My refusal to forgive is a force for evil in this world – binding both myself and others around me. It may not be an intentional binding – but bind it will. In the same manner, forgiveness is the introduction of Paradise into this world – both for myself and for others around me. Whether I intend it or not, Paradise comes as a fruit of such love. Forgive everyone for everything. Will we not be in Paradise?

Pastor Stephen Freeman

Wise Words “The whole earth is a living icon of the face of God.”

—St. John of Damascus

“Everybody wants to change the world, but nobody thinks about changing himself.” —Dostoevsky

He is the image (eikon) of the invisible God, the ﬁrst born of all creation. —Col. 1:15

“Just as the thought of ﬁre does not warm the body, so faith without love does not actualize the light of spiritual knowledge in the soul.”

—From St. Maximos the Confessor

“He has shown you, O mortal what is good; and what does the LORD require of you? but to do justice, to live kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” —Micah 6

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7849 East Kings Hwy Shreveport, LA 71115

SBFaithandFamily@gmail.com

(318) 797-8124 (866) 244-8230

(318) 423-4483

director@auldsfuneral.com

sbfaithandfamily.com | APRIL 2013 21

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Newks

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Christlove International Ministries 23

Ratcliff Animal Hospital

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Crisis Pregnancy Center

Cosse &Silmon Orthodontics

Learning Rx

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Learning Rx LifeWay Litton Mortgage

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APRIL 2013 | Faith and Family

Contact:

Pastor Kikelomo Togun, MD Christlove International Church 214 W. 70th St. Shreveport, LA 71106 Phone: (318) 869-1204

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