Shreveport/Bossier Faith & Family

September 2012

Brad and Brandon-

In the Footsteps of St. Paul The Silent Enemy...

Six Surprising Ways Jesus Changed the World

2 Faith and Family

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contents columns on the cover 7

Marriage Matters The Silent Enemy

and Brandon 12 Brad In the Footsteps of St. Paul

19

Pressing Upwards

Six Surprising Ways Jesus Changed the World

4

Beautiful Feet

5

Wise Words

Penny Harvest

6

City Scene Fight or Flight...or Surrender?

in every issue

8

Close to Home

22

Quips & Quotes

10

Little Bits

22

Ad Directory

11

Faith Under Fire

Father Knows Best Empty Shells

Servant Leaders

17 Men of Iron 19

Health and Wellness

5 Tweaks to a Flatter Stomach

Joyful Noise

20 Champion Leader Rave Reviews

20 Jesus Calling

App of the Month

21 The Better Part

September 2012

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Penny Harvest Every child (toddler through 12th grade) that attends The Simple Church was given a piggy bank and 2 weeks to fill it and bring it back on August 19. Many of the kids raided their parent’s change cups, dug through couch cushions, and basically collected every bit of change they could find.

Some of our teenagers raised money. neighborhood.

One group of sisters ran a lemonade stand in their

On Sunday, August 19, 5 gallon buckets were place at the entrance of each classroom door. The kids emptied their piggy banks into the buckets (and got to keep the banks).

With 2 weeks of work, the preschool, children, and students were able to raise $4,814.70. Students (6th-12th grade) raised $1,044.76.

From left to right: Tyler Powell, Simple Church High School Pastor,

Evan Semanco, Middle School pastor & 211 staff.

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Wise Words September 2012

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Brookwood Ladies Ministry presents:

The ladies conference will be held at Brookwood Baptist Church on Friday, October 5th from 6:30pm to 9:00pm Kelly Minter. In “No Other Gods,” Kelly Minter explores and Saturday, October 6th from 9am to 12:30pm. The what happens when good desires become false gods, robbing cost is $10 per ticket. us of an intimate relationship with our heavenly father.

To purchase tickets or for more information, go to She encourages us to discover the freedom in surrender. brookwoodbaptist.com/ladies or call 318-861-8911, ext

“No Other Gods” Ladies Conference with featured speaker,

Come to the Table Women-N-Ministry Progressive Dinner

Please mark your calendar to join us on Saturday, September 8, 5-7 p.m., for an evening of fellowship with friends. Our progressive dinner will take us through appetizers, an entrée featuring poppy seed chicken, salad and a roll, and dessert followed by Breaking Bread led by Rev. Jo Ann Cooper. Please RSVP by calling the church of�ce at 221-5207. The dinner is $5.00 and nursery reservations are available.

6 Faith and Family

NOEL MASTERWORKS presents:

TIN PAN ALLEY ALIVE! Sunday, September 23, 4:00 p.m.

Noel’s Sanctuary

Come enjoy a celebration of classic American songs from the 1920’s and 30’s, featuring Lyric Baritone, David Giardina and Concert Pianist, Paul Bisaccia.

Sponsored by Mrs. Billie Haacker and the late Dr. Robert Haacker, all Masterworks concerts are free and open to the public, and a nursery is always provided.

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The Silent Enemy... very dear friend of ours and colleague in the marriage ministry wrote an article not long ago that I would like to share with you. Rodney Wilson said that in all our marriages, we must be aware that there is an enemy working against us that goes unnoticed for a long time but over time, it can destroy even the best marriages.

You’ve probably heard the story about the wife who reads that the two biggest problems in America are ignorance and apathy. She asks her husband what he thinks about the news, he replies, “I don’t know, and I don’t care.”

ROUTINE: Apathy in marriage isn’t a joking matter.

Apathy doesn’t march into a marriage like an army on parade; it creeps in like a guerrilla on its belly. It is silent and subtle, yet apathy can erode the joy and quality of a good relationship. Apathy develops form routine and boredom. Routine can slowly set like concrete in a marriage, paralyzing a couple from doing anything creative or fulfilling. Marriages need a certain amount of consistency, but if your life together has no variety, and everything is predictable, then routine has gone too far.

BOREDOM: Boredom is the son of routine and it can play tricks on your mind, making another couple’s life look more exciting and vibrant.

He can blind you from everything positive in your marriage. Boredom will destroy intimacy. Rick Warren says, “Boredom can kill a couple’s sex life. It can kill any part of marriage left unchecked.”

APATHY: Routine breeds Boredom, then Boredom

A

MarriageMatters

breeds Apathy! When things stay the same for a long time, breaking out of your rut becomes difficult. You may even begin to think you can’t break out, that you’re captive to it. You don’t have to stay locked up. Here’s the ABC’s that can help combat APATHY! Assess....Do an Apathy check from time to time. Consider these questions: 1. Does the thought of going on a date with your spouse, without the kids, make you nervous because you don’t know what you’d talk about for hours?

2. Does the idea of going out with your mate even once a month seem too frequent?

3. Have you lost the energy to do fun things together?

Don’t panic, point blame or get defensive if you discover apathy abides within your relationship. Every marriage goes through phases. The question is: What do you do when you’re apathetic about your relationship? Start coming up with some solutions!

Brainstorm...Consider ways you and your mate can have fun together.Are there things you’ve always wanted to do but have never done—a bed and breakfast getaway or a late night dessert on the living room floor? You need to become creative and accumulate lots of ideas.

Conspire...Lay out a plan of action.

Once you determine what activity you will do together, think about what you’ll talk about. Explore some new territory.

1. Discuss the reasons you are glad you married each other.

2. Name 10 things that describe the

strong points in your marriage.

3. Take turns telling the story of how you met your mate as if you telling it to someone who had never heard the story.

4. List things you like about your marriage.

5. List things you wish would happen in your marriage 6. List activities you’d like to keep apathy out of your marriage.

Don’t be afraid of apathy, but do respect and monitor it. Chances are you and your spouse will need to deal with it periodically since it can become a persistent intruder in your home. An occasional break from your routine can get you back on track to experiencing abundant life.

We pray this opens your eyes to a very silent enemy that lurks over your marriage more than you know! Don’t let you marriage become stale.....work at it every day to not stay stuck!!

For booking information in the Spring of 2013, call Janae Carroll at 318-393-9599.

Steve and Debbie Wilson

www.marriagemattersnow.com September 2012 7

Fight or

or Surrender?

Flight...

N

ot going to lie. God and I have been going a few rounds over the past couple of months.

About 5 weeks ago, I thought I was at a breaking point so I just told Him to “take me out,” metaphorically, of course.

If I needed to “die” in order to “live”, I just wanted Him to end it. Instead of the double-tap to the back of the head that I was hoping for, I got placed into hospice. And waited.

At the same time, one of my wife’s grandmothers, was facing her own end, this one very real.

At 95, she fell and broke her hip (second time in 6 years). After having a pin put in, she rallied, only to falter a day or so later. She too lingered for several days.

me, create walls of separation You’re closer than my skin...” because I simply want to be left Cue the Daily Readings. alone. I just want to die. However, 2 Peter 3:8-9– God’s simply I wanted Him to just take it. waiting for my repentance.

As time passed, I realized Genesis 28:10-17– God is in my midst, and like Jacob, I’m unaware.

I rolled up my sleeves, and told Him I was done ...with Him.

(remembered) that God does Ezekiel 43:27-44:4– I should be on my face before Him, not not take us.

Our lives are spewing anger at Him. something that we willingly lay down, as Jesus did. In John 10:18, Proverbs 9:1-11– My fear of Jesus is quoted, “No one can God is the beginning of my take my life from me. I sacrifice it understanding of Him. voluntarily.” Asking God to “end Luke 1:39-49, 56– Promises me” is foolishness. It erases the are fulfilled after belief, not freedom I have to walk away. before.

No longer sovereign, it makes 2 Corinthians 3:4-11– We’re Him controlling.

Last night, it happened again. nothing on our own (Sounds I rolled up my sleeves, and told like a Coldplay lyric).

Matthew 23:29-39– You’re out Him I was done...with Him. I just couldn’t care anymore. I’m at of here until and unless we His mercy, and He recognize you for Who You wins. Dangerous. Are. As David Crowder Philippians 2:5-11– Anything sings, “Sometimes less than my bowing and You’re further than the moon...” confession as to Who You Are Today, as I woke up, went on means that I believe we are the daily run, He (rather, I) was equal. back. Processing my faith, my Luke 10:38-42, 11:27-28– limited understanding, in Him. Blessed are those that hear, I’ve told people over the years and act upon their hearing. that it is often when we feel furthest from Him that we are, I’ve fought. I’ve fled. Maybe, it’s in fact, closer than ever. David time for surrender.

Crowder continues, “Sometimes

It is often when we feel furthest from Him that we are, in fact, closer than ever.

As I pondered these two events, I began to think about how one “dies gracefully.”

Obviously, the death of a loved one affects those around them, and those closest the most. How does one die, and at the same time, not affect those around them? In my case, not very well.

I withdraw from those around

8 Faith and Family

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Little Bits

Father Knows Best

When King Solomon began his reign over Israel, the Lord appeared to him and desired to bless him. You know the story- young Solomon didnʼt ask for riches or long life, but instead a discerning heart because in his words, “... I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties... For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” (I Kings 3:7-9) Itʼs very clear to me when I tell my children that no, they canʼt watch TV all day or that yes, they will have to eat their vegetables before having dessert, that in doing so, I am loving them and teaching them what is best for them. I know better than they do.

How often I forget to remember that even as I age, I must remain in child-like submission to my Heavenly Father and the leadings of his Holy Spirit. He knows best.

Like John Piper points out in his interview on exercise as it relates to sanctification, we want the Lord to give us supernatural energy, but maybe Heʼs already told us to go to bed earlier. We ask for Him to overcome depression or anger in our hearts, but maybe He would have us go for a run to help. Itʼs a beautiful concept in its simplicity- we are as children before Him and we must remain attentive to His direction in our lives, even in something as simple and ordinary as bed time and as seemingly non-spiritual as jumping jacks.

Itʼs true- our Father truly and always knows best.

Never

“Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” Luke 18:17

Candace Chaney

Despair

“Never despair of a child.

The one you weep the most for at the mercyseat may fill your heart with the sweetest joys.”

T.L. Cuyler 10 Faith and Family

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Empty Shells

L

ouis must like Asian and African cuisine, because he LOVES cicadas, which are skewered, deepfried and stir-fried as a delicacy in those regions (see Wikipedia.org.). However, his not-so-discriminating palate prefers the creatures alive and buzzing, so he snaps them out of the air, pounces on them in parking lots, and noses them out of the grass at every opportunity. The challenge of spotting them before he does, and preventing the continuance of this disgusting habit, has become my latest preoccupation on walks. Needless to say, cicadas are not on his rather stringent diet for pancreatitis.

In the continuing search for live cicadas, my eyes fell upon two empty shells clinging to a stalk of liriope (monkey grass) flowers. Delicate, but strong, these outer coverings show up on plants, brick walls and tree trunks – really just about anything the insects take a liking to when it’s time to shed their old skins.

Usually the shells come in singles. This is the only pair I’ve come across, close together and clutching the same stem to gain a foothold for the molting process.

I was reminded of my first experience with the death of a loved one - my maternal grandfather, who passed in August of 1966 just before my senior year at Byrd High School. He was a no-nonsense attorney in South Louisiana who went by either

“J.M.” or “Monroe,” but allowed himself to be called “Jimmy” by me and my brother. It was an act of love and concession on his part. I remember the whitecolumned funeral home, my bereft grandmother and the open casket. I also recall thinking as I looked at his thin, disease-ravaged body (albeit transformed for public viewing by the embalmer’s art), “This isn’t the real Jimmy. He’s not here in this box.” Even though I did not fully understand Christian theology, my spirit told me I was looking at the leftover part of him. This knowledge was especially comforting when, many years later, I viewed the body of another one I loved dearly, the self-inflicted bullet wound in his temple still patently obvious despite the mortician’s finest efforts.

As I have continued my walk with Christ, I now understand that our bodies - these shells we live in, that pump blood and oxygen to our cells and allow us to see, hear, talk and touch other people on earth - are not meant to last. They begin the process of returning to dust even as we are born. Like cicada skins, they are doomed for the discard pile. This is a difficult process for humans to assimilate since we live in the physical world and come to know and love the bodies in which our spirits are housed. Jesus Himself knew how hard His transition from earth to heaven would be for His disciples. So He appeared after the Resurrection when they most needed to see and hear and touch His glorified body. We are promised that He

is preparing a place for us, too; that we will be like Him; and that our worn-out bodies will be transformed. John 14:2-3; I John 3:2; I Corin 15:50-58 And so, as Christians, we approach death with boldness, not as if it were the end of things, but as Empty cicada shells on a stalk of liriope flowers the bright beginning of forever. Like cicadas clinging instinctively to a branch, we hold fast to the solid rock of Christ as we step forward by faith into the light, knowing that we are headed for home and new life. In the immortal words of C.S. Lewis from The Last Battle, his final book in The Chronicles of Narnia: “And as He spoke, He no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them.... All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page. Now, at last, they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story, which no one on earth has read, which goes on forever, in which every chapter is better than the one before.”

Dianne B. Howell

Shreveport, LA

September 2012

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Brad and BrandonS

hreveport-Bossier Realty is a unique company. Brad Barre, a bi-vocational (bi-vo) minister, is the founder and owner.

Brandon Mitchell, another bi-vo minister that directs 318 Live (a college and young professional non-denominational gathering) works alongside Brad and oversees the property management side of the reality business. Together, they spend a lot of time at work and in their respective ministries. But they do not see their time as being split between ministry and work. Instead, in their words, ‘It is all considered ministry to us.’ It seems as if St. Paul had the same mindset when he struggled to plant churches across Asia Minor. In Acts 18: 3 we learn that St. Paul was a tentmaker by trade. He worked diligently to support to his ministry and share the Gospel among the various people he lived with during his missionary journeys. Brad and Brandon kind of relate what they do to that of St. Paul. The only difference being, ‘‘St. Paul made tents: we buy, sell and manage them.’

hour week in a church cannot relate to his people – he does as he ministers to them. But this is different than working alongside others in a ‘secular’ enviornment.

lives of others is, by God’s grace, being Christ in the work force. An acronym I try to live by is BLESS: B – befriend somebody; L – listen to them; E – eat with them; S – serve them; S – share your Question (Brad): What are the story (the Gospel). challenges? Balancing the time of two Question (Brad): How has God blessed full-time endeavors can be problematic. your work? First, I truly believe in the In order to be successful, the family, not principal of sacrificial giving. My business, just the pastor, has to be committed. I like any other, struggled to exist for a few thank God for my wife and her heart to years. But even when things were tight, serve in this capacity with me.

I knew, from past experience, that God Question (Brad): Describe a normal was faithful – at all times. Twice in my week for you? Monday is our longer life God lead me to give up good paying staff meeting and administrative day jobs with a lot of potential to serve the at Covenant Church; Tuesday – Friday is local church. Because of this, Lauren (my real estate and property management wife) and I, are aware this could happen coupled with ministry visits, Wednesday again. So, although God has blessed our meetings and community group business to the point I will be able to gathering in the evening. Saturday is give back to Covenant what I am being scheduled ‘off,’ but that can change with paid in salary, we live below our means. I a phone call. Sunday, we start setting want to always be in the situation where up for services at 8 AM (Covenant is a if God calls me I can go.

new church plant) and we finish tearing things down around 12:30. What this schedule does not communicate is the Faith and Family was able to spend some amount of time I spend thinking and time with Brad and Brandon to find out praying about things in both worlds. It more about bi-vo ministers and their truly is a balance. ministries. Following is the interview Question (Brad): Can you describe one with them: experience you had that is unique to Question (Brad): Why are you bi- being ‘bi-vo’? That is difficult because I vocational? I think it is an ‘incarnational’ have daily experiences. Being ‘bi-vo’ is approach to ministry. Quite often, when an intentional mission strategy. I interact a pastor serves in a full-time capacity, with my employees and others with the he becomes removed from the weekly mindset of how can I serve them, how I struggles of his membership. This is can I lead them, how can I demonstrate not to say pastors who serve a 40 – 60 to them, etc. The only way to impact the

12 Faith and Family

Question (Brad): How is it possible to be bi-vo? First, at Covenant, is part of being an amazing staff that understands the challenges and blessings of being bi-vo. Also, the team that God has

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In the Footsteps of St. Paul blessed me with at Shreveport-Bossier Realty is ministry minded as well. They understand integrity is more important than profitability. Finally, again, my wife and daughter are like-minded and we serve together.

Question (Brad): Will you always be bivo? I truly believe that is up to God. I will always be incarnational: where we live, work and play is by God’s design. He can use us to be ministers of reconciliation in all these avenues.

Now, it is your turn Brandon: Question (Brandon): Why are you bivo? I have been fulltime but I prefer the freedom that bi-vo provides to minister inside and outside the church. I am a ‘hands-on’ ministry type person. My wife, Emily, is the same way and we do everything together. Plus, being within the walls of a building is not me. Also, being bi-vo allows me to see the purpose and not just the project. When I was full time I was moving from project to project and sometimes people got lost in the transitions. I got into the ministry to meet the needs in people’s lives. Not just to be a project manager.

Question (Brandon): How does it help you at 318 Live – It brings exposure that reaches outside a normal boundary of the church. It helps you better relate to what they (those that gather with us) face in their lives. People see me as a minister but also as a business person.

Overall, being bi-vo makes you focus on the things that make the greatest difference. You do not have time to add things for the sake of adding things. You become very focused to meet a specific Interviewing Brad and Brandon made goal. It makes me more efficient, ministry me think of St. Paul’s words in Acts 20:32-35. As the Apostle is preparing to speaking. leave Ephesus, he exhorts his people, Together, Brad and Brandon, and Emily ‘So now, brethren, I commend you to (Brandon’s wife) work with investors God and to the word of His grace, which and others to renovate homes in areas is able to build you up and give you an that are struggling. They provide inheritance among all those who are housing solutions for many people sanctified. I have coveted no one’s silver in the area that are less fortunate. or gold or apparel. Yes, you yourselves Brandon comments, ‘For me it is taking know that these hands have provided something that nobody saw value in for my necessities, and for those who and finding value in it. What we do with were with me. I have shown you in every these houses is the same thing we do for way, by laboring liken this, that you must people. We always try to find the value support the weak. And remember the that is there. I was a broken temple, but words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, God renovated my life. Maybe this is a “It is better to give than to receive.” Let’s step in that direction. I rely on Colossian keep Brad, Brandon, and all those that 1:13, ‘He has delivered us from the choose to serve our Lord, as bi-vocational domain of darkness and transferred ministers in our prayers. Without them, us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.’ there would be many Christians without Like, Brad, Brandon’s wife, Emily, is pastors, and, in relation to Shreveportdedicated to their 318 Live ministry and Bossier Realty, many less fortunate to the property management business. people without places to live.

Brandon believes, ‘It is impossible to serve in a dual capacity without her.

She is dedicated to Christ and my best friend.

Faith and Family September 2012

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Six Surprising Ways Jesus Changed the World

B

oth President Obama and Governor Romney have had to repeatedly address their views about an itinerant rabbi who lived 2000 years ago.

But why does anyone care?

Yale historian Jeroslav Pelikan wrote, “Regardless of what anyone may personally think or believe about him, Jesus of Nazareth has been the dominant �gure in the history of Western Culture for almost 20 centuries. If it were possible, with some sort of super magnet, to pull up out of history every scrap of metal bearing at least a trace of his name, how much would be left?”

It turns out that the life of Jesus is a comet with an exceedingly long tale. Here are some shards of his impact that most often surprise people: Children In the ancient world children were routinely left to die of exposure -- particularly if they were the wrong gender (you can guess which was the wrong one); they were often sold into slavery.

Jesus’ treatment of and teachings about children led to the forbidding of such practices, as well as orphanages and godparents. A Norwegian scholar named Bakke wrote a study of this impact, simply titled: When Children Became People: the Birth of Childhood in Early Christianity.

Education Love of learning led to monasteries, which became the cradle of academic guilds.

Universities such as Cambridge, Oxford, and Harvard all began as Jesus-inspired efforts to love God with all ones’ mind. The �rst legislation to publicly fund education in the colonies was called The Old Deluder Satan Act, under the notion that God does not want any child ignorant. The ancient world loved education but tended to reserve it for the elite; the notion that every child bore God’s image helped fuel

woman appointed to a full professorship at Princeton, claimed, “the discoverer of the role of forgiveness in the realm of human affairs was Jesus of Nazareth.” This may be debatable, but he certainly gave the idea unique publicity.

Humanitarian Reform: Jesus had a way of championing the excluded that was often downright irritating to those in power. His inclusion of women led to a community to which women �ocked in disproportionate numbers. Slaves--up to a third of ancient populations--might wander into a church fellowship and have a slave-owner wash their feet rather than beat them. One ancient text instructed bishops to not interrupt worship to greet a wealthy attender, but to sit on the �oor to welcome the poor. The apostle Paul said: “Now there is neither Jew nor Gentile, slave or free, male and female, but all are one in Christ Jesus.” Thomas Cahill wrote that this was the �rst statement of egalitarianism in human literature.

Perhaps as remarkable as anything else is Jesus’ ability to withstand the failings of his followers, who from the beginning probably got in his way at least as much as they helped. The number of groups claiming to be ‘for’ Jesus are inexhaustible; to name a few: Jews for Jesus, Muslims for Jesus, Ex-Masons for Jesus, Road Riders for Jesus, Cowboys for Jesus, even Atheists for Jesus.

The one predictable element of this fall’s U.S. presidential campaign is that it will be called “the most important election of our time.” As the last one was called, and the next one will be.

Meanwhile, the unpredictable in�uence of an unelected carpenter continues to endure and spread across the world.

the move for universal literacy.

Compassion Jesus had a universal concern for those who suffered that transcended the rules of the ancient world. His compassion for the poor and the sick led to institutions for lepers, the beginning of modern-day hospitals. The Council of Nyssa decreed that wherever a cathedral existed, there must be a hospice, a place of caring for the sick and poor. That’s why even today, hospitals have names like “Good Samaritan,” “Good Shepherd,” or “Saint Anthony.” They were the world’s �rst voluntary, charitable institutions.

Humility The ancient world honored many virtues like courage and wisdom, but not humility. People were generally divided into �rst class and coach. “Rank must be preserved,” said Cicero; each of the original 99 percent was a personis mediocribus. Plutarch wrote a self-help book that might crack best-seller lists in our day: How to Praise Yourself Inoffensively.

Jesus’ life as a foot-washing servant would eventually lead to the adoption of humility as a widely admired virtue. Historian John Dickson writes, “it is unlikely that any of us would aspire to this virtue were it not for the historical impact of his cruci�xion...Our culture remains cruciform long after it stopped being Christian.”

Forgiveness In the ancient world, virtue meant rewarding your friends and punishing your enemies. Conan the Barbarian was actually paraphrasing Ghengis Khan in his famous answer to the question “what is best in life?” -- To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of their women.

An alternative idea came from Galilee: what is best in life is to love your enemies, and see them “Reprinted with Permission from John Ortberg, author of Who Is This reconciled to you. Hannah Arendt, the �rst Man? (Zondervan). For more information, please visit WhoIsThisMan.info.”

September 2012

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Host Bobby Boyd Jr. John Stonestreet Steve Brown Karen Masterson Koch David Wheaton Jonathan Park

Billy & Franklin Graham Mark Gregston David Wheaton Jeff Schreve John Carruth Greg Wheatley Gary Chapman

Mark Walters Howard Garre�

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Men of Iron

Every Tuesday night in Shreveport, there is a group of men that meet together to break bread, study God’s Word, and pray for the needs voiced by the group. They call themselves Men of Iron (MOI) after the Word in Proverbs 27:17, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another”. It is an outreach of Eastpoint Community Church, a satellite congregation of Shreveport Community Church, which was planted by site Pastor Steve Beyer. Pastor Steve has a burden for the people on the east side of Shreveport and they meet in Brown Chapel on the campus of Centenary College, Sunday nights at 6 PM. The group was commissioned by Pastor Steve to reach out to the men of the congregation and be a discipleship program to strengthen the walk of those who want a deeper relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Group leader Clyde Tew says, “Our focus is on connecting men to God and other men and on making the Christian life not just relevant, but the center of our everyday lives.”

MOI has been meeting for almost 3 years and has met in apartment complex club rooms, homes, and several different restaurants on the east side of Shreveport. They currently meet at Podnuh’s BBQ on Shreveport-Barksdale Hwy. Recently, the Men of Iron participated in a study based on the movie Courageous. If you have not seen the movie, it is a must see and is available on DVD. The 8 week study was led by Norm Ahearn and Craig Nowlan. After the study was completed, there was a special graduation ceremony where the graduates gathered with their families and signed the same declaration certificate that the men in the movie committed to and signed. Participant David Martini said, “The Courageous study has had a tremendous impact on my marriage. My wife said that she has seen a wonderful difference in me.”

Throughout this summer they have studied various books of the Bible written by the Apostle Paul. In the fall, they will begin a discipleship study based on the life of Timothy. If you are interested in joining the Men of Iron for fellowship and “sharpening” of the man that God is leading you to be, then give David Martini a call at 230-8238 and he will be glad to give you all the details.

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5TWEAKS

Health and Wellness

to a Flatter Stomach

Diet Tweak #3: Eat more fiber If your stomach isn’t as flat as you’d like it to be, then Most people simply do not get enough fiber in their you have come to the right place. Exercise alone will not get you a toned stomach – diet is a huge part of the diets. Fiber is essential when it comes to getting lean since it is low calorie while filling your up. equations. ✓ Instead of seeing salad just as a side item, make Below I have complied five very easy tweaks to your salads into meals. Add protein to a large pile of greens eating habits that will dramatically flatten your abs. for a guiltless meal. ✓ Make veggies a part of every meal. The benefits of Diet Tweak #1: Don’t eat after 6pm eating more vegetables are too numerous to list , just This is such a simple and effective way to lose fat. Late know that your body will become healthier and leaner night eating is the most damaging to your waistline, so with each fibrous bite. ✓ Fruits are a delicious source of fiber. Incorporate cut it out completely. ✓ Ice your teeth are brushed, you’ve put a period to fresh, seasonal fruits into your daily diet. the end of your consumption for the day.

Diet Tweak #4: Drink tons of water ✓ Change your evening routine. If you’ve always Drinking plenty of water is another extremely ended your day watching our favorite shows your hand in the snack bowl , then now is the time to change things simple way to promote weight loss. Chronic dehydration up. Find activities that don’t revolve around food and leads to false hunger signals and unnecessary calorie consumption. stick with those. ✓ Drink a large glass of water before each meal. This ✓ Make it a habit. The first few weeks will be the will prevent overeating. hardest, but soon your new-no-food-after-6pm routine ✓ Choose water instead of sugar-filled sodas and will feel normal. juices. Sugar-filled drinks are a huge weight-gain trap. ✓ Carry a water bottle with you throughout your Diet Tweak #2: Cut back on carbs day. Keep water in the car and at your desk for constant Notice I didn’t say to cut out all carbs, rather to cut hydration. back on carbs. These diet tweaks are meant as lifestyle Diet Tweak #5: Enjoy natural sweets changes that you stick with long term. Cutting back on carbs is realistic and very effective way to lose weight.

Traditional sugar-filled sweets will quickly add ✓ Always choose whole grain bread and pasta over up around your waistline. Instead of going for sugary white. Whole grains are less likely to be stored as fat sweets, enjoy natural sweets. than processed grains. ✓ Fruit is nature’s candy. Reach for sweet, seasonal ✓ Eat half of the carbs you normally do. Eat your fruit for dessert. sandwich open-faced and reduce the size of your pasta ✓ Avoid foods that contain white sugar or high fructose serving. corn syrup. Consider these items ‘anti-flab-abs.’ ✓ Avoid carb-filled snacks between meals. Instead of ✓ Use wholesome sweeteners such as pure maple crackers or chips, have fresh fruit and veggies. syrup, brown rice syrup or dates in your recipes instead of white sugar. Eliminate white sugar from your kitchen.

Eating right, coupled with challenging exercises, is the formula for a toned, lean body.

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Champion Leader

Fr. James is a great and talented friend of ours we met while in NY. His music has reached and led many to the faith.

is the working name for James Bozeman’s musical creative output.

After departing Georgia and saying goodbye to his mates in, They Sang As They Slew, Bozeman moved his family to Crestwood, New York.

After graduating from seminary and being ordained as an Eastern Orthodox priest, James moved to Beaufort, South Carolina, where he serves a small “mission” church.

Check out his website at: www.championleader.bandcamp.com

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Do you have Sarah Young’s Jesus Calling devotional, too?

So many people have recommended it to me that I have meant to pick up a copy, but if you know anything about being a mother of small children, you know that things like “pick up a copy of a book for myself” falls pretty far down on the always too long to-do list.

During my visit in Mobile, my Kathy flat out gave me her copy as I went on about how I’ve been meaning to buy one. That’s so Kathy.

Since then, I’ve found it to be an extremely efficient way of being encouraged. It’s just a little nibble of a thing to whet your appetite for truth and for the Lord. And lo and behold, it hits the nail on the head every single time. The morning before I got the first grain of sand on my toes on vacation, Young’s devotional called me to be “on the lookout for everything [the Lord] has prepared for [me]: stunning scenery, bracing winds of adventure, cozy nooks for resting when [I] am weary, and much more.” It was a call to be watchful and thankful as in Colossians 4:2.

It’s like that everyday.

Its interactive words of encouragement have actually moved me to remember how much I LOVE to interact with the Lord and how I must remain thankful and watchful of when and how He speaks to lead and guide and encourage and challenge me.

In short, the Lord has used it in my life to sharpen my spirit.

And for what it’s worth, that’s my TLLOM recommendation for a book worthy of a prioritized spot on any to-do list.

“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”

Proverbs 27:17

Candace Chaney

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“The Better Part: A Christ-Centered Resource for Personal prayer,” by Fr. John Bartunek, LC, has

already improved thousands of lives in its best-selling book form. Now the same practical and deep help for Christian meditation is available in an App! Fr. Bartunek has created an extensive, Christ-centered resource to serve as a daily meditation companion.

It is a Bible study on the four Gospels (included in full), a survey of saints’ writings, a guide to prayer, and a fresh introduction to Jesus rolled into one. The Better Part enables us to read, meditate, absorb and apply the Gospels to our lives, and it serves as a catalyst to personalize times of prayer, enabling us to follow the Holy Spirit’s lead into holiness.

Each Gospel passage includes four commentaries: Christ as Lord, Christ as Teacher, Christ as Friend, and Christ in my Life. Questions for personal reflection and small group discussion are also included. You can choose to go through “The Better Part” sequentially or according to the Liturgical Calendar. We lead tremendously busy lives, with 1,001 things to do. Even so, every saint and renowned spiritual director through the ages has said the same thing: If we desire to become saints, we must spend time daily in meditation. With this App, you can make that happen in a powerful new way.

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barksdalebaptistchurch.org September 2012

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Quips and Quotes

Mother’s prayer for her children Holy Father, Immortal, from whom all goodness and gentleness comes, penitently I pray Thee for the children whom Thou hast given me to bear.

Keep them in Thy grace and holiness, that Thy name may be glorified in them. Direct me by Thy grace to raise them toward the glory of Thy holy name and the benefit of other people. Grant me the gift of the patience necessary to do so. O Lord, enlighten the mind of my children with Thy Wisdom to learn to love Thee in their souls and thoughts. Instill in their hearts the fear and abhorrence of every vice, that they may be able to go the right way without sin. Adorn their souls with purity, goodness, humility, diligence, patience, and every virtue. Guard their lips from all slander and lies. Bless my children, that they may progress in virtue and holiness, and grow under Thy care into honest people. May their guardian angels be with them and protect them in their youth from misleading thoughts, from the evil and sinful temptations of this world, and from the traps of all unclean spirits. And when my children sin before Thee, do not turn away Thy face from them, but according to Thy great mercy be merciful unto them, for Thou alone art the one who cleansesth people from all sin. Reward my children with worldly good things and everything they need for salvation. Keep them from wrath, anger, misfortune, evil, and suffering all the days of their lives. O good Lord, I pray Thee, grant me joy and happiness from my children. Keep me in righteousness and justice, that with Thy children I may stand before Thee in the day of Thy dreaded judgment, and that without fear I may say: Here I am, Lord, with the children whom Thou hast given me, that together with them I may praise Thy most holy name of the Father and Son and Holy Spirit, unto ages of ages. Amen

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A Sure and Certain Wealth

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Wealth is not a possession, it is not property. It is a loan for use. Those things only are our own, which we have sent before us to the other world ... only the virtues of the soul are properly our own.

- St John Chrysostom sbfaithandfamily.com

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