Whitesburg OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014
One generation
will declare Your works
to the next. Psalm 145:4
WHITESBURG BAPTIST CHURCH
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Inside
Whitesburg OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014
Page 6 first generation follower
2 generations
By Dr. Jimmy Jackson
4 i love thanksgiving By Rev. David Dye
6 first generation follower By Katie O’Boyle
10 leaving a legacy
By Dr. Doug Walker
13 My year of thankfulness
By Rhonna Bodin
Thanksgiving activities
15 kid’s space
16 Faith, Family & friends
By Alex McCool
18 Pondering the best blueberries
Page 18 the best blueberries
22 Womens’ ministry mentoring
the caring place
WHITESBURG BAPTIST CHURCH
Whitesburg magazine is a publication by Whitesburg Baptist Church, 6806 Whitesburg Dr., Huntsville, AL 35802-2299. (Permit No. 446) Publisher: Whitesburg Baptist Church Editor-in-Chief: Rev. David Dye Graphics & Publishing: Melissa Schuster, Ron Snyder Editorial Assistants: Karen Tidwell, Beverly Dishman, Katie O’Boyle
By Vicki Harrell Hereford Ministry Highlight
26 Exercise for everyone
By Carol Pepe
Page 26 exercise for everyone October/November 2014 | Whitesburg
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Generations By DR. JIMMY JACKSON
On any given Sunday the congregation meeting at our church is comprised of people from ages 1 to nearly 100. According to demographic and social statistics, several generations are included in this vast age range. We hear much about various generations of people and their interesting characteristics. Whatever the label may be for a specific age group (Bridge, Boomer, Buster, Millennials, etc.), every person in each generation is someone for whom Jesus died and rose again. We may be very different in the influences that have helped mold our thinking. We may have 2
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differing tastes in food, clothing, music, etc., but we all need to know and honor Jesus Christ with our lives. The complexity of trying to reach, evangelize, and mobilize a church made up of distinct but overlapping generations has prompted many studies, articles, and books by a variety of researchers and authors. At one extreme, there are those who want to compromise the teachings of God’s Word in order to reach people, especially the younger more technically adept postmoderns. On the other end of the spectrum are those who are determined to do church as it was done a hundred years ago.
These resist any change in the method of ministry. In between these two unwise and unacceptable approaches, we must find a God honoring, Christ exalting, Spirit empowered way to advance the Kingdom of God in a constantly changing world. We are working diligently at WBC to do just that. Let me stress again, the church of Jesus Christ must seek the salvation and discipling of every generation and every people group throughout the world. This is a calling that only the Rapture of the church will silence. Yet, it is not something that is either simple or easy. Without getting into a long and involved evaluation of the complex issues related to reaching a multigenerational culture, we need to consider the only way we can be successful. Our Lord Jesus spelled it out to us in His message on the vine and the branches. “Without Me (Jesus), you can do nothing.” Later, He told the disciples that He must go back to heaven by way of Calvary in order to send the Holy Spirit to live in anyone who becomes a follower of Christ. How does that affect us as we join together to follow
Jesus as members of our family and as members of the household of faith—His church called Whitesburg—and the multigenerational church that has spanned the centuries since Jesus established it? If we take every problem that exists in the process of passing the accomplishments and failures of one generation on to the next, our only hope is to allow the Holy Spirit to produce His precious and practical fruit in each of our lives—grandparents, parents, children, grandchildren, etc. He has all we need, and He is the only One who can perform this transforming work. May we have the blessing of a spiritual awakening so that we are known for His love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith (and faithfulness), meekness, and selfcontrol. Herein lies the power for cultural healing and hope for the future. It must happen in each of us. Let us seek Him with our whole heart.
Dr. Jimmy Jackson is the Senior Pastor of Whitesburg Baptist Church in Huntsville, AL.
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I Love
Thanksgiving By REV. DAVID DYE
Recently our pastor shared in his message to the families gathered at our summer picnic about the importance of generational ministry. Instantly I knew I wanted to explore the theme of generations in an upcoming issue of our Whitesburg Magazine. What better time than a Fall/ Thanksgiving issue? I hope you enjoy reading these contributions as much as I have gathering them and putting them together. Personally, I love Thanksgiving! I always have. To be honest, it’s a lot about the food. I can still remember the expansive spread that would be laid out every year at my grandmother’s house covering both her large peninsula and kitchen table. 4
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Even for a picky eater, as I was, it was heaven on earth. This tradition continues for my family, only the location and faces have changed over the years. (The food remains delicious and plentiful.) But as I have aged I also realize that now, as it was all those years before, it is the family that makes the day so special. Coming from a fairly large family, it’s hard to stay connected and see each other as often as you would like. Thanksgiving is one of the days that allows us to do just that. I am privileged to have five generations of my family alive today. From my position smack dab in the middle, I see so much to be thankful for. I look at my last remaining great-aunt. She has seen so
much. It’s hard to imagine the change in the world she was born into and the one she lives in now. For our family, she is the last of a generation and it was a great one. They came through multiple wars, the depression, social changes and so much more. Aunt E may never be able to enjoy all opportunities we have today the way I do, but I know that I couldn’t enjoy them if it weren’t for her and her generation. On the other end of the spectrum I recently I had the chance to enjoy the company of my youngest great-niece. This year will be her first Thanksgiving. She won’t be able
to take it all in, but it will be much richer because of her presence. If for no other reason than she reminds us of days when we didn’t have to worry, she will make an impact. I pray for her to grow up in a world where peace and love are the norm but mostly I pray that she will have faith that will see her through any storm she faces in life. Yes, I truly have much to be thankful for. Each generation serves as a reminder of where we have come from and where we can go. May you and all the generations in your family be blessed.
David Dye is the Communications Pastor of Whitesburg Baptist
Church. He is a follower of Christ, husband to Wendy, dad to Tyler and Christopher (and Belle the wonder dog), and an Auburn Tiger. October/November 2014 | Whitesburg
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First Generation Follower By KATIE O’BOYLE
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It’s almost hard to believe that I’ve been a Christian for ten years now. A whole decade has passed during which I have gone to youth activities as a student, led students as a youth leader, finished college, and gotten married. These have been ten years filled with spiritual mountaintops covered in prayer, studying the Bible, worshipping, and the valleys of quiet and dry seasons in which I felt the Lord’s presence had completely abandoned me. My spiritual awakening began in my room at night as I prayed to a God I knew almost nothing about but believed He had to be there. You see, I was not raised in a Christian home nor was I taken to or even sent to church by my parents. I actually went to church for the first time to be with a boy I thought was cute, and as I heard the Gospel presented, I knew the youth pastor was talking about me. About two weeks later, in August
2004, talking to that same cute boy, I became a Christian. After that, each Sunday I got up on my own, and came to church. My mom didn’t mind me going, but spending Sundays at Church just wasn’t her thing….yet. I went to youth activities each Wednesday night I could. I’d find my ride to church any way I could, eat afterword with friends, and then make my way back home. I can remember the very day I noticed the Lord working in my mother’s life. It was one of those little Saturday mom and daughter day trips where we had gone up to Nashville looking for great deals. On the way back I found myself sharing my testimony in the car. I was telling my mom how Jesus had given me a clean slate. And I wasn’t afraid anymore of any consequence my former lifestyle might have threatened me with. Nope, not in Jesus. In Jesus I was feeling whole and refreshed. My whole being was changing. And
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my mom could tell. She asked me, “What do you mean a clean slate?” I explained 2 Corinthians 5:17 to her; how in Christ the old parts of my life were gone and the new had come. The Lord was beginning His good work in my mom’s life. I invited my mom to Easter service that year. It was her first time hearing our pastor, Brother Jimmy, preach. I knew the Lord was speaking to her through him. So I invited her back most Sundays. Then in June 2005, my Mom got her “clean slate” when she too, put her faith in Jesus Christ. And to think now, she is one of the greatest ladies I know! How she serves the Lord day in
and day out! She is serving in youth ministry each Sunday. She seeks the Lord daily and loves her children better now than ever through the love of Christ. Many weekends she spends with my ten-year-old niece Zoe. She brings Zoe to church, to VBS and other children’s events. My mom has helped to share the Gospel with Zoe and Zoe has accepted Christ. Multiple generations in my family are now alive in Jesus! It’s ten years since I became the first Christian in our family. Now, my mother, Zoe and I can pray for the bloodline of Christ to run through our family tree down to generations after us. Over the past decade the Lord has taught me that whoever (at any age) would call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. I’ve also learned that Christian generations in your family can begin at any age! Likewise, God equips those of all ages to share the Gospel! God has given us the gift of the Gospel to take out into the whole world and to the world we call our family.
Katie O’Boyle is a lover of Jesus and all things created through
Him and for Him. She will be forever in love with Adam O’Boyle and is a 1960-1970s aficionado living in the 2000s.
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How to Have
A Clean Slate It doesn’t matter how bad we have failed or messed up. The beauty of the Gospel is that when we repent and confess our sins to God, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins (1 John 1:9). Only the Lord can truly offer us a “clean slate” in life. Sin brings guilt and shame into our lives. Sin loves to control and manipulate us; ultimately, sin cripples us in our mission to share the Gospel with others. We all have sinned and missed the mark of God’s standard (Romans 3:10-11; Romans 3:23). We are not perfect, and we are definitely not sinless (1 John 1:5-10). We are, however, desperately in need of God to graciously intervene in our life (Ephesians 2:4-9). In Psalm 32, David challenges his people to contemplate the full destructive force of sin. David goes on to teach the people the blessing of forgiveness which is only found in God. David points out that true happiness is understanding that God forgives us for our sin. “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man
against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit” Psalm 32:1-2 (ESV). All you have to do is confess your sins to God through prayer and believe in God’s promise of forgiveness. “I acknowledged my sin to You, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,’ and You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah” Psalm 32:5 (ESV). True happiness and joy in the Christian life is experienced when sin is confessed, cleansed, and conquered. That is the beauty of the clean slate God offers us through the precious blood Jesus Christ shed on the cross for us. You no longer have to be enslaved to sin, guilt, and shame. Come to Jesus and experience true freedom and victory. Today you can let go of the sinful past Satan has held over your head and begin living free as a forgiven, redeemed child of God. Embrace and cherish the clean slate of grace. October/November 2014 | Whitesburg
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Leaving a Legacy As a young boy I was challenged to read the Bible from cover to cover. I tried, but didn’t make it very far. I started in Genesis and things went fine for the first four chapters, but then I hit the genealogies. There were chapters of them and I quickly lost interest. Why would any young boy read the genealogies of people he never knew, with names he couldn’t pronounce, when he could be out playing ball? I drew the obvious conclusion and set the Bible 10
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aside. I’m on the other side of the generational divide now and I see things differently. In fact, I’ve come to see that God sees things differently as well. Genealogies might not be important to a young boy, and they might not be terribly important to our society, but they’re extremely important to God. They’re common in the Bible for good reason. One of God’s primary goals has always been to establish godly generations that perpetuate His
By dr. DOUG WALKER worship across the ages. God made this clear in Genesis 18:19, telling Abraham that he had been chosen so that “he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him.” Earlier in Genesis (12:2-3; 15:4-5; 17:18) God promised Abraham that he would become a great nation and a blessing to the Gentiles. There we learn that God’s chosen
means of fulfilling that promise was good parenting. God wanted Abraham to train his children in His ways. If Abraham’s offspring walked in the LORD’s ways, then all would go well; but if not then the promise would go unfulfilled. It’s no coincidence that the next two verses (18:20-21) announce the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The two cities were deeply depraved and were the very opposite of the godly nation that Abraham was to form. Their destruction was carried out in
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chapter 19 and Scripture records that only Abraham’s nephew Lot and his two daughters survived. Although Lot survived he went on to live a shameful life, eventually perpetuating his family line through sexual relations with his own daughters. Compromising Lot formed a second contrast with righteous Abraham. Abraham is a hero of the faith, but he was not without sin. He sometimes shaded the truth to get out of jams (e.g. Genesis 12:10-13; 20:1-2). What distinguished Abraham from Lot was not his moral rectitude but his faith. Quite simply, Abraham took God at His word and lived accordingly (Romans 4:18-21), whereas Lot compromised at every turn. Of course Abraham’s faith, like ours, did not come naturally but grew as God led him through times of testing. We, too, should live a life of obedience and devotion that the Lord would be pleased to bless. In writing this I think of my father. Dad, who is now deceased, walked especially closely with the Lord during my high school years. By then I was old enough to understand the problems he faced, and the reality of his walk with the Lord left an indelible impression on me. As an entrepreneur Dad faced overwhelming pressures 12
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in business. He was perpetually busy—often doing the work of three men—and financially strapped. Despite these pressures he always made time for his daily devotion, helped people when he had no time, gave away money he couldn’t spare, and was honest when others weren’t. Dad’s generosity and honesty were consequences of his trusting obedience, and time and again I saw God honor his obedience by doing amazing things. Dad was a good man but it wasn’t his moral rectitude that the LORD honored. It was his faith. God honored Dad’s faith just as he honored Abraham’s, and the example I saw in him remains an inspiration to me to this day. My deepest desire is to leave for my children a legacy of faith and obedience as strong as the one my father left me. Legacies aren’t given to us, they are hard won. Your children and grandchildren are watching. What legacy will you leave them? Remember, the next generation begins with you. Dr. Doug Walker
is a long time Christ follower; husband to Betsy, father to Julie, Douglas Jr., and Christy; grandfather to Heather and Gwyneth. He is also a professor at Legacy Christian University.
My YEAR of Thankfulness By RHONNA BODIN Last November, I did what many of you did during the month of November. I put an “I am thankful for…” post on Facebook every day that month. It seemed like a logical activity to do during the month that we celebrate Thanksgiving. However, near the end of that month, one of my friends made this comment: “Wish people were thankful all year. No one ever is. What hypocrites!” When I saw that comment, I started to ponder a bit. At first it seemed harsh, but then I realized that there was some truth to those words. It does appear that we live in an age of ungratefulness. We have so much, yet we take it for granted; we feel entitled, so we forget to be thankful. And yes, I mean “we” as in Christians. So I determined to take this comment as a challenge to become more outwardly thankful. I made a commitment to post something for which I was thankful every
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day for 365 days. Please permit me to sidetrack for a minute. The phrase “in everything give thanks” is commonly tossed around in Christian circles. But do we really understand it? In order to get the full picture, we must read the rest of the sentence in the three verses that encompass this phrase. I Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (ESV) It is actually the WILL of God that we rejoice, pray and give thanks. And that “we” includes me and every Christian out there. It took a long time in my Christian walk for me to understand that these are in the imperative form and are commands. I must obey. So let us get back to the challenge. I started posting my thankful thoughts. They ranged from simple objects like hinges and toilet paper to relationships such as family and friends to qualities of God including His provision and timing. It was relatively easy until January.
Little did I know that when I started this challenge, my beloved dad was going to go to live with Jesus in the middle of it. God knew it though, and He was preparing me through this experiment on Facebook to be thankful through my dad’s final days here on earth. And believe me, I was not running around excited about the experience. I never once thanked God that my dad was dying. But I was able to be sincerely grateful for wonderful memories and for the fact that he was now whole and well in heaven. Facebook may not be your thing, but being thankful must be. Whatever your method, drawing, singing, talking, journaling, pondering in your heart, just do it. Our lives abound with reasons to be thankful. Find them and say, “Thank you, Jesus.”
No amount of REGRET changes the past. No amount of ANXIETY changes the future. Any amount of GRATEFUL JOY changes the present.
Rhonna Bodin is a follower of Christ, teacher at Whitesburg 14
Christian Academy, prayer warrior, mentor, believes people come first, and is passionate about missions.
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KID’S SPACE Thanksgiving Word Search CORN CORNUCOPIA DELICIOUS DESSERT
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Did you know... • The Pilgrims’ and Wampanoag Indians’ Thanksgiving feast in 1621 lasted three days. Dinner included berries, shellfish, boiled pumpkin, and deer. • President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November as a national Thanksgiving holiday in 1863. • Americans eat roughly 535 million pounds of turkey on Thanksgiving. October/November 2014 | Whitesburg
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Faith, Family & Friends By ALEX MCCOOL
The wise man Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes 1:4, that “generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.” This fact that Solomon gives shows the impermanence of a person’s existence in contrast with the earth that remains forever! We all know that generations come and go and people change, yet God has given His name Yahweh to be reserved through all generations (Exodus 3:15). I was born in 1923 to parents who immigrated to the United States from Damascus, Syria. All men, including immigrants, had to register for the draft in the military before World War I. I found my father’s registration cards from 1918 where he signed his name “Makhoul.” He also had to register for the draft in World War II in 1942 and at that time he signed his name “McCool.” It had always been a mystery how my father acquired an Irish name 16
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of “McCool” since he had come from the Mediterranean area. It’s not clear how my father came to settle in Daytona Beach, Florida, but it was there that he met his future bride, Najla Samra. They were married in early 1923 at an Episcopal Church. My first year of life was a very traumatic time for my young parents. It was during this time I had my first experience with my guardian angel. We lived in a two-story house on Ivy Lane and somehow I knocked the screen from the second story bedroom. My bed was by the window and yes, you have probably guessed the rest of the story! When my mom came into the room and noticed the missing screen and open window, she almost had a seizure! She looked out the open widow and saw me sitting on the bare ground! In October of 1929, the U.S. stock market crashed and the Great Depression began. My dad
left home, leaving my brother and me to grow up in a single parent household. We lived near the railroad tracks. I still recall hobos who had been riding the train knocking on our back door asking for food and my mom would graciously feed them. During the Great Depression when our family was struggling to meet any of our own needs the lesson was clear: Always have compassion for your fellow man. While serving in the U.S. Navy, I saw that the military had good leaders and that they provided great leadership for me. These leaders behaved in a manner that put other people first and then worried about taking care of themselves. Now after spending some 50 years in rocketry and being associated with so many wonderful people across this nation, I have learned that good leadership comes down to working hard and putting others
first. People ask me what is the equation for leading a successful life. I respond that I follow the three “F’s.” The first “F” is for “faith.” This is the most important item. Each person is to be close to the Lord and our spirituality. The main idea is that our Lord is always present and in control. You and I must look to Him for our daily living! The second “F” is family. We all should put energy into our parents, spouses and children and love them with all our heart! The third “F” is friends and this includes work associates and colleagues. Last, we all should strive to become a “people person” and develop our own priority of seeking His will for our lives in all we do. After all, we are only here a short period and God has given us His instructions in His Word!
Alex McCool retired from NASA in 2004. He worked in Rocketry for 50 years (helping put men on the moon). Alex has a wonderful family. He has been a member of Whitesburg Baptist Church since 1964 and is a former deacon and Sunday School Teacher. October/November 2014 | Whitesburg
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Pondering the Best
Blueberries By VICKI HARRELL HEREFORD One of my favorite things to do is pick blueberries. Even now, as my man-children have grown much taller than their mom, I can still get them to pick blueberries and shell peas with me. It all goes back to my childhood, when my Mamaw (my mother’s mother) would take me with her to pick blueberries. We would also go to the Farmer’s Market in Moultrie, GA, and get our bushels of zipper and purple hull peas and butterbeans, take them home, and shell until our fingertips were cracking. It was not something that I minded doing at all, because it meant that I would sit with Mamaw and listen to her stories about growing up in South Georgia. Shelling peas was part of growing up, but picking blueberries was so much easier. I have been able to pass both of those pastimes along to my guys – those activities have become a family tradition in a time when families are too busy for such
things. Upon a return trip home to Florida this summer, my 82-yearold mother wanted to pick blueberries. I had a long list of things that had to be done in the week, but I want to do as much as I can with my mother during the years we have with her. So, several things on my to-do list are still undone – but my mother and I picked blueberries… lots and lots of blueberries. We ate them, too, while we picked and talked and reminisced about Mamaw. She was a true Proverbs 31 woman. As we were picking, I noticed something. I had purposely left the lower branches in the shade for her to pick so that she would not tire so easily. I picked the higher branches that were in the sunlight. It occurred to me that there were larger, more plentiful, sweeter blueberries in the sunlight – up high in the bushes – than there were in the
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lower parts. I thought about our spiritual walks with the Lord… if I had not had a good reason to stretch and reach and perspire, I would probably have picked from the lower branches. After all, the fruit there was still good and there was enough to satisfy me… why not take the easier road here? But, if I wanted the best fruit – the greatest yield – I would have to sacrifice some of my comfort. I would have to stretch beyond my normal capacity, beyond what would be comfortable, even beyond what would be considered “good enough.” After all, the reward for my efforts would be so much more worth the discomfort. I thought about
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what had transpired that day… that excursion was a great way to make a memory with my dear mom. But it was also just another little reminder that I have been given an opportunity to grow beyond what is comfortable. I should not be satisfied with the fruit that is just good enough. I should seek after the fruit that is just a little more out of reach, a little more difficult to grasp, a little harder to obtain. And so it is with my walk with Christ… in order for me to grow and pass wisdom to the younger women, I have to be ever aware of the fruit in the higher places. I cannot be satisfied with the “low-hanging fruit” if I am going to be a godly example to my sons and to my
other family members. I have to stretch, reach, and struggle to grow beyond those limits that used to be good enough. One of my favorite quotes is from a former mentor. She says that the growth is in the struggle. We have all witnessed that – we plod along and suddenly we are hit with something that tests our faith. In that struggle, we find ourselves in God’s arms and we realize that He is teaching us mighty things that we can then use to grow past the struggles we are enduring. I’m sure there are many who would say that God was not really in that row of blueberry bushes that day, but I sure thanked Him for the reminder that the best blessings come after the struggle. I’ll leave you with Philippians 1:9-11, a passage that was an encouragement to me as I pondered the best blueberries… May God richly bless you as you stretch, reach, struggle, and grow.
Philippians 1:9-11 (KJV) “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.”
Vicki Harrell Hereford is a child of the One True King, Mom
to three godly men (Ethan, Justin and Logan), Dean of the School of Business Adminstration at Legacy Christian University and a member of Whitesburg Baptist Church. October/November 2014 | Whitesburg
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Ministry Highlight
Women’s Ministry
Mentoring
Ladies helping ladies across the generations
The Mentoring Ministry for ladies at Whitesburg Baptist Church has been growing steadily over the past few years. We sat down with Deree Tarwater, the Women’s Ministry Coordinator at Whitesburg Baptist Church, to find out more. Whitesburg Magazine (WM): Where did the inspiration for the mentoring program come from? ): Mentoring Ministry ( From our young women. They wanted to learn how to be good and godly wives, moms, and homemakers.
WM: Is there a central verse or mission statement for this ministry? : We definitely use Titus 2 which instructs the older
women to teach the younger women, but our primary verse is Psalm 145:4, “One generation will commend Your works to another; they will tell of Your mighty acts.” WM: What are the roles involved? : The 3-member group includes a mentor, a mentee, and a prayer warrior. WM: How commitment? : 6 months
long
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WM: What’s it like to be a mentee? : Some of the things we hear from our ladies are: I loved having another woman invest in my life, I gained a friend and a
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confidant, and I had someone to lean on when I needed to make important life decisions. The number one thing a mentee will receive is someone to point them back to Scripture, to walk and to wait with them as God performs His will in their life.
WM: What’s it like to be a mentor? : Although Titus 2 specifically instructs the older women to teach the younger women, most older women don’t consider themselves “older,” or wiser, or qualified. However, they have “lived life” and learned much that can benefit a younger woman. A mentor is basically a woman of any age who wants to use her life experiences, good or bad, and her walk with Christ to
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help another women grow in her daily and spiritual life.
WM: I’m sure mentees aren’t the only ones who receive blessings from this ministry; do you have any stories from mentors you could share? : One of our ladies shared that although she wanted to be a mentor she was concerned about not being wise enough to mentor in a specific area in which she felt uncertain. This turned out to be a particular area the mentee she was paired with was already strong in. The mentee became an encouragement and blessing to the mentor in that area while the mentor encouraged her to grow in others. WM: It has to be a huge blessing
knowing you have a prayer warrior assigned to your team. What do you believe these ladies take away from their participation? : One prayer warrior shared that previously she basically prayed only for herself and her family, but being a prayer warrior had stretched her to pray for others. She was motivated to do a personal study on prayer and has definitely grown in her prayer life. WM: How do you put these groupings together? : This is one of my favorite parts of the mentoring ministry. A Prayer Team of about 5 ladies prayerfully listens as the ladies share at the Mentoring
Orientation Coffee; then the Prayer Team spends several hours together praying for God’s direction on who to group together. We are always amazed to see how God directs. Then to top it off, frequently the ladies share their amazement at how perfectly they were matched, in ways totally unknown to the Prayer Team. It’s definitely a God thing! WM: How and when can a lady reading this get involved? : She can attend our next Mentoring Orientation Coffee on Sunday, March 8, 2015. In the meantime, she can find additional information at WhitesburgBaptist.org/Women.
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whitesburgbaptist.org
Exercise for Everyone By carol pepe Research has shown that it is important to exercise for good physical and mental health. Everyone can exercise, even in our hectic lives! It is vitally important to actively incorporate exercise daily, for young and old. Young mothers and family members can exercise with their babies. Go for a walk and put the baby in a stroller. Keep track of how far and how long. Mothers and family members can engage with the baby as they use the baby as a “weight.” For example, you can hold the baby and do bicep curls, over head lifts, squats, etc. You can even do sit–ups with baby on your lap. The key is to be consistent – pick a time in your day to exercise. You can get a baby carrier and
go on hikes. Toddlers love to play, and family members can be creative to move with the toddler - horsy rides, airplane, crawling, playing ball, and stretching. Get a bicycle with a baby seat and go for regular bike rides. There are bikes that have pull along carriers for two children, and eventually there are bikes that have child “bikes” that hook onto the parent’s bike. Older children can get their own bikes so the whole family can ride together. There are even three wheel bikes for grandparents or family members who cannot ride a regular bike. Children love to go hiking, and carry their own backpacks. Sports are not just for kids - parents can practice all the sports with their kids. Even October/November 2014 | Whitesburg
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grandparents can participate in all of these activities! When the weather changes, it is even more important to seek out ways to exercise. There are opportunities to swim indoors, shoot some baskets at the gym, walk on walking tracks, or join a class. Exercise can be incorporated throughout the day for people who work at a desk. You can get out of your seat once every hour and walk around a little. Lunch hour is great to find a partner and do a swift walk around the parking lot before eating a nutritious lunch. Another way is to change out your regular chair for a balance ball – this helps with
working your core, increasing your balance and helping with posture. You can stand at your desk and do leg curls – keep count and gradually increase the number. Soup cans can be used as weights to do a little arm work. Stretching decreases fatigue and increases flexibility. One of the best times to exercise is as a family in front of the TV. Every commercial is an opportunity for everyone to get off the couch and do situps, push-ups, squats, lunges, jumping jacks, bear walks, hopping on one leg contests, etc. This is a great time for people recovering from surgery or injury to do their physical therapy homework. You can set up bands at doorknobs, lay on the floor, or what ever is required. Can you work out every commercial, for the whole commercial? No matter where you are in life, or what issues you have, exercise needs to become a part of your everyday life! Have fun!
Carol Pepe has been happily married 30 years to Paul; is a mother 28
of seven; former special ed teacher; realtor with Legend; loves life and her sweet Jesus! She has taught aerobics classes for 24 years, and is a grandmother of four.
whitesburgbaptist.org
OUTREACH
CENTER
RE-CREA ION R O C
WHITESBURG BAPTIST CHURCH
A safe and Christian environment for family and personal fitness. Activities open to the community: Group Fitness ($15/month) Balance Flow ($15/month) Zumba ($15/month) Christian Soldiers Karate ($15/month) Personal Training ($25/hour) Walking Track (voluntary donation) Located at 7300 Whitesburg Drive, inside the Whitesburg Baptist Center. Hours: Monday - Friday 6 am - 8 pm Wednesdays close at 5 pm Saturday 8 am - noon
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B A P T I S T C H U R C H
W H I T E S B U R G
the caring place
LIFE Groups 8:00, 9:30 & 11:00 am Blended Traditional Service 9:30 am Contemporary Service 11:00 am Evening Service 6:15 pm
Come worship with us on Sundays!
WhitesburgBaptist.org
whitesburgbaptist.org
6806 Whitesburg Drive Huntsville, AL 35802
Whitesburg Baptist Church
PAID
Huntsville, AL Permit 446
Non-Profit Organization US Postage