Day of Prayer

I just ate the most delicious chicken salad sandwich for lunch. It was provided for me by the kind FBCP women who put on today's World Day of Prayer. If you didn't make it, I highly recommend it for next year.


There's something about guided prayer stations in a quiet room that brings a calm over me I can't describe. I swear some of the wrinkles on my face relaxed. They had set up seven or so prayer tables with simple, hand-made decorations from the area of the world that was designated. I especially enjoyed the nativity scenes from different cultures. You read a list of the countries in that area where there are Baptist women and pray over their needs. Some were what you'd expect and some were not.


Two things surprised me about the day.


1. The last station was North America, and I found that I approached it with a fresh perspective. Something about praying from "outside" all the other countries gave me the feeling that I was "outside" of our country too. It was almost like looking into the U.S. from far away.


2. I made new friends from outside my stage of life at FBCP. If you don't have any friends outside your age group I highly recommend finding some. They may not remember my name, and I may have to look them up again in the picture directory, but I think that's okay. The important thing is that God brought us there together to share a quiet moment. That is refreshing and wholly satisfying.


Much like the bliss of eating a sandwich made by someone else!

Appliance Anarchy

Here’s a quote from a sermon I heard this week by Tim Keller*. It’s based on Genesis chapter 3, which you can look up if you want, but it’s the serpent in the garden story. 

“Things fall apart; the center cannot hold; anarchy has been loosed upon the world; that’s what we have now.” 

The reason I personally know this to be true? My washing machine and dishwasher broke last week. And while broken appliances are themselves enough of an indicator of the fallen world we live in, I have found that their presence in my home unleashes all manner of sins of the heart. Anger, frustration, guilt and condemnation are just a few of the ways in which I have chosen to respond to the situation. 

After about two short days of dealing with broken machines, the monologue in my head goes something like this: “Well, if I give up washing machines and go back to beating my clothes against a rock, I would also have to give up penicillin. On the other hand, the way my family gets head colds and UTI’s, we won’t live very long without penicillin. In fact, if I don’t serve spaghetti for dinner I probably have enough clean clothes to last until the infections get us and we’re all in heaven.” You’re impressed, I’m sure, by my focus on the hereafter in difficult present times. I’m very Pauline that way. 

Thankfully, and seriously folks, the One I serve gives life. In the face of every form of death, destruction and the slow trickle of wear and tear, He stands with ice-cream scoops and sterling silver punch bowl ladles and, sure, clean plastic laundry detergent bottle caps, measuring out the life. He pours on rest and refreshment and power and solutions, where before we only stood there pushing plastic buttons that wouldn’t respond.  

The Psalms we have been studying in Sunday School are helping me tremendously by reminding me that nature doesn’t break. Trees may die and flowers fade of course, but while God has created them and gives them life, they never just stand there inexplicably refusing to work the way that machines do. You know, you never go to bed when everything is fine and then wake up the next morning and find that that nice tree you love so much that was perfectly shady yesterday just won’t give shade today. 

So anyway, you’ll find me in the word on Sunday. I need some more cooling water from the Psalms. Unless, you know, my car breaks. If your car is broken or you are otherwise stuck at home, get into Psalm 19. There are some great truths there about nature and what it says to us about God. Drink deeply and enjoy it. See you soon. 

*Tim Keller is the pastor at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City. Ross quoted him extensively from the pulpit a couple weeks ago. This quote I am using is from a sermon of his entitled "The Garden of God." I highly recommend it, but I can't give you my cd because I enjoy it too much. Anyway, they are his words, used without permission but with a grateful heart and full credit. 

Tour Notes

I have just returned from the lunch session of the Tour of Tables 2010. It was so inspiring. I can't wait to get the total numbers of how many were there. I know Baptists get a bad rap for being all about numbers, but it was a lot of people, and I want to know how many. I can't wait to find out. 


There are many great pictures from the setup yesterday and the folks today that I'll put up here in case you couldn't join us this time. I have learned one thing about the women of First Baptist. We do not want to have our pictures taken. It's true. After two days behind a camera I know it full well. 


No one wants to be that person behind the camera or in front of the camera, but just remember I'm not taking pictures just of us. I want to capture what God has done with us. In spite of us. Not just "There we are!" Something more like: "There we are, and look what He made!" 


Anyway, I'll be back later. So excited!

Separation Anxiety

It is my experience that children do not learn lessons from their parents nearly as often as they teach lessons to their parents. Whatever purpose God may have for my children in their adulthood, their main function in the early years has been to humble me and remind me of my position before a benevolent God. Sometimes I imagine God twisting them together into something like a belt sander and applying them on “high” to my conscience. Or pounding them like a spike right above my forehead in that spot that Motrin never seems to penetrate. “Wake up!” “Pay attention!” I say it to them, but I hear it from Him. 

Mine eyes have seen some Type A, major kindergarten separation anxiety this month. Kicking, screaming, grabbing the doorway, clinging to my favorite shirt and stretching it all out, she’s very thorough. Loud. She is also firm that she cannot control it. “I can’t help it.” That’s what she says, and I know it’s true.

Fear doesn’t ever change, does it? It is always unexpected, and it changes behavior almost never for the better. The reminder I seem to be getting this week, though, as I watch her kick and scream all over town, is that some of that same anxiety comes when I separate from the arms of God. If I don’t talk to Him, don’t think about Him, don’t read my Bible or listen and ponder in Sunday School, fear and anxiety and tears will rule my waking moments in ways that I cannot control. 

I suppose it makes sense. The nature of our being is that we will always be ruled by something. That’s sheep for you. If we are not allowing God’s law to penetrate our minds and transform our actions, then something else will. My decisions never happen without some sort of motivation. Christ desires to be that motivation, and leaves me free to draw close anytime. He invites; He doesn’t force. He persuades; He never intimidates. He creates the hunger, and we must come and get it. 

One thing this holy separation anxiety does is make me weak, so in the spirit of immediate help and strength I won’t make you look it up. Help right here right now.

Zephaniah 3:14-17

Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away His judgements against you, He has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; You will fear disaster no more. In that day it will be said to Jerusalem: “Do not be afraid O Zion; Do not let your hands fall limp. The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.”

He is in our midst. What a promise. We can be encouraged by it. It’s difficult to “be” encouraged when you’re just not. “I can’t help it,” we say. Many times I honestly feel this kind of encouragement takes too long. But then the immediate kinds of comfort cause other problems or they don't last. All I know to say is wait for the Holy comfort. He is in our midst. Depend on it. It’s coming. Read again. Ask again. Wait and trust. 

Speaking of separation anxiety, the laundry calls. God bless us today, every one. 

Friday Benediction

Hey there, friends!


Happy Friday!! I am so happy it is. Got some girl time coming this weekend. Going to the beach with 11 ladies that I graduated from high school with back when we were girls. So I don't have long to talk. I have to go throw more things in my suitcase, which is already too full.


Sometimes Larry Hicks ends our Sunday School class with a benediction. He has it committed to memory, and I have thought it sounded Biblical, but never knew where from. As soon as it's over we all bolt out of there and down to the nursery and children's hall, so there's never time to ask where he found it. By the next week, I've forgotten all about it. 


Lo and behold, I found it today. It's in Jude. It's the last verse of Jude. In honor of it finally being Friday I'm going to use this as our benediction for the week. I'm blowing it up so you can't miss it. It's that good.


"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen."


Hear it, friends! See you next week.

Support Partners: Pink Ribbon Pot Luck

Missie Baker sent me several upcoming opportunities for all the pink-ribbon wearers and supporters in October. Her group, Support Partners, provides assistance and comfort for women newly diagnosed with breast cancer. 


First is a mighty cute invitation to the Support Partners Pot Luck Luncheon. There will be yummy lunch and a talk from a local breast health nurse. Everyone will enjoy the goodie bags and the glow of being surrounded by women who are traveling the same path. All breast cancer patients and survivors are invited to come, and you should totally grab an invitation at the welcome desk. I'm such a sucker for anything with polka dots. Aren't you? 


Support Partners Pot Luck Luncheon
Date, Time, and Place: Friday, October 8, 11:00 am, at the ROC
RSVP: Missie Baker at 433-6828 


Next from Support Partners is the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Mall to Mall Walk. The "Ladies First" team from FBCP will be back this year. I haven't done this, but I always hear it's fun. Everyone is welcome to walk the route from University Mall to Cordova Mall. Contributions are also welcome, and y'all know they hate to ask. 


I would be willing to bet that some will be walking around inside the malls later that day as well. Can you seriously call University Mall a mall anymore? I'm not sure. 


Making Strides Mall to Mall Walk
Date, Time, and Place: Saturday, October 30, 7:00 am
More info: 475-0850

Beauty has a place

Beauty without vanity. That's what we're going for. Daughters of God have been beautiful since the beginning (Genesis 6:2). We must be careful, though, not to seek beauty for its own sake.  Proverbs 31:30 says "Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised." We want the kind of beauty that points the world back to its Creator, not distracts from Him. 


May I please point out our beautiful new blog header? Designed by our own Hannah in the church office, the new header explains what we are about around here. Our blog exists for the women of First Baptist Church, but not because of them. We always want the blog or any other Womens' Ministries endeavor to point us back to the Creator, the maker of heaven and earth. Anything that's only about us will turn ugly before long. 


The beauty of the earth praises Him. It shows us that He loves beautiful things. Since we are like Him, we like them too. That's why I want the blog to be better-looking this year. As long as we seek Him, we can honor Him with beauty. It might be a fine line to walk, but I hope He will bless the striving this year. We want to have pictures and pretty colors and all the things that bring beauty to the screen. In the end, though, we want to encourage each other to seek Him out. Above all else. Our beauty depends on it. 


So the new banner is a great start. When you see Hannah tell her how good it looks!