ENCOURAGEMENT

In my devotions today I read Psalm 37, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to The Lord, trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass.  Rest in the Lord, wait patiently for Him … do not fret.” WOW … these words encourage no matter what is going on in your life … but, especially for the one who is hopeless.  Mel Conrad feels God’s call to share what He is teaching her when life feels hopeless.  She has learned through life experiences, personal growth and educational training that there can be life after loss … death, divorce, career, relationships …whatever it is that has been taken. There are tremendous needs on many levels for those suffering loss … personal needs, healing from brokenness, discovery of unknowns … can God help? Even those who do not yet know God or embrace His Truth can experience moving from mourning to joy after loss.  Yes, God can help and Mel is part of a ministry here at First Baptist that joins with God to do just that.  One does not have to go far to discover families in pain – flawed – with fractured relationships, living in despair.   There are predictable stages that a person goes through during a loss before they arrive on the other side with hope -- hope comes from Jesus.   Grief Share and Divorce Care are ministries of need that touch, heal, restore and bring hope.  No one signs up for loss;  no one wants it to go the way shattered dreams.  Most struggle to persevere and make relationships work, make them last … but, reality is it takes at least three – the couple and Jesus.  Meditation, prayer and counseling can bring clarity but even then it is painful.  God allows loss not to cripple us but as a conduit to carry grace and mercy to one another.  Mel says, “I was called to share hope, understanding and the grief process with any who have experienced loss.”  She continues to show up to facilitate our “help groups” because she knows there is no hope or forward movement when we look back.  Only when we look forward at The WORD can a person discover salvation, hope and a glorious future.  No matter what the loss, Mel says she has learned a key piece to healing is in the opportunity to share with another going through a similar experience.  She has faced … death of a spouse, and loss through divorce…  both have been journeys that have propelled her to share with others.  We all want to belong to someone, to feel we are not alone, especially when experiencing a great loss.  Our “help groups” provide a safe place to process, to feel comfortable sharing, to find your voice, to come to a sense of balance, to explore doubts and fears and to express hope in moving forward. Referencing Isaiah 61:1-3, in the synagogue  Jesus’ interprets His mission but also reveals the ministry He wants His people to perform … I think I can safely say that Mel feels this is her call to serve those grieving a loss.  “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, to and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness … “  In this season of giving, could God be calling you to minister to His children who are hurting? Janice Adams

Why Is It Good To Give Thanks?

Psalm 92:1-4 

We teach it to our kids.  We notice it when they don’t say it.  In fact we often time ourselves to see how long it might take them to recognize something we have done and see if they will say thank you.  We intrinsically know that it is good to say thank you.  Maybe that is the reason God says…“It is good to give thanks to the LORD…” Ps.92:1-2

1.   Giving thanks helps us recognize our dependence upon God

When we give thanks we are recognizing God’s life, His power, His love and how it affects us.  We are mindful all we have is due Him.  It is a way to affirm and strengthen our faith.  We are standing at the foot of the cross, or in front of the altar at the Jordan, we are circling Jericho.  Giving thanks to God causes us to remember His power, and affirm His love in our lives.

2.   Giving thanks matures our character 

-      It delights the inward soul

It centers our attention on our God which allows our anxiety to be replaced with faith.  Isaiah reminds us that when our hearts and minds are focused on the Lord we experience peace.  We focus on what is rather than what is not.  We celebrate what has been given versus being filled with fear and disappointment with what has been withheld.

-      It deepens our wisdom

Meditation on the great works and deep thoughts of God is the way to avoid sin and deepen wisdom ( Ps. 92:5–6).

3.   Giving thanks helps us establish a redemptive pattern

As we look back and give thanks we imprint on our memory a history of God’s work.  Psalm 107 repeats five times the call, “Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men.”  Don’t forget what God has done.  Can you see a pattern of His faithfulness?  Do you see how He has led your life?  His past works will change the way you look at your present situation and your future path. 

4.   Giving thanks inspires others to trust in God

One last direction we need to consider.  Our thanks has an outward benefit.  The psalmist speaks of a declaration.  When we declare God’s faithfulness it helps the senseless man or the stupid man who has up to this point simply taken credit for what he has. 

The Bible describes a stupid man as one who has no idea of God’s plans.  He has no awareness of God’s power, His providence or His grace.  Giving thanks helps to get rid of stupidity in your midst.  How incredible is that!!! 
It is good to give thanks to the Lord.  Like a healing balm, like a refreshing brook is a grateful heart.  Tweet your thanks, Facebook your thanks, speak your thanks and watch stupidity flee.

When YES Means Everything

I never imagined I’d have a child with a disability. Yet on August 2, 2002, I was blessed with my daughter Lora Grace who happened to have Down syndrome. In the beginning I was so scared; I was afraid I wasn’t equipped to handle such high demands, though I found that the demands were not that high. In the beginning I found myself so afraid for her future; I was finally able to give that to God and it really helped me to move forward. Don’t get me wrong, there are still times that I try to look towards her future, but I’m better equipped now to handle those emotions.   I was prepared by other moms of children with special needs for the reaction that I would receive from the general population. For example, I can’t remember the last time Lora was invited to a birthday party for a friend; she just seems to have been forgotten. I’ve grieved that loss, but I knew that I needed to expect that. The one thing I never thought about nor expected was the reaction I received from the Christian Church. There was a lack of knowledge and understanding of what to do with her; to me she was just Lora. I found myself having to leave churches because they felt as though they couldn’t help us. That is a hard experience to feel like the one place you should feel accepted just doesn’t know what to do. I do not fault any of the churches; we are all human, and we all make mistakes. As time went on, eventually Lora and I were not attending church. It was so painful for me, especially since the rest of my family was able to attend the church we belonged to. It took me awhile to reach out to First Baptist; I was so afraid of rejection once again. I still remember that day when Patrick Frost called me to give me information about Fusion. I had explained to him that Lora had Down syndrome, and his reaction brought me to tears. I can’t remember exactly the conversation, but I can tell you how I felt as I talked with Patrick about  Lora starting in Fusion. I’ve never felt more loved on and accepted. Lora has been with Fusion for a year now and is fully included just like any other child. She’s gotten to go on retreat twice now, just like everyone else. I never dreamed that she would be able to go overnight somewhere with a church group. She is loved and accepted just as she is. Until you have a child that's been excluded you can't understand the pain that one feels. I'm so glad she will never be excluded again. Lora is so happy to be with her friends. She loves it, I love it. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows for Fusion staff; Lora has her moments, but the staff is incredible, they help her and just love on her. There is not anything more I could ever hope or wish for her here. We are so blessed by Fusion and First Baptist; I can’t begin to express my gratitude sufficiently.    -Cory Wingett   You are invited to the monthly S.E.E. meetings which is for parents and others involved in loving and supporting people with disabilities.  They meet each month on the second Tuesday of the month at 7:00 PM in the CLC Room 420.