Fireproof

Hello! I hope you all had a good Saturday. I will be so glad when the weather warms up.

I just finished watching the movie "Fireproof". It is about a man and his wife who are struggling to stay together. They find themselves on the brink of divorce. And once they realize their love for each other still remains and they allow God to be at the head of their lives, things truly become the way God intended for them to be between man and woman.

Too often people have this notion that woman was put on this earth to serve man. I stand behind my belief in that God created woman to be a helpmate for man. Someone to stand beside him through the good times and bad. God created man to love his wife as Christ loves the church. It is the man's place to be the leader of the household. When man fails to do this, then the woman is to let her husband see Christ in and through her so that he can find his way back to his rightful place.

As I was watching this movie, I felt God speaking to me. He was saying this movie isn't just for married people. This movie can be a guideline for people of all relationships. You don't have to be married to set a Godly example. Often times it is difficult to love people who continue to reject you. And we all reject others in some form. Whether we shun them because of race, creed, color, financial status, education level, what church they go to.....we still push other people away. It's hard to love the person who continually rejects adding you to their webpage. Or the person who snubs you because you aren't in their social realm. No, it isn't set in stone that when you request to be added to someone's page he or she must add you...but if we look at that as how we treat Christ when He wants to be part of our lives and we reject Him, the denial or rejection is the same. And it hurts.

I was reminded today of not saying hurtful things when someone hurts me. It's hard not to want to do just that. The person I was speaking to said to me, "Remember "The Shack"". Loving someone even though they have wronged you in some way. No matter how big or small the wrong might be. We are to love one another as Christ loves us.

In keeping with the theme of love, I encourage each of us to remember that February is the month of love. Valentine's Day. Let's try to make an extra effort this month to love the person who snubs us or who is less than kind to us for whatever reason. We never know what someone else is going through and when we act in an unkind manner in retaliation of their actions toward us...two wrongs don't make a right.

February holds a lot of activities. There will be a youth committee meeting tomorrow afternoon (2/1) at 4pm. There will also be a deacon's meeting tomorrow. Then tomorrow evening there will be a super bowl party at 6pm. Everyone is asked to bring your favorite tailgating (finger) food and join in the fun. In conjunction with the Souper Bowl of Caring, everyone is asked to contribute a canned good or give a monetary donation to the need of our community. All gifts will be forwarded to the Cooperative Ministry of North. The evening will include a football themed message along with music from Crosswalk. May the best team win!

The children's committee will meet next Sunday, Feb. 8th at 4pm. Then our youth will lead the evening service at 6pm.

The toddlers will have a Valentine's Day party on Monday, Feb. 9th. The party is for children birth through K-5 and will begin at 6pm in the fellowship hall. Pizza will be served and each toddler is asked to bring 15 valentines to share with the other children.


The XYZ will gather for their monthly meeting on Friday, Feb. 13th at 6:30pm in the fellowship hall. The Dixie Dew Drops will be the entertainment for the evening.

There will be a special Valentine's Day banquet/fundraiser on Sat., Feb. 14th in the fellowship hall at 6pm. Tickets are $10.00 per person and includes childcare. The menu consists of grilled steaks, baked potato, roll, salad, dessert and beverage. Tickets are available from our youth and the last day to purchase tickets will be Sunday, Feb. 8th.

Men's breakfast will be on Sunday, Feb. 15th at 8am in the fellowship hall.

Women on Mission will be meeting on Wed., Feb. 18th immediately following supper. All ladies are invited and encouraged to attend.

Women's retreat is Friday, Feb. 27th and Sat., Feb. 28th. The Friday evening session will begin with registration at 6pm. The Saturday morning session will begin with continental breakfast at 8:30am in the fellowship hall and will end with a luncheon at 12:30pm. Cost for the retreat is $15.00 per person. Invite your female relatives and friends to come and join in this time of worship and fellowship. The deadline to sign up is Sunday, Feb. 15th. Make checks payable to FBC.

I hope you will enjoy the rest of your weekend. Until next time, take care and God bless!

Love,

Tina :-)

God Has Called Another Angel Home.....

I received an email earlier today (as did some of you) about a wonderful Christian man being called home to see his Lord. He will be greatly missed by many!

Mr. Lou Gill is resting in peace and is suffering no longer. He always was glad to see you and was a very humble man. I know his family is very sad right now. I pray that God will grant them the peace to endure this time of sorrow.

He is finally able to see his son who was taken from this world so early in his young life. For that I know he will be glad. They can talk and catch each other up on all the things that have happened to them since the last time they saw one other. I can see them running up to each other with outstretched arms to share a long awaited hug.

While death is a part of this life, it is never an easy thing. I send many heartfelt sympathies out to the family and they are in my prayers. I was thinking about Mr. Lou Tuesday evening and I started to call just to let them know I was thinking of them. Now that opportunity has passed me by. I guess it's a good example of making sure you do what needs to be done while they are still on this earth with me. I even thought about him again this morning on my way to work. God was speaking to me and I didn't listen. For that I am truly sorry.

If any of Mr. Lou's family reads this, please know how much he meant to me and how much you all mean to me. You are a wonderful family and your love for God is very evident. I am blessed to be able to know you.

I pray that you will find the strength you need to get through this difficult time. I know you are among friends and people would do all that is in their power for you. Much love today and always!

Tina :-)

Colder Weather is Coming!

Hello and good Thursday evening to each of you! I trust that you all had a blessed Christmas and your new year has started off on a good note. Things are about to get colder with temperatures dropping well below freezing. Remember to provide warm shelter for your outdoor pets, wrap your outside spigots, make sure your antifreeze is ready in your vehicles (and keep it away from pets!!), and you have some basic necessities such as water, milk, bread, eggs, canned goods and other items that can aid in keeping the house running smoothly through the cold weather. Hopefully there won't be any power outages or sleet, hail or snow. And remember to say a prayer for those who aren't as fortunate as we are to have a warm house to come home to and a cozy bed to sleep in and electricity to keep the heat going.

I also wanted to take a few minutes to remind you of some things taking place in our church this month. Sunday, Jan. 18th is Baptist Men's Day. This is always a blessing for our church. I thoroughly enjoy the service on Baptist Men's Day. The men come together for a good time of sharing their testimony, singing and just being together. Always a good time! Men's breakfast will also be this Sunday in the fellowship hall at 8am.

Women on Mission will be meeting on Wed., Jan. 21st immediately following Wed. night supper. The evening meal this week will consist of spaghetti with garlic bread. Sounds yummy!

UPWARD is a children's sports ministry for ages K-5 through 5th grade. It is for boys and girls and includes a time of hearing the gospel. One of many aspects of this program is prayer. The basketball season beings on March 7th and runs through April 25th. Let's be in prayer for this ministry and for those participating.

The youth will be heading for a winter retreat at Lake Junaluska Friday, Jan. 16th through Sunday, Jan. 18th. Let's be in prayer for them so they will have a safe trip there and back and that God will keep them all nice and warm!

WinterJam at the Colonial Center will be on Friday, Feb. 20th. Tickets are $10.00 at the door. For more information about this upcoming event, please see our Minister of Students.

The children will be having a special even on Sat., Jan. 24th. Be on the lookout for more details!

There will be a Women's Retreat at our church (the first one ever) Friday, Feb. 27th and Sat., Feb. 28th. The Friday evening meeting will begin with registration from 6-6:30pm followed by a praise & worship time from 6:30-7pm followed by bible study with guest speaker Becky Moss. The Sat. meeting will begin with a continental breakfast from 8:30-9am, then a praise & worship time from 9-9:30am followed by bible study from 9:30-10:45. We will then break from 10:45-11am and bible study will resume at 11am. Lunch will be served at 12:30. I have already invited several of my friends to join me in this event. I am excited about it and look forward to it! I attended a Beth Moore seminar last year at Cornerstone in Orangeburg and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Invite some of your friends and relatives to join you as well. Cost is $15.00 per person and the deadline to sign up is Feb. 15th. If you wish to check out more information on Mrs. Moss, go to www.lifeandgodliness.com. Contact the church office should you need more information or a registration form.

I am sure many of you heard about the plane crash in New York earlier today. It occurred around 3:30pm. The plane took off from Laguardia airport in New York and was heading to Charlotte, NC. The pilot did an excellent job of manuevering the plane into the Hudson River. All 150 souls on board were rescued from the plane. Fire departments, emergency personnel, police and FBI were on the scene within minutes of the plane going down. The plane suffered two bird hits (messed up the engines). God was with those people in that plane!! Praise Him for He is good! I know they were all very thankful!

I wish more news of a positive nature was reported on our televisions, radios and newspapers. It seems like only the bad is what gets noticed. But it was wonderful to watch everyone pulling together and doing what needed to be done in a time like that. The pilot only had like a 30 second time frame to plot his descent. Excellent job in a short period of time!

I hope your Friday goes well and you stay nice and warm over the next few days. Oh, and don't forget to protect your outdoor plants from the cold as well!

Take care and God bless!

In Christian Love,

Tina :-)