Ms. Team (Memorizing Scripture):Seventh Post

Hey Ms. Team,

This is going to have to be a quick post because there’s a new baby in the house who is totally consuming my attention and wrecking my shoe rack. I knew despite my schemes to avoid it, puppy love was going to catch up with my boys sooner or later and sure enough it did.

Meet Marley or Striker or ? (We haven’t really picked a name yet.)

All I know is I am knee deep in puppy potty training which is all consuming. Who knew? I have already had moments of regret for caving to the boys pleading for a puppy but then she flashes that cute look at us and pounces on top of all 4 boys at once, playfully licking their faces and we are smitten again. For a family who has not had a pet in about 15 years we are scrambling to figure the whole thing out and it is kicking our tails.

So back to my verse.

No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. Hebrews 12:11 (NLT)

I am laughing because this verse was definitely speaking to my own circumstances before puppy invaded our lives, but it really kind of applies to the whole training thing we have going on with her.

I love God’s timing and His ways and the things He uses to teach us.

How about you?. What are you working on this week?

Thanks for journeying with me on this Scripture Memory quest! I value you so much and am honored to walk alongside you.

BTW... if you want to borrow a puppy for a day just give me a call.

The Legacy of Christopher Columbus & Ms. Team Posting Day

Posted by Trudy

Happy Columbus Day! 

I can barely say that without hearing the little jingle I learned in grade school and then turned around and taught my own children....

 "In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue."

Christopher Columbus is the man we credit with discovering our country.  Even though Vikings probably preceded him, and natives already lived here, he was the first to tell fellow Europeans that this New World existed.

He is a man worth remembering and celebrating.

It takes bravery and courage to set sail in uncharted waters, but what endears me even more to Columbus is his confidence in the Scripture and the way He let the Word of God both console and guide him to this unprecedented journey. All the ‘professional’ opinions and advice from the ‘intellectuals’ of his day warned him against his decision to go, but he chose to do it anyway.

Why?

Hear it in his own words....

"Our Lord opened to my understanding (I could sense His hand upon me) so it became clear to me that it [the voyage] was feasible...All those who heard about my enterprise rejected it with laughter, scoffing at me...Who doubts that this illumination was from the Holy Spirit? I attest that He [the Holy Spirit] with marvelous rays of light, consoled me through the sacred Scriptures...they inflame me with a sense of great urgency...No one should be afraid to take on any enterprise in the name of our Savior if it is right and if the purpose is purely for His holy service...."

Pretty cool, huh? Especially since we know "the rest of the story". But here’s the line that has stayed with me.

"I attest that He consoled me through the sacred Scriptures."

Something about that centuries old testimony breathes new life into my soul today.

It inspires me to want to find that same consolation in the Word...

and invigorates me to let the Scriptures be my guide even when it means going against the grain of the loudest or most voices.

It lures me in and makes me want to cling to the Scripture in the same way Columbus did.

You’ll never waste a minute hiding His Word in your heart.

May it console you today...

and counsel you to do great things for His great name...

in the same way it did Christopher Columbus hundreds of years ago!

Appreciating Our Pastors

The other day one of my boys blurted out something startling as we drove home.

"Mom, when I grow up I’m going to be a Pastor."

"That’s great son! (I beamed.) "I have been praying that you would use your life to serve God in some way. But why a pastor?"

"Oh that’s easy." he quipped. "All they do is stand on a stage and talk a few hours each Sunday and then they get the rest of the week off... who wouldn’t want to be paid for that?"  (His comment shut the "beam" down pretty quick and reminded me I've got a lot of praying left to do.)

I’m no pastor, but I have observed enough to know that the job is not for the weak or the fainthearted and it is certainly much more involved than what meets the eye.  I can only guess at the hours of study, research and prayer that have preceded Sunday morning messages and then there are the late night phone calls from the hospital, births, deaths, weddings, counseling sessions, board meetings, etc.etc.etc.

Though its rewards are immeasurable, it takes a calling and an intense dependence on God to remain steadfast year after year.

October is pastor appreciation month and too many times I let this month slip by without letting our pastors know how very much I value and respect them. So....this month I wanted to facilitate something special - something that would come from all of us, with such force that it would make a real impact in their lives.

What do you say we join together and send wave after wave of notes of gratitude to our pastors all month right here on the blog? God has blessed the BCC team with some amazing leaders who love their jobs and feel called and blessed to minister. But even so, they are not immune to the discouragement, criticism, and just plain ole spiritual warfare that comes to any leader engaged on the front lines. Let's be the antithesis of that and heap lavish love & encouragement on their plates as we share with them how much they are appreciated. It could be just a few lines, or maybe you want to make a "top 3 or top 5 list" of the things you really like about them, or maybe just write a short note of gratitude.

Proverbs 10:21 tells us "The words of the godly encourage many, but fools are destroyed by their lack of common sense."

And 12:25 says " Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up."

So there you go my "godly girlfriends".... lets do some encouraging!You can write to just one pastor or you can address all of them together or maybe you'd even want to write something to each one individually on different days during October. Come back as often as you want and leave as many messages as you can. I will make sure they know they are here.I’m gonna leave my messages one at a time so I’m going to start with Todd and work my way down the list throughout the month of October. You leave yours anyway you want to.

Thanks for your help and may God refresh you as you refresh others!
　　
　
　　　
　
　
Dear Pastor Todd,

There is much to like about you but here are my "top 6":

1. You’re a strong leader - not one bent on copying trends but one willing to think outside the box and try new things that might effectively reach others.

2. Your teaching testifies that you have labored long in prayer, study & research to prepare it.

3. But you are not all about just "teaching"...you go the extra mile to show how much you care about us individually (and thats not easy when there are hundreds of us).

4. You lead by example. You don’t challenge us to do things you aren’t willing to do yourself.

5. You have a fun sense of humor (I imagine that is so helpful in your position) :) You do dish out your share but then you can take things as easily as you dish them out.

6. You are a lot smarter than you look.
(See, was I right about #5?)

We love & appreciate you so much!


Our pastors/leaders are:

Todd Alewine -Lead Pastor
Stanley Metcalf-Executive Pastor
Scott Limerick - Worship Pastor
Brent Metcalf - Student Pastor
Brad Snipes- Middle School Pastor
Marty Burgess- College Pastor
Chris Schlender- Children's Pastor
Alan Perry - Missions Pastor
Shannon Compton -- Mission's Assistant
Braxton Tesh - Life Group Pastor

Additional Staff are Tracy Pace, Kim Limerick, Heather Strickler, Siobhan Cress and Sheila Mason so love on these ladies too while you're at it.