FamilyGram5fba2b318e93cafb2fcd-f72c28db3a25c29cab9bff7c9c1ca25c.r88.cf… · The best way to...

12
Family Bible Church FamilyGram Page in this ISSUE Birthdays and Anniversaries page 9 Getting Ready - Part 9 page 1 Global Partners— DeNeuis Page 8 Emily Blacks Short Term Mission page 4 Halvorson News page 5 OneCry Prayer Mtg page 11 Pastor Ron Page 3 Silver Eagles page 7 Youth Calendar page 6 Womens Retreat Page 1 Worship page 10 FamilyGram A Publication of Family Bible Church May 2016 Volume 2016 Issue No. 5 M y brother in the Lord knocked on our back door and actually waited for me to open it this time. We both knew that this was going to be our last visit and, as he came in, his face seemed to show it. He didnt say anything for a while and looked a little sad so I jumped right in, Well, look at youall ready for your move? Is Jan all packed?He replied, Yes, as ready as were going to be I guess. But its going to be hard leaving Whidbey.He told me more about his new job as I poured him a cup of coffee and got out the now famous cookie tin. Well, my friend, lets see if we can do a little wrap-up about per- sonal and family preparedness.I said this partly to get his mind off their leaving. As followers of Jesus we have a much (Ready—Connued on page 2) GETTING READY - PART 9 by Dick Haines John 16:33 Some Concluding Thoughts on Preparedness H ey Husbands! Give your Wife a Special Mothers Day Gift! Send her to the Womens Retreat! WHEN: Fri., May 20 – Sun., May 22 WHERE: Beautiful lush grounds of Ce- dar Springs Christian Retreat Center in Sumas, WA (cedarspringscrc.org) COST: $190.00, (a non-refundable deposit of $75.00 is due at reg- istration). REGISTRATION: You can register each Wednesday at WOW or in the foyer after each service on Sundays. Watch the church bulletin and our Facebook page (Womens Ministry of Family Bible Church) for further details. Last day to register is Sunday, May 8 th ! THEME: "For Such a Time as This!" A retreat built on themes of revival and re- newal. (Note: This is the final article in a series of special interest stories about help- ing you and your family prepare for coping more effectively with vari- ous emergency situations.) "And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?" Esther 4:14 Anxiety and fear are on the rise in Ameri- ca. But God is calling for revival and re- newed courage for the glory of His name. The best way to conquer fear and anxiety is to unleash the power of praise! Its time for the church to rise up with praise and speak the name of Jesus to a broken and hurting world. Are you ready? Its time! ABOUT OUR SPECIAL SPEAKER: Becky Harling, Speaker and Author Authentic. Passionate. Funny. Inspiration- (Retreat—Connued on page 4)

Transcript of FamilyGram5fba2b318e93cafb2fcd-f72c28db3a25c29cab9bff7c9c1ca25c.r88.cf… · The best way to...

Page 1: FamilyGram5fba2b318e93cafb2fcd-f72c28db3a25c29cab9bff7c9c1ca25c.r88.cf… · The best way to conquer fear and anxiety is Emily lack’s Short Term Mission page 4 Halvorson News page

Family Bible Church FamilyGram Page

in this ISSUE

Birthdays and Anniversaries

page 9

Getting Ready - Part 9 page 1

Global Partners—DeNeuis

Page 8

Emily Black’s Short Term Mission

page 4

Halvorson News page 5

OneCry Prayer Mtg page 11

Pastor Ron Page 3

Silver Eagles page 7

Youth Calendar page 6

Women’s Retreat Page 1

Worship page 10

FamilyGram A Publication of Family Bible Church

May 2016 Volume 2016 Issue No. 5

M y brother in the Lord knocked on our back door

and actually waited for me to open it this time. We both knew that this was going to be our last visit and, as he came in, his face seemed to show it. He

didn’t say anything for a while and looked a little sad so I jumped right in, “Well, look at you… all ready for your move? Is Jan all packed?” He replied, “Yes, as ready as we’re going to be I guess.

But it’s going to be hard leaving Whidbey.” He told me more about his new job as

I poured him a cup of coffee and got out the now famous cookie tin. “Well, my friend, let’s see if we can do a little wrap-up about per-sonal and family preparedness.” I

said this partly to get his mind off their leaving.

“As followers of Jesus we have a much

(Ready—Continued on page 2)

GETTING READY - PART 9

by Dick Haines

John 16:33

Some Concluding Thoughts on Preparedness

H ey Husbands! Give your W ife a

Special Mother’s Day Gift! Send her

to the Women’s Retreat!

WHEN: Fri., May 20 – Sun., May 22

WHERE: Beautiful lush grounds of Ce-

dar Springs Christian Retreat

Center in Sumas, WA

(cedarspringscrc.org)

COST: $190.00, (a non-refundable

deposit of $75.00 is due at reg-

istration).

REGISTRATION: You can register each

Wednesday at WOW or in the foyer after

each service on Sundays. Watch the

church bulletin and our Facebook page

(Women’s Ministry of Family Bible

Church) for further details.

Last day to register is

Sunday, May 8th! THEME: "For Such a Time as This!" A

retreat built on themes of revival and re-

newal.

(Note: This is the final article in a series of special interest stories about help-ing you and your family prepare for coping more effectively with vari-ous emergency situations.)

"And who knows but that you have come

to your royal position for such a time as

this?" Esther 4:14

Anxiety and fear are on the rise in Ameri-

ca. But God is calling for revival and re-

newed courage for the glory of His name.

The best way to conquer fear and anxiety is

to unleash the power of praise! It’s time for

the church to rise up with praise and speak

the name of Jesus to a broken and hurting

world. Are you ready? It’s time!

ABOUT OUR SPECIAL SPEAKER: Becky

Harling, Speaker and Author

Authentic. Passionate. Funny. Inspiration-

(Retreat—Continued on page 4)

Page 2: FamilyGram5fba2b318e93cafb2fcd-f72c28db3a25c29cab9bff7c9c1ca25c.r88.cf… · The best way to conquer fear and anxiety is Emily lack’s Short Term Mission page 4 Halvorson News page

Page 2 Family Bible Church FamilyGram

larger agenda than the rest of the world has during and after a disas-ter strikes don’t we? And you won’t read about it in the newspapers or see it on TV today.” I began. Keith nodded and said, “Yeh, I’m begin-ning to see that.” I went on, “As a Christian preparedness website re-cently put it, this means that no matter what level of preparedness we and our family have decided to get ready for, we followers of Jesus should be prepared also by knowing what God’s Word says.” Keith thought for a moment and then broke in, “So having a Christian-based maturity really is the best preparation for what may be com-ing.” Wow, was I pleased to hear him say these words! He was grow-ing really fast in his new faith and I realized that he and Jan and the kids had a much better chance of weathering whatever might come.

I replied, “Yes, it really is a matter of our faith and trust in the Lord conquering our fears isn’t it? No matter how many canned goods or gallons of water or cash or gold or guns and ammo we may have stored away, the only way to be truly pre-pared as Christ would have us be is to be willing to help our neighbors – this is really just the Golden Rule isn’t it? We also have to allow the Lord to strengthen us to grow to become more like Jesus. All the preparations we may make and all the good intentions we hold will matter nothing if our faith is little more than a wisp that allows the quick reentry of selfishness, greed and fear at the expense of our appli-cation of Godly principles.”

The look on Keith’s face told me that he didn’t quite understand so I went back, “What I mean is that God wants us to let Him strengthen us to be more and more willing and able to do His work in this world. He does most of this strengthening, not us. But He also knows that we’ve got to survive in order to do this. So you see, He is setting us apart for accomplishing both His work and our own. This doesn’t mean we don’t need to take active

(Ready—Continued from page 1) steps to be better prepared. We’re expected to use our God-given brains and common sense.”

“Oh, I think I see,” he replied. “It’s a matter of knowing what God’s pri-orities are and not just my own.” “Yup, that’s pretty much it. And it also means becoming more resilient to what may come.” I said with a big grin.

After listening for a while he said, “Well, Dick, you’re making heaven sound better and better. I’m com-ing to realize that it’s not easy to prep by faith and not also by worry and fear at the same time particu-larly if I spend much time on inter-net prep sites. And if the disaster we’ve been talking about is a really gigantic one our Christian faith and service is going to be all the more essential won’t it?” I nodded with an even wider smile as he went on, “… but at least now Jan and I are doing more than just talking about getting ready. We’re together on it. We’re coming to real-ize that whatever may happen God’s Spirit is with us as our Comfort-er.”

“But Keith, before you go let’s briefly review some key things we’ve talked about over these past months,” I began, “like first of all getting over one’s normalcy bias that tries to convince us that be-cause we’ve never had a really ma-jor disaster here we never will. Next, we all need to face facts while acknowledging our own limits, in other words, to know ourselves as much as possible. Then we can get started prepping where we are - with what we already have. We should build our fresh water and food cupboards up a little at a time…remember, at least a gallon of pure drinking water per day and 2,000 calories of nutritious food per adult. After that we’ll probably need shelter, warmth and electricity to protect our health. We didn’t even talk about the economic impact of many disasters; if possible we all should try to set aside at least a

month’s worth of extra emergency cash.” He interjected, “Yeh, and what about sharing our Christian faith with others so they can come to know and love Jesus, just like you did with me. Man, that’s real prepping. But I noticed that you didn’t mention hardly anything about self-defense or buying silver or gold… the internet is really crammed with those subjects.”

We both knew that we wouldn’t be having any more of these meetings and the realization cast a kind of shadow over our discussions. I said, “Well, if you weren’t leaving we could have talked about all kinds of other stuff. You’ll have to do your own prep work on them from here on out.”

“I’ll really miss our coffee and cook-ie meetings,” I said. “After you get

settled in I hope we can stay in touch. I also hope you’ll try to meet with other guys back there to share your faith and how it trans-lates into getting pre-pared. You know, watching the evening news makes it clear that there are a lot of people who need to

prepare by finding the source of inner peace in Jesus that we’ve found.” He gave me a confirming smile and replied, “You know, when we first moved here I used to won-der why here but now I think I know. One reason for sure was so we could meet. God sure knows what’s best for us doesn’t He?” I nodded as he went on. “One more thing before I have to go. I want you to know that while I prep I promise to pray for Carol and you, for your health and safety and for your mar-riage and family.” “I really appreci-ate that Keith, and I’ll do the same for you and Jan and the kids.”

We hugged and even shed some tears as he left for the last time with two cookies clutched in his hand. I called out, “faith – not – fear, bud-dy!” He stopped, turned, and said, “And the same to you, brother.”

“It ain't those parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me,

it is the parts that I do understand.” - Mark Twain

Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/marktwain153875.html

Page 3: FamilyGram5fba2b318e93cafb2fcd-f72c28db3a25c29cab9bff7c9c1ca25c.r88.cf… · The best way to conquer fear and anxiety is Emily lack’s Short Term Mission page 4 Halvorson News page

Family Bible Church FamilyGram Page 3

X

There

Here

I think the best practical defini-

tion of leadership I have ever

heard was given by Bill Hybels at

the Global Leadership Summit

(which we will again host at FBC

via satellite this Aug. – pardon the

shameless promotion). Hybels

explained,

“Leadership is

moving people

from here to there.”

You connect with people

where they are and work

to move them to where

they should be. As I thought

about it, that definition works

very well for Discipleship. We

take people from where they are

and seek to lead them to where

they should be. It is quite simple,

right? Well, yes and no. Yes it is

very simple, in that where ever

they are is the starting point. Peo-

ple don’t need to achieve a certain

level before we will invest in

them. We simply go to where they

are and bring them toward where

they should be.

At FBC we have defined the four

marks of discipleship, so we have

a good idea of the general direc-

tion and steps that need to be tak-

en to get people from “here to

there.” The four marks help us

know that we have made a disci-

ple. The four marks are communi-

cated by the acronym GROW.

If they understand salvation is by

grace (Grow) alone, through faith

alone, in Christ alone, we have

started moving them along the

road of discipleship. If we help

them get into relationships

(gRow) with other people we will

have planted them in the atmos-

phere where they will grow as dis-

ciples. The loci of relationships is

corporate worship (Hebrews

10:25) and small groups. Moving

along the discipleship continuum

we challenge them to have an atti-

tude of obedience (grOw) toward

God. There are certain things

we do and don’t do as follow-

ers (disciples) of Christ. And

finally we equip and challenge

them to witness (groW). What

could be simpler than finding

people where they are and help-

ing them along the discipleship

path of Grace, Relationship, Obe-

dience, and Witness (GROW)?

As stated previously, “yes, it is

very simple” to lead them from

where they are to where they

should be. Unless we find their

starting place offensive. The chal-

lenge comes when one is not

comfortable with the “here” in

which we initially find people. In

evangelism, most of us are com-

fortable with almost any “here” in

which we find people. But what

about in discipleship?

There are often unconscious ex-

pectations we have for those who

profess to already know Christ.

We find someone who professes

to have experienced the saving

grace of God, but there is some

particular choice they have made

in their life which we find repre-

hensible. It is noteworthy that

most of the behaviors we find of-

fensive are the behaviors we don’t

struggle with. For instance, those

who don’t struggle with lust find

the struggle of those who do of-

fensive. I’m not talking about ap-

proving of behaviors, I’m talking

about being “put off” by them. If

you had a battle to control sub-

stance abuse, you will most likely

be quite patient with those

trapped in substance abuse. If

you never struggled with a judg-

mental spirit and temper issues,

then you will most likely find

those who do as particularly dis-

turbing.

Let me be careful to reemphasize

that I am NOT talking about ap-

proving certain behaviors, atti-

tudes, and/or philosophies. I am

talking about being able to come along

side someone who professes to know

Christ and has deeply embedded in

their life an attitude about something

we believe is clearly not biblical and

then patiently, perhaps over a long

time period with little or no marked

improvement in the offensive area,

working with them to take them along

the path of discipleship. You probably

are thinking, “Sure I can.” But what if

they held tightly to some behavior

and/or philosophy that you are con-

vinced is clearly unbiblical, would you

still be able to patiently help them

move ahead in each of the other areas

that you can impact? What if they

stringently cling to that philosophy or

behavior as being OK when you are

convinced the behavior or attitude is

wrong, would you stick with them?

Would you genuinely love them from

where they are to where they should

be? Or do we only disciple people who

have already achieved certain levels of

maturity? Do we only invest in people

who grow at a certain rate?

Jude addressed this very uncomforta-

ble struggle with the following words,

“Be merciful to those who doubt; save

others by snatching them from the

fire: to others show mercy, mixed with

fear – hating even the clothing stained

by corrupted flesh.” (Jude 22-23 NIV)

Do we really love all God’s children or

do we only love those who have

achieved a certain level of spiritual

maturity?

a message

from

From Here to There

Page 4: FamilyGram5fba2b318e93cafb2fcd-f72c28db3a25c29cab9bff7c9c1ca25c.r88.cf… · The best way to conquer fear and anxiety is Emily lack’s Short Term Mission page 4 Halvorson News page

Page 4 Family Bible Church FamilyGram

al. Becky Harling is an energetic

and motivational speaker inspiring

audiences to overcome their great-

est life challenges and reach their

full God-given potential.

Becky’s life experience as a Pastor’s

wife, Women’s Ministries Director,

survivor of breast

cancer and child-

hood sexual abuse,

all bring depth and

realism to her mes-

sage.

A certified leadership coach, speak-

er and trainer with the John Max-

well Team, Becky is a frequent

speaker at conferences, retreats,

and leadership training events. She

brings messages of hope and inspi-

ration to audiences.

(Retreat—Continued from page 1)

T hank you so much for support-

ing my mission trip to Nicara-

gua, it was a wonderfully learning

experience for me in so many

ways. Going into the first

few minutes of being

there, groups of people

were already playing soc-

cer and we were drawing

with kids in the school.

In many ways, the first

day at the village was my

favorite and I had some of my

most memorable experiences.

One of these moments was when we

got to read with the kids. They got

so excited when we brought the

books out and they were so eager to

read to us. I loved seeing their ex-

citement and it was such a pleasure

to listen to them read. Afterwards,

we got to play duck, duck, goose,

and other games that the children

enjoyed. Interacting with the kids

and learning more about their cul-

ture was definitely one of my favor-

ite parts.

That being said, I faced some diffi-

culties on the trip as well. The big-

gest issue I had was the language

barrier. I had a hard time com-

municating with the oth-

ers because of it, and at

times, it made me feel

inadequate. Howev-

er, my biggest mis-

take was assuming

that I wasn’t making

much of a change and

feeling too weak and

confused as to my pur-

pose there. Though it leads

me to realize some important

things. First, that change is not im-

mediate be it in the village or in my-

self, but that God has his own tim-

ing for everything. But I think the

best thing I learned was the im-

portance of relationships. We

learned that poverty is a social

problem on the trip and I think it

completely changed my view on

mission trips. It’s awesome to build

things for a community, but the

value of being present and building

relationships with others can bring

so much hap-

piness and

hope. I found out

that even though I

can’t change the world in

nine days, I can be a part of a pro-

cess that can benefit many in the

long run and that even a smile can

be extremely valuable.

Ultimately, the purpose in going to

Nicaragua was for our group to be

present and supportive of the mis-

sionaries at CEPAD and recognize

the efforts of the village. We stayed

in their homes and received a better

cultural understanding of the coun-

try and learned to appreciate the

hard work they do every day to

achieve things we have machines

for. It was an amazing trip and I

can’t even fit in all the details in one

letter. Feel free to contact me at

[email protected] if you

want to learn more about my trip

and experience for it was wonder-

ful!

Sincerely, Emily Black

Emily Black’s Report from Her Short Term Mission

Recently, Becky has teamed up with

her daughters to present Moms’

Unleashed. This mini-conference

teaches Moms of all ages to unleash

the power of praising God in their

parenting role. Every message in-

cludes hope, humor and inspiration

from God’s word.

Becky is the author of several books

including, Re-

writing Your

Emotional

Script, Free-

dom From

Performing,

The 30 Day

Praise Challenge and The 30 Day

Praise Challenge For Parents. She’s

been a featured guest on the Day-

star Television Network, the Har-

vest TV Show, Moody’s Midday

Connection, Dr. Dobson’s Family

Talk and many other top-rated

shows.

Becky and her husband, Steve, have

been married for 36 years. Together

they have four adult kids and nine

grandchildren.

Please note: Each year w e of-

fer several scholarships for women

to attend the retreat. If you are in-

terested in contributing towards our

scholarship fund or may need a

scholarship for yourself, please con-

tact Carolynn Kaetterhenry at

[email protected]

or 360-320-1663.

Page 5: FamilyGram5fba2b318e93cafb2fcd-f72c28db3a25c29cab9bff7c9c1ca25c.r88.cf… · The best way to conquer fear and anxiety is Emily lack’s Short Term Mission page 4 Halvorson News page

Family Bible Church FamilyGram Page 5

G od is advancing His King-

dom and He allows us to be

a part of His wonderful work. As

Revelation 7:9 tells us, He is

calling people from every tribe,

tongue, and nation. Amazingly,

as disciples of Christ, we get to

be a part of sharing the Good

News with the peoples of the

world, whether it is at the local

coffee shop or the remote re-

gions of the world. Thank you,

FBC Brothers and Sisters in

Christ for sharing the Gospel

locally, throughout the island

and for acting globally with the

great commission. You may not

have even heard of the Lopit

Mountains of South Sudan, but

on a recent flight, you helped

bring a team of Bible

translators to those

beautiful mountains.

Dan flew in a team of

translators who are

working diligently to

translate the New Tes-

tament into the Lopit

language. The Wyc-

liffe Associates have

much work to do, but

they are hungry to

complete this transla-

tion so that people

from the Lopit Tribe can hear the

Word of God and read it in their

own tongue. Thank you, FBC fami-

ly, for being a part of this wonderful

Kingdom building work, as you sup-

port the Halvorson Family in Kenya.

Halvorson News From Nairobi

South Sudanese Lopit with Wycliffe Associates Bible

Translators and FBC Missionary Dan Halvorson.

T here are those who say that this is ordinary. But

don’t let that fool you. “Mother” will always be the bravest, least ordinary, most difficult and utter-ly challenging career that any-one ever hopes to lay claim to.

While others might hear, “diaper-changer, food-maker, car-pooler, bottle-washer, laundry-doer, sweat pants-wearer, life-on-hold” wanna be doing anything else woman, the Truth, whether it feels like it some days or not, is that you are in fact a shelter from the storm.

You are a Cape of Good Hope.

You are a warrior who will bat-tle for your children’s hearts, souls, attention, innocence, education and memories.

Go to battle my friends. This is your time.

We will hold strong on either side of you. We will pray over those bottles, through the dark watches of the night, when doubt comes and children break, when adults fail them, when they push and push as hard against us as that day we deliv-ered them into the world we. will. not.

be broken.

We may ache and see cracks tear through our hearts, but we

You Are Mighty Because You Mother in CHEERING FOR YOU, MOTHERHOOD, RABID FEAR OF PARENTING by Lisa-Jo Baker

will get up again tomorrow and load the clothes and the words that need to be said. Again and again and again.

And when the world tries to claw at them, to break them, to smash the beauty in them, may our walls hold true. May the les-sons we’ve told, the truths we’ve lived, the life we’ve spoken into them come back easily, predict-ably, with wash and repeat ease.

Kingdom business. Jesus work. This shaping of souls. This raising tiny humans.

There are those that say that this is ordinary. Don’t buy that for a second.

Mighty. You are mighty, because you mother.

http://lisajobaker.com/2013/10/you-are-

mighty-because-you-mother/

Page 6: FamilyGram5fba2b318e93cafb2fcd-f72c28db3a25c29cab9bff7c9c1ca25c.r88.cf… · The best way to conquer fear and anxiety is Emily lack’s Short Term Mission page 4 Halvorson News page

Page 6 Family Bible Church FamilyGram

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

29 30 31

9:50 am Sunday School

Jr./Sr. High starts in C6—Topic: John

9:50 am Sunday School

Jr./Sr. High starts in C6—Topic: John

Mother’s Day!

9:50 am Sunday School

Jr./Sr. High starts in C6—Topic: John

9:50 am Sunday School

Jr./Sr. High starts in C6—Topic: John

Youth Calendar for May 2016

Some Thoughts on Motherhood...

Youth Dinner @ 6:30

Sr. High Jr. High

Jr. Hi: 7-8:45 C-3 Topic: Bible 201

Sr. High 7-8:45 C-6 Big Group—Community I

Sr. High 7-8:45 C-6 Small Group—Community II

Jr. Hi: 7-8:45 C-3 Paint Your World

Adventure $10

Jr. Hi: 7-8:45 C-3 Topic: Bible 201

Sr. High 7-8:45 C-6 Small Group - God and Me

Jr. Hi: 7-8:45 C-3 Topic: Bible 201

Sr. High 7-8:45 C-6 Worship II

No Sunday School

Youth Dinner @ 6:30

Youth Dinner @ 6:30

Youth Dinner @ 6:30

All Youth

Retreat! - Island Lake

Memorial Day

* Jr. High Paint Ball & Bon-

fire @ Jones’ house! $5

If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands? - Milton Berle

The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.

—Theodore Hesburgh

“Women’s Liberation is just a lot

of foolishness. It’s the men who

are discriminated against. They

can’t bear children. And no

one’s likely to do anything about

that.” ~Golda Meir Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. ~Elizabeth Stone

Page 7: FamilyGram5fba2b318e93cafb2fcd-f72c28db3a25c29cab9bff7c9c1ca25c.r88.cf… · The best way to conquer fear and anxiety is Emily lack’s Short Term Mission page 4 Halvorson News page

Family Bible Church FamilyGram Page 7

THE SILVER EAGLES WILL MEET May 20th at 11:30

At 270 SE Pioneer Way

The PBY flew from here

To the Aleutians in 1943

“IT FINALLY CAME HOME”

Created by WWII vets who flew the “PBY-5A” Catalina amphibious patrol bomber, to honor the history of all the Navy & Marine Aviators who served our country from NAS and all of those who flew the Catalina.

After the tour we will go to San Remo’s Restaurant at 421 Midway Blvd

for an early dinner.

Please contact Marjorie Kott – 360-675-3146 or [email protected] for reservations for

both the museum & the restaurant. $6.00 fee for the museum.

D ear Mama,

You’re hoping to be Queen for a Day.

You’re hoping your labor of love and daily sacrifices and long hours and sleepless service and hard, hard work might be acknowledged in a way that will make your mama-heart go flutter, flutter, flutter, I. Am. Seen.

And I hope that for you too.

Your love runs deep. Your reach stretch-es far. Your presence breathes safe. Your work speaks holy… and so you deserve to be honored, oh Mama-Queen for a Day.

But this year, as you prepare for the day that’s all about you…

R emember her who has no babies to embrace.

R emember her who has experienced loss in the womb or loss in her arms.

R emember her who reluctantly en-trusted her heart-in-the-shape-of-a

-child to someone else’s care because, at the time, it was the highest form of love.

R emember her who is separated through deployment or assignment

or illness or disease.

R emember her who aches in her soul while her baby is in prison.

R emember her who has waited and counted and worn her knees ragged

praying for the day when those two lines would appear.

R emember her who loves our babies because she’s not yet found a man

to give her some of her own.

R emember her who burns with regret for letting go when there seemed no

other way.

R emember her who parents alone, with those sweet littles still too

young to form the words “I love you” on their lips.

R emember her who waits in agony for applications to be approved and

a judge’s ruling telling her what she al-ready knows. (That she, too, is a moth-er.)

R emember her who’s broken-hearted from being pushed away by a way-

ward teenager.

R emember her who lacks access to the kind of medical care we take for

granted and instead waits in fear of her birthing day.

R emember her—in a far off land—who pushed to her death, while de-

(Remember—Continued on page 11)

SILVER EAGLES TO VISIT

PBY & NAVAL AIR MUSEUM

Page 8: FamilyGram5fba2b318e93cafb2fcd-f72c28db3a25c29cab9bff7c9c1ca25c.r88.cf… · The best way to conquer fear and anxiety is Emily lack’s Short Term Mission page 4 Halvorson News page

Page 8 Family Bible Church FamilyGram

A Baptism Story

On March 20, 2016, Sandra was

baptized. Her testimony of a life

radically changed and saved

brought tears to many eyes that

day. We wanted to share her words

with you and she has given us per-

mission. Her story is one of re-

demption and hope. We have para-

phrased it here.

Sandra's Story:

"As a child, I suffered from feelings

of profound sadness. I believed

that no one loved me and I contem-

plated suicide. I was shy and intro-

verted, and yet aggressive and

moody. As a young girl I began

cutting myself, and this became an

even bigger problem later. To this

day I carry the scars. As an adoles-

cent, I hung out with very bad com-

pany and did just about anything.

"One of my aunts went to church.

At 19, I began to go with her, alt-

hough I understood very little.

Then I began to have health prob-

lems. When I was 22, my father,

who meant everything to me, died.

"At the age of 23, I lived with a vio-

lent man, who lived off of me, while

having relationships with other

women. This was my descent into

hell, and it lasted for 6 years. Then

at 29, I found

the courage

to leave him,

for another

man. This

relationship

was also un-

healthy. I left

him 2 years

ago.

"Over 8 years ago, I left the church

I had attended, and no longer be-

lieved in God. Years of suffering

followed. I was in depression, like

a vegetable. I found my refuge in

food and sleep. I got very involved

in yoga and allowed people to prac-

tice hypnosis, magnetism and oc-

cultism on me.

"A year ago I moved back in with

my mother due to my health prob-

lems. She had become a Christian

after my father passed away. She

was having a prayer meeting at her

house and I came downstairs and

joined them and prayed. My moth-

er cried tears of joy, and invited me

to come to a Christian concert the

next day. I was a bit skeptical but

went. At the concert I spoke to

some members of the choral who

invited me to church the next day.

I went and loved it and decided I

would keep going to this church.

But my car then broke down. One

of the people from the choir knew a

pastor of a church in Saint-Louis,

where I lived. I didn’t need a car to

get there. That’s when I first start-

ed coming to La Bonne Nouvelle.

"That is where my adventure be-

gan. I attended a home group and

church services. The Holy Spirit

began to touch my heart. I found

the answers to my questions in

God’s Word. One morning, I tried

to sing a worship song, but could-

n’t. I was so moved, and asked God

then and there to forgive my sins.

"I understood that I was lost with-

out God. I accepted Jesus as my

Savior, because God sent his be-

loved Son to earth as a sacrifice, to

die in my place on the cross, for my

sins. Just like Jesus, who rose

again and is now with His Father, I

will also have eternal life.

"After that, God began to change

my life. I got rid of anything that

had to do with yoga and my old life.

God even helped me to forgive the

violent man in my life who had

done me so much harm. I want to

learn more about God and read His

word. He has a plan for my life. I

want to please Him with all of my

heart.

"I have gone through all kinds of

other struggles and more will come.

But at 40, I am finally living. This

is truly a new

birth. Thank

you Lord.

Sandra's

Testimony

Her Baptism

Our mailing address is:

18 rue des Chevreuils

68870 Bartenheim-la-chaussée

France

Copyright © DeNeui, All rights re-

served.

Sandra

The DeNeui’s in France

Patriotism consists not in waving the flag, but in striving that our country shall be righteous as well as strong.

- James Bryce

Page 9: FamilyGram5fba2b318e93cafb2fcd-f72c28db3a25c29cab9bff7c9c1ca25c.r88.cf… · The best way to conquer fear and anxiety is Emily lack’s Short Term Mission page 4 Halvorson News page

Family Bible Church FamilyGram Page 9

Jane & Dennis Behrman Dianne & Jack Granade

Heather & Connor Bettis Jan & Andy (A.J.) Markley

Susan & Reynaldo Delmundo Mercy & Kerry Speth

Caryn & Gregory Eggett Bonnie & Montee Walters

Taylor Berthiaume, 20th Geyer, Wendy 15

th Pearcy, Kelsey 13

th

Kylin Black, 05th Lynne Giammarinaro, 27

th Matthew Pearcy, 07

th

Jonathon Bright, 16th Dick Haines, 19

th Shirly Pedersen, 17

th

Bonnie Buxton, 21st Bud Hansen, 05

th Gregory Peele, 05

th

Mike Buxton, 15th Tordie Hayden, 27

th Patricia Ransford, 11

th

Christine Christopherson, 05th Ashley Jones, 08

th Andrea Roberts, 19

th

Jon Anders, 15th Joel Christopherson, 12

th Avery Jones, 14

th Brennan Schell, 31

st

Carol Anderson, 02nd

Kit Christopherson, 07th Antonio Lazada, 11

th Dorothy Schulz, 26

th

Danielle Arnett, 11th

Bryce Daigle, 08th Svenja Marshall, 14

th Kevin Turner, 17

th

Landon Arnett, 15th Reynaldo Delmundo, 16

th Kai Medina, 24

th Matthew Turner, 06

th

Lacy Baldwin, 19th Debbie Dyche, 16

th Kathrine Medina, 23

rd Billy Weaver, 23

rd

Robert Bell, 15th Dan Edwards, 29

th Bob Mitchell, 11

th Susan Wells, 03

rd

Madelyn Berthiaume, 31st Mary Erickson, 13

th Tammy Ostermann, 17

th Caleb Zarraonandia, 16

th

It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so

rare.

— Mark Twain

Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/marktwain104717.html

Page 10: FamilyGram5fba2b318e93cafb2fcd-f72c28db3a25c29cab9bff7c9c1ca25c.r88.cf… · The best way to conquer fear and anxiety is Emily lack’s Short Term Mission page 4 Halvorson News page

Page 10 Family Bible Church FamilyGram

My Story by Jason

Ingram & Michael

Weaver

We just started singing

this song at Family

Bible Church (FBC) in

April. It started with a

conversation with

someone on worship team who had

asked to sing this song. However, when

we introduce a new song at FBC it is

important that it be accessible to the

congregation – in terms of melody and

rhythm – but that it more importantly

speak biblical truth. So I began listen-

ing to the song, hearing it on the radio

and then took the time to read through

the lyrics.

Taking their cue from the refrain of

“Blessed Assurance”, Jason Ingram and

Michael Weaver begin to piece together

a story of what life in Christ looks like.

What has Christ done with the stories of

these two men?

“If I told you my story, you would

hear hope that wouldn’t let go.

If I told you my story, you would

hear that never gave up.

If I told you my story, you would

hear life, but it wasn’t mine.

If I should speak, then let it be of

the grace that is greater than all

my sin,

Of when justice was served and

when mercy wins,

Of the kindness of Jesus that

draws me in.

Oh, to tell you my story is to tell

of Him.”

From the Worship Desk

Can you hear the testimony of

these two men being sung through

these lyrics? The story of men

whose lives are radically different

because of the hope, love, and life

of Christ that saturates each lyric

of this song. The hope of Christ

that doesn’t let go, the love that

never gives up, and the life that we

have because of what Christ has

accomplished. And when we have

the opportunity to talk about this

life that we have let us then take

the opportunity to speak about

Christ; His grace, justice and mer-

cy.

Lyrics like these ones begin a pro-

cess of thinking that ought to make

us ask, “What about my story tells

of Christ?” What about my story

shares the hope, love, and

life of Christ when I get the

opportunity to share with

people about Christ?

While visiting friends in

D.C. in April we were hav-

ing a discussion about the

Holy Spirit and personality

traits. It was said to me, “If

you [Brian] didn’t have the Holy

Spirit I could see how you might be

downcast.” Mind you, these are

good friend who know me beyond

Sunday morning and know my in-

troverted tendencies and so it was

not a negative comment, however

it made me grateful for the work of

God in my life. It made me grate-

ful that through the work of the

Holy Spirit I have joy, peace, hope

and love that are beyond myself

and not a part of my personality

make up. In fact, my tendencies

are more toward worry, melan-

choly, and self-centeredness. So, if

I told you my story, would you hear

joy, peace, hope and love? If I told

you my story would you hear about

Christ?

When we introduce songs at FBC it

isn’t just because we like them. In

fact, there are a lot of songs that we

like that simply just don’t make the

cut because they are either not

congregationally accessible or they

have something in them that ques-

tions a core tenant of our faith.

But, when we introduce a song it is

to either help us as a congregation

engage with that Sunday’s theme,

or it is to encourage us as a congre-

gation in an area of our theology,

or it is to make us think about our

story in Christ and how we might

be sharing that story with others

around us.

There is so much in a

song! Each song carries

its own personal story

from the writer(s) but it

also engages the people

of Christ in the story of

His Bride, the Church.

And finally, a song

might help to engage the listener

with their own story. A lyric can

bring back a distant memory, a

melody could trigger an emotion,

and a song might

help put together

a thought about

theology. So,

when we sing

these songs, I

hope that you

find yourself en-

gaged not only in

the

What’s in a Song? Part 3

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. - Maya Angelou

Page 11: FamilyGram5fba2b318e93cafb2fcd-f72c28db3a25c29cab9bff7c9c1ca25c.r88.cf… · The best way to conquer fear and anxiety is Emily lack’s Short Term Mission page 4 Halvorson News page

Family Bible Church FamilyGram Page 11

O ur OneCry prayer group will not meet in May, but we encourage folks to attend the: National Day of Prayer on May 5, Thursday,

at the Gazebo in City Beach at 5:15 PM.

Looking Ahead... OneCry prayer group is making plans to attend the Decision America Prayer rally in Olym pia, on June 29. Info is shown below. Folks who want to sign up to go, can contact me at [email protected] or leave a message at 360-675-0244.

America’s spiritual and moral foundation is crumbling. What can we as followers of Jesus Christ do? We must pray, seek God’s face, and stand firm on His Word.

That’s why we’re bringing the Decision America Tour to each of the 50 states. I’m going to pro-claim the Gospel and challenge Christians to pray fervently and boldly live out their faith in Jesus Christ—at home, in public, and at the ballot box.

Will you join us in this effort?

HERE’S HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED:

today, where you can:

PRAY

Sign up for your state’s prayer team and ask God to bring revival to your state and our nation. Pray for your commu-nity, our nation, the tour, and opportunities to reach the lost with the Gospel.

Consider gathering a group to pray with you.

SIGN THE PLEDGE

Join thousands of others and

commit to take a stand for Je-

sus Christ.

MAKE PLANS TO ATTEND

Bring your friends and join Franklin Graham at the prayer rally in your state capital.

Join us as we travel to Olym-

pia on June 29 to take part in the

Decision America Prayer Rally.

Contact Ruth at: [email protected]

or leave a message at 360-675-0244 to sign up to go.

For more information go to

DecisionAmericaTour.com

livering life into the arms of the world as she said hello-goodbye.

And you, dear Mama-friend…

Your surrender is noble and your service is seen in the heavenly places.

You—who are so like God Himself in your creating and nurturing and laboring and the handing over of your very glory to another—will you remember how precious the privilege of doing what He does?

Will you remember that your chil-dren, your role, your name—Mama—is not something you’re entitled to, but some-thing released to you as a gift?

Your gift—the one you give and the one you receive—is far sweeter than any that could be packaged up and wrapped with a bow this Mothers Day.

Happy Mothers Day to you, Mama.

May you be celebrated, esteemed, and affirmed in your joy. May you wake up that sweet Sunday morn-ing to receive your beloved hand-drawn cards.

And as you do, may you remem-ber her, and whisper a prayer for her too – the one who is unable to share in your joy.

And may you also receive your breakfast in bed and a tidy house as you undoubtedly deserve. And flowers, many flowers!

Love, Another Mama Trying to Remember

(Remember—Continued from page 7)

Page 12: FamilyGram5fba2b318e93cafb2fcd-f72c28db3a25c29cab9bff7c9c1ca25c.r88.cf… · The best way to conquer fear and anxiety is Emily lack’s Short Term Mission page 4 Halvorson News page

Page 12 Family Bible Church FamilyGram

Upcoming EVENTS

Every Tuesday 6:00 PM The Pier—College & Career

Every Wednesday 6:30 PM Prayer & Praise—Library

WOW Bible Studies

9:15 AM Wed Mornings 6:30 PM Thu Evenings

National Day of Prayer 5:15 PM Thursday May 5

At the Gazebo in City Beach

Men’s Mission Trip to Mexico’

May 12-16

Women’s Retreat at Cedar Springs

Friday-Sunday, May 20 –22

Silver Eagles 12:00—2:00 PM Friday, May 20th

Youth Retreat to Island Lake May 28-30

LOOKING AHEAD VBS July 18-22

What Always Comes Right Before a Miracle by Holley Gerth

She wears white and floats down the aisle. My oldest niece is getting married and

she’s gorgeous.

She stands, whole future ahead of her, next to the one who will share it.

The pastor talks of the wedding where Jesus turns water into wine. He says, “Jesus’

mother told the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ ” He encourages the couple in

front of him to do the same. Those words grab hold of my heart. They won’t let go

through the reception line, as my fork slices into cake, as the last cheers go up when

the hand-holding pair rushes out the door into their new life together.

Because I realize, for the first time, those are the words that always come just before

a miracle.

Not “Do whatever you want”

Not “Do what you feel.”

Not “Do what makes you happy.”

Do whatever He tells you.

That’s what invites the impossible into the everyday.

That’s what can alter everything for all of us.

My niece said “I do” and her whole future changed.

When we say “I will do” it does the same for us.

“I will do whatever you tell me.”

Say those words and watch for water to turn into wine.

Family Bible Church is a non-denominational church. We are located at 2760 N. Heller Road, Oak Harbor. Our Sunday service times are 8:30, 9:50 and 11:20 AM with Sunday

School running concurrently during 9:50 & 11:20 services. Nursery is available for 9:50 and 11:20 services.

Church office hours are 8:00 AM - 5:30 PM, Monday - Thursday. You can contact us by calling 679-1585. Our FAX # is 679-6144.

Email address: [email protected]. Web location: www.oakharborfamilybible.org.

f Follow us on Facebook at Family-Bible-Church-Oak-Harbor-Washington Articles for this publication may be submitted to [email protected].

Follow Holley at http://holleygerth.com