Spring Fling 2012: Showers of Blessings

Our 2012  Spring Fling was a huge success! Over 40 ladies gathered for  "Showers of Blessings". I was amazed to see as many guests as Pearson members that afternoon....which was the greatest success!

The purpose of this event was to invite unchurched or de-churched friends to Pearson and share the love of Christ with them. So often times people are hesitant to attend church or Sunday school when they have not been in a while. They will, however, attend a social event. Our goal in hosting the Spring Fling was to create an environment where the ladies who attended would feel welcome and loved so that they may be more willing to attend church, Sunday School, or Bible Study.

This was also an opportunity for some of our ladies to serve on the FLO Ministry Team who had not done so before. It is always interesting to me to watch ladies discover how they can use the gifts God has given them.

This was our only fundraiser for the Ladies Ministry for the year and it was a success on that level too!

Debi Green was our guest speaker. She shared her testimony and painted a beautiful picture of how God was present through all the difficult times in her life. She shared how God comforted her during her battle with cancer, the death of her father and several other difficult situations in her life. She is a tremendous source of encouragement and her testimony is inspiring.



Hugs!
K


"For Ladies Only" is the ladies ministry of Pearson Baptist Church in Pearl Mississippi.

Monday Morning Pick Me Up

Hymns The way we might sing some well-known hymns if we were being honest about how we sometimes FEEL:

1. I Surrender Some
2. There Shall Be Sprinkles of Blessings
3. Fill My Spoon, Lord
4. Oh, How I Like Jesus
5. He’s Quite a Bit to Me
6. I Love to Talk About Telling the Story
7. Take My Life and Let Me Be
8. It is My Secret What God Can Do
9. There is Scattered Cloudiness in My Soul Today
10. Where He Leads Me, I Will Consider Following
11. Just As I Pretend to Be

 How do you worship when you don't "feel" like it? Think about who GOD is and not on how you are feeling. The wonderful news is that Salvation is not a "FEELING". If you have accepted Christ as your Savior and Lord, then you are a child of God and that is a FACT! PRAISE GOD for that!!!!

 Have a great week!
 K




 "For Ladies Only" is the ladies ministry of Pearson Baptist Church in Pearl Mississippi.

Wednesday's Weekly Recipe

Creamy Mediterranean Spread

What You Need
1pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1jar (7 oz.) roasted red peppers, drained, chopped
1pkg. (4 oz.) ATHENOS Traditional Crumbled Feta Cheese
1/2cup chopped kalamata olives (about 40)
1/4cup KRAFT Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
2Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Make It
SPREAD cream cheese onto bottom of pie plate.
COMBINE remaining ingredients; spoon over cream cheese.
SERVE with RITZ Crackers.

Kraft Kitchens Tips
Substitute
Prepare using KRAFT Greek Vinaigrette Dressing.
Make Ahead
Red pepper topping can be prepared ahead of time. Store in tightly covered container in refrigerator up to 24 hours before spooning over cream cheese as directed.

Enjoy!!!
K
































"For Ladies Only" is the ladies ministry of Pearson Baptist Church in Pearl Mississippi.

Tuesday Tips, Trivia, and Tidbits

I love my Sunday School Class. I not only love the unity of spirit in that we all want to be disciples of Christ, but I also love the diversity of backgrounds, opinions, and levels of Spiritual Maturity represented in our class.

Over the past year, our little class really had a growth spurt and it has caused me to wonder why people attend (or don't attend) Sunday School. I did a little online research and I discovered that there is a tiny discrepancy between what Sunday School "promises" and what Sunday School Members "expect". Here are 2 examples that illustrate the discrepancy...

I found these "8 reasons to join Sunday School" listed on a random church website:

1. You will understand the Bible better in a Small group.

2. You will begin to really feel like part of God´s family.

3. Prayer will become more meaningful to you.

4. You will be able to handle stress and pressure better.

5. You will have a natural way to share Christ with friends, relatives, and work associates.

6. You will develop leadership skills you never knew you had!

7. You will deepen your understanding of worship.

8. You will be a New Testament Christian

THEN, I found these 3 reasons why people said they actually joined Sunday School:

Elmer Towns wrote 154 Steps to Revitalize Your Sunday School and Keep Your Church Growing.

THEY ARE LOOKING FOR FRIENDS.

THEY ARE LOOKING FOR HELP.

THEY ARE INTERESTED IN THE TOPIC, TEACHER PERSONALITY, OR PRIMARY TEACHING METHOD.

The most impressive thing that I discovered is something I have heard expressed in many different ways over the years....People are looking for friends. People want to feel like they belong. People want to feel like it matters that they are present. When they are absent, they want to know that they were missed. When they hurt, they want to know that someone cares.

We put a lot of pressure on a Sunday School teacher to make a class "work", and it IS the teacher's responsibility to make sure that he or she teaches God's Word...but it seems that the things that people are really looking for from a Sunday School class are things that the teacher really can't do alone.

As we, the class members, are growing into disciples, we can practice sharing the Love of Christ with those in our class. We can practice being alert to hurts and needs. We can practice mentoring. We can practice so that when we are called to be disciples out in "the world" and called to love the "unchurched", we will be experienced and hopefully these things will be natural to us.

What better place to "practice" loving like Jesus loved than in a Sunday School Class? As I mentioned earlier, my class is made up of a diverse group of people. We have different needs and are in different stages in life. There are NUMEROUS opportunities each day to let someone know that they are loved and valued.

What better way to mentor our less mature Christian brothers and sisters on how to care for each other, forgive each other, and see each other as Christ sees us than by caring for them, forgiving them, seeing them with Christ-filled eyes and loving them like Christ does?

After all, we are all works in progress...

Perhaps this post was better suited for "Thursday Thoughts"...oh well....

Have a great day!

K

"For Ladies Only" is the ladies ministry of Pearson Baptist Church in Pearl Mississippi.

Tuesday Tips Trivia and Tidbits

More Scripture Memorization Help

1.REALLY Learn the passage.

Make sure that you have learned the passage that you are currently memorizing thoroughly before moving onto something new. A passage of scripture needs to be reviewed at least a 100 times before you can say you know it well. Anything less than this, then the passage will not be carved as deeply into your long-term memory. It is a common feeling to be a little impatient when it comes to doing this much review. However there is an advantage which will show up later on.
Here is an example. If you memorize three passages a week and keep this up for three years then you should know about 150 passages of scripture. When you have reached this point you may find it difficult to make progress because you have to spend too much time reviewing the verses you have done in the past. You may also find that you have forgotten the older ones and need to re learn them. (So you really do not know 150 passages) It may have been better to only do two passages per week and make sure that you know them very well before moving on. At the end of the three years you will find that you do not have to spend as much time in review. You can still recall the past passages and have time to move on to new material.
Part of the mechanics of memorization is to make sure that the passage is reviewed on a regular basis, many times at first but then with a larger and larger time interval between review sessions until all you need to keep it fresh is once or twice every few weeks

2.Memorize word for word.
It is important to be accurate. Just memorizing the 'gist' of the verse may be OK, but small errors can lead to misinterpretation of the meaning. If you are not careful, ideas can be lost or added to the passage you are trying to become familiar with.

3. Keep Trying!
The only real mistake you can make with scripture memorization is to quit.

"For Ladies Only" is the ladies ministry of Pearson Baptist Church in Pearl Mississippi.

Tuesday Tips, Trivia, and Tidbits

Over the past 2 years, I have been made acutely (and painfully) aware of how vital Scripture memorization is. While battling cancer, I clung to verses such as Matthew 19:26 (With God all things are possible) and Psalm 121:2 (My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth). Another favorite is Psalm 121:3 (He will not let your foot slip--He who watches over you will not slumber;), which I personalized to remind myself that "God's got this" by saying "the one who watches over me does not sleep, Psalm 121:3" over and over and over again.

I have also learned over the past few years that many people do NOT memorize God's word. So, for the next several weeks, Tuesday will be dedicated to tips on memorizing Scripture. I hope that this will help you, dear reader, to hide God's Word in your heart (Psalm 119: 11).

This week's tips...

Most people remember things that are important to them.

Find a verse that speaks to you where you are now.

For example:

if you want revenge, claim Exodus 14:14 - The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still.

If you are afraid, Psalm 121:3 - The one who watches over you does not sleep

I will let you dig into scripture and find YOUR verse or verses.

People remember things they write down. Once you choose a verse to memorize,

Write the verse(s) down.

People remember things that they repeat often. Once you choose a verse to memorize,

Repeat the verse(s) often.

Repeat it at every stop light on the way to and from work.

Repeat it every time you go to the restroom.

Repeat it at the top of every hour.

Repeat it while you make copies.

Repeat it while you wash dishes.

Repeat it While you fold clothes.

Repeat it and repeat it until it is hidden in your heart.

So, to get you started,

Choose a verse that speaks to where you are now.

Write the verse(s) down.

Repeat the verse(s) often.

Until next time!
K

"For Ladies Only" is the ladies ministry of Pearson Baptist Church in Pearl Mississippi.

Thursday Thoughts

My sweet friend Shellie and I were talking about the joy we both found in our dark valleys because we traveled into those valleys knowing that our SAVIOR was with us every step of the way. It breaks my heart to hear people say “God wants us to be happy”, not because happiness is bad, but because I have to wonder what this simple phrase does to the woman who has just lost a child, a husband, a job, or any number of things. Does this phrase, simple as it is, cause her to doubt God’s love for her? Is this phrase also translated in the heart to mean “If God loves me, I will be happy” or “If I am really a Christian I will be happy” or “If I am in God’s Will, I will be happy”. Speaking for myself, having cancer the first time did not make me happy and having it the second time certainly did not make me happy, but THANKFULLY I rested safe and secure in the arms of the one who made me during those dark times. Was I happy? No. Do I want to do it again? No. BUT I learned things about my Lord and my relationship with Him that I could not have learned any other way and would not trade the experience for anything. THIS is what Shellie and I were discussing this morning....being thankful for the Valley....and Shellie said “You know Kris, God does not want happy, he wants HOLY and He will do whatever it takes to help us get there.”

And today’s blog post was born.....

God wants Holy, not Happy

When we become Christians, we put our FAITH in Christ, and are sealed for Heaven. Like those who came before us, including the 12 Disciples and New Testament Church, we pledge our allegiance to Christ and choose to FOLLOW Him and SERVE Him. We choose to OBEY Him, which includes carrying out the Great Commission by sharing the Gospel, Baptizing Believers, and making Disciples as we go through life. Then, when this life is over and we die, we go to Heaven. That's the deal. God wants HOLY people, not HAPPY people. This is NOT to say that God's children are never happy. There are things that make us happy for a time. However, we are called to be a HOLY people.Scripture says that we...

...are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9

No where in God's Word does Christ promise "happiness" or even "comfort", "good health", or "prosperity" in return for adequate faith or obedience. He does not promise that all God's children will have children, get married, drive a new car, live in the suburbs, get a great education, have great jobs or live a stress free life. Actually, this is what JESUS himself tells His followers....

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

To see what "things" He is referring to, head on over to John 16 and read for yourself.

Note that Jesus tells the Disciples "so that in ME you may have PEACE"
He is telling them (and us) where to LOOK (to Jesus) AND what to look for (PEACE). He ALSO tells us where our courage and strength are to come from "I (Jesus) have overcome the world".

Let me ask you this: Are you looking to your spouse, career, possessions, children, parents, education, house, friends, or anything else (even GOD) for HAPPINESS? If so, it is time, sweet sister, to look to JESUS for PEACE.

If you are discouraged because you have been searching for happiness, let me encourage you to pray with me....
Father God,
I have been searching for happiness and have, for the most part, been disappointed. Someone always has a bigger house, newer car, more sparkly jewelry, cuter kids, a better career and a more romantic husband. Someone is always prettier, smarter, better dressed, more "together", kinder, or all together "better" than me. Lord, there is a longing in my heart for what I thought was happiness, but I was mistaken. What I am longing for is peace. I long for peace to get me through lonely nights, betrayals, disappointments, illnesses, and all the other things that I fear. I need YOUR peace Lord Jesus. I do want to be holy and wholly Yours.
Amen

Before we part today, I want to remind you, precious reader, of one other thing. God and sin cannot reside in the same space. So, before you leave this time of prayer, I want to encourage you to prayerfully ask God to reveal any sin in your heart. When He reveals it to you, resist the temptation to justify your sin and instead simply ask Your Heavenly Father to forgive you and to help you turn from that sin so that you can be Holy and wholly His.

praying for you,
K

"For Ladies Only" is the ladies ministry of Pearson Baptist Church in Pearl Mississippi.