Needed...

This is a shameless plea for submissions to this blog!!!  

Have you read any good (or not so good) books lately?  Write a brief review or simply submit the title.  Don't forget about children's books.

Have you watched movies recently?  Again, a review or the title would be welcome.

Do you craft, sew, take pictures, etc.?  Please submit a picture of your latest creation.  Tell us how you got involved in that particular craft, how long you've been doing it--we want to know about YOU!!

Do you have  a favorite quote or favorite recipe?  Please send it in.

Do you know the history of your church?  Please take a moment to write it out and send it in.

This blog is all about getting to know each other and the churches in Warrior Presbytery.   We want to hear from you!!     Submitting is very simple--email warriorpreswic@gmail.com.

Signs of Spring

These pictures were taken by Dana Miller (Riverwood Presbyterian in Tuscaloosa).  Daughter Gracen was thrilled to watch a wren build a nest and lay eggs.  She was able to watch the eggs hatch and the birds grow.  On the morning the babies left the nest, Gracen was on the porch watching.  The birds flew all around (and on) Gracen!

Ridge Haven Camps

Many PCA children will enjoy a week of camp at Ridge Haven Camp this summer.  This is an exciting time in the lives of children.  They have great fun, make new friends and, of course, learn a lot.  Please be in prayer for these children and the adults who will go with them.  Pray for safety, growth and health.  Pray, also, for the workers at Ridge Haven--many are college students working through the summer.  For more information about the camps offered at Ridge Haven, go here.

As we learned at the April Sharing Session, there is a new camp at Ridge Haven with a very special focus.  Brave Heart is a camp specifically designed to support children and teenagers who have faced the pain of the death of a parent, sibling, grandparent, relative or special friend.

Part of the offering that was taken at this meeting will be sent to Ridge Haven to help support this camp.  Please take a minute to look at the link provided above.  Please also keep this camp in your prayers.

Sharing Session

The Sharing Session for Warrior PresWIC was held on Saturday, April 18 at First Presbyterian Church in Camden.  

The ladies of Camden went above and beyond by providing much delicious food, beautiful flowers and a warm, welcoming atmosphere.    Their attention was appreciated by all in attendance.

Please take a moment to look at the pictures from this meeting.  A link is on the sidebar under Picture Gallery.  

Also, be sure to put September 19 on your calendar now and begin praying for the Spiritual Retreat which will be held at Centreville Presbyterian Church.

Reminder

Please don't forget that this Saturday, April 18 is the PresWIC Sharing Session.

Don't miss this time of fellowship, fun and learning!

For further details, please click this link.

Also of interest is the following email from PresWIC President Elaine Carr regarding upcoming opportunities for ministry:

While Gail Rankin was at Leadership Conference last month, the WASC (Women’s Sub-Advisory Committee) asked that each Pres-WIC make a financial donation toward the new camp that is being offered at Ridge Haven for bereaved families.  Originally they were asking for one camp scholarship to be provided by each Presbytery, however they have just asked each Pres-WIC to contribute what they can. Of course camps are coming up rather quickly and the one for bereaved families is in June which makes this a priority matter.  Our council has prayerfully considered this request and feels strongly that we should give the wonderful women of Warrior Presbytery the opportunity to contribute to this worthy cause as they see fit. To that end, we are going to give a portion of the offering that is taken at the Sharing Session to Ridge Haven to be used towards a scholarship for the bereavement camp. We wanted to give you prior notice so that you can let your ladies know so that those who are able and willing to contribute can come prepared to do so.

 

We have also prayerfully considered some type of “service” project for our Pres-WIC and decided to do something for the students at RUF prior to the end of the semester. The consensus among the college students at Alabama with whom I have talked is that they particularly appreciate food and would like to have a pizza party.  So, please ask your WIC treasurer to bring a check for a minimum of $10 so that we can provide that meal without having dip into the general funds of the Pres-WIC.

Again, please make plans to attend the meeting on Saturday and prayerfully consider how you can help in these two worthy ministry opportunities.

Easter

"But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared.  And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.  

While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel.   And they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?

He is not here but has risen."

Luke 24: 1-6

Pain

The following post was written by Dana Miller in 2006.  Dana is married to Jeff Miller, Music Director at Riverwood Presbyterian.  They have one daughter, Gracen.  This post also appeared in Riverwood's monthly publication, The Salt and Light.  For more about Dana and their family, visit her blog here.

My maternal grandfather owned a butane company. He would go out in all kinds of weather on service calls. When my Mom was a little girl, she would go along with him sometime. They would have to go out in the dark, in fields that were caked with mud with knee deep ruts cut through. The wheels of the old butane truck would get stuck and throw mud. Mom was scared that they would be stuck with no one to help them for days. Papaw would always say, "we're going to make it, got to make it." Mom says they always did make it.

Pain is kind of like those fields caked with mud and knee deep ruts. Whether it be physical, emotional, or mental; pain is dark and can make you feel as though you aren't going to make it. Most of us don't like to talk about or even think about pain. As a society, we've gotten pretty good at masking the symptoms. However much we don't like to think about it, there is one sure fact: we will all have pain at some point in our lives. It is part of living in a fallen world.

Our pastor preached a sermon on Psalm 150 several weeks ago (you can listen to it here ). One of the points that stuck with me was praising God in everything and with everything. I had to think on that a while--especially with regard to pain. I know pain--I know it well. Literally, every step that I take hurts. Sometimes the pain is indescribable. I don't question why--well, not a lot anyway--I know why. For 20 years, I've walked on something "unnatural" so to speak. The prostheses I've had in the past weren't great; technology has finally made some great strides but not before damage was done. I hurt in the morning, during the day, and at night.

Pain brings out lots of emotions in people. Some carry it almost as a martyr's badge of honor--either by pretending that they don't have pain and everything is "fine" or by making sure that everyone knows that they have pain! Some ignore it in the hopes that it will simply go away. Others may try to do enough good to outweigh the bad in the hopes that it will simply disappear. Some get bitter and lash out at everyone. But, praise? Not exactly an emotion we think of in the context of pain. You see, praise has to have an object. We have to praise someone or something. Are we going to praise someone or something for whatever kind of pain we find ourselves in?

The short answer is yes. We are going to praise someone. We may praise ourselves (secretly or otherwise) for being able to bear the pain. We may praise the doctors or medicine who may be able to give temporary relief. We will praise--it is what we are designed to do. Maybe the rub comes when we have to say who we praise. Psalm 150 doesn't leave any doubt--and there is no exception clause.

There are many times that I am tempted to join Frodo in Lord of the Rings and "wish that this had never come to me." But, I always think of the alternative. Cancer could have won in 1985. This path is probably not the one I would have chosen (had I had the option to choose!) but I am incredibly thankful that I didn't choose the path for my life.

In light of all this roaming about in my mind, my question became am I worthy of the path (and pain) that I walk? Philippians 1:27 says
Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ
so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear
of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind,
striving together for the faith of the gospel." Then verse 29:
For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to
believe in Him, but to also suffer for His sake.
Now, I know that Paul was talking to the Philippian church about persecution and such, but if we are to praise God in all things--and rejoice and be thankful--then it seems that we have to consider whether we are worthy of the path He has put us on. I don't mean worthy in the sense of worth but worthy in the sense of conduct. Are my actions to my pain worthy unto Christ? Crying out to Him to relieve the pain--even as Paul did but accepting in His grace if the pain remains or gets worse--and living, walking and trusting in that grace to sustain me.

Am I able to do that? Not a chance. It is then that I am so thankful for Christ's words to Paul: My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me." (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Sunday Thought

“No single piece of our mental world is to be hermetically sealed off from the rest,

and there is not a square inch in the whole world domain of our human existence over which Christ,

who is sovereign over all, does not cry: “Mine!”

 

Abraham Kuyper

Many thanks to Melissa Lien for sharing this quote.  

Melissa is the wife of Rev. Tim Lien, pastor of Riverwood Presbyterian.  She is mommy to Laurian, Anderson, and Lainey.