FaithTalk Spring 2013

SPRING 2013 I A PUBLICATION OF SALEM COMMUNICATIONS

MEET INSPIRING TAMPA BAY WOMEN IN MINISTRY Page 22

Discover the Inspiration behind June Hunt’s Hope in the Night Page 8 On a Mission to Dismantle Human Trafficking in Tampa Bay Page 28 Half Off Tuition for Christian Schools Page 33

Barb Yoder and Dr. Robert Jeffress, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, at 2012 Pastor’s Appreciation Lunch.

Dear Friends,

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his year celebrates the 10th year that WTBN’s FaithTalk magazine has been in publication. In conjunction with WTBN Radio and bayword.com, FaithTalk was launched in the spring of 2003 to provide another way to connect the community to a deeper relationship with God through His Word and amazing stories.

I’m especially excited bringing you this issue as it’s the first in a series to feature inspirational stories of the faith walk of Godly women including June Hunt, Joni Erickson Tada and the wives of local pastors that have radio ministries on WTBN and its sister station TalkRadio 860 WGUL. You’ll read about what inspires them and find a unique word of encouragement from each of them.

Our continued desire and calling is to provide even more ways that you can hear the teaching and preaching of God’s Word which over the past year has resulted in access WTBN through your smart phone and iPad apps like iHeart Radio, TuneIn, and of course, our WTBN app. If you have a smart phone – it has now become your radio!

Do you have a child or grandchild in school? If so, turn to page 33. We’ve begun a Half Price Tuition program with some excellent local Christian Schools…that’s right – Half Price Tuition. My husband John and I were fortunate to be able to send our youngest son Kevin to a private Christian school and I want to help other families do the same. I appreciate the many schools that have partnered with us. Available tuitions and participating schools will update frequently so check it out online

at bayword.com and tell your friends.

I hope as you flip through the pages of this issue, you are inspired and encouraged to respond to the calling of God in your life. Hebrews 10:23 ‘ Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.’

Thanks for listening to WTBN and for reading FaithTalk…

Many Blessings,

BARBARA J. YODER GENERAL MANAGER Tampa Bay’s Christian Talk WTBN AM 570 & 910 Tel. (813) 639-1903 barb@salemtampa.com SPRING 2013

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Perspectives from Women in Ministry

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God Doesn’t Always Call the Equipped

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Does God Take Questions?

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Who Inspires Joni Eareckson Tada?

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On a Mission to Dismantle Human Trafficking in Florida

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When God’s Whisper Became a Shout

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Half Price Tuition Deals on Terrific Christian Schools in the Tampa Bay Area

WTBN Program Updates WTBN Programming Schedule Bill Bunkley’s 2013 Florida Legislative Update: Be informed about key issues affecting traditional values

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God Doesn’t Always Call the Equipped …But He Always Equips the Called!

WHO inspires June Hunt?

As

difficult as this is to share, I grew up in an

adulterous home … with a fictitious last name. I was called “June Wright.”

My father had three families at the same time. Home was filled with scandalous secrets that I – by virtue of an unspoken code of “family loyalty” – was not to tell. And I kept the secrets well!

My father was a powerful, autocratic man, twice my mother’s age. When I was 12, we moved into his huge house.

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sunday school After 11 months, they married, and sometime later, I began to be called “June Hunt” – but inconsistently.

Previously, my mother had us attending a mainline denomination – but it was a church that didn’t present salvation through a personal relationship with Christ. In those days, I didn’t know anything was “missing.”

My father’s stance was clear: He said, “Christianity is a crutch.” He hadn’t attended a church in 40 years. Yet through an odd set of circumstances, our family of six began attending a biblically-based church in downtown Dallas. It didn’t take long to recognize that something was different in this

church – very different.

Spiritually, we four kids were a blank page. Examples of our total ignorance of Scripture are now laughable to me.

Like the times the pastor referred to a Scripture … instantly, the sanctuary was filled with the sound of rustling pages as people leafed through their Bibles. My brother, Ray, leaned over and whispered, “What’s the matter?

Don’t they believe him?” I whispered back, “I don’t know!”

This sense of confusion accompanied me to my very first Bible class – the place where I met the woman whom God would use to change my life. Knowing I was

new, some teenagers told me, “Just wait till you hear Nadine teach – she’s fantastic!”

Nadine Saucier was known as a giant of the faith in our high-profile church.

As I stepped into her class the next Sunday, I expected a polished, sharply dressed woman whose looks and pizazz would reflect her enthusiastic reputation.

Instead, I encountered a plump, middle-aged matron with a kind smile, whose dress and demeanor were unremarkable – in every way. Not what I expected, I thought … but then she began to teach the Bible – as the very Word of God. And when she prayed, her words weren’t static prayers – she was actually talking to God! Never had I heard anything more captivating … penetrating … life-

changing. I hung on her every word. She would say, “Highlight this verse … underline this phrase … circle this word.” (I had never marked anything in the Bible before. Of course, I also had never opened the Bible before!!)

Every time she taught, I was enthralled. I would come early and stay late.

Why haven’t I heard these truths before? Where have I been? Through Nadine’s encouragement and example, I started pouring over my Bible, and couldn’t stop.

At the beginning of the new school year, it was time to “graduate” to the next teachers of 12th graders. But I couldn’t bear the thought. I wasn’t about to risk sitting under a Bible teacher whom I might not be able to understand. I asked Nadine if I could

remain in her class. I remained a “permanent visitor” until I graduated from high school.

Truly, Nadine was a gifted, dedicated teacher of young people – a woman who studied the Word for herself and knew how to impart it in ways that connected with the hearts of kids. During the first six months of being in her class, I’d heard her speak often about having a “relationship” with Christ.

Increasingly, I sensed that this relationship was something she and many others had, and something that I did not … yet I wanted.

One day I approached Nadine to ask a question that had been dominating my thoughts: “How do I know if I’m a Christian – I think I am.” Never will I forget her reply.

teacher nadine saucier “Well June, I can’t know your heart like God does, but if you’re not, would you be willing to do whatever God would want you to do to become a Christian?”

Long pause. I began to think, What does that mean? What if it doesn’t work? Then again, what if it would work? What if I refuse and I’m wrong – then I’d miss out on what they all have. Finally … hesitantly, I answered Nadine, “I’m willing to try.” And that day, I made the most important decision of my life. I yielded my will to His will for me. …I gave Christ control of my life

and asked Him to be my Lord and my Savior.

Over the years, I called Nadine with so many Bible-related questions that, had there been “speed dial” in those days, she would have been on the top of my list. However, my concern was that I would be a bother to her … so throughout college, I kept a running list of questions, and then when I felt there had been enough time between calls, I would dial AX-8-2344 to ask my next series of questions. Never once did she make me feel unwanted or in the way.

Even so, I was careful to keep my personal pain out of our conversations … until one frightful day during my senior year. Our home life seemed to be coming apart at the seams. Mother was throwing clothing into a suitcase, distraught and determined to leave my philandering father. Feeling helpless to stop her, I did something I’d never done before – I frantically called Nadine. “I don’t know what to do! Mom’s crying. … She’s packing. … She’s leaving! Could you come and talk with her?”

Nadine left immediately.

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To this day, I don’t know what Nadine said to my mom but, when they emerged from the bedroom, it was clear – Mother’s composure was calm and hope had returned.

Photography by David Edmonson

Photo caption: June Hunt still attends the same Dallas church where she met the Lord.

Her pastor today? One of the students from that first Jr. High Department class--Dr. Robert Jeffress.

June Hunt is one of the world’s leading biblical counselors, whose life’s work has yielded landmark contributions in her field. An author, singer and speaker, she founded HOPE FOR THE HEART in 1986. The ministry offers biblical hope and practical help—through biblical counsel, coaching, and context for contemporary concerns— in more than 60 countries on 6 continents. HOPE FOR THE HEART and HOPE IN THE NIGHT, June’s live two-hour call-in counseling programs are heard on nearly 900 radio outlets around the world.

Scan the QR code below to Connect with June on her Facebook fan page at June.

Hunt.Hope.

After she arrived, they spent hours together alone, talking … and praying. To this day, I don’t know what Nadine said to my mom but, when they emerged from the bedroom, it was clear – Mother’s composure was calm and hope had returned.

Nadine was the first model I’d ever had of a Christian woman being used by God in ministry. While beginning to grow in my faith, I soon met other women – effective women chosen by our pastor to lead because of their heart for God and because of their immense competence.

Shortly after I graduated from college, one of the most unexpected surprises of my life occurred.

Something I still cannot explain to this day. The pastor of our “mega church” asked me to join the staff as Director of our 600-member Jr. High Department.

To be candid, he should never have chosen me, at least not from a human perspective. I had nothing to offer – no training … no vision … no clue of what God was doing. Meanwhile, I was surrounded by seasoned, experienced directors with seminary

degrees.

Nor was I excited about being a youth director. But, in my Spirit, I knew it was right and I accepted the position, thinking, Just do it! In six months, you’ll be glad you did.

I had learned that whatever He calls us to do, He will equip us to do, because the Bible says, “The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24 NIV). Now that’s amazing!

It didn’t take six months for me to realize that going into fulltime ministry was one of the most stretching, most complex, most meaningful experiences of my life.

Looking back on these early years of ministry, I see now so many lessons God was teaching me – lifelessons I’ve since had the privilege of sharing with countless others around the world. I learned that it’s not our ability, it’s our availability that God wants. I’ve learned that if we’re available, God will use us. We need to be so dependent on Jesus that our questions don’t have to be answered. The saying, “God doesn’t always call the equipped … but

He always equips the called” was never more true than in my case.

How grateful I am for the opportunities I had before Nadine’s homegoing to thank her for being “the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved [me] …” (2 Corinthians 2:15 NIV).

What a privilege it was to tell her what a profound impact she had on my life and to honor her for modeling Christlikeness. She led this terribly insecure teenager into the secure family of God. And no longer was there uncertainty about my name. It is forever written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Moving me into a church so many years ago where the Word of God was faithfully taught was not my earthly father’s priority.

But how clearly I now see that it was a priority for my heavenly Father.

With eternal gratitude, I trace His hand at work behind the scenes, leading me to a spiritually supportive encourager from whom I could hear His Word, meet His Son, and receive His call. How I thank God for putting me under the loving care of an unassuming saint named … Nadine.

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BILL BUNKLEY’S

2013 Florida Legislative Update Bill Bunkley speaking at The Florida Faith and Freedom Coalition Legislative Prayer Breakfast in Tallahassee

Bill Bunkley, Host of WTBN’s The Bill Bunkley Show, is the President of the Florida Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and a familiar voice throughout Florida. A native of Tampa, Bill brings his experience to today’s current spiritual, political, and cultural issues. Tune in to The Bill Bunkley Show weekdays from 4-6 pm on WTBN AM 570 & 910. His commentary “Something to Think About” can also be heard daily on Talk Radio AM 860 WGUL and News Talk AM 930 WLSS & WTBN AM 570 & 910.

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l o r i d a continues to be one of the leading bellwether states in America. As such, what happens in our state economically and politically is not just of interest to those who live here but also to those across the nation.

Each year the Florida Legislature meets for a 60 day regular session. That session is preceded by 4 to 5 months of legislative committee meetings that hear state agency reports as well as proposed legislation that may ultimately become state law.

The actions of our legislature are often reported nationally. This year was no exception as by-lines dealing with the socially conservative issues

of domestic partnerships, the new Republican gambling and abortion President of the Florida gained national attention.

Senate, Don Gaetz, decided he was going to go with a bi-partisan leadership Domestic team during his term. He Partnerships appointed a very liberal Democrat, Eleanor Sobel It was an unexpected from Hollywood, to replace and unusual twist to be Senator Storms as chair of dealing with the Domestic her formal committee.

Partnership issue in a Note that the Children, Republican dominated Families and Elder Affairs legislature.

Committee is an important The background to that committee for most prosequence of events goes family and pro-life issues. back to the announcement The naming of Senator from Brandon’s State Sobel as Chairwoman was Senator Ronda Storms, a an early indication of a less good friend and very solid than exuberant President social conservative, that Gaetz when it comes to she would be leaving the pro-life, pro-family issues. legislature to seek another But what came next office. At the time she was surprised many of us.

Chairwoman of the Senate As a Committee Chair Children, Families and Sobel has the prerogative Elder Affairs Committee. to decide which legislation After the 2012 election comes before her

Download the FREE Florida House of Representatives App for iPad and iPhone. Keep up-to-date with committee/floor actions, daily calendars, stream Session and Committee Meetings, and browse through Member photo galleries, Bills and more. >> SCAN THE QR CODE to download the app.

committee.

Her signature personal bill this year was the Domestic Partnership legislation she had filed herself.

It mattered not that in the Republican controlled Senate this initiative would go no farther than her own committee.

She and those supporting Domestic Partnerships had one goal in mind and that was to make a statement. It took three separate committee meetings to get the bill voted favorably in her own committee. And that only happened because one south Florida Republican who was expected to vote against the legislation was not present on the third try and the bill passed because of his absence.

It should be noted that on selective occasions legislators who spend valuable committee time on issues that are not going to pass are criticized for doing so. This time unsurprisingly there was no such criticism by the press.

Gambling Since the neighborhood Internet Café gambling parlors came on the Florida scene a few years ago I have testified repeatedly before the legislature that they were illegal operations and should be shut down.

In the House they previously passed legislation to close them, but in the Senate we could not get any traction.

That was until a federal bust of one of the big operations revealed what we already knew.

In March a federal raid saw 57 arrested with an internet gambling organization, the Allied Veterans of the World, for corruption, money laundering, racketeering and gambling.

Overnight the Florida Senate was

on board and the internet cafes were immediately closed down, along with Adult Arcades utilizing the same games and Miami’s unique maquinitas.

However, that is not our main gambling concern.

Both House and Senate announced plans for conducting a comprehensive study to look at recommendations for future gambling in Florida. It was later announced that Spectrum Gaming Group won the bid and world be awarded $400,000 for their efforts.

Trouble is, they are already a major consultant to huge gambling operations and are not expected to be making any recommendations about maintaining current level of gambling, much less reducing them.

Anti-gambling advocates will either challenge the selection of Spectrum or call for more neutrally oriented consultants be included in the overall study.

Abortion While there haven’t been many public differences between Florida Senate President Don Gaetz and House Speaker Will Weatherford, legislation concerning abortion may have been one of them.Weatherford, an active member at Idlewild Baptist Church in Tampa, has been very supportive of abortion legislation that moved through the House.

Gaetz on the other hand made a comment to a reporter that he had recently walked door to door to talk with constituents. On that walk he said that none of those constituents brought up concerns about abortion. And because they didn’t bring up the issue, he wasn’t going to give it any priority under his watch.

In reality, the abortion legislation that was embraced by the House this year

included initiatives that should receive Gaetz’s support.

In one bill, an infant born alive as a result of a botched abortion would without question be given all the medical attention necessary to live. This was the same legislation where a Planned Parenthood lobbyist gave testimony that a mom or doctor could choose infanticide as a viable option.

Quickly realizing how incorrect and damaging that misstatement was to their cause, Planned Parenthood quickly reversed course and supported the bill.

As a result the bill passed the Florida House 119 – 0.

I have never witnessed a unanimous vote dealing with abortion clinic regulation and I don’t ever expect to see it again.

Another pro-life bill passed by the House shined the light on the shameful practice of seeking an abortion because the sex of the unborn baby was not desirable or its race was unacceptable.

The legislation prohibits the practice.

Yet another initiative the House passed that is not classified as a pro-life bill would nonetheless make it a separate chargeable offense if an unborn baby sustained bodily injury or death by a prohibited criminal activity.

As I write this article the Florida Senate has not taken up these bills for final consideration.

Finally, special recognition is warranted to House Speaker Will Weatherford for his support of Life this year. In past sessions not many legislative leaders have demonstrated the willingness to allocate the floor time necessary to consider multiple abortion bills. He did.

And since there is a national debate among some Republicans calling for less social conservative engagement, Weatherford demonstrated the wisdom to dismiss that ridiculous strategy.

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Does God Take Questions?

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oes God want us to ask Him hard questions? Years ago, I had a professor who notoriously disliked students to ask questions. Students who raised their hands during his lectures were usually either ignored altogether or met with an icy gaze.

by Dr. Stephen Rummage Stephen Rummage is the Senior Pastor of Bell Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon, Florida. Dr. Rummage has a heart to see people come to know Christ and then grow in their walk with Him. He is a frequent guest speaker for churches and conferences across the United States and in other countries.

His greatest desire is to proclaim the Word of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Stephen and his wife, Michele, live in Brandon, along with their son, Joshua.

Tune in to WTBN AM 570 & 910 weekdays at 8 AM to hear “Moving Forward with Stephen Rummage.” Visit www.bellshoals.com or scan the QR code below to learn more.

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Even worse was when our prof acknowledged a raised hand. One day, he allowed a student to ask a question, and then responded, “That’s essentially the same question you asked two weeks ago. It was a rotten question then, and I’m not going to answer it now!”

Let’s face it, we’re all like that grumpy professor sometimes. All of us have been in a situation when we didn’t want someone to ask us a question either because we didn’t know the answer, didn’t like the answer, or didn’t want to be interrupted by the question.

So, is God like that?

Does He hate to be bothered with our questions?

Thankfully, God’s Word shows us that we can come to the Lord with our biggest doubts and hardest questions.

If you read Psalm 77, you’ll discover that the psalmist, a man named Asaph, was experiencing a time of spiritual pain.

Asaph was crying out to God in the night, but found no comfort. He was overwhelmed, with no relief in sight. Worse yet, he was tortured by memories of the past when God’s presence had been so close that Asaph

had sung praises to the Lord from his bed at night. Now, the Lord was holding Asaph’s eyelids open all night long, and the tough questions swirled in his mind.

So, instead of holding the questions inside, he simply asked God. In Psalm 77:7-9, Asaph lobbed these toughies at the Lord: • Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable?

• Has his steadfast love forever ceased?

• Are his promises at an end for all time?

• Has God forgotten to be gracious?

• Has he in anger shut up his compassion?

(Psalm 77:7–9, ESV) Asaph asked those questions not only on behalf of himself, but also for the whole nation of Israel. He sincerely wondered if the Lord would always reject them and would never again show His favor and mercy. He questioned whether God’s promises were still true and if God remembered how to forgive. From Asaph’s perspective, it seemed like God’s compassion had evaporated.

When we consider Asaph’s questions, we already know the answer

to each one: No. God’s grace, mercy, compassion, and forgiveness never go away. But even though Asaph surely knew the right answer in his heart and mind, his experience was telling him a different story.

You have probably also gone through those times when what you knew about God and what you felt were two vastly different things. Asaph sets a great example for us when the pain of life causes us to have hard questions for God. We can just ask Him! God is big enough to handle our toughest questions.

Today, if the problems and pain in your life are causing doubts in your heart, be honest to God about it. What are some of the hardest questions you have for God? Don’t be afraid to ask. When you let the questions lie dormant, they create a bog of doubt and mistrust in your mind. Verbalizing your questions to God will “drain the bog” and bring you back to His goodness, grace, and mercy once more. You’ll be reminded that His compassion never ceases and His promise never fails.

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WHO inspires An Interview with Joni Eareckson Tada

“To this day, when I am faced with a perplexing decision, I still will ask myself, “What would Steve do?

What would he say?”

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Who encouraged you to go into ministry?

I was 19 years old and still a little shaky when it came to facing life in a wheelchair. I had so many big questions about the goodness of God and why He would allow me to break my neck and become a quadriplegic. A high school friend introduced me to Steve Estes, a 17-year-old boy who was passionate about Jesus and a student of the Bible. Steve asked me to come and share my testimony at his church – that was the first time I had ever told my story in public. Looking back, I was very nervous and didn’t share many Bible verses. But Steve showed me how God’s Word could serve as a great reference when I gave my testimony. From then on out, whenever I spoke in public, I was always careful to employ God’s Word to illustrate every point.

When I was first struggling with “why” God allowed my accident, he answered, “God permits what He hates to accomplish that which He loves.”

friend & mentor steve estes How did Steve come into your Church in Morgantown, Pennsylvania. accident – to accomplish that which He What is the most significant loved – Christ in me, the hope of glory. life? Steve Estes was only 17 years old Can you paint the picture – he arrived at Woodlawn Senior High lesson Steve taught you? Steve School just as I graduated as a senior, so once shared a phrase that has stuck of how your life might have I never knew him when I was “on my with me all my 45 years I’ve lived in this differed if you’d never met Steve? feet.” Steve saw great potential in me and organized our WHS choir to come and perform at the rehab center where I was staying. Steve was also the one who encouraged many of his friends to come visit me. Because he cared about my plight in such a practical way, I readily accepted when he asked if he could lead a Thursday night Bible study in my home. Those were the days I became solidly grounded in the Word of God and found answers for my toughest questions. After he graduated from high school, Steve went to Columbia Bible College and then to Westminster Theological Seminary where he earned a Masters of Divinity and Theology.

He and his wife, Verna, raised eight children and he serves as pastor of the thriving Community Evangelical Free

wheelchair. When I was first struggling with “why” God allowed my accident, he answered, “God permits what He hates to accomplish that which He loves.” It made perfect sense! God found no delight in my spinal cord injury; in fact, he hates the isolated incident of suffering. But he delights in how that painful incident fits into a broader, bigger mosaic that showcases His glory, advances His Gospel, and strengthens our personal faith. It’s the perfect picture of Romans 8:28-30, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son...”. In light of that, God permitted what He hated – my

I can’t imagine what tact my life would have taken had I not been introduced to Steve Estes. Through him, I learned which Christian classics I should be studying and when to spot ‘error’ in bad theology. To this day, when I am faced with a perplexing decision, I still will ask myself, “What would Steve do?

What would he say?” I’m grateful to my good friend with whom, by the way, I authored A Step Further and our book, When God Weeps, which tackles the sticky subject of the goodness of God and the problem of evil and suffering in this world. God was so wise, so good in introducing me to that remarkable young man who, now, is a pastor and a grandfather in his 60’s!

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Patricia Weiler

42 Years of Marriage & Ministry

Amber Singletary

32 Years of Marriage & Ministry

perspectives

from Tampa Women in Ministry

Demanding schedules, social pressure, family challenges and God’s call. How do these super heroes--women in ministry-- balance it all and keep their marriages intact? We asked five local pastor’s wives to share their lessons learned.

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ROFILE: PAT WEILER Husband: Rabbi Steve Weiler of Shoresh David Messianic Synagogue. Years Married: 42. Ministry Area: Leader of the Music Ministry, Women’s Ministry & Wife.

ing into the 7th grade. It was most important that I be there for her and establish a stable home life for the entire family.

Even though my husband has always been, and continues to be, a very involved father, I was able to free him up so he What was your greatest chal- could do all the things that the lenge in ministry, and how Lord has called him to do. For did you overcome it? My me it was not necessary to be greatest challenge in minis- at every meeting or be in the try came in the early years. At office every day. I heard a few the time we had just moved complaints that I wasn’t doing to Florida and our young- enough and it was easy to feel est daughter, Sarah, was go- inadequate.

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What advice would you give to women who are struggling to balance family and ministry? I can still feel that way sometimes. However, I remember how my husband and I discussed what areas of ministry I should head up.

We both felt that the Lord would want us to put our family before ministry. If you have children, that is your greatest ministry for both you and your husband.

Elaine Nasworthy

Betty Arnold

Valerie Stancil

41 Years of Marriage & Ministry 53 Years of Marriage & Ministry 20 Years of Marriage & Ministry

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What was your greatest challenge in ministry, and how did you overcome it? The hardest challenge I faced early in our marriage and ministry was coming to understand and accept the amount of time and energy my husband gave to the ministry/pastorate and when he got home the family and I felt we got the leftovers, he was tired.

All I can say ladies, BUT GOD! God is sovereign and He knows exactly how I felt and through much prayer, including praying as a couple and family, growing and maturing in God’s word, we have boundaries set in place with the ministry and home life. I have many verses that carried me through and still are, but if I have to choose

one it would be Jeremiah 29:11-13.

What advice would you give to women who are struggling to balance family and ministry? My advice to women who are struggling to find a balance between family and ministry is to PRAY, to seek HIM our ABBA FATHER and He will answer. Also, to know that we women go through different seasons in our lives. When my children were small and really dependent on me for everything, my time was limited to what I was able to do in the ministry but as they grew and now they are adults my time is more flexible and I’m more available to work with my husband and the Women’s Ministry.

know Greek or Hebrew and could not quote the Bible front to back. After a period of time, a church began talking with my husband about being their Senior Pastor. I literally said “no “. I learned an invaluable lesson through that. God does have a “plan for our lives” and He does not give up on us.

What was your greatest challenge in After weeks of worrying, God clearly ministry, and how did you overcome showed me that I needed to give all it? God began to work in my hus- of my inadequacies to Him. At that band’s life and he felt called to be a Se- point, He told me that if I was willnior Pastor. I began struggling. I did ing to be used by Him, all I needed not feel worthy to be a pastor’s wife. to do was trust Him, be myself and I had not gone to seminary, didn’t the church would love me. This has

proven to be the most valuable lesson I have ever learned in my life. During this time, God revealed a scripture to me. II Timothy 1:7 says that “God does not give us the spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind”.

Soon after we went to this church, I met Nancy Sullivan. Her husband is Dr. John Sullivan, the Executive Director/Treasurer of the Florida Baptist Convention. She is not the typical stereotypical pastor’s wife. Knowing her, watching her, confirmed to me that I had been so wrong in my preconceived ideas of a pastor’s wife. She

ROFILE: Amber Singletary Husband: Pastor Jeffery Singletary of Exciting Central Tampa Baptist Church. Years Married: 32. Ministry Area: Womens Ministry & Wife. ~ I love working with, helping and praying with women. Life can get a bit overwhelming for us and we need to know how to make it through it daily. They need to know that we serve a God who is ABLE to do more than what we can ever imagine and we are His treasure. Deuteronomy 14:2 “His delight is His daughters”.

Women need to know that they are loved by our Abba Father.

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ROFILE: ELAINE NASWORTHY Husband: Pastor Elbert Nasworthy of Myrtle Lake Baptist Church.

Years Married: 41. Ministry Area: Childrens Ministry, Women of Light, women’s bible study facilitating organization within the church.

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was a Godly woman who had served alongside her husband while he was a pastor and now in his executive role.

Yet she never lost sight of which she was and did not allow others to force her to be something that she was not.

Nancy is truly my mentor.

What advice would you give to women who are struggling to balance family and ministry? Being a pastor’s wife is probably one of the

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hardest “jobs” there is. I truly believe that we have gotten through some of our greatest challenges due to the fact that we are there for one another as a united front. No, I am not the pastor, but I do serve beside him. I am his greatest cheerleader. He knows that when he walks through the door in our home, that he has a refuge. He can share with me his struggles and we will pray together, cry together, get angry

together and comfort one another.

We have learned that we must make time for one another. Even though we do not have children at home, we can get lost in the issues that we each deal with. We make it a point to spend time alone with one another at least once a week. It may be a night out or as simple as sitting at home watching TV with cell phones off.

ROFILE: BETTY ARNOLD develop a closer walk with the Lord. in need of daily prayer. To build a

Husband: Pastor Ralph “Yankee” Arnold of Calvary Community Church and President of Florida Bible College. Years Married: 53. Ministry Area: Childrens Ministry, Choir, Counselor, Wife/Family.

What was your greatest challenge in ministry, and how did you overcome it? It was very difficult in the beginning of our marriage to live a life of submission as a bond slave to Christ, while also submitting to my promises and privileges as a wife. Growing in the Lord requires, both husband and wife, many years of bonding together spiritually, to

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ROFILE:VALERIE STANCIL

Husband: Pastor John Stancil of Community Bible Baptist Church.

Years Married: 20. Ministry Area: Ladies Sunday School Class, Choir, Counselor - Ladies & Couples, Nursery, Ladies Activities & Wife/ Family.

What advice would you give to women who are struggling to balance family and ministry? Being a pastors wife really is much more than all of these things. My husband’s ministry is the most important priority other than my role as a wife and mother. I work hard to encourage and lift up our members and let them know how much they are loved. At the same time I look for those that are distancing

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If serving the Lord is serving others, then this is something both can do together. As a pastor’s wife, I have learned to develop a greater love and compassion for those who are hurting and need comfort.

What advice would you give to women who are struggling to balance family and ministry? No greater work can be done by a pastor’s wife, than to be a soul winner and prayer warrior. I have chosen to live my life by a schedule of priorities. My first ministry is my husband, children, grandchildren, and now a great grandson, all who are in constant

proper relationship with the Lord, you must forgive others and yourself for conflicts. It causes a tremendous emotional drain upon you. Please the Lord and your husband and don’t worry about what other people say.

Do right.

Two scriptures I live by are: “Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.” 1 (Samuel 12:24) and “Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.” Proverbs 31:30 (KJV)

themselves, or may feel neglected, or may be even upset for some reason.

I try my best to help solve issues that arise before they can reach him. Many times, because he has so much on his plate, he doesn’t notice small issues when they begin; so I try to help him before the issues become a problem.

The devil is a roaring lion and he is looking to devour. My goal is to make sure I’m being vigilant on behalf of my husband, our marriage, family, and ministry! We try our best to focus on being that example of Christ to our people. We make it a point to have our church family in our home and serve them on a regular basis. It’s really hard to say which is my most important role, but it probably would be my role in working beside him and

a close second would be my ladies’ class.

The greatest challenge for me was in 2009. After being in Texas at Val Verde Baptist Church for 12 years, we reluctantly left our church there for our church here at Community.

Our ministry in the three years before was finally becoming all that we had worked, prayed, and dreamed for.

When God began to open the door for Florida and show us in a specific way that this was what he wanted for us, it was extremely difficult. The people in our church in Texas were my family. My husband and I had poured ourselves into them and that place; and leaving them was the hardest thing we’ve ever had to do. I grew up in Haiti as a missionary’s kid. My

parents have always amazed me. They are my greatest earthly examples. I always think if God could enable and lead them through bringing 3 small children to that country 32 years ago by faith, then how much easier should it be for me to trust God in faith to step out and obey Him in this ministry move. The verse that God always speaks to me through is Jeremiah 29:11. “ For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

What’s the greatest lesson you’ve learned from being a pastor’s wife?

I’ve learned that we only grow in faith when we allow God to take us out of our comfort zone. He always knows the best path for us; after all He is the Creator and Designer of us all.

Something I’ve learned while being in this role as a pastor’s wife and balancing family and ministry is that

family always come first. God only created three institutions; and the home was the first. Genesis 2:2125. If we don’t make our husbands and children our priorities, then our homes and lives will be out of balance.

(I Timothy 3:5) There are different times in our lives when we will have the opportunity to do different things. If we have small children our responsibilities will be different than when we have teens or when our children leave home. I do believe that some women are out of balance and use their children as an excuse not to serve and be involved. I don’t believe that it should be an excuse not to serve. We should bring our kids along with us and teach them as a child to serve the Lord! II Timothy 3:14-15, 1:5. On the mission field I grew up working with my parents. I started teaching a kids SS class when I was 11 years old. Whatever our parents

could do to have us serve along side them, they allowed it. It impacted my life to this day. Our kids need to see us serving. The Christian life is better taught than talked! Teach our families what a joy and amazing privilege it is to serve the King of Kings! Ministry happens; so when we have the opportunity, make sure that you make special memories for just your family.

Those are the times that strengthen you for the hard days. It also demonstrates to your kids that they are the most important thing to you. Take a day off when can, because there will be weeks when you can’t. Turn the phone off and get away. Because certain times can be overwhelming, take the opportunities that you have and make the most of them. I’m so very thankful and grateful that God allows me to serve Him! What a wonderful privilege! FT

on a mission to

Dismantle

by Dottie Groover-Skipper

Dottie Groover-Skipper proudly founded HeartDance Foundation, Inc, a local faith-based organization that ministers to children and women who are recovering from the sex trade industry. She also serves as Community Awareness Chair for the Tampa Bay Community Campaign Against Human Trafficking and Vice Chair for the Hillsborough County Commission on the Status of Women.

Dot married her high school sweetheart, Roger, and cherishes the challenges and joys of seven children and grandchildren.

“Florida is third in the nation, for this horror, behind California and Texas. Florida is a destination state for traffickers, with the Tampa Bay area as one of the top areas.”

Human Trafficking is modern day slavery.

Criminalized under both federal and Florida law, it is defined as the transporting, soliciting, recruiting, harboring, providing, or obtaining of another person for transport; for the purposes of forced labor, domestic servitude or sexual exploitation using force, fraud and/or coercion. All below are under the umbrella of Human Trafficking: Forced labor may result when employers exploit workers who are vulnerable due to high rates of unemployment, poverty, crime, discrimination, corruption, political conflict, citizenship status or cultural acceptance of the

practice. Victims of domestic servitude generally have an informal workplace, such as a home, which often socially isolates domestic workers from the community.

That type of informal workplace is conducive to exploitation since authorities cannot inspect private property as easily as they can inspect formal workplaces.

Organ Trafficking is a crime that occurs in three broad categories.

First, there are cases where traffickers force or deceive the victims into giving up an organ. Secondly, there are cases where victims formally or informally agree to sell an organ and are cheated because they are not paid for the organ or

are paid less than the promised price.

Thirdly, vulnerable persons are treated for an ailment, which may or may not exist and thereupon organs are removed without the victim’s knowledge.

Often times children under the age of 5 are sold to traffickers to harvest their organs.

Sex trafficking of an adult usually involves being coerced, forced, or deceived into a commercial sex act. Commercial sex acts include, but are not limited to prostitution and/or pornography as a means for the perpetrator to make money. In the state of Florida, if the victim is a child then force, fraud or coercion, does not need to be proven.

The mere fact the

signs of trafficking...

Bruising • Tattoos (some look like branding) • Gets sick a lot • Urinary tract infections • Much older boyfriends • Traveling to other cities • Wearing clothes or jewelry they can’t afford 28

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human trafficking IN TAMPA victim is a child and the act meets the definition of a commercial sex act, makes the child a victim. There are an estimated 27 million victims of human trafficking worldwide.

Across America, almost 300,000 youth are at risk of becoming victims of sex trafficking. Many are being trafficked in our own communities.

How serious is human trafficking in Tampa Bay? It is difficult to provide an accurate account of statistics as we are only seeing the tip of this monstrous iceberg. Florida is third in the nation, for this horror, behind California and Texas.

Florida is a destination state for traffickers, with The Tampa Bay area as one of the top areas in Florida for this atrocious activity.

What makes our area so attractive to traffickers are the

same reasons most love to come to Tampa Bay. In this context, Tampa Bay has a lethal combination of tourism, world famous beaches, hospitality and agricultural industries, sports arenas, a military base, international seaports and airports, as well as a destination spot for one of the largest adult entertainment industries in the nation.

This combination attracts all forms of human trafficking, especially what is referred to as domestic sex trafficking of minors.

There are approximately 300,000 children in the United States being prostituted yearly, against their will.

The average age is 12.

Florida has between 30,000 and 40,000 teenage runaways each year. The promise of love or the promise of a job, turns into a

nightmare for many of these precious children.

1 out of 3 of these children will be tricked and forced to prostitute within 48 hours of being on their own. It takes only 90 seconds for a trafficker to evaluate a child and determine what their needs are – money, food, an ipod, someone to talk to – just 90 seconds!

Child sex trafficking is a horrific crime that robs the innocence of its victims – our children! As you can imagine, this modern day slavery of being forced to engage in sexual acts with up to 15 men a night, causes significant physical, mental, and emotional trauma.

These are youth of all races, all different backgrounds, and range in age from infants to teens.

THE LURES..

Traffickers look for neglected or run-away children at bus stations, parks and malls. They target foster kids and children with low self-esteem, from broken homes or a history of prior abuse with the promise of friendship, love & security.

Many trafficking victims experience “trauma–bonding” A phenomenon in

by Dotti Groover-Skipper which hostages express empathy and sympathy and have positive feelings toward their captors and essentially mistake a lack of abuse from their captors for an act of kindness.

These victims have been beaten and hurt so much (emotionally, psychologically and physically) that they begin to skew what kindness is. They would say, “He hit me with his hand and not his fist, he loves me, he doesn’t want to hurt me.”

Jennifer Marks, Project Coordinator for World Relief Tampa

Source: World Relief Tampa

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It takes only 90 seconds for a trafficker to evaluate a child and determine what their needs are – money, food, an ipod, someone to talk to – just 90 seconds!

As a group, children are tremendously vulnerable to exploitation by pimps or to abuses in Tampa Bay’s adult entertainment industry. Advocates note that the “recruiting” of runaway or throw-away children for sexual exploitation is increasingly done on streets, in parks, at schools, bus stops, in malls, online through Myspace and Facebook, even outside juvenile courts, detention centers, and foster care homes. This is our community. These are our women and children. They need our protection. As a community, we must use every tool and resource available to prevent this activity and at the same time, identify, rescue, and provide a safe haven for victims and survivors of sex trafficking.

Who are the women involved and where do they come from? Just as with children, women come from diverse backgrounds. Trafficking of women

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and girls for the purpose of sexual exploitation in the form of prostitution, pornography, massage parlors, and escorts is a growing phenomenon.

Women become prey to traffickers who promise such work as dancing or hostessing. Instead they end up living in slave-like conditions, under the control of the trafficker.

Who are the organizers of this unjust business? Human Trafficking is modern day slavery and is an insidious crime against humanity. World wide, it is a $32 billion dollar industry, second only to drug trafficking. Unlike drug trafficking, the product of human trafficking can be sold over and over again, each up to 15-30 times a day.

Human Traffickers have many faces and are tormenters driven by greed. There is no specific profile of a trafficker.

Essentially, human traffickers can be

anyone who is willing to exploit another human being for profit. Traffickers include those who recruit, transport, harbor, obtain, and exploit victims, often using force, threats, lies, or other physical and psychological methods of control. They can be foreign nationals and U.S. citizens, males and females, family members, intimate partners, acquaintances, and strangers.

Based on an analysis of human trafficking cases that have been identified, examples of potential traffickers include: pimps, intimate partners/family members, gangs and criminal networks, brothel and fake massage business owners and managers, growers and crewleaders in agriculture, labor brokers, employers of domestic servants, small business owners and managers, and large factory owners and corporations.

Traffickers lure victims into exploitative situations often by preying on their hopes to improve their lives and the lives of their families.

They often promise a chance for a better life – a good job, a loving relationship, or new and exciting opportunities. In other cases, traffickers kidnap victims and use physical and psychological violence to control them, forcing them into labor or commercial sexual exploitation.

A wide range of criminals, including individual pimps, family operations, small businesses, loose-knit decentralized criminal networks, and international organized criminal operations, can be human traffickers. Often the traffickers and their victims share the same national, ethnic, or cultural background, allowing the trafficker to better understand and exploit the vulnerabilities of their victims.

What kinds of struggles do these women face? In captivity, victims of human trafficking are beaten, stabbed, shot, have their heads held underwater, are sexually abused and receive threats to harm or kill their family members if they do not obey. Victims are not free to come and go as they wish, are unpaid, work excessively long and/or unusual hours, are malnourished, and have few or no personal possessions.

Once rescued, the needs of survivors of trafficking are among the most complex of crime victims, often requiring a multidisciplinary approach to address severe trauma and medical needs, immigration and other legal issues, safety concerns, shelter and other basic daily needs, and financial hardship. Often the survivor may have a criminal record due to the actions of their trafficker and has difficulty finding gainful employment, housing, and societal acceptance.

There is a severe shortage of long term therapeutic safe homes for women and children once rescued. Children are often placed back in foster care or juvenile detention where they can easily run away or recruit from within and take more children back to their trafficker. FT

stop trafficking...

HeartDance Foundation

HeartDance Foundation helps women and children reclaim their Hope and Human Spirit. We are passionately dedicated to help those recovering from the Sex Trade Industry, Prostitution, Exotic Dancing, Addiction, Incarceration, and other Traumatic

Life Experiences. for more information: Contact Dottie Groover-Skipper at (813) 417-1648 or email heartdance@verizon.net. Visit heartdancefoundation.org.

world relief tampa

World Relief Tampa received a grant from the Department of Justice, Office of Victims of Crime to provide quality case management services to rescued victims of human trafficking across Tampa Bay. World Relief aids in finding or providing emergency housing, food, clothing, medical care, counseling, legal assistance, and job training to offer support to victims. To meet the challenge of locating and assisting local victims, World Relief Tampa partners with the Clearwater Police Department.

for more information:

Contact Jennifer Marks at (727) 859-1650 ext. 103 or email jmarks@wr.org. Visit worldrelieftampa.org.

DID YOU KNOW?

> 12 years is the average age of entry into prostitution and pornography in the US. > 1 out of 3 runaways are lured into prostitution within 48 hours of leaving home. > The average life span is 7-10 years for minors after they are dragged in (because of violence, drugs and disease—slow torture).

If you suspect trafficking, ask these questions...

• How do you get to work?

• Are you allowed to take breaks?

• How many hours do you work?

• Do you observe goings/comings all night long? (could be a neighborhood home) SUSPECT TRAFFICKING? REPORT IT. CALL THE LOCAL TIP LINE

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When God’s Whisper Became a Shout!

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hat about a Christian Chamber of Commerce?” I thought to myself, “Are you crazy God? That would take way too much time!” And since it was only a “whisper”, I moved forward and ignored the message.

By Laurie Hill

Attendees enjoy fellowship at the first Christian Chamber meeting in Pinellas.

Learn more about the Christian Chamber of Commerce at C3TB.org or scan the QR code below.

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“Unifying business communities to glorify the Lord.” This is the vision that is now the foundation of the New Christian Chamber of Commerce – Tampa Bay, Inc. But, how did that come about?

Approximately five years ago, I went out in search for a business networking meeting with Christian values in my area. I was unable to find one. Really wanting to connect with other business that were likeminded, I decided to start one of my own.

During the process of putting this type of meeting together, I heard a small whisper saying, “What about a Christian Chamber of Commerce?” I thought to myself, “Are you crazy God? That would take way too much time!” And since it was only a “whisper”, I moved forward and ignored the message. I mean, what if it wasn’t God talking to me?

What if it was only my own thoughts or desires?

Fast forward five years to a beautiful day in June 2012. As I go about my day, I suddenly hear a clear message, “Start a Christian Chamber of Commerce!

If you don’t, I will send someone else.” This was by

no means a “whisper” this time. In fact, it was a shout!

I now realize that God is calling me to a specific mission. I need to tell you that I had a choice (as we all do) to go ahead and “let” God send someone else. But then my own words to the Lord came back to me as I repeat the words of Mary, “I am the Lord’s servant, may

it be to me as you have said.”

So, I let the idea take root in my mind and soul.

In retrospect, I see that “time” wasn’t the only thing holding me back from the whispered suggestion from the Lord. It was fear. I don’t mean fear as in “I am not capable of such an endeavor”, or “Will this fail?” or any other selfish or prideful reason. I mean fear as in, “How?” and “I can’t even imagine what that would look like or how to do it.”

I am a leader. I love a challenge. I know the gifts, talents and abilities that God has given me, and I try to faithfully use them for His

glory. But for the first time, I understood how Moses may have felt. Why me? Am I capable? How will I equip myself? Where do I start?

And then God stepped in and I moved out of God’s way.

It is now nearly a year later. The New Christian Chamber of Commerce – Tampa Bay, Inc. is launched.

I have learned so many lessons that I never would have imagined! I have had Satan attacking me from all angles – and God pushing, and guiding me. I have had incredible people supporting the mission from the beginning, brothers and sisters from all over Florida and beyond reaching out with support and wisdom.

I have seen that God is rising up amazing people in the Tampa Bay area and I am humbled and grateful that He called me for this mission.

I pray that you will check out the NEW Christian Chamber of Commerce – Tampa Bay, Inc. at www.

C3TB.org and that you would learn from me that whether God whispers or shouts, listen and obey, because there is a mighty blessing that will come your way!

FT

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