Mississippi Christian Living November 2022

the best gift of all: peace of mind.

Dr.

Rachel and Nettie Schulte, Jerri and Sammy Strickland, Rachel and Bob Whatley

Mississippi Christian Living P.O. Box 1819 Madison, MS 39130 601.345.1091

mschristianliving.com

Mississippi Christian Living is committed to encouraging individuals in their daily lives by presenting the faith stories of others and by providing information that will point every person, at every stage of life, to a deeper, authentic, personal, and life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ. Views expressed in Mississippi Christian Living do not necessarily represent those of the publisher. Every effort has been made by the Mississippi Christian Living staff to insure accuracy of the publication contents. However, we do not guarantee the accuracy of all information nor the absence of errors and omissions; hence, no responsibility can be or is assumed. All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2022 by MS Christian Living, Inc.

Mississippi Christian Living is published monthly and is available for free at hightraffic locations throughout the tri-county area. Subscriptions are $29 a year.

POSTMASTER: Send change of address to Mississippi Christian Living, P.O. Box 1819, Madison, MS 39130.

Cathie Phillippi as a toddler (left), and at a Honduran orphanage.

How’s your spiritual vision?

Sincesometime around middle school, I’ve worn contacts and/or glasses every day of my life. Last month I picked up the new pair of glasses pictured here, and it got me thinking about vision — physical and otherwise.

Twelve or 13 years ago, I went to my yearly eye appointment in the middle of my Epic Faith Crisis. Since I was struggling to trust in Christ, I saw either God or the devil in everything – so when I heard AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” on the way to the clinic in Flowood, I quickly changed the station. (To be fair, I’d do the same today.)

Then in the middle of my eye exam, I heard U2’s cover of “Everlasting Love,” which Google tells me was originally a 1967 hit for Robert Knight: “Open up your eyes, then you’ll realize Here I stand with my everlasting love”

While that song played over the speakers, the doctor said, “Look straight at me,” as eye doctors do. They’ll point to their earlobe or something for you to focus on while they test your vision.

I heard God in the song and in the eye doctor’s words: Open up your eyes; My love is everlasting. Keep looking at Me. Don’t look away.

But at the time, I was so focused on not being wrong about the truth (what if some other religion out there was the real truth?!), I was afraid to surrender to the Truth that I knew was right.

I still fall into this trap today as a believer: I’m so afraid of doing something wrong or being tempted by the devil, I’ll spend more time “avoiding sin” than following Christ, which would actually help me avoid sin. “Walk in the Spirit, and you will not obey the lusts of the flesh.” – Galatians 5:16.

Or every once in a while, I’ll focus so much on “taking a stand” against a particular sin that I’ll forget to consider whether I’m still following Jesus in the meantime.

In other words, I take my eyes of the Great Physician and look too much on the things He’s healed me from. I get too knowledgeable about evil and forgetful of what is good (see Romans 16:19).

You’ve seen this in books, TV and movies. For instance, some characters are so traumatized by battle that the enemy is all they can see. I

won’t give spoilers, but there’s a character in Amazon Prime’s “Rings of Power” who’s so focused on going out and finding the villain that they fail to see the darkness inside themselves, along with possible bad guys nearby.

The good news for us is that if we have put our trust in Christ, our spiritual vision does improve over time (unlike our physical eyes).

For instance, I recently found myself in a moral and theological quandary related to a possible MCL article. Even just a few years ago, this situation would’ve sucked me into an OCD vortex of “what ifs” and over-analysis. This time that didn’t happen, and I was able to make a clearheaded decision. Progress!

And the thing that helped? Turning my eyes back to my Savior, who has already defined my worth at the cross, and who will not take it back if I fail to do my job perfectly. His blood covers it all.

Yes, I still overthink, especially if it’s about something or someone important to me. I still catastrophize and dream up worst-case scenarios. But I’m no longer beholden to them. I can behold other things. Better things. Things that God sees.

This time of year and all year, I can look at the things for which I’m grateful, instead of focusing all my energy on light and momentary afictions, which are working glory for me anyway (2 Corinthians 4:17).

If your spiritual vision hasn’t improved since you professed faith in Christ — or if it just hasn’t changed in a little while — talk to the Great Physician. We need him far more often than we need physical doctors. We need him every moment. And He is there, waiting for us to come to Him. He wants us near.

The only way to draw near to God is through Christ. If you haven’t handed yourself over to Him in trust, do so now. Your life won’t get any easier — in fact, it’ll probably get harder. But you’ll see it through an infinitely, eternally better lens. Y

Katie Eubanks katie@mschristianliving.com

Thankful that “nerd chic” is a thing now, unlike in my middle-school years!

Judge Carlyn

Rob McKinley

Collins

Mart McMullan

BonnieSmithBridgers

Building you

There is nothing like a day on the river by yourself. I explored the Taylor River on a sun-filled day with no one else around. Not too far from Crested Butte, Colorado, the Taylor stretches through the Gunnison National Forest with several areas that can be waded.

With my fly rod in hand and gear in my pack, I set out to discover all that I could about a two-mile stretch during the day that I had to myself. Cellular service did not reach, so I was disconnected from the rest of the world for the day and was excited about the time on my own.

After tying on the tippet and flies that the local fly shop had recommended, I set out into the river. Wading upstream, I slowly scoped out flow edges and drifts that I knew could be holding trout. After an hour or so with moderate success, I noticed that the sun was getting higher, and I decided to climb up on a boulder and reassess my strategy.

It was the first time that morning that I had realized how startling it felt to be without others and without connection to the outside world. It was strange and freeing, and I noticed how present it allowed me to be in that beautiful river valley. I was taking in all of the small details ofered by the sounds of the moving water, the tactile experience of catching each trout, the gentle upstream breeze and the smells of the plush valley. It was both peaceful and energizing.

As many of us do when we have the chance to refuel and rest our spirits, it led me to realize that it is needed more often.

To one degree or another, we all consistently seek to improve our lives, and it is challenging to keep in focus that we must strengthen ourselves first. The act of putting on our own oxygen mask

before helping others with theirs might seem selfish, but that would be shortsighted. Improvement of self first should be so that we can then serve others. Just as building physical stamina allows us to go farther and do more, the building of strength in mind and spirit gives us a stronger base from which to serve and succeed.

Self-improvement results from consistent efort over time. It requires self-examination and regulation by making micro adjustments as you go. The Roman philosopher Seneca said, “Most powerful is he who has himself in his own power.”

From that we can take away that discipline is necessary to not let self be unmanageable, and that by taking care of oneself we have the strength to do well in more areas of life. Those micro adjustments can look like a day on the river to reenergize. More practically, they can also look like devotional time in the mornings, physical exercise, reading, sending a text of encouragement, listening to motivational

podcasts, or intentional pauses for prayer during the day.

One Goo Goo Dolls song lyric describes “empty things disguised as me.” In the craziness of the world around us, it is far too easy to have a life filled with habits rather than fulfillment and impact. The result is an unintended emptiness or a chronic dissatisfaction. By taking care of self, first spiritually in Christ and then also caring for mind and body, we will have so much more to ofer our loved ones, friends, co-workers and fellow humans.

The toughest parts of moving in that self-care direction are changing how we spend our energy and using grace to move down the right path. Flannery O’Connor said, “All human nature vigorously resists grace, because grace changes us and the change is painful.”

All of this leads us to ask ourselves what needs to change in order to improve self so we can be of better service. Ultimately God provides the strength and direction if we go to Him. Be specific in your prayers, both for His guidance to be shown ways to improve yourself and for His strength to then go and do them. Part of Matthew 25:21 tells us, “You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.”

By faithfully preparing ourselves in mind, body and spirit, we can in turn impact others and reflect God. Find your path into you, then share your story and gifts into others. Y

Chris Bates is CEO and co-founder of AgoraEversole a full-service marketing agency in Jackson, and can be reached at Chris@AgoraEversole.com. He and his wife, Stacy, and their children live in Madison.

Chris holding a trout he caught on the Taylor River in Colorado.

Support crucial for adoption process

Novemberis a time of thanksgiving not just because of the holiday but because it is also National Adoption Month. An adoption experience is not always easy, so for those who have traveled that journey, “support” is near the top of the list of things they’re thankful for this season.

Hailey and Reese Berry, members at Park Place Baptist Church in Pearl, adopted their oldest child, Elias. Hailey said the amount of support they received was amazing.

“People literally poured out support for us within our church body and among our friends and relatives. It was such a beautiful thing to see,” said Hailey. “God provided through His people for His glory. We also received several grants, including (the) Lifesong for Orphans matching grant through Colonial Heights Baptist Church and (the) Show Hope Adoption Aid grant founded by Mary Beth and Steven Curtis Chapman.”

The Berry family has one adopted son and two biological daughters. Hailey said that if they felt the Lord’s calling, they would adopt again.

Gloria Hunsberger, wife of Colonial Heights Lead Pastor Chad Hunsberger, said the struggles and support she found in the adoption process inspired her to be the advocate for adoption that she is today.

“My husband and I felt the call to adopt for the first time in 2011. The timing seemed ‘awful’ in our minds because we had two babies at the time, our youngest just six months old, and my husband was in the middle of a demanding doctoral program,” said Gloria. “God was faithful to provide the resources we needed to bring our daughter home from China in 2013.”

The call for adoption came to the Hunsberger family again. They tried to adopt through foster care but eventually pursued international adoption again.

“We were matched with our son in India in August of 2020, but the global pandemic kept us from bringing him home until April of this year,” said Gloria.

Support was vital to the Hunsbergers’ adoption experiences. For Gloria, it inspired her to become an advocate for adoption. Today, Hearts of Compassion Orphan Care Ministry is a partnership between Colonial Heights and Lifesong for Orphans in Illinois.

“Now, as we seek to help others in the adoption process, we never want a family to feel alone in the process,” said Gloria. “The financial requirements, paperwork mountains, and red tape to wade through are significant stressors for adopting families. If our experiences can help other families navigate their adoption process, we want to be quick to help.”

Adoption post Roe

The adoption culture might experience a shift in the future with laws changing.

Preston Crowe heads up The Shelter Initiative at Broadmoor Baptist Church in Madison, in which adoption — especially after the overturning of Roe v. Wade — is one of the focal points.

“While we know that some birth mothers will choose to keep and raise their babies (postRoe), and we celebrate that, we do hope to see the number of adoptions grow (too) as more and more birth mothers see the beauty in this option,” said Preston.

While not all families will choose adoption, Preston said supporting adoption is a job for believers — who are adopted sons and daughters of God.

“We understand both God’s heart for the orphan as well as the truth that God adopts us into His family upon salvation. Keeping this before people is important so that it becomes part of the culture of those who follow Christ,” said Preston.

“One of the best ways the church can be involved in encouraging those wishing to adopt is to look for ways to make them feel less isolated and less overwhelmed.”

Continued support is crucial even beyond the adoption itself.

“The process can be long and daunting, with many twists and turns along the way. The encouragement doesn’t need to stop with getting people into the adoption process. It needs to meet them every step of the way,” said Preston.

Not all families feel the call to adopt, but caring for orphans, whether directly or indirectly, is a beautiful demonstration of God’s love for His people to carry out. Y

“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their afiction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”

- James 1:27

Reese and Hailey Berry with their kids (from left): Millie Beth, Selah and Elias.

know

we are prayerfully ready to move

the

Deeper gratitude for dignity and hope

Myname is Heath Ferguson, and I am a recovering addict. I am also a chaplain at Mississippi Baptist Medical Center. I have been blessed by redemption and recovery and am now God’s servant, getting the chance to share the hope of the gospel, which is the story of love that saved me when I finally had ears to hear it.

If it were not for the grace of God, I could be spending my 16th year in prison while serving a 19-year sentence. But I am not. By that grace I am here in Jackson, living the life of husband, father and minister. I cannot begin to express how grateful I am for this life. I have been aforded so much. I am that debtor who owed so much more than I could ever repay. I know that. It is well within me, and it wells within me. I was dead, and now I have life.

When I think about what I have learned about Mission Mississippi over the years, it is that they seek to give what I so desperately needed: dignity and hope. When I was at my worst, I needed someone to love me enough that I might, through his or her intentional, unconditional love, see myself as loveable — by anyone, but most importantly by God. Mission Mississippi carefully tends to the hearts of Mississippians, finding ones that need to be dignified by love and grace.

The conversations that I have seen, or even been involved in, thanks to Mission Mississippi are those gospel-borne conversations that hold up the Greatest Commandment and honor the truth of God and His eternal, beautiful love, which is Christ Jesus. These conversations seek to be tender reminders to the participants of the hope of restoration. If we are without love, we are without dignity and hope. Mission Mississippi helps remind us, even in our fear, that there is a restoring God in our midst who loves us beyond our imagination. That, my friend, is the transformational truth of the gospel. His love changes everything. It is His “making everything new.”

I have deeper gratitude for God’s redemptive work. I have deeper gratitude for the way my God uses Mission Mississippi and those who serve within this ministry. We need the conversations that Mission Mississippi orchestrates. We need to be reminded of the

perfect love that comes from the Father. We need dignity. We need hope. But we will never have it if we do not live in and share God’s unconditional love, which is Jesus Christ. It is in Christ that we are reconciled to the Father, and it will be through Jesus Christ that we find reconciliation with one another.

What I am going to do this month is lean into the grace that I have been aforded with deeper gratitude. I am going to pay attention to my relationships so that I might feel when someone in my circle or in my day-to-day life

is feeling lost, without dignity and hope. When I find someone who needs it, I will treat him or her as I would like to be treated. I will love them unconditionally out of gratitude for being loved unconditionally. (We love because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19.) I will use my redemption to help others become transformed in the love that God has for them. In addition, I will support Mission Mississippi’s work to that same end. God bless you all. Y

Heath Ferguson is the director of Pastoral Care and Faith Relations for Mississippi Baptist Medical Center. He is Emily’s husband and MG and Locke’s dad. He is a licensed and ordained Southern Baptist minister, a boardcertified chaplain, and a provisionally licensed professional counselor. He loves spending time with his family, fishing, and watching baseball.

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If it were not for the grace of God, I could be spending my 16th year in prison while serving a 19-year sentence. But I am not. By that grace I am here in Jackson, living the life of husband, father and minister.”

Your

How to purge your closet for winter

Doesyour closet (or closets) have so many items that it’s hard to see what you have? Have you ever felt like you’re spending too much time deciding what to wear?

It may be time to purge items you aren’t wearing from your closet.

Cue the Thanksgiving season: As we focus on what we are thankful for, we can apply it to our closets too. Let’s encourage each other to be grateful for the clothes we love wearing and then bless others by donating the items we are no longer wearing. We think we need it all, when in reality, we can get by on much less.

I have to challenge myself too: How can I be more thankful for what I have? How can I share the abundant blessings that I have with others?

I love assessing my closet and assessing the time it takes me to decide what to wear. Most often I will ask myself: How can I purge the many items that are in my closet that hinder me from making quicker decisions about what to wear, and gift them to others? Do I really need everything that is in my closet right now?

Now that we have cooler weather, this is a great time to purge items we didn’t wear from the previous season and donate and/or sell them. We can give the clothes and/or the money to charity.

Here are a few tips to help decide what to donate:

• Anything you haven’t worn in a year. If you didn’t wear it in the last season, you probably won’t wear it in the next season.

• Any item you have multiples of. We may have 10 pairs of black slacks, but we truly only wear that one pair that fits us best. Keep that one and donate the rest.

• Any item that doesn’t make you look and feel your best. Try it on, and if you don’t love it on you anymore, then donate it.

• Clothes that aren’t your style any longer. As time and seasons change, our style can change, and it’s good to donate items that don’t go along with your new style.

• Items that are no longer your size. It’s so hard to do, but so much better to give these items away and then reward yourself if you get back to that size.

If you don’t have a place to donate, here are some ideas:

• Resell boutiques. You can bring like new, in-season items to resell stores. You can donate the money you make to your favorite charity, or if the items don’t sell, the store can donate the items for you.

• Charity organizations. There are local churches or organizations in your area that have resource centers to donate your clothes.

• Is there someone you know who needs clothes? Ask your friends and family if they know anyone in need.

Ultimately, our closets full of clothes can cause us worry and anxiety over what to wear and also stress us as we decide what to give away.

God gives us direction even in this in Matthew 6:25, ESV: “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more han clothing?”

The more we purge items from our closets that are hindering us, the more we will enjoy this season! What will you give away this week? Y

Shay is a style coach with a mission to help women look and feel their best! Follow her on Facebook and Instagram @shaygreenwood.

Shay’s closet before a purge (above), and after (below).

Finding thanksgiving in the midst of crisis

“There are those that talk about change. Then there are those who actually do it.”

I will never forget this line from my childhood Bible, a tattered 1997 publication of the New Living Translation. The statement above is from the Bible’s summary paragraph of the Old Testament book of Nehemiah. It describes a man, Nehemiah, who developed such compassion for his homeland that he gathered all the help he could find and decided something must be done to repair his native city. And change it he did. With the right leadership, resources and planning, the Lord used Nehemiah’s team to rebuild and ultimately restore their hometown of Jerusalem.

There are those that talk about change. Then there are those who actually do it. During this month of Thanksgiving, I am grateful to God that Jackson is filled with doers and not just talkers.

Over the summer, the water issue in Jackson went from a problem to a crisis. Drinkable water

was nowhere to be found. Many went without water. Others experienced dark brown water spewing out of their faucets. Ministry leaders were faced with a choice: Do we sit around and talk about the problem, or do we do something about it? Will we love merely in word and speech, or will we love in action and truth?

It was my privilege to encounter ministry leaders all throughout the Jackson metro area who were ready to respond. A pastor reached out, ofering to provide water and meals to places in need. A couple of businesses ofered their trucks to help haul water pallets to various JPS schools. Ronnie Crudup Jr.’s team at New Horizon Church spent weeks distributing water from their south Jackson campus. Pastor Juanita Ward at Freedom Ministries International partnered with McDonald’s and other corporations to distribute and deliver water from their north Jackson location. Jackson churches including First Presbyterian, First Baptist, Mt. Helm, Fondren Church, Redeemer Church, Cade Chapel, and many more distributed and delivered water from their campuses. These examples are just the tip of the iceberg.

At Jackson Leadership Foundation, we had the privilege of partnering with the city of Jackson’s 311 support line to deliver cases of water to shut-ins who expressed need. With the help of ministries including God’s Haven, The Jackson Resource Center, Raymond Road Baptist Church, Hopeful Community Outreach, His Heart, First Baptist Clinton, Bridging the Gap Outreach Ministries and others, water was distributed to more than 600 households in the city who requested support.

With a great need came an even greater volunteer response.

What a wonderful sight it is to see God’s people step up to give of their time, talent and treasure to love their neighbors! Imagine what our city and state could look like if we continued this practice of service. Imagine if we commit ourselves, collectively, to be doers and not just talkers! I get the privilege of living in a city and state filled with people willing to step up and serve when times get tough. It is a beautiful sign from God that we can still have thanksgiving in the midst of crisis. Y

As executive director of Jackson Leadership Foundation, Samuel and his team get to work with Jackson’s “superheroes,” grassroots ministry leaders working in communities throughout the city. He also gets the privilege of connecting individuals, families, churches and businesses to invest their time, talent and treasure in Jackson’s leaders. Samuel and his wife, Hallie, live in Jackson with their three sons and are members of Redeemer Church.

“ Drinkable water was nowhere to be found. Many went without water. Others experienced dark brown water spewing out of their faucets. Ministry leaders were faced with a choice: Do we sit around and talk about the problem, or do we do something?”

God’s Haven volunteers distributed water to places in need during this summer’s water crisis in Jackson.

If you aren’t sure whether you have a relationship with God or where you’ll go when you die, please don’t put this magazine down until you’ve read the following:

✝ THE PROBLEM

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. – Romans 3:23

For the wages of sin is death … – Romans 6:23a

The natural result and consequence of our sin is eternal death, or hell (Revelation 20:15), separated from God. This is because God is completely perfect and holy (Matthew 5:48), and His justice demands that sin be punished (Proverbs 11:21).

✝ THE SOLUTION

… but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. – Romans 6:23b

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8 Jesus Christ died in our place on the cross and took on the punishment for all our sins (Isaiah 53:4-6). Then God raised Him from the dead (John 20)!

✝ HOW TO RECEIVE SALVATION

If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. – Romans 10:9

Trust in what Jesus has done for you — His death for your sins and His resurrection — and trust Him as Lord.

✝ IS IT FOR ANYONE?

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. – Romans 10:13

✝ THE RESULTS

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. – Romans 5:1

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:38-39

✝ WHAT TO DO NEXT

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. – Romans 10:17

If you decided to trust in Jesus, grow in your faith by reading more of God’s Word in the Bible. We recommend the gospel of John (it comes just after Luke) as a good starting point — or Romans!

Finding a church close to you that teaches faith in Christ is another important step. It’s crucial to spend time with other believers so we can encourage each other in our faith.

If you have questions about anything on this page, please contact us at 601.896.1432, or send us a message on Facebook @MSChristianLiving, Instagram @mschristianmag or Twitter @MSChristLiving.

Dr. Cathie Phillippi

No longer an outsider

Cathie, pictured here with her cat Belle, grew up with so much anger, frustration and sadness, she attempted suicide in ninth grade. But soon she came to know Jesus and His unconditional love.

Dr.Cathie Phillippi is a married, churchgoing doctor with three kids. But she isn’t perfect. “I think people see this put-together person … with all the things,” she says. “But I often still kind of feel like a fly on the wall,” like she did as a child visiting her friends’ churches after Saturday-night sleepovers.

As an adolescent, Cathie rejected God — and she certainly didn’t have all the things. She and her single mom “didn’t fit the mold” in the wholesome town of Clinton where Cathie was raised, she recalls.

But eventually, Jesus got hold of Cathie’s heart, and today she is no longer an outsider. She belongs to the family of God.

Rules and turnip greens

Cathie’s parents split when she was 4. She and her mom, Dorothy, moved in with Cathie’s grandmother Wilma when Cathie was 6, just after her grandfather passed away.

While waiting to find out if she made it into med school, Cathie wrote a lot of notes in this Bible, her favorite, now covered in duct tape.

“She invited us to come live with her (in Clinton for an) indefinite

time,” Cathie says. “At the time, I resented it. … I went from (an unpredictable environment) to rules and turnip greens.

“As I grew up, I realized what a big deal that was — unconditional love, but expectations.”

Cathie learned about Wilma’s upbringing, when marrying young provided a path out of poverty. Wilma had given birth to her first child at 16, worked at a McRae’s department store for more than 25 years, and “she was content,” Cathie says.

Wilma also attended church regularly. Cathie remembers going to services with Dorothy and Wilma, but “I almost felt like a voyeur,” she says. “I didn’t understand it.”

Still, “I was a people pleaser. I wanted to act like I fit in.”

Cathie’s grandmother certainly wanted her to know Christ, but didn’t fret about it, Cathie says.

“I think we feel this pressure to convince someone or draw them in, when really the Holy Spirit has to do the work. With your own children, you want them to come to that understanding as quickly as possible. (But God) does have it.”

Meanwhile, “(My mom) often worked three jobs,” Cathie says. “I was a latchkey kid and always dreamed of what it would be like to have a big family.”

When Dorothy would get a better job, she and Cathie would move out on their own. When things didn’t work out, they’d move back into Wilma’s house.

As a middle-schooler, “a lot of what I felt was anger most of the time — watching other kids have family units that (seemed) healthy,” Cathie says. Her parents had a “volatile” relationship, and she rarely saw her dad.

“I used to spend the night with people on Saturday instead of Friday because I knew they went to church (on Sunday) and there was a tradition about it — (that felt) very warm.

“I studied other families. I went to Catholic church, Baptist church — surveying all diferent ways of being.”

Hitting rock bottom

After middle school, “I started rebelling on a huge level,” Cathie says. She might’ve enjoyed being a voyeur at church, but now she wanted nothing to do with God.

Drs. Cathie and Mark Philippi, who work at TrustCare Kids and Central Nephrology Clinic respectively, with their kids (from left): Owen, Julia and Madeline.

Cathie with her mother, Dorothy.

“Some of that was developmental and puberty. Some of it was undiagnosed anxiety, probably depression, and frustration with things I couldn’t control.”

She’d always been smart, but now her grades started slipping.

“I was searching for value and meaning in anything and everything but God — whether that was trying to be perfect, trying to be popular, drinking and partying, or in relationships with guys. I hated myself,” she says. “I got tired of pretending I was fine — it got exhausting.”

As a ninth-grader, she attempted suicide. “I could not see beyond my feelings,” she says.

By the start of her junior year, she wanted to leave school. After two weeks of 11th grade, she forged Dorothy’s signature on a form that said Cathie was withdrawing.

“(When my mom found out), she had a complete meltdown and said she would go to jail.”

Cathie knew if she had to attend school, it would need to be a place where she could get away from the “bad crowd” she’d started hanging out with. She couldn’t move school districts, so she called Central Hinds Academy and asked to speak with someone in financial aid.

The school put her through to the headmaster, who asked to meet with Cathie and said that if she could pay her tuition in monthly $100 installments until it was paid of, he’d buy her books.

“God was rescuing me from a situation that would’ve ended in my death,” she says.

At Central Hinds, “the English workbooks had things about the Bible (and) you took a Bible class,” she says. Teachers started pouring into her and telling her she was smart. She joined the yearbook and newspaper stafs. She even played softball.

“I never did know the rules (but) it was really fun!” she says now, laughing.

“Over those two years, that built my self-esteem, and it taught me about God,” she says. “I wasn’t there yet, (but) God was turning my path.”

Then Dorothy cut out a newspaper article about a scholarship being ofered by the Rotary Club of Jackson (still ofered to this day). She urged Cathie to apply.

“I almost didn’t,” Cathie says. “I’m thinking, ‘I’m not going to get this.’” She wrote the essay and mailed it in, and she got called for an interview. Among a crowd of applicants wearing suits, “I was wearing a dress my grandmother had made, with flowers on it.

“I thought I had made a huge mistake (in applying).”

During the interview, because she just knew she’d never get this scholarship, “I wasn’t trying to impress them … I didn’t think through it.”

She got called back for a second interview. And she got the scholarship. Thanks to the Rotary club and an additional scholarship from

Clockwise from top left: Cathie with her parents, Dorothy and Quincy; Cathie with her grandmother Wilma; Wilma with Cathie’s kids (from left) Madeline, Owen and Julia; Cathie and Dorothy.

Mississippi College, Cathie attended MC and lived on campus without a huge pile of debt.

More importantly, she found a real relationship with Christ as an undergrad.

“Going to Mississippi College changed my life.”

Guideposts and fruit flies

At MC, Cathie found a group of Christians who became her people.

“(They) were authentic believers, who lived out their faith, who weren’t about checking the boxes. They had this Bible study that met in the basement of the cafeteria,” where a former penitentiary inmate with a guitar led a Bible study and “talked about real stuf” that Cathie could relate to, she says.

As a freshman, she became a seeker. As a sophomore, she became a little more comfortable in her understanding of God. Then the summer after her sophomore year, she went to Oxford and took a summer class.

“My grandmother sent me with my childhood Bible and a Guideposts (devotional book). And she said, ‘I want you to read this every day while you’re gone.’ And I did it. I like a list, I’m very taskoriented, (and) I would look up the verses in my Bible.”

At the end of the book, “it said if you’ve never prayed the sinner’s prayer, you should pray this prayer. And I can remember being in an apartment at Ole Miss and getting on my knees beside my bed and praying that prayer that was listed,” she says.

“And you could fill out this perforated thing and tear it of (laughs). I remember taking it in there and showing my roommate, and she was a believer. I remember us just sitting there and talking, (and) finally I

didn’t feel like I was on the outside.”

Cathie was now a follower of Christ. But she mistakenly believed Christians didn’t need to go to church, and she’d never attended a church that grabbed her. So she just kept going to Bible studies.

Then her fruit flies died.

Specifically, her fruit flies for a crossbreeding assignment for a genetics class. “And if they died, you had to start over, and that puts you in the lab in the middle of the night,” she says.

So at 2 a.m. on a Saturday night, technically already Sunday, Cathie and one other female student were working away in the lab. The girl asked if Cathie was going to church in the morning and, when she said no, told her, “I think you’re missing out on a large part of Christianity.”

Because the girl was African American and Cathie had never attended a black church — and because “I was always up for a challenge,” she says — she accepted the girl’s invitation to her place of worship.

Cathie and Mark were grouped together from day one of med school and were married before their four years were up.

“She said, ‘Let me just chart out how your path would look.’ And she starts making this LONG plan, and I’m like, ‘What are you talking about?’”

After recognizing their misunderstanding, Dr. Meydrech said, “You don’t need to sell yourself short.” She urged Cathie to go to med school.

Horizon Community Church was located on the I-55 frontage road in Jackson, and it wasn’t for black or white. It was for Cathie.

“I had never seen anything like (it),” Cathie says. “It was folding chairs, it was a contemporary worship service, it was very casual, and it met me right where I was at. And I remember not even being able to sing because I was crying.”

She got involved at Horizon, started going on mission trips, and continued her coursework at MC — which was taking her down a diferent road than she’d expected.

‘I just wanted out’

Cathie was enrolled in MC’s pre-med program — but she didn’t know that was supposed to lead to medical school.

“I thought pre-med was like nursing school,” she says. She took a semester of classes, made good grades, and went to her advisor, Dr. Anne Meydrech, to plan her second semester.

“I wanted out,” Cathie says. “I wanted out of Clinton; I wanted out of my poverty … I just wanted out. If I had not had her as another stabilizing force to say, it’s worth it, (I would not have done med school). She would always prop me up.”

As a senior at MC, Cathie took the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test), made an average score, and got waitlisted. “You had to wait right up until school started (to find out if you got in),” she says.

“A lot of what is written in this Bible is from that time period,” she says, gesturing to an old copy of God’s Word covered in duct tape. “I just knew He was going to do it.”

She never got the call.

“I hit a wall,” she says. “I really don’t know how God pulled me through.”

She got a job at Mississippi Baptist Medical Center in Jackson, first as

Cathie (left) with friend Jeni Bizot at prom at Central Hinds Academy, where Cathie paid tuition in $100 installments.

Cathie (third from right) says getting involved at Central Hinds and being poured into by godly teachers there built up her self-esteem.

Cathie on her wedding day with Wilma (left) and Dorothy.

a patient transporter, then as a tech in the echocardiography lab. She saved her money, retook the MCAT — and made the exact same score.

“I went to the (med school) interview and told them I had no plan B,” no wealthy parents or ready-made job at the family business if things didn’t work out, she recalls.

This time, she got in. “I was super grateful, super nervous, and elated.”

On her first day of class at The University of Mississippi School of Medicine in Jackson, she was placed in alphabetical order by last name — hers was Prestridge, and she sat two seats down from a guy named Mark Phillippi. Cathie and Mark were also placed in the same work group by last name for things like cadaver dissection.

“I was very distrusting of men” and pushed Mark away at first, she

says. “Gradually, we became really good friends. … I think God knew I needed that.

“I learned the diference between confident and cocky from him, because he was very confident, but he wasn’t cocky.”

Mark became her study partner, her lab partner, and in their third year of med school, her fiancé. They wed the following year with only a month left of classes.

“I never would’ve met my husband if I had gotten in (to med school the first time),” she says.

A pandemic and thorns

After moving to Little Rock for residency (Cathie did pediatrics and Mark did nephrology, aka kidney medicine), then to Birmingham for Mark’s fellowship, the Phillippis returned to the Jackson area in 2004. Cathie worked as a pediatrician at Children’s Medical Group.

Then the COVID pandemic hit.

“My middle child has severe Crohn’s and is on immune suppression,” Cathie says. “My husband was gearing up to be chief of medical at Baptist. … I got nervous for (Julia), having two parents on the front lines.”

So Cathie left her job and stayed home in 2020. She helped her daughter Madeline navigate a weird senior year of high school and helped her sixth-grade son, Owen, with virtual learning. But soon, Warren Herring and Philip Coburn of TrustCare found out Cathie had left Children’s Medical Group and “approached me about a position,” she says.

“I was able to partner with them and create a dream clinic,” TrustCare Kids, which opened in Gluckstadt in January 2021, she says. “They have enabled me to stand on them and create something I never could’ve created on my own. They believed in me and have become dear friends and fierce advocates.”

The clinic is partly primary care, partly urgent care, for children birth through college age. Cathie typically spends a third of her day doing checkups and the rest on acute care for her own patients. “But if there’s a need and I have time, I’ll do urgent care,” she says.

As a pediatrician, Cathie sees plenty of unruly patients, but “a child may act out because of what just happened (at home),” she says. “You see recurring themes. … It’s a lot for a child to hear people constantly at odds.”

Cathie also has a heart for children dealing with even deeper traumas all over the world. At Fondren Church, where she is a member, she learned about a ministry called The Hard Places Community, which (among other eforts) serves children at risk for sex trafcking in

Cathie treating a patient during a mission trip to Cambodia.

Cathie sees children from birth through college age at TrustCare Kids in Gluckstadt.

Cambodia. She’s gone to Cambodia with the organization and treated kids there, in addition to taking other mission trips to places like Honduras, the Dominican Republic and India.

“It grounds me and makes me realize how big the world is,” she says.

It also draws her closer to her Savior, who came to seek, serve and save the lost.

“I want people to know that nothing about Christianity was appealing to me because of a church or a program or someone shaming me,” she says. “When I learned about the humility and the unconditional love of Jesus, that’s what got to me.”

In many ways, it was her struggles that brought her to that understanding of Christ. If she hadn’t been spiritually starving, she might never have reached for the bread of life.

“There are a lot of people who struggle either with childhood trauma, anxiety, depression, self-worth issues, even suicidal thoughts, and there have been times I’ve thought, if I can just get here, it’ll all go away, or if I can just be spiritually mature,” she says.

But in the end, “that thorn in your side is sometimes the thing that draws you closer to God.” Y

Cathie (left) and Dr. Shea Moses get creative with hygiene during a 1996 mission trip to Honduras.

Cathie (second from right) serving at Fondren Church.

The Baptist Children’s Village celebrates 125 years

“We now bid you an afectionate goodbye — but this is God’s work. He inspired, built and directed. We were simply His instruments.”

Today The Baptist Children’s Village (BCV) continues God’s handiwork, using hundreds of His people to accomplish His work — all in diferent ways, with various talents necessary for the ministry. The Baptist Children’s Village exists as a part of the Mississippi Southern Baptist church to take the good news of Jesus Christ to at-risk children and families. Throughout the 125-year history of the ministry, this foundational purpose has remained consistent.

From a dollar to a century

The written word was a useful tool for Rev. L. S. Foster in his eforts to found the Baptist Orphanage (later The Baptist Children’s Village). He served as associate editor of the newly formed Baptist Record in 1886 and published several books, including “Mississippi Baptist Pastors,” published in 1895. It was through his experience with the written word that he published his first inquiry to Mississippi Baptists in 1893 to determine the “desirability of establishing a home for orphans.” It was in The Baptist Record that he wrote, “If this thought is of God, He will put it into the heart of some person to send a contribution for this cause.”

It was in response to this writing that Mrs. Lou H. Moore of Tillatoba wrote on December 10, 1893, “With my prayers, I enclose this dollar for the institution. If it finds company enough to afect a movement, you will hear from me again.” That dollar did indeed find “company enough,” as evidenced by the ministry’s long and fruitful legacy. Even today The Baptist Children’s Village receives no government funding but is entirely

supported by individual, church and business donations.

In early 1894, Rev. Foster mailed a letter to pastors and Baptist leadership and described what he saw as a great need. In July 1894, he and a group of interested men had garnered enough support to write and secure the charter and launch the Baptist Orphanage. Foster, along with the small group of men, spent the next few years preparing to receive children into care, securing a house on West Capitol Street in

– Rev. L. S. Foster upon his 1903 retirement as first superintendent of the then Baptist Orphanage

Sean (far right) as a “Village kid” with his siblings (from left): Kim, Bruce, James (in front) and Mike.

BCV Executive Director Sean Milner (third from left) lived at the BCV for longer than any other child before eventually returning to lead the organization. From left: Sean’s wife, Elizabeth; his sister-in-law C.J.; Sean, Bruce, Mike and Susan Milner.

Jackson, where he accepted the first child on May 12, 1897.

The need quickly overwhelmed the small house, and a large property was purchased to build a more spacious campus. The ministry has continued to grow and change to meet the ever-evolving needs of children and families in Mississippi, but always with the support of Mississippi Baptists and other partners so that not a day passed where needs were not met.

Rev. J. R. Carter succeeded Foster as superintendent, providing this written statement in the 1903 issue of The Orphanage Catalogue, a newsletter started by Rev. Foster and supported by a healthy subscription list:

“I am fully conscious in accepting the superintendency of our orphanage, that I am taking upon myself a great and responsible work, but I enter it with enthusiasm and great confidence in its success. I believe in God and His people. With His blessing and guidance, and the cooperation of friends of the orphanage, I am sure of success … I trust you, brethren, to give me the same helpful and prayerful cooperation that you have given to Dr. Foster, and all will be well with our beloved institution.”1

History would reveal that support for this “beloved institution” continued for over a century and continues even today.

Two great leaders

Since the pages allowed for this article are not sufcient to speak of each of the 11 executives whom God called to lead the organization, we will confine our writings to our current executive director and a bit about our founding father, Rev. Foster. It could be said of each CEO that they were called to lead at a specific time in history with specific Godgiven gifts to address a specific need. These are men who have served through times of war and disease, through evolving industry and technology, and in ever-evolving cultures that present similar but diferent challenges for children and families.

While they have each relied on their talents, gifts and experiences to make choices for the ministry, they have all held fast to two underlying

principles: 1) The ministry exists to share the gospel with children and families. 2) It is the responsibility of the church, not the federal government, to care for widows and orphans.

Rev. L. S. Foster

While it is not found in the yellowed pages of historical writings, one must wonder what provoked Rev. Foster to, with such passion, pursue the idea of a home for children. Born in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, his father moved to Starkville while he was in college. His description of himself as “a wild and dissipated boy” might have contributed to his understanding of the need for guidance for children. Perhaps, too, the loss of his wife, which left him with two young children to raise on his own for a season. None of these experiences were wasted on his preparation for this important work.

Foster also served as pastor for several Mississippi churches, three of which he helped start, and authored multiple writings preserving the history of Mississippi Baptists.

Sean Milner

Milner has many memories of his own time as a “Village kid” while Paul N. Nunnery, who became his mentor, served as BCV executive director after leaving a successful law practice in Hollandale. Nunnery served from 1960-1990, and Milner ultimately followed in Nunnery’s

BCV founder Rev. L. S. Foster

Former BCV Superintendent Rev. J. R. Carter and his wife, Ida.

BCV Executive Director Sean Milner

BCV houseparents are commissioned as Mississippi Baptist Missionaries.

footsteps, leaving a successful law practice to accept the position as the ministry’s 11th executive director.

Milner shares often that he holds the record for living at The Baptist Children’s Village longer than any other child — from when he arrived with his siblings at age 5 to when he signed himself out upon graduating college and moved to Tupelo. The trials in his own family and his experiences at the BCV drive his passion to provide a safe place for children today and to share the good news with as many of them as possible.

Milner says it was that gospel, shared with him by a houseparent, that changed his life. “Changing one life at The Baptist Children’s Village changes generations” is not just a statement — it is something he believes because he has

experienced it. Milner is also the only alumnus to serve as executive director for the ministry.

Milner’s experience in law has been helpful in his work to protect and enhance not only the ministry of The Baptist Children’s Village, but also residential childcare in Mississippi and throughout the country. He is president of the Mississippi Association of Child Care Agencies (MACCA), president of the Baptist Coalition for Children and Families (BCCF), and serves on the board of directors for the national Coalition of Residential Excellence (CORE). In this 125th anniversary of the ministry, our executive director has made and is making history of his own.

Above: A historical timeline is displayed at the BCV headquarters. Below: BCV houseparents have recently been designated as Mississippi Baptist Missionaries and receive lapel pins at a commissioning service.

Houseparent missionaries

BCV staf and alumni agree that the singular most influential position at The Baptist Children’s Village is the houseparent. In 2018 the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board (MBCB) identified BCV houseparents as Mississippi Baptist Missionaries. Since that time, commissioning services have been scheduled for newly hired houseparents, who receive a certificate and lapel pin from the MBCB. It is understood that these individuals are indeed called to this unique work with children who come from varied and difcult places. They often leave family and career to devote their lives to sharing Christ with children and families who often find themselves in dark places without hope. They live in a BCV house filled with children from cultures unfamiliar, even foreign to them. They sacrifice and do all this because God calls them to take the good news of Jesus Christ to at-risk children and families.

Is it worth it? If you asked Executive Director Sean Milner, he would resoundingly explain it is the very reason he now makes it possible for children to be exposed to the gospel in his ministry at the BCV. Alumnus and North American Mission Board missionary Lee Davis would relate how his houseparent led him to the Lord and made it possible for him to share the gospel as a youth pastor, pastor and missionary with his family in Montana. Alumnus Cait May often shares how it was the genuine and consistent Christlike life that her houseparents lived daily that ultimately led her to a more intimate life with her Savior. Hundreds more alumni can give testimony about how God worked through a houseparent missionary to eternally change their lives and the lives of their families.

The ministry today

The Baptist Children’s Village serves hundreds of children each year in residential care on campuses throughout Mississippi, and through the Dorcas In-Home Family Support Program. Campus directors, case managers and houseparents serve children ages 1-20 in BCV homes where Christ is honored and family is celebrated. Case managers work to mentor at-risk families in their homes and work proactively to keep children together. When The Baptist Children’s Village cannot serve a family, appropriate resources are recommended to the family through the BCV’s Referral Services.

Former Executive Director Paul Nunnery wrote, “The survival and usefulness of any service agency is dependent, in large measure, upon its capacity and willingness to change.” The 125-year-old ministry has seen many changes. There will no doubt be more changes in the future as the BCV seeks to be viable and successful in its eforts to take the good news of Jesus Christ to more at-risk children and families. The BCV has proved to have the capacity and willingness to change to meet the current needs for the hurting; thus, the work that God “inspired, built and directed” continues. Y

Chrystelle Thames joined the public relations department at The Baptist Children’s Village in June 1982. She received her bachelor and master of science degrees in communications from Mississippi College. Chrystelle is a BCV alumnus and brings a unique perspective to her role as director of communications for the ministry. She has also served as an advocate for children in volunteer leadership roles in the Junior Auxiliary of Clinton, local parent/teacher organizations, and in the prayer ministry at her church.

How to tell if your child needs counseling

Anxiety has become a childhood epidemic in our country. Even before the pandemic, anxiety was becoming more common among children and adolescents, increasing 27 percent from 2016 to 2019. According to researchers from the Health Resources and Services Administration, by 2020, 5.6 million kids (9.2 percent) had been diagnosed with anxiety problems.

One of the major roles of parents is guiding children in developing their social and emotional skills. Parents are instrumental in helping children learn to regulate their emotions. Moms and dads often ask for guidance to determine whether their children’s behaviors and emotional expressions related to anxiety and worry are “normal,” or whether they need to seek counseling for their child. Anxiety afects everyone diferently. Here are some tips and advice to consider when parenting a child who is inclined to worry.

Some degree of childhood fear is normal. Some normal fears in the preschool and elementary years include separation anxiety, big dogs, monsters, fire drills, burglars, storms, and illness. Normal childhood fears resolve themselves. Most often, kids outgrow them.

If your child has some anxiety or worries that are not so severe that they impair their ability to function, here are some things you can do:

◼ Talk about their fears when they are calm, but don’t dwell on them.

◼ Help your child develop an emotional vocabulary, and model for them appropriate ways to express pleasant and unpleasant emotions.

◼ Be sure to manage your own anxiety efectively and model ways to calm yourself and regulate emotions.

◼ Teach your child deep breathing/calming techniques.

◼ Get plenty of exercise.

◼ Empower kids to come up with ways to help themselves when they feel worried.

◼ Teach your child to talk back to their worry and not to let their worry have control.

◼ Make healthy food choices.

◼ Have fun! Sometimes when kids are anxious or emotional, they live in such a heightened state that they aren’t participating in fun activities. Play games, read books and laugh with each other. “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” - Proverbs 17:22.

◼ Keep a journal remembering the blessings and faithfulness of God. “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”Lamentations 3:22-23.

◼ Pray for and with your children. Help them learn the truth that all of our worries will look big until they are put next to the living God.

However, there are times when a child’s fears and anxiety grow in severity and impair their functioning, and it becomes necessary to seek professional help. Here are some warning signs that adults and parents can look for that might indicate a need for additional intervention:

◼ Ongoing fears regarding the safety of parents and caretakers

◼ Refusal to go to school

◼ Avoiding social situations

◼ Frequent physical complaints (stomachaches, headaches)

◼ Clinginess

◼ Extreme worry about being away from home

◼ Tantrums or severe panic when separated from parents

◼ Sleep problems (lack of sleep or nightmares/night terrors)

◼ Extreme fear that lasts for months regarding a specific thing

The earlier anxiety disorders are addressed, the better the outcome. Early intervention can prevent future issues such as low self-concept, poor academic performance, and social impairment. Ask your pediatrician, school counselor or other childcare professional for help, resources and an objective opinion if you are uncertain about anxiety and your child.

Adults who spend time with our kids on a regular basis, including teachers, coaches, Sunday school teachers and others, can also ofer valuable insight that can be pivotal in further understanding our children and their emotional needs. Y

Jennifer Dryden has served First Presbyterian Day School in Jackson as the school counselor for more than 20 years and is licensed in both professional counseling and marriage and family therapy. She graduated from Southern Methodist University and holds a master’s degree in counseling from The University of Southern Mississippi. Mrs. Dryden visits each first- through sixth-grade class at FPDS monthly to discuss various topics such as wise choices, bullying, and integrity. She teaches Integrity Time in kindergarten weekly. In addition to classroom instruction, Mrs. Dryden meets with students, families and teachers as needed.

FPDS is committed to academic excellence and a firm spiritual foundation, laying the groundwork for a lifetime of faith and purpose in each of our students.

Our tongues aren’t as powerful as we think

Iwaslistening to someone speak recently about the tongue and its life-controlling, life-altering power. This message is popular in our Christian community, as the Bible says a lot about bridling the tongue and watching what we speak and how we can speak things into existence.

If taken out of context (and most of the scriptures related to “power in the tongue” are), one would believe that our tongue has the power to make or break us, and sadly a lot of Christians have been rendered powerless by practicing this often misinterpreted or under-interpreted text. We watch what we say, but we still think derogatory thoughts.

Like when my wife calls me at an inopportune time, my thoughts might think, “Now she knows I’m busy. Why is she interrupting me? I don’t have time for this.” But when I pick up the phone, my mouth says, “Hello my good thang.” (“Good thang” is my nickname for her based on the Bible verse, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing,” Proverbs 18:22.)

We guard what comes out of our mouths to an extent, but we allow our thoughts to run wild, and eventually it’s our thoughts that catch up with us, moving us to action, whether the action was verbalized or not. We don’t have to confess something with our mouths to be moved to action, and we can’t induce outcomes without action. Our thoughts don’t require our mouths, but our mouths would be rendered powerless without our thoughts. It is impossible to speak without thinking, contrary to popular belief.

Allow me to share a few examples.

Example 1

You can’t speak weight loss into existence. You can’t speak the discipline it takes to invoke weight loss into existence, either. You must formulate a plan and execute the plan, which requires thought, actions and discipline — and discipline requires consistent thought and action based on the formulated plan. You can, however, lose weight without uttering a single word or weight-loss afrmation. Same goes for building muscle or training for an athletic event.

Example 2

You can’t speak a healthy diet into existence. You can’t speak spinach and apples into your mouth. You can’t speak to your body and tell it to process nutrients it hasn’t received. You can subscribe to all the healthy eating blogs you want and read all the ingredients out loud for the healthiest meals they post, and it still will not give you the nutrients you need for your body to sustain a healthy weight, great bloodwork, and the right amount of energy for daily living.

Example 3

You can’t actually walk up to a mountain and tell it to move, and it really move. Even though Jesus told the disciples to have faith the size of a mustard seed and the mountain would move, He knew their faith would be determined by their capacity, and their capacity would grow like a seed based on their level of obedience. Then, if that seed is positioned in the right place, its path of growth could cause the mountain to literally move.

Once we see we can achieve something, our faith grows, creating room for us to achieve more based on our newly established Godgiven capacity. We must test our capacity and expand our capabilities by consistently acting in our growing ability.

Once we lose 10 pounds, we believe we can lose weight, and we attempt to lose more. Once we see we can bench 225 pounds, we believe we can do it, and we go for more. The exception to this is, some of us probably never say, “Hey! I see I can eat a bowl of broccoli. Let me eat one more!” and then turn around and eat more. In fact, we probably wait another three weeks to eat more broccoli.

Moral to the story is, it’s time for us to be more action-oriented and less talkative, because only actions can create results in our health and in our service to Christ. Happy holidays, all! Y

Chris Fields is the founder and executive director of H.E.A.L. Mississippi and a graduate in kinesiology with advance studies in nutrition. He serves as a clinical exercise physiologist/CPT and is credentialed in Exercise Is Medicine through American College of Sports Medicine.

Erica Bertschler, FNP-BC Family

My child is dating someone I disapprove of

ANSWER:

Thanks for such a great and powerful question. The questions that pertain to our children seem to be the most difcult to sort through and also the most confusing. We could realistically advise others on how to proceed with such questions, but when our own children are involved, we find the convictions hard to enforce.

This is mostly because of the consequences we believe will follow and how negatively they will afect our children and/or us. Even so, the truth is still the truth. Your son will need to hear and be thoroughly acquainted with the truth.

The first thing to consider is your “why.” Why do you not approve of this young girl?

Not only will that help you articulate your concerns to your son, but it also will help you find the boundaries and guardrails they will need in order to proceed or not with the relationship. If it is a matter of “I just don’t like her,” I would challenge you to revisit that notion. If it is a matter of immoral or illegal behavior, that is altogether diferent. You should say and show care and concern for your son’s spiritual, emotional and even physical wellbeing. If this young lady poses a threat to any of that, you have a right to be concerned.

If after all your reasoning, your son still decides to see her, then based on age and your family rules, the boundaries and consequences come into play. Remember, boundaries and consequences shape behavior.

If your son is an adult, there’s not a lot you can do in the natural but a lot you can do in the spiritual. You can certainly pray and hold him accountable.

If he is underage, then this is a question of disobedience and rebellion. One thing I have found to be true, though: Rules without Relationships equal Rebellion. Highlight the relationship you and your son have or need to have for him to listen to you and your authority. Use influence to help him see things that he cannot see right now.

Use boundaries to keep the son and the young lady at a healthy distance if it is inappropriate. If he violates this, again if he is underage, then consequences come into play. Set expectations for him. Communicate those to him. Discuss what failure to comply with the expectations means, then if he breaks the rules, apply the consequences. Apply them immediately so he will be able to tie the negative consequence with the behavior and thus learn the valuable lesson therein.

The main thing you want to do is establish or maintain communication with your son. See if there are ways or places to compromise and be flexible. Also, find ways to influence and minister to the young woman. You might see this as a ministry personally to her, and it would not have happened unless she was dating your son. Above all, pray and be vigilant with your son’s dating relationship. Ask God for strength and wisdom in how you deal with him and her. Be encouraged and try not to get consumed by this. You can be Concerned but not Consumed. God sees you and will reward your faithfulness. Y

Dr. Fred Hall is a licensed professional counselor (LPC), supervisor, life and leadership coach and consultant. He works with individuals, couples, families and organizations in training, speaking, consulting and clinical practice. He does clinical work at Cornerstone Counseling in Jackson.

QUESTION: My son is dating someone I don’t approve of. What do I do? If I forbid him from seeing her, they sneak around.

Network Luncheon and Toy Drive

Bonnie Bridgers Smith (Champions in Recovery).

18 years ago by a group of

providers

clinicians as a way

get together to kick of the holidays.

event has grown from just six people in attendance to hundreds, each of whom

a new toy for a child’s Christmas gift.

year’s luncheon and toy drive will be held Monday, December 5, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Broadmoor Baptist Church in Madison. Toys will be donated to children via Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Mississippi and First Responders of Mississippi (FROM).

event also honors Diference Makers and Champions in Recovery. This year’s award recipients are author David Magee and Judge Carlyn Hicks (Diference Makers), and Rob McKinley, Glen Collins, Mart McMullan and

Admission is free. The only requirements are to register at bit.ly/2022HOLNET and to bring a new, unwrapped toy to the event.

“We have treatment providers and individuals who are our hosts, and each attendee will receive a bag full of resources to take back to their practice. Providers come from all over the country to participate each year,” said event organizer Ruth Ann Rigby.

“(This is) a tradition that leaves a footprint in our community. We honor everyone who works on a daily basis to help those struggling with mental health issues, substance abuse and trauma.”

Sponsorships are available from $250 to $1,500. For more information, email info@firstrespondersofms.com or visit bit.ly/2022HOLNET Y

Pregnancy Resource Act tax rebate

OnApril 21, Gov. Reeves signed the Pregnancy Resource Act (PRA) into law. This policy encourages businesses to redirect a portion of their tax liability to donate to pregnancy resource centers. This law recognizes the vital work Mississippi’s pregnancy centers are doing and gives donors the option to direct would-be tax dollars to these nonprofit organizations. Mississippi has more than 37 pregnancy resource centers providing women with free services and a safe place to talk through their pregnancy decisions, learn about resources and support available to them, and make an informed choice.

Pregnancy centers rely on private funding from donors. The PRA stimulates businesses to connect to their local pregnancy centers in an essential financial partnership. CPC Metro Executive Director Erin Kate Goode states, “Business owners have said that it sounds too good to be true to be able to give generously to charities without afecting their budgets, and they are genuinely grateful that Mississippi has made this bold move. We are extremely grateful that our state leaders had the foresight to pass this legislation at this important moment for Mississippi.” Pregnancy centers are excited for the possibilities that these new partnerships could open, especially in this post-Roe era when women need support more than ever.

The PRA allows for a Mississippi state income tax credit for voluntary cash contributions to a qualified pregnancy resource center organization

(PRCO). Businesses can be credited back dollar for dollar from their contribution for as much as 50 percent of their income tax liability, insurance premium tax liability, or real property ad valorem liability for non- corporations. The credit can even carry over for up to five years. Any business with a Mississippi tax liability should qualify, but credits will be allocated on a firstcome basis because the state has designated 3.5 million dollars toward the credit per calendar year. Businesses need to act quickly to apply for the credit before the funds are gone.

A business can apply for the PRA tax credit before donating. Applications are available on the Mississippi Department of Revenue (MDOR) website. Once the application is received, the MDOR will reply about the eligibility of the gift within 30 days. Businesses have 60 days from this response to make their donation and return the receipt to the MDOR to secure their allocation.

Mississippi legislators hope the PRA will inspire businesses to support women and families through financial partnerships with local pregnancy centers. Many more women, children and families will find needed support if businesses take advantage of this opportunity. We celebrate with our Mississippi leaders who are building a culture of life for our state and helping us make abortion unthinkable. Y

*This information is not intended to give tax advice. Please consult with your tax professional about your specific tax questions. Find out more information about the PRA tax credit at cpcmetrofriends.org/give/

5:18, NIV

Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; his love endures forever.

~ PSALM 106:1, NIV

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

~ 1 THESSALONIANS 5:16-17, NLT

Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.

~

1 CHRONICLES 29:13, KJV

Then I will praise God’s name with singing, and I will honor him with thanksgiving.

~ PSALMS 69:30, NLT

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

~ EPHESIANS 5:18-20, NIV

We ought to give thanks for all fortune: if it is good, because it is good; if bad, because it works in us patience, humility, contempt of this world and hope of our eternal country.

~ C.S. LEWIS

They sang, ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and ever! Amen.’

~ REVELATION 7:12, NLT

I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.

~ 1 CORINTHIANS 1:4, NIV

unspeakable gift.

~ 2 CORINTHIANS 9:15, KJV

I thank you for answering my prayer and giving me victory!

~ PSALMS 118:21, NLT

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.

~ PHILIPPIANS 1:3, KJV

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

~ COLOSSIANS 3:17, NIV

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