Aug sept 2017 Whitesburg magazine

Whitesburg AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2017

Prayer

Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.

1 Chronicles 16:11

PAGE 17

THE PRIORITY

of prayer

We are at our strongest when we are on our knees.

PAGE 21

Jesus, help me!

When life is too hard to handle.

WHITESBURG BAPTIST CHURCH

August-October 2017 Calendar August 6 LIFE Group Promotion Sunday 6 AWANA Registration 6 Discover 101 Class: How to Connect at Whitesburg 6 Kari Jobe Concert 12 Singles 35+ Coffee House 13 Discover 201 Class: How to Grow in Your Faith at Whitesburg 13 AWANA Begins

September

1 South Campus Closes at Noon and Reopens September 5 3 No Evening Service 4 Office Closed for Labor Day 8 LIFE Group Fellowship Night 9 Singles 35+ Coffee House 10 Discover 201 Class: How to Grow in Your Faith at Whitesburg

October

1 60th Anniversary Celebration 1 Discover 101 Class: How to Connect at Whitesburg 8 Discover 201 Class: How to Grow in Your Faith at Whitesburg 8 Global Mission Discovery in Evening S 9 Senior Day at the ROC

14 Senior Day at the ROC 18 LIFE Group Fellowship Night 20 Discover 301 Class: How You can Serve at Whitesburg 20-26 Adult Discipleship and Ladies Bible Studies Begin 24 Kids Crossing Begins 26 Singles 35+ Coffee House 27 LIFE Group Leadership Night

15-16 Ladies Conference: The Master’s Pieces 17 Discover 301 Class: How You can Serve at Whitesburg 23 Singles 35+ Coffee House 25-27 Senior Adult Revival

13 Date Night 14 Singles 35+ Coffee house 15 LIFE Group Leadership Night 19 Sadie Robertson’s Live Original Tour 20 Whitesburg’s Family Night at Tate Farms

For more details on these and other events, visit WhitesburgBaptist.org.

Inside

Whitesburg AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2017

PAGE 8 Our Greatest Privilege

2 Time in Prayer

By Dr. Jimmy Jackson

5 His Ways Are Higher Than Our Ways

By Vicki Harrell Hereford

8 Our Greatest Privilege

By Missy Hamner

12 The Kari Jobe Story

By David Dye 14 Find You On My Knees

Lyrics by Kari Jobe, Matt Bronleewe

& Ben Glover

17 The Priority of Prayer

By Dr. Harold Fanning PAGE 12 The Kari Jobe Story

21 Jesus, Help Me!

By Andrea Thoenes 25 This is My (Your) Story

By David Dye

Whitesburg magazine is a publication by Whitesburg Baptist Church, 6806 Whitesburg Dr., Huntsville, AL 35802-2299. (Permit No. 446) Publisher: Whitesburg Baptist Church Editor-in-Chief: Rev. David Dye Graphics & Publishing: Melissa Schuster, Ron Snyder, Jerry Nichols Editorial Assistants: Karen Tidwell, Beverly Dishman, Chrissy Curtis, Jordan Busk

Subscribe!

Receive Whitesburg magazine in your home or business by subscribing in one of these ways: • Visit WhitesburgBaptist.org/resources.

• Call the office at 256-704-5678, ext. 279.

PAGE 21 Jesus, Help Me! August/September 2017 | Whitesburg

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The Bible is filled with

instruction and illustrations of prayer. If we look to the Old Testament, we witness the need, urgency, and power of prayer. As Elijah confronted the many false prophets of idolatry, he prayed that God would answer his prayer to send fire from Heaven to consume the water-soaked altar and sacrifice. The prophet needed more than human effort and emotion. He needed the God of Heaven to validate the message from the Lord and the messenger of the Lord. Nothing less than a divine response could evoke a divine result.

The desperation of Elijah played an important part in the effectiveness of his intercessory prayer, but far more important than his urgency and desperation was that he called upon God to show Himself real to the people of Israel. It was for God’s own glory, not just for the deliverance of men, that Elijah’s prayer

resulted in a great example of the power of God through prayer and the blessing of God upon prayer and the one praying.

God is still the same—holy, all powerful, loving. Let us not waste one of the most valuable assets He has given to us as we seek Him and the advancement of His Kingdom in the dark world of today.

Toward the end of his life, one of the most anointed and gifted pastors of the twentieth century was asked what would he do differently if he could live his ministry all over again. Without hesitation he responded, “I would have spent more time before the Lord in prayer.”

May our Savior draw us closer to Himself and teach us to pray and keep praying. We need what only He can give and E. M. Bounds reminds us that “God will not give without prayer what He promised to give through prayer.”

Holy Spirit help us to pray.

Dr. Jimmy Jackson is the Senior Pastor of Whitesburg Baptist Church in Huntsville, AL.

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Time in

Prayer

by Dr. Jimmy Jackson

Nothing less than a divine response could evoke a divine result.

August/September 2017 | Whitesburg

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We were not meant to go through life alone.

“Pray for one another.”

James 5:16 HCSB

“Pray for your brothers and sisters.

Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind.” Ephesians 6:18 MSG If you would like for us to pray for you or someone you love, please call 256-881-PRAY or visit WhitesburgBaptist.org/prayers.

WHITESBURG BAPTIST CHURCH 68064Whitesburg Drive, Huntsville, AL 35802 WhitesburgBaptist.org

WhitesburgBaptist.org

HisWays

Are Higher Than Our Ways

by Vicki Harrell Hereford

In thinking of times in

my life when God said either “No” or “Wait”, I always have bittersweet memories of my baby in Heaven. Many times we are faced with people who just don’t understand the grief. “But you had more children…” or “It really wasn’t a baby yet…” have been spoken in very awkward situations as we have all tried to work through our losses.

My grief came in the first trimester, when my precious little one just could not continue to thrive. I already had my Ethan, and this pregnancy would

produce a baby sister or brother at the perfect time. They would be exactly two years apart – everything going according to the plan. My plan. The loss was not punishment. I came to understand that this precious one most likely was being spared more pain, perhaps a lifetime of struggle, or even was taken to Heaven because he or she would reject Christ when the time came. I find that to be a victory, not a loss. Above all else, I have prayed that my sons would come to know Christ. What if that child had not done so? Eternally August/September 2017 | Whitesburg

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HIS WAYS ARE HIGHER THAN OUR WAYS separated, eternal anguish… would be faced with raising boys instead, this baby has known into godly men. Given the road nothing but eternal joy at the before me that He could see but feet of Jesus. that I could not, my family looked I would love to say that I am so the way He wanted it to look. spiritual that this reconciliation My boys often say that my occurred overnight. It took baby girl is in Heaven. If my baby years. I could not attend friends’ is indeed a girl waiting for me in showers because the grief was so Heaven, all that I can say is that strong. I wanted another baby God is SO good. He was good to so desperately that because all that God knows her, it became my focus. she knows is safety This was going to be me by name. and love – perfect yet another lesson love from a perfect He knows in waiting and in Abba Father. everything God was not done developing patience about me and contentment. It after Justin, though. I took over two years and He still felt that our family before God answered was still missing a loves me. in the affirmative. child. Just over three Many of us have Rainbow years later, our “surprise!” baby Babies – children born after an came along… searching for a infant loss, stillborn birth, or name, I suggested Logan because preborn loss. For those of you it means “peaceful dweller.” God who know my man-children, laughed… hysterically. Yet Logan you can determine that the has been the perfect addition Rainbow Baby is my Justin, also to this team. I cannot imagine known as Precious Darlin’, the our family without that special, Precious Moments Baby, and unexpected gift. Not long after Baby Hurt (a name from Coach Logan came to our family, my Cedric). Justin and my oldest marriage crumbled around us son, Ethan, are more than twice and I was thrust into the world of as far apart chronologically than single parenting. Even in that, I I had planned. No girls. But still, saw God’s hand of protection and God knew best. He knew that I provision. It was not the road I 6

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had imagined, but God knew long before I started on that journey exactly what I needed. No matter the circumstance, His answers to our prayers are sovereign. He sees all the way to the end of our journeys, when we often cannot even see the next step.

What if God had given me exactly what I wanted, when I wanted it? I can say with almost complete certainty that I would not have my Justin or my Logan.

Now, I have a baby waiting for me in Heaven. I have three precious souls here on earth. My life is not easy, but it is so rich. The verses and passages that I would cling to as I raised up these men have all proven to be true. Jeremiah 29:11 tells me that God has great plans for me, plans to prosper me and not to harm me, to give me hope and a future. Joel 2:25 tells me that God does restore the years the locusts have eaten.

Genesis 50:20 tells me that God does take what the enemy intended for harm and He does still bring good from it.

I am grateful for the prayers that have been answered positively over the years. I am also forever grateful for the prayers that received “no”

answers or even “wait” answers.

God knows me by name. He knows everything about me and He still loves me. And, He is indeed a good, good Father.

My earnest hope is that you discover that same contentment and gratitude whether God says no, wait or yes. Remember that He knows you by name. He chooses to look past your faults and poor choices. He wants to bless you beyond anything you can imagine. If you know Him, cling to Him. Memorize those promises and use that when the enemy comes against you. If you don’t know Him – maybe you just know ABOUT Him – talk to someone who does know Him. Get into the Word – the Bible – and ask God to reveal Himself to you. Jeremiah 29:13 says that you will find Him when you seek Him with all your heart. You will not regret saying “yes” to Him. Vicki Harrell Hereford is a new

creation in Christ, ever becoming but never quite arriving. Mom to Ethan, Justin and Logan, and blessed beyond measure to be a member of Whitesburg Baptist Church.

August/September 2017 | Whitesburg

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Our Greatest Privilege

by Missy Hamner

Ahh, prayer: sweet prayer,

battle prayer, pleading prayer and all the others. It is our greatest privilege.

Most mornings I’m talking with Him early and with a cup of coffee and His Word nearby, but not always.

Sometimes our conversations are just too intimate for that or too hurried and not just limited to mornings.

I will never forget my first conversation with the Lord.

He had drawn me in through a sweet pastor in an old, country Baptist church during Vacation Bible School.

I met Jesus that night and later in a small, wood paneled room, curled up on my bed crisscross I said, “So, the pastor said you wanted to be my friend. He said that you loved me and that you wanted me in your family.

I’m so excited to tell you about everything. You know I’m usually scared in here all by myself at

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night. But, I’ve got you now.”

And on and on the conversation went. Just a little girl taking Him at His word. I’m His. He is mine and He loves me.

That is how our relationship began so many years ago. I was eight years old.

My goodness, it’s overwhelming to think of the words we’ve shared since. He is ever faithful.

I certainly can’t say that I’ve always been faithful, but here are a few prayers from over the years.

I prayed about my relationship with Stacey when we were dating and the Lord impressed upon my heart to marry him. I would have messed that all up!

Marrying Stacey Hamner was one of my best decisions. My children are the subject of some of my greatest blessing prayers

and those same children are the reason I spend endless hours pleading and crying out to the only One who finds nothing impossible and who loves them more than me. My prayers have always, and I mean always, been answered. The answer simply has not always been “yes.”

“No” is hard. In what seems like a lifetime ago, Stacey received orders for Korea. One year, unaccompanied. I pleaded. I stomped. I screamed. I bargained to go. “Please Lord, don’t leave me here alone with the boys,” I cried. Eighteen months later, when we were reunited, He August/September 2017 | Whitesburg

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OUR GREATEST PRIVILEGE affirmed to me a truth I will never, ever question again. I am NEVER alone. That heart truth came from a no answer.

Then there are “yes” answers that come… sometimes packaged differently than we thought. I prayed for years for my dad to come home. My parents divorced when I was 4. At age 10, my stepdad Randall entered our life. God knew who I needed.

Randall was my dad. “Yes,” in a different package.

Waiting is the toughest part, if I am honest. I’ve been praying some prayers for years and there hasn’t been an answer. I’m learning to trust in the silence.

Because silence doesn’t mean He isn’t working. After all, there was a gap from the Old Testament to the New, but Jesus was coming.

In the deepest part of me, prayer is so much more than just what answer I receive. Prayer is my life line. My breaths of: “Oh Jesus give me wisdom in this; give me Your grace in this situation; help me see You in this Lord.” And a host of “Oh Lord, thank You, I could never have managed without You,” or the delights of, “Well look at You, You never cease to amaze me.”

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I’ll never forget reading for the first time about when the curtain was torn in the temple (Matthew 27:51) and how we can now come boldly before the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16).

I remember that I looked up and thanked Him for making a way for me to come to Him before I was even born; for me to come and sit in His presence and talk to Him. Wow! What a Savior! What a love! Conversations that have lasted seconds, hours and even years facilitated fellowship with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords; intimacy of spirit with the One who summons me, calls me by name and loves me with an everlasting love… that is what prayer is.

So snuggle up, draw near, and by all means let us pray. It is our greatest privilege!

Missy Hamner is

the wife of Stacey Hamner and mom/ mother-in-law to Gary & Rebekah Hamner, Luke, Naomi, Hannah and Josh. She loves a good time of Bible study, a great cup of coffee and good conversation. She is looking forward, with much anticipation, to her new role as grandmother this summer.

TICKETS start at

$18.95 Sunday, August 6, 2017 at 7 pm WHITESBURG BAPTIST CHURCH

TICKET PRICES TICKET PRICES START AT 6806 Whitesburg Drive, Huntsville, AL 35802 START AT $18.95 $18.95

Tickets & Info atAugust/September KariJobe.com 2017 | Whitesburg

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y r o t S e b o J Kari The

by David Dye

“I’ve got good news and bad

news.” Sandy Jobe, nineteen year old wife and musical evangelist sat in a moment frozen in time as the words from her doctor rang through her head. As a bride of only four months, she had already had her head shaven, three inches of her skull removed, every bone and joint in her body x-rayed and scanned, all while being uncontrollably sick. Could there really be any more bad news? The doctor went on to tell her the good news was that there were no more tumors, the bad news was that she was pregnant.

Pregnant? Bad news? How could this be? He told her she was 6 weeks pregnant and that with all the radiation she had been subjected to there was no way to deliver a “normal” baby. The baby would certainly be physically deformed and

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mentally challenged. The only thing to do was to terminate the pregnancy. “Terminate? You mean have an abortion?” The words, so many words began to ring like a maddening chorus in her head.

At the young age of nineteen, Sandy and her husband knelt beside their bed and cried out to God. These were not cries of “Why me?” but rather of “God, we surrender. If we are to be the parents of a special needs child, then prepare us for the journey.

If this life is not to be, then end it naturally. God, Your will be done.”

Sandy called an obstetrician after normal hours to schedule an appointment, and when a man answered the phone, she asked if he was with an answering service or the office. She told him that she had found out she was pregnant and needed to

schedule an appointment. He said, “Congratulations.” She found out she was speaking to the doctor and for the first time in days, that one word brought light and hope into her life. At her appointment, he promised to walk through the pregnancy with her if she decided to keep the child.

Seven and a half months and thousands of prayers later, Kari Jobe was born. It had been seven and a half months of sickness, fear and faith, but lying on her bed, for Sandy was too weak to even hold her, lay a perfect little girl. Today, that girl blesses

hundreds of thousands with her voice and devotion to God – all because a mother and a father prayed.

This article is based on an interview with Sandy and Kari Jobe on Joni Table Talk. You can find the full interview online at www.daystar.com and search for “Her Story - Kari Jobe (J928).”

August/September 2017 | Whitesburg

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Find You On My Knees

by Kari Jobe, Matt Bronleewe & Ben Glover

Troubles chasing me again, Breaking down my best defence, I’m looking, God, I’m looking for You Weary just won’t let me rest And fear is filling up my head.

I’m longing, God I’m longing for You

But I will find You in the place I’m in, Find You when I’m at my end, Find You when there’s nothing left of me to offer You except for brokenness.

You lift me up, You’ll never leave me thirsty, When I am weak, when I am lost and searching I’ll find You on my knees.

So what if sorrow shakes my faith, And what if heartache still remains?

I’ll trust You, my God

I’ll trust You. ‘Cause You are faithful and I will...

Find You in the place I’m in, Find You when I’m at my end, Find You when there’s nothing left of me to offer You except for brokenness.

You lift me up, You’ll never leave me thirsty, When I am weak, when I am lost and searching Find You on my knees, my knees.

When my hope is gone, When the fear is strong When the pain is real, When it’s hard to heal When my faith is shaken And my heart is broken And my joy is stolen, God I know that...

You lift me up, You’ll never leave me searching, I’ll find You on my knees.

August/September 2017 | Whitesburg

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“I know my LIFE Group

PRAYS when for me I have a need.” #GroupUp

GROUP UP Text GroupUp to 256-344-0023 for a personalized LIFE Group recommendation.

WHITESBURG BAPTIST CHURCH 680616 Whitesburg Drive, Huntsville, AL 35802 WhitesburgBaptist.org

WhitesburgBaptist.org

The Priority of Prayer

by Dr. Harold Fanning No one denies that we are living in challenging and perilous times. The world is seemingly simmering in a sea of deception, violence, and civil unrests. A dark spirit of organized untruths and deceptions are being propagated upon our country and the world. Rioting is now prevalent throughout the entire world - and appears to be increasing. It is as if a “cloud of evil” has descended upon the earth resulting in wicked pandemonium and insanity. Today the church is facing persecutions of historic

proportions - not only around the world but also in America.

But we shouldn’t be surprised because the church was placed on notice that these days were coming. I Peter 4:12 says, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you.”

The apostle Paul warned, “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come. For men will be lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, d is obed ie n t to p a re n ts,

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THE PRIORITY OF PRAYER unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lover of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power…” (2 Timothy 3:1-5).

The question is not IF perilous times will come - but rather WHEN they will come. For the Christian we understand that we face a powerful adversary named Satan. Make no mistake he is the force behind the pandemonium we are currently experiencing.

He knows that he is a defeated

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foe and he is also aware that Jesus is returning for His church soon. Satan’s goal is to create as much havoc as possible and carry as many people to eternal damnation with himself as he can.

For the Christian we must understand that the most powerful weapon at our disposal is prayer. Prayer is to the believer as air to our lungs and water to a fish. Prayer is the pipeline that connects us to the throne of God. Prayer is what keeps us connected to our Heavenly Father. No aspect of our Christian

life is more essential than when we spend time with God. We are at our strongest when we are on our knees in the presence of the most powerful force in the universe. We are never bolder in public than when we have been energized by our time alone with God in private. Phillip Yancey, in his book, “Prayer: Does It Make A Difference” says, “If prayer stands as the place where God and human beings meet, then I must learn about prayer.”

Prayer assures us that our Father is cheering us on, assisting us as we advance though life, and empowers us to accomplish His will in the world. Prayer is the venue that centers our heart on what is most important. It refocuses our attention on the invisible rather than the visible. Prayer is where we discover peace, joy, and spiritual satisfaction. Prayer is the most important thing we can do in order to dismantle the demonic strongholds that seek to destroy us. I totally agree with Soren Kierkegaard who once said, “Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays.”

We are at our strongest when we are on our knees in the presence of the most powerful force in the universe.

We are never bolder in public than when we have been energized by our time alone with God in private.

Dr. Harold Fanning

and his wife, Debbie, are the parents of a son and a daughter, and have two grandsons and three granddaughters.

He is a retired pastor who currently serves as a Hospice Chaplain. Harold speaks each Wednesday night at WBC’s Prayer Meeting service and is a hotrod enthusiast.

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Make prayer part of everyday family life.

Home Point has the resources to build your faith at home and help make prayer part of your family’s routine. Our materials are tailored for you and the people you love the most, whether you are single, married, have children, or are an empty-nester.

You can find books and brochures on various topics in our Home Point center in the South Lobby at Whitesburg Baptist Church.

680620 Whitesburg Drive, Huntsville, AL 35802 WhitesburgBaptist.org

WhitesburgBaptist.org/HomePoint

! e M p l e H s,

Jesu

by Andrea Thoenes

When I was a young girl,

a poster hung on the back of the bathroom door. It was very yellow, adorned with nine hot pink hearts in three rows. Below the hearts in a scrawling font, the text read: A prayer for when life is too hard to handle, When you’re too doggone tired to pray: Jesus, help me!

Being a carefree child, I just thought it was a hokey poster from the sixties my mom liked.

It followed us from state to state, home to home; that tattered yellow poster hung on the back of my parent’s bathroom door.

I didn’t know its importance

then, but throughout my life, in moments of despair and discouragement, my mind’s eye has drifted back to see nine pink hearts on a yellow field, and I remember to cry out: Jesus, help me!

The Lord is sovereign and gracious. He is perfect, wise and loving. He chooses to look past our superficial prayers for an easy life and give us what we need to grow and mature. For me, that means a chronic muscle condition that causes pain. Bit by bit the Lord is stripping me of my personal, self-made armor: pride, self-dependency, confidence in my abilities, control over my physical body.

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JESUS, HELP ME! This process has been brutal and bewildering. I thought I knew, accepted, and welcomed James 1:2, “Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort…” What my head knew, my heart resisted. What I thought I believed was not what I walked. My functional theology was far different than what my mind, heart, and mouth professed before. And Jesus loved me too much to leave me in that shallow place of trusting.

I’m still in the middle of how the Lord is working. So, I cannot share the rest of the story. I cannot count on an ending of miraculous healing. I cannot reveal a ”to do” list that will help you in your own struggle.

What I can promise is that the Lord is faithful. He will act. He will move. He loves you. He hears your prayers. All of them – even the simplest one: Jesus, help me!

In the midst of undoing you, the Creator-King of the Universe, the God-man, Covenant-Keeper, Joy Giver, Peace Maker will not leave you nor forsake you. Hebrews 13:5b in the Amplified reads, “…

God Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up, 22

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nor leave you without support. I will not. I will not, I will not in any degree leave you helpless, nor forsake nor let you down…“ Sometimes I point to heaven and remind myself: You will not, no never will Jesus forsake me. I may be by myself, but I am not alone.

If you are at the beginning of a trial, gather your Bible and a colorful pen and dig in! Open your eyes and your heart to His goodness. The Lord is about to work for your good and His glory. If you are in the middle like me, let’s hang on. I’ve parked in Psalms, and may spend months here gleaning God’s lovingkindness.

This middle part is far less about doing, and far more about being – moment by moment receiving and resting in the promises of God. Grief will surge up. That’s okay. God understands our feelings. If our tears weren’t important to Him, why would He save them?

(Psalm 56:8). Romans 8:31 is a comfort in this season: “What then shall we say to all this? If God be for us, who can be against us? Who can be our foe, if God is on our side?”

Whether our trial concerns

health, finances, or relationships, our God has answers, healing, and hope. It may not come in the way we expect, so release those expectations. It may not come in the form we like, so put away personal preferences. It may not come in your timetable, so let go of your calendar. Instead, today, reach your open hands to the heavens and give Him control of everything.

A prayer for when life is too hard to handle, When you’re too doggone tired to pray: Jesus, help me!

He will hear you. He will answer. He promises.

Two books that have been a blessing to me during my season of suffering are No More Faking Fine by Esther Fleece and Walking with God through Pain and Suffering by Timothy Keller.

– Andrea Thoenes, May 30, 2017

Andrea Thoenes is devoted to her husband, Michael, and her kids.

She likes to be with family and friends and do things that will impact eternity. Her life motto is, “Lord, I am willing to Receive what You Give, Lack what You Withhold, and Relinquish what You Take…”

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“I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time.

It does not change God it changes me.”

- C.S. Lewis

Visit the church library for these and many other books on prayer!

Praying God’s Word by Beth Moore Hear Me When I Call by Charles Swindoll Alone with God by John MacArthur A Woman’s Call to Prayer by Elizabeth George The Joy of Active Prayer by Dr. Bill Bright The Ultimate Conversation by Charles Stanley Get Off Your Knees and Pray by Sheila Walsh War Room book and DVD The Prayer of Jabez for Teens by Bruce Wilkinson What is Prayer by Carolyn Nystrom

WHITESBURG BAPTIST CHURCH

LIBRARY

6806 Whitesburg Drive, Huntsville, AL

Open Sundays before morning and evening services.

! e m o C o t t e Y s i t s e B e h T Whitesburg Baptist South Campus

SENIOR ADULT

Dr. Jimmy Jackson

Preaching

Dr. Harold Fanning

Preaching

September 25-27 Preaching

Geraldine & Ricky

Dr. Jimmy Jackson, Pastor of Whitesburg Baptist Church and Rev. Harold Fanning.

Laughing

Laughing

Our special guest on Tuesday morning will be ventriloquist Geraldine and Ricky.

Singing

Music will be led by Rick Stone, Worship Pastor at Whitesburg Baptist Church.

Rick Stone

S inging

WHITESBURG BAPTIST CHURCH 7300 Whitesburg Drive, Huntsville, AL

WhitesburgBaptist.org

This is

My

(Your) Story

by David Dye

Every Christian has a story to tell. Each one is unique to the teller and yet all are remarkably similar. Some stories begin very young while others not until much later in life. Some stories have dramatic lead ins or result in visible changes. Others may seem much quieter, but the truth is the end results are just as drastic.

My story begins as a young boy. I was in first grade and my best friend Pat had just prayed to become a Christian. Being raised in not only a Christian home, but the pastor’s home, I was very familiar with this concept.

It had just never quite hit home like this. Now my best friend had something I did not. The next Sunday, as I listened to my dad preach – ok, listening in between the squirming and countless distractions (I see a shiny thing and my attention goes a million miles away) – I could not get out 26

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of my head that Pat had done something that I had not. When my dad gave the invitation to respond to God, I knew I wanted to become a Christian. Not just because my friend had done it, but because I needed a savior.

That’s where all of our stories intersect. No matter who you are: a person walking purposefully down a path of sinful living, a seemingly innocent child or any of the infinite possibilities in between, our stories must have a time, a moment, a place of recognizing our own sinfulness and acknowledging it before God. We must turn away from sin and toward God. We all receive the gift of forgiveness the same way, by faith in Jesus Christ. Finally, we all must receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

If you have not started your story with Christ, you can do so today. A simple prayer like the one here is all that is needed, as long as the words you say

express the desire of your heart.

“Dear God, I know I am a sinner and have rebelled against you. I believe that Jesus died for my sin and it is only through faith in His death and resurrection that I can be forgiven. I now turn from my sin and ask Jesus to come into my life as my Savior and Lord.

From this day forward, I will choose to follow Jesus. Thank you, Lord, for loving me and forgiving me.”

If you have made God part of your story, or need help understanding why and how to, please take the next step and call

your church. If you don’t have a church home, call Whitesburg Baptist Church at (256) 8810952 and share your decision with a pastor or someone who can help you to walk and grow in your faith.

David

Dye is a husband, father and minister. David says his greatest desire is to live a life like the Apostle Paul: “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). He wants to point people only to Jesus and the salvation offered through His death, burial and resurrection.

August/September 2017 | Whitesburg

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Kid ’s S pace Find the 8 differences!

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WhitesburgBaptist.org

WITH

SADIE ROBERTSON

connect the dots

JOHN LUKE ROBERTSON

ANTHEM LIGHTS

WORSHIP WITH

CHRIS MCCLARNEY O F J E S U S C U LT U R E

STEVEN MALCOLM

HOLLYN

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19 • 7 PM WHITESBURG BAPTIST CHURCH 6806 WHITESBURG DRIVE, HUNTSVILLE, AL

August/September 2017 | Whitesburg

TICKETS AT LIVEORIGINAL.COM

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WhitesburgBaptist.org

Photo: Worship at the spring Men’s Retreat.

WhitesburgBaptist.org

BAPTIST CHURCH

WHITESBURG

LIFE Groups 8:00, 9:30 & 11:00 am Blended Traditional Service 9:30 am Contemporary Service 11:11 am Evening Service 6:15 pm

Come worship with us on Sundays!

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6806 Whitesburg Drive Huntsville, AL 35802

Whitesburg Baptist Church

PAID

Huntsville, AL Permit 446

Non-Profit Organization US Postage