The Three-Minute Rule
by Genel Webb
A few weeks ago, I sat behind a young lady at church. As we said hello at the beginning of the service, she seemed familiar. As the service progressed, her body language even seemed familiar. It seemed familiar because I saw myself in her. Have you ever been in a place or a body of Believers where you just hadn’t quite connected yet and you began to think….I guess I’m just here for the word? Well my heart went out to her because I’d been there before. So I put a plan in place to initiate a conversation with her immediately after the service. Guess what? She left just before everyone was released to go. This was also familiar. I’d done this before too. Many times, I left a service early so that I wouldn’t feel so left out or maybe lonely. It seemed everyone else was always having a friendly fellowship as they left, except me. My thought would always be… church shouldn’t be such a lonely place.
As the young lady left, I thought… well, Lord I guess it wasn’t your plan for me to talk with her today. Wrong. I saw her getting into the car as I was leaving the building. I walked over and asked if she were new here. She said, “not really, but no one has really talked to me, except the pastor.” My reply was, isn’t that something… and people here are really friendly. She agreed, yes everyone is really friendly but no one has really introduced themselves to me. I have so, been where she was…many times. One day, however, the Lord somehow put before me a book called “Breaking the Fear of Intimidation” by John Bevere. The problem wasn’t the other folk…it was me, but that’s not the point of this, although if you grew up like me…as a child and on into adulthood painfully shy, this is truly a book that God can use to deliver you, if you read with an open heart and spirit. But back to my real point, as much as we want people to reach out to us, we have to reach out to them. And I think that when we see someone who is obviously wanting to fellowship or connect, but may not have a boldness or the courage (yet) to do it (and I think as spirit filled Believers, we can discern this), we should so reach out to them. Sometimes, we’re just meant to walk with them until they connect to the person or people that they are meant to connect with and that may not be you or I.
I recently read something that I think can help all of us…even the most shy or timid person can eventually work up to this. It was called the three minute rule. Some of you may have heard of it, but I hadn’t until recently. So I’m eager to share it. Intentionally, take three minutes of your time before and after church and talk to someone that you don’t know and make them feel welcome. This forces us to be active instead of passive in the friendship process. Some church services include this in some form within the service. However, this is a bit different in that we have to initiate this ourselves. It’s a challenge for all of us.
It All Begins With A Single Step
By Susan Lucas
I don’t know about you, but I am ready for summer. I love the beach and the water and the time to “just be.” I have very fond memories of spending time at the beach growing up. I even met my husband there. When I was a teenager, condos hadn’t arrived yet and the Alabama beaches were unspoiled. I think we all took for granted the beauty of God’s creation. It can’t be replicated.
I am also thinking about swimsuits. No matter your size or shape, it’s hard to find that perfect suit. Having a 15 year old daughter, I am sure we will spend countless hours looking for one. Fortunately, she cares what I think. Modesty and style, however, rarely go hand-in-hand.
To that end, I have started walking with Katie. Besides being great exercise, it gives us one-on-one time. There are no distractions, just the two of us, and she talks non-stop and I listen. It has proven to be a very special time; a time to treasure. I get to hear her thoughts on everything from racism to boys and as her mom, I have to admit I and proud of how she thinks. She isn’t swayed by popular opinion but forms her own. There is a lot to be said for being a woman of substance, a woman who is confident enough to be an individual. She is just that.
Don’t you think God longs to walk with us too? He enjoys spending time with His children. He wants to share time with us when we are only focused on Him, no television, no computer, no i-pod; a time to talk as well as listen. Spending time with us brings Him great pleasure, and I am so encouraged by that! I am reminded of a hymn I sang growing up. It goes like this “and He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His child.” How precious that picture is of a Father desiring to have a deep personal relationship with His child. This image is even more precious to me now that both my parents are gone. I want to be like Noah and Enoch, who were so close to God that the Bible remembers them as walking with Him. My desire is to know Him so intimately that His thoughts become my own.
My encouragement to you is to recognize how uniquely we are all made and take care of yourself, both spiritually and physically. Walking happens to be one way the two can go hand-in-hand and our relationship with God as well as with each other can flourish. It can all begin with a single step.
He who walks with the wise grows wise. Proverbs 13:20
Obedience Brings Rewards
By Sharon Boling
When my children were young, the best way to encourage them to do something was to offer a positive reinforcement or a reward. Whether it was cleaning their room, or getting along with each other, or even being quiet and still for a blessed three or four minutes, a reward would almost always be enough incentive to produce the desired behavior. Part of that bargain was obedience. In order to get the reward, they had to do what was required of them.
God’s Word also talks about obedience and rewards. It says in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “…if my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” In the New Testament, Jesus himself said, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”
Recently I went to a women’s conference and I really wanted God to speak to me about some things. I had a whole agenda that I wanted God to address and questions that I wanted him to answer. Well, I can tell you that God definitely spoke to me, but he completely ignored my agenda. Time and again throughout the conference God showed me that if I truly wanted him to move in my life, I needed to totally submit to him. I needed to look in my “closet” to see if there was anything I might be holding back or being stubborn about. (and – surprise, surprise – there was!) There were some things, (however small in my mind) that I knew I should do, but I was making excuses about why I wasn’t doing them.
Like a parent, God is asking his children for obedience. He is also promising a reward. Does that mean you will get everything you ask for just like you want it? Not necessarily. Also like a parent, God knows what is best for us. But when we are obedient to his Word, God promises to hear us and make his home in us. I have found that when all is said and done, that is all I really need. After that, the other things will fall into place and God’s faithfulness will prove itself in ways I could never imagine.
A Woman’s Worth
By Maria Simone
My heart ached for my 6-year old son, as tears streamed down his face because of cruel words from his friends. Oh how I long to protect my children from put-downs and ridicule, but I know all too well that this is something that they will experience at points throughout their life. I experienced much of this myself, especially in middle school, and I allowed it to determine my worth as a person. I walked around much of my life feeling alone and insecure, unimportant and worthless. I tried to gain my identity through performance and the approval of others, but it was always a temporary fix for a much deeper problem. My identity was based on lies, and I needed to replace those lies with God’s Truth.
The first and most important Truth God has revealed to me is that HE LOVES ME. Not with an earthly love that can be lost, but with an unconditional, life-giving, life-saving, forever love. This love sent Him to the cross to die for my sins, so that I could live with Him forever. Psalm 136 repeats the verse “His love endures forever” no less than 26 times, do you think He’s trying to tell us something? God knew it would be hard for us to believe a love so unconditional, so pure, and so selfless, so He made sure to tell us over and over throughout the Bible.
Isaiah 54:10 (NIV) says “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet My unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor My covenant of peace be removed,’ says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” Beth Moore, in the Bible study Breaking Free, states that the word “compassion” in this verse comes from the Hebrew word racham, which means, “to soothe;, to cherish, to love deeply like parents, to be compassionate, be tender…small babies evoke this feeling”. For those of us who are moms, what can compare to the love we felt when we held our little infants in our arms? My children brought out in me a capacity to love and a depth of feeling that I had never before experienced. Can you just imagine how God is looking at you right now, filled with joy and love that you are His daughter?
Zephaniah 3:17 says He sings a song of love over me, and by His grace I have determined to open my ears to hear His song of love, for I know His love is better than life. His love has given me worth that no one can take away, and is not dependent upon my performance or what others think of me. I have also determined, with the Lord’s help, to intentionally teach my children what God thinks of them, and how He loves them unconditionally. I pray for them constantly that their identities will be rooted and grounded in the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. This way, when the harsh words come their way, they will be able to say, “No, that’s a lie, I am who GOD says I am, and He says I’m awesome!”
So come, sit for a while, and enjoy the beautiful song of love Your Father sings over you…..
New Beginning
by Tina Bruno
March!! Let us March on, the March Hare, Beware the Ides of March! These are all the things I think of when I think of this month. But the best thing about March? It’s a time for beginning.
According to the Jewish Calendar, the month of Nissan is the first month of the year, which coordinates with March-April. The Jewish calendar is based on three astronomical phenomena; the rotation of the Earth around its axis (one day); the revolution of the moon around the Earth (one month); and the revolution of the Earth around the sun (one year). Even though our Gregorian calendar has January as the first month of the year, to me this month, March, is the first of the year!
March is also the month in which Passover occurs. It also is the time of Easter, the resurrection of our Savior. How appropriate that the first fruits of our salvation would be in spring! When Jesus rose from the dead, He gave us new life…spring brings new life from the dead ground, our hope is renewed in spring. Let this March be a new beginning for you. Spring is in air!
New Year’s Resolutions
by Tina Bruno
“Happy New Year!” Have we all heard that enough the last few months? I know I certainly have!