Volume 7

"I'm a Pastor's Wife"

That little group of words has got to be at the top of my list - "words I thought I'd never say"! It humbles me to my core. Living life under this new name is teaching me lessons I wasn't expecting and I am so grateful for it. Just a few of the things God is teaching....

I can still be me!
Being real makes all the difference in the world.
It's not all about me!
Giving council keeps me on my knees.
Encouraging others to go deeper with God makes me take inventory in my life.
I am not perfect...

God doesn't expect me to be!
A smile and a hug go a long way.
Respect for my husband has grown immensely.
Praying for him is more important with each passing day.

Leading by word is easy...
Leading by action takes effort.
God is using my past to minister to others and it's beautiful.
I don't have to have all the answers, sometime I just need to stop and listen.

I pray that my heart would stay close to the Lord, that my humility would remain in tact, and that I would be sensitive to the moving of the Spirit with willing hands to serve when prompted. It is beautiful that God has brought us here and I desire to draw even nearer to Him through this new journey.
Lord, this is Your work and all that is accomplished here is to Your glory alone. I am humbled that you use me. Thank you for walking with me. I pray that my eyes would remain fixed on You, that I would not grow cold to the people around me, and that I would be found faithful to Your calling. It is only through Your strength any of that is possible. I love you!
~ ~by Tina Ebert~ ~

I Tmothy 1:12, "And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who hath enabled me for that he counted me faithful putting me into the ministry."

You Know You're A Pastor's Wife If.......
.....you are rarely referred to by your given name.
.....you wish you had a dime for every time someone claims your hasband said something he never said.
.....you have shaken more hands than a politian.
.....you have sincerely prayed for someone's pet.
.....you are expected to play the piano and sing - your spiritual gifts!!
.....you are expected to know the name, address, phone number and birth date of every member.
.....your new outfit is the talk of the week.
.....people come to you to offer "constructive criticism" of the pastor.
.....people look at you when the pastor starts a story about the family.
.....you can't slip into church late and go unnoticed.
.....you have to taste every casserole at the pitch-in dinner.
.....you are consistently the last one out of the building.
.....people think your husband only works 3 hours a week.
.....you worry because it's 10 pm and your husband is not back from the deacon's meeting.

Volume 6

The Lord giveth and ......thieves take away. Can we still say BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD? Dan woke up a few Saturdays ago to find his car gone - - taken right out of our driveway during the night. If you've ever had anything stolen - a purse, wallet, or even your car - you know the feeling of being violated, the anxious feeling and fear of what could happen next. It makes us angry, makes us look over our shoulders and leads us to take more precautions, (I bought a Club for my car!). But we also realize that God has blessed us with all we have and it belongs to Him, not us. I am thankful they only took the car and did not come into our home and harm my family. I am thankful they took the car with no one in it, instead of a carjacking when I had the grandchildren with me. Yes, it has been an inconvenience and yes, Dan and Jonathan lost their golf clubs, bowling balls and shoes and tennis rackets, but we can still say Blessed be the name of the Lord for his protection and provision.
Still Praising,
Pam

Matthew 6:25 & 33 "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on...Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

Meet Beverly Hunter....

I was privileged to be born into a godly pastor's home in northern Michigan. At age 5, I prayed to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior. At age 12, I made assurance of my salvation. I had the honor to be in a Christian school from Kindergarten through 12th grade. The summer of my junior year of high school I prayed and asked the Lord to send me "the man" I was to eventually marry. God says in His Word, "ask and ye shall receive..." The Lord did just that! Thomas Hunter came to my school that year. We began dating October of 1990 and 5 years later we were married. God called us to Ft. Lauderdale to work with the youth for 11 years. God blessed us with four beautiful children: Madysen (13), Kasie (11), Tommy (9) and Ally (5). Now God has entrusted us with Plantation Baptist Church where we have served for 6 years. We truly love and praise Him for His bountiful blessings. In Proverbs 3:5-6 it says, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all they ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct they paths."

Our meeting will be August 8 in Plantation. Plan to come with your husband and see the great work God is doing. Enjoy some fellowship with other Pastor's wives.

WORDS OF WISDOM

*Prayer is not a "spare wheel" that you pull out when in trouble. It is a "steering wheel" that directs the right path throughout.

*Why is a car's windshield so large and the rear view mirror so small? Because our past is not as important as our future. So, look ahead and move on.

*When God solves your problems, you have faith in His abilities; when God doesn't solve your problems, He has faith in your abilities.

*A blind person asked St. Anthony, "Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?" He replied, "Yes, losing your vision!"

*Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, God smiles from above and says, "Relax, sweetheart, it's just a bend, not the end!"

*Worrying does not take away tomorrow's troubles, it takes away today's peace.

BBC - Presidential Forum

Good evening Pastors,

A few months ago I took a trip to BBC with a small group of guys including our youth pastor, worship pastor and three prospective students.  What a great trip.  From the time we arrived, John Slayden, and his team, welcomed us and made us feel they were very interested in us.  Our students stayed in the dorms and had a blast.  My staff guys spoke in various classes and felt it was a great time of connecting with some very sharp students.  As a matter of fact, they went back to the dorms for hours in the evening with a large group of students, talking ministry.  I had the opportunity to speak in chapel and I was blown away and blessed at the same time by the awesome worship service.  The band was not only talented but full of ministry and it came through in the chapel service.  The receptivity of the students, to the message, was encouraging.  The President, and many of the professors, were obviously plugged in to all that was happening.  I left BBC this trip far more excited about where the school is and where it is going than I have ever been.  It is a school I would like many of our students to attend. 

Recently Rob Hoffman called and asked if we would host a half-day event at our church for pastors and staff who would be interested in hearing and seeing a report on where BBC is going.  This will be informational and I am sure, inspirational.  We will hear and be able to ask questions.  I am glad to host the day and I wanted to send this email to a few of you who I think have some of the sharpest kids and a great philosophy of ministry to ask you to please try and come for this brief day.  This is not a fund raising event.  It could be a beginning for some of us to again send our kids with confidence to BBC and get back, in return, the graduates we dream of having.

The meeting will be, Tuesday, August 2nd from 10:00 am - 12:30 pm, and then we will break for lunch and fellowship following the meeting.  Please take a minute, and call or email me, and let me know if you can come and who you will bring.  I hope you can bring your key staff who influence your students.

Thanks and be blessed, 

Dave Janney 

August Meeting: Plantation Baptist Church

MEETING DATE…..August 8^th

MEETING PLACE…PLANTATION BAPTIST CHURCH

-          11700 NW 28^th Ct. Plantation, FL 33323

-          954-473-2424

.  Theme: Acts 28:15 “…when Paul saw (the brethren) he thanked God, and took courage!”

10:00 am – Officer’s Meeting.

11:00 am – Tom Hunter Sr. preaching

12:00 pm – Lunch     Youth Pastor’s separate

12:45 pm – Business Mtg. Youth Pastor’s separate

1:15 pm – Hugh Black

2:00 pm – Wayne Gwinn

Hampton Inn available @ $84.

Golf available $24 at Jacaranda on Tuesday morning. Please call the church to make reservation.

DIRECTIONS TO PLANTATION CHURCH

1)       Take I-95 or Florida Turnpike south to Sunrise Blvd.

2)       Go west on Sunrise Blvd. to Old Hiatus Road

3)       Turn right (North) on Old Hiatus Road

4)       Follow Old Hiatus Road to the bend where it turns into NW 28^th Ct.

5)       The church is on the left at 11700 NW 28^th Ct.,

-          (or Google on the church website…www.plantationbaptist.org)

COMMENTS AND THOUGHTS FROM OUR CHAIRMAN

(Pastor Dan Jeffers)

I love being a pastor.  God has given each of us a “flock” that we are to feed and care for.  We are even held accountable how we do that.  When I am planning and contemplating ministry ideas it is with the mind and heart of a shepherd.  How will this decision affect the sheep?  The biggest responsibility we have to our flock is to feed them.  We are always coming to God and asking Him what should be on the menu for a particular day. 

We want to know when it is time to give them dessert and when to give them liver.  That is where prayer and study come in.  I really enjoy hearing about what you are preaching to your people.  Whether it is a series or an individual message I think it is good to share those things with one another.  Every now and then I will get an email from a fellow pastor giving me their outline for the week.  Sometimes my preacher friends on FaceBook will share their topic for the week.  I hate to confess this but I have used some of your outlines from messages preached at our monthly meetings.   They were just too good not to share with my people.  (By the way I do give you credit so as not to plagiarize) See you Monday August 8 at Plantation Baptist.  

Next Meeting: July 11th Palm Springs Drive

Pastor, Mrs. Carlson and the "PSDBC family" are inviting all the pastors, staff and guests to attend our next Fellowship meeting on July 11th.  Enjoy a casual atmosphere, plenty of food and good preaching.

Schedule:
10:00 a.m. - Officer's Meeting
11:00 a.m. - Randy Ray, North Florida Baptist Church
11:45 a.m. - Business Meeting and Ladie's Fellowship
12:15 p.m. - Lunch (Men & Ladies separate)
  1:15 p.m. - Ron Williams, Palmetto Avenue Baptist Church
  2:00 p.m. - Troy Williams, Izmir Turkey

Directions: 
     Google Maps 
From I-4 West, take Exit #92 (Altamonte Springs/Apopka - Hwy 436)
Turn Right - You will be on HWY 436 for several lights,
As you approach the Altamonte Mall, on your left, be prepared to turn left onto Palm Springs Drive
You will pass through a pedestrian crossing light
After the next light, Central Parkway, and after an apartment complex on the Right, we will be on the right
Turn Right on Orange Street to turn right into the parking lot.

Volume 5

Continuity gives us roots; change gives us branches letting us stretch and grow and reach new heights. ~Pauline R. Kezer

All of us have been through change - some good; some not so good. We've changed locations, jobs, churches. Some changes are necessary; some are unexpected. It is not always an easy thing to deal with, but how we deal with it will tell a lot about us. Do we accept change gracefully or do we go down kicking and screaming? I have recently started working outside the church (been working outside the home for a while) and it has been a challenge and a big adjustment. There are so many things I miss - the flexibility of working with my husband and being able to leave early to go pick up my grandchildren. I will miss being at the monthly meetings to be with you ladies, too. But I have accepted (almost) the inevitable and pray that as I enter this new mission field I will show the love of Christ to my new co-workers. Pam

Meet Rebecca Carlson...

I was blessed to grow up in a Christian home. Born in SC, I moved from GA to TN and then settled in Central FL at the age of 10. I trusted Christ as my Savior at age 5 and was baptized at age 12. As a teenager I dedicated myself to the Lord to do whatever He wanted of me. And the thing I wanted most of all, even when I was young, was to become the wife of a pastor or a missionary and to become a mother. And being the planner that I am, my plan was - graduate high school, go to college to receive my MRS, begin a family, support my husband and encourage my children, etc. But God had a plan - graduate high school, lean on Him, graduate from college, trust in His timing, teach elementary students, learn His lessons. I met my husband, Scott, when he became my Youth Pastor in 1990. We began dating after I came home from college and started my teaching career in 2001. He, at the time, had become the Assistant Pastor and had taken over the College and Career class (conveniently!). We married the following year. After the first few years of enjoying each other's company we knew that children should start coming into the equation, but none came. Because of our deep desire to have children, we believed that God had plans for our family to expand, so we continued to look toward Him and seek His plan. Just when we thought the door was opening, He shut it and said, "not this way". After a few early miscarriages, we sought medical help. After a few more miscarriages, we bagan researching adoption. This May, we celebrated our 9th anniversary and we have enjoyed 9 wonderful months with our two little boys, Clavin and Connor who were born in 2010.God has blessed us immensely, above and beyond our comprehension and we are so grateful!! Looking back, I think I know why God took me down this path, opening and closing doors. I am a planner; I like having the path lined out step by step and brightly lit. Yet this way leaves no opening to trust God, to see His grace or to receive His blessings. God is also a planner and such a better planner that I. One thing I have learned, yet continually need to be reminded of, is a verse in Isaiah. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord." (Is. 55:8)


***Our meeting will be July 11 in Altamonte Springs. Rebecca has planned a ladies meeting
with special guest Traci Williams, missionary to Turkey. Make plans to be at the meeting.***

Next Meeting May 23rd - Grace Bible Baptist - Leesburg

Pastor George, Mrs. Mulford, & the "Grace Bible Baptist Family" extend to you a friendly invitation to attend our May FBBF meeting.

Directions:
Grace Bible Baptist Church
1703 Lewis Rd.
Leesburg, FL 34748
PH. 352-326-5738

www.gbbconline.com

Pastor Mulford was licensed and ordained by Faith Baptist Church in Sarasota, Florida.  He received a degree in Bible from Heritage Baptist University and is currently pursuing a master's degree from Louisiana Baptist University.  He became the pastor of Grace Bible Baptist Church in March of 1991.  He and Kathy have four children and five grandchildren.

Schedule/Speakers:
10:00 a.m. - Officer's Meeting
11:00 a.m. - Pastor Dave Janney, Orlando Baptist Church/World Hope
11:45 a.m. - Business Meeting & Ladies' Fellowship
12:15 p.m. - Lunch (Men & Ladies separate)
1:15 p.m. - Dan Jeffers - Park Street Baptist Church/State Chairman
2:00 p.m. - Pastor Ed Wilds, Palatka Baptist Temple