Whew and Wow!!!!
What a week of Pandamania at Westwood!!!! VBS is always a highlight of our church year and this year is no different. More than 200 children have participated along with 110 youth and adult workers. More than $1,800 was received in offerings for our new mission partner, ServeTrust. Those are the numbers and they are phenomenal. But more important are the lives that have been touched this week. It has been a blessing every morning to welcome the children and to see the joy and anticipation on their faces. Whether singing, listening to a Bible Story, making a craft, enjoying a snack, or exercising in recreation, they have been learning about God's love, and that "God is wild about them!" As much as these children have been blessed, I think the youth and adults who have worked alongside them may have been blessed even more! Westwood loves children and it is evident by the sacrifices of time and loving care these workers share, some taking vacation just to be a part of this wonderful week.
I asked everyone to pray last week for VBS and I know you have honored that request. Blessings have abounded, not the least of which is the fact that the air conditioning is still working, even though we thought it might go out at any moment. God, Jack Hix, and Dennis Milam have worked together this week to keep things cool! So many have a hand in making this week such a blessing, including you and your prayers. "Thanks" to the entire Westwood family...with the Spirit's guidance and the faithfulness of God's people, Pandamania will long be remembered as a week of wonder and blessing.
Keep up the prayers as our youth prepare to leave Sunday for Impact. They will be in Buckingham, Va, helping to rehab structures and perhaps rebuild lives. May God's Spirit guide and empower these missionaries next week just as that same Spirit has been at work this week in VBS.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Friday, July 8, 2011
Pray for Vacation Bible School
A Blessed Friday evening to all!
Vacation Bible School begins this Monday...are you ready? For some of you this means preparing lessons, crafts, snacks, recreation, music, transportation for the Springfield Gardens children, etc. for the week. For others, it is about getting your children up and out, along with their friends, to VBS every day. For all of us, it should be about prayer. Pray for our workers and children that God will guide their steps each day to a place of opportunity where learning and blessing are shared. Pray for the parents of these children that God will remind them during these days of eternal truths that last beyond this special week each summer. Pray for these families that what the children learn and experience each day will impact all their lives. Pray for our church that we will be to these children and their families the light of Christ in what for some, may be a very dark place.
This is a week that requires something of all of us. Some will be at their posts every day in the sanctuary, narthex, story room, craft room, nursery, kitchen, playground, and bus. All of us can be at our posts of prayer each day. It will be a great week and you can have a part in making it so!
Jim Abernathy
Vacation Bible School begins this Monday...are you ready? For some of you this means preparing lessons, crafts, snacks, recreation, music, transportation for the Springfield Gardens children, etc. for the week. For others, it is about getting your children up and out, along with their friends, to VBS every day. For all of us, it should be about prayer. Pray for our workers and children that God will guide their steps each day to a place of opportunity where learning and blessing are shared. Pray for the parents of these children that God will remind them during these days of eternal truths that last beyond this special week each summer. Pray for these families that what the children learn and experience each day will impact all their lives. Pray for our church that we will be to these children and their families the light of Christ in what for some, may be a very dark place.
This is a week that requires something of all of us. Some will be at their posts every day in the sanctuary, narthex, story room, craft room, nursery, kitchen, playground, and bus. All of us can be at our posts of prayer each day. It will be a great week and you can have a part in making it so!
Jim Abernathy
Friday, July 1, 2011
A Birthday Present
On Monday we celebrate the 235th birthday of our nation. When invited to parties, it is customary to bring a gift for the one celebrating the birthday...but what does one give his or her country? How should we appropriately recognize such a milestone? Sunday morning in worship we will talk about a July 4th prescription that could easily be our gift to this nation. The text I will use for Sunday morning calls us to humility and prayer, not as a means of civil practice, but personal commitment where service and sacrifice are evident in the way we live and work. These characteristics mark the follower of Jesus Christ first, but also impact every area of our lives, including the way we approach our citizenship.
After the dedication of the temple in II Chronicles 7, God speaks to King Solomon; "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray..." What do you think might result if you and I humbled ourselves before God, praying fervently for many aspects of our lives, including our nation. God tells Solomon that humility, prayer, and repentance will bring forgiveness and healing to their land. Brothers and sisters, what might happen in this nation if you and I chose such a path?
I do not believe that our goal is to make this nation into a Christian institution...but rather, to make a difference for the cause of Christ in ways that will bring transformation to our homes, our communities, our nation, and world. It begins right where you live and work and go to school...humble yourself before God, seek the face of God through prayer, repent of your sin...then ask God how you can be used to bring light and hope to those around you. That would be a present this nation could use.
Jim
After the dedication of the temple in II Chronicles 7, God speaks to King Solomon; "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray..." What do you think might result if you and I humbled ourselves before God, praying fervently for many aspects of our lives, including our nation. God tells Solomon that humility, prayer, and repentance will bring forgiveness and healing to their land. Brothers and sisters, what might happen in this nation if you and I chose such a path?
I do not believe that our goal is to make this nation into a Christian institution...but rather, to make a difference for the cause of Christ in ways that will bring transformation to our homes, our communities, our nation, and world. It begins right where you live and work and go to school...humble yourself before God, seek the face of God through prayer, repent of your sin...then ask God how you can be used to bring light and hope to those around you. That would be a present this nation could use.
Jim
Friday, June 24, 2011
The Perfect Summer Day
It has been said that "a perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken." On a hot day like today, the latter is certainly true! Summer is a wonderfully unique season that literally opens new doors of opportunity...yes, to experience the great outdoors, but also to consider and participate in certain activities that are unique to the season. Mowing the lawn may be one of these, but there are others, particularly within the fellowship known as Westwood Baptist Church.
Summer brings VBS, Impact Virginia!, PASSPORTkids! Camp, as well as summer seminars, special fellowships, and events like the Echo food drive and Springfield Gardens back to school celebration. Summer is not necessarily a time to slow down, but a rich opportunity to experience the grace and love of God at work in these and other unique summer events. If you go to our church website, you will find a link on the front page to several special summer events that you can take part in, and invite a friend or neighbor to join you.
A perfect summer day is more than a broken lawnmower. At Westwood, it is celebrating God's presence with us at the baseball game, camp, worship and fellowship opportunities. Make the most of these wonderful summer days. You can always borrow the neighbor's mower and cut the grass tomorrow.
Jim Abernathy
Summer brings VBS, Impact Virginia!, PASSPORTkids! Camp, as well as summer seminars, special fellowships, and events like the Echo food drive and Springfield Gardens back to school celebration. Summer is not necessarily a time to slow down, but a rich opportunity to experience the grace and love of God at work in these and other unique summer events. If you go to our church website, you will find a link on the front page to several special summer events that you can take part in, and invite a friend or neighbor to join you.
A perfect summer day is more than a broken lawnmower. At Westwood, it is celebrating God's presence with us at the baseball game, camp, worship and fellowship opportunities. Make the most of these wonderful summer days. You can always borrow the neighbor's mower and cut the grass tomorrow.
Jim Abernathy
Friday, June 17, 2011
Patterns
The Message translates the last part of Ephesians 6:4 with this admonition to fathers: "Take them (children) by the hand and lead them in the way of the Master." There is nothing so significant in the life of a young child as a good example. Children look for patterns upon which to build their own lives. They are truly blessed when they see the example of Christ in one or both of their parents.
My dad died nearly ten years ago, and yet the memories of his example are still fresh in my mind. I remember witnessing his compassion when he hurt with those who hurt, his kindness when confronting those who did not always receive him well, his tenacity to continue moving forward when he could easily have quit, and his commitment to living the faith he held dear. He was not a perfect man, but his example helped me and others follow in the way of Christ, and for that, I am truly grateful.
There is no greater calling for any parent or grandparent, than to take a child by the hand and lead them in the way of Christ. I am grateful that I have had such an example, and continue to pray that I will be that example to my son and to others.
Jim Abernathy
My dad died nearly ten years ago, and yet the memories of his example are still fresh in my mind. I remember witnessing his compassion when he hurt with those who hurt, his kindness when confronting those who did not always receive him well, his tenacity to continue moving forward when he could easily have quit, and his commitment to living the faith he held dear. He was not a perfect man, but his example helped me and others follow in the way of Christ, and for that, I am truly grateful.
There is no greater calling for any parent or grandparent, than to take a child by the hand and lead them in the way of Christ. I am grateful that I have had such an example, and continue to pray that I will be that example to my son and to others.
Jim Abernathy
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Breathing
Martin Luther King once said, "To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing." Many preschoolers, striving to get their way in the give and take power struggle that often accompanies their relationship with their parents, know how to hold their breath. To do so, at least in their young minds, is to gain control over their hapless parents whom they believe will surely give in, even if it means the child may turn a certain shade of blue. Of course, if they hold out long enough, parents can usually outlast the child for sooner or later, he or she gives up because air is needed to sustain breathing which is needed to sustain life. (There is, however, usually a "Plan B" that follows, and for some resourceful children, even a Plan C, D, or E.)
Breathing is necessary for living. Likewise, prayer is necessary for Christian growth and health. Jesus often called his disciples to prayer, and he set the example before them of seeking a quiet, solitary place for prayer and contemplation. In the busyness of life, we too often try to sustain our relationship with Christ apart from meaningful prayer. We may offer a quick request for an ailing friend or family member, or express a question of faith that we quickly lose interest in because we fail to scratch beneath the surface to mine the depths of God's wisdom for our particular need. In the challenges we face we find ourselves gasping for that which will sustain our faith, like a hiker experiencing the thin air of altitude, or the swimmer, plunged too deep beneath the surface, who desperately needs her lungs to expand and be filled with fresh, clean air.
The Psalmist reminds us in Psalm 150:6 that everything that has breath should praise the Lord. Take a moment, whenever you read this, and breathe deeply, filling your lungs with that which sustains life. Then find a quiet place and spend a few moments in the presence of the living God, breathing in that which sustains your spirit and nurtures your soul. Allow the Holy One to renew your spirit and give you that which is vital to your spiritual health. God knows the need of your heart...breathe deeply and take in that which empowers your living and enables your praise.
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Jim Abernathy
Breathing is necessary for living. Likewise, prayer is necessary for Christian growth and health. Jesus often called his disciples to prayer, and he set the example before them of seeking a quiet, solitary place for prayer and contemplation. In the busyness of life, we too often try to sustain our relationship with Christ apart from meaningful prayer. We may offer a quick request for an ailing friend or family member, or express a question of faith that we quickly lose interest in because we fail to scratch beneath the surface to mine the depths of God's wisdom for our particular need. In the challenges we face we find ourselves gasping for that which will sustain our faith, like a hiker experiencing the thin air of altitude, or the swimmer, plunged too deep beneath the surface, who desperately needs her lungs to expand and be filled with fresh, clean air.
The Psalmist reminds us in Psalm 150:6 that everything that has breath should praise the Lord. Take a moment, whenever you read this, and breathe deeply, filling your lungs with that which sustains life. Then find a quiet place and spend a few moments in the presence of the living God, breathing in that which sustains your spirit and nurtures your soul. Allow the Holy One to renew your spirit and give you that which is vital to your spiritual health. God knows the need of your heart...breathe deeply and take in that which empowers your living and enables your praise.
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Jim Abernathy
Friday, June 3, 2011
Smile Because It Happened
A quote from the great American children's writer, Dr. Seuss, is perhaps appropriate for our Westwood family this weekend. Dr. Seuss writes, "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." We prepare to say good-bye to the McKenzies this Sunday. For the better part of a decade they have been a part of our church family, with Brandi serving on staff as Director of Preschool and Children's ministries most recently. Doug has been reassigned by the United States Air Force to the Virginia Beach area and the family will be moving in a few weeks. Saying good-bye is a familiar task in Northern Virginia. Folks come and go and our lives are enriched because of the blessing of relationship we share, regardless of the length of the days that we spend together.
Our hearts are already heavy as we realize that these dear friends will no longer be among us. However, as in any relationship where separation brings sadness, there must also be the remembrance of blessing in the midst of heartache, for our lives are truly enriched by so many folks who come our way, even when they are ultimately led away from us. So, with gratitude to God for the blessing we have shared with the McKenzies, let us gather on Sunday to give thanks to God for these dear friends and wish them well as they, and we, begin new chapters of the wonderful story God continues to write among us.
I hope you will be present for worship Sunday and express your love and appreciation to Doug, Brandi, and children. As a family of faith, Westwood sends them out to be the light and love of Christ in a new workplace, new schools, new home, and a new family of faith. Though sad to see them go, let us remember the blessings we have shared together, and then, let our smiles overcome our tears. For all that we have shared together, don't cry because it's over, rather, let us smile, because it happened.
Jim Abernathy
Our hearts are already heavy as we realize that these dear friends will no longer be among us. However, as in any relationship where separation brings sadness, there must also be the remembrance of blessing in the midst of heartache, for our lives are truly enriched by so many folks who come our way, even when they are ultimately led away from us. So, with gratitude to God for the blessing we have shared with the McKenzies, let us gather on Sunday to give thanks to God for these dear friends and wish them well as they, and we, begin new chapters of the wonderful story God continues to write among us.
I hope you will be present for worship Sunday and express your love and appreciation to Doug, Brandi, and children. As a family of faith, Westwood sends them out to be the light and love of Christ in a new workplace, new schools, new home, and a new family of faith. Though sad to see them go, let us remember the blessings we have shared together, and then, let our smiles overcome our tears. For all that we have shared together, don't cry because it's over, rather, let us smile, because it happened.
Jim Abernathy
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