bread and water

My husband didn’t know I was taking this picture. We stopped in right before church to look at the building our church recently purchased to turn into a youth building. When we moved to this small town in South Georgia to pastor a local church we had no intention of building anything, starting anything, or shaking things up. We were content and happy when under 100 folks voted him in as pastor after serving in West Virginia and Kentucky. We were happy to be back in our home state of Georgia where the green grass grows and the corn pops up in rows. Rows not toes autocorrect. Get it right.  But then God started moving and the church was so packed with people that we had to move the morning service to the gym (and it still meets there). People were getting saved, born again, blood washed and baptized. People were joining the church and it grew and grew. The devil got to work too and stirred a great ruckus. We persevered in face of persecution, attacks, even harassment and betrayal. No...

 As I started reading the first 2 chapters of this book (Ministry to Women) that our women’s ministry leadership team is about to study together, I had a God moment.  I love when this happens! I tell people about them all the time. My book (Walk by Faith) is full of stories like this that really happened.  Oh the joys of walking with Jesus! I wish everyone could experience it.  In the first chapter, one of her first sentences was about a book called Start with Why. This was a book I recently read with another woman in ministry as she was going through an assessment with me.  We discussed the importance of how any leader must “start with why” when they are leading a team to accomplish a goal together.  In ministry the goal is not making money or building buildings. The goal is to see lost souls saved, new christians discipled, to help people discover their spiritual gift so they can serve the body of Christ & to obey what the Lord is calling you to do. W...

 What if a woman is called to ministry?   By Brandi Beck Smith   As promised, not really promised but as mentioned, here are my thoughts on the Southern Baptist Convention vote on women serving as Pastors.    As some of you may know, I am a woman called to the ministry. I was called to the ministry as a teenage girl, long before I met my husband who is a pastor and evangelist.   I was sitting in my car in the church parking lot of Briarwood Baptist Church, a Southern Baptist Church in Watkinsville, Georgia, and I was reading my Bible in Jeremiah chapter one when I heard the Lord‘s call to me personally to speak for him and to give my life in full-time ministry, whatever that may look like.    I read Jeremiah 1:4-9 which says,   “The word of the Lord came to me, saying,   “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,     before you were born I set you apart;     I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” “A...

 I did a couple things that grounded me last weekend. I didn’t know they would ground me. They just needed to be done. I cleaned my house with my own hands. I used to do this all the time but during basketball season I paid someone to clean the house because we were too busy. And we have 4 sons. We live on a non working farm in the country. It gets dirty. These days people talk about nervous system regulation but they don’t realize it can happen in the natural rhythms of life if we slow down. The second thing I did was ironing. I was dreading it. My closet is tiny in this 100 year old farmhouse so I stored my summer clothes in a suitcase and when I got them out they were all wrinkled. A steamer wouldn’t cut it so I got out the old fashioned iron. And it was so relaxing! I can imagine that cooking and gardening and organizing closets can have the same effect. The Bible talks about working with your hands. It really helps your mind. God has a way to regulate your nervous system with ...

John and I are in our early to mid forties & at this time we do not own a home or a camper or land or a condo somewhere. In the past we had bought & sold three different homes. Being in the ministry and surrendered to the Holy Spirit we said we would go where God led. Over the past twenty plus years that has meant moving a lot.   I have seen this bible verse come to life in our lives. “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the Gospel will fail to receive 100 times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions— and in the age to come eternal life.” (Mark 10:29-30 NIV) We surrendered our homes and many possessions and God has given us back “homes and lands with persecutions” through God’s people allowing us to use their lake house or pond house etc for getaways.  God’s Word is true. And it’s an adventure!

  Dear Mamas, You wear so many hats (or bunny glasses).  You are an easter basket finder, party planner, grocery shopper, house cleaner, cheerleader or coach.  You are a chauffeur, a nurse if need be, a prayer warrior, a disciplinarian, a shoulder to cry on. You are a laundromat, a shopper, a planner, a scheduler of trips, budgeter of money and more.  But don’t forget who you really are.  If you are saved; if you have asked Jesus to forgive you and save you from your sin, you are His precious Princess.  Sometimes us Mamas need to be reminded we have One who cares for us. He cares for your heart, your soul, your mind and body.  He wants to carry your burdens. Life can get heavy. Jesus is waiting for you to come to Him.  “Come to me all who are weary and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 In your long list of to dos, write His name on it. Jesus.  Spend a minute of quiet time resting in His love for you.  Let Him hold you and calm you and...

This message has been rolling around in my heart and mind for awhile but I’m hesitant to share it. I have such a burden for young people, young adults and youth. This may even affect children these days.  I don’t have daughters but I’m around young people a lot. I’m seeing something in our culture that we used to only see celebrities do.  With social media everyone can be a “someone”, an influencer , a celebrity so to speak who posts selfies and sees pictures of others with or without filters.  At the same time we are being marketed to and companies have paid money to get us to buy their products.  Our culture has also become more sexualized. Things people wear as clothes are what used to be called under garments. Where has modesty gone?  Girls, young women and middle aged women are hearing messages from the world that they need to inject themselves with shots to get skinny, shots to prevent wrinkles, shots to enlarge lips, surgeries to change their bodies an...