An Artist Among Us

Last night, several of my girlfriends and I went to our friend Melinda's Art Show at Wright Place in downtown Pensacola. Oh, what a treat! Melinda is such a gifted artist! Her paintings were just GORGEOUS! God has certainly blessed her with an AMAZING talent! Several of her pieces sold last night while we were there!

Seeing her wonderful works reminded me that we, too, are great works of art...God's art. Ephesians 2:10 reminds us, "For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." Each and every single one of us are God's great masterpiece! When we accept Christ, we are created ANEW so that we can do GOOD THINGS that HE PLANNED for us to do...from the beginning of time! You, friends, are God's Great Masterpiece! Claim it and live it!

Congratulations, Melinda! You are certainly doing the good things that God planned for you to do! We are so thrilled for you and are so glad God has blessed us with your friendship! You are an amazing woman, God's masterpiece, with a tremendous testimony for Christ! We love you, girl!

Check out Melinda's art online at her website: http://www.melindagiron.com/

In His Love, Cathy

It's FRIIIIIDDDDAAAAYYYY!!!

Sunday's coming!

" I was glad when they said to me,“Let us go to the house of the Lord.” Psalm 122:1

Shout out to my friend Jodi,

Hope you are feeling better today! I love you, girl!

In His Love, Cathy

Words to Live By - Romans 12

I came across this passage in my personal Bible Study. It really jumped off the page at me. Take your time, read through it thoroughly, asking God to show you areas and people you need to apply this too.

9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!
17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,
“I will take revenge;
I will pay them back,” says the Lord.
20 Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
burning coals of shame on their heads.”
21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

Romans 12:9-21

In His Love, Cathy

The Facebook Fast

Here's a very interesting article on one author's reasons for giving up her 'online life' for lent. Check out her blog for her reasons why. Although I love my fb friends, I'm pondering the author's thoughts on the subject. She's an experienced pro on the topic. I, like her, am wondering if my 'online life' is detrimental to my 'offline life'. I love the connections I've made with my friends and finding old friends online. However, is it really a sense of community, or are these just plain connections? Is my time spent on these sites pulling me away from my family, my friends, and my responsibilities, or are they building and adding to the relationships I already have? I can also see online social networking as a means of sharing Christ with others through my own life experiences. But then on the flip side how effective is such a tool in doing so? Is fb too 'sterile' or 'removed' of an environment to use in such a way. I'll keep you posted, but I'm considering a Facebook fast myself - just to see. I'd like to encourage you to read her article and then share with me your thoughts on the matter. Post your comments to my blog. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Grace and peace, friends!

http://blog.christianitytoday.com/outofur/archives/2009/02/the_social_netw.html

In His Love, Cathy

A Few of My Favorite Proverbs

"Too much talk leads to sin.

Be sensible and keep your mouth shut." Proverbs 10:19

"Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut,
and you will stay out of trouble." Proverbs 21:23

"Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent;
with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent."
Proverbs 17:28

"Lazy people irritate their employers,

like vinegar to the teeth or smoke in the eyes." Proverbs 10:26

"To learn, you must love discipline;

it is stupid to hate correction." Proverbs 12:1

"Lazy people want much but get little,

but those who work hard will prosper." Proverbs 13:4

"Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity,
but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty." Proverbs 21:5

"Mockers hate to be corrected,

so they stay away from the wise." Proverbs 15:12

"It is senseless to pay tuition to educate a fool,

since he has no heart for learning." Proverbs 17:16

"The lazy person claims, "There is a lion out there!

If I go outside, I might be killed!" Proverbs 22:13
And again we see

"The lazy person claims, "There's a lion on the road!

Yes, I'm sure there's a lion out there!" Proverbs 26:13

Why are these some of my favorites? Because they are so full of TRUTH! Not only that, I find their wording amusing and some are even down right humorous! There are some poor souls out there who need a little of this wisdom, including me, Amen?

In His Love,

Cathy

PCC Children's Activities - Week of Feb 23

WEDNESDAY NIGHTS R 4 KIDS!

Dinner - 6-6:30 in Room 1 (We are asking for donations to help with the expense of the meal.)

Bible Study - 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. (NEW breakout)
- NEW!!! PK/KG Class Hands On Bible Study- 3 yrs & potty trained through KG meets in Room 1
- 1st - 4th Grade Class Discovering Our Awesome God - meets in Room 2

Outreach/Worship - 7:30 to 8:00 p.m. Room 1

Corporate Worship with Youth - 8:00 to 8:30 p.m. Room 3 (Optional)


ATTENTION PARENTS!

Due to the WONDERFUL growth and POPULARITY of the Wednesday night Children's Bible Study, we find ourselves in need of additional help! Praise God!

1. WE ARE IN NEED OF TEACHERS on WEDNESDAY NIGHTS. We are looking for at least two people to teach one night per month. I absolutely CAN NOT keep teaching EVERY Wednesday night (in addition to Sunday mornings) with my current schedule and responsibilities. My efforts and attention must start shifting to Easter/VBS planning that must be seen to. Let me know ASAP if you can plug in to teach. Please don't assume that someone will step up and you won't have to. Be willing to get up to your eyeballs in the precious work of our God! God is blessing the Wednesday night Bible Study BIG TIME and we want to keep it GROWING and GOING! However, it will require ALL OF US OBEDIENTLY stepping up and doing our part. Thank you.

2. WE MUST HAVE TWO ADULT HELPERS EVERY WEEK for the Wednesday night classes. Please sign up to help on the calendar by the classroom doors.

3. PLEASE PICK UP YOUR CHILD BY 8 p.m. Adult supervision (by children's workers) of children end at that time. If your child is attending the corporate worship with the youth at 8 p.m., please let us know. At least one parent or older sibling must be in corporate worship to supervise them.

If you can help, email me at aumathchick@mchsi.com.

God is doing some pretty amazing work in children's ministry! He is faithful! God bless you and your family!

Grace and peace, friends!
In His Love, Cathy