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My Heart in His Hand
A Devotion by Donna Evans
“I will give them a heart to know me.” Jeremiah 24:7
The Christian life is ultimately about our hearts. Are we willing to hand our sin-hardened, dead hearts over to God and exchange them for His heart living in us? No matter how hard we try to produce good fruit or rearrange our old fruit, without a God-given heart transplant, we’ll still have an old heart. A nasty root always means nasty fruit. God’s desires for each of us to have a new heart, one that knows Him, loves Him, and desires to serve Him.
Several years ago, a good friend of ours received a heart transplant. For years, our friend suffered with a heart that was physically failing. After months of waiting, he finally got his new heart. I went to visit him in the heart transplant unit several days after his surgery. Still wearing tubes, wires, and devices to monitor his new heart, my friend was sitting in a chair and smiling. His color was a healthy pink, instead of grayish blue. He spoke without any breathlessness and with more energy than I could remember. When I asked him how he felt, he quickly responded that he felt like he was 15 years old again. Then suddenly, his eyes filled with tears as he quietly said, “But, you know, someone had to die so that I can live!”
And with those words, I’ve never heard a better description of the gospel. Somebody had to die so that I can live. And that Somebody is Jesus. It’s the great exchange: With Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection, I can get a new heart. And not just any new heart, but His heart. He then, by the power of the Holy Spirit, begins shaping my life around His heart. What does a heart for God look like?
A healthy heart for God is one that is:
• Desperate for God
• Dependent on God
• Delivered by God
• Delighted in God
Author Paige Benton Brown says, “Desperate situations do not lead people to seek God, but desperate hearts will always seek Him.” And in God’s economy a desperate heart leads to a dependent heart. A dependent heart is a growing heart. Only in the spiritual realm does growth and maturity lead to more dependence. In other areas, such as my granddaughter’s potty-training or a teenager learning to drive, an individual’s growth and maturity leads to more independence. The reverse is true in God’s Upside Down Kingdom. Spiritual growth should always lead to more dependence on God. Our dependence on God increases more and more as we realize that we can’t do life apart from God. Jesus rightly said, “Apart from Me you can do nothing.” John 15:6
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So, how’s your heart? Are you desperate for God, dependent on Him, delivered by Him and delighted in Him? If not, why not ask Him for a heart to know Him?
That dependence will lead to deliverance and a desire to know Him and be known by Him. May the cry of each of our hearts be, “O God, I hand you my heart!”
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Vacation Bible School
On Easter Sunday my husband and I sat in front of a family with two children. I guess the children’s ages were maybe between 5 and 7. As we all said our Affirmation of faith, I could hear these sweet little voices behind me repeating the words in absolute perfection. I thought how God must be pleased at hearing the voices of these children and how important children are to the Lord.
In Mark 10:13-16, people were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he
took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.”
On June 27, 28 and 29 we have an opportunity to help with Vacation Bible School and minister to the children of our church and our community. You don’t have to wait to be asked, call and volunteer to help.
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A Call & Opportunity for VBS Volunteers
by Andrea Sartoratos
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I am grateful for this opportunity to share with you all about Vacation Bible School here at FPC. VBS is a nationwide program that many churches offer. The purpose is to incorporate themed activities that entertain kids with the chance to learn about Jesus. VBS is an easy way to get kids involved in church while giving YOU the opportunity to meet the people within the church, too.
Possible benefits of VBS include the following:
- Children learn about Jesus through fun, age-appropriate activities.
- Kids meet new friends.
- Life lessons help every child learn how to be a good person and a friend to others.
- Perfect for younger children to get a feel for camp without having to go away overnight.
- You don’t always have to be a church member to attend VBS.
- VBS is a great opportunity for community outreach.
- VBS can be a place where a child will hear the Gospel for the first time.
We will hold Vacation Bible School at FPC on June 27-29, 2022 for a 3-day VBS; this is a first for us in attempt to ease our way back into in-person after 3 years out, due to Covid-19.
FPC VBS serves our own children here in our church and many that come from all over the county! The history numbers show an attendance of average 260 kids! And you know that we need a village to make that happen! Our Lord Jesus has blessed us with a church body that is present and ready to share the Gospel during VBS week; and we are most grateful for that.
This year’s Directors are Natalie Stegall and Molly Jordan, please don’t wait for their phone call. Reach out to them today, and come be part of the mighty army serving as missionaries to childlife! Come help us to “leave behind a legacy of children who love the Lord.” (Ray Vander Laan)
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A Note from Women’s Ministry Co-Coordinator, Margaret Crego
As I close out my term on the women’s council team, I started reflecting on where the Lord has brought me on this journey. When the ask was made back in January 2021 that we were needing someone to step up as Coordinators, I felt led to accept the request. The ride was made even sweeter when Emily Katherine said YES to join me! My only caveat was that I could only be a coordinator for a year. With having kids almost launched and entering the empty nest phase of life I just felt I could only do that particular role for a year. Well the Lord knew why I would feel this way, as we implemented a new advisory team, and now we have yet one more tweak ahead that will allow the burden not to reside on 1 or 2 individuals. I’m very excited for the next phase of growth as we continue to develop our Women’s Ministry team!
However, if I were brutally honest, my heart was in a difficult place when I said yes. I really wanted to run the other direction, and many times in the beginning, I doubted why I was being asked to lead. I was in a hard place, after just going through the tough times of 2020 which we all experienced. But for me, watching my daughter’s senior year end abruptly and not having her senior prom, senior dance recital (she started dance at 18 months!), and no in-person graduation, to starting school with so much uncertainty with the pandemic, it was a lot to watch her go through. Then the loss of 2 children who were close to our family was how 2020 ended and 2021 started. It was hard watching these 2 moms hurt so much. In July 2021, a dear friend passed of cancer (leaving her daughter behind – her husband and other daughter passed in a car wreck in 2016). And within a week of that happening, another dear friend got diagnosed with breast cancer. My 86-year old mom continued to go in and out of hospitals and rehab to get help for her continued falls and failing health. All of the 2021 events happened within a 6 month window. It really had me questioning so much that was happening. I was hurting, and yet I kept coming to the word HOPE. So when Emily Katherine and I met to discuss our theme, we both landed on HOPE and our theme verse from Romans 15:13. It was clear that God was trying to use my hurt to somehow find HOPE that only HE can give. And slowly but surely, I’ve seen the healing.
From our first event where Mandy Williams shared, to our Blessed Celebration, to our most recent Hope Encounter retreat in Mentone with Tanya Dean, God has grown me so much. I find a peace that truly surpasses all understanding! There’s a pep in my step and I find my smile is back! I have a renewed sense of hope as the calendar months have passed by. He was there all along, and even though these things were happening to others around me, it was hurting me on the inside, and I couldn’t quite figure out what it was. Maybe I was a tad bit depressed, and just didn’t know how to express it, but now looking back, He took me through these hurts, and now has me on the other side. Praise the Lord for that! He strengthened me and gave me the guidance to continue leading, even when I felt so ill-equipped. He restored my HOPE, and I can truly say that even though I had strong doubts of how this year would go, He has shown me the power of His hope and promises.
We all have times of hurt in our lives. And sometimes we just have to continue to listen to His promptings to keep going. And while there were times I didn’t think I could continue to co-lead this ministry, Emily Katherine was there to help keep it going. It truly took a team, and I’m so grateful for our entire board, but especially want to thank the advisory team leads (Virginia Saunders – Shepherding; Katey Temple – Discipleship; Chris Morgan – Service; Adlynn Keith – Fellowship; and of course.. my side-kick, Emily Katherine).
THANK YOU ladies of First Presbyterian Church for allowing me this time to serve. I truly believe the Lord allowed this time for me to serve, but to also BE served. I truly have grown so much this past year, and have loved the deeper connections I’ve made amongst our team. And I’m excited to say that while I won’t be co-leading, I’ll still be around, and plan to serve as needed for another year. And can’t wait to see what the new team has in store for the year ahead!
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“Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.”
Psalm 127:3
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Habakkuk
Virginia Saunders & Katey Temple
- Tuesdays at 10:00 AM (Fellowship Hall)
- 6-week study beginning June 7th (skipping VBS week)
- Nursery provided for children 8 weeks to 4 years old
Topic TBA
Bethany Johnson
- Evening Study, time & location TBA
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Thank You...
to our Spring 2022 Women's Bible Study leaders and Women's Council members who completed their terms!
Spring Bible Study Leaders
- Louise Hunt
- Amanda Davidson
- Joan Brock
- Amy Davis
- Mandy Williams
- Phyllis Pemerton
- Stacey Pardue
- Katerra Cochran
- Anita Smith
- Barbara Allen
- Virginia Saunders
- Katey Temple
- Mary Holcomb
- Bethany Johnson
Women's Council Members with completed terms
- Jill Graham
- Jenny Bojo
- Frances Edwards
- Adlynn Keith
- Susi Manning
- Cece Wallis
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Celebrating the Class of 2022
The Men's & Women's Councils will be celebrating FPC's graduating seniors with a small gift.
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“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
Hebrews 13:5b
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Newsletter Frequency Update
Our next newsletter will come out later this summer, because we are switching to a quarterly edition! Monthly Highlights will still come via email so we can continue communicating important announcements, events, birthdays, and new member spotlights.
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Vacation Bible School
June 27 - 29, 2022
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
at First Presbyterian Church
3 year olds (no diapers please) through 6th grade
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1 - Kelley Wilson
3 - Beth Walker
3 - Andrea Sartorato
5 - Peggy Cowan
6 - Joyce Van Leuven
7 - Tammy Richardson
9 - Elizabeth Wilkes
9 - Patti Causey
11 - Joni Pittman
12 - Mary Grace Davis
13 - Jennifer Edwards
14 - Leslie Finley
14 - Shannon McIntosh
15 - Carol Brown
18 - Julie Blankenship
23 - Angie Stegall
24 - Marie Carlisle
25 - Barbara Brewster
25 - Emily Barnett
27 - Patti Ledbetter
27 - Dawn Tolbert
28 - Phyllis Hancock
29 - Mary Taylor
31 - Mary Holcomb
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