Category: Uncategorized

Hospitality as a Ministry

I am so humbled that Mrs. Rasbeary would ask me to write an article for her blog! There is nothing like having friends in the ministry that just “get you,” and that is the friendship that we have shared with the Rasbearys over the past several years. Like the Rasbearys, we are church planters in Texas. My husband and I met in Bible college, and after serving as a youth pastor for a year in Maryland, we moved back to my husband’s home church, Beeville Baptist Church in Beeville, TX. In 2006, after 6 months of deputation and some miraculous, God-ordained circumstances, my husband became the first pastor of Heritage Baptist Church in Corpus Christi. We have been so honored to serve there for the past 12 ½ years, and thank God every day that He has chosen to use us!

One of the biggest aspects of a young, growing thriving church is outreach. From day one, soul winning and discipleship has been the main focus of our ministry. As the pastor’s wife, my avenue of outreach has also included hospitality. The word hospitality is used 4 times in the New Testament and it comes from the Greek word philozenia that means “love for strangers”. Yikes! As an introvert, that is so convicting! Sure, I love my husband, my kids, and my extended family. I love my Christian brothers and sisters at a church that shares the same beliefs and same interests that I have… but strangers!?! I think all of us as moms have at some point told our kids not to even TALK to strangers, yet the Bible is telling us to LOVE strangers. This love is going to come out in visible, service-driven ways; ways that point strangers- not to us, our lovely house, great cooking or fun personalities- but to Christ, and the difference that He makes in our lives and homes.

What are some ways we can show hospitality? There are so many different ways, but I wanted to share just a few ideas that we personally have used over the years to show hospitality {love to strangers} in our ministry. This is certainly not an exhaustive list, but I’m always looking for new and fun ideas and wanted to share some of my favorites!

1. Take something homemade to guests. We try to touch each person that walks through the doors of our church with some avenue of hospitality. Since we first came to Corpus Christi, we have spent our Tuesday evenings taking first-time visitors a loaf of homemade cinnamon swirl bread. It is a super easy recipe that uses ingredients I always have on hand. We have done a Starbucks copycat lemon loaf recipe that is also yummy. Here are the recipes if anyone is interested!

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/23376/cinnamon-swirl-bread/

CopyCat Starbucks Lemon Loaf

2. Host people in your home. We do this most often through Sunday Evening fellowships. There is no better way to get to know people than by having them in your home! Our favorite time to have people over is on Sunday evenings right after the service. It gets visitors back in church for our evening service, and is a great way to continue the fellowship that takes place after church in a more comfortable environment. We plan something simple that can be made ahead of time or kept warm in a Crock-Pot like tacos, chili, or soup and sandwiches. Don’t forget dessert! Everyone pitches in on Sunday afternoons to spiffy up the house and prepare food. Our three boys love having company. (That may have something to do with the dessert!) Again, the purpose of this is not to have the same group of people over to have fun. There is definitely a time for that, but we try to focus on ministry when we have visitors over. During this time we ask questions, listen, encourage, and just love and serve. Someone once said, “People won’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”

3. Take meals to those in need. Our church has always been great about serving others through taking meals. We do this for those that have a health need, a new baby, or other circumstances where they just need some encouragement. We organize this through our adult Bible classes. When we share prayer requests in these classes, everyone then has a tangible way to care for those in their age group. Something that has made this so much easier recently is the takethemameal.com website. It is completely free and has streamlined communication that enables us to be more organized.

4. Show care and concern through faithful prayer and visible ways. The MOST important way that we can show love to others is by praying for them. Having a current prayer list that you can pray through everyday is a must. It means so much to be able to say to someone, “I prayed for you this morning!” Interceding in prayer is most certainly a vital way to show love to fellow Christians and strangers. But many times when I’m praying for someone else’s need or burden, the Holy Spirit will prompt me to do something for them. I try to follow through with these promptings as much as possible in order to show love in a tangible way. A card in the mail, an encouraging text, a fast food meal dropped off at their door, a drink from Starbucks or Sonic, a meal sent through Uber Eats or Door Dash, a pizza delivered to their door, a favorite candy or pint of ice cream . . . there are so many ways to show love in a tangible way! I would LOVE to hear what ideas you have in the comments section!

When is the last time you have loved a stranger? If we want to be able to reach the lost, as well as encourage the saved that God brings along our path of life, and see our churches have impactful ministries, then we will have to learn to show hospitality. I pray that this article will begin giving you some ideas to grow in this area and see how God can bless it as you serve Him!

~by Aimee Atwood~

Telling God No

We hope you enjoy this devotion by Patty Larson!
I don’t know about you, but I’m a talker. I love to sit and talk with my family and friends. I love to hear stories from others and share stories from my past. If you are ever with me and find me very quiet, I’m either super tired or I’ve been told to “hush!”😅 

Do you converse with God throughout the day?  God and I seem to have a continual dialogue, throughout each day and often in the night. 
I must admit that there are times I argue with God. Not nearly as much as I used to, but I still do from time to time. I’ve learned that quite often when I don’t understand “why” or “how”, God has a plan and He knows and wants what is best for me. 
One particular arguments with God several years ago taught me quite the lesson! I was shopping with a friend named Deana. We would often travel to Tyler from where we lived in Kilgore, TX and shop until we dropped. Of course, while we were there it was imperative that we either stop and eat at Cracker Barrel or Chick-fil-A. At the time we didn’t have either of these in or near our town. 
On this particular day, we decided to visit the Chick-fil-A drive-through, so we could have more time to shop. God spoke to me very clearly to pay for Deana’s lunch. I argued with God all the way there. I was sure to remind him that my husband and I were raising and feeding seven children. At that time, Deana had none. If anything, she should be buying my lunch. Looking back now, I’m ashamed of my attitude. My thinking was that if I bought her lunch and mine, then I would not have a lot left of the $30.00 shipping money I’d brought along for the day. How dare God ask me to do such a thing. I flat out told Him “no!”
Deana pulled the car up to the menu board and I basically snubbed my nose at God and ignored what He had told me to do. I told Deana to go ahead and order hers and then we’d order mine as a separate order. 
Deana placed her order and you won’t believe what we heard next!! The lady taking her order informed her that she was their 100th customer for the day and her lunch would be free!! I couldn’t believe it. Nothing like an “I told you so” from God. 
If I had listened and obeyed, we both would have had a free lunch and I could have spent the entire $30.00 on shopping. Deana got a free lunch, regardless. God took care of her need. He would have taken care of mine if only I had listened. 
I was reminded of Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”
God didn’t want to “take” from me. He had a blessing in store for me- well, actually two blessings. The blessing of giving to my friend by paying for her lunch, as well as the blessing of having a free lunch and more money with which to shop. 
This seems like such a small, insignificant incident, but it taught me a great lesson. I haven’t reached the apex of trusting and obeying God, but I’ve learned through experiences, like the one mentioned above, that He cares for me and has a better plan than I could ever dream up. 
Next time God speaks to you, don’t ignore Him. Don’t fight with Him. Do as He bids you do, and you will be blessed beyond measure!

Hot Water

I am in hot water with Beth because I am not getting my half of the job done. We are supposed to be sharing equally but, like I confessed, writing is way harder for me than talking. So because Beth is such an encouragement & blessing to me, I am going to post to hold up my end of the bargain. The article is something I wrote almost 2 years ago for my friend Amy Sapp’s blog, entitled “Who cares for the Pastor?”

Here’s the link: Helpers of Joy

We have a wonderful church and this month for Pastor’s Wife appreciation month (yep that’s a thing), I have had several ladies give me gifts. I am so touched and encouraged. So remember your Pastor’s wife, if only a card, email or text. Who knows, you might both get a blessing!

Look for articles soon from the speakers of this year’s Ladies Retreat!

Loretta Walker

Jane Grafton

Elisabeth Ogdie

Patti Larson

Aimee Atwood

Things I Wish I’d Known: Self-hate is NOT Humility

Humility. This is a trait that many people-Christian or not- desire, yet few seem to find it. It is the opposite of arrogance, and very often misunderstood.

The Bible commands us to humble ourselves before God, and to each other. Blessing are promised to every one who obeys…and who doesn’t want God’s blessing! Yet somehow it is rare to know someone you could characterize as truly humble. Why is this? I believe it is because we don’t really know what humility is.

1. What Humility is NOT

A. Humility is NOT an absence of pride.

We instinctively shudder at the word “pride” as Christians, because we know that it is at the root of 33% all sin. (The lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life are the temptations to sin according to 1 John 2.) However, there is a healthy pride that is acceptable. This would be the content regard for an action or person that gives satisfaction or joy. For example, it is not wrong to be satisfied with a job well done or with your child’s accomplishment. We naturally crave success and accomplishment. We desire a purpose- a way to make a difference in our world- a way to please God. As I will explain more fully later, what we want to avoid is conceit.

B. Humility is NOT timidity.

Although they probably don’t realize it, many people subconsciously think that to be humble, you must be introverted, shy, quiet, or a follower. This is NOT true. There is nothing wrong with being introverted, shy, quiet, or a follower but there is also nothing wrong with being extroverted, outgoing, loud, or a leader! God has made each of us different: we can’t all be the leader any more than we can all be the followers. So don’t automatically assume that because someone is timid that they are humble: the words are not synonymous.

3. Humility is NOT self-hate.

Somehow we have the idea that the way to be humble is to beat ourselves down and tell ourselves we can’t do anything. Example: I realize that I am growing conceited about piano playing. So I tell myself that I am not as good as I think I am, that others are better than me, that other people are lying when they say I do well. While this is might succeed in making me sad, this does not succeed in making me humble. God made who I am, and doesn’t intend for me to be ashamed about it. I am convinced that many people have “low self-esteem” not because other people are bullying them, but because they are bullying themselves! God does not want us to live defeated! He wants us to live abundantly through Christ.

So then what is humility? I’m glad you asked.

1. What Humility IS…

A. Humility IS accepting who you are.

Each one of us is different: different talents, abilities, experiences, families… and the list goes on and on. Some of us are musical, some are artistic, some are organizers, some are teachers, some are physically beautiful, some are leaders: but none of us are all of the above. Humility is accepting your abilities and disabilities with equal grace. You don’t have to be ashamed or embarrassed about yourself! God gave that talent to you to honor Him with. You can be confident in who God made you. He makes no mistakes!

B. Humility IS accepting who Christ is.

Humbling ourselves before God should not be hard…yet it is. This is because we have a tendency to become conceited about the blessings He has given us, as if we were responsible! Christ is deserving of all our praise, honor, and worship. Anything that we are and have is from Him and through Him. Left to our own devices, we would be in hell RIGHT NOW. When we realize how wicked and deprived our own hearts are, then we can understand the love that God showed to us, and humility will become natural.

C. Humility IS the opposite of conceit.

No one likes an arrogant, conceited, prideful person. The person who is always right, who can’t be corrected, who stares in the mirror, who puts others down, who is rude to cashiers and waiters, who is racist, who looks down their nose at every other person they meet: this is the person we avoid whenever possible. The definition of conceit is “too much pride in oneself, one’s abilities, or one’s accomplishments.” A conceited person is not just proud of her paint job in the church nursery, she also feels that

D. Humility IS beautiful.

Nothing is more beautiful than a woman who is comfortable in her own skin. You can pile on the makeup and trendy clothes and anti-aging serum all you want, but if you aren’t beautiful inside, it will be quickly seen through. When you accept who you are and who Christ is, the joy will flood your soul! No more stress lines from worrying about what people think, no more migraines from jealousy and rage, no more stomach upset from fear and discontent! And just as He promised, if you humble yourself- He will lift you up.

Things I Wish I’d Known: How to Tithe

This blog begins a series of articles that I have entitled “Things I Wish I’d Known “. This will be a whole lot of random topics that I feel many women are not educated on today for a myriad of different reasons. Whether you want to blame the school system, toxic feminism, ignorance, or sheer laziness, children and teens are not being taught essential Christian life skills. Well, it’s never too late to catch up. I hope that you will find these articles prove useful to you, and motivate you to teach your own children.

Today’s topic: tithing.

We just had Missions Sunday at our church, and while the emphasis was on missions (obviously), the preacher also mentioned tithing. Did you know that less than 25% percent of Christians tithe? If even half of your church started tithing biblically, your church could double its impact! Wow! So let’s start today’s lesson.

  1. Tithing is a Commandment

Tithing was practiced before the law by Abraham and Jacob, under the law by the Israelites, and after the law by Christians. The word tithe literally means the tenth part, reinforced by Jacob’s promise to give God the tenth part of everything he gained. A couple key chapters for tithing would be Genesis 14, Genesis 28, Leviticus 27, Malachi 3, I Corinthians 9, II Corinthians 8-9, and Hebrews 7. It is important to note that while Jesus never specifically commanded His disciples to tithe, He also never told them NOT to tithe. It is not unreasonable to assume that God, Who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, would expect tithe of His people today; nor is it unreasonable for Him to ask of us a mere 1/10 of our income.

2.  Tithing is a Necessity.

Without the tithe of the people, the ministers cannot work as they should. This is covered in the the key chapters mentioned above. The work of the Lord must be financed by someone, and it is rational that that someone should be us. Sometimes church members take it for granted that the electricity is on and the rent is payed, that the bus has fuel and the pastor got his paycheck- but that money has to come from somewhere. God has a plan to take care of His church, and that plan is for Christians to tithe.  Too many churches are going into debt and closing their doors because we are disobedient in the area of tithing!

3. Tithing is Not a License to Sin.

Jesus made it very clear to the Pharisees in Luke 11 that being super careful about tithe and neglecting the rest of God’s commandments is hypocritical. Obedience to one commandment will not cancel out disobedience to another. It may soothe your conscience, but that’s about all. I know of so-called Christians who will mail in their tithe every month, but will never darken the doorstep of the church themselves. God doesn’t take bribes, and will not be fooled by your replacing repentance with money.

4. Tithing is done by Choice.

Tithing is not to be mandated by the church, the state, or anyone else. This is made clear in II Corinthians 9:7. However, you should not have to be conjoled or forced into it, because it should be something you do freely and cheerfully. What an honor to be allowed to take part in the Lord’s work! But it is your choice. This is why most pastors don’t look at giving records, and why we don’t have accountability partners for giving. It is between you and God- but then again, who is a better accountability partner than Him?

Ok, now we have decided that we will tithe. How do we start? I’m glad you asked!

  1. Get out your paystub.

Look at your paystub (physical or online version), and see the total amount you made this pay period. Write down that amount. For example, your number might be $1,230.57.

2. Get out your calculator.

Actually, you probably won’t even need the calculator for this one. Just move the decimal point to the left one space. Round to the nearest dollar. Using our example, your amount would be $123. If using the calculator, multiply the original number by .10. In either situation, the final answer is your tithe.

3. Get out your checkbook.

Now make out a check or go withdraw cash for the amount, and put it in the offering plate at church either every pay period or combine to tithe once a month. Simple, right?

Now for some frequently asked questions.

Q: If I tithe, how will I be able to make ends meet?

A: The Lord blesses those who obey Him. You may have to cut out unnecessary items from your spending (new clothes, expensive coffee, dinner out every night), but I never have met anyone who could honestly say that the Lord didn’t provide for them when they were faithful to Him and careful with their money.

Q: Should I tithe on my tax return?

A: If you tithe on your gross income (your income before taxes are taken out), then no. You already payed tithe on it. If you tithe on your net income (after taxes are taken out), then yes.

Q: Should I tithe on gifts?

A: You should tithe on gifts if they are in money form. For instance, I tithe on cash and gift cards, but I don’t try to figure out how much the bar of chocolate from Valentine’s cost and tithe on that. If you receive a very expensive gift and know its value, I would pray about it and maybe ask your pastor.

Q: Are tithing and giving the same thing?

A: No. Tithe is the mandated amount of 10% required of all Christians. Giving is an amount over the tithe that a Christian gives based on what God has given him/her in love and gratitude.

Hope this was helpful!

-Beth