december 2014 / january 2015

WhitesburgDECEMBER 2014/JANUARY 2015

Journey to Health Page 22

Barbeque& Baby Jesus Page 8

Christmasat

WhitesburgSaturday, December 6Bethlehem Character Breakfast served from

8:30 - 10:30 am

Sunday, December 7Student Choir at 11 am

Children’s Choir at 6:15 pm

Sunday, December 14Winterlude at 6:15 pm

Christmas EveVespers at 5 pm

WHITESBURGBAPTIST CHURCH

6806 Whitesburg Drive, Huntsville, AL 35802

December 2014/January 2015 | Whitesburg 1

2 the presence of god By Dr. Jimmy Jackson

4 12 Ways to be a Christmas angel By Rev. David Dye

6 barbeque & baby Jesus By Pam Brassart

10 celebrating advent By Melody Hubbard

12 advent calendar Daily verses for Advent

14 when holidays hurt By Rev. Tim Payne

16 The man and the birds As told by Paul Harvey

19 God with us The World’s First & Greatest Christmas Gift

21 kid’s space Sweet fun!

22 my journey to health By Dee Tolomei

26 family priorities By Rev. David Loyed

InsideWhitesburg

DECEMBER 2014/JANUARY 2015

Whitesburg magazine is a publication by Whitesburg Baptist Church, 6806 Whitesburg Dr., Huntsville, AL 35802-2299. (Permit No. 446) Publisher: Whitesburg Baptist ChurchEditor-in-Chief: Rev. David DyeGraphics & Publishing: Melissa Schuster, Ron SnyderEditorial Assistants: Karen Tidwell, Beverly Dishman, Katie O’Boyle

Subscribe!Receive Whitesburg magazine in your home or business by subscribing in one of these ways:

• Visit WhitesburgBaptist.org/subscribe.• Email your name and mailing address to [email protected].• Call the office at 256-704-5678, ext. 279.

WHITESBURGthe caring place

BAPTIST CHURCHWHITESBURG

the caring place

BAPTIST CHURCH

Page 26 familypriorities

Page 10 celebratingadvent

2 whitesburgbaptist.org

The Presence

of GodBy DR. JIMMY JACKSON

Accepting the opportunity to write a brief article on the wonderful presence of God has proved to be quite a challenge. Like most things that have to do with God, this subject is far beyond the grasp of the finite mind. We can apprehend much of the revelation from God’s Word, but we are at a loss to comprehend the many facets of God’s presence. Since I must be selective in what I try to cover, let me begin with the word omnipresence. This is a theological term derived from the Latin language. It speaks of God’s presence everywhere. There is no place in which He is not present. His presence may be discussed under two headings: (1) transcendent and (2) immanent.

To declare that He is transcendent is to declare that He is over and beyond all of His creation. He is bigger than the enormous world that He created and continues to sustain. In this role He would seem to be unapproachable by men. He is holy, all powerful, and all knowing. He is God and there are no others. No person, force, or idea can be compared to Him. Anything we know about Him is based upon His self–revelation. If this were all that we knew about God’s presence—that He is far above us and does not need us to make Him complete or better, we might have reason to have more fear than reverence toward Him. However, this is only half of the picture. God is immanent. He is intimately involved with His


creation. The heavens declare His personal touch. The laws of nature are His laws, and He is active in and through them. In no place is this seen more clearly than in His personal relationship with His people. He is present for justice and judgment. He is present to redeem, lead, develop, and love His people. Moses experienced His immanence on Mt. Sinai in a wilderness (Exodus 3). Isaiah the great eighth century prophet met Him in the Jerusalem Temple “high and lifted up” (Isaiah 6). Paul was blinded by His presence on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). John, the beloved disciple, fell before Him on the Isle of Patmos (Revelation 1). Most of all, God appeared Person to person in the human flesh of His Son Jesus—Immanuel—“God with us.” Because God is God, He is everywhere all at the same time. We may be texting someone thousands of miles away in Australia. God is with us as we touch the keys on our phone and He is with the person to whom the text is addressed, and He does not have to travel with the text to get to the recipient. He

is simultaneously in both places and with both people. Multiply that by 7.2 billion people and you are scratching the surface of the magnificence of our God. He loves all of the people on Earth. He is involved in each life—lost and saved. His rain falls on the just and the unjust. He sent His only Son to die on the cross and rise from the dead for each of us. His Holy Spirit is the One who makes us aware of our sinfulness and lostness. He is the One who is so close to us that He makes us want to repent and trust in Jesus as our Savior. As you are reading this sentence, He is drawing thousands of people to Himself all around the world. One last thought, when we receive Him into our lives, He is not only with us but through the Holy Spirit He is in us. When He comes in, He comes to stay. God declares that He will never leave us or forsake us.

Dr. Jimmy Jackson is the Senior Pastor of Whitesburg Baptist Church in Huntsville, AL.


12 ways to be a

Christmas angelBy rev. David Dye

I don’t know about you but with the holidays fast approaching, it seems like the pace of life is speeding up as well. There are so many demands on our family’s time: concerts, performances, parties, cooking, decorating, shopping, and more shopping! How do we get it all done? More importantly, how do I lead my family to keep our focus on Christ through all this activity? The easy answer is to do less. Easy until you start trying to cut something out that is! So maybe the answer is to do more, but the right more. Looking back over my life I can clearly see that the times I received the most out of an experience

always corresponds to the times I gave the most. Here are some gathered suggestions of how your family can be a blessing, a Christmas Angel, for others this year. I’m not suggesting you do them all, although some of you overachiever types will do so, but pick one or two as you see benefits your family.

1. Make wreaths to take to residents of a local nursing home to brighten up their doors. Be creative, these do not have to be expensive. Trace kids’ hands on green (or multicolored) construction paper and cut them out. Glue around a paper plate and then use a hole punch with


red paper to make bright cheery berries. Another inexpensive idea that doesn’t require all that cutting is to take a paper plate and stick bows around it! You can cut the center out or write a Christmas message in it!

2. Make sure to involve your children in any charitable shopping you are doing this year. Your kids may not get excited about grocery shopping, but it’s a great learning experience to see how the things they may take for granted can be a huge blessing to others who don’t have them. So whether it’s groceries, coats, or whatever else give them the list and let them go at it (with a little supervision.)

3. Make a plate of cookies and deliver to those who serve others on Christmas. Fire stations, police departments, hospitals, etc. always appreciate these but you can also think outside the box. What about the service station attendant that were he/she not working you might not be able to make your Christmas rounds?

4. Christmas can be difficult for

some people, especially those that have suffered some type of loss in the previous year. Little anonymous gifts and encouraging notes can really help people know they are not alone and are loved.

5. Invite someone that has no family nearby to join in your family celebration.

6. Volunteer to babysit for a single mom or young couple that doesn’t have family nearby so they can go Christmas shopping. 7. Take hats, gloves and/or socks


to a homeless shelter.

8. Take a big bunch of red and green balloons to the children’s wing of the hospital and ask the nurses to deliver them to the children.

9. On garbage day have the kids go behind the truck and pull everyone in your neighborhood’s garbage can up for them and leave an unsigned Merry Christmas note and bow on top.

10. Purchase gasoline gift cards for cancer patients to offset their cost of traveling to and from chemo treatments. The American Cancer Society in Huntsville is located at 2745 Bob Wallace Ave, Suite A, 35805.

11. Pet lovers - buy cat litter, cat food, dog food and toys for your local animal shelter. These shelters tend to see an influx of new animals when the weather

turns cold, because people are more inclined to drop off a stray for fear of them not surviving the cold. It would be a wonderful way to teach children to care for God’s creatures.

12. Make or purchase baby blankets and baby hats for the hospital NICU. There is no shortage of instructions for making these online and they require no sewing. Many of the babies in NICU come so early that parents haven’t purchased items such as these.

So this Christmas what do you say, will you be a Christmas Angel in someone’s life? It will take some time, a commodity that may be more precious than any other resource you have, but it will pay back in dividends of memories of what might just be your best Christmas ever.

David Dye is the Communications Pastor of Whitesburg Baptist Church. He is a follower of Christ, husband to Wendy, dad to Tyler and Christopher (and Belle the wonder dog), and an Auburn Tiger.


Barbeque &Baby Jesus

By pam brassart

Family traditions – we love them! Interestingly, sometimes the traditions relate directly to the celebration and other times, no real connection is apparent. The first Christmas after a marriage brings a blending of each family’s traditions along with personalized new ones. When we were dating, my husband Jeff was surprised to find that one of my family traditions involved eating barbeque sandwiches for breakfast on Christmas Day. The tradition developed when my parents allowed my sister and me to have whatever we wanted for Christmas breakfast. When

we were 8 and 10, we decided that barbeque sandwiches, leftover from our family party on Christmas Eve, would make a perfect breakfast. The following year, we ate barbeque sandwiches again for breakfast, and a tradition was born. True love triumphs, as evidenced by Jeff’s accepting this unique tradition. When opening gifts, my family had a free for all with everyone opening packages simultaneously. I sat back, watching reactions and then opened my own. Jeff’s family gave full attention to one person


Pam Brassart enjoys being a stay at home wife who doesn’t stay at home, traveling with her husband Jeff to visit their daughters, son-in-law, and granddaughter whenever possible.

opening one gift at a time. It felt like an eternity the first year, but I also thought of how much I enjoyed sitting back and watching the reactions of my family. Jeff and I adopted the excruciatingly slow one at a time option for our new family and convinced my family to do the same. An unusual breakfast menu and slow, reflective gift opening became the foundation for our Christmas tradition blend. We loved that both our families chose to focus on Christmas as Jesus’ birthday and wanted to find some “point you to Jesus” traditions of our own. For our oldest daughter, Erin’s, second Christmas, we thought three significant gifts, symbolic of those the Wise Men brought to Jesus, would be our new tradition. We were at my parents, and they reacted pitifully, thinking it grew from our financial limitation. Numerous gifts appeared under the tree for Erin that my mother had “bought ahead.” We agreed to more than three gifts. Retrospectively, both

Erin and Amiee are glad that tradition never made it! From the beginning of our marriage, we have read the Christmas story in Luke 2 and thanked the Lord for His gift of Jesus before we open a package or eat a bite of barbeque. Some of the “point you to Jesus” traditions we settled on involve a manger scene Advent calendar and daily Advent devotions with the lighting of the candles. Our very favorite, next to reading the Christmas story, is the empty manger that sits under our tree. It is the finishing touch to the decorated tree, an open manger, waiting to be filled with a representation of God’s greatest gift. Late on Christmas Eve, we swaddle Erin’s first baby doll, Jennifer Leslie Daisy (JLD), and she plays her finest role, Baby Jesus, filling the empty manger. We are reminded of how empty a “full” life can be without the redeeming presence of the Savior. His redeeming presence is the greatest gift ever offered.


CELEBRATINGADVENTBy melody hubbard

For the last couple of years in the month of December, we have had a special time during our worship services at Whitesburg Baptist Church to focus on the meaning of Christmas by lighting the candles on an Advent wreath. For each Sunday of Advent we ask a family in our church to light a candle, read a Scripture and lead in a word of prayer. Why have we done that? What is the meaning behind the lighting of the Advent wreath? The word advent is defined as “the coming” and is used specifically to describe the period of time leading up to the birth of Christ. The season of Advent begins on the Sunday following Thanksgiving and lasts until Christmas Day. Christians

often take this opportunity to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. On the four Sundays of Advent, families all over the world sit down together to light the candles in the wreath, read Scripture and spend time together preparing for Christmas. The four candles of the wreath represent the four Sundays of Advent and are typically purple. Sometimes you will see one pink candle that is to be lit on week three. The purple candles stand for the royalty and majesty of Jesus Christ, the King of Kings. The pink candle symbolizes the absolute joy that we experience with the coming of our Savior. The center candle, which is lit on Christmas Eve, is the Christ and


is white to show the purity of Jesus Christ. If you are addicted to Pinterest like I am, in no time at all you can find so many creative ideas on how to make and celebrate with an Advent wreath at home with your family. From making a construction paper wreath for the children, to a ceramic expensive one, the possibilities are endless. Beginning on November 30, we will begin our celebration of the Advent season in our morning worship services by focusing on Hope; the Hope that

the birth of Jesus brings to us. On the following Sundays, we will read Scriptures on Peace, Joy and Love. The Advent Wreath is not about the wreath and lighting the candles. It is about the circle of family opening the Word of God and praying. The Advent Wreath is a time of prayer, a time of giving thanks, a time to think of others, a time to teach children the true meaning of Christmas. We will begin the process in our services on Sunday mornings. Why don’t you continue it with your own Advent Wreath celebration at home?

Melody Hubbard is a wife, mother, grandmother, quilter, seamstress, pinterest addict, lover of music, lover of family, and lover of God.


ADVENT CALENDARFOUR WEEKS BEFORE CHRISTMASDecember 1: Matthew 1:18-24 and Luke 1:26-33December 2: Luke 2:1-5December 3: Luke 2:6-7December 4: Luke 2:8-9December 5: Luke 2:10-12December 6: Luke 2:13-14

THREE WEEKS BEFORE CHRISTMASDecember 7: Luke 2:15-16December 8: Luke 2:17-18December 9: Luke 2:19December 10: Luke 2:20December 11: Luke 2:21December 12: Matthew 2:1-2December 13: Matthew 2:3-6

TWO WEEKS BEFORE CHRISTMASDecember 14: Matthew 2:7-8December 15: Matthew 2:9December 16: Matthew 2:10-11December 17: Matthew 2: 12-15December 18: Galatians 4:4-5December 19: Ephesians 2:8-9December 20: 1 John 4:7-16

ONE WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMASDecember 21: Ephesians 2:12-22December 22: John 7:37-38 and John 14:6December 23: Matthew 28:19-20December 24: John 1:1-3, John 1:14, and Romans 6:23Christmas Day: Psalm 100, Revelation 3:20-21


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When Holidays HurtBy Rev. tim payne

The changing color of the leaves is a sign that the holiday season will soon be upon us. Even as many of us are enjoying college football, or just looking forward to cooler weather, we are reminded that Christmas is right around the corner. Last Christmas found my family grieving the loss of my father, who had died unexpectedly just eight months earlier. This was indeed a blow, considering we were still dealing with the loss of my mother, a few years earlier. As a pastor, I had become well acquainted with the many facets of the grieving process. Or so I thought, until Christmas came and brought a whole new range of issues and emotions. For my family, holidays are all about love, gifts, and the fellowship of food and sitting around the table enjoying a meal together, savoring desserts. But that year, for the first time in over twenty years, I didn’t get to go “home” to celebrate Christmas with my parents. I felt like a homeless orphan with no parental anchoring; amidst all the holiday cheer and excitement, I was adrift in a daze. Never again would I get to sit and talk football with Dad or see what new craft project Mom was working on. To compound the emotional chaos, my wife had to work on


Tim Payne is the Pastor of Wears Chapel Baptist Church and Dean of Students for Legacy Christian University.

Christmas Eve that year, so we missed her family’s big holiday dinner with au gratin potatoes, sweet potato casserole and luscious apple pie. No big deal, right? But the disarray of the entire holiday season suddenly hit me like a Mack truck; I felt that Christmas would never be the same. Many people attempted comforting words—phrases like “Your Dad is no longer hurting,” or “You know he’s in a better place.” Sadly, that didn’t provide much comfort, but instead provoked a sense of guilt in me for missing my parents so greatly. Many of us have experienced the feelings of wretched loneliness during the holiday season. As believers, we are assured that our believing loved ones who have departed this earth are with Jesus, but during the holiday seasons such phrases are empty and seem to lack compassion for those of us who are left coping with loss. Many of us continue to turn inward to a place of hurt, loneliness, and grief.

The realization of the goodness of our Heavenly Father is the key to surviving the holiday season after the death of a loved one. We must remind ourselves that God knows how we feel and has compassion for us, because He too, experienced a loss; He gave the life of His own Son as a gift to us. He is the Great Comforter! His Word promises that He will never leave us nor forsake us. When we begin to focus our attention on the goodness of our Heavenly Father and on the blessings he has showered upon us, our pain and desolation begin to dim. If you are in emotional pain this Christmas season, and are missing a dear loved one, remember God’s amazing gifts: His Son, His love for you, and His Comfort. Your gift to Him this year can be a renewed focus on Him.

If you’ve experienced a loss and need someone to talk to, please call on your pastor or any of the pastors at Whitesburg Baptist Church. You may contact us at 256-881-0952.


The Man and the Birdsas told by paul harvey

The man to whom I’m going to introduce you was not a scrooge, he was a kind, decent, mostly good man. Generous to his family, upright in his dealings with other men. But he just didn’t believe all that incarnation stuff which the churches proclaim at Christmas Time. It just didn’t make sense, and he was too honest to pretend otherwise. He just couldn’t swallow the Jesus Story, about God coming to Earth as a man. “I’m truly sorry to distress you,” he told his wife, “but I’m not going with you to church this Christmas Eve.” He said he’d feel like a hypocrite. That he’d much

rather just stay at home, but that he would wait up for them. And so he stayed and they went to the midnight service. Shortly after the family drove away in the car, snow began to fall. He went to the window to watch the flurries getting heavier and heavier and then went back to his fireside chair and began to read his newspaper. Minutes later he was startled by a thudding sound… Then another, and then another. Sort of a thump or a thud… At first he thought someone must be throwing snowballs against his living room window. But

Paul Harvey first told the story of “The Man and The Birds” for Christmas in 1965 and continued it for years and years, often during his Saturday noon broadcast the week before Christmas. Before he passed away in 2009, Harvey’s newscasts were heard by 25 million people weekly on 1300 radio stations and his columns appeared in 300 newspapers. You may have grown up with the telling of the story you may have never heard it before. Either way, you’ll probably understand why it has meant so much to so many of the years.


when he went to the front door to investigate he found a flock of birds huddled miserably in the snow. They’d been caught in the storm and, in a desperate search for shelter, had tried to fly through his large landscape window. Well, he couldn’t let the poor creatures lie there and freeze, so he remembered the barn where his children stabled their pony. That would provide a warm shelter, if he could direct the birds to it. Quickly he put on a coat, galoshes, tramped through the deepening snow to the barn. He opened the doors wide and turned on a light, but the birds did not come in. He figured food would entice them in. So he hurried back to the house, fetched breadcrumbs, sprinkled them on the snow, making a trail to the yellow-lighted wide open doorway of the stable. But to his dismay, the birds ignored the bread crumbs, and continued to flap around helplessly in the snow. He tried catching them…He tried shooing them into the barn by walking around them waving his arms… Instead, they scattered in every direction,

except into the warm, lighted barn. And then, he realized that they were afraid of him. To them, he reasoned, I am a strange and terrifying creature. If only I could think of some way to let them know that they can trust me… That I am not trying to hurt them, but to help them. But how? Because any move he made tended to frighten them, confuse them. They just would not follow. They would not be led or shooed because they feared him. “If only I could be a bird,” he thought to himself, “and mingle with them and speak their language. Then I could tell them not to be afraid. Then I could show them the way to safety, warmth… to the safe warm barn. But I would have to be one of them so they could see, and hear and understand.” At that moment the church bells began to ring. The sound reached his ears above the sounds of the wind. And he stood there listening to the bells – Adeste Fidelis – listening to the bells pealing the glad tidings of Christmas. And he sank to his knees in the snow.


The World’s First and Greatest Christmas Gift

The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After His mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. So her husband Joseph, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly. But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name Him Immanuel, which is translated “God is with us.” - Matthew 1:18-23

I have always wished I were artistic. There are so many images inside my head that I wish I could put on to paper or canvas. Unfortunately God didn’t gift me with such abilities so let me


try and paint a picture for you with words. Your picture will certainly look different from the one in my head but that’s all right. I have even done Internet searches and found where artists have painted their own version of this scene. None of theirs looks quite like the one in my head either. It’s a simple scene that takes place in antiquity in a quiet and lonely stable. It’s nothing grand and certainly not beautiful. It’s dark, cold and dirty. In a place where one would expect to see cows or donkeys eating, lies a newborn baby. He is wrapped in the cloths that were brought for this occasion. There is no heavenly glow coming out of the trough. As a matter of fact, the only light comes from a light just outside the stable casting faint light on the inhabitants. One support beam stands between the light source and the manger and because of this a cross-shaped shadow lies across the manger.

Now this description is never found in the Bible. It’s just a picture in my head, but it is rooted in the truth that Jesus came to die for our sins and because of that, always lived his life in the shadow of the cross that was to come. This Christmas you can receive the greatest gift that has ever been given, the gift of eternal life. It’s not a hard process. After all, if it were hard then we might be tempted to say that we worked for it. If we have to work for it then it’s no longer a gift. Today you can receive this free gift if you will admit to God that you are a sinner in need of a savior. Then turn from the sin that has kept you from God and accept Jesus’ free gift of forgiveness. Finally, confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior of your life. You can do all this in a simple prayer that comes from your heart. The exact words are not important, but the attitude and action of the heart are. If you need more help to understand this gift and how you can receive it, call on your pastor or any of the pastors at Whitesburg Baptist Church. You may contact us at 256-881-0952. Just tell the receptionist you need to speak to someone about a relationship with God.

Sweets!

The shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.

Luke 2:15-16

Unscramble the letters to discover the Christmas treats!

KID’S SPACE

CEOOISK IETFKUCAR CHNPU GAERDBERNIG OOTELCAHC USNT NOAEGR PEALP CADYN CAEN IEPMPTRENP NOMNANCI UDGEF

Cookies, fruitcake, punch, gingerbread, chocolate, nuts, orange, apple, candy cane, peppermint, cinnamon, fudge.


My Journey

to HealthBy Dee tolomei as told to anna caye luttrell

As the new year approaches and we begin to look forward to what it may bring, it is hard to do so without looking back over the prior year and even our life. Many of us will set out to make our “New Year Resolutions” or whatever else we may call them. Without a doubt many of us will yet again make at least one such goal dealing with our weight or health in some manner. One Whitesburg Baptist Church member didn’t even have to wait for New Year’s to make such a change. Here is her story on her journey to health. Dee Tolomei has been a member of Whitesburg for thirty

years, and has been faithfully working with children for many of those years. From working in our weekday ministry to working in childcare for various church events, hundreds of children have been under Dee’s care. Dee comes from a family that is prone to diabetes. Her mother was one of 12 children, and each one had diabetes. For many years Dee watched as her mother suffered many of the side effects that come with diabetes until she died when she was 66 years old. As one of eight children Dee is the only one that does not now have diabetes. This would not be the case however, if she had not


Dee Tolomei loves Jesus, loves children, and loves to travel.

decided to begin living a healthy lifestyle before it was too late. A couple of years ago her doctor told her that she was a borderline diabetic. He suggested starting her on insulin, to which she asked if she could be given three months to improve her health. A few months later, she returned to the doctor, and was no longer at risk of having diabetes! In those months, Dee had changed her eating habits as well as her lifestyle. She began cutting out fried foods and eating more vegetables. One of the most significant changes was that she began exercising 3-4 days a week at The ROC, (Recreation Outreach Center) which is at the Whitesburg Baptist South Campus. This began a habit that she continues to this day. She takes advantage of exercise classes that are offered in the mornings as well as putting to

use the equipment in the weight room. Through these activities, Dee has not only found physical nourishment, but emotional and spiritual nourishment as well. Now she is involved in a group of people that not only exercise together but also pray together and encourage each other during the week. Second to her health, she shares in the benefit of meeting members of Whitesburg that she would not regularly see and building lasting friendships. Through her journey to health, Dee has realized that her body is a temple of the Lord, and it is her responsibility to take care of what He has given her. She has also realized that God wanted her to have abundant life here on this earth through living a healthy life; that she does not have to wait until she gets to Heaven to experience who God has created her to be.


Parents who would like to explore a private, Christian education for their children will have the opportunity to visit the Academy, meet the faculty and staff, and tour the facilities. Located at 7290 Whitesburg Drive, Huntsville, AL.

For reservations call Lynn Lewis at 256-489-7680.

9:00 - 9:15 Registration9:15 - 10:00 General Session with Headmaster 10:00 - 10:45 Tour of grades 5th - 1210:45 - 11:00 Shuttle to North Campus11:00 - 11:30 Tour of grades PreK - 4

Whitesburg Christian Academy is accredited through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI).

Pre K through 12th grade2015-2016 School Year

Open Houses January 20 & 229:00 - 11:30 am


Family PrioritiesBy rev. david loyed

Last week I picked up an hourglass, watched the grains of sand flow smoothly from the top to the bottom and thought of time and my family. It struck me how steadily time passes and how each decision that goes by brings us closer to the end of our time together. A lump formed in my throat as I soaked up the importance of making every moment count. Like most people, I look back upon my experiences and wish that I had said and done some things differently. Differently as a son. Differently as a husband. Differently as a dad. Our default mode in life is set to sin, and unfortunately sin wreaks havoc on the lives of those around us. When those moments claim victims in our families, they go deeper still. My sons, Mason and Matthew, along with their sister Faith, will one day leave our household and

have families of their own. I constantly wonder what kind of impression they will have of their father. Will they remember my love for them more than my faults? More importantly, will they learn from me the true story of our Heavenly Father? In His gracious love, He has given us two very important foundations upon which to build our families. First, God has directed us to love Him with all we have. When asked about the greatest commandments, “Jesus replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment’” Matthew 22:37. When people look at where we spend our time, energy, and money, do they see a Christ-follower who loves God completely and surrendered? Our children


must know that God is THE priority in our life, not one of many. Later in that same chapter, Jesus pronounced that the second greatest command is to love others. Love comes through smiles, acts of service and even sacrifices made for those around us. Our kids see our hearts much more readily than anyone else. What is yours reflecting? Jesus surrendered completely on the cross in order that we might be saved from sin. We are to honor his sacrifice by living a life that brings God glory and not some scraps or crumbs from the table of life. God has shown us that honoring Him and loving others as we go makes all the difference in the world. As we head to little league, band concerts and more, let

us remember that we seek to honor God first and love others more than ourselves. We will still fail and fall short at times, but God will carry us with His grace. Time is a commodity and can never be renewed. Blink and everything has changed. Allow those around you to see someone sold out for Jesus Christ every second of the day, and the legacy for which you will be remembered will be pure gold to be passed down for generations to come.

Need help with your family? Our Home Point Center opens January 11, 2015 and will feature practical helps for your family to make Jesus part of your everyday life. For emailed or online versions of our Home Point tools please email [email protected]

David Loyed is Whitesburg’s Family Pastor, Graduate of the University of Florida and Liberty Theological Seminary. He loves Christ, his family, the Gators and fishing. (He has been known to eat an apple fritter or two.)


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