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January 2011

Volume 2, Issue 1 The Avenue

Special InterestArticles:

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Inside this Issue

Inspiration Point 2

Broken Glass 3

Corner Kitchen 4

Life Happens 5

Written Words 6

Let us hold fast theprofession of our faithwithout wavering; (for he isfaithful that promised;) Andlet us consider one anotherto provoke unto love and togood works: Not forsakingthe assembling of ourselvestogether, as the manner ofsome is; but exhorting one

another and so much themore, as ye see the dayapproaching. Hebrews10:23-25

What a joy to find myself, bythe grace of God, once againas your interim pastor. It is areal blessing to see so muchprogress in the ministry andthe church meeting back inthe beautiful sanctuary. Iknow all this came about

because of many whoremained faithful in the midstof despair anddiscouragement. Oh, God isso good! He will remain

Stay Focused by Jim Wolfe

Pastor Search

The search committee

continues to need yourprayers. Pray for wisdom

and discernment as theycontinue to search for anew Pastor for GABC.

Satan will attack and tryto turn their attention in

other directions. Pray formuch needed strength so

that they may remainfocused.

faithful during this time aswell. Let us remain faithful.

As the writer of Hebrewsadmonishes us to Hold fastyour profession of faith, Iwish to challenge all of us tofocus on what really mattersin the Christian Life; that is,the furtherance of the

Gospel of Christ. God hasplaced the responsibility ofsearching for a newShepherd for GallowayAvenue Baptist Church inthe hands of your SearchCommittee. Pray forthem, trust them, and leavethis task to them as Godleads them. We then areleft free to focus on our taskat hand. What is our task?The rest of that passage in

Hebrews admonishes us toprovoke one another to loveand to good works; notforsaking the assembling ofourselves together. I find

the spirit of the church is gand the opportunities for gwork abounding. The fields tare ripe unto harvest! Dmiss the joys God has in stfor you in the days ahead. Asseek to serve the Lord reacthis community for Jesus,

must remain faithful. I lforward to seeing you in faitassembling, working, and givMay God richly bless us as embraces His church in Love Grace!

Committee

Rick Dodd

Mike WhalenRichard Turner

Debbie HowellFrankie Fogleman

Alternates

Lin LowrimoreMario Ochoa

HAVE YOU MADEGOD SMILE TODAY?


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The Avenue Page 2 of 64

INSPIRATION POINT

-- each issue members of

our church will inspire us

with words from their

hearts---

October 17, 2010 GABCcelebrated our anniversary.

We were reacquainted withold friends, new friendswere discovered and those

that were passed on werebrought to our memory.

We celebrated in song,special music, featured

speakers, worship at thealter and Gods word

preached by Bro. Vic Bass.

Celebrating 20 Years of Gods Goodness

PREMISE: TO SURVIVE A SPIRITUAL TSUNAMI, WE MUST CONCENTRATE ON SOMECONSTANT CERTAINTIES (ACTS 27: 1-26)

I. REACHING OUR INTENDED DESTINATION CAN SOMETIMES BE HINDEREDA. PREVAILING WINDS CAN IMPEDE OUR PROGRESS (VS. 7)B. A CHANGE IN DIRECTION MAY BE UNAVOIDABLE (VS. 7-8)C. VALUABLE TIME MAY BE SQUANDERED (VS. 9)

II. FOLLOWING A DIFFICULT EXCURSION, WE MAY SETTLE FOR AN ALTERNATE HARBOR

A. AN UNPROTECTED PORT MAY BE CHOSEN IN HASTE (VS. 12)B. AN UNRELIABLE SOURCE OF FUEL MAY PRESENT ITSELF (VS. 13)C. VALUABLE CARGO MAY BE FORFEITED IN AN EFFORT TO MAINTAIN SURVIVAL (VS. 14-

19)

III. OVERCOMING THE DESPAIR OF A SHIPWRECK REQUIRES UNWAVERING FORTITUDEA. COURAGE MUST BE SUMMONED TO TACKLE OUR TIMIDITY (VS. 22)B. FAITH SHOULD BE EXERCISED TO FIGHT OUR FEAR (VS. 24-25)C. PLACING OUR TRUST IN A SECURE SHORE ENSURES A SAFE RESCUE (VS. 26)

SURVIVING A SPIRITUAL TSUNAMI by Lela Jenkins

ACROSTIC by Lin Lorwrimore

The idea of the acrostic is to give you a word that becomes a phrase to help keep you

grounded and focused. To the right are some well-known acrostics and some a churchmember has created. There's one word that we have not found nor have been able to

create an acrostic for. That word is "Trust". GABC will be having a contest with the prize

being a $10.00 gift card from Mardel's for the person who creates the best acrostic for the

word "Trust". Write the word vertically and then try and come up with a

phrase/statement that defines trust using the letters of trust as the first letter of the words

that you use. We have a small group that will be doing the judging. Submit entries to

Debbie Loyd [email protected]. Good Luck!

The full story of Acrostics by Lin can be found on our website.

B-asicI-nstructionB-eforeL-eaving

E-earth

F-ocusA-llI-amT-oH-im

P-rayU-ntilS-omethingH-a ens


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Tina shares a story of how

glass represents our Christian

walk and how the sand, the

surf and the waves represent

the Holy Trinity in refining us.

We started the story in the last

issue and we end it this issue.

When I was a teenager , I went withmy mom to a beach in NorthCarolina. I was out in the waterwhen all of a sudden I got pulledunder the water by the undertow. I

could not get my head above thewater even though I was desperate todo it. After a few long seconds I wasable to stand up and make my wayout of the waves. Once I got ontothe shore I told myself I would neverget back in those North Carolinawaves again, and I never have. I havebeen back to the beach there manytimes, but I havent gone in water anydeeper than my knees. I dont trust itanymore. Sometimes when things inlife are tough, we have to make achoice whether we trust God to keepour heads above water or not.Sometimes God even allowshurricanes to come in our lives. Wecan allow these times to mature usust like the glass is getting smootherand more beautiful in the rough wavesthan it is when things are calm. Thetough times can lead to greatergrowth and maturity than just sailingalong in calm times. Sometimes whenyou have a hurricane in your life, itmay toss you up on the shore. Andyou can choose to stay there or allowyourself to be put right back into thewaves. I think of a sweet, Christianlady I know, Nancy Pettijohn, who hasexperienced what I would call ahurricane in her life. She has a life-changing injury that could cause her

to say, God I dont appreciate this,and I want You to leave me alone fora while because I dont trust Youanymore. But I have been told thatNancy has said, Ill ust see what Godhas for me from a wheelchair. Thatis like saying, God please send meright back out into the waves. That

Broken Glass by Tina Pierce

takes a lot of trust.Sometimes I find a piece of glassthat is sharp and I throw it backinto the surf to be worked on somemore. It goes right back out intothose same waves to be worked onuntil it grows softer. Sometimes itseems like God puts us in the samekind of situation over and over andover and we think, Why do I haveto go through this again. Maybe itsbecause we didnt get it right thefirst time or the second time or thethird so He throws us right backout there until we can learn the

lesson.When I find a piece of glass on thebeach it looks beautiful there on thesand freshly washed by the waves.But when I take it home and displayit, it gets dusty and other things getthrown into the bowl with it.Before I show other people mycollection of beach glass I have toclean all the dust off and removeother things from the bowl likepennies and Legos. That remindsme of the things of this world.When we drift away from God andget out of the right environment wehave a tendency to let the things of

the world come in and dirty us up.We are not nearly as beautiful awitness for Christ as we were whenwe were in His will.When I do take a piece of beachglass from the beach I am removingit from the refining process. Theglass, of course, doesnt have achoice, but sometimes wedeliberately take ourselves out ofGods refining process. We gettired or busy or beaten down orwhatever and we make a decisionto just sit on the shore for a while.We just want to be comfortableand avoid the attacks of Satan. Ithink when tough times come for

me I have a tendency to saysomething like a quote from a bookIve read called From Faking it toFinding Grace. The author sayssometimes we want a break fromthe spiritual journey and we say

Here am I, spare me. The devil wants us to become so tired of the growing prothat we give up. He is trying to add us to his collection of ineffective Christians. He us up on the shelf as a token. Then we become one of his most prized possessiostagnate Christian. When we choose to remove ourselves from the refining processbecome a lukewarm Christian. And we all know what the Bible says about lukewChristians.We may just want to rest in the sand for a while. We may still be surrounded bythings of Jesus or the sand. We may still go to church and act like we know wsupposed to, but we are basically telling God to leave us alone for a while. But keeps pursuing. The surf, or Holy Spirit, keeps coming trying to draw us back ousea. The surf is relentless, just like Gods pursuit of us. He keeps coming and comand coming because He loves us and He knows we are better off in the waves.

I think if the glass is left in the waves long enough it will eventually disintegrate. Whdoes it will basically become a part of the sand. You would need a microscope or skind of magnifying glass to distinguish it from a piece of sand. Hopefully one day we

become so much like Christ that others would just see Jesus when they look at us.would be changed into the image of Christ. We could truly say I have been crucwith Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me (Gal. 2:20). Isnt that the hof all true Christians? The me is so clouded by Jesus that people just see Jesus.There is one more thing that I see in this illustration. Some pieces of beach glassprettier than others. My collection only has a few blue and green pieces, but I tthey are the prettiest. You notice those pieces because they stand out more thanothers. But the other colors make up the bulk of the collection. And if you take time to look at the white and brown ones carefully you will see their individual beSome people in the church have areas of service that are more visible or prettThey are the pastors or deacons or they serve in other areas of prominence, but mof the people in the church are not as visible. They may not stand out in their areservice, but they are very important. And God has blessed them with spiritual giftsyou may have to look closer at them to see. But, if we take the time to get to knthem we will get a glimpse of the beauty that God sees in them.So, the next time you are tempted to sit on the shore and just enjoy the scenery t

of the beauty of beach glass, how it gets better and better when its being tossed ain the sand by the waves after it has been drawn into the water by the surf and thyourself back out there.

See the full story at www.gallowaylife.org . Click on Be Connected

Have you read my number one best seller?There will be a test. - GOD


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The Avenue Page 4 of 64

Our theme verse says it all:2 Timothy 2:15 "Be diligent

to present yourselfapproved to God as aworkman who does notneed to be ashamed,accurately handling theword of truth." Each childand leader that comes toour weekly club learns thisscripture and so muchmore.

Awana is our discipleshipprogram for children, aged2 to 6th grade. We meet onWednesday nights and wehave a great time togetherserving the Lord and raisingup these precious childrenfor Christ!

Each club night consists of a30 minute game time whichis a lot of fun for the kids,but by design it teachesthem how to interact withpeers and friends in aChristian environmentencouraging them, buildingthem up and teaching them

AWANAby Richard Turner

Heloise's Texas Caviarsubmitted by Sherry Dennis

1 lg. jar picante sauce (heatstrength, your choice)2 (16 oz) cans of black-eyed

peas, drained1 (16 oz) can ofwhitehominy, drained1 cup green bell pepper,diced1 cup white onion, diced1 cup fresh tomatoes,

The Corner Kitchen

Taste and see that the Lord is goodPsalm 34:8

Today, more than

11,000 US churches

have Awana programs.

Remember to submit

your favorite recipe.

the values of teamwork,cooperation and sharing.

We also have a 30 minutecounsel time where eachweek they learn animportant Bible truth! Wetry not to call them Biblestories because that impliesthat it is just made up! Andwe KNOW that the Bible isall truth from Genesis toRevelation. God's word isTruth!

We then have a 30 minutehandbook time where eachof the children learn Biblescriptures at their own pace.They read, memorize andrecite these scriptures andGod stores it away in theirhearts like little seeds. Weknow that someday, orevery day He can and willuse this in their lives. ToGod be the Glory!

We have an amazingresponsibility to our

children to raise them up inthe Lord. This is not

something we should takelightly, and we do not! Ourleaders give their time eachweek not because they haveto but because they WANTto!

Today, more than 11,000U.S. churches have Awanaprograms and can be foundin all 50 states. Outside theUnited States Awana canalso be found in over 3,800churches in 108 countriesand six continents. Awanatouches a lot of lives, notjust in our church but manyothers. For over 50 yearsAwana has been around. Ithas grown because it is aprogram that Glorifies God,and it Works!

Our prayer is that all willcome to know and trust theLord Jesus Christ as theirpersonal Savior!

chopped1/2 cup fresh cilantro,chopped1/4 cup jalapeno peppers,seeded and chopped (omitjalapenos if you dont likespicy)

1 cup green onions, chopped(including green tops)1 TBSP sugar1 TBSP salt2 TBSPs coarse groundblack pepper2 TBSPs ground cumin

Stir all the ingredientstogether thoroughly so thatthe individual flavors andspices will blendwell. Refrigerate 24

hrs. When serving, this isbetter kept chilled, so placethe bowl of Texas Caviar intoa larger bowl of crushedice. Makes enough for acrowd.

Add a little lemon and lime to tuna to add zest and flavor to tuna sandwiches.Use cucumbers soaked in vinegar and pepper in sandwich instead of tomatoes.Use mustard instead of mayo to cut the fat and add a tang.


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Ministering to children is an

essential part of an effectivechurch. We are blessed in ourGABC Childrens Departmentwith some great Sunday Schoolworkers.

Heather Parker and ShirleyCole are currently serving inthe Bed Babies class. Theyshare the love of Jesus with ouryoungest members by meetingtheir basic needs, and byshowering the little ones withlove and affection. They areteaching the babies that church

is a loving and secure place tobe.

Thelma Grisham and MaryCurtiss serve in the two-year-old class. Both of these ladiesare very committed volunteersin our Childrens Ministry.Thelma and Mary serve notonly in Sunday School. Theyalso work in Extended Session,and during Sunday andWednesday evening services.They both do a wonderful job

of letting children know theyare cared for at our church.

Amy Parker and Joy Buchananserve in the three-year-oldclass. Amy is so organized shehas her supply lists preparedmonths in advance. She isconsistent in her teachingmethod and in the use of classtime, so the children knowwhat to expect. Joy is an

Childrens Bible Life by Tina Pierce

,

LIFE HAPPENS

excellent helper. She is faithful

and she shows the children loveand care in her soft spokenway.

ennifer Scott has recentlybegun serving in theKindergarten class. Jennifer isvery creative and she is good atimplementing her ideas. Herclassroom is organized andinviting. Jennifer is a warm andcaring teacher, and she makeseach child feel welcome.

Sandra and John LeFevers serve

in the 1st and 2nd grade class.Sandra does some amazingthings with her bulletin boards.She actually sews matchingcurtains several times a year forher classroom. It is evidentthat John really enjoys beingwith the kids. John and Sandraare organized and prepared foreach lesson. They even bring ina laptop occasionally in orderfor the children to do specialactivities.

Cindy Anich is the 3rd

and 4th

grade teacher. Cindy comesearly each Sunday in order tofeed the children in her class,and a few other children,breakfast. The children fromthe older and younger classeslove to hang out in Mrs. Cindysroom until class time. Cindyencourages her students to giveto Sharing Life. They recentlytook a trip to Sharing Life to

see how things work there and

see where their donations go.Christie Anich and SharonSpence are both outstandinghelpers in the 3rd and 4th gradeclass. Their willingness to serveis greatly appreciated.

At the beginning of this schoolyear Meagan Turner movedfrom the Kindergarten classback to the 5th and 6th gradegirls class. Meagan enjoysworking with young people.She is truly interested in thegirls and she has a genuine

desire to help them with theirconcerns.

Mr. Larry Buchanan serves inthe 5th and 6th grade boys class.Mr. Larry feels very stronglyabout instilling Bible skills in hisstudents. They do Bible drillevery Sunday. He enjoysgetting to know his studentsbetter by taking them on specialtrips. They sometimes go tothe movies. His class recentlytook the Dart train to the zoo.

All of these servants are faithfuland dependable. They are alsocommitted to helping childrengrow spiritually. Theseteachers and helpers enjoyspending time with children andthey want children at GABC toget the message that church is agood place to be.

Ministering to Children is an essentialpart of an effective church.

MY DAD'S ZUCCHINI BREAD submitted by Sherry Dennis2/3 cup shortening (butter flavored) 1. Preheat oven to 350F2-2/3 cup sugar 2. Grease 2 lg. loaf pans or 4 small ones or4 eggs muffin tin.3 cups shredded zucchini 3. Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs2/3 cup water one at a time, stirring after each egg.3-1/3 cups flour 4. Add zucchini and water. Stir all well.2 tsps baking soda 5. Blend in flour and dry ingredients.1-1/2 tsps salt 6. Pour mixture into greased pans and bake1/2 tsp baking powder for one hour, or until a toothpick1 tsp cinnamon (or more to taste) inserted in center comes out clean.1 tsp cloves (opt) Bake less time for small pans or muffin tins.2 tsps vanilla2/3 cup raisins

OUTREACH

December was a big month forgiving and sharing. We packed ourOperation Christmas Child boxes.We participated in Operation Careby donating coats and blankets. Wecollected for Lottie Moon. Wedonated to Sharing Life. And wecelebrated in song with our

Christmas music, EverythingGlorious.

Now that a New Year is here letsnot forgot that we still need todonate and share. Not only in thematerial things but the spiritual aswell.


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BE BOLD!I quiver and shake if I haveto stand in front of a groupof people and talk. Its notthat Im afraid (well maybe Iam) its because all common

language escapes me when Ibegin talking. I haveFibromyalgia and one of thesymptoms is brain fog. Illbe talking and all of a suddenI realize Ive substituted aword for another and mywhole sentence makes nosense.

Growing up I not onlyquivered and shook when Ihad to stand up in front of agroup of people but I wouldget physically sick. Back thenI was big time afraid.Combined with mychildhood experience andmy grown up problems,verbal communication just

WRITTEN WORDS by Debbie Loyd

GospelMatthewMarkLukeJohnSermonBlessed

DiscipleParableSabbathSynagogue

1930 Galloway Ave.Mesquite, TX 75149

PHONE:972-285-6317

GABC STAFF

Dr. Jim Wolfe Interim Pastor

Stephen Sullivan- Minister of Worship

Bethany Sullivan-Church Pianist

Tina Pierce- Director of Children

Jeremy Hogg-Director of Student Ministries

Janeen Adams-Office Administrator

Were on the Web!

See us at:

www.gallowaylife.org

Look for Issues 1 & 2 on the webJanuary 30, 2011

have randomly been in andout of church as an adult. Andof course as you can imagine bitterly regret it.

When you dont have tha

weekly strengthening of youfaith and fellowship withother Christians, it is easyeasy, easy to sin. That part omy life is between me andGod. But you know whatEven though I was walking inthe opposite direction fromGod he never left me. Howdo I know that? Well fostarters it says so in hiwritten word and because hehas answered so many of myprayers in such a way to nobe coincidental.

So prayer for me as continue to use my writtenword to tell about Hiwritten word!!

isnt one of my gifts.

So to avoid this type ofembarrassment I like to usethe written word as mycommunication. Writing out

what I want to say gives menot only a second chancebut many chances to correctthose silly substitute words.And why am I sharing all thiscrazy information with you?Its because God has allowedme to use the written wordto BE BOLD about mywalk with him.

I grew up in church. It wasnta choice in our household itwas just a fact of life. OnSundays you were going tochurch. I have goodmemories of my childhoodchurch life. However, whenmy children were young Idropped out of church. I

B X M A T T H E W S A T

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E N O M R E S E L O V E

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E W E T D I B S N H O J

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