between the lines - spring 2013 volume 3, issue 2

7/30/2019 Between The Lines - Spring 2013 Volume 3, Issue 2

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Seasons



Between the Lines is a magazine of the Journey, a ministry of Christ Church

Fairview Heights, IL. © 2013, Christ Church. mychristchurch.com

Graphic Design by Michelle Sweeten

Truth settles us as we move throughthe seasons of life.

Many seasons ago, we made the

short trip across the Eau Gallie Cause-

way for our weekly visit to my grand-

mother’s apartment. Upon our arrival we

learned that Gram’s goldsh had passed

on. My young daughter left the sh food

standing like a soldier in its place. No

longer able to fulll her assigned respon-

sibility she asked me, “Why? Why did

Grandma’s sh die?”

So, I sang my rendition of Peter,

Paul, and Mary’s Turn, Turn, Turn as we

buried the sh outside. It’s ok to giggle

at my teacher ways and my propensityto go with the simplicity of child-like faith.

To this day (about 25 years later)

she still remembers me singing to her

and tells me that the song got the point

across. We chuckled about it again

recently as we recalled the sweet and

silly memory.

To everything, turn, turn, turn.

There is a season, turn, turn, turn.

And a time for every purpose under

heaven. . .

The lyrics, inspired by the Old Testa-

ment book of Ecclesiastes and set to

music, settled her.

Truth settles us in the joy and in the

pain and in everything in between.

Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the

Life. He is the only one who can calm

our restless hearts. He is the answer to

every question mark that we have, evenwhen we still don’t understand.

Welcome to the pages of this new

issue. Our editor, Dr. Emily Climaco,

pours her heart into the pages of every

issue. Thank you, Emily. Thank you also

to Lindsay Tallman, Theresa Cavalier,

and Julie Crask for contributing and be-

ing a part of the Between the Lines teamto plan and pray with us.

Our Christ Church graphic designers

take great care in meshing the theme

with what will be pleasing to your eye.

The Journey prayer team prays for you

the reader and for the writers included in

every issue. Thank you to the staff and

team.

Each person mentioned here is faithful

in this season of life to serve with a will-

ing heart until God says otherwise. After

all, he is the author of the seasons. He

always writes a page-turner.

May God Bless You in Winter, Spring,Summer, and Fall,

We appreciate hearing from our

readers. Please let us know how thismagazine has touched your life. You

may send your e-mails to:

[email protected]

Dear Reader,

Mary Ann



Between the Lines • Spring 2013 • Volume 3, Issue 2

'Like' us on Facebook: facebook.com/christchurchjourney

In the next issue: Freedom in Christ - Freedom Indeed!

This Issue’s Theme: Seasons

Verse of the Season: To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under

heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

Meet the Contributors

Mary Ann Turner is the leader of the Journey Team at Christ

Church. A former elementary school teacher, she is the wife of Mark,

mother of two grown children, and grandmother to two precious little

boys. She enjoys great conversations, hiking with her family, and

encouraging others to grow in their Christian faith.www.maryannturner.com

Betty Haskins attends Christ Church with several beloved familymembers, including her daughter and grandson. She’s a great-grandmother who enjoys playing bridge and knitting. Turn to page 8to read more about Betty.

Debbi Cutright is a Journey Team member and enjoys volunteering

in various women’s and children’s ministries through Christ Church

in Fairview Heights. Debbi is a registered nurse and long-term care

administrator. She has two grown children and three grandchildren

who keep her busy and happy.

Lindsay Tallman is a freelance writer who writes about family and

faith. Her work has been featured in Thriving Family and Family Fun

magazines. When she’s not busy writing or tripping over toys, she

enjoys reading, traveling, and playing with her quirky kids. She andher family live in O’Fallon, Illinois, and worship at Christ Church.

www.lindsayntallman.com

Emily Climaco, Ph.D., is a Journey Team member and the volunteer

editor of Between the Lines. The wife of Phil and mom of Caroline,

she spends her “free time” being silly with her four-year-old daughter

and writing on her blog, www.commonplacesoil.com.

For more information on the Journey ministry or to sign up for a

free subscription to this magazine, please take a look at www.

mychristchurch.com/thejourney.



The Bleak Mid-Winter by Lindsay Tallman

4

I have to admit, when I think of

winter the rst thing that comes

to mind is Bill Murray in the movie

Groundhog Day when he says, “It’sgonna be cold, it’s gonna be gray,

and it’s gonna last you for the rest

of your life.”

Not only has this winter been

unusually long, but my family

is lying beneath a self-imposed

emotional winter as well. In

January, we added a fourth child

to our family through adoption. Our

new three-year-old daughter is a

delight, and we love her dearly.

Like any major life change, adding

another child to our family has

brought joy and love, along withchaos and confusion. I nd myself

thrust back in the trenches raising

two little ones, searching for a new

kind of normal. Some days, when

I’m sitting with both of my three-

year-olds crying on my lap because

one has more square footage or

someone is touching the other, as

I chant the phrases, “We have to

take turns, use your words, you get

what you get and you don’t throw a

t,” for the hundredth time, I feel my

sanity slowly sliding away.

One night my oldest daughter

asked, “Why did God make

winter?” Not wanting to pass my

bad attitude on to her, I thoughtcarefully before answering. I

explained how every living thing

needs a time to rest, to build up

energy and strength to grow bigger

and more beautiful when spring

arrives. Despite my disdain for

winter, I understand that it is always

necessary in order for spring to

arrive.

One of my favorite Christmas

carols is “In the Bleak Mid-Winter.”

Originally a poem written by

Christina Rossetti about the birth of

Christ, she writes:In the bleak mid-winter

Frosty wind made moan,

Earth stood hard as iron,

Water like a stone;

Snow had fallen, snow on

snow,

Snow on snow,

In the bleak mid-winter

Long ago.

Perhaps you are in a spiritual

winter season too. Such seasons

may arrive due to circumstances

such as a parenting young children,



5

recovering from an injury, caring for

an aging loved one, grieving a loss,

or simply because we are in a time

of transition. These seasons are

hard to endure. But what can we do

while we are waiting for the elusive

spring? Here are some principles to

get us started:

1. Surrender control and trust.

Romans 8:28 says, “And we

know that in all things God

works for the good of those

who love him, who havebeen called according to his

purpose.” If we love and obey

God, we can have condence

that he is at work even when

our lives seem out of control.

Let him do his work in you

during the painful seasons.

2. Live one day at a time. In

Matthew 6:34 Jesus says,

“Therefore do not worry about

tomorrow, for tomorrow will

worry about itself. Each day

has enough trouble of its own.”

Life can be overwhelmingwhen we focus too much on

the future. Do your best to live

the life you were created to live

today.

3. Don’t let anything steal

your joy. 1 Thessalonians 5:16

says, “Always be joyful. Always

keep on praying. No matter

what happens, always be

thankful, for this is God’s will

for you who belong to Christ

Jesus.” By obeying these

words even when we don’t feel

like it, our perspective on our

circumstances will change.

4. Stay close to him. Rosetti’s

poem ends with this verse:

What can I give Him,

Poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd

I would bring a lamb,

If I were a wise man

I would do my part,

Yet what I can I give Him,

Give my heart.

Though we may feel during the

hard times that we have nothing left

to give, we can always give Christ

our heart. When we feel lost and

lonely, he is near. Don’t let your

heart grow cold, but instead press

into relationship with him and he

will sustain you.

As I write this, the snow is falling

outside, but one lone daffodil is

blooming from the frigid ground. A

visible reminder to me that even

in the harshest circumstances,God makes things grow. We can

place our trust and hope in the

Lord because he will be faithful to

us through the winter seasons. He

is with us, and we have not been

forgotten. The one who came to

wash us white as snow will cover

us and love us. We will emerge

stronger and more beautiful than

before. When all seems dead, have

faith—spring is coming.



6

When God created the universe, it was summer every day.

Adam and Eve lived in love with each other, peace with fel-

low creatures, and intimacy with God. God looked out on all

that he had made and smiled. It was good.

Then came the fall. Adam and Eve, deceived by a serpent,

ate fruit from the only tree God had forbidden them to har-

vest. Suddenly, everything seemed broken and naked and

wrong. “. . . sin entered the world through one man, and

death through sin . . .”

The cold curse of winter fell over humankind. People suf-

fered separation from God, feeling the sting of sadness and

death. They tried to please God by obeying countless rules

and rituals, but what God really wanted was their hearts.

Only one thing could save them: the redeeming death of

Jesus. When Jesus rose from the dead in triumph over bro-

kenness and nakedness and wrong, Hope bloomed.

Spring had arrived! “. . . if anyone is in Christ, he is

a new creation . . .”

A Prayer of Renewal:

Dear God,

I’ve sinned, and I need your forgiveness. I believe your son,

Jesus, died for my sins, and I’m willing to stop sinning. I nowinvite Jesus into my life as my personal savior.

Amen.

-EC



7Photo by Julie Crask

www.works4water.blogspot.com



8

Belleville Courthouse circa 1953

BellevilleHistoricalSociety.org



9

During the Great Depression,

Betty Haskins was a church-going

girl growing up in southern Illinois.

Here’s how you could pick her outin a group of friends: look for the

one tending to others, bandag-

ing scraped knees. At a Methodist

Youth Fellowship retreat at McK-

endree College, she dedicated her

young life to Christ. Now, seasoned

with the wisdom of years, she says,“I’ve lived a very interesting life.”

Indeed, she has.

When she was a high school

senior, Japanese forces bombed

Pearl Harbor, and she began her

ofcial training as a nurse. She

celebrated VE day and VJ day with

her St. Louis nursing colleagues.

Upon returning home to Belleville,she continued her nursing career

at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital and her

worship-music calling, which had

begun with piano lessons at age

seven, at St. George’s Episcopal

Church.

In 1953, Betty married Jack T.

Haskins, M.D., and worked in his

ofce on East Main. Jack, a physi-

cian and surgeon, delivered their

two daughters in quick succession.

Naturally, her nurse training came

On a recent bright and chilly spring morning, Betty

Haskins sat in my dining room and told me stories of

an amazing life. I’d asked her to contribute to this issue

because of her wisdom gleaned over several seasons of

life. Like a tulip blooming in the snow, God’s faithfulnessappears in retrospect in the most surprising places.

by Emily Climaco



10

in handy as a mother of two. She

and Jack brought up Jann and

Jena at Union United Methodist

Church, where she led the girls in

the Angel Choir and Junior Choir.

A new life-season began when

Betty’s daughters went away to

college, and she assumed a dif-

ferent kind of care-giving role.

Devastatingly, her mother suffered

a massive stroke, and she took

responsibility for her mother in the

nursing home, her father livingalone at home, and her beloved

grandmother, who had lived in the

bedroom right across from hers in

the family home, before eventually

entering the nursing home. This

series of events was distressing,

but caring for people comes easilyto her. Both parents passed away

ve years after her mother’s stroke,

within six months of each other.

Although she’d gotten away from

church as her girls grew up, caring

for others was her second-nature

way of showing God’s love.

Betty and Jack made the most of

retirement by traveling broadly, liv-

ing for a time in Arkansas and later

Florida. In Sebring, Florida, she

became involved in her downtown

church’s after-school program, pro-

viding snacks and a haven for localkids. Caring for children has al-

ways delighted her. She now works

with fth- and sixth-graders in the

AWANA program at Christ Church.

The turn of the century brought a

difcult season: Jack began show-

ing signs of Alzheimer’s, and Betty

tended to him, careful to preserve

his dignity in the face of an awful,

wasting disease. Early in 2004,she could no longer care for him at

home. After a brief time in the nurs-

ing home, Jack went home to be

with the Lord. A World War II ight

surgeon and Silver Star Medal

recipient, he was buried in Arlington

National Cemetery with full military

honors. Betty returned home, livingalone for the rst time ever.

Soon she moved back home to

be with her family. “The last several

years have been about renewal

and preparation and thanksgiving,”

she says. Betty confesses that God

hasn’t been at the forefront of everyseason of her life; however, she

adds: “He never let go.” Elegant

and sharp-witted, few would believe

she’s in her late eighties. She jokes

that she doesn’t know why God

has allowed her this many years,

but she’s spending the latter onescramming for “the nal.”

“The seasons of my life have

waxed and waned,” she explains,

“and before, worship was in-

tentional—something we did at

church—but now, it’s—what’s the

best word?—spontaneous. God isgood!”

Jesus offers a promise that she

especially cherishes: “In my Fa-

ther’s house are many mansions:



11

if it were not so, I would have told

you. I go to prepare a place for you”

(John 14:2). After many seasons of

care-giving, living, and loving, Betty

looks forward with anticipation to

worshipping at Christ Church. Andsomeday, when she meets our

Heavenly Father, her favorite song

of praise will become all the more

meaningful:

The sun comes up, it’s a new

day dawning,

It’s time to sing your song again.Whatever may pass, and whatever

lies before me,

Let me be singing when the eve-

ning comes!

“Through Jesus, therefore, let

us continually offer to God a

sacrice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.

And do not forget to do good and

to share with others, for with such

sacrices God is pleased”

Hebrews 13:15

First National Bank Belleville circa 1943

Celebrating VJ Day in the Veteran's Memorial Fountain August 14, 1945



12

I turn back the pages of my life

and pause. On one page, the tear

stains catch my eye. I remember

this chapter as a season of chal-

lenges. I pause again. In my mindI see Carolyn, my dear friend and

colleague, standing with me. I can

still hear the echo of her voice. Her

smile gestures with a soft calm.

Carolyn spoke, “Mary Ann, this is

a winter in your life and spring will

soon be on the way.” She was right.

I learned that there is beauty

even in the bare branches of winter,

posed like mannequins waiting to be

dressed.

It’s in the stillness of winter thatwe pause to learn the lessons that

allow us to ourish and bear fruit.

We’ll bear more fruit, richer fruit, as

Jesus teaches us in John 15. Our

branches, dripping with the jewels

of spring and summer are Son-

kissed. Kissed by the Son himself.

Jesus Christ is faithful, and he is our

peace.

Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace

kiss each other. Faithfulness springs

forth from the earth, and righteous-

ness looks down from heaven. The

Lord will indeed give what is good,

and our land will yield its harvest.

Psalm 85:10-12

A study note below this passage

in my NIV Bible states: “These ex-

pressions of God’s favor toward his

people are here personied and the

vivid portrayal of their meeting and

embracing offers one of the most

beautiful images in all of Scriptureof God’s gracious dealings with his

covenant people.”

This passage sings to me again

and again in every season of life.

Son-Kissedby Mary Ann Turner



13

I’ve mentioned winter, spring,

and summer. And what of fall?

When it comes to our soul and

spirit fall whispers, “Look! Look

at the colors of your life.” See thegolden moments, the re-orange

passion of your heart, and the rich

mahogany underfoot making a sure

path for the journey. With its cozy

beckoning, fall reassures us that

life is for living fully.

In his innite goodness God hasgiven us the seasons of the heart,

soul, and spirit. Faithfully he writes

the story of our lives, wasting noth-

ing. We walk into each new page

knowing that he is already there.

He sees us through every season

until he welcomes us into eternal joy.

“Righteousness goes before him

and he prepares the way for his

steps.” Psalm 85:13

Wayne Jacobsen writes in his

book, In My Father’s Vineyard,

that pruning of a grapevine can

only be done in winter, after the

sap has slowed and the vine is at rest. He further states that prun-

ing is organized destruction and,

unless the branch is at rest, the

cutting could destroy it.

God knows what he is doing

and he cares for us. It is not his

desire to destroy us during thewinters of our lives. Rather, he

loves us deeply and desires that

we would be fruitful. Read John

15:1-8 for Jesus’ words to us.

Remain in him and he will fll the

pages of your life with stories that

lead to a fruitful harvest.



“For I am the Lord, I do not

change . . .” (Malachi 3:6).

“The roads are treacherous.

We are advising everyone to

stay home today if at

all possible,” warnedthe TV meteorologist

one February morning.

“Treacherous” is de-

ned as “hazardous,

marked by hid-

den dangers

or perils”

(Merriam-Webster’s

Online Dic-

tionary).

“But some

people must

travel theroads—even

when it’s

dangerous,”

I thought.

Health care

personnel have

to be available. Law

enforcement and reand rescue workers are

crucial. City snow plow drivers

must perform their duties. These

persons have to be prepared to

travel.

Life is treacherous. If we are to

navigate through each day with any

amount of safety and peace, we

must be proactive. God’s Word tells

us to “Be alert and on guard; stand

rm in your faith. . . . Act

like men and be cou-rageous; grow in

strength!” (1 Cor.

16:13, Amplifed

Bible, all

quotations).

It’s Treacherous

14



Consider the snow plow driver.

He must wear the proper clothing,

have fuel in his vehicle, and have

an adequate load of salt. As Chris-

tians, we prepare by understand-

ing and depending on the Lord:

“The Lord is my strength and song”(Psalm 118:14). The psalmist ad-

vises us to “Be strong and let your

heart take courage, all you who

wait for and hope for and expect

the Lord!” (Psalm 31:24).

Our Lord warned his followers

that there would be trials, but healso gave us instruction on how we

are to prepare our minds

and our mouths:

“Therefore, do

not worry and be

anxious saying,

What are we goingto have to eat? or,

What are we going

to have to drink?

or, What are we

going to have

to wear? . . . But seek rst of all His

kingdom and His righteousness,

and then all these things taken to-

gether will be given to you besides”

(Matt. 6:31, 33).

It is never in the midst of a bliz-zard that you hear a person say, “I

love living in a part of the country

that has seasons!” No, this phrase

is usually said on a June day when

the temperature is 72 degrees, the

sky bright blue, and the breeze soft.

On this sort of day, it takes nothing

to persevere. But most days arenot perfect.

I nd it amazing that the ant-

onyms for the word “treacherous”

listed in the dictionary are: “dedicat-

ed, faithful, loyal, steadfast, true.”

What a perfectly perfect descriptionof our God!

Out There!by Debbi Cutright

15



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i s i t w w w . m

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3 3 9 F r a n k S

c o t t P a r k w a y E a s t

F a i r v i e w H e i g h t s , I L 6 2 2 0 8

between the lines - spring 2013 volume 3, issue 2

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