On The Journey, Judy Bowman
A time for change
Springtime has finally arrived (we hope!) in north Georgia. The dark rainy days of winter are slowly (very slowly) slipping away into memory and every day sees new blooms in our gardens and the woods around us. A thousand shades of green are blanketing the hills and ridges as sleeping buds burst forth to find the sun. I know how they feel. I’m feeling that same longing for the new life of spring, too. These past few weeks of Lent have prepared us for the true Light of Easter. We’ve been walking to Jerusalem with our Lord, through the good times He’s shared with His friends and now as we will be with Him through His Passion and the Cross of Good Friday. Spring is about changes and new beginnings. And change is painful.
But change is also hopeful. A new beginning opens a world of possibilities. For me, writing is like that. I’m old-fashioned and use a pen and paper writing everything in longhand. Sitting down with a blank white page in front of me is at once a gift and a burden. I can write whatever words I want to write and that’s a marvelous gift. But that freedom brings with it the burden of choosing which words to write and in what order and for what purpose. This is very much what Easter is for us as well. The sacrifice of the Cross opens heaven for us again. After original sin entered the world through our first parents, a gulf of separation kept us from knowing God as He created us to know Him. He wanted to be in an intimate relationship with each one of us, every moment of every day. So He had to build a bridge from His throne to our hearts. And He imagined that bridge in the form of a Cross. A simple wooden cross that would reach from the depths of our sins to the heights of heaven.
The hope of the Cross of Christ is our greatest gift. Through Him, we have the new life we long for–here and for all eternity in heaven. But the joy of the resurrection comes with the exquisite price of Golgotha. Easter is meaningless without Good Friday. In our culture, we often skip anything that smacks of sacrifice or suffering. We want to get straight to joy and happiness. But one look at the life of Jesus shows us how we are to live. And no time in His life is more revealing than this week. He spends time with His friends. He spends time in prayer. He helps those around Him with what they need. He keeps His heart open and His eyes fixed on Friday. He is motivated by one thing and one thing only: love. As we journey towards this Easter Sunday, how well do our lives reflect the hope of Jesus’ gift of the Cross? Like Christ, do we live a life full of prayer and service to others? Are we open to helping those around us when they need help? Does love motivate the decisions we make? If you’re like me, you probably have a ways to go. And that’s exactly when Jesus loves us most—when we still have a ways to go and we choose to make that journey with Him.
If you’ve been away from Christ, today is the perfect day to come home to Him. He’s waiting for you in the sacrament of confession. He’s waiting for you in the celebration and sacrifice of the Holy Mass. He’s waiting to give you the hope and the joy that He purchased for you on the Cross. Spring is the season of new life and light. Christ is calling you to return to Him and receive the new life that only He can offer.
“Even now,’ declares the Lord, ‘return to Me with all your heart..” — Joel 2:12
Glenda Smiley, Pleasant Valley Baptist Church
Pleasant Valley Baptist is a warm and welcoming church with a focus on glorifying and honoring God. It is our goal to see all people reached with the Gospel of Christ and to see Christians grow in their faith and relationship with God. On Sundays, our services begin at 9:45AM with Devotion & Prayer, followed by Sunday School at 10AM. The Worship service begins at 11:00AM. There is Evening Prayer Time at 5:45PM and Sunday Evening Worship at 7PM. Sunday is a busy day centered around the worship of the Lord. Our midweek service to encourage and bolster spirits begins at 7PM with Youth ministry also at 7pm. Our Worship service is live streamed, but we encourage attendance in the Lord’s house if at all possible.
Looking toward April! On April 11th, Saturday, 4pm PVBC will have “Spring Fling”. Everyone is invited to join in the fun. There will be a cookout with burgers and hotdogs with all the trimmings. There will be inflatables, crafts, and, of course, an resurrection egg hunt. The egg is a symbol of new birth, new beginning. It is exciting, meaningful and kids love to find all those eggs with candy. Make plans now to attend and bring your kids and others. Also, mark your calendar and make plans for 2020 Vacation Bible School. Save June 22-28th for this VBS. Pleasant Valley Baptist will also have Revival meetings scheduled June 28-July 1st. Special dates and opportunities to encourage and help your family know and grow closer the Lord.
It is wonderful Spring is on the way. PVBC is looking forward to this season with lots of exciting plans. As we go through March, the wind and the rain, every few days we get the thrill of the feel of spring. We see trees budding and flowers beginning to bloom. God’s creation beginning to take on new life. It is a wonderful time of the year reminding us there are new beginnings for all you will turn to the Lord. WE certainly live in a season of time where everyone needs to make sure their lives are right with God and WE are living for Him and not ourselves. WE have troubles on every hand, but WE can be assured the Lord is no further away than our cry to Him. God still hears and answers prayer. For the one who has never put their faith and trust in Jesus who died for your sins and made it possible for you to be saved, He will hear, forgive, and save you today as you reach out to Him in faith praying. For the Christians who are tried and tested and weary, God is there always. He will hear your prayer and will answer according to His perfect will for you.
Please pray with us as we share special needs and people in our community with you. We ask you to join in praying for our military, our country and elected officials (both local and national), our government and upcoming elections, prisoners and the homeless, orphans, nursing homes, ministry to young people, churches in our community faithfully preaching truth, members of our church and others, Israel and America, coronavirus and those affected, protection over our people as God wills, and growth for PVBC. Please pray for our Live Stream ministry and Facebook. There are many among us in need of special prayer and remembrance: Carolyn Denton, Amy Wysong, Susan Smith, Velma Mountcastle, Warren Mcallister, Denise Pitts (hospital), Jewell Mitchell, Lula Petty, Claudette Armstrong, Dianne Hullender, Betty Pitts and many others as the Lord knows. Also pray, God will send His revival into our churches and our country as revival is desperately needed. Let is start within each of us.
PVBC wishes to acknowledge March birthdays of our members, Lula Petty (25th) and Brian O’neill (27th). God richest blessings are wished for them and all born during the month of March.
We look forward to having you worship with us soon, real soon! It will be our honor to have you as our guest and desire to help you anyway possible. You are welcome to our church and to our family. Should you have any questions or need transportation please call 706 537-3633.