J.E.W.E.L.S.

June 2011 "He is my refuge and my fortress: My God"

2011-09-16T10:27:00.008-04:00

Wanda Whitlock shared her testimony as a missionary to Bangka, Indonesia during our June Jewels meeting. Their family was the first and last missionary to live on this small island. With sadness they were forced to leave in 1982, feeling their work was not done. For the next 24 years the door was closed for them to return. Recently, God allowed Bro. Donnie, her husband, to visit the island for a short time. While he was there, he found the church they had started was still standing and thriving with an average attendance of 400 people. Three other churches on the island had grown from this church, and two missionaries had been sent to other countries! Even through adversity and trials, God uses our faithfulness for His glory!

Marie Campbell gave us some insight on how to create an amazing scrapbook with just every day items! Don't toss those paint swatches you so carefully picked out, use them as back drops to make your pictures pop! Cutting pictures out of used cards or remnants of wallpaper are cheap 'stickers' to decorate your pages!

There are many programs offered on the internet to create picture books~

Everyone enjoyed making cute flowers out of buttons and ribbon~

A little snipping, searing, and gluing~

Ta-da~ Just PERFECT!!

May 2011 "The Beauty Of Holiness"

2011-06-08T15:53:00.015-04:00

Exploring Our Inner Beauty ~ The Beauty Of Holiness

Anyone for hats and handbags, pearls and gloves and a good cup or glass of delicious tea?

We began our monthly JEWELS meeting, well attended, I would add, with a prayer for God's blessings upon each lady present and especially, for our speaker, Mrs. Blanche Frasier.

Our Freedom Baptist ladies, and guests, were invited to wear a favorite hat, gloves and jewels for the evening as we listened to a great study of King David and his praises to God.

Our hearts were encouraged to know that God cares about every fine detail of our busy, day-to-day life. His plans are perfect and we are complete in our holiness before Him when we follow in His will for our lives. When we praise God, in all things, we show forth His holiness.

Mrs. Frasier also presented a history of tea and provided a tantalizing display - to be sampled later in the evening, along with delicious desserts crafted from the hands of our Freedom Baptist ladies.

We learned that consuming tea can be not only healthy for us, but can offer company on a cold, Winter evening, as well as refreshing in Summer's scorching heat. Tea is the second most widely consumed beverage in the world, second only to water. Tea itself has its origin in China. Offering such delicious taste, it quickly spread around the world – now enjoyed by billions.

The hats and gloves were so popular that evening that it was requested by many that we designate a Sunday of the month, the 2^nd Sunday, month, as hat and glove Sunday at FBC.

Thanks to all who came out for a treat of tea and blessing from God's Word. Thanks, of course, always goes to our most honored Guest, Jesus Christ. Thank you, each lady, and guest for attending, and special thanks to Mrs. Frasier for the informative, interesting topic of the evening.

How sweet it would be,

For you and I to enjoy a cup of tea.

Petits fours, crumpets, scones and more,

Your place, or mine, the time is at four.

Please come, bring a friend, or two.

It will be my pleasure to share tea with you.

Author: Mrs. Carrigan

~ Mrs. Carolyn Carrigan

April 2011 "Keeping Life Sweet in a Kitty Litter Word!"

2011-04-25T23:16:00.012-04:00

The JEWELS program on Friday, April 15th was fun and informative. Alizabeth Ricker vividly illustrated "Keeping Life Sweet in a Kitty Litter World". She created a "candy-bar basket" with the help of Krista Lanham. Alizabeth introduced each candy bar with a Bible verse and an application to our lives. For example, there is a "Pay Day" coming, and we need to keep sin out of our lives. Galatians 6:7 "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."

We had a most unusual snack-which looked (the only way I can
honestly describe it)-GROSS!-like used kitty litter-but, it tasted just like cake and tootsie rolls.

Shawn Rinehart shared his joy in gardening. Along with excellent tips for starters, he described some benefits of a harvest of fresh vegetables and herbs such as, providing exercise, working together as a family, and good eating!

I had already been considering having my husband plant an herb garden for me:-) Shawn convinced me that I do need an herb garden. Soooo, I hope my husband can read my notes!

~ Blanche Frasier

March 2011

2011-03-25T10:17:00.006-04:00

Well, welcome to Spring!! Our meeting was held on the 11th, and yes... I'm slow but here it goes.....
As always, we had a wonderful time of just fellowship. Matthew 18:20 "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." And yes He was!!

Margaret Stringer was our speaker for the evening. She spoke about being an encouragement. Some verses read: Gen 39:21, 45:4-8; Pslam 46:11; John 11:21 & 32. These were by no means the only ones, just a few to name. She talked about Joseph and his trials. One could look at all he went through and say, "ok, where's God at during all this?" Well...............God was there the whole time. He never left Joseph. And the same is said of what we go through. He is ALWAYS there. Oh, we may stray but God never leaves us. God can see the "bigger" picture that we can't. I'm sure Joseph would never have imagined where his life would take him, especially after all he endured. But, God knew the rest of the story.
How often do we ask ourselves, "what now?" God will never give us more than we can handle. We are meant to go through our trials for a reason. That reason may just be to help someone else deal with that very same problem. But at the time it happens to us, that's the furtherest thing on our mind. I'm guilty of this myself. However, God has proven to me that I did not go through it alone or in vain. This is such a blessing and encouragement to know.

Karen Haley led "craft time" for us. We got to enjoy some more tea-bag folding. This time she gave a more indepth view of just where tea-bag folding came from. So, we had a history lesson and play time! We all enjoyed learning new folds (butterfly and tulip) and going over the kite fold.

Every JEWELS meeting is different, and we all take something "different" from that meeting. But, each and every meeting has been a blessing and encouragement to all who attend. Our next JEWELS meeting will be on April 15, hope to see you there.
~Kim Haley

November 2010 "A Year to be Thankful for!!"

2010-12-07T11:38:00.003-05:00

Our November meeting was a little on the different side....well, different from our normal layout. But "shaking up" a routine is always a good thing. Our time together is always more than just fellowship, it is a time of praise and worship.

We may have had a small group on this night, but the blessing was HUGE! As always, we started the meeting in prayer and then each lady gave a "testimony" of something they were thankful for this year. Once everyone had a "turn", the blessings kept coming with others adding to what someone else had said. What a true blessing hearing how God has worked in these families lives. After our time of "thankfulness" we had a time of refreshment. During this time we discussed previous JEWELS meetings. We went over topics discussed, the crafts done and the speakers who had shared with us. And still the blessings flowed, thinking back on all that has been done during the meetings.

Next came the planning for the upcoming year. New crafts, speakers we would like to have, topics we want to hear or learn more about....all this just to name a few. The 2011 JEWELS year plans to be an awesome year for sure. As we parted on this Friday night, I feel very sure each lady walked away feeling truly blessed....I know I did.

~Kim Haley

October 2010 "Manners Effect My Testimony for the Lord"

2010-10-30T19:52:00.026-04:00

Well, I am NOT a writer, but I do like to talk and I love to reminisce wonderful times, so I figured I should be able to come up with something for this month's 'review'. :o) The week of the JEWELS meeting was packed with activities!! 'Homecoming Sunday' kicked off revival through Wednesday, my family had planned a camping trip Thursday to Saturday, with the JEWELS meeting in the middle of that, Friday night, a birthday party for my daughter Saturday evening, then there we were to Sunday again!! So while we were out rustic (yes, that means no power, no plumbing, and sleeping in tents) camping I headed to the shower house to clean up before we left for the meeting. Earlier that morning, I had gotten the keys from my husband and went to the parking area to get something out of the truck. I thought I had left them on the table at the camp site. So, when I asked Mat for the truck keys and he says he didn't get them back. OK, looking... looking... searching the campsite, searching the trail, searching the bathrooms, the parking lot, my jacket and any other place I could think of for the next hour and 15 minutes! (I was suppose to be getting rid of the campfire smell right now!) It was time to go. I jumped in the van with my mom and sister and headed toward the last place we could think to check, the park office. I was praying someone had found them and turned them in, SURELY that is where they were!! NOPE!! I told my mom to drop me off at the campground, that it was starting to get dark and I just couldn't leave without finding those keys. As I was walking down the trail, I was thinking "of course... this is something I really enjoy and now I don't get to go... grumble, grumble, grumble..." My eyes still fixed on the ground, I got back down to the lake to my husband and the kids. Mat looks at me and asks what I doing there. I told him I had lost the keys and couldn't find them anywhere. He started with "When was..." (taps his pants pocket at the same time), looks up at me and.... Yup, there they were!! Why, Why does this stuff happen?? Well, Romans 8:28 says 'everything works together for good... ' , so whatever the reason was I will find out some day! I called my mom to let her know the precious keys were found and she said they were turning around and coming to get me. Yay! Thanks to my sister, who provided me with a shower and a wonderful cup of coffee at her house (all in about 15 minutes), we made it to the meeting just short of 7:00! :o)
The meeting started with one of our sweet, church ladies testimony of how the Lord used her 4 year old daughter to bring her to Christ. I love to hear these stories and look forward to hearing more in the upcoming meetings! Hannah Roth reminded us of how our manners effect our testimonies for the Lord.

Manners is a way in which something is done; a usual way of acting; doing the right thing at the right time. Manners is a road map for society, and the key is being thoughtful and thinking before you act. This takes work and doesn't come easily.
Our testimony makes a statement. The evidence of what we believe. Character is a trait or quality that someone possesses. Manners build our character!
Mt 5:16- Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Mt 7:12- Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
There is always a positive and negative way of doing things. If we are using good manners from our hearts and through the love of the Lord, we will have a testimony that will be pleasing unto Him!

Thanks, Hannah, for the great reminder and something we can ponder on this month!
We can't have a meeting without refreshments! Certainly can't go wrong with cream cheese frosting on spice cake brought by Mary Jane and Mrs. Belcher's 'pumpkin dip' with teddy grahams was amazing! I think we need that recipe!! Mrs. Wanda Whitlock brought several beautiful holiday table decorations for us to view and even put one together for us to watch how it all happens! She certainly is talented!
It was a great meeting! I'm so thankful that the Lord worked everything out and allowed me to attend... in spite of the keys fiasco! I love visiting with the ladies of FBC and hope to develop a closer relationship with them.

-Krista Lanham

~ Daughter and Mother ~

~ Tea Time ~

~ This is how it is done! ~

~ Pretty prize for a pretty girl! ~

~ 'JEWELS' ~

September 2010 "Your Life as a Christian"

2010-10-19T03:27:00.007-04:00

The last J.E.W.E.L.S meeting took place on September 3. Our speaker for the evening was Linda Jones and her topic was "Your Life as a Christian". A personal relationship with God involves talking with him in prayer and reading His Word. Linda gave us a brief history on the origins of the Bible. She compared several different versions and told us that there are more than 5,000 differences between the New International Version (NIV) and the King James Version (KJV). Many verses are omitted from the NIV. After a brief time of fellowship over refreshments provided by Deana Whittemore, we enjoyed Debbie Rinehart's demonstration on how to make Christmas cards. She had a display of cards with many beautiful designs that she has made over the years. With Debbie's instruction, each lady got to create her own Christmas card. Hope to see all of you at the next J.E.W.E.L.S meeting on October 8.

~By Jackie Bryant

~Our ladies of the hour~

~What a GREAT display!~

~So many ideas~

~Don't forget the supplies~

~Which one to make... ??~

~Taping...~

~Snipping...~

~PERFECT!~

Oh yes, one more highlight of the evening...

~MMMMmmmmmmm!!!!!~

August 2010 "Jesus in Our Lives"

2010-10-19T02:15:00.008-04:00

Thank you to everyone who joined us at our August Jewel’s meeting! Mrs. Renae Staggs delivered our devotional and reminded us to think about where Jesus is in our everyday lives. Jesus is everywhere!

First, He is at church and desires a spiritual relationship with us.

Biblical examples of Jesus at church-

Luke 2:46-Jesus taught in the temple

Luke 4:16-17-Jesus reads from Isaiah in a synagogue

Luke 4:9- Satan sets Jesus on a pinnacle of a temple

Let’s make sure we are not leaving Jesus at church!

Second, He is at home and desires a very personal relationship with us.

Biblical examples of Jesus at home-

Luke 4:38- Jesus goes to Peter’s house to heal his mother-in-law

Matthew 9: 9-10; Luke 5:27-29- Jesus eats at Matthew’s house

Luke 10:38- Jesus at the home of Mary and Martha

Third, He is at work and desires a working relationship with us.

Biblical examples of Jesus at work-

Luke 5:2-6- Jesus enters a ship and does a miracle

Luke 5:27- Jesus calls Matthew from his desk

Remember, try praying if you are having a bad day at work!

Following our devotional, Mrs. Karen Haley modeled how to decorate a cake using different decorating tips. We thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to practice decorating our own cake/cupcakes!

Well, some worked while some visited.

Thank you to Mrs. Haley for providing the gorgeous cake for Mrs. Hazel’s 90^th birthday celebration!

We hope to see more ladies in September for another great time of fellowship!

~Mandy Williamson

July 2010 "Friends- with God and Each other"

2010-07-20T22:27:00.004-04:00

Despite summer vacations and trips, we had a successful turnout for our July Jewels meeting! Mrs. Blanche Frasier began our meeting with her testimony of salvation followed by an encouraging devotional delivered by Ms. Margaret Stringer. We were challenged as a group of ladies to be friends with each other. In ‘being a friend’ we need to remember that …

God is a friend to everyone! He was friends with Judas, Moses, Abraham and even to his enemies.

EX. 33:11 “And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.

James 2:23 “And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness; and he was called the friend of God.”
Matt 11:19 “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners.

Today, God is a friend to both sinners and Christians.

John 15:14 “Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you.”

Job is a prime Biblical example of a “true friend”.

Job 19:14 “…..my familiar friends have forgotten me.”
Job 42:10 “And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends.”

To have a friend, you must be a friend.

Prov. 18:24 “A man that hath friends, must show himself friendly.”
Job 15:13 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
Prov. 17:17 “A friend loveth at all times.”

Thank you to Sandy and Mandy Williamson for providing the tasty refreshments! To end the evening, Mrs. Karen Haley instructed us on how to decorate cards for friends by using tea bag folding! We hope to see more ladies on August 6^th for another great time of fellowship!
*Summary by Mandy Williamson

June 2010 "A Perfect Picure"

2010-06-09T23:05:00.010-04:00

We had another wondrous turnout by our FBC ladies at our June JEWELS meeting. Mrs. Belcher began our meeting with her testimony of salvation followed by an uplifting devotional by Krista Lanham. We were all reminded to continue striving to become more like the "perfect picture" which is Christ. In taking that 'perfect picture' we need to...

1. Look through the viewfinder- find your focal point, Christ, and keep him in the center
2. Be focused- if we are move we can blur our focal point. Ps 27:14 says "Wait on the Lord"
Be patient for God's timing!
3. Be on the same level- we need to constantly strive to be like Christ. Titus 2:11-13 tells us how we should live and 2 Samuel 22:31 says "As for God, his way is perfect"

Then we looked at our 'perfect pictures' and that brought us to...

1. Are you ready?- how are we living and what is our testimony to others? I Corinthians 10:31 says "whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" and Philippians 1:20 "that in nothing I shall be ashamed".
2. Do you have to edit your picture?- We can take and change our appearances and crop out where we are or who we are with but remember God sees our original pictures! We can't hide our true selves from him! The Bible tells us whether we are awake or asleep, we should live for him and to abstain form all appearances of evil.
3. Can you share your picture?- Matthew 5:16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Don't forget, we can share with not only the lost but with each other too!

We have a perfect example, the Lord Jesus Christ!

Thank you to Mrs. Roth and Hannah Roth for providing the tasty refreshments! To end the evening, Mrs. Barbara Lanham delivered some insightful tips on how to take a perfect picture. Be sure to check out her "Three steps to a sensational snapshot" listed below! We hope to see everyone on July 9th for another tremendous time of fellowship.
*Summary by Mandy Williamson

"3 steps to a sensational snapshot" By Barbara Lanham

1. Subject
Your subject can be anything you want.
Know your camera and the flash range- pictures taken beyond the maximum flash range will be too dark. For most cameras, that is 10 ft (4 steps away from the subject).
Add dimension to your photograph by taking pictures in the early morning and late evening with long shadows.
Get down on their level and move in close.

2. Lighting
Soft natural lighting (window or outside shadows) help enhance picture quality. When doing so, place your subject at a 90 degree angle to the light source.
If using a manual light source, position it behind and slightly above the camera.
-Cloudy days are great
-Avoid overhead sun, which cast a harsh shadow on the face
Use your flash outdoors to decrease shadows on subject.

3. Background
White walls often make the best backgrounds.
Clutter free- be mindful of what is filling up the entire picture!

*Also Remember~
Take a few minutes and become a picture director, not just a picture taker.
-Add some props
-Rearrange your subjects
-Bring multiple subjects together and let their personality shine

Frame your pictures
-Use natural objects in the surroundings of your shot to add depth to the picture. A branch, tree, side of a building
-Divide the picture into thirds, and have the focal point in the lower or upper portion of the frame.

Take vertical shots. Don't be afraid to turn your camera and fill the viewfinder with your subject.

May 2010 "Gifts from God"

2010-05-24T00:14:00.012-04:00

We had another great turnout by our FBC ladies for the second JEWELS meeting. The numbers keep growing! JoAnne Gosnell shared her testimony with the group and then we were honored to have Margaret Stringer speak to us for our devotion. Her topic was spiritual gifts and we learned how you don't have to take a test to find out what your gift is. Sometimes God gives you a talent or gift just when you need it the most. Afterwards, we enjoyed a time of fellowship with refreshments provided by Fran Morrell and Sandra Powell. To end up the evening, Wanda Whitlock demonstrated how to make beautiful bows and showed us ways we could decorate with them. Two lucky ladies got to take home one of Wanda's creations! Come to the next meeting and bring your camera. Barbara Lanham will show us how to make great pictures!

*Summary by Jackie Bryant

April 2010 "Shine for Him"

2010-05-02T22:56:00.000-04:00

We thank the Lord for making our first "JEWELS" meeting a tremendous success. We had a stupendous turnout with twenty-seven ladies/girls in attendance! Mrs. Blanche Frasier delivered the short yet inspiring devotional in which she conveyed the analogy of people being diamonds in the rough. We were all reminded how Christ uses the circumstances in our lives to polish and refine us so that we can shine for Him.

We took a brief break to enjoy the scrumptious refreshments that Mrs. Fran Morrell provided.

Mrs. Deana Whittemore then led a brief bead-making activity where we all created a pair of earrings to take home.

At next month's meeting, Miss Margaret Stringer will be speaking on our talents and Mrs. Wanda Whitlock will be teaching us how to make different types of bows. We hope that more ladies/girls will be able to join us for another refreshing time of fellowship and fun!
* Summary by Mandy Williamson