Letters to God DFBC WOMEN’S

DFBC
WOMEN’S
MINISTRY
Statement of Faith
The Women’s Ministry of
Duncanville’s First Baptist
Church acknowledges the
Bible as the inspired Word of
God and final authority for faith
and life.
Statement of Vision
We are women called by God
to follow Christ, and through
relationship with Him, growing
into personal spiritual maturity,
founded on a biblical world
view, strengthening our
families and church, and
reflecting Christ’s love in the
world.
Statement of Purpose
Ministry that inspires women
to grow in passionate
commitment to Christ and His
church through:
 an accurate view of
Almighty God
 the transforming power of
His Word
 personal spiritual growth
 ministry in serving others
 training, mentoring, and
teaching
Letters to God
In the movie, Letters to God (2010), we witness the life of Tyler, an 8year-old boy diagnosed with life-threatening cancer. Not only was he suffering the horrible illness and treatments, but his close family and friends
suffered as they spent time with him each day fearing for his life. His
mother continually questioned God and couldn’t understand why her innocent little boy had to endure so much pain and why she may face the
heartbreak of losing her son at such a young age. On the contrary, Tyler
endured and stood firm in his faith. With the help of an old friend, he realized
that he was “God’s warrior” and had been specifically chosen by God to accomplish God’s work in spite of his illness. Scripture says that “God works
for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his
purpose” (Romans 8:28 NIV). Tyler was called by God. God used Tyler and
his letters (which were his form of prayer) to touch people’s lives in miraculous
ways – specifically his mother, brother, mailman, friends, and others in his
community. God chose Tyler because God knew that His Kingdom would
increase and His name would be glorified through the illness that He allowed
Tyler to endure. Second Timothy 4:5 (NIV) says, “But you, keep your head in
all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the
duties of your ministry.” Tyler was doing the work of an evangelist and did
not allow his hardship to hinder the duties of his ministry.
God does not delight in our hardships; He delights in our faith and perseverance through them. Since we live in a fallen world, we will face many hardships as a consequence of sin. Jesus says, “… Here on earth, you will have
many trials and sorrows, but take heart, because I have overcome the
world” (John 16:33 NLT). Both Christians and non-Christians will face hardship here on earth, but the difference is that we have the promise and hope of
Christ’s salvation!
(continued on next page)
Jesus said “I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 NLT).
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Letters to God (cont.)
Dear God,
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Love, _________
We may experience the side effects and
consequences of sin on this temporal
earth, but we know that Jesus has already
conquered the sin of this world and that
we, as believers and followers of Christ,
have a sealed reservation to be with Him
in Glory for eternity! That is the hope
and joy that Paul found in Christ when
he wrote, “I consider that our present
sufferings are not worth comparing with
the glory that will be revealed in
us” (Romans 8:18 NIV).
Maybe you can relate to Tyler or to his
mother regarding a specific situation. Perhaps you are experiencing suffering which
has caused you to question or even turn
away from your faith in God. If you can
relate to any of these situations, God wants
you to know that He has a specific plan for
you and will give you hope and encouragement if you call upon Him and seek Him
with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:11-13).
God has chosen you for a specific purpose
and wants to use you to further His Kingdom and to bring Glory to His Name!
~ Hannah Mason
The Savior’s Sachet
“For we are a
fragrance of Christ to
God among those
who are being saved
and among those who
are perishing.
II Corinthians 2: 15
Has there ever been a time you were
suddenly aware of something different
around you? Out of nowhere, a sweet
aroma causes you to stop and search for
it? It is not too sweet, not too strong, but
just right. You can’t describe it with
words, but it draws you to it. Then for
the rest of the evening the aroma lingers
long after the first time you smelled it.
You might even smell that same aroma a
few days later and the memory of the
first time you smelled it came back in
your thoughts. You wish you could find
that smell and wear it all the time. This is
the basis of real Christianity. Those who
truly love the Lord emit a lovely aroma;
one everyone will remember. One that
some will search for. Christ has an unmistakable fragrance. Anyone who is a
genuine Christ-like person and has a personal relationship with HIM gets this
fragrance poured on them by God.
Those aromas are the Spirit of God
wearing His fruit in the lives of believers.
Who comes to your mind when thinking
of that Godly aroma? As you think of
them, do the Fruit of the Spirit come to
you: love, joy, peace patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control?
Most important our aroma should please
God. How does one gain that aroma or
maintain it? We must know HIM in a very
personal way. By getting to know HIM in
an intimate way we will each have our own
fragrance that God can use for HIS purpose. God “makes known through us the
fragrance that consists of the knowledge of
HIM in every place.” If we let God lead us
in triumph, then our fragrances as believers, wherever we allow HIM to lead us, is
spread. Whoever seeks HIS fragrance
through us is given the sweet fragrance of
eternal life. Isn’t it great to pass on the fragrance He has poured on us?
When we spend more time around God
than in the world then we start smelling
like HIM. People sense something different, something they need and want. The
fragrance of God is powerful! All we have
to do is let God use us totally. The sinners
want to know that different fragrance and
it stays with them and makes them want
more. We are not adequate to dispense the
fragrance of God in our own strength. We
must abide in HIM to cover ourselves in
HIS fragrance. “Our inadequacy is God’s
sufficiency”. II Corinthians 4: 12.
~ Jeanne Shouse
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Ladies Fall Retreat: “The Savior’s Sachet”
At our Ladies Fall Retreat the theme of it
was “The Savior’s Sachet”. We all had a
great time singing praises to the Lord and
learning more about Him and how we are a
fragrance of Christ.
Our speaker was Diane Machen. She
blessed our hearts and our souls.
All the ladies were excited to get to meet
new ladies and we all enjoyed getting to
know one another better. If you didn’t get
to make it this year, be sure to come next
year. You’ll be glad you did.
On the side are comments of some ladies
that attended the Retreat that were asked
what impact the Retreat had on them.
Speaker: Diane Machen
“Enjoyed getting to know
other women better. I was
truly inspired by Diane.”
“Lots of fun and laughter.
So blessed by the love of
sisters of God.”
“We’re all in different places
with different backgrounds
- God meets us and loves us
where we are.”
“It showed me how to keep
my faith strong during hard
times and to how to continue to walk with the Lord.”
“ To let me know that I am
not alone in my struggles.”
“I loved the way Diane led
us in worship
Connecting during the Holidays
As a Christian, the Lord will be leading you
to share the love of Christ with someone
during the approaching holiday season, so
consider implementing this simple and enjoyable idea. Invite your friend or neighbor
over (or out) for a cup of coffee and to read
together the Nativity story from the Bible.
Select which scripture passage and pray beforehand (Luke, chapters 1&2 are a good
place to start - maybe also Isaiah 9:6-7).
Then trust in the Lord to lead you and
you’re friend into meaningful conversation over His Word!
If you’d like, you can do this over the
Thanksgiving holiday as well by selecting
some favorite scripture passages to read
with a friend. Share why you are grateful
for God’s love & also grateful for your
friend! Some scripture passages that you
may like to consider using are Psalm
100:4, Hebrews 12:28, Philippians 1:3 and
1 Thessalonians 3:9. The Lord will bless
you as you bless another!
Mark Your Calendar

October 30 - November 3 - The Bible Ministry Exhibition of the Protestant
Church in China, Northwest Bible Church, 8505 Douglas Ave. Dallas 75225
For info. go to: http://www.chinabibleexhibition.com/index.html
 November 9 - Reach Out 9:30-11:30, room A109 adult building, bring scissors
 November 12 - Baptist Women’s World Day of Prayer - 10:00 - 11:45am
To be held at Park Central Church in Dallas, call Lyndie Blevins for info.
 December - Angel Tree gifts need to be turned in by first week of December

December 9-12 - Christmas Pageant. Bring your neighbors, friends & family
 January 5 - Bible Study with teacher Bobbye Hill. Registration in December
 March - Book Club will be starting up again - Facilitator - Jayne Fisher
More info. to come later on Book Club
Who Am I?
The last Mystery Women
One was Doris Lancaster,
Two was Debbie
Hoffmeyer.
The winners that guessed
correctly are:
Sherry Sanders and
Linda Klager.
Hopefully you are enjoying this
game where you guess the identity
of women who are members of
DFBC. What a fun way to get to
know each other a little better.
Ask around and find out who this
Christian sister is and you may
discover other fun facts about
others in the process. The first
one to guess the mystery woman
and emails in the answer, gets a
prize!
One guess per person, per time.
Send your email guess to:
waiting4hisreturn@sbcglobal.net
www.dfbconline.org/women
Mystery Woman
I have been a member of DFBC for 20 years.
I have lived in Duncanville for 4 years.
I am married with one son.
I was raised in Dallas.
In High School I was in the choir and in
several musicals.
I was a member of the Nat’l Honor Society.
I was a teacher for 9 years.
I like to travel, do crafts and gardening.
I have traveled in 48 states.
DFBC WOMEN’S MINISTRY
There is a growing desire by many women attending DFBC to connect with their
Christian sisters more than just on Sundays. If you have any questions about how to
get more involved, feel free to contact one of the women listed here:
Women’s Ministry Team
Lyndie Blevins
cell: 214.794.2155
lyndieb@sbcglobal.net
Becky Latchem
home: 972.296.0456
klatchem@tx.rr.com
Lilly Naylor
cell: 972.480.1945
cmsdville@yahoo.com
Jeanne Shouse
cell: 972.948.6665
jeanne.shouse@edwardjones.com
Lashanda Willins
cell: 817.680.2458
lashandawillins@yahoo.com
Young Women’s Ministry:
Hannah Mason
cell: 972.310.2915
july26mason@gmail.com
Tapestry Team:
Cindy Talley
cell: 214.334.5676
waiting4hisreturn
@sbcglobal.net
Luci Tumas
cell: 972.296.5135
johnnlucitu@sbcglobal.net