Embrace God!

Dear Ladies,

God said in Jeremiah 31:3, "I have loved you with an everlasting love, with unfailling love I have drawn you to Myself." God sent His Son Jesus Christ into this world to live and die for each of us because of His love. Sin separates us from God, but through Jesus Christ's death and resurrection we can embrace a relationship with God. God wants a personal relationship with you and me.

In The Divine Embrace Ken Gire shares "Before Jesus called the disciples to ministry, He called them to intimacey...Before He called them to represent Him, He called them to be with Him...Before He sent them out, He drew them close."

This is what our God wants for each of His children today. I desire this for myself - to live the rest of my life - loving Jesus more today than I did yesterday, and more tomorrow than I do today. And I pray for each woman that reads this message that this will become your heart's desire.

"Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I will praise You. You satisfy me more than the richest feast, I will praise You with songs of joy." -Psalm 63:3,5

Living a Godly Legacy

Ladies, What kind of legacy are you living? What is your life centered on?
Come find out about leaving a godly legacy as we look at the lives of Rahab and Esther.


Ladies Night Out
DATE: Saturday, May 9th
TIME: 6-8 PM
LOCATION: ABC Fellowship Hall

Ladies, treat yourself to a night out to learn what it means to be a godly woman and to leave a godly legacy. This night filled with laughs, great food and even better fellowship will leave you refreshed and recharged.

The cost is $5.00

May 4th is the deadline for signups Call the church office or confirm via email to women@apexbaptist.org. Don't miss what God has in store for you!




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Apex Baptist Church

110 S. Salem St
Apex, North Carolina 27502





Forward email

Hi Ladies,

I want to share something with you this week that Sheila Heath wrote. I hope it encourages you in your walk of faith as much as it has me. Please continue reading:

"God doesn't create evil or directly cause evil, but evil is not outside of God's control. He often uses it for His own glory. It is hard for us to understand why bad things come our way
We only see one piece of the puzzle for our life, but God sees the entire picture. The faithful Christian will walk by faith, trusting God to do what is right in every situation.

How do we separate ourselves from evil and focus on Good (God)?

Evil is all around us, and frankly, I think it is out of control. This past Wednesday, thousands of people gathered in various areas around the country to protest taxes. They were called tea parties. Unfortunately, they were not even acknowledged by the mainstream media or the White House. These people did not cause any riots. They were very peaceful, and several signs were held up with scripture written on them.

So how loud do we as Christians need to get before our voices are heard against the evil in this country? Does anyone listen? Will they ever listen? Have the ones that are in control of our country turned a deaf ear to our voices?

Isaiah 2:22Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he?

So, how do we separate ourselves from evil and focus on Good (God)?

We can separate ourselves from evil and focus on Good (God) by:

Praying - Allowing God to hear our voices - Pray for the evil around us
Reading - Spending time in God's Word daily
Seeking - Asking God to reveal His purpose for you
Meditating - Close your eyes thinking on the goodness of God
Armour - Put on God's Armour so you can be prepared to be shielded from the evil one

Ask God to pour His spirit into you every morning. Spend at least 5 minutes meditating, hearing His voice. I encourage you to turn off evil all day and turn on good (God). Listen to Christian music or Christian talk radio/TV. Think on the things of God. Remember everyday what He did for you on the cross.

Deuteronomy 4:29But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for Him with all your heart and with all your soul.

God is Good! God is in control! "


Sheila

Memory Verse for the week:
This is the day that the Lord hath made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24


**Mark your calendars: Girlfriends Night Out, Saturday, May 9th, 6:00-8:00 at ABC Fellowship Hall. Don't be left out. Come join the fun. Bring your girlfriends with you.

In Christ Love,
Melody Merritt

Encouragement for Your Legacy

What kind of legacy are you leaving? I don't mean when you die, but each day as you are living! A legacy is what others see as they look at our lives. Our legacy influences the people around us for good or bad. It is hard to live a godly life in such an ungodly world. But we don't have to do it by ourselves.

Our God is good. He does not leave us to do this alone. He has called us to live a holy life. He has given us His Holy Spirit to guide us. "So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them (the world). For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you." (Deuteronomy 31:6). Be in the Word of God everyday. Let God speak to you through His Word. Pray, talk to God and listen to Him. Look for God's Presence in your life each day. He is there.

"Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil." (Ephesians 6:10) Ladies, you can be an overcomer and live victoriously in this world because our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ overcame the world. Whatever you are going through right now, stand firm and trust God. He is leading you to a glorious destiny.

g! Group Updates!!

Ladies!

Thank you to everyone who attended the “Taste & See” Women’s event last Sunday! We are overjoyed with your enthusiasm for “What’s Cookin” at ABC and have been so blessed by your feedback. Take a minute to stop by the Women’s Ministry bulletin board in the hall by the sanctuary for pictures and updates!

If you missed the event, I’m sure by now you’ve heard the buzz. The Women’s Ministry Council announced a new ministry tool that you’ll be seeing lots of, “Girlfriends Unlimited”. We also introduced g! groups which are small groups of women with a common interest. Ladies had an opportunity to sign up for one or more of the 14 small groups available. There was another group added during the 2nd service – “Line Dancing”! If you would like to sign up for a group and didn’t, please contact the FUNcilitator of the group you are interested in. These are the groups currently available.

g! Group FUNcilitator
Beading/Jewelry Kami Terry
Book Review Dell Pinkston
Coffee Group Fair Mims
Quilting/Sewing Grace Kirkland
Chick Flicks Laurel Veeder
Exercise Judy Oakley
Writers/Speakers Amy Carroll
Treasure Keepers Phyllis Wagner
Photography Angelisa Faucette
Gardening You?
Gaming Gals Gayle Yates
Cooking/Nutrition You?
Craft You?
Line Dancing Carla Torrence

The organization of the g! groups is well under way with FUNcilitators being identified and information being channeled. Over the next few weeks, here is what you can expect:

1. If you are a FUNcilitator, you should be getting a list of women who signed up for your group (if you haven’t already)
2. For everyone else, FUNcilitators will be contacting you with information about the g! groups that you signed up for
3. A list of all g! groups and FUNcilitator’s names & contact information will be on the Women’s Ministry website (www.apexbaptist.org/women)
4. G! groups will begin getting together for fun & fellowship!

If you have any questions, please contact one of the women on the Women’s Ministry Council. Also, if you’d like to get involved and are not sure how, give us a call or send us an email – we’d love to hear from you!

2009 Women’s Ministry Council Members

Melody Merritt HomeNC@aol.com
Dawn Ward dawnward@nc.rr.com
Holly Ladner hollyladner@embarqmail.com
Mary Cantrell mcantrell4@nc.rr.com
Susan Meyer meyerzone@yahoo.com
Margaret Lawrence Mlawrence26@nc.rr.com
Connie Womble gwomble589@aol.com
June Thompson June4als@aol.com

Blessings to you!
The Apex Baptist Women’s Ministry Council



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Relationships

Hi Everyone,

Wow! Are you excited about the new items on the Menu at Apex Baptist for Ladies? I am! There is a place for everyone to plug in and have fun with girlfriends and meet new ones.

It is tough being a woman in today's world. Isn't it? But you don't have to walk alone in this life. God didn't create us to be alone. He created us to be in relationships. First, with Him through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Spend time each day with God in prayer (talking and listening) and in the Holy Scriptures. Then as you go through your day look for God to show up. He will in a sunrise, a sunset, or in a still quiet way, but look for Him, He is there. "If you look for Me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you, says the Lord." Jeremiah 29:13. Secondly, we are made to be in relationship with other people. Spend time with other believers to be encouraged and to encourage them. It is so sweet to talk about Jesus with a fellow believer. Then when you have an opportunity to help someone in need you are ready to reach out in Jesus' Name.

This is a great quote from the movie, "Kungfu Panda" (I don't think the quote is originally from that movie, but I don't know where it originated). "Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift, That is why it is called the Present!" Each day is a present from God. Live for Him each day. "You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You. Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock." Isaiah 26:3-4.

Well, it is time for me to get some rest. I pray that each of you are resting in God today.

In Christ Love,

Melody Merritt
Women's Ministry Director
Apex Baptist Church

I hope everyone was able to stay in today out of the rain. I got to go hear our very own Amy Carroll speak. She spoke on Lessons from the Vineyard. There is a conflict within each of with our old nature and our new nature. Are you living in bondage to sin or are you living the fruitful life in Jesus Christ? Each of us can burst forth with fruit and live a life of victory if we abide in Jesus Christ. According to Ephesians 1:3 God has placed everything in our life and given us all we need to be fruitful. Now we need to relax, abide in the vine, and let the Holy Spirit work in us.

To abide in the vine we need to spend time with God everyday in His Word, in prayer, and listening to Him. Come Sunday morning to the Taste and See for the women of ABC and find out how you can abide with other believers in the fellowship God loves you and wants to spend time with you.

See you on Sunday!

In Christ Love,
Melody Merritt

A Second Start

Hello Ladies,

I am going to try this again. I am not very technical as you have probably figured out already. And I admit it I procrastinate on things that I find hard. Blogging should be easy. I love to talk! It seems to be the time that I can't find. I am going to try to blog more often. I wish I could say every few days, but I don't want to set myself up for failure! We'll see!

How about you is there anything you have trouble finding time for? Guess what! God created time for us. He set a day with 24 hours. We are the ones who try to overload that 24 hours. I find that when I get overloaded my time with God is what usually gets shortchanged. Does God get your first or your leftovers? I have to admit sometimes I get up late or am so rushed getting out of the house in the mornings that I don't give God the first or even my best time. I do try not to leave home without a devotion and prayer, but sometimes they are very short. But my day goes so much better when I have spent time with my Lord at the beginning of my day. During the first 2 months of this year God has been getting my attention, drawing me to Him and I have such a deep longing to be with Him more and more. My prayer is that each of you will have this same longing for time with God, no matter whether it is 5 minutes or 30. I pray that you will hunger for a deeper relationship with God.

In Christ Love,
Melody Merritt