Tag Archives: God

Church-Part 6C

30 Oct

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Back in September, in the posting I wrote, I mentioned the church we were members of in Wiesbaden, West Germany.  As it turned out, while we were in Heidelberg, Immanuel Baptist Church in Wiesbaden, was celebrating it’s 25th Anniversary as an established church (in 1957).   Since we were only one hour away from Wiesbaden, we took the girls with us and attended that celebration.

If you remember another previous posting, you might remember Immanuel Baptist Church had built a new building after we rotated Stateside.  It was in this building where the celebration was held.

Immanuel Baptist Church, Wiesbaden, West Germany Photo by Fred Wills

Photo by Fred Wills

Photo by Fred Wills

It was a joint celebration with the Americans and Germans together.  There was music by the German choir, there was preaching by the very first pastor of that church, Herman Dee Stout. 

Photo by Fred Wills

Pastor Herman Stout – first pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church

German choir behind him

Herman and his brother, Herbert L. Stout, had been military (U.S. Army, we think) at one time in Wiesbaden.  After they got out of the military, Herman came back to Germany and Wiesbaden to start that first church in Wiesbaden.  (Herbert was called as pastor to Bethel Baptist Church in Frankfurt the following year, 1958).   All the former pastors of the Immanuel Baptist Church were in attendance, except the gentleman who was pastor when we were there.  He was in ill health at that time and was unable to attend.

Fred was able to stand and bring greetings from our family – who were members 10 years before – and from the Grace Baptist Church in Heidelberg.

Following the upstairs festivities, there was cake, punch, and coffee downstairs.  It was a joyous time for us, as well as the Immanuel Baptist Church.  We felt blest to be able to attend that meeting, and be in Germany during that time.

Photo by Fred Wills

Downstairs, at the tables

Photo by Fred Wills

In another vein, I would like to tell a humorous story about our Heidelberg pastor, Greg.  In this picture, you will see a man with a very full beard – a former pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church who was pastor in Wiesbaden the same time we were in Heidelberg.

Photo from IBC webpage

Greg so admired that beard, that he determined to grow one for himself.  Unfortunately, Greg’s beard was not anywhere near as full or thick – or black!  One Sunday morning, he decided to shave it off.  All of us in the congregation were surprised to see him clean-shaven that morning, when he got up to preach.  Unfortunately, I can’t remember what the sermon was about, but I do remember that, in the middle of the sermon, he said, “folks, as you can see, I’ve shaved off my beard this morning.  As I stood looking at myself in the mirror, I realized that it was the first time in my life I’ve had hair on my chest!”

As you might imagine, we in the congregation erupted in laughter!  And that statement might just as well have illustrated a point in his sermon.  I just don’t remember – I only remember the laughter it produced!

WE….ARE THE CHURCH!

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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Quick to Listen

24 Oct

My Take

DiVoran Lites

My dearest brothers and sisters, take this to heart: Be quick to listen; but slow to speak. And be slow to become angry, for human anger is never a legitimate tool to promote God’s righteous purpose. Therefore, (with the help of Holy Spirit) abandon everything morally impure and all forms of wicked conduct. Instead, with a sensitive spirit we absorb God’s Word, which has been implanted within our nature, for the Word of Life has power to continually deliver us. James 1:19

Photo Credit Pixabay

DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

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Church-Part 6B

23 Oct

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Just a side note to finding a new pastor in our Baptist church in Germany.  There was one young man, from California, who expressed interest in becoming our pastor.  The Search Committee heard audio tapes from some of his sermons. 

Credit Pixabay

When he said he wanted to come in-person to interview – at his expense – we were agreeable.  Unfortunately, when he preached – while it was a good sermon – those of us on the Search Committee had already heard his sermon, on tape.  He wanted to come in-person, since he had relatives in other parts of Europe, and planned to visit them after visiting with us.

The Pastor Search Committee (Fred and I both were on this committee) met with him during the weekend he was with us.  When I realized we hadn’t talked about the “nitty-gritty” stuff, such as salary, etc., I offered to make lunch following the worship service on Sunday for the committee, and we could sit around our dining room table and discuss things in private. 

Credit Pixabay – French Onion Soup – which I fixed for lunch that Sunday

Everything seemed okay until he asked how we were going to get all his household goods to Germany, as well as his two cars.  We told him that he could bring 2,000 pounds of household goods and one car – the same as the military allowed the rest of us.  That put an end to the discussions, as he said he couldn’t live under those conditions.

Funny end of that story – the very Saturday night before the church was to vote on calling Greg to be our pastor, this gentleman called from California, and asked Fred to ask the committee to re-consider him for the position.

Credit Pixabay

He said his family had had a house fie, and had lost all his possessions,

Credit Pixabay

and one of his cars had been totaled in a wreck. 

Credit Pixabay

He stated that he felt God was trying to get his attention!  Fred informed him that the vote on another man was the next day, and Fred would tell him the result.  As it turned out – the church voted unanimously to call Greg as our new pastor.  

Our new pastor, Greg and his wife, Carol – 1981

Sorry about the clarity of this photo.

We enjoyed our three years with Grace Baptist Church, there in Heidelberg.  We became friends with Greg and his wife, Carol, and his three children.  As I mentioned last time, our Karen and their Brian fell in love, and later married.   Greg and Carol’s middle daughter, Michelle, was a delightful young lady.  She was one of the highlights of the young peoples group at the church.  Our Janet was the same age as their youngest daughter, Deanna, and they became fast friends, as well.

Last time, I mentioned that we had a family from Canada in our church membership.  The wife/mother of the family approached me at one time, about teaching her two boys piano lessons.  I had never thought to teach piano, even though I played, and was the pianist for our church there.  However, when she told me that Canada had a “conservatory” system of teaching and learning piano, I agreed.  Canada has a program where the child can be taught in any province of Canada, and if moved to another province, they can pick right back up where they left off.  It’s an interesting concept.  The boys had already had several years of learning, and it was a delight to work with them within this system.  That allowed them to keep up with the program, and not be far behind when they returned to Canada.

Credit ChurchArt

As with other churches we had been part of, that had a large military base, about one-third of the congregation left for the States every year.  Fortunately, they were replaced by incoming military members the following Fall.

Greg and his family stayed in Heidelberg for about five years, with Brian returning Stateside in our second year in Virginia, to study at the same University where Karen was.  They married in another year, and both completed their education.

WE….ARE THE CHURCH!

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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What To Do While We Wait For The Answer

22 Oct

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

Reblogged October 22, 2022

October 21, 2022

Have you been there? Waiting on answers from God? Unanswered prayers bring on doubt. Doubt turns to fear. And then opens the door to anxiety. Before we know it, we join the rest of the world in their gloom and complaining.

We’re not alone; the Israelites join us in that grumbling.

As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians?’ It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”

Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14: 10-14

Have you ever complained like that?

I have. And that’s because we’re deep into our own struggles. We end up terrified like the Israelites. We grumble in the hot desert of frustration. And as we trudge through the dry land of conflict, of uncertainty and nervousness, we desperately look for God’s answer, a clear path, a solution; we look to be rescued now.

But no one is there. And we have our own Egyptians called stress and anxiety that chase us, threatening to ruin our day.

But if Moses were alive today, he might post a message to all of us, “Do not fret, God will fight your battles. His answer is already here. You need only to be still.”

While we wait for the answer, that reassuring peace is what we invite into our sleepless nights. The battle doesn’t belong to us. The outcome is already in His hands. And the promise of a brighter tomorrow is what fill His promises.

That’s because it’s in the still of His presence that His peace can fill our nights. In the still of our heart is when His whisper brushes through. And in the still of the moment is when we see His promises come alive.

Let’s Pray

Father, calm my heart, whisper your peace into my longing. Silence the voices of fear so I can be secure as I wait for your answers. In Jesus name. Amen.

In the midst of your hectic life, what keeps you from being still enough while you wait for God’s answers?

Janet

______________________________________

Did you know I wrote a book filled with words of encouragement, uplifting thoughts and illustrations of real-life triumph to empower you? Its title, Trials of Today, Treasures for Tomorrow: Overcoming Adversities in Life. You can get it HERE.

CLICK HERE for a one-minute inspirational video.

Looking for a speaker for your upcoming event? A great speaker makes the difference between a so-so event and one that shines with impact. I invite you to view one of my two-minute videos HERE.

Please share: Feel free to share Janet’s posts with your friends.

Let’s connect:

Janet Eckles Perez

Some say she should be the last person to be dancing. Her life is summarized in this 3-minute video: http://bit.ly/1a8wGJR

Janet Perez Eckles’ story of triumph is marked by her work as an international speaker, #1 best-selling author, radio host, personal success coach and master interpreter. Although blind since 31, her passion is to help you see the best of life.

www.janetperezeckles.com

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God Says Listen

17 Oct

My Take

DiVoran Lites

To all my dear, dear friends, 

God says LISTEN to the truth I speak to you. Mark 11:22

And then you will have the truth and the truth will set you free! John 8:32

I was connected with God and the Holy Spirit when I was five years old. Our dear Sunday School Teacher taught us a song called, “Jesus Loves Me’” What a great thing to know. I was His and He was mine. But just in case, I did ask Jesus to come into my life and heart many times Over the years, just because I needed to be sure. I was Baptized when I started going to church with my now husband Bill. He’d already been baptized years ago. Then we once had a Pastor who asked his regulars if he could baptize his faithful ones just to make sure, so we were well covered as far as religion was concerned. You don’t have to do any of that twice. Once is enough. 

When we trust in the Lord with all our hearts and lean not to our own understanding. God’s truth sets us free. (Not ourtruth, but God’s truth) He is always there for us whether we know what’s going to happen or not.

He stands at our doors and knocks. If anyone hears his voice and will open the door, He will come in. 

One thing I’ve not known and not done in my Christian life was to wait on the Holy Spirit to tell me what to do in any situation. Instead, I’ve rushed off in a panic worrying about what the answer should be. It was a way of generating stress which isn’t really good for us. 

I don’t know why such an obvious thing as quietly listening for Him to take care of me got past me. Sometimes, I still don’t get it. First, I begin to panic, but He is always on my side!  (Thank the Lord) the panic gets pushed away leaving room for big things as well as small ones to come to mind and heart and I quiet down and wait for Him, and he shows me the way.

It is wonderful when He takes something small and magnifies it and I know Holy Spirit lives in me and He cares about the smallest and largest thing and I can live, not in fear, but in delight wondering what the next thing is going to be. Good or bad it’s all in His hands and I am learning that I don’t know it all, but He does.  And I love being guided by them and Him and His love. He can do anything, healings, deliverance, and get this He owns all the cattle in the world and can show us about finances too. I’ve wasted too many years not practicing that kind of prayer, but He’s still with me and I am still His and always, always will be.

Oh How He Loves You and Me

Love, 

DiVoran

DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

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Church-Part 6A

16 Oct

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

This English-speaking church (Grace Baptist Church, Heidelberg) had a tradition of going to one of the American resorts in Bavaria for a week’s recreation (i.e. skiing) between Christmas and New Years.  A bus was chartered, and those who wanted to go went with the group.  They went to a different resort each year.  They all stayed in the same hotel.  Some of the “after hours” was fun, as we got together for games, or just fellowship to get to know each other better.  Our family was able to go with the group to Garmisch one year,

The Patton Hotel, Garmisch, Bavaria, Germany – Photo by Fred Wills

 as well as Berchtesgaden another year.

Hotel Geiger, Berchtesgaden, Bavaria, Germany – Photo by Fred Wills

However, since none in our family were skiers, we decided to stay home the year the group went to Chiemsee.  That was about all there was to do there.

Chiemsee castle and fountains – Bavaria, Germany – Photo by Fred Wills

As it turned out, that was a good thing.  As I mentioned earlier, the pastor was ready to rotate Stateside within the first year we were there.  And so we began to look for a new pastor.  (Our Karen and her husband, Brian, seem to remember the pastor’s name was Charles, and his wife was Pauline.  That sounds familiar to us, as well.  Glad they have such good memories!)

Since our church was away from the U.S., the process of searching for a new pastor was different.  We contacted the Baptist Seminaries and asked for references.  When we got them, we contacted the ones we thought were most agreeable to being in Europe, and asked for tapes of some of their sermons.  This was NOT a popularity contest!  We always and foremost, looked for God’s man for our body of believers.  We took the person we thought fit us the best, and worked with him.  If that one didn’t work out, for one reason or another, then we went to the next name.

We contacted a man named Greg. We were most impressed with him, and he was willing to locate to Heidelberg.  We presented his name to the congregation, and the church voted to call him as our pastor.  Greg and his family arrived during the week the church group was at Chiemsee.  Because we had not gone with the group that year, we were there to welcome the family to Germany as well as to Heidelberg.

Our new pastor, Greg and his wife, Carol – 1981 Sorry about the clarity of this photo

The church had rented an apartment for Greg and his family, and the ladies of the church had furnished and decorated it as best we could.  They were unable to bring more than the military allowed us to bring over, so they were mostly ready to just move into the apartment when they arrived.

Our family had planned to have Greg’s family come to our apartment for supper before we left on a bus trip to Paris.

The Eiffel Tower – Judy, Karen & Janet – Photo by Fred Wills – 1981

As it turned out, Greg had injured his back when he helped a German man push his car out of a snow bank, and therefore, his family was unable to come to our apartment.  So I wrapped up my big pot of spaghetti and Angel Hair pasta, picked up some lovely German bread from our favorite German bakery, and took it up the hill to them!

Greg sat at the table long enough to eat, then went back to the couch to rest.  Our Karen and their son, Brian, did the dishes together after supper.  That’s how they met, and have now been happily married for over 35 years!

WE….ARE THE CHURCH!

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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The God Who Moves the Mountains

10 Oct

My Take

DiVoran Lites

The Lord is my strength, my shield from every danger. I trust in Him with all my heart. 

Psalm 28:7

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I Will Sing

3 Oct

My Take

DiVoran Lites

I trust in Your unfailing love. I will rejoice because You have rescued me. I will sing to the Lord because He has been so good to me. Psalm 13:5-6God

Photo credit:Pixabay

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Church-Part 5

2 Oct

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

I told Fred, while at Tyndall AFB, Florida, that he really needed to be reassigned – we had been at Tyndall for over four years, and I was beginning to put down roots – in a government duplex!  So we were expecting something in the near future.

Photo credit WJHG.com  Credit Google search

And the future brought an assignment for Fred to attend the Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. 

Credit Google Search and Fort Leavenworth website

It was to be just a one-year study.  There were other Air Force personnel attending the school, and they also arrived in June, so they could “learn to speak Army,” as Fred told me, before they began their regular study.

We had never been to Kansas, and when I mentioned it to friends in Florida, most of them were going on about how flat and desert-like Kansas was.  So we were quite surprised to find that Fort Leavenworth was in a hilly, grassy area, and was separated from Missouri by the Missouri River.  It was a lovely area, and we enjoyed our year there.  We made several trips over the river to visit Kansas City, Missouri.  

We began looking for a church home shortly after moving into our quarters.  There were several Baptist churches there, but I only remember attending one – the one we joined.  It was Leavenworth Baptist Church.

Leavenworth Baptist Church, Leavenworth, Kansas

Credit Google Search and Leavenworth Baptist Church website

It was indeed a God-ordained decision on our part, as we became good friends with the pastor and his family.  They were close to our age, and our Janet became good friends with their daughter.  We have maintained that friendship with the pastor and his wife throughout all these years.  They have come to visit Orlando several times in the years we have lived here.

Again, Fred and I joined the choir, and the Sunday School.  Our girls seemed quite happy in their respective Sunday School classes.  It wasn’t a terribly large church, but one where we were comfortable.

The pastor, Jerry, told us that he never asked all the military in the congregation who were transferring out, to stand at the end of the Spring term.  He said he did that the first year he was pastor – and one-third of the congregation stood up!  He was so disheartened by that, that he never did it again.  He had seen God bring another one-third to the church the following Fall term, bur he just couldn’t stand to see one-third of his congregation leaving at one time!

While most of that year was a good one, there was one unhappy event as well.  Turns out that the treasurer of the church was a one-man team with the finances of the church.  Jerry, who had a wife and four children, was told often by this man, that the contributions from the congregation just weren’t enough to pay his full salary.  Eventually, it was found that this man had been embezzling from the church.  He purchased a Cadillac for himself, and other goodies.  When all this came to light, many of the purchases Jerry had made (i.e. lumber to build bookshelves for his church office) were dismissed by the merchants.  The church took the Cadillac as part re-payment and sold it for about half what he paid for it.

Consequently, after that experience, whenever Fred and I looked into joining a church, we made sure that the treasurer was a team of at least two if not three people.  I’m sure the church people we questioned, were puzzled by this question, but it satisfied us.

All that to say that the church got back on its feet, once this man left the area, with the promise to pay back all he had taken.  Jerry could feed his family again.

Better news next week……

WE….ARE THE CHURCH!

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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I Will Listen to You

5 Sep

My Take

DiVoran Lites

You will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:12-13

Photo Credit:Pixabay

To enjoy a choral presentation of the beloved song, Jesus Loves Me on You Tube:

https://youtu.be/4s1so1dTu7o

DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

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