Mike Lanford passed away Thursday evening. Please pray for Sandy and his family.
Obituary from the Macon Telegraph
Warren Michael "Lambo" Lanford -MACON, GA - Warren Michael "Lambo" Lanford passed away on Thursday, February 26, 2009. Funeral services will be 3P.M. Monday, March 2, 2009 in the chapel of Crest Lawn Funeral Home with interment to immediately follow in Macon Memorial Park Cemetery. Reverend Jerry Dingmore and Reverend Ronnie Griffin will officiate. The family will greet friends at Crest Lawn from 3:00 to 5:00 P.M. on Sunday. -Mr. Lanford was a self-employed residential construction contractor. He was a member of Piedmont Church, was a Mason, and an airplane pilot. Mr. Lanford was an avid motorcycle enthusiast, an outdoorsman and an excellent marksman. -Mr. Lanford is survived by fiance Sandy Hollis; daughter Melinda Lanford; adopted son Joshua (Amber) Owens; sisters, Becky (Ronnie) Griffin and Paula (Garland) Harrell, and several nieces and nephews and great nieces and great nephews. -In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Heartland Hospice Services, 115 Arkwright Landing, Macon, Georgia 31210 or Piedmont Church, P.O. Box 26223, Macon, Georgia 31221. -Crest Lawn Funeral Home has charge of arrangements.
Paul said that we should encourage one another with these words: "We do not want to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep." 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
In HOPE,
Cindy
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Coaching Tip
After reviewing the list of Service Groups, I was intrigued to find that none of us signed up for News Anchors. The description for News Anchor is, “A source of light and Hope to those seeking spiritual counseling. This will include sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and promoting a relationship with Him.” In other words, News Anchors are called to be God’s witnesses.
“Witnessing” is one of those words that make all of us uncomfortable. We immediately begin to have visions of the guys on bicycles going door to door or the folks walking up to people in public places asking, “If you died today, do you know where you will go?” When we look at what the Bible says about witnessing, we will find that various forms of the word “witness” occurs 42 times in the New Testament. But not one of those 42 occurrences is the expression “to witness”. In Acts 1:8, Jesus says, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses…to the ends of the earth.” Jesus is not calling us “to witness” but to “be witnesses”. The word “Be” means “to exist in actuality; to remain in a certain state.” God desires for us to be a true representation of Him in our homes, at work and within our community. Representing and witnessing for God involves our whole life, not just a verbal presentation of the Gospel.
Another misconception we have is that only “mature” Christians or the “qualified” can be witnesses. We are fearful of appearing foolish and think that witnessing involves being able to quote scripture or to say an eloquent prayer. In 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, Paul writes, “When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power." So, I ask you. Do you have relationship with Jesus? Do you know and believe the story of the Cross? Then you, my friend, are qualified. Just like Paul, God will work through us if we will allow Him. A couple of years ago, I was doing a Bone Marrow Drive at a local church. I had planned to speak for about 5 minutes on the need for Bone Marrow Donors and go over the testing process. Right before I stepped onto the stage, the Pastor leaned over and whispered that he was going to give me 20 minutes of his sermon time to share whatever God placed on my heart. As you can imagine, my heart fell to my knees and I began to panic. Not only was this a large, primarily African American church (white girl can’t preach!), but it was also televised! I was unprepared, unqualified and about to make a complete fool of myself. As I walked up to the podium, I did the only thing I knew to do…I prayed. I told God that that I would do my part and open my mouth, but that He needed to show up and do the talking! I am relieved to tell you that God did show up and demonstrated His power through little-ole’-not-qualified-shaking-in-my-boots-ME!(I even got a few Amens!!) In less than 3 hours, we registered 250 new donors to the National Registry. To date, this has been our largest drive. And all I did was trust and open my mouth. God did all the rest.
After much thought and prayer, my conclusion is that we are all “News Anchors”. The Piedmont Care Network Team is a source of light and Hope to those in need. We are sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ through not only our words, but also through our actions. So, next time you are sending a card of encouragement, making a meal for a family, visiting someone in the hospital or even stepping up to a microphone, remember that you have been called and are more than qualified to BE a witness for our Lord and Savior.
In HOPE,
Cindy
Prayer Concern: Please pray for Abby Wilson. Her blood counts are currently low from her last dose of chemotherapy. Unfortunately, this makes her feel really bad and places her at a high risk for infection. You can read Abby's story and post words of encouragement at: www.caringbridge.org/visit/abbywilson
“Witnessing” is one of those words that make all of us uncomfortable. We immediately begin to have visions of the guys on bicycles going door to door or the folks walking up to people in public places asking, “If you died today, do you know where you will go?” When we look at what the Bible says about witnessing, we will find that various forms of the word “witness” occurs 42 times in the New Testament. But not one of those 42 occurrences is the expression “to witness”. In Acts 1:8, Jesus says, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses…to the ends of the earth.” Jesus is not calling us “to witness” but to “be witnesses”. The word “Be” means “to exist in actuality; to remain in a certain state.” God desires for us to be a true representation of Him in our homes, at work and within our community. Representing and witnessing for God involves our whole life, not just a verbal presentation of the Gospel.
Another misconception we have is that only “mature” Christians or the “qualified” can be witnesses. We are fearful of appearing foolish and think that witnessing involves being able to quote scripture or to say an eloquent prayer. In 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, Paul writes, “When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power." So, I ask you. Do you have relationship with Jesus? Do you know and believe the story of the Cross? Then you, my friend, are qualified. Just like Paul, God will work through us if we will allow Him. A couple of years ago, I was doing a Bone Marrow Drive at a local church. I had planned to speak for about 5 minutes on the need for Bone Marrow Donors and go over the testing process. Right before I stepped onto the stage, the Pastor leaned over and whispered that he was going to give me 20 minutes of his sermon time to share whatever God placed on my heart. As you can imagine, my heart fell to my knees and I began to panic. Not only was this a large, primarily African American church (white girl can’t preach!), but it was also televised! I was unprepared, unqualified and about to make a complete fool of myself. As I walked up to the podium, I did the only thing I knew to do…I prayed. I told God that that I would do my part and open my mouth, but that He needed to show up and do the talking! I am relieved to tell you that God did show up and demonstrated His power through little-ole’-not-qualified-shaking-in-my-boots-ME!(I even got a few Amens!!) In less than 3 hours, we registered 250 new donors to the National Registry. To date, this has been our largest drive. And all I did was trust and open my mouth. God did all the rest.
After much thought and prayer, my conclusion is that we are all “News Anchors”. The Piedmont Care Network Team is a source of light and Hope to those in need. We are sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ through not only our words, but also through our actions. So, next time you are sending a card of encouragement, making a meal for a family, visiting someone in the hospital or even stepping up to a microphone, remember that you have been called and are more than qualified to BE a witness for our Lord and Savior.
In HOPE,
Cindy
Prayer Concern: Please pray for Abby Wilson. Her blood counts are currently low from her last dose of chemotherapy. Unfortunately, this makes her feel really bad and places her at a high risk for infection. You can read Abby's story and post words of encouragement at: www.caringbridge.org/visit/abbywilson
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
PC Care Network
Care network team meeting the needs
What is a care network team?
Care network team – volunteer team consisting of compassionate hearts caring for those in need.
How does this work?
- Care leader sends out an email to update opportunities of help for care team.
- The care team will communicate to the leader any status or details concerning the person ministered to.
- This will allow the care leader to update and report any news or request to the Director of Ministry Operations.
- Our community groups will also play a major role in working with the care network to help meet the needs connected with and to their group.
Areas of serving
1. Gloves crew
Consisting of minor construction and maintenance for home or lawn. Also including cleaning and laundry for anyone who is in need.
2. Call squad
Communicating phone calls with words spoken for updates and encouragements.
3. Letter gang
This group will write cards of hope and will remind others of God’s love.
4. Email nerds
This includes emails and posts of comfort and compassion.
5. V club (visitor)
This team will be ready to make visits to those in the hospital or home of those who are sick or injured. This will also include bereavement calls.
6. Chefs
Cooking skills will be needed to provide meals to those families who need help or blessing. This also will include an occasional “stock the pantry” run.
7. News anchors
These few will be a source of light and hope to those seeking spiritual counseling. This will include sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and promoting a relationship with Him.
Ephesians 6:7
Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men,
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