Nearly 125 women gathered at Parchment Valley Conference Center in Ripley, WV on Saturday for a great day of learning, inspiration, and fellowship at the 91st Annual Women’s Conference. A variety of workshops were offered to help the women of our AB churches across the state to start and run a women’s ministry in their church and community…..

As I was weeding this past week, I thought about the post I wrote last year; how I related weeds to the sins in our lives. Just about that time I was yanking on a fairly large dandelion growing between some sandstone steps that lead up to our fire pit. It wouldn’t budge, but I was determined to get the roots in hopes it wouldn’t return. I firmly grasped the root at the base, slowly wiggled it, and then pulled straight up. Low and behold, all the roots came with the weed. Of course, it caused me to fall backward from which I am sure all of God’s creation got a good laugh.

Meet the keynote speaker for the 2025 Annual Conference, Cecily Thompson, and get an inside look at and come prepared for her message titled, “What kind of vessel are you?”

She is deeply passionate about women’s ministry as she stated: “Ministry for me began with a very tentative longing in my heart to love and do life with other women. I had no idea what I had to offer but often found myself looking back on my life with regret and thinking, “If I had only known.” I soon realized that many other women were struggling with trying to do it all, be everything to everyone, and wondering why they were always striving but felt nothing except weariness and failure.”

February 15, 2023, was the day that H2O Ministries (Help to Offer Hope to Others) was birthed and has become a mission outreach ministry through Mt. Hope Baptist Temple.  A small group of church members work diligently to provide a hot meal for those in need.  The first free dinner was attended by 34 people from the community.  Since that first dinner was offered over two years ago, we average 150 plus meals with 200 meals being served Thanksgiving of last year.

God has made it possible for us to

John outran Peter, but I speculate that he ran so fast that he had to stop at the entrance to catch his breath giving Peter the opportunity to step inside first even though he was second to the site. Then John entered. Seeing that the body of Jesus was gone, what did the men do? According to verse 10, they went back to their homes!! Were they scared? John writes that when he went in, he “saw and believed.” So, were they going home to wrap their heads around what just happened? Why did they just go “back to their homes”?

My husband (the aforementioned pastor) continued with this focus which made for a beautiful Resurrection lesson for us to apply to our lives. He asked the parishioners in attendance…. “When we are done here today, will you just go home?” He encouraged and even challenged the people to do more. To go into the world and share the Good News… that He is alive!! Death is conquered!! Hallelujah! Amen!!

But that was where he stopped, and where I want to pick up with you. In the very next verse….

A couple of weeks ago I invited local churches through the MMM email blast to share news of what their women’s ministry is up to. I wasn’t sure if anyone would respond, but by the grace of God, we did get some responses. I’m so excited to share how women’s ministries across the state are being blessed and blessing others. Our first story comes from Missy Morrison from Pea Ridge Baptist Church in Huntington, WV.

Watching our West Virginia rolling hills turn from the dull lackluster grey of winter to tiny buds of green then quickly to fully brilliant leaves lifts my spirits. Fawns will soon be wabbling out of the woods; baby birds hungry for the worm Mom and Dad bring will cry until fed; baby lambs, goats, calves, foals, and chicks will bring new life to the farms; sprouts of early-summer veggies start popping out the ground; and blossoming fruit trees bring a promise of the harvest to come. There just isn’t any time of year as beautiful and welcomed. I thought I would share the following devotion by C.H. Spurgeon. He does such a beautiful job of helping us see Jesus and His love for us in nature.

. . . I pray for authentic, loving, non-judgmental, supportive friendships

. . . I pray for grace beyond understanding when she must share her husband with those who are unkind to him

. . . I pray for freedom from guilt when she is unable to do ALL that is expected…..

Behind the scenes, the pastor’s wife plays a critical role in supporting your pastor. Being called into the ministry is a tough job, and a pastor can struggle with the spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical demands. Most often, the one person the pastor can rely on the most is his wife. She supports him, encourages him, prays for…..

Loving someone requires maintaining a measure of optimism on that person’s behalf. Hope is an attitude that good will eventually come to those who may now be failing. Failure invades every Christian’s life, and it often causes others to give up on the one who fails. Yet, Christians who love will continue to hope for the best. This optimism…..

Today, we continue with our four-part discussion focused on the Apostle Paul’s statement that “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” 1 Corinthians 13:7

The second attribute of “believes all things” is discussed in this post. Perhaps this characteristic of love is best expressed in contemporary English idiom as: “Love gives the benefit of the doubt.” Have you ever heard this expression before? I bet at some point in your life, you have given someone the benefit of the doubt. 

The story we will look at this week is from Luke and involves another love encounter between Jesus and a woman of ill-repute.

We’re always told to “Love like Jesus!” We know how He treated people and the sacrifices He made. All of His examples are powerful statements to help us recognize and understand what Jesus Love looks like. Paul wrote a wonderful message to the Corinthians through two letters. In the first letter, he filled an entire chapter with instructions on how to Love like Jesus. Let’s focus on just one verse from 1 Corinthians 13:7… “[Love] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

The love of which so much is spoken of in this chapter is absolutely essential to true godliness. In fact, it is so essential that if we have everything else but do not have this love….

Happy 2025!  I hope everyone is doing well during this snowy and cold start to a new year.  The first few weeks of January have definitely been a “Be still and know that I am God;” Psalm 46:10 for many, while others have had to brave the weather and roads for many reasons.  During this first month of a new year, we can get overwhelmed with everything to do, or depressed because our busy time with family and worship has come to an end.  January in our area is typically a cold, grey month, and sometimes our spirits can match the weather.

Many times we are given or purchased a wonderful devotional for the whole year. We can start strong, but around the end of January we are struggling…

At the end of each chapter, Chan shares a story about a person (or a couple) that used the Holy Spirit in their lives to do God’s work, most times under very challenging circumstances.  For example, Joni Eareckson Tada is used to exemplify the discussion covered in Chapter 1. As I finished reading Chapter 4 this morning, I was especially touched by the story of Esther Ahn Kim, a Christian Korean during WWII…..

Christmas makes me happy. I love the look of a decorated tree. I love the smell of pine. I love the music on the radio as soon as I finish my Thanksgiving feast. I love the family traditions— steak on Christmas Eve and country ham on Christmas morning.

Here is something that I’ve learned over the years. While Christmas may be the most wonderful time of the year, this season is very difficult for some families. Christmas brings conflict. Christmas breeds chaos. Christmas is very difficult for people with family strain, financial hardship, or emotional mourning after the loss of a loved one.

During Christmas, we celebrate peace on earth, but…

Timing is Everything.

Have you ever had one of those chocolate countdown calendars to keep track of how many days are left until Christmas? They taste a little like chocolate mixed with cardboard. They’re fun! Each day of December you open a cardboard flap and eat a piece of stale candy while thoughts of sugar plums and fairies dance in your head. Christmas is special, and that is one of the many special ways to celebrate it.

Countdowns are eager ways to pass the time before something awesome happens, like going to Disney World, a school break, or the release of your favorite movie sequel. Like we discussed in the last guide, the Jewish people had been counting down the days until they’d meet their Messiah…..

When you really think about it, some of our Christmas traditions are weird. We hang socks over our fireplace…then, we fill them with candy. We put a dead tree in our living room…then, we decorate it with colorful glass balls. We put raw eggs into a beverage…then, we drink it. All of this stuff is weird, but one tradition stands above them all as the most frustrating. Wrapped gifts under the tree.

Do you remember being tortured as a kid by questions about that large gift chilling in your living room? You had to sit in the same room with it every day, but you had no idea what it was. All you could do was study its shape because its edges were being hugged by wrapping paper covered in elves. You’d observe it. You’d shake it. You’d listen to it. Maybe you’d even attempt to cut the crease with a razor for a sneak peek and then tape it back together (don’t do that).

Then finally on Christmas day….

November 5th is THE big day for our country, but choosing the right candidates may seem as difficult as selecting just the right donut on a wall of dozens of scrumptious varieties.  This post is in no way intended to be political.  I’m not about to advocate for one candidate over another.

[Georgia] cared about what was going on in your life. She possessed a kind and gentle spirit. The love of Jesus overflowed from her heart and touched the lives of those around her. She was a “bundle of sweetness”. If you were her friend you were honored and blessed. She truly was a treasure.

If you attended the 2024 Women’s Day last week in Oak Hill, WV, you were blessed with all three beauties. From 9:00am until 2:00pm, the ladies in attendance enjoyed praising God in song, fellowship with each other, updates from members of the ABWM Executive Board, messages of hope and inspiration, and (of course) some outstanding food! The hospitality from the members of Calvary Baptist Church was so splendid that it’s difficult to express appreciation in mere words. So here are some virtual {{{HUGS}}} to all the ladies who cooked the homemade meals and desserts. I’m certain everyone’s palate was in sheer delight with every meal!!