Fall/Winter 2017
Vol. 16 Issue 1
Waiting on the … Promises of GOD
A promise is a promise. God’s Word contains some 3000+ promises covering every subject and condition common to man. Not inclusive of those “precious personal” promises that have been etched in our hearts during those private moments we spend with the Lord. The problem we face as Christians is not in acknowledging with assurance their existence in the Bible, but possessing the character to wait patiently on God for them to come to pass. While we acknowledge all the promises of God to be rooted in eternalness, our human inclination stresses over the elements of “when” and “how” as we consider how we can make them be realized now. We know that God is immutable and in His infinite power He both can and will bring every promise to pass. Yet, we struggle feeling the need and compulsion to help Him along with His in-tended purpose and plan. As I recently sat hearing my pastor speak to the subject of Patience vs. Waiting during which time my young grand-daughter who was taking her children’s church notes drew a series of pictures that graph-ically drove home this dilem-ma. She meticulously drew a series of chairs and placed a lone man seated in first chair. In each subsequent chair the man sunk lower in the chair until he ultimately slid off the chair onto the floor. He’d lost his patience to wait. In her final chair she decided to illus-trate what would happen the moment he mustered up the strength to put patience to work as a child of God and wait on God. Immediately, the man was upright and sitting erect in the chair. I considered the simplicity of her illustra-tions and realized that’s exactly what happens when we fail in our fruitfulness of patience and sink in the doldrums because we cannot wait. My pastor uttered words that touched my heart — Patience is rooted in eternalness; and waiting is not a passive action but the act of exercising our faith
Celebrating … CHRIST
With the Holiday Season upon us, the Nation of NFCOG wish you and your family all the blessings of Christ our Lord. While focused on family and friends, don’t fail to celebrate Christ, whose miraculous birth and sacrificial death enables us to both know and experience love, peace, and great joy!
Editor’s Corner
Living in the “NOW”
The changing of the seasons often comes with mixed emotions. Recalling the warmth of Summer’s sun and fragrances abundant in its warm breezes soon becomes a distant memory as we meticulously recount the palate portrayed by Fall’s canvas of beauty and spend countless moments wishing they could remain with us forever. Sometimes we struggle to embrace the early morning chill and the crispness of the air that accompanies the new approaching season that now challenges us to recognize the beauty we are about to behold. If we spend our time merely lamenting the bygone seasons, we will miss the unparalleled beauty of the “fresh fallen snow” that awaits us. Each breath we will take is filled with fresh air. Air that is clean and fills our lungs with important health benefits. Air that is good for our digestion. It improves our blood pressure and heart rate. It makes us happier and it strengthens our immune system. It even gives us more energy and sharper minds.1 If we embrace this new season and expose ourselves to its wholesomeness by living in the now, we will become healthier and much stronger. Just as seasons change in the year, so do they in our spiritual walk with Christ. What we perceive as the harshness of winter, our coldest season with its short days and long nights, will soon be acknowledged as a season of beauty and cleansing that alone pre-pared us for the Spring. 1goodrelaxation.com/2012/01/health-benefits-of-fresh air
Member Spotlight … 
Shoneen N. Brown, Member: New St. Mark, Norfolk, VA
Join us as we welcome Shoneen Brown, our resident chef, who has joined our team of editorial professionals. Shoneen’s collaborative efforts with Tracy McClain bring to our Health & Wellness features insightful meal suggestions and tasty recipes, complete with preparation and useful storage information, that will enable our readers to make healthy choices supporting a healthy diet aimed to improve their quality of life. While sever-al of her recipes have been previously featured in NFCOGnews, we are delight-ed she is now a member of our team. She holds an A.A.S. in Culinary Arts from Johnson University, and a B.A A. in Tourism Hospitality & Hospitality Management (Norfolk State University); and is currently pursuing her M.A. in Human Services-Life Coaching at Regent University. Shoneen is the daughter of Pastor & Elder Terry (Sarah) Brown, Sr. and is faithfully engaged in the work of her church, NFCOG’s Uth4Christ, and serves on the NFCOG Praise Team. NFCOG readers are in for a treat!
Quotable Quotes…God’s Word Said It First
“You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of.” Jim Rohn To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: Ecclesiastes 3:1 “Everything has seasons, and we have to be able to recognize when something’s time has passed and be able to move into the next sea-son. Everything that is alive requires pruning as well, which is a great metaphor for endings.” Henry Cloud “Time will pass and seasons will come and go.” Roy Bean For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. Psalm 30:5 “I believe in process. I believe in four seasons. I believe that winter’s tough, but spring’s com-ing. I believe that there’s a growing season. And I think that you realize that in life, you grow. You get better.” Steve Southerland Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord. Psalm 27:14 “There are seasons in life. Don’t ever let any-one try to deny you the joy of one season be-cause they believe you should stay in another season… Listen to yourself. Trust your instincts. Keep your perspective.” Jane Clayson And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the Lord will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service. Exodus 12:25