Quote of the Day

Blessed is the man who recognizes that there is only one God and stops applying for the position. - Max Lucado

Faith Conference in Dallas

Featuring Earnest and Roline

After the licensing…..2 years later

Sub Title: Steps to Self-evaluation

By: Roline Thomas
November 13, 2010
In November 2008 and for the first time in the history of my church St. Mark BC, nine women preached during the Annual Associate Ministers Revival. All nine were licensed on the culminating night, November 12, 2008, as ministers of the Gospel. That faithful night, I identified the women as my “line sisters” and named the group “The St. Mark Nine”, which was inspired by Little Rock’s history making Little Rock Nine.

After receiving a “Happy Anniversary” email from one of my line sisters, I began to ponder my own call, reflecting on the past, present, and future.

Looking back over the past 2 years, I asked the question, “Have I lived up to the call?”

• Have I been devoted to God speaking to Him in prayer and allowing Him to speak to me through His Word?
• Did I do all God wanted me to do?
• Did I faithfully and consistently serve in the ministry of my local church body? What exactly have I done to help build God’s Kingdom?
• Did I serve in excellence by being prepared and dependable, showing up on time, not having a personal agenda, not seeking to be in the spot light but seeking to shine the spotlight on the Savior?
• Was I a minister of integrity by keeping my word and doing that which I said I would do?
• Was I a good minister to my husband and children?
• Did I keep priorities in order---God, Family, church, and then other stuff?
• Did I give unselfishly and sacrificially of my time, my talents and my treasures?

Reflecting on the present I asked myself, “Am I where God wants me to be?”

• Do I consistently spend time with God in prayer and in His Word?
• Based on my conduct today, would people be shocked if I were to tell them I was a minister?
• Has anything (people, places, organizations, or habits) interfered with the development and/or furtherance of my call?
• Am I wasting time and energy doing what God really doesn’t want me to do?
• Am I really called by God? Am I sure about it? Am I afraid to admit I possibly went in the wrong direction?
• Am I a blessing to anyone around me?
• Do people come to me for help (prayer, counsel, etc.)? Am I approachable?
• Are my gifts making room for me? Do I get opportunity to exercise my call? If God has called me to preach there should be someone for me to preach to.
• Am I prepared to minister at any given time?
• Can my family depend on me? Can my church depend on me? Can my job depend on me?
• Am I in the right church? Am I involved in the right ministries?

In regards to the future, I wondered, “What will I do to be a better steward of the call and a better servant of the Most High?”

• Have I set goals for my life and ministry?
• Where do I see God taking me?
• What areas of my life do I need to change?
• What should I do differently that I am doing now?

 Gleaning from what I preached on Wednesday night (11/10/10) --- If someone were to accuse me of being a "Minister of the Gospel" would there be any incriminating evidence? Hmmmmm……

Earnest and Roline Ministries: Thoughts About My Licensing Sermon

Earnest and Roline Ministries: Thoughts About My Licensing Sermon: "Commemorating the 2nd year anniversary of my licensing service, I thought I'd repost my thoughts from that day: Originally written: Novembe..."

Where art thou Godly Gal?

The chains has been broken!

We’re back….well somewhat back. When I started this ministry, I was almost immediately issued a test. I believe the test was not only for me but for the sisters of Godly Gals. The bible says obedience is better than sacrifice. There may be times in our lives that we are asked to do something that doesn’t make sense. Those who have authority over us may ask us to do something that we are not in agreement with. If such a request is made, and if the request is not immoral or causes you to sin, it becomes our responsibility to submit our leader.

 In obedience, I ceased all activity of this ministry. I along with the Godly Gals at the time did not understand why such a request was being made. However, I have learned a few things.

• God is in control! Let Him deal with adversity. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.
• Others are watching. As a mentor, role model, minister of the Gospel, & leader remember others are watching your witness. To be effective and impactful in another person’s life, you must walk what you talk. 
• When God calls you to carry out a specific task, in spite adversity, you WILL be able to do that which He asks. Although this ministry has been inactive, the ministry still continued. Almost all of the Godly Gals continued to receive mentoring from me, not in the group setting but one on one. When I reflected over the last few months, I realized that the Godly Gals were still contacting me for advice, guidance, critique, and girl talk. The ministry was and is still in action.

I don’t know if and when we will ever meet again, but I will continue to post what I have learned that may be beneficial to someone else. It’s all about this Godly Gal helping other Godly Gals. Love you all!

July 2010 Godly GALS Meeting

The July 2010 meeting was awesome!! Godly GALS got off to a great start. Here are the highlights:

The agenda for all meetings will follow the following format:
God First – Prayer
Announcements/Events/Information
Learning Time
Sharing Time

The meeting was opened with prayer by a GG. Each GG read their written expectations of the Godly GALS ministry and then placed them all in a treasure box. Roline then prayed over the box asking for God to help each woman realize their expectations and asking God to guide and direct her as leader of the ministry. Roline has committed to continually praying for the needs of the Godly Gals.

GGs were encouraged to begin building their library of resource books. There will be a sale at the main library next weekend, Fri., July 16- Sun., July 18, 2010 at the Downtown main library. Books are .50 for soft cover and $1 for hard cover. The 200 section is the religious books. There are great books available at a low cost.

Also, 4 books were randomly gifted to women in attendance. 3 were devotional books and the 4th was an excellent commentary on the Sermon on the Mount by John Butler (a must have for your library).

July 2010 Preaching Tips

After attending a GG’s preaching engagement, the following observations were made that may be helpful for us all:

1. If you are a person who moves a lot when speaking, make sure you grab hold of the mic when first standing to preach. The congregation cannot hear you if you step away from the mic. Don’t ever assume that you speak loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. Most of the time, people in the rear can’t hear.

2. When preaching, only ask rhetorical questions. When teaching, you can solicit answers to questions, but not when preaching.

3. Be careful of giving too much information and very little revelation. Your audience needs to hear application.

4. Be specific when using application. People can relate better when you are specific. For example:
Good: There was a time when I did not depend on God. I tried to do things on my own without Him.
More Impactful: There was a time that I depended on the money I made instead of God. I had a good job making great pay and thought I was secure because I had extra money in the bank.

5. Preach for results, not reaction. Don’t be discourage because people aren’t shouting and/or “talking back” (encouraging) you. The results of the Word proclaimed manifests in transforms lives. Anyone can produce a reaction (shouts, “amens”, etc.).

July 2010 Lesson - Preparation for Powerful Preaching

Preparation for Powerful Preaching


Are you guilty of studying…
1) to prepare for what’s next (your next assignment)?
2) in case you get called on in a Bible Study class?
3) to meet the requirements of a class/group (Seminary, Master’s Life, Ministry School)?

In a class a teacher said, "The first casualty in a busy preacher’s life is his devotional time."

A look at the preacher:
For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments. —Ezra 7:10

Ezra…
1) Studied the Word so he could……2) Live the Word which qualified him to….3) Teach the Word

As preachers we must pray to God and study God's Word so that we can live according to His Word. We can't stand before the people to effectively proclaim his Word if we don't spend regular consistent time with God.

Look at Matthew 17:14-21 (also see Mark 9:14-29)
Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Why could not we cast him out?” In this passage the disciples failed. They could not cast out a spirit which Jesus gave them authority over. In Luke 9 Jesus gives the disciples authority and power to heal diseases and cast out demons. Yet, in the passage, the disciples were powerless.

You can have authority but no power.
· Power is not self-manufactured but divinely imparted through the Word of God.
· The Holy Spirit is with you imparting power into you. This comes from studying the Word of God.
· So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. —Romans 10:17

The disciples "hung out" with Jesus, yet they had no power. As ministers of the Word, beware of just hanging out with Jesus. How is this done?--- Hanging out at church services, ministry meetings, musicals, revivals, feeding the homeless. Beware of being absorbed with doing the work of the Lord that you don't spent quality time with the Lord of the work.

Develop a time of personal devotion:

1) Set a time - and be consistent. Clear your calendar & turn off the cell phone.
2) Decide on a place - atmosphere is important. Don't set yourself up in a dark, depressing setting.
3) Have a plan - decide what you will read. Pray to God so that He will hear you. Read His Word so that you will hear from him.

Fact Finding Meeting - June 15, 2010

Godly Gals held it's introductory meeting Tuesday, June 15th in the home of Minister Roline Thomas. In order to keep the seeting intimate and comfortable, invitations to the meeting was limited to 12 ladies. 11 of the 12 ladies committed to the ministry. PRASIE GOD!!

Ministry ojectives and guidelines were issued to each of the ladies in attendance. This includes:

Scripture
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work.-Ecclesiastes 4:9

Description of the Mentor
· A mentor is a wise woman who is mature in faith and consistent in godly conduct.
· A mentor willing to listen, share skills, and provide a positive perspective for life experiences.
· A mentor provides wisdom and offers a spiritually sound, safe and fun friendship.
· A mentor leads simply because she is experienced and has travelled the path

Seasons of the Godly Gals Life to be addressed
Seed - Nurture, Love, Touch, Affirm, Bless, Come Alongside
Feed – Teach, Tend, Mend, Build Relationships, Strengthen
Weed – Prune, Build Discipline, Build Character, Pray, Worship
Lead – Equip to Lead, Minister, Release

Homemade cream cheese cookie cake was served to those in attendance. If you want the recipe, go to "Cooking with Roline & Camille" at http://thomasdivascook.blogspot.com/ .