Christmount, [the beautiful Christian (Disciples of Christ) Church conference center] at Black Mountain was the setting for Providence's fall 2010 retreat.  Led by pastor Julie Merritt Lee, a total of 22 church members and friends participated at some level.   Most were present for the entire time and attended all sessions. Also present was seminarian, Karen Doucett, who led activities for the children and youth.  Attendees ranged in age from J. T. Smith—soon to reach the age of 4—to Frankie Trantham, who celebrated her 80^th birthday just days following the retreat.  The group was broadly representative of the Providence family.

 T-shirts emblazoned with the new Providence stained-glass logo were surprise rewards (in South Carolina, they would be called "sursies") for attendees.  But those who were unable to attend should not worry, they too can own one of these lovely garments for the low, kin-folks price of $15. 

 Julie led three sessions, one Friday night and two Saturday morning.  Using the book Why Jesus Makes Me Nervous by Joy Jordan-Lake as a guide, she focused on three concepts of Christian theology, "Blessedness," "Worship," and "Resurrection."  Each session provided moments of both discomfort and hope to the seekers present who came away with deeper understandings of these tenets of the faith.   In addition to the study periods, participants found opportunities for porch rocking, hiking, breaking bread together and just plain fellowship.

 With particular emphasis on the phrase," 'Til by faith I met Him face to face," the theme song for the weekend was "He's Everything to Me."  Using her lovely soprano voice and the guitar—and assisted by Phillip Allen on the piano— our multi-talented pastor was music leader as well as teacher for the weekend.

 Sharing a communion of loaves, fishes, and grape juice around a low table served to close our time of study and community .

 Thank you Anne Green for sending this along! 

ISAIAH OF JERUSALEM is a new Bible course by John Snodgrass.  Starting September 8th on Wednesday nights at 6:30 PM, this course continues for three weeks through September 22nd.  The course is open to all, and includes a light dinner.  A suggested donation of seven dollars will cover operating costs.  Please make a reservation at tjsnodgrass5@gmail.com or call 828-450-7768.

Many of Jesus' teachings were inspired by the eighth-century Prophet of Jerusalem.  The course will look at the background, character and sayings of Isaiah in the first thirty-nine chapters of the book, culminating in Jerusalem's confrontation with the Assyrian Empire.

Smashing your computer is a favorite fantasy some days!  In the last few weeks I am quite sure that Jane Gurley, on the PBC Communications Team, has wanted to do that at least once to hers.  You see, her computer became very ill and infected and ate up all of her email addresses in her contact book.    The September issue of the PBC newsletter has been mailed and emailed as of today from a list that Jane so thoughtfully sent to me a few months ago.  If you did not receive your newsletter in your inbox today, please check your spam or junk mail to make sure it isn't hiding there since I sent it.  If not, please send me an email at: pbcsecretary@bellsouth.net to let me know and I will make sure to send yours out to you ASAP and add you back to the list.  We are sorry for any inconvenience!

  "What Did Jesus Eat?"  This is a series of talks lead by John Snodgrass at Providence Baptist Church for the next two Wednesday nights.  Each session is independent of the others, so if you haven't been to the last two, please come and see what the next one is all about.  The Course is OPEN TO ALL.  A suggested donation of seven dollars per session will cover operating costs.  Special rates are available for families or for taking the entire course.  If you cannot donate, come anyway.  Please make a reservation so there will be enough food.  Email: tjsnodgrass5@gmail.com or call 828-450-7768.

  At a recent session, the Hendersonville Times-News was there to see what all the fuss was about.  The result was a very good article  detailing the foods enjoyed along with the parables and miracles presented by John Snodgrass. 

"When your belly is empty, it's louder than your brain and your heart, "Snodgrass said.

Next Session Wednesday, August 25th at 6PM and the Final Session on Wednesday, September 1st.

Julie celebrated her first anniversary this past Sunday as pastor of Providence Baptist Church.  Go to the "PBC Activities" page of the Providence web site to see more pictures taken after worship.

Did you know that you can now access over 1000 photos of Providence Baptist Church covering all nine years of the church's existence.

Go to the PBC Activities link of the church web site.

Just thought you might like to know!

This Sunday we have a surprise visit from a Canadian musician.  Her name is Linnea Good.  She is an ordained minister in the United Church of Canada.  She will be helping us in worship this Sunday with her gift of music.  She loves to make music for intergenerational groups, especially involving children! 

So...PLEASE bring any children you can find on Sunday.  They don't even have to be related.  I think the children will get a kick out of Linnea's music style, as she is able to engage children in a unique way.

To learn more about her you can visit her website at www.LinneaGood.com. 

Looking forward to Sunday's worship.  It will be a great day for sure~

The book of Hebrews opens up depicting a God who speaks in a new way.  "Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son..." 

According to Fred Craddock, the single most recurring characteristic of God in this book is that "God speaks."   He speaks through the Old Testament, through the prophets, through the Son (Christ), through the Holy Spirit.  Craddock says "God's voice is a living voice." 

I thought this was appropriate considering throughout our Lenten study we've been focusing on prayer and listening.  This entry concludes the lenten blog, and we return to where we started.  It's not always easy to listen to God's voice.  Even though it's a living voice, we are usually surrounded by louder voices that cause us to go the way of selfishness or pride.

This is why we have gone down to the desert, touched the sand, breathed slowly, inhaled the name of Jesus, and lifted our hands to God to receive our prayers.  I think under all of our deepest yearnings this Lent, our heartfelt repentance, our attempts at being disciplined, what we truly desired was to hear God. 

As we enter Holy Week, let us carve out space to listen to the living voice.   For God speaks.

I would be remiss, if I let Colossians pass by without sharing a few words of wisdom that were passed on to Michael and me during our wedding ceremony.  Most of these thoughts are taken from Burt Burleson's homily at our wedding. 

If you haven't read it lately, reread Colossians 3:12-17.  It begins, "As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience."

Paul is telling us that what we wear matters (i.e. what we choose to wear at a wedding says something.  We are entering something special, holy matrimony, so we rent tuxes and spend time choosing the right dress.)  Paul says put on the best stuff.

We have decisions to make about what we wear. .. We go into the wardrobe every day and we choose what we are going to wear that day.  There are lots of outfits to choose from:  comfortable ones, tight ones, dressy, casual...  But we usually reach for what is well-worn, what is comfortable.  This is our default.  Sometimes this is our selfishness and pride.

But Paul says, "Wake up!  Wake up!  This is what holy people wear...compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience."  If we make our spiritual practice to "put on humility," over time we will become humble.  It will work its way down to the heart until imitation becomes reality.  The ultimate message here is that if we practice putting on the right clothes, what we put on on the outside will change us on the inside. 

Burt concluded by saying this, "In church, we're all playing dressup. Children trying to look like Jesus, to be like Jesus, children of God. And we do this until there's no mistaking the family resemblance."

Providence, let us put on these virtues, sewing on garments of compassion, kindness, humility...as Burt says, "until it is worn well and well worn.  And then others will get dressed up too."

We truly are what we wear.