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Commemorating Belle’s Sweet Sixteen
Dear Belle,
Today (May 24) marks what would have been your 16th birthday.
I can’t help but smile thinking of you behind the wheel and how much fun we would have had celebrating with you.
You loved any excuse to throw a party and always had fun with family and friends no matter the occasion.
It’s hard to believe we’ve been on the journey here without you longer than we had you — January marked eight years.
If you could see them now
You would love watching your mommy in action in the classroom, making a difference in so many kiddos’ lives.
And your daddy is still going strong in ministry, discipling those around him. You would be excited to hear him preach every Sunday and would most definitely have the congregation wrapped around your finger.
As much as you adored your teachers and the church ministry staff, it only makes sense to see your mommy and daddy thrive in these two areas.
You also would be so proud of T, E and J — yes, they are still lots of fun and do still pick on each other from time to time, but they also are pretty incredible young adults now. They would indeed be your heroes.
Oh, and you would be absolutely in love with the newest four-legged member of the family, Brit. She’s a cutie and is taking good care of your sweet family.
Making our way to you
Eight years, four months and seven days without you still doesn’t seem real as we quietly mark Sweet Sixteen in our hearts and minds.
With each passing birthday, we are gradually making our way to you. While we can’t make sense of it all in our finite minds, we do know God’s promise is true — His grace is sufficient.
Happy Birthday, sweet girl.
Always yours,
Aunt Jen Jen
How are 2023’s Rashional Thoughts working so far? Any of them moving toward irrational?
Celebrating the season
Special Christmas commentaries from The Alabama Baptist (click to read) …
Christmas hymn lyrics teach truths to reach troubled souls
Father’s Christmas surprise helps son better understand God
Marking our special day by celebrating you …
Ukrainian relief efforts spotlight ‘better together’ mantra
War, destruction, human suffering — it can be too much to take some days. At the same time, moments of crisis also provide an opportunity to shine the light of Christ brightly amid the harrowing darkness suffocating so many around the world.
Matthew 5:14–16 tells us, “You are the light of the world. … let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Have you noticed all the faith-based ministries that sprang into action the minute Ukrainians found themselves displaced?
The consistent call for prayers and pleas for financial assistance also showcase the enormous support pouring in from around the world.
Opportunities for support are available through our churches, associations, state conventions, national ministries and global partners.
Courage and compassion
And how about the courage and compassion shown by Baptist leaders in Ukraine and the surrounding nations who are committed to caring for those whose lives are forever changed.
What I didn’t understand until recently was the depth of distrust and dislike between Ukrainians and some of its neighbors, especially those in Romania.
Yet, people in Romania are among those pushing through the exhaustion, day after day, to provide the “guests” passing through with food, clothing and a safe place to sleep.
While some Ukrainians have stayed in Romania, most of the refugees are on their way to other places, explained Daniel Fodorean, academic dean at the Baptist Theological Institute of Bucharest.
The seminary and churches are housing the guests, and many people are making rooms available at their homes, he said.
An app-based network for Romanian Baptist church leaders also dings nonstop with needs, which are covered within minutes by someone on the app, Fodorean shared as he and I talked March 22 in Alabama.
Fodorean was in the U.S. for a previously scheduled meeting related to his work with the Romanian-American Mission and took some time to provide a glimpse of the efforts in his country.
“It’s not natural to help Ukrainians because they were mean to Romanians (during past conflicts), but we see the need,” he shared. “We need to show mercy. God said to love one another.”
Efforts also are strong in Moldova, Poland and within Ukraine. Many pastors and ministry leaders are choosing to remain with those surrounded by gunfire and attacks, Fodorean said.
“Love is important and center,” he said. “The most important thing is the kingdom of God.”
On the front lines
Elijah Brown, general secretary and CEO of Baptist World Alliance, shared similar reflections of the work taking place among Baptists on the front lines.
During a March 17 presentation in Birmingham, he described a variety of ministry efforts organized by Baptist churches in the region.
“In the first six days of this war, 600 (of the 2,100) Baptist churches (in Ukraine) provided basic food and humanitarian relief, helping 45,000 people who had been displaced by war,” he said. “But they can’t do it alone.”
Brown asks Baptists to pray for the people of Ukraine. To write out prayers that will be shared with Baptist leaders on the ground in Ukraine, visit baptistworld.org/shareaprayer.
Our brothers and sisters in Christ are standing strong and demonstrating His love boldly. They need our prayers and to know they are not forgotten.
We hope our continued coverage through The Alabama Baptist and The Baptist Paper helps keep those serving in and around Ukraine in the forefront of your mind not only as they focus on mere survival in the moment but also as they attempt to pick up the pieces once the war is over.
Southern Baptist efforts
The communications team from the International Mission Board has been a tremendous help as we pull together coverage day after day.
IMB officials also confirmed Southern Baptists’ efforts through Send Relief include working with local Baptist partners in Ukraine and other nations in Eastern Europe.
We applaud Southern Baptist leaders for choosing to partner with area Baptists in the work.
“These relief efforts include providing food, shelter, transportation, clothing, medical supplies and trauma care to families displaced from Ukraine, as well as Ukrainians internally displaced in the country,” the IMB reports. “And 100 percent of the gifts to [the] Ukraine Crisis Fund are being used to help Ukrainian refugees.”
Options for donating to relief efforts for Ukraine can be found through numerous channels, including the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions at alsbom.org/ukraine.
Teams of Alabama Baptists are beginning to organize for trips to Romania and other Eastern European countries in April and May. To read more about the current and upcoming efforts in Romania, check out this article in The Alabama Baptist.
What will you develop, remove, sharpen, repair, learn or polish?
The start of a new year always brings the opportunity to begin again, turn over a new leaf and release what’s behind us to stay behind us.
And if you’re like me, the freshness of it all provides the exact confidence and energy needed to give it a try.
Does it mean we’ll accomplish all we might dream up for the coming year? Not at all.
Is it possible something significant will derail us along the way? Likely.
But God calls us to continue growing deeper in our relationship with Him and to seek to become more and more like Jesus every day.
So with the primary goal for our new year already outlined for us, we technically can remove the pressure because if we give our primary energy to the main goal, then everything else we need to develop, remove, sharpen, repair, learn or polish will surface.
Focus on Jesus
We’ll have an opportunity, or maybe multiple opportunities, we could have never dreamed up for ourselves — and in some cases never wanted to experience. Either way, if we keep our focus on Jesus, we’ll find our way through as we tackle some with sparkling competence and others more diligently one difficult step at a time.
As you settle into this new year, what are the areas you already know need a little smoothing out?
Do you have a plan in place for how to get started? What resources will you need?
Will you need to find more space in your day (specific time set aside), your mind (expanded mental capacity) or physical location (less clutter)? If so, what are your first steps to find that extra space?
How have others made a difference in your life through the years? Be sure to let them know.
Also, reach out to your church staff and let them know you appreciate all they do for members and ministry efforts as well as the community at large.
The past two years required a good bit of adapting for those serving in ministry, and a kind word goes a long way toward them maintaining the strength needed going forward.
If by chance you aren’t able to genuinely share appreciation, then it’s also important to share those concerns as well.
Consider writing out what upset you this past year. Then, summarize the points and prioritize them to use as your guide for explaining your concerns.
Navigating the latest rocky waters of denominational life
Josh Wilks, minister to children at NorthPark Baptist Church, Trussville, baptizes 7-year-old Grant Stuman during the early service June 6. (Photo by Margaret Smith/NorthPark photography team)
The glow on the little guy’s face as the minister to children surfaced him from the portable baptismal pool triggered a sprinkling of water down several cheeks in the sanctuary.
A handful of us sat at the perfect distance and angle to see the crinkle in his nose emerge above a beaming smile as he was “raised in newness of life.”
We had the unusual opportunity to see these details because the church’s official baptismal pool was covered with decorations for Vacation Bible School.
VBS starts today at many churches across the nation; some even kicked off the week last night with a hot dog supper or other fun event.
As my husband and I sat in the service yesterday at NorthPark Baptist Church in Trussville, Alabama, we found opportunities to worship at every point — experiencing the baptism of a 7-year-old excited about giving his heart to Jesus, singing along with all the other voices, participating in the moments of prayer, giving of our tithe and learning from the pastor’s teachings.
‘Look again’
Preaching from Judges 6:1–16, Pastor Bill Wilks shared how “the Israelites thought they were brought low because of the Midianites, but God said to look again.”
“We see the surface problem, but God sees the root problem. Appearances can be deceiving; and we should never overlook the God factor,” Wilks explained.
“We can be too big for God to use us but never too small,” he said. “God sees all the potential in us and wants to draw it out.
“But we — the people of God — may need to look at our own hearts to see where we are rebelling against Him as individuals and as churches. When people do what is right in their own eyes, they often miss what is right in the eyes of God.”
#ThisIsTheSBC
A fairly routine Lord’s Day at any Southern Baptist church, yesterday’s service might have even been a good example for the recent social media posts connected to the #ThisIsTheSBC hashtag.
And church leaders made only one brief mention of the upcoming SBC Annual Meeting in Nashville — a congregational vote to approve the list of messengers who will be attending on behalf of NorthPark.
We chuckled as our executive pastor Stephen Hall accidentally called those of us on the messenger list “missionaries” to the annual meeting before he realized what he said and got tickled himself as he corrected the reference.
It truly was a slip of the tongue, but my mind clung to what he said. Maybe all of us going as messengers should become missionaries of sort and consider the business sessions, hallway talk and panel discussions a missions field.
Exploring divisive terrain
After all, the leaders of our convention entities, Executive Committee, seminaries and other groups are in the roles they are in to serve the churches of the denomination, not the other way around.
Several of them need our help as guides back to calm waters of unity and cooperation and away from the divisive, difficult terrain they decided to explore.
Intimidation and bullying tactics among denominational leaders are not new, neither are manipulative actions to gain or keep control of whatever area or funding — or maybe secret — he or she is attempting to control. Remember, they are human too. The reason it seems worse now is because we all get to watch it play out in real time through social media.
A steady diet of the ugliness eats at our soul, and there’s a point we sense a need to respond, but instead of choosing sides and casting blame, what if the masses of us who don’t like what we see stand together in prayer and a unified voice?
What if we refuse to take the bait and instead of getting caught up in the drama swirling around us, we commit to purifying our denomination?
Starting point for purification
As the true leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention — the churches — we should start with our individual congregations and that means first focusing on our own hearts. It means surrounding our pastors with prayer and support and helping them focus strictly on God to lead.
Healthy churches can then work together to sift issues at the associational level and then the state convention level. From there, the members of the boards of trustees of the roughly dozen SBC entities, Executive Committee, seminaries and auxiliaries should be strong enough to guide those employed as directors of the groups.
We as members of the churches across this denomination fund all the work taking place, and we trust the process put in place to manage the work, but if our hearts are not pure then that will trickle down to those who are called and thus hired to manage the work being done — such as entity leaders and seminary presidents.
They need us. What that means we should do next week in Nashville, I can’t tell you, but I do know that without prayer, accountability and clear expectations, we all are susceptible to the ugliness and deception of life.
We already have the strength and power needed to navigate these latest rocky waters of denominational life — His name is Jesus.
What if all of us — every one of us, not just those we might want to put on a list, but all of us — get over ourselves and look back to Him?
—Jennifer Davis Rash
Tribute to Rash family patriarch — hard worker, deep thinker
Known for his kindness and quiet demeanor, Cecil Rash was a dedicated family man with an impeccable work ethic and calm presence.
That’s the way we wrapped the biography section of my father-in-law’s obituary in late January.
During the graveside service, we also shared about his longtime and ever-growing relationship with Christ and years of faithful service to his church — First Baptist Church, Cairo, Georgia, for the past 25-plus years and Sheridan Hills Baptist Church, Hollywood, Florida, for more than 20 years prior to that.
Cecil and Sue Rash’s commitment to Christ and involvement in church for their entire married life rubbed off on their three children — and eventually served as a model for me too.
Sheridan Hills Baptist Church is where I met Jason during my two-year missions term serving the Caribbean through the International Mission Board.
When I met Jason in the mid-1990s, his parents had already made the move to south Georgia, but Jason always had stories to share. So when I did meet them, I felt as if I had always known them.
‘A great dad’
In telling me about his dad during those early days, Jason always described him simply as a great dad.
And in delivering the eulogy for his dad a few days ago, Jason said, “I wish you could see the exclamation points I put on my paper after this sentence: He was a GREAT dad.”
A somewhat generic term in many cases, but Jason’s emotional emphasis of “great” for his dad revealed layers and layers of reasons and experiences — something we all deeply understood without needing extra words.
And while his presence is piercingly absent in the family home, Cecil also will be missed by many in the city of Cairo. He loved Cairo — which happened to be where he spent his formative years prior to college, as well as where he retired — and worked hard to keep it moving forward.
The 85-year-old, single-screen Zebulon theater in town was one of Cecil’s favorite projects, so it only seemed fitting that the marquee pay tribute to him the same day immediate family gathered at the graveside.
Surrounded and supported
And just like all of you have most likely experienced at some point in your journey, the church family stepped in to do what it does best during times of grief — provided prayer, food, phone calls, notes, flowers, plants and listening ears.
COVID-19 restrictions prevented visits from friends like we were used to in the past, but our combined church families from four states surrounded and embraced the family.
The Rash family’s current pastor and former pastor in Cairo, both dear friends, also ministered to the family consistently — and continue to do so — even while balancing so many other needs in their church families.
As we work on all that comes following the death of a family member, I am reminded of the various gifts and skill sets each family member brings and am encouraged to watch us work together as a team.
Cecil would undoubtedly love the group effort taking place. And while he likely wouldn’t actually say much out loud, he would be proud of Sue and his children and grandchildren. He would think they were all pretty great themselves.
—Jennifer Davis Rash
New Year’s Day 2021 marks 25 years with TAB Media — and 2 years in editor’s chair
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