Praying the Psalms*

By Rev. James Lamkin

January 12, 2011

*(The congregation is invited to read A-Psalm-A-Day during 2011. The following is this week's prayer based on a Psalm from the past week.)

     O God, once again I am struck by the honesty of the Psalmists. I, on the other hand, always try to put my best foot forward---even in prayer.  Though You know me as I am...and love me as I am...I can surely identify with my wayward, way-back ancestor Adam.  When in doubt, hide!  When anxious, hide!  When fearful, hide!  And especially when guilty, hide!

     You know my game.  I hope for "Hide and NO Seek." And yet, Your seeking always finds me. 

     May I and we of NDBC, take courage from the Psalmists as they bring their honest anger, hope, despair, joy, and fatigue to You.  In prayer, I boldly bootleg the questions from Psalm 10: "Why, O Lord, do you stand far off?  Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?"

     I think of the trouble in Tucson, AZ. In prayer I hold the families of the six murdered and those wounded in that city. Seemingly, the scars of violence take the longest to heal. I pray and we pray...and yet You still can seem far away.

     I recall the book of the Bible we studied last year:  The Book of Job. Job's complaint was the opposite of the psalmist. Job felt picked-on by God, hounded by God, and targeted by God. He felt suffocated by Your presence and in despair asked You to leave him alone.

     And now, the psalmist asks the opposite.

     How hard it must be to be God! How do you know which prayers to answer and when? And what if the prayers are contradictory?

     Perhaps our human wailing---whether it is a feeling of Your oppressive presence or Your lonesome absence---is the same prayer:  Help!

     So help us, O God!  Help us in our helplessness. Maybe then a great miracle will occur:

our helplessness

will convert

to hopefulness;

and we shall overcome,

we shall walk hand-in-hand,

and we shall not be afraid

(as the freedom-fighters' song says)

...because of Your freeing grace.

 Amen.

A-Psalm-A-Day Upcoming Schedule:

January 13 - Psalm 13

January 14 - Psalm 14

January 15 - Psalm 15

January 16 - Psalm 16

January 17 - Psalm 17

January 18 - Psalm 19

January 19 - Psalm 19

January 20 - Psalm 20 

February 2 and 9, from 7:00-8:15 PM in the Fellowship Hall

As we begin a new year, it is a good time to reflect and plan for some important decisions we often neglect. To this end, the Adult Education Committee invites you to Faithful Healthcare Choices Now, a guided discussion on personal healthcare decisions in the final season of life. This program is for people of ALL AGES. We never know when our personal "final season" may come; a catastrophic accident or diagnosis could change any of our lives tomorrow. It is both responsible and faithful to be prepared.

This program will include two sessions, February 2 and 9, from 7:00-8:15 PM in the Fellowship Hall. Sheridan Ruiz and Liz Harris-Lamkin will lead our discussion. Sheridan, a Family Nurse Practitioner, is in the Palliative Care Program at Piedmont Hospital and has 18 years of nursing experience with her main focus on palliative and end of life care for over 10 years. Liz Harris-Lamkin is Chaplain at Piedmont Hospital and Lieutenant Colonel of the Joint Forces Headquarters and State Chaplain and brings with her perspective from 20 years of experience as a hospital and military chaplain.

Session One will identify how our spiritual values and religious beliefs inform our health and healthcare choices, particularly in the final season of life--whether years, months, or days. Every person is encouraged to do advanced care planning in the event they are unable to speak for themselves. That includes developing an Advanced Directive and appointing a trusted agent to be your Healthcare Power of Attorney. There is no greater gift to your family and all those who love you than to make clear your wishes, so that they can be at peace about actions they may be called upon to take on your behalf.

In Session Two, we will walk through the Georgia Advance Directive for Health Care form, addressing questions related to each section. Each person is encouraged to fill out his/her own advanced directive or review a current one for any needed updates. Individuals are encouraged to talk with their physicians about their choices and provide documentation for their patient charts. Most importantly, you will be strongly encouraged to have in-depth conversations with those closest to you who may not know how you feel about various care options.

Exploring questions of personal meaning, the nature of Christian hope, ethics, and economics can help us choose wisely for our care when we consider the benefits, burdens and limitations of medical interventions and the current healthcare delivery system. Join us to walk through this process together; it will be a great gift to your family.

For childcare contact the church office at 404-237-8621.

FFA/FCCLA of Georgia Retreat Center

January 14-17, 2011

$85 per person

Recreation, Learning, and Fellowship

Contact Zach Bay at 404-237-8621 ext. 102 

January 23, 2011 @ 3 PM in the Chapel*

Northside Drive Baptist celebrates the life of the human spirit, free-dom of thought, and the power of imagination through the arts. With these concerts we welcome the wider community to experience the beauty and joy of chamber music. Our chapel offers a graceful and spiritual space where performers and listeners may join in celebration of the genius and inspiration of great composers.

Mark your calendars now for NDBC's Souper Bowl Sunday on January 30 (one week early) in the Fellowship Hall after church. Everyone is welcome to come down and join us for a wonderful selection of soup/chili and make a donation to the Hunger Fund for 2011. These monies are used to help support the Atlanta Community Food Bank as well as send aid to hungry people around the world. Last year we raised over $1,500 at the fun event!

How do we do it? Well, your chef skills are needed! To volunteer to cook a pot of chili/soup or help clean/set up, contact Mona Stines at 770-941-6478. If you'd rather bring 3 dozen brownies or cookies, contact Susan Dew at 404-252-5715. Call today and you'll be reminded closer to time! What a great gift to give this holiday season!

It's a fun time together and the monies raised go to help those really in need. Can we count on you to help?

Winter Mission Offering

Andrew P. Stewart Center 

From its founding in 1916 by a group of concerned women from First Baptist Church of Atlanta, the Andrew P. Stewart Center has been defined by its commitment to applying Christ's commandment to love one's neighbors. Since moving into the Reynoldstown neighborhood in 1950, the Stewart Center has been a vital part of that community's identity. While the Center is now an independent 501(c) (3) non-profit organization, it continues its Christ-like ministry to individuals, families and the community through faith training, educational support, family support, character development, community building and experiential learning.

Presently the Andrew P. Stewart Center stands at the threshold of a future full of both challenges and endless possibilities. To help meet these challenges and turn possibilities into realities, the Center has received a challenge grant of $25,000.00. As a long time partner of the Stewart Center, NDBC is renewing and reaffirming this partnership by dedicating our 2011 Winter Missions Offering to the Stewart Center's matching funds campaign.

Our beloved Linda Clark has been an untiring advocate for the Center since its early years, and as Honorary Chairperson of this year's Winter Missions Offering for the Andrew P. Stewart Center, Linda asks each of us to prayerfully consider making a personal commitment to this important mission in our midst by giving generously.

Chruch Week

SUNDAY, January 16, 2011

Young Adult Retreat

  9:30 AM - Church School

10:25 AM - Cherub Children's Choir

11:00 AM - Morning Worship

12:30 PM - Marketing Committee

  5:00 PM - Northside Drive Ringers

  6:30 PM - Beginning Handbell Class

MONDAY, January 17, 2011 - MLK Day

Young Adult Retreat

Church/Preschool Offices Closed

TUESDAY, January 18, 2011

10:00 AM - Staff Meeting

WEDNESDAY, January 19, 2011

10:00 AM - Preschool Chapel

  6:00 PM - Northside Yoga

  7:00 PM - Sanctuary Choir Rehearsal