Between the Lines - Summer 2011 Volume 1, Issue 2

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Between the Lines is a magazine of the Journey, a ministry of Christ Church

Fairview Heights, IL. © 2011, Christ Church. mychristchurch.com

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But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be pre-

pared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the

reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness

and respect . . . (1 Peter 3:15).

How many times have we been in a

terrible mess because we spoke too

soon, too late, or not at all? Or may-

be our words were truthful but spoken

without gentleness and respect. I have

experienced all of the above. I cannot

take my words back no matter how

I long for that to be possible. It’s like

squeezing too much toothpaste onto

the brush—try as we may, it will never

go back into the tube.

The verse quoted above must be

viewed in the rich context of 1 Peter

3:8-18. It was written by a man who

spoke words that caused him to weepwith deep, passionate regret; words

that were spoken before the rooster

crowed three times. His writings reect

renewed passion and restoration, all

for the cause of Christ.

According to the Hebrew-Greek Key

Word Study Bible, when we set apartChrist as Lord, our reverence for him

gives us proper perspective for defend-

ing the faith. We must give a reasoned

defense of the faith out of awe for God,

not the desire to win an argument.

Are we in awe of God? Are we pre-

pared to give a reasoned defense of our faith?

How do we prepare? By reading end-

less blog chatter, Facebook, or watch-

ing television shows with a panel of

judges that elevate man’s approvalover the approval and pleasure of

God? I hope we are doing some of this,

in moderation, because we have to un-

derstand our culture. The reality is, as

we participate in our culture, we will be

inundated with words. It becomes like

the “Waah, waah, waah. . .” spoken by

Lucy to Charlie Brown. The only wordswe truly need are the words we nd

in the Bible—every chapter and every

verse inspired by the Spirit of God. As

we dig into the Word, we can’t help but

be in awe of God.

The Journey team is feasting on the

Word of God in 2011. And God is pre-paring us for future ministry. In April we

experienced the power of God when

invited to travel to Aledo, Illinois to

present a ‘Journey on the Road.’ Later

this year, the team speaks at a retreat

for Troy UMC at Lake Williamson in

October and at Calvary UMC in Bloom-

ington in November. Exciting plans are

already in the works for Journey gath-

erings here at Christ Church in April

and October of 2012.

We are in awe of God. We are commit-

ted to being prepared to give answers

for the reason for the hope that we

have in Christ. It’s a journey for a life-

time, and we’re glad you have joinedus!

With respect and love,

Mary Ann

Dear Reader,



Between the Lines • Summer 2011 • Volume 1, Issue 2

Table of ContentsOff the Map? Let God’s Word Light the Way 4

Loving a ‘Friend’ 6

Collage: Words 8

Your Very Own Word 10Make a Long Story Short 11

This Year of Delight 12

I’m Not Afraid Anymore 15

This Issue’s Theme: Words and the Word

Verse of the Season:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word wasGod” (John 1:1).

Meet the Contributors

Mary Ann Turner is the leader of the Journey Team at Christ Church.

A former elementary school teacher, she is the wife of Mark, mother

of two grown children, and grandmother to one precious little boy. She

enjoys great conversations, hiking with her family, and encouraging

others to grow in their Christian faith.

Lindsay Tallman is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in

Nature, Biotech, and Commerce magazines. A wife and mother of

three, Lindsay enjoys reading, traveling, and playing with her quirky

children. She and her family live in O’Fallon, Illinois and worship at

Christ Church.

Angela Moore grew up near Fairview Heights, Illinois, and her

parents, Keith and Kathie Rule, are members of Christ Church. After

graduating from college in 1998, God led Angela to Houston. The

wife of Brian and mother of Karsten, she enjoys cooking, writing,blogging at www.angelamoore.typepad.com, feathering her nest,

and serving at Gateway Community Church in Houston.

Roshaunda Cade, Ph.D., lives in the St. Louis area with her hus-band and their two children. She loves to praise dance at her church,

West Side Missionary Baptist Church, and she is the Writing Center

Coordinator at Webster University.

Emily Climaco, Ph.D., is a Journey Team member and the volunteer

editor of Between the Lines. The wife of Phil and mom of Caroline,

she spends time riding her bike, drinking green tea, and chasing her

two-year-old around the house.



Off the Map?Let God’s Word Light the Wayby Lindsay Tallman

4

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light

unto my path” (Psalm 119:105).

My husband and I have two very dif-

ferent approaches to navigating while

driving. I’m a spontaneous driver who

likes to trust my instincts and assume

that, if we miss one turn or exit, we can

simply take the next one. I love to take

a road just to see where it leads. My

husband, on the other hand, is a pilotwho believes strongly in precise direc-

tions and following a map. After all,

these tools were invented for a reason.

As you can imagine, these differences

have led to some very “interesting” road

trips, and I can say without a doubt that

purchasing a GPS has helped us put

the fun back in family vacations.

While my way of navigating the road

has led to a lot of adventures and

pleasant surprises over the years, I’ve

also found myself in some places that

aren’t so desirable. Blinded by my own

stubbornness and pride, I can end up

lost, confused, and alone. Likewise,

when we attempt to navigate this worldwithout God’s Word in our hearts to

show us the way, we often nd our-

selves way off the map.

Even though I grew up in church, I

failed to realize the necessity of study-

ing God’s Word and applying it to my

daily living. My own arrogance andlack of understanding fueled me to rely

more on myself and those around me

than on God. I thought that being a

good person would somehow be good

enough. It didn’t take long for me to

nd myself at the end of myself. Lost,

confused, and alone, I was a college

student hundreds of miles from thefriends and family who had kept me

in my cozy bubble, and that bubble

burst wide open. And that’s exactly

where God found me crying out for

help. I was overwhelmed by my past

mistakes and anxious about my future.

Through tears, I opened my Bible to

the rst passage I could nd and read



5

these words, “Don’t worry about any-

thing; instead, pray about everything;

tell God your needs and don’t forget to

thank him for his answers” (Phil. 4:6,

The Living Bible). As I poured my heart

out to him and let go of everything I’d

been trying to do on my own, a peacecame over me like a warm blanket. “If

you do this you will experience God’s

peace, which is far more wonderful

than the human mind can understand.

His peace will keep your thoughts and

your hearts quiet and at rest as you

trust in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7, TLB).

I’m not recommending that we study

God’s Word so haphazardly, but I did

learn something about our Lord that

day that I’ll never forget. All those

years I had done things my own way,

he was wait-

ing for me to

turn to him

and ask himfor help. He

was pursuing

me even in

the midst of my ugly rebellion, sin, and

pride. His Word was not a set of re-

stricting rules to crush my adventurous

spirit, but rather his law was there to

free me to be everything he created meto be and to keep me from wandering

off into places that aren’t good for me.

Psalm 119:18-19 says, “Open my eyes

to see wonderful things in your Word.

I am but a pilgrim here on earth: how I

need a map—and your commands are

my chart and guide” (TLB).

In my last year of college, a friend in-

vited me to join her Bible study. I kept

coming up with reasons not to go, but

she was insistent and I reluctantly

went. It felt awkward and uneasy at rst

and, frankly, I didn’t think a bunch of

“church ladies” would be much fun. But

the more I learned about God through

his Word, the more he began to work in

my life and give me new eyes to see.

The changes didn’t come overnight,

but looking back now I see how that

one small step opened the door to the

life-transforming power of Christ. He

changed me and kept my feet mov-ing in the right direction even when I

wasn’t sure of the nal destination. And

the more I learn, the more I realize I’ve

got a long way to go!

How often do we call everyone we

know and ask for advice or “Google”

a random question instead of seeking

God’s heart through prayer and the

Bible? I’m pretty sure the creator of the

universe can handle our problems if we

have the patience and perseverance to

wait for his answer in his time. When

we feel lost

and discour-

aged, we can

rest assuredthat he will

help guide

us back on

the right path. “And I am sure that God

who began the good work within you

will keep right on helping you grow in

his grace until his task within you is -

nally nished on that day when JesusChrist returns” (Phil. 1:6, TLB).

These days if we’re traveling and we

miss a turn, we simply listen as the

GPS states, “Recalculating,” in her

very calm voice. If you know you’ve

been going in the wrong direction or

you missed that last turn, it’s never toolate to chart a new course. If you’re

feeling lost and are in need of a good

recalculating, jump into a Bible study

and let God’s Word light the way. “For

the word of God is living and active.

Sharper than any double-edged sword”

(Heb. 4:12, NIV).

How often do we call everyone

we know and ask for advice or

“Google” a random questioninstead of seeking God’s heart

through prayer and the Bible?{ }



6

“A friend loves at all times”

(Prov. 17:17).

I can’t stand the rst grade and

can’t wait for it to be over. “Only alittle while longer” was my mantra a

few weeks ago. My daughter’s rst

grade journey has been one of my

most difcult times in life, in large

part because she has coped with a

bully all year.

My daughter is an affectionate girl,

so early in the fall term she kissed

one of her friends on the cheek. This

friend just happened to be a boy,

and one of her classmates taunted

my girl and threatened to tell on her.

It got so bad that my daughter didn’t

want to get to school early, just soshe could avoid a playground con-

frontation with her tormenter. Plus,

my daughter is a stutterer, and the

more stressed she got, the worse

her stuttering became. The words

of this girl, whose birthday is only

one day after my daughter’s, turned

my girl into someone who couldn’t

even verbalize her anger and frus-

tration.

When she nally told me aboutwhat was going on, we turned to

the Bible and prayed. My 6-year-

old prayed that her friend—she re-

fused to believe that this girl was

not her friend—would nd some

goodness in her life so that she

wouldn’t have to look for bad in oth-er people’s lives. She also prayed

that her friend would accept Jesus

as Lord and Savior. The next day,

she invited her to church.

The playground torture nally end-

ed but was replaced by extortion.

The same girl swindled my daugh-ter out of all of her pencils. But the

nadir came at the campus store.

The kids can earn “bucks” to use in

a campus store that sells all man-

ner of tchotchkes enticing to the

elementary set. Well, one day my

girl had her eye on something witha mermaid but ended up buying

pencils for the girl she called her

friend. My girl came home fuming

but didn’t let me know about the

situation until weeks later.

When I asked her why she didn’t

tell me what was going on, she saidshe didn’t want her friend to get in

trouble. Again, we took solace in

God’s Word and prayer. This time

my 6-year-old asked God to let her

friend start to love herself so she

by Roshaunda D. Cade

Lovinga ‘Friend’



10

I’m a scholar of American

literature, which means

I’m both desirable to em-

ployers and popular at

parties. Okay, neither of

those is true.

But I do love language. Ilove Ferdinand de Sau-

ssure’s theory that the basic unit of

language is a sign, composed of a sig-

nier (a word, sort of) and a signied

(a concept). The relationship between

the signier and the signied—and be-

tween a sign and its referent—is arbi-

trary. People like Saussure and I liketo crawl inside a word to check out its

moving parts.

While language at the molecular level

may be arbitrary, naming is not. When I

was in grade school, I wasn’t sure if I’d

have kids when I grew up, but I’d pre-

pared a list of baby names just in case.

The impulse behind giving a name is

thrilling and profound. While there may

be no logical relationship between the

word “baby” and a tiny human being, in

our culture, the name you give a baby

suggests many inuences. Trends.Status. Tradition. Dreams. Creativity.

Compromise.

Genesis 2:19-20. “Now the Lord God

had formed out of the ground all the

wild animals and all the birds in the

sky. He brought them to the man to

see what he would name them; and

whatever the man called each livingcreature, that was its name. So the

man gave names to all the livestock,

the birds in the sky and all the wild ani-

mals . . .”

To name all the animals! I wonder if

Y O U

R V E R

Y OWN

W OR D

b y E mi l y C l i m a

c o



In the next issue:

Wisdom -

search for it like hidden

treasure.

11

Adam was thrilled at the prospect. I

wonder if he suffered namer’s regret

after the fact. When Caroline was 4

months old, I experienced serious

namer’s regret. Suddenly, I feared

we’d made a terrible mistake because

she seemed nothing like a ‘Caroline.’Around the same time, I also suspect-

ed my breast-pump was talking to me.

So there’s that.

Now well-rested, I can’t imagine call-

ing her anything else. Sweet ‘Caroline’

just ts. We chose the name not be-

cause of its meaning—we just thought

it sounded pretty. God, on the other hand, gives names loaded with the

essence of transformation: remember

Abraham, Sarah, Peter, and Paul?

Revelation 2:17. “Whoever has ears,

let them hear what the Spirit says to the

churches. To the one who is victorious,

I will give some of the hidden manna. Iwill also give that person a white stone

with a new name written on it, known

only to the one who receives it.”

God let Adam name the animals,

and he let our families name us. But

can you imagine God’s secret name

for you? This I know: it isn’t arbitrary.

I imagine that its innitely complex

meaning might be summed up like this:

How much you’ve changed! I love you .

REDUCE – get the digital version via e-mail at mychristchurch.com/thejourney

REUSE – pass along this issue to a friend when you’re nished

RECYCLE – toss in a Paper Retriever bin at Christ Church

“Supplier.

Creator.Condante.”-Heather Asunskis, mom of two in need of a

25-hour day

“Faithful.

All-powerful.Amazing.”-Christine Phillips, decorator, ower lover,

wife, and grandmother

“Condante.

Comforter.Listener.”-Betty Nelson, mom, wife, and seamstress

“Faithful,

loving Abba.”-Pati Church, wife, mother, “mimi,” teacher,friend

Make aLong Story

Short In three words, what

does God mean to you?



12

The power of words is an amazing

thing. One word can lift you up or tear

you down, encourage you or devastate

you. Our lives are lled and sometimes

bombarded with words and messages

from every angle. We are thrilled when

our child says his or her rst word and

frustrated when they discover the pow-

er of the word ‘No!’ In home décor these

days you will frequently nd words and

quotes applied to walls, or a carved

out word may sit on your bookshelf or

mantle. I have a plaque in my kitchen

that says ‘Simplify’ as a reminder to do

just that.

How interesting that in scripture Jesus

is referred to as ‘the Word.’ “In the be-

ginning the Word already existed. The

Word was with God, and the Word was

God. He existed in the beginning with

God” (John 1:1, NLT). God created the

world with his words and God has giv-en us his Word, the Bible, as a guide

for our lives. Words hold power and in-

uence, but God’s Word holds the ulti-

mate, divine power and inuence.

In January 2007 I made a decision

to choose a word for that year. Not

just any word, but a word that I felt

would encourage, focus, and remind

me of God’s promises. Going into

2007 I faced an incredibly tough jour-

ney ahead. I was in heart failure and

needed a heart transplant—a second

heart transplant at that. I knew the

pain, uncertainty, and hardship that

awaited me, but I also knew that God

had proven his faithfulness to me and

would see me through the dark valleys

ahead. After much prayer and search-

ing the scriptures, the word ‘steadfast’seemed to encompass my life spiritual-

ly, mentally, physically, and emotional-

ly. Psalm 112:7 states, “They will have

no fear of bad news; their hearts are

steadfast, trusting in the LORD. Isaiah

26:3 states, “You will keep in perfect

peace those whose minds are stead-

fast , because they trust in you.”

Whenever I began to worry about what

loomed in my future, I would bring to

mind these scriptures, these promises,

this Word to lift my spirit. I reminded

by Angela Moore

This Year of Delight



13

myself daily that I needed to remain

steadfast and trust that God would

work out the details. He did! On Octo-

ber 23, 2007 I received a perfect new

heart, and more than three years later

I’m thriving and healthier than I’ve ever

been. Nothing I did during that timeallowed me to get a heart faster, but

remaining steadfast on what his Word

promised gave me peace and joy dur-

ing a stormy time in my life.

At the beginning of 2007 I liked the

idea of choosing a word, but I had no

idea how powerful this yearly exercise

would become for my spiritual life. Ev-

ery year since, I have spent time pre-

paring my heart and mind to choose

a word that would set the tone for that

year. I typically choose a scripture to

reinforce my word—this way I have

God’s Word backing up my chosen

word.

The year 2008 would be a year of res-

toration physically, emotionally, spiri-

tually, and mentally. I chose the word

restore to mark that year. Psalm 30:2

states, “O Lord my God, I cried to you

for help, and you restored my health.”

God had faithfully restored my health,

my life. Just nine months after mytransplant, my husband and I climbed

to the top of a 14,000 foot mountain in

Colorado; my health was restored.

In 2009 I was recovered and needed

to nd a new purpose for my life. “And

we know that God causes everything

to work together for the good of thosewho love God and are called accord-

ing to his purpose for them” (Romans

8:28). I was blessed to return to teach-

ing elementary school full time, serving

in our church, and nding new ways to

use my God-given talents.

I knew that 2010 was going to be

a year of seeking ve things in my

life: God, Vitality, Discipline, Bal-

ance, and Adoption. The word ‘seek’

bookmarked that year, as did Mat-

thew 7:7-8: “Ask and it will be given

to you; seek and you will nd; knock

and the door will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks receives;

the one who seeks nds; and to the

one who knocks, the door will be

opened.”

As 2011 approached I began search-ing for a new word. I had prioritized

seeking God, vitality, discipline, bal-

ance, and adoption, but felt that

there was a component missing. In

a quiet time one day I came across

a familiar verse. Psalm 37:4-5 says,

“ Delight yourself in the LORD and

He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord,

trust also in Him, and He shall bring

it to pass.” Delight—that’s what I

desired. I had grown accustomed to

seeking God, exercising and eating

right, practicing discipline, nding

balance, and working through adop-

tion paperwork, but it had all become

mundane, part of my routine, some-

thing to check off my mental and

physical checklist every day.

I mentioned earlier that one thing I,

along with my husband, were seek-

ing in 2010 was adoption. I am

thrilled to report that on April 10,

2011 we adopted a perfect, newbornbaby boy. I believed that if I delighted

in the Lord, committed my plan and

desires to him, and trusted him to

orchestrate the behind-the-scenes

story that he would bless us with a



14

child. I had always imagined adopting

a girl, but the moment I laid eyes on

our son there was no doubt that God’s

ngerprints were all over him. He is our

dream come true and a great delight

to us.

Choosing a word for the year has

taught me a great deal. There are times

when we have to surrender our plans,

our hopes, our desires to make room

for God’s plans, hopes, and desires

for our life. It’s not an easy process; it

requires spiritual maturity, prayer, and

condence that his plans are always

better. I can attest that there is nothingbetter than delighting in him, commit-

ting our ways to him, and trusting him

to intervene on our behalf.

Consider the power of words in your

own life. What words resonate with you

in a meaningful way? Is there a spe-

cic scripture that is a guiding light inyour life? Are the desires in your heart

God’s desires for you? Singing prais-

es, journaling, reading his Word, serv-

ing others, keeping a gratitude journal,

and surrendering your plans are some

of the ways you can take delight in the

Creator and Provider. How do you take

time to delight in the Lord?

Choosing one word to focus on

each year is a spiritually creative

exercise. Sometimes the word and

accompanying verse will come to

you quickly, and other times it may

take weeks of reection to nd theword that best ts a particular

season of life. I encourage you to

prayerfully choose a word for the

remainder of this year. What area

of your life seems chaotic or lack-

ing? What word would help you

focus on God’s promises and plan

for you?

In your next quiet time, purpose-

fully read some favorite scriptures

to see if a word sticks out. Often-

times I will search biblegateway.

com to look up specic words to

nd a scripture that reinforces the

meaning of the word I have select-

ed.

You could also make this a fam-

ily exercise. Take time around the

dinner table to discuss what words

build us up and tear us down, then

select a word that will remind you

of what God’s Word says. Once a

word is chosen, create a remind-er—anything from an index card to

a canvas with the word and verse

will keep you focused on your

word, but most importantly on

his Word. You might even choose

a different word for each month,

season, or school year.

To read more about Angela’s year of

delight, visit her blog at:

www.angelamoore.typepad.com

ONE

WORD



15

As Christians, we enjoy immediate ac-

cess to God through Jesus, the Word

made esh (John 1:14), and the Bible,

God’s Word (2 Tim. 3:16-17). But even

after many years, sometimes God illu-

minates his Word for us in a brand new

way. Pat Beckner experienced this

kind of revelation earlier this year, andher life is transforming.

It all started with 31 Days of Prayer by

Ruth and Warren Myers, a book with

31 brief chapters designed to be read

over the course of a month. Pat dove

into the book, and “It taught me how

to pray,” she says. It became not just acasual daily reading but a full-edged

pursuit of truth. Every prayer in the

book is inspired by scripture, and this is

where Pat began digging into the Bible:

“I copied each scripture down—right

on the page—because I was amazed

at how they spoke to my situation,” she

explains.

Having unexpectedly lost her beloved

husband Bobby, Pat was terried that

she wouldn’t be able to lead her fam-

ily. When God began to heal her, thechanges were dramatic. “Reading the

scripture made me want to read more,

and the more I read, the more it sunk in

and changed my heart. Sometimes I’ll

say something to my daughter or even

a stranger and wonder, ‘Where did that

come from?’ But the words aren’t mine.

God leads me through his Word, and

I’m following.” Pat has been surprised

again and again—by speaking wise

words to others in need, feeling peace

in troubling times, trusting God com-

pletely—and she wants others to know

the immense riches found in the Bible.

“I could say that this book [31 Days]

made all the difference, but that’s notthe whole story. This book helped me

dig into the Bible—and that’s what

made a difference in my outlook and my

interactions with family.” The biggest

difference so far may be a changed

perspective about her future and the

world around her: “I’m not afraid any-

more. I can say that in all honesty: I’mnot afraid.”

Pat’s favorite verse in this season of

life is Ephesians 3:20: “Now to him

who is able to do immeasurably more

than all we ask or imagine, according

to his power that is at work within us,

to him be glory in the church and inChrist Jesus throughout all genera-

tions, forever and ever! Amen.” May

God grant you, dear reader, the de-

sires of your heart, immeasurably

more than you can ask or imagine!

‘I’m Not AfraidAnymore’One Woman’s Encounter

with the Word

[ ]

by Emily Climaco



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