Between The Lines - Summer 2013 Volume 3, Issue 3
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Between the Lines • Summer 2013 • Volume 3, Issue 3
'Like' us on Facebook: facebook.com/christchurchjourney
In the next issue: Love!
This Issue’s Theme: Freedom
Verse of the Season: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand rm, then,
and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Gal. 5:1).
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 two precious little
boys. She enjoys great conversations, hiking with her family, andencouraging others to grow in their Christian faith.
www.maryannturner.com
Sabra Nyboer has been in the Air Force for 25 years; she joined
Christ Church in September 2009 after moving to Scott Air ForceBase. She lives with her sons, Sean and Troy, in O’Fallon, Illinois.
She attends Christ Church’s Collinsville/Maryville Campus, leads a
weekly Bible study in her home, and also leads a Summer Smorgas-
bord study.
Joanna Eckley has recently entered the world of blogging. She en-
joys sharing through her writing what God is teaching her. She has
been married to her husband, Brett, for six years. They have recently
moved to Houston, Texas. She is embracing the new adventures
God has called her to. www.teameckley.wordpress.com
Lindsay Tallman is a freelance writer who writes about family and
faith. Her work has been featured in Thriving Family and Family Fun
magazines. When she’s not busy writing or tripping over toys, sheenjoys reading, traveling, and playing with her quirky kids. She and
her family live in O’Fallon, Illinois, and worship at Christ Church.
www.lindsayntallman.com
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 her “free time” being silly with her four-year-old daughter
and writing on her blog, www.commonplacesoil.com.
For more information on the Journey ministry or to sign up
for a free subscription to this magazine, please take a look at
www.mychristchurch.com/thejourney.
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take me deeper. I prayed for him to
teach me something new. I thought
perhaps I would fnd a new Biblestudy that would rock my world.
Instead, I developed a severe nerve
compression caused by a herniated
disc and needed surgery. I found
myself quieted before the Lord. My
prayer had been answered in a waythat I never would have imagined or
chosen for myself.
God showed me during this time
that the one thing that would rock
my world forever is to bow deeper in
humility and to press even closer to
Jesus through stillness and throughhis Word—not for how much I would
know, but for how much I would
know him.
As we acquire more and more
knowledge it is possible for us to
become flled with spiritual pride.Pride truly is a prison cell. We build
the walls ourselves and yet we can’t
see them.
During the time of my surgery and
recovery, God was gentle with me
and I truly felt carried by him. He
knows my heart. As I rested physi-
cally and spiritually, he stilled andquieted my soul (See Psalm 131).
The restlessness was gone. He’d
broken open the door to my cell.
During the last nine years, since
the surgery, I’ve experienced a new
depth of freedom and love. I knowbeyond a doubt that Jesus loves
me. He loves you, too. His love is
more than we can grasp in this life-
time.
Our freedom in Christ is a precious
gift. Sometimes when I am at home
by myself I dance around our livingroom with thanks to Jesus. It’s quite
a unique combination of fun and
reverence! Perhaps I should have
kept those old record albums? No
worries, I’ve got a few of my old fa-
vorites on CD for those times when I
just need to go a little over the edge!
Let the dancing begin!
5
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I met my dear friend Beth Baughan thir-
teen years ago in New Jersey. After four
years, the Air Force sent us in sepa-
rate directions. But in 2008, our paths
crossed again here in Illinois. Last sum-
mer, Beth asked me to help her write
her personal testimony as part of thetness ministry she was starting. I was
amazed by her story and asked her if
I could share it with our readers. Hers
is a testimony to the freedom that only
Christ can offer.
Beth just celebrated her fortieth birth-
day. She’s happily married and raisingtwo kids in the suburbs. She’s living out
her dream of helping people through
her tness ministry and personal train-
ing, health, and nutrition business. Her
life is beyond anything she could ever
imagine because it hasn’t been an easy
road to get to this point. She says, “It’s
a miracle that I made it to forty.” Tearsll her eyes as she tells me, “God has
gone before me and already had a plan
for my life.”
Growing up a military brat, Beth recalls
her childhood as mostly happy. She
loved both of her parents and was dev-
astated when they abruptly divorced
when she was six years old. Despite
her desire to live with her mom, Beth’s
dad won primary custody. They started
attending church, and she hated that
she was forced to go. Today she is ex-
tremely thankful for it. She spent sum-
mers and holidays with her mom. At
age thirteen, Beth spent Christmas with
her mom and had to break the news
that the Air Force was moving them
to Hawaii. Beth’s mom was very up-
set, and on January 2 Beth received a
phone call with the news that her mom
had committed suicide.
Devastated by the loss of
her mom, Beth lived her
teenage years in shock,
denial, and rebellion. Even
though she had accepted
Christ, she spent her high
school years partying
and running from her life. Her escape from
reality ended abruptly
when she tragically fell out
of a jeep at age seventeen.
Despite the head trauma, she did
not tell her dad about the accident,
but found herself in a deep depres-
sion just two months later. Shortlyafter the depression set in, she
had her very rst manic episode.
She was hospitalized just before
her high school graduation and
diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Battling with bipolar disorder
presented many challenges dur-
ing Beth’s college years. She was
hospitalized multiple times and strug-
gled to nd medication to control her
manic/depression cycles. After a failed
suicide attempt, she was hospitalized
at a facility that had a running group.
She began running for the rst time and
found that despite many different medi-
cations, running was the most effective.
In 1998, Beth met her future husband
Heldby Lindsay Tallman
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and her life took a dramatic shift. God
had answered her prayers for a man
who would love her unconditionally.
God also helped her discover that exer-
cise, nutrition, and medication kept her
balanced and healthy. She remained
healthy until after her children wereborn when she tried going off of her
medication in the hopes that she
had outgrown the disorder. Un-
fortunately, it didn’t work and she
ended up in the hospital again af-
ter another failed suicide attempt.
During all of the ups and downs of
her illness, Beth contin-
ued to pursue a re-
lationship with God
and grow in her faith
walk. She now begins
every day with prayer and
her Bible. This practice has
changed her life completely. She
has found freedom and new lifein Christ. She is healthy, happy,
and sees her bipolar disorder
as a gift that allows her to
see how important it is to
balance physical, spiritual,
and mental health. Her
unique perspective al-
lows her to help otherswho are struggling to
nd balance in their
lives.
I asked Beth how
sharing her story
with other women has
c ha ng ed h e r l i f e . S h e
says, “Shar- i n g
my story has made me
freer.” She’s been amazed
at how God has used her testimony
to minister to the many women silently
struggling with depression or bipolar
disorder. Someone told her after hear-
ing her testimony that she transforms
lives. She was quick to reply, “I do not.
God does.”
Beth hopes her ministry to others con-
tinues to grow, but she is at peaceknowing that God is in control and will
get all the glory for anything he does in
her life. She ends her testimony with the
following words:
I surrendered 100 percent to God. I
was super hard-headed. God never
stopped pursuing me. I have been in
some crazy hard places. God has de-
livered me. If you met me on the street
today, you would never know all these
things about me. I am blessed. I am in
relationship with Jesus. I will never walk
away again. It took a lot for him to get
my attention. He never gave up. I am
His. And because I am His, I am free.
If you would like more information about
Beth’s ministry, contact her at tnessin-
[email protected] or www.tnessin-
motion.net.
S o d o n o t f e a r, f o r
I a m w i t h y o u ; d o
n o t b e d i s m a y e d,
f o r I a m y o u r G o d. I
w i l l s t r e n g t h e n y o u
a n d h e l p y o u ; I w i l l
u p h o l d y o u w i
t h
m y r i g h t e o u s r i g h t
h a n d.
I s a i a h 4 1 : 1 0
{
}
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“. . . to give his life as
Photo by Julie Crask
www.works4water.blogspot.com
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a ransom for many . . .”~Mark 10:45
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What do you think about when you
hear “freedom”? Being free to do what
you want? Have you ever wondered
how someone in jail or prison can be
free, while others live normal lives but
are not free?
People in jail can be free because
they nd Jesus, the only one who can
set us free! “So if the Son sets you
free, you will be free indeed” (John
8:36). And the more we know Jesus
the more we seek to know the truth:
“And you will know the truth, and the
truth will set you free” (John 8:32).
The struggle for most of us is to stayfree and not go back to our old ways:
“For freedom Christ has set us free;
stand rm therefore, and do not sub-
mit again to a yoke of slavery” (Gal.
5:1).
The Journey Team and Prison Minis-
try Team at Christ Church have joinedhands in starting a pen pal relation-
ship with the women in the St. Clair
County Jail. Why is this an important
part of freedom? Think about a time
in your life when you hit rock bottom.
Did anyone encourage you? Pour
scripture into you? Pray for you? Or
maybe, like me, a friend introduced
you to Jesus. This would be one way
to give someone a new kind of free-
dom they have never known before.
We hope to offer the women in the jail
encouragement and freedom through
these pen pal relationships.
We believers know the power of Je-
sus and what he can do. We hear tes-
timonies every day of the way Jesus
works that we can’t otherwise explain.
Think about living in a bad situation
but nding freedom and a new life—a
joy you have never known before!
Believe in Jesus; trust in Jesus!
So today, what keeps you from enjoy-
ing your freedom that Jesus died for?
Do you trust Jesus? Are you encour-
aging others to nd freedom in Jesus?
Jesus, we thank you for the freedomthat only you can provide us! Keep us
focused on you and your Word. We
believe that you are all we need, and
we can do anything with you in our
lives. Amen!
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was sent “. . . to proclaim
freedom for the prisoners and
recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free . . .”
~ Luke 4:18
said to his followers, “. . . If
you hold to my teaching, you
are really my disciples. Then
you will know the truth, and
the truth will set you free . . .”
~ John 8:31
holds all authority, and “. .
. What he opens no one canshut, and what he shuts no
one can open . . .”
~ Rev. 3:7
completely saves: “. . . For God so loved the world that
he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him
shall not perish but have eter-
nal life. For God did not send
his Son into the world to con-
demn the world, but to savethe world through him . . .”
~ John 3:16-17
-EC
J E S U S
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(October Conference Ad)
Journey FallConference'13
October 199:30 am - 2:30 pmChrist Church
Keynote Speaker:
Melissa BishopThe cost is $10Lunch is includedChildcare will be availableBuy tickets at mychristchurch.com/events
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I don’t remember a time in my life
when I did not struggle with worry
and anxiety. From the time I was a
young child I would allow my mind
to xate on different concerns until I
was trapped by them. This becamea pattern that repeated itself so
frequently that I did not realize that
I was living in a prison of my own
making.
The simple pattern of worry and
doubt continued throughout the
years until my junior year of college
when my anxiety became crippling.
I began to suffer from debilitating
panic attacks. These attacks would
last for days at a time and ultimately
resulted in a leave of absence from
college.
Over the course of the next few years
God journeyed with me through a
very dark place. While there were
times that I was very lonely, I was
never alone. God gave me his Word
daily and lled my life with a won-
derful earthy support system. He
gave me his Word that says, “The
Lord your God is in your midst, a
mighty one who will save; he will re-
joice over you with gladness; he will
quiet you by his love; he will exult
over you with loud singing” (Zeph.
3:17, ESV).
While anxiety is still a very real
struggle in my life, I have come to
know that God is my sustainer and
there is absolutely nothing I fear that
he cannot overcome. It is in these
darkest places that Christ’s light hasshined so brightly, lighting my way
out of the dark corners of my mind
and into the healing recesses of my
heart where Christ dwells. I am so
thankful now for having been forged
through these difcult periods, be-
ing rened for the new adventures
God has in store for me.
Joyfully, I was able to return to col-
lege and complete my degree—this
time in psychology—with a dream to
counsel those who struggle with like
anxieties.
Do you struggle with fear and
doubt? God has promised us in his
Word to “be strong and courageous.
Do not be afraid or terried because
of them, for the Lord your God goes
with you; he will never leave you nor
forsake you” (Deut. 31:6).
Invite Christ to dwell with you in all
areas of your life. He has the key
to unlock the prison that seems to
contain you, and he can free you to
experience true joy and peace.
by Joanna EckleyTriumph through Tribulation
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As I drive across town to pick up
my daughter from preschool, I re-
alize I don’t have my cell phone. In
the rush of leaving the house—and
bringing some bread for the geeseat the park—I’ve left my phone at
home. It’s too late to turn around,
so I drive on. As I go, I become un-
settled, then jittery.
This is a weird feeling. What makes
me so nervous about spending the
afternoon without my phone? My
mind begins to reel. What if I need
to call 911? In my entire cell phone
history, I’ve called 911 only once,
after witnessing a car accident. Be-
fore picking up my daughter, I go for
a walk in the neighborhood near her
school. Is it safe to walk without my
phone? In broad daylight?
Is it really a safety issue? No, it’s anissue of addiction. How will I check
my e-mail? What if someone tries to
call me? What if I want to take a pic-
ture? What if I get bored? Restless-
ness, irritation, itting from thought
to thought: these are classic with-
drawal symptoms.
We had a great afternoon at the
park, but I reached for my phone
many times. When we got in the
car Caroline asked, “Mama, can I
please have your phone?” She likes
Prison Break!by Emily Climaco
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to watch Curious George on it. I told
her it was at home. She wanted to
know how I could be in the car with
my phone at home, as if it were a
vital medical device without which
I may die. My explanations did not
satisfy her.
“Addict” has a revealing etymology:
its Latin root, addictus, means as-
signed or surrendered. I’d become
assigned, surrendered—let’s just
say it: enslaved—to my phone. And
this wasn’t my phone’s fault; this
was self-surrender.
Who in her right mind would put her-
self in slavery?
One could argue there are worse
addictions, and certainly there are
more traumatic and health-alter-
ing ones. Yet where my treasure
is, there’s my heart. “How can you
drive the car with your heart lying
on the kitchen counter?” Caroline’s
confusion implied.
God created us for freedom. Paul
advises the Galatian church to “takecaptive every thought to make it
obedient to Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5).
That is, I am to be the captor vigi-
lantly guarding my heart, not the
prisoner to my phone.
God is merciful—he’s not our cap-
tor but our liberator, our redeemer.Christ came that we might be free,
no longer enslaved, assigned, or
surrendered to banal junk but re-
deemed and transformed for things
of greater eternal value. Former
slaves become heirs by virtue of
adoption: “So you are no longer a
slave, but God’s child; and since
you are his child, God has made
you also an heir” (Gal. 4:7).
Paul is writing to his own people whoare conned to the law—enslaved to
things that are less than God. These
passages also may apply to those
already in Christ but enslaved to ad-
dictions whether seemingly harsh or
mild. He continues: “Formerly, when
you did not know God, you were
slaves to those who by nature are
not gods. But now that you know
God—or rather are known by God—
how is it that you are turning back to
those weak and miserable forces?
Do you wish to be enslaved by them
all over again?” (Gal. 4:8-9).
Of course not! What free person
would willingly return to slavery?
I’m calling for a prison break, start-
ing with my attachment to my
phone. For me, it boils down to at-
tention. Will I give more weight to
momentary distractions, such ase-mail, calls, Facebook alerts, or to
the things that really matter? My rst
step is to be conscious of the object
of my attention, setting my heart
on things above and on the people
in front of me (Col. 3:1). Join me?
Let’s throw off the chains we will-
ingly wear like jewelry and seize the
freedom that’s ours in Christ.
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3 3 9 F r a n k S
c o t t P a r k w a y E a s t
F a i r v i e w H e i g h t s , I L 6 2 2 0 8
S U B S
C R I B
E N O
W !
T o
g e t B e t w e
e n t h e L i n
e s b y m a i l o r e - m a i l
g o t o m y c
h r i s t c h u r c h
. c o m / t h e j o u r n e y