The Testament. Relax, Relate, Release - by Sis. Chanetta Evans. Graves Scholarship Fund Seeks Your Support

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1 July 2012 The Testament Relax, Relate, Release - by Sis. Chanetta Evans Do you find yourself sometimes in situations that seem bigger than what they are that leave you fearful and tense? Do the waves of life seem to keep you from living free from fear because of the unknown? Did you know that fear is the opposite of faith and that there is a thin line between the two? I want to share a recent experience that helped me with my article this month. On a recent beach trip, I found myself frantic as I stood knee deep in what seemed to me as raging waters. Not knowing how to swim but wanting to enjoy myself, I submerged all but my head into the water. The waves seemed to me like some that could make a boat sink. My heart was pounding, insides were shaking, and everything would tense up. As I saw every wave come near, I became fearful and stood up out of the water. I looked around me and saw everyone else enjoying themselves, wondering why I am having a hard time doing the same. All the while, I felt defeated in my fear. The first thing I found useful was knowing that relaxing helps when moving with the waves in the water. However, relaxing did not come easy for me. I had to keep telling myself over and over again to relax in my mind. Even in moments of enjoying the waves, I felt myself sinking under the water and the cycle of being fearful started all over again. By now you know I do not know how to swim, so after my experience I started searching for answers. Almost every website that I came across started off by saying the same thing, but one in particular caught my attention and I will use it to help drive my point. How to Float (2012) states that: Everyone can and should learn how to float in water. Knowing how to float can save your life, and it s the first step in learning how to swim freestyle. It may seem daunting - - or downright impossible -- but the first thing you have to do is believe that you can float. So the first step to learning how to swim is to learn how to float. While in the water, I learned that fear was blocking me from floating because I could not relax. Fear also had me feeling like the waves were raging more than what they really were. In a sense, floating is like having faith. The Bible states that: Without faith it is impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6) Just as without learning how to float it Lincoln Memorial Baptist Church Durham, NC is almost impossible to learn how to swim. So when the waves of life leave you feeling fearful and tense, just float or have faith by relaxing in knowing that God has it all in control. Just as I had to repeat to myself over and over again that I needed to relax while I was in the water, do the same with the Word. So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17) Relate your issue with a scripture in the word of God, and repeat it to yourself over and over again when situations seem bigger than what they are, because no matter what, our God is bigger. The last thing I wanted to point out on How to Float (2012) is that it states that if your legs always sink, then lift your hands above your head. By doing so, it is creating support, and gives you some leverage. So after you have relaxed, and have related the word to your situation and recited it over and over again, the final step is to release. II Corinthians 5:7 says, (For we walk by faith and not by sight.) Just as in water, lift your hands above your head, as a sign of surrendering to and praising God, so you can get some support and leverage when you feel yourself sinking in the trials of life. Don t let fear keep you bound. Relax, Relate, and Release. Reference: How to float for swimming. (2012). Retrieved from Graves Scholarship Fund Seeks Your Support Please make plans to attend the annual Lincoln Memorial Baptist Church Jimmy and Torian Graves Memorial Scholarship Program. Saturday, July 14th 4:00pm LMBC Fellowship Hall Guest Speaker: Dr. William Logan Principal - Hillside High School Tickets for the event are $20 for adults and $10 for children ages Your support will allow us to continue assisting our youth as they continue their education at colleges and universities throughout the country. Please purchase a ticket to attend the event or make a donation to the scholarship fund. Your support is greatly appreciated.

2 Objects In Motion -by Bro. Dean Jernigan I had heard the phrase before. The television announcer proclaimed that a body in motion stays in motion, while a body at rest stays at rest". I don t know what was being sold in the commercial, but as someone with a science background, I instantly recognized the phrase as one of Sir Isaac Newton's laws of motion. Bodies in motion stay in that same motion unless they are acted on by an outside force. That force could be gravity, friction or some other force. Our planet earth is a good example. Each year, the earth travels the same path in its orbit around the sun. As long as nothing different happens, its orbit remains the same and we can predict with a great amount of certainty the sunrise and the sunset. We can predict when the four seasons will begin and we can predict what year will have an extra day. For all intents and purposes, the earth is an object in motion, following the same predictable course of action year in and year out. If we are not careful, we too can become objects in motion - following a set, predictable path day end and day out. We become routine and stagnant. We go through the motions on auto pilot at work and at home without giving a lot of thought to our actions. Like the earth in its orbit, our actions become as predictable as the sun rising in the east. How do we avoid becoming objects in motion? How do we avoid being like that caged hamster, constantly running on that big wheel but getting nowhere fast. The answer - we live on purpose and move with purpose. In recent weeks, both Rev. Atkins and our Youth Day speaker referenced this issue in their messages and highlighted the importance of not becoming routine in our actions. In his bestselling book, The Purpose Driven Life, pastor Rick Warren reminds us that God designed each of us with a specific purpose in mind. It may take some of us a little more time than others to realize this purpose, but isn t it wonderful knowing that there is one? We may be the products of random or unplanned acts on the part of our parents, but we were in God's plans long before they got together. How do we live on purpose? I m no expert, but over years, I have picked up several tips from others on success that could also be useful in trying to achieve some degree of purpose and direction. I ll call them the 7 P s and I m happy to share them with you as follows: Plan: It s been said over and over again People don t plan to fail, they simply fail to plan. Planning is a central part of moving with purpose. It charts the course for the direction of your travel. Where do you what to go? What do you want to be? In his book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey puts it best Begin with the end in mind. Visualize crossing the finish line when you start the planning process. Prepare: The Future Belongs to Those Who Prepare For It. That advertising slogan was used by NC Mutual years ago. While its primary purpose was to help its agents sell life insurance, the underlying meaning goes far beyond that. Ready or not, the future will arrive as long as we continue to live. Those who prepare for it will be better equipped to navigate life s pathways along the way. Perform: Our plans and preparations are no good sitting on the shelf. The Bible reminds us that Faith without works is dead. Our faith is exemplified by our actions. In a like manner, we must act on the plans that we have made. Movement with a plan puts us in motion with a purpose. Patience: Patience is a virtue and it s required when we seek God s help for seeing our plans through. Bro. Charles Bailey is fond of reminding us that God works on his timetable, not ours. We have to be patient and remember that God always shows up on time. Persistence: If at first you don t succeed, try and try again. We all learned that phrase years ago in grade school, but the essence of it still rings true. Don t quit at the first sign of failure. Sometimes when we re on the journey, we may have to step back and reassess our approach to make sure that we re on the right track. Stay focused on the goal and don t give up. The late songwriter Luther Vandross said it nicely when he wrote Nothing hurts as bad as when you see, that you gave up too easily. Positive energy: When you have a goal, one of the greatest challenges will be to stay encouraged as you pursue it. Without knowing it, friends and family members can spew forth waves of negative energy that if taken to heart, could serve as stumbling blocks to you along the way. They mean well, so stay positive. Filter through the negativity and take something positive from their concern that you can build on. Prayer: Prayer is listed last but it s not the last P. In fact, prayer is the constant P that coexists with all of the other P s. The Bible tells us that men ought to always pray and to pray without ceasing. Prayer lays the foundation for planning, prepares our hearts for the journey and gives us the courage to perform. Prayer is the tie that binds all of the P s together. Each of us has a reason for being here. As we move about, finding out why, allow yourself to be moved by the force of prayer. Of all of the P s mentioned above, it s the one that can help you to chart your course and prevent you from becoming an object wandering aimlessly in motion. Prayer moves people. It can help you to live - and move, with purpose. The Testament is produced monthly by our Newsletter Committee. Please send articles, photos or other items for publication in The Testament to newsletter@mylmbc.org by the 3rd Sunday of each month. Newsletter Committee Chanetta Evans Janice Campbell Gloria Manley Reginald Davis Willee Murphy Joan Lofton Marva Atkins William Mayfield Earleen Sharrock Dean Jernigan, Chair

3 Member Spotlight -by Sis. Marva Atkins Sister Love Valentine Sister Love Valentine joined the Lincoln family in April She is originally from Statesville, NC and has lived with her family in Durham, NC for 7 years. Sister Love is an only child and enjoys movies and going to the beach. She is a proud graduate of North Carolina A&T State University and holds a Bachelor Degree in Business. Also, Sister Love has been employed with the State Employees Credit Union for over 4 years. She has been married for 14 years to Damon and they have two lovely daughters, Daya (9) and Zoe (7). The Love family lived in Alaska for 4 years while Damon served in the United States Air Force. SAVE THE DATE!! Pastor s Anniversary Celebration Saturday, August 11th 4:00pm Lyon Park Community Center 1313 Halley Street Please join us for an evening fellowship as we celebrate the 10th Pastoral Anniversary of Rev. Linzie B. Atkins, III, First Lady Marva Atkins and their family. Tickets for this event are $10.50 and must be purchased by July 31st. Please see any member of the Pastor s Aide Ministry to purchase your ticket. Food For Thought... A suggestion for your weekly calendar! Monday Wash Day Lord, help me wash away all my selfishness and vanity, so I may serve you with perfect humility through the week ahead. Tuesday Ironing Day Dear Lord, help me iron out all the wrinkles of prejudice I have collected though the years so that I may see the beauty in others. Wednesday Mending Day O God, help me mend my ways so I will not set a bad example for others. Thursday Cleaning Day Lord Jesus, help me to dust out all the many faults I have been hiding in the secret corners of my heart. Friday Shopping Day O God, give me the grace to shop wisely so I may purchase eternal happiness for myself and all others in need of love. Saturday Cooking Day Help me, my Savior, to brew a big kettle of brotherly love and serve it with clean, sweet bread of human kindness. Sunday The Lord's Day O God, I have prepared my house for you. Please come into my heart so I may spend the day and the rest of my life in your presence. Have a great week!

4 Summertime When The Living Is Easy What comes to mind when you think about summer with your children? Swimming, summer camp, barbecues? This year why not make sharing books part of your family s summer fun? Children of all ages need to be read to or to read by themselves and to talk about books over the summer. As children read they will develop important language skills. Summer reading and book discussions will help maintain reading skills, improve fluency, and develop new vocabulary and concepts. What is Book Talk? To engage in conversation with your child, ask questions about what they are reading. Choose a few questions each night. Asking questions will increase their comprehension. If you are reading a book together, let your child ask you questions. Before reading: Looking at the title, cover and illustrations. What do you think will happen in this book? *Do you think there will be a problem in the story? Why? *What do you already know about the topic of this book? *Does the topic or story relate to you or your family? How? During reading: What has happened in the story so far? Can you tell me using sequence words? (First, then, next, after, finally, etc) *What do you predict will happen next? *What would you have done if you were the character? After reading: Why is the title a good title for the book/story? If you had to give it a different title what would be another good title for it? *What was your favorite part? Why? *Why do you think the author wrote this? -by Sis. Janice Campbell If you would like more information on summer reading, or higher order thinking skills and questions, feel free to contact me. Happy Reading!!! Saluting Our Fathers Hats off to the Women of Faith Ministry for their ongoing support of the men of Lincoln. To celebrate Father s Day, the women prepared a delicious breakfast for the men of our church. This wonderful event was enjoyed and appreciated by all who attended. More important than the food was the fellowship. Congratulations to Sis. Joan Lofton and the Women of Faith Ministry for this outstanding activity.

5 Vacation Bible School Our annual Vacation Bible School session provides an expanded opportunity for Bible study and review. It also provides an opportunity to engage our youth in creative and entertaining ways while reinforcing biblical concepts. Organized by Rev. Deloise Hicks and assisted by a team of talented and committed teachers and helpers, Vacation Bible School was an enjoyable and enriching experience for all who attended.

6 Around Lincoln. Congratulations High School Grads! Congratulations to our high school graduates. We ask God s blessings upon you as you enter the next phase of your lives. Please know that your Lincoln family will always be here to support you. Good luck to each of you in all of your future endeavors! Sis. Jameca Cotton, along with all of our graduating High School Seniors, receives a gift from the church from Rev. Atkins, Youth Day Speaker Minister Dietrich Danner and Sis. Joan Lofton. Youth members display the certificates and medallions that they received during the Student Recognition segment of Youth Day. Several youth members were promoted from Children s Church during Youth Day. Sis. Janice Campbell and Rev. Joyce Bailey present Bro. Bryce Davenport with his promotional certificate. Bros. Eugene Lofton and Reginald Davis share their cooking talents during a recent Durham Ushers Union fundraiser. Justin Brodie Jameca Cotton Joseph Eley, II Domonique Hodge Brittany Salaam Toniea Slaughter Words of Wisdom to Live By Anyway People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway. If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway. What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway. -by Mother Teresa Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway. In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway. Best Wishes for Success!!

7 - submitted by Sis. Earleen -submitted by Sis. EarleenSharrock Sharrock Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. - Proverbs 22:6

8 July 2012 Reaching and Teaching For Christ Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sounds of Joy Pastor s Aide Committee Intercessory Prayer Bible Study Laymen s League Durham Bulls Praise Team 10:00am Trustees Meeting Women of Faith :00pm Youth Missionary Meeting Voices of Praise Health & Wellness Ministry Leadership Meeting Intercessory Prayer Bible Study Christian Board Praise Team Voices of Praise 10:00pm Deaconess Ministry 4:00pm Graves Scholarship Program Couples Ministry :00pm Pastor s Aide Let s Bake A Cake Newsletter Committee Intercessory Prayer Bible Study Church Conference Praise Team Voices of Praise 9:00am Laymen s League 12Noon Male Chorus Rehearsal :00pm Ushers Board 3:00pm Male Chorus Anniversary Young Adult Choir Computing & Technology Committee Intercessory Prayer Bible Study Neighborhood PAC YAC Praise Team Young Adult Choir 10:00am Durham County Missionary Dept. 2:00pm Back To School Bash To add an event to the church calendar, please contact Sis. Jocelyn Campbell by calling the church at , option 1. You may also reach her via at churchcalendar@mylmbc.org. Please send articles, photos or information for The Testament to newsletter@mylmbc.org by the 3rd Sunday of each month. Newsletter Photos by Bro. Reginald Davis, Sis. Jocelyn Campbell, Sis. Chanetta Evans and Bro. Dean Jernigan