Welcome to FRONTLINE.

FRON LINE eNewsletter

Issue 01-August 2012

Encouragement for the Journey

From the Publisher/Editor…....

At the beginning of the year, I asked

God to let 2012 be different. I was so

tired of running and hiding from His

Will for my life and I wanted to

surrender to the course that He had

designed for me. At that moment, I

felt a heavy load lift from my

shoulders. I knew I was free and

empowered to do GREAT THINGS for

the Kingdom of God.

Being a published writer, it came as no

surprise that God laid on my heart the

desire to use my writing to encourage

others. FRONTLINE is committed to

doing just that. Encourage You.

Whether you are seasoned in ministry,

a newbie to the church or anywhere in

between, it is our goal to provide you

with words of inspiration, impartation

and upliftment.

Special thanks to our

contributors – Beverley

Bowen-Evans and Douglas

Smith who has done a

tremendous job in making this

issue complete.

I pray that FRONTLINE will be

blessing to you and go ahead

and share it with family and

friends.

Charmain Griffiths

I can do all things

through Christ who

strengthens me!

Philippians 4:13 (NKJV)

this issue….

Why do I go to church P. 2 “Till death do us part” P. 3 Just One Drop P. 3 Bible Trivia P. 4 Let’s Laugh P. 4 Stay Connected P. 5

Feeling squeezed?

Sometimes it is necessary to get to what’s inside you.

Stand still.

God has it under control.

Why Do I Go To Church? With the advent of televangelism, internet streaming &

YouTube, is going to a traditional church necessary??

Standing on the

Word!

Times have changed. With the

advent of televangelism, internet

streaming and YouTube, there are more

and more discussions as to whether

attending church on a weekly basis is a

necessity. Often cited is the mandate

written in Hebrews 10:25, “Not forsaking

the assembling of ourselves together, as

the manner of some is;” but for many not

attending services regularly is not

construed as altogether forsaking the

practice. For others, the notion of

attending just to say you attend is

hypocritical.

I had this question in my mind last

Sunday as I was getting ready for church:

Why do I go to church? Here are the

answers that I came up with.

I go to church for Corporate

Worship.

In my relationship with God,

worshipping Him is of utmost

importance. I do not need to go to

church however to worship. I can do

that in the confines of my own home.

With Corporate Worship there is the

principle of multiplication. A group of

people with like mind, in one place, at

the same time – creates a bigger

environment and capacity for the

presence of God than I can create by

myself. Even with distractions,

spectators, entertainers and such the

likes that attend a church service, I

am still able to tap into the resources

that worship offers. I go to church

for corporate worship because it

leaves me refreshed, strengthened,

motivated and inspired.

I go to church for Service.

In me dwell gifts and talents that

were given for the sole purpose of

glorifying God through service to

others. Whether I like it or not, there

is a need to share my gifting with

others, which if left unchecked leads

to discontentment and feelings of

non-fulfillment. Church, though not

exclusively, does provide various

streams of opportunity for me to

honor God through my gifting. I go

to church for service because it

makes me fulfilled, satisfied,

accountable and allows my gifts

and talents to mature for greater

use.

I go to church for Fellowship

The adage that “no man is an island”

stands true. I believe we were

created for relationship, connection

and fellowship with each other. This

goes beyond just physical; there are

physiological and emotional benefits

to belonging to a group that share

some commonality. To me, there is

no deeper connection than that of

the blood of Jesus that bonds

“strangers” together in spite of

cultural, economic and racial lines.

I go to church for fellowship

because it builds up my

appreciation for others, teaches

me how to get along with others,

widens my perspective of the

Power of the Cross and the

Awesome plan of salvation.

So I hear the Preacher say we have to

“stand on the Word”. After shouting

and dancing, because at the moment it

sounded “revelatory”, I had the notion

that I did not quite understand what

that REALLY means… UNTIL NOW. You

see life presents contradictions to the

Word of God. For example, the Word

says “we are more than conquerors”

but when you have just lost a fight

(trial) and is barely holding your head

above water for survival, the idea of

MORE THAN A CONQUEROR seems

more like a mockery than a fact. Here

is what God has taught me. You let the

devil laugh while he can; because the

adage is still true “he who laughs last,

laugh best”. You “stand on the Word”-

in other words- BELIEVE THE WORD

TO BE TRUE- in spite of how you feel

or what it looks like. Today, I am

STANDING ON THE WORD. How

about you?

-CharmainGriffiths-

“Till Death Do Us Part”

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

It dawned on me that I really owe a big THANK YOU to my enemies because they have challenged me to be better; motivated me to succeed and improved my relationship with God as they pushed me to my knees. No wonder David says He prepares a table in the

presence of my enemies.

-CharmainGriffiths-

One of the highlights of summer is

the weddings. Who can resist a

beautiful bride all dressed up in a

white flowing gown and a

handsome groom all clean shaved

and smartly dressed? No one that I

know of. Weddings are such a

joyous occasion; often couples make

the mistake of believing that signals

the signs of a happy marriage. It

does not take long however for the

reality of marriage to kick in and

today couples are divorcing before

the ink is dried on the marriage

certificate.

Growing up for me, marriage was

considered sacred; especially for

those in the church. In the seventies

and eighties, I did not personally

know of anyone who had divorced.

In hindsight, I can see that not all

the marriages I knew were perfect

or even loving, but church folks

were taught to stick it out and the

idea of a Christian breaking their

marriage vows before God was akin

to backsliding from your

relationship with God.

Those days have long gone. Divorce

is so prevalent, even in the church

that chances are, sitting beside you

in worship service every week is

someone who has had a divorce.

According to a 2009 report by the

Center for Disease Control (CDC), in

the USA “marriage rate is 6.8 per

1,000 total population and the

“divorce rate is 3.4 per 1,000

population.” Wow, that’s a 50%

rate. And the numbers even gets

worse with second (60%) and third

marriages (73%).

The US Department of Health and Human Services has given10 Tips for a Healthy Marriage which I believe to be sound advice. This is not an all-inclusive list but I believe if you can make them a part of your daily marriage life, you will have a better chance of avoiding divorce.

1. Communication. Learn to communicate effectively.

2. Make time for each other. 3. Fight fair. Avoid criticizing, ridiculing, dismissing

or rejecting your partner or what he or she is saying. 4. Make a commitment to your relationship. 5. Express appreciation. A simple thank you can go

a long way.

6. Maintain a sense of humor. Laugh often. 7. Learn to compromise. 8. Practice forgiveness. 9. Keep romance alive. 10. Take time for yourself. After 22 years of marriage, I say to others, marriage is not for the faint of hearts. It takes lots of courage to stay or to walk away. The great news is that we do not have to do it on our own – God is a Present Help…. I want to add # 11 to that list.

11. KEEP GOD AT THE CENTER OF ALL YOU THINK, DO & BE.

Source: http://www.foh.dhhs.gov/NYCU/marriage.asp

On Saturday evening I stood over my sink doing dishes. There was a frying pan I had used

earlier which had a lot of grease in it so I filled it with water until I was ready to scour it. I placed it on the counter away from the faucet. The oil was floating on top. As I washed and chatted on the phone a “single” soap sud no bigger and maybe even smaller than my fingernail splashed into the frying pan. INSTANEOUSLY the grease on top of the water moved away from the center where the soap sud had fallen. My mouth dropped open. Like a child with a new discovery I emptied the pot and filled it again, waited until the grease was floating all over the top then I did it again. And again it happened. Just ONE DROP of soap made the grease back off. Do you see where I'm going with this? If that can happen in the natural, what of the spiritual? Just one drop of Jesus' blood can start the process of sin backing away from us. Why then is it that we continue to live and wallow in our sinful state when the BLOOD is available for washing and cleansing? The blood is POWERFUL! We need to tap into its power and apply it. More than a single drop is available, has always been available. Don't let it go to waste.

JUST ONE DROP

Beverley Bowen-Evans, is an active member of Emmanuel Apostolic Church, Portmore,

Jamaica where she heads the Training and Spiritual Development Ministry. Professionally,

she is a teacher at the secondary level. Writing is her passion and she seeks to use this

gift to evangelize for the glory of God.

Face Your Fears

Count the Cost

Prepare

Pray

Obey- Ready, Set, Go

BIBLE TRIVIA

1. Open rebuke is better than secret ______________ a. lust b. love c. thought d. pride

2. Behold, to obey is better than _________________ a. worship b. friendship c. giving d. sacrifice

3. A little that a righteous man hath is better than the ___________ of many

wicked. a. riches b. wealth c. pleasures d. greed

4. For wisdom is better than ___________

a. knowledge b. gold c. love. d. rubies

5. A good name is better than ____________ a. nice shoes b. lots of friends c. precious ointment d. charity

6. He that is slow to anger is better than the _________

a. proud b. strong c. boaster d. mighty

7. A poor man is better than a __________ a. thief b. worrier c. liar d. pretender

BETTER THAN

A couple decided to go to Cyprus for

the weekend, but because they both

worked it was hard to coordinate

their diaries. So they decided the

husband would go a day early, and

his wife would join him the

following day. On arriving, the

husband thought he would email his

wife from his laptop, but he

accidentally mistyped her email

address and sent it off without

realizing.

A widow had just returned from her

husband's funeral. He was a minister

of many years who had been 'called

home to glory' following a heart

attack. The widow checked her e-

mail, expecting messages from

relatives and friends, but instead

found this:

To: My Loving Wife

From: Your Departed Husband

Subject: I've Arrived!

I've just arrived and have checked

in. I see that everything has been

prepared for your arrival tomorrow.

Looking forward to seeing you then!

Hope your journey is as uneventful

as mine was. (P.S. Sure is hot down

here!)

Fill in the blank

ans. 1.b; 2. d; 3. a; 4. d; 5. c; 6. d; 7. c . Prov. 27:5; 1st Sam 15:22; Psa.37:16; Prov. 8:11; Ecc.7:1; Psa. 16:32; Prov.19:22

Taking a Leap of Faith

Laughter is good medicine

Famous nameless female Bible characters

Find the correct match

a. Hemorrhaging woman b. I was visited by king Saul c. I turned into a pillar of salt d. I was caught sinning e. I falsely accused Joseph of rape f. I shouted “come see a man” g. I was referred to as a dog h. I came to see Solomon’s temple i. I was saved in the ark j. I asked for the head of John the

Baptist

1. The queen of Sheba 2. Syrophoenician woman 3. Woman taken in adultery 4. Herodias' daughter 5. Woman with issue of blood 6. Samaritan woman at the well 7. Noah’s wife 8. Potipher’s wife 9. The witch of Endor 10. Lot’s wife

Worry does not produce results.

Worrying about a matter does not change the outcome.

One minute spent in prayer will accomplish more than one hour

spent worrying.

It is an undeniable fact; we live in a fast paced

environment. Our society has become somewhat obsessed with getting things done fast. What with all the 4G technology that is now at our fingertips, everything around us moves at what can be compared to warped speed. Granted, some of the technology has really significantly affected our way of live in a positive way. For example, the microwave oven; how did we live without an appliance like that for such a long time? Imagine life without one? Hmmm..Food for thought. A few months ago, during my “me time with God” (i.e. my 45 minute commute from home to work). I found myself embarking on what could only be described as a retrospective. I imagined what life was like back in the mid 1950’s. Oh, I should preface that with the factoid that I grew up in Kingston, Jamaica, where running water and indoor plumbing did not become common place until after we gained Independence from Great Britain in 1962. The recurring thought during that retrospective was that folks had more time to talk with God because there were fewer distractions. No mobile phones or blackberry, no Zunes or portable CD players, no car stereos (since very few folks owned motor vehicles). Yes, all the current accoutrements that make up our current way of life can all be categorized as distractions. There may be those who disagree, but we will have that discussion another time. Sure, we see them as facilitators to an easier lifestyle, and yes they do make things better to some extent. However, it also causes us to communicate less with God. Those of us with young children know that once you are home, there is always going to be something to do. Time is perhaps one of the most revered commodities in our lives.

We hardly have time to make it to church on Sundays, let alone to Bible Study on Wednesdays. Consequently, I have resolved to use my commute as a time to help nurture my walk with God. The newly allotted “me time” allows me to do what my parents did on a Sunday morning at 6 am when I was a child. Sunday morning devotion was an integral part of my upbringing. I tried to initiate it in my own home after I got married. It worked for about a year. Then my wife announced that she was going to have to work the 7pm-7am shift. Which meant that on Sunday mornings she would not get home till about 8am; barely giving us enough time to have breakfast, then I would have to leave for Sunday school. Bless her heart, sometimes she would be so tired after working a 12 hour shift, she never makes it to church, and that really tore into her spirit. But it was one of the sacrifices we had to make. So I convinced her to try the "me time” on her way from work on Sunday mornings. No radio, turn off the phone, just talk with God as though He is in the passenger seat. I was surprised at how inspiring my "me time” has been, and I would encourage everyone to try doing the same. Communication is a very important facet in all of our lives. Lack of communication has been known to cause marriages to fail, parents and children to become estranged, jobs to be lost and worst yet, caused us to become distanced from Christ. It is easy to keep the lines of communication open. Thanks to modern technology, we can call Uncle Ralph who is on an oil rig in the North Sea whenever we want; or call cousin Annie who is a student at the University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and it seems like they are only a mile away. But as Christians, we also need to keep the spiritual lines of communication open all the time. We used to sing a song back in day which said, "Telephone to Glory, Oh what joy divine, I can feel the current moving

on the line; Built by God the Father for His loved and own; We may talk

to Jesus on this royal telephone." Frank Lehman

Let us endeavor to stay connected to Christ at all times.

Till next time....Walk good!

Stay Connected

Douglas Smith was born in Kingston, Jamaica and always had a love for languages. He is fluent in

German as well as French (he went to France as an exchange student). He holds a degree in English

from CUNY, Queens College. Doug lives in Houston, TX and is married to Andrea. They have two sons.

USE WHAT YOU’VE GOT Moses used a rod – Exodus 14: 14-16

David used five stones and a sling shot – 1st Samuel 17

Jael used a hammer and a nail – Judges 4

Esther used fasting – Esther 4:16

Jesus used the Word of God – Matthew 4

Paul & Silas used prayer and singing – Acts 16:25

Jehoshaphat used fasting and singing – 2nd Chronicles 20

By Mail:

Online: www.cg-ministries.com

CG Ministries, Inc. PO Box 804 Conyers, GA 30012

Who are we? CG Ministries is a Para-church ministry which exists for the sole purpose of serving the body of Christ. Our mission

through the many facets of this ministry is simple: Encourage, Equip & Empower.

Connect with us Prayer

requests

Encouragement

Fellowship AUGUST 2012, VOLUME 1

Editor/Publisher Evangelist Charmain Griffiths cg-ministries@comcast.net

Contributors

Douglas Smith Beverley Bowen-Evans

FRONTLINE eNewsletter is published quarterly by CG Ministries, Inc. The eNewsletter is distributed online only. The opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher. No portion of this eNewsletter may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publisher. CG Ministries reserves the right to reject material or advertisement that it deems inappropriate or not biblically sound.

Speaking

Engagement