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Praise and Worship - Paula Smith
Paula Smith leads the praise and worship time for WCBS every Wednesday beginning at 9:45 a.m. in the Peachtree Presbyterian Sanctuary.
Don't miss Paula's Lastest CD We Are God's Temple
Paula's audio cassettes include:
- He Loves Me
- As Angels Sing
- The Trusting Place
For information about how to order her tapes and CD and find out more about Paula Smith's Ministry "Child At Rest" Go to www.childatrest.com.
“For I know the thoughts and plans I have for you,” says the Lord, “thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give hope in your final outcome.” Jeremiah
29:11
A Christmas Eve Encounter
Sometimes it takes having to sit down and specifically write about something before you realize what kind of impact it has had on your life. Years ago, on Christmas Eve, I met
the leader of a women’s Bible study while we were ministering in our own ways to the women at a local shelter. She invited me to sing at her Bible study, held at a large Presbyterian
church. Although I originally attended only a few times a year, our relationship grew because of our love for the Father and one another. By God’s grace, I was invited to lead
worship on a regular basis. It was a wonderful feeling to be accepted by so many beautiful and talented women.
I grew up in a rural area outside of Athens, Georgia. Our family’s conditions were meager by most standards. My father was a bookkeeper at a textile plant and worked construction
job on the side. He built every house we ever lived in. My mother took care of the four children while working various jobs, including driving a school bus. Like a lot of blue-collar
American families, we were Godfearing, hard-working, scrubbed behind the ears, happy children living a simple, uncomplicated life. All that changed when I started going to high
school in the city. I never realized what I didn’t have until my classmates started pointing it out to me. My speech was different. My clothes were different. We didn’t belong
to certain organizations or country clubs. In short, they excluded me, and the rejection hurt as much as anything I had ever experienced. I couldn’t understand how or why people
could be so mean. The wounds lasted a long time and left tender scars.
Because our Father loves us and because His Son died for our sins and to heal our wounds, I know that His Spirit guided me to that shelter on Christmas Eve. He knew I needed to
feel safe and secure. He knew I needed to have loving sisters in Christ who would not reject me but would open their hearts to me so that I could be healed and rejoice in the
midst of those who live in and by the love of God. The Father honored these needs by leading me to the Women’s Community Bible Study.
The Bible study has changed my life, and the little ministry that God planted has started to flourish because of that Christmas Eve encounter. I have grown as a person, as a worship
leader, and as a child of God through WCBS.
Most Holy Father, thank You for Your amazing love and for the blessings You have planned for me—plans for my welfare and peace, not for evil. I praise You with my whole heart
and soul, and I rest in the assurance that I am blessed with Your eternal goodness and grace. In Christ’s name I pray, Amen.
- Paula Smith
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