Women’s Ministry - Guest Blogger Celebration Church membership has provided me the opportunity to serve with many men and women from all different backgrounds united in the need for a Savior. I value this humble group. So for the next few weeks, I am featuring some guest bloggers for the Women’s Ministry. I hope...
A Sense of Urgency By Jodie Montgomery I have a sense of urgency about the phrase “sense of urgency”. If I don’t get this “sense of urgency” then I am hearing that I won’t share the gospel, I won’t disciple and I will miss my purpose in life. I have so many needs and...
Farewells By Jodie Montgomery There is a beach umbrella covered in what appears to be dried grasses swaying next to where I’ve parked with wagon, grandson, and sand castle construction toys. The umbrella screams party to me, something about tiki huts and the beach. Relaxing sunsets and families seaside enjoying beautiful nature....
School Days By Jodie Montgomery Proverbs 2:1-6 "My son, if you will receive my words and treasure my commandments within you, make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding; for if you cry for discernment, lift your voice for understanding; if you seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures; then...
Summertime in the Psalms: #150 By Jodie Montgomery Humankind was created in the image of God. When we know our Maker and purpose to represent Him we have life, full life with challenges and joys. Seeing the miracle of creation through the growth of my grandson has reminded me of God’s glorious...
Psalm 91 and Life Interrupted By COVID By Jodie Montgomery I received a request this week from a lady that is concerned for two families that are dear to her and are battling COVID. I’m concerned too. Our family, if you include in-laws and we do, have six suffering from COVID. A...
Summertime in the Psalms: #113 By Jodie Montgomery In ministry, the heartbreaks sometimes come in waves. One of the heartbreak waves I’ve ridden with others is the sorrow associated with barrenness or miscarriage. In a culture where raising little children is sometimes seen as an inconvenience, the lament of the childless can...
Summertime in the Psalms: #121 By Jodie Montgomery When I was in middle school, visiting Grandma Burns, she challenged me (told me and quizzed me) to memorize Psalm 121. She said knowing this Psalm by heart would comfort me when we were apart. She was right. It’s been a lot of years since...
Summertime in the Psalms: #36 By Jodie Montgomery Third Day sings Psalm 36. I enjoy the song. This Psalm contrasts the wickedness of humankind with the lovingkindness of God. So often, God is blamed for the wickedness of humankind, especially when the wickedness is done by those who call themselves His children....
Summertime in the Psalms: #29 By Jodie Montgomery I have been reading through the Bible this year, using a Bible app on my phone and a reading plan called “One Story that Leads to Jesus” by the Bible Project. My phone, my husband and Amanda Zajac are keeping me accountable. I know...
Finding Refuge: Reading the End of the Story while in the Story By Jodie Montgomery “Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion…” Revelation 14:1 At the beginning of the story, God described His creation as good. At the end of His Story, He is firmly planted in His...
Finding Refuge: Assurance By Jodie Montgomery I love the apostle John’s writings. His purpose in writing is to convey that Jesus is the Christ and that the reader may have life in His name. John’s writings assure believers that they are secure in Christ Jesus. John uses specific names for Jesus (Christ,...
Finding Refuge: The King of the Jews By Jodie Montgomery Jesus preached five sermons as recorded by Matthew. These sermons revealed how Jesus is the Christ and many thing that were to come. Jesus openly taught how righteousness is imputed to the believer through the King, how Israel would respond to His...
Finding Refuge: Old Testament History and Wisdom Writings By Jodie Montgomery “Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.” 2 Samuel 7:16 God’s national representative Israel is the subject of the Old Testament history books. Many of these stories are told from the perspective of...
Finding Refuge: Women By Jodie Montgomery “Then the Lord said to Moses, “The daughters of Zelophehad are right about their statements. You shall certainly give them hereditary property among their father’s brothers, and you shall transfer the inheritance of their father to them.”” Numbers 27:6-7 Prior to becoming a Christian, I believed that...
Finding Refuge: Writing of Him “Kiss the Son, that He not be angry and you perish on the way, for His wrath may be kindled quickly. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!” Psalm 2:12 I have written Bible studies, blogs, and emails, for years, on His great reality. I...
Loving Your Family-Discipling the Next Generation By Jodie Montgomery The Good News spreads through households and within families through generations. Discipleship is part of Christian parenting, exhorting our children to follow what is good in us, Christ in us. Deuteronomy 11:18-19 “You shall therefore take these words of mine to heart and to soul;...
Loving Your Family – The Real Gift By Jodie Montgomery Mark 5:18-19 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go with him. But Jesus said, “No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he...
Loving Your Family – Why Siblings? By Jodie Montgomery My siblings are Jeff and Jim. Actually our names rhyme: Jodie Rene, Jeffrey Clay and James Jay. Saying our names makes me smile. Our parents purposed to connect us to one another from our births. Children that love one another and do life...
Loving Your Family – His Provision of Home By Jodie Montgomery People sometimes ask me where I am from, where I grew up. We believe that our home base defines us at least a little. I’m a product of many locations and a changing home. We lived in the mid-west, North Carolina,...
Reflections on Hebrews, Part 4: All Sufficiency of Christ By Jodie Montgomery In the Book of Hebrews, the believers were encouraged to persevere in their culture and day because Christ is not only better, He is supreme, all sufficient. To be all sufficient is to be infinitely able, to be God. The...
Reflections on Hebrews, Part 3: A Better Ministry By Jodie Montgomery One of the things which really stood out to me as I went through the Book of Hebrews this time was change. For the new Hebrew believer longing for the “old” ways, their step of faith was a time of big...
Reflections on Hebrews, Part 2: Reward By Jodie Montgomery I have not received many rewards in my life. I have even botched a few rewards ceremonies. One time in Lake Placid, my family went to watch a ski jumping competition. I didn’t know any of the skiers before this event but for...
Reflections on Hebrews, Part 1: Endurance By Jodie Montgomery I’m finishing up another Bible study. The group ends in two weeks. I’ve been in Bible study groups nonstop for over thirty years now. You would think that I would get tired of studying the same text. I don’t. I have found Bible...
Loving Your Neighbor-God sees the Oppressed By Jodie Montgomery The corruption of authority results in oppression. Whatever authority we have can be exercised to bless…or curse. Merriam-Webster defines oppressed as being “burdened by abuse of power or authority.” I have noticed through the years that the oppressed oftentimes feel unnoticed by everyone but...
Loving Your Neighbor-The Example of Jesus & The Samaritan Woman By Jodie Montgomery John 4:27 And at this point His disciples came, and they were amazed that He had been speaking with a woman, yet no one said, “What are You seeking?” or, “Why are You speaking with her?” In a world of “stranger...
Loving Your Neighbor-The Example of Paul & the Jerusalem Church Collection By Jodie Montgomery Love is reflected in generosity. If you struggle with letting go of your time or treasures, remember you are wholeheartedly loved. Generously loving represents our Savior. I grew up with one of the most generous people I’ve ever...
Loving Your Neighbor-The Example of the Good Samaritan By Jodie Montgomery Luke 10:25-37 “And behold, a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?” And he answered,...
Loving Your Neighbor – The Old Testament Teachings By Jodie Montgomery Leviticus 19:17-18 “‘You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart; you may certainly rebuke your neighbor, but you are not to incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance, nor hold any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall...
Gospel Community by Jodie Montgomery What does unity over uniformity look like? In the Book Future Church the authors Mancini and Hartman state “Unity in Christ is not uniformity. As the first century church took root in the diverse cities of the Roman Empire, one of its great advantages was that it...
Intentionality by Jodie Montgomery With COVID and social distancing, you would think that it would be hard to intentionally spend time with others. I’ve found the opposite. Because of a reduction in events and the move of a lot of groups online, I’ve gained some time in my schedule and been motivated...
Awareness By Jodie Montgomery Matthew 26:10 “Aware of this, Jesus said to them, 'Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me.'” I will never forget one time walking with my Grandma Burns along a store front in Brandon, Florida and my Grandma, who neither ran nor swam,...
Ignorance I went to Tuscaloosa, Alabama just after Christmas to visit some friends. The weather was beautiful. We drove around the University of Alabama (even though I’m not a fan). We walked along the river and played in the park where the old capitol once stood. We experienced sweet hospitality from...
Adopted By Jodie Montgomery Thankfulness lifts our countenance. It has been a joy to share my sister-in-law, Marcella’s, experience in meeting her birth mother and expressing her thankfulness to the woman that “had the courage to let Marcella go and to let Marcella back into her life.” Marcella sums up her story...
Adoption Thoughts, Week 3 By Jodie Montgomery with Guest Blogger Marcella Townsend Continuing Marcella’s story with “And what was it like to connect with family that are also strangers?” Marcella writes, "As soon as we started talking on the phone, my birth mother Maria and I had an easy rapport. I learned that she...
Adoption Thoughts, Week 2 By Jodie Montgomery with Guest Blogger Marcella Townsend I’m looking forward to sharing Marcella’s story with you. So hope you are enjoying our adoption thoughts. Marcella wrote the following in response to my question “How did you go about finding your birth mother?” From Marcella: "I began my search for...
Adoption Thoughts, Week 1 By Jodie Montgomery with Guest Blogger Marcella Townsend As promised in last week’s IBC Women’s Blog, we continue our thoughts on adoption by featuring a story from my sister in law, Marcella Townsend. In the next three blogs, Marcella will answer three questions I asked her: What...
Happy New Year By Jodie Montgomery As we begin a New Year, I am thinking about how really new the circumstances of 2021 may be to many. I just saw a cartoon where a whole bunch of people were hiding around a corner and holding a long rod that would open a...
Amen Sometimes at Christmas, a loved one should be rebuked. It can be a bad attitude, a focus on the gifts and not the giver, a meanness amidst family. There are a lot of Scriptures on conflict resolution for a reason…we sometimes have a problem getting along. Thankfully, God has the last...
Redeemer Job 19:25 Yet as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last, He will take His stand on the earth. One of the best gifts I have ever received was the gift of time with a friend experiencing great worship music. Our husbands celebrated us by joining together to...