First Baptist Church of Glenarden

Vision Magazine 4 V i S i o N First Baptist Church of Glenarden Pastor John K. Jenkins Sr. Director, Special Ministries Reverend Thomas Sims Jr. Editor-in-Chief Marilyn Davy Art Director John R. Anderson Jr. Staff Nadia Anderson, Tolu Bankole, Julio Barreto, Alesia Barron, Amanda Blackmon, Octavia Braye, Kayla Braye, Edna Butler, Kissa Clark, Evangeline Covington, Terri Craig, Stacey Crawford, Kirk Daley, Jessica Dennis, Tyrone Eddins, Dion Gray, Shanice Grooms, Tyrone Guiden, Pyper Harvey, Bianca Holman, Patricia Clark Jackson, Phyllis Johnson, Nadine Jones, Shaakira Jones, Geraldine June, Jerry King, Dawn Martin, Roy Matthews, Gale Marie Ola, Ursula Oliver, Shannon Outlaw, Aleysha Proctor, Evelyn Kim Rhim, Marguerite Russell, Mary Singleton, Corwin Smith, Patricia Smith, Verna Smith, Neisha-Ann Thompson, Kaylen Tucker, Tameesha Tucker, Shirley Turner, Janet Walton VISION is published five times a year by the First Baptist Church of Glenarden Magazine Ministry. Contact us at magazine@fbcglenarden.org or 301-773-3600. ISSN 2164-7720 (print) InsIde ThIs Edition "R estore me again, Lord." How many times have we made this request to God? Countless. And yet, in spite of our iniquities, He continues to pour out His unconditional love and forgiveness, washing away our sins with the blood of Jesus and restoring us. His tender mercies and loving kindness are endless and beyond what we could ask or imagine. Praise God from whom all bless- ings flow! As we praise God, we will discover incredible benefits for our lives. That's because we were created by God to praise Him (Isaiah 43:7, Matthew 21:16). Praising God helps restore our relationship with Him, for God actually dwells in the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). As we draw near to the Father in praise, He draws near to us (James 4:8). God tells us to crave His Word like a baby craves milk. If you have ever seen a hungry infant, you know that is a powerful craving. In fact, that intense desire for milk soon impacts everyone around that child. The same is true for us as Christians. If we would ask God to give us a crav- ing for His Word, we would then begin reading it, studying it and living it out with a passion. As we praise God, we become seed bearers, sowing His Word into others, which will never return void. We witness lives being transformed and fashioned in the likeness of God. In Deitrick Haddon's recent song, "Restore me Again," he sings of his unfaithfulness to God, yet God is still rich in mercy. "Lord, I've fallen short of your glory, but I refuse to let that be the end of the story. I'm asking you Lord, to restore me again." Our Father, who is rich in love and mercy, desires for us to be restored in order to bring Him glory and so that we pour His love into others. Let His glory be your story. We, at Vision magazine pray that God will give you a deeper under- standing of His Word and to crave after righteousness like a newborn craves milk. May your heart and desires be used to change the world.

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