The Ray Workman Family: O Brussels Sprouts

Thursday, December 31, 2009

O Brussels Sprouts

"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins."

Matthew 1:21

We hope everyone had a blessed and joyous Christmas focused on our Savior's birth and the reason He came ~ the true meaning of Christmas!

"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."

Philippians 2:5-8

Among the many festivities, Mom decided to do something a little bit different.......just for Sara! : ) While doing her grocery shopping, she had found a stalk of Brussels sprouts and thought it was just the thing. Sooooooo on Christmas Day, Mom told Sara she had a special surprise for supper. And Sara's response? "Just as long as it's not Brussels sprouts!" ; )

We were all seated around the table, and in Mom marches bearing the festive centerpiece.

And Sara's response?

How's that for gratitude!?! : ) It was so much fun watching her face when she saw it!

"Tis NOT what I wanted for Christmas!"

"Smile anyway!"

She finally reconciled to the idea when she found out she did not have to eat them ~ although we did find out that fresh ones taste much better than the frozen ones you buy in the store.

What a beauty!

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Ray was born into a very poor family. His father was a drunkard and went to prison when Ray was a young boy. When he was 8 years old, his family was torn apart, and the children were separated and sent to different foster homes. It was just a few months after this transition in his life, that he trusted Christ as his Savior. At the age of 16, he was taken out of the foster home, and sent to a boy's home. There, he was required to attend the church across the road from the home. He met Wanda at this church, and they were married the day before his 18th birthday. They continued in that same church for 23 more years. In 1992, the Lord used circumstances to begin moving them out of that church, and they began attending a church where the Gospel was preached. Ray started growing in the Lord, and realized the need to surrender his whole life to the Lord. In May of 1993, God called him to preach, and he completed his training at Ambassador Baptist College in May, 2002.
Wanda was raised in a well respected family. She was in church all of her life, but never heard that you must trust Christ and His shed blood ONLY or the consequence would be to spend an eternity in Hell when you die. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law." (Romans 3:23-28) When she heard the Gospel preached, it was much different than what she had been taught all of her life. The Lord was faithful, and continued to convict her heart and show her she could never "earn" salvation (baptism, Catechism, communion, church membership, or good works). After about two months of hearing the Gospel, she trusted Christ as her Savior.

"...old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

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God has burdened our hearts to plant churches in Bladen County, NC. Our highest aim in life is to glorify our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and to point others to a saving knowledge of Him by grace through faith: "and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)