High School Seniors in the five county Birmingham area have until Friday March 14, 2025 to apply for the 7th Annual Birmingham Christian Family Scholarship Awards. This year we will have three scholarship recipients who will be able to use their award at the college or university of their choice- $2000 to the winner, and $500 to the top two runner ups. To enter, students simply submit online a short essay on the following prompt: “How has your Christian faith impacted your decision to go to college?” Visit www.birminghamchristian.com/scholarship to apply.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
I grew up in a rural part of Etowah County. My family was extremely poor, often going for extended amounts of time without running water or electricity. I lived with my mother, stepfather and several siblings, and emotional and physical abuse were always present in the home. My biological father, who was rarely present, altogether stopped visiting me when I was in the third grade.
Hank Wells shares the Gospel around the world with his wife Leslie.
In March of 1993, I was thrown out of my house. I was a teenage boy desperately in need of a place to stay, terrified and unsure of where I was going to sleep each night. I walked to a friend’s home where I was welcomed to stay during a snowstorm and then for the next several weeks. I attended church with them one Sunday at North Gadsden Baptist, which happened to be the same church where Joe and Sherry Fain attended, a couple preparing to be houseparents at Big Oak Ranch. The Fains saw the need I had for a home, for a family and stability which I had yet to experience in life. They spoke with John Croyle and Big Oak Ranch social workers, and it wasn’t long before I was on the winding country road that led me to the entrance of the Boys’ Ranch for the very first time. I was met by people who listened to me with genuine concern for my well-being. Their actions, their character and their words told me that I mattered. Big Oak saw my need, and in it they chose me – I will never forget the feeling I felt that day of being wanted.
In high school, I met a girl named Leslie Baker who worked at a local grocery store. After making several trips there and ultimately asking for her number, we dated and went to several school dances together. After going our separate ways through early adulthood, the Lord brought us back together. Many may look at my life and say that I have a habit of being in the right place at the right time. I would say that the Lord has been sovereign over my every step. The Ranch gave me a foundation, while my houseparents and resource family invested in me day after day. Leslie and I are pouring into our family, including one young grandson, and we get to share the Gospel across the world – from Uganda to Peru to local missions in Florida. Through those important roles, and in my law enforcement career, my prayer has been that God would use me – my story – to help others who have faced the same hardships.
Girl Talk Ministries began in a living room in Pike Road, Ala., and has grown to reach girls and moms around the world. “Over the last twelve years, we have seen the Lord grow a living room Bible study into hundreds of girls and moms across the world coming together through who Jesus is and who God says we are,” explains Amy Cate, one of the founding leaders of Girl Talk Ministries.
Girl Talk Ministries provides girls and their moms a place to connect with others, build relationships, and grow in their faith and dependence on the Lord.
Meet the ministry’s leadership and learn more about Girl Talk Ministries’ mission at the Gardendale Magnolia Festival on Saturday April 26, 2025. The ministry seeks “to equip moms and girls in Christ-centered community through a relationship with Jesus and relationship with each other, aligning our lives with Biblical truth and our identity with Him.” Since its founding 12 years ago, leaders Amy Cate and Lindsey Curl have been able to grow the ways girls can get involved in this vibrant ministry. “We have small groups by grade and city gatherings of all ages. We have The Girl Talk podcast and YouTube videos anyone can watch and listen to. We are writing a curriculum that will be published this year that will be available for girls of all ages with a discipleship track for our interns and a track for moms to walk through alongside their daughters, as well. We have an internship program that girls can apply or to lead positions such as leading small groups, ministry operations, marketing, and missions,” shares Cate, adding that Girl Talk Ministries currently serves girls and moms in 26 cities and four missionary countries. In the Birmingham area, the small groups mostly meet in Homewood but are currently growing in the Gardendale community. Visit www.girltalkministries.info to find more details.
Learn more at the Gardendale Magnolia Festival. Each year, in addition to scholarships, the Gardendale Magnolia Festival donates $1,000 to local charities and gives them a booth space at the festival. Girl Talk Ministries was chosen for the 2025 festival on April 25-26, 2025. You can stop by the Girl Talk Ministries booth on Saturday to learn more about the small groups and how you can get involved. “We can’t wait to meet girls, moms, families, and everyone there and be a part of the Magnolia Festival this year,” Cate says.
In addition to hundreds of vendors and food trucks on Saturday, the Magnolia Festival will have live music, a car show, a pooch parade, free kids n’ art classes and kids’ zone, a carnival, and much more. Learn more at www.magnoliafestival.org. †
Memorizing Scripture is a powerful way to embed “God’s Word in our hearts” (Psalm 119:11), guiding our thoughts and actions throughout daily life. Bible memory is an excellent tool for you and your kids to be able to not only process God’s Word on a deeper level but also recall the words of Scripture in everyday life.
Kids are in a prime time of life for Scripture memorization. I had the opportunity in elementary school to attend a Christian school where we were encouraged to memorize God’s Word. I can still recall many of the Scripture passages I learned years ago. Planting God’s Word in the hearts and lives of your children will be a great resource of truth for them later in life. Finding creative and engaging methods to memorize Scripture can make this spiritual practice enjoyable and effective for families. Here are four engaging ways families can start this meaningful journey together.
1. Verse of the Week Challenge. Choose a verse as a family each week to memorize. Write it on a large poster and display it in a shared space, like the dining room or a family bulletin board. Encourage each family member to recite it daily and plan a fun review session at the end of the week where everyone shares what the verse means to them.
2. Create Memory Cards. Design and create colorful flashcards with a verse on one side and its meaning or a related illustration on the other. Use these during car rides or waiting times to quiz each other. Memory games, such as matching or a “go fish” style game with verses, can create friendly competition while reinforcing learning.
3.Family Devotional Time. Incorporate Scripture memorization into family devotional time. Select verses that align with your family’s current emphasis, whether kindness, love, or perseverance. Discuss the verse’s context and meaning, helping everyone understand its significance. This shared exploration deepens comprehension.
4. Use Technology. Utilize apps designed for Scripture memorization, which offer interactive methods for learning verses through games, quizzes, and community engagement. Many of these apps allow families to track progress and encourage each other.
By embracing these engaging strategies, families can create a fun and supportive environment for Scripture memorization. This practice deepens faith and fosters connection among family members as they grow in God’s Word together. As Scripture fills their hearts, they will be better equipped to face life’s challenges with Biblical truths guiding their paths.
-Dr. Ben Birdsong
Director of European Expansion for First Priority Global Ministries
Pearls of Hope. “My Grandmother Alice was my first mentor and taught me the most about the pearls I write about in my work,” Hand explains sharing the metaphor of “how a speck of grit that gets inside an oyster shell has to go through irritations to form a beautiful pearl.” Hand uses this metaphor to share with women around the world that they go through irritations in life to become the person they are supposed to be. She teaches about various colors of pearls. “I have different Scriptures that go with the different colors of pearls,” Hand explains. White signifies second chances, pink signifies happiness, silver signifies wisdom, black signifies a path through grief, and more.
Hand’s Women of True Grit ministry tells the stories of women who have gone through various trials to find beauty at the end. Hand is no stranger to trials and grief. She is a four-time cancer survivor, she lost her husband to lung cancer a decade ago, and all three of her brothers died at young ages. The death of her brothers who passed away at the ages of 19, 23, and 46 is what inspired her to start, “creating hope for other women,” she shares. As she reflects on her life and ministry, she believes that her life “has been about giving a voice to young women and now women of all ages.” Hand’s latest project, Women of True Grit First Ladies, tells the inspiring stories of former Alabama First Ladies Marsha Folsom and Patsy Riley. The documentary airs on March 20 at 8 p.m. on Alabama Public Television. Hand attributes the growth of Women of True Grit as a God thing. “I love seeing how God has expanded the territory,” Hand shares. You can learn more about Women of True Grit at www.womenoftruegrit.org.
Edie Hand is seen here with her son Linc Hand who is an actor living in Burbank, Cali. The mother and son enjoy a close relationship.
Lifeline of Prayer. Hand’s favorite Bible verses are Jeremiah 29:11 and Psalm 51:10. “I have had to walk through a lot of renewing in my spirit,” Hand reflects. Prayer is very important to her. “Prayer is an exercise of my faith. Through the years of losses, I learned to believe in something that is sight unseen.” She shares that she has often “felt the touch of unseen hands through my prayers and I have lived it.” On May 1 at the American Village, Hand will speak about her pearls of hope. She will share inspiring stories of other women to encourage everyone in attendance. “I think if people hear other stories of hope and these different colors of pearls, I hope I leave them knowing that through that pearl their life can be eternally altered by God’s redeeming love.” Tickets to the National Day of Prayer Breakfast at American Village are $30. To make required reservations, visit www.americanvillage.org/prayer-breakfast or call 205-665-3535 x 1031.
While clean water provision is not the lone focus of Vapor Ministries’ outreach initiatives, it is a key pillar in helping transform impoverished communities. All three countries where the nonprofit currently serves rank among the most marginalized when it comes to securing adequate water. In Togo, for example, less than 20 percent of the population has safely managed water, and two million people still can’t access it from a quality source. More than six percent of all deaths there are attributed to unsafe water – nearly three times the global average.
Women are seen here collecting water at a Vapor center in West Africa.
Unsafe water-related deaths run twice the norm in Kenya, where improved water sources elude more than 15 million residents, and nearly 23 percent of Haitians struggle with this same problem. Even in larger cities like Nairobi, Kenya, where water-related infrastructure is more prevalent, shortages remain common, particularly during droughts. In addition, poor urban planning and construction techniques have left many communities with an insufficient supply or no water at all. Other building projects and manufacturing practices have contaminated natural waterways, further exasperating the crisis. Seasonal changes wreak similar havoc throughout Haiti as well. While the government has partnered with multiple NGOs to provide boreholes in some communities, many of them fail to produce water during dry spells. As a result, thousands of people resort to utilizing surface water which increases the prevalence of disease. Togo, on the other hand, doesn’t suffer from droughts or shortages nearly as often, but a lack of filtration systems and storage facilities plagues much of the country. Water salinity is particularly challenging, especially in the southern areas, making retrievable water difficult to consume.
A young boy in Kenya drinking clean water from a Vapor center.
Water quality and access are only part of the crisis. People routinely haul between 40 and 100 pounds of water many miles daily. Imagine carrying out this labor-intensive process for a contaminated resource. This is the reality millions of people face every day. Vapor Ministries exists to alleviate poverty and multiply disciples for Christ in the poorest places on earth. And caring for the physical needs of individuals begins with water. Vapor center wells provide clean water to communities across Africa and Haiti. The organization also routinely hires tankers to carry water to more remote locations when individuals face extreme crises. In 2024 alone, Vapor provided more than 88 million cups of clean drinking water to the areas it serves. Hundreds of thousands of lives are impacted each year because this life-sustaining resource ensures sufficient hydration, improved hygiene and sanitation, safe cooking practices, and much more. Water is life, and every drop provided is FREE. †
Resources: Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s Global Burden of Disease study, World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform
Spring turkey season kicks off March 25, 2025. Whether this is your first season or your fifteenth, one thing all turkey hunters agree upon is that turkey hunting takes work- especially perfecting your call. No matter what type of call you use, we are all trying to achieve one common goal, letting the feathers fly.
If you are having a hard time trying to decide what call to use, then you are probably over thinking it. All turkey calls are designed to do the same thing and that is to replicate the sound of those tasty, tasty birds. The success of a call lies solely on the person using it, not the person that endorses it. It is important to try each type of call and see which one, or ones, feel good to you. If you still don’t have a preference then think about what you are doing- trying to sound like a turkey. Which call allows you to achieve that sound you are looking for the best and the easiest? The most important thing to remember is that there is no right or wrong decision. And if you are still having a hard time deciding, let one of the Mark’s Outdoors staff members help you pick out your new favorite call. We are here to help you Monday through Saturday 8am-6pm. Also join us for our annual Turkey Day March 7, 2025 for special sales and demonstrations!
Next month we will be gearing up for fishing, so make sure that you go ahead and bring your rods and reels in for service now so you will be ready to hit the water.
Stress is a normal part of life and is the body’s reaction to pressure from a certain situation or event. A person can react to stress physically, mentally, or emotionally. Everyone deals with stress at some point in life. Maybe it’s the pandemic, your job, a family illness, or money troubles causing stress. According to a recent study, about half of Americans say they are dealing with moderate stress. Here are four tips to help reduce stress anxiety.
1. Focus on positive things
2. Exercise and eat healthy
3. Stay alcohol and drug free
4. Talk about your experience and feelings
Chronic Stress. The physical effects of stress do not usually last long. However, some people find themselves in a constant state of heightened alertness known as chronic stress. When someone is under chronic stress, it begins to affect their physical or mental health. Chronic stress increases the risk of developing health problems including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and a weakened immune system. Chronic stress can make functioning daily more challenging. The first step in dealing with chronic stress is recognizing and admitting it exists. Next, find time to develop and implement strategies to manage stress. Social support from family and friends can also be a helpful tool.
Stress Triggers. Being aware of what triggers your stress increases your ability to either prevent stress or to more effectively handle it. If you often experience stress, we encourage you to take some time to consider what tends to set it off for you. See if there are some things within your control to manage better. Recognize that some triggers are beyond your control. While these challenges might not have easy solutions, you can still learn and grow from the experience. It can teach you to look honestly at situations, experience the emotions a situation brings up, and search within yourself for answers. This process can bring surprisingly positive outcomes.
It is essential for parents to model effective stress management and coping skills. How can you help your child develop a healthy relationship with stress and avoid stress overload?
Teach your child that stress is normal and healthy and can be handled in a positive manner if given the tools.
Allow your child to express his or her feelings.
Promote good nutrition and exercise during early years so they become habits for a lifetime.
Teach them the value of forgiveness for themselves and others.
Did you know COMPACT offers free prevention, intervention, and education for Shelby County students and parents on difficult topics and issues like substance misuse, truancy, behavioral issues, and more? Click to fill out a referral form.
Birmingham’s Bud’s Best Cookies was recently recognized as Ingredient Supplier of the Year by Palmer Candy, the nation’s premier provider of candy products.
The staff at Bud’s Best Cookies was recently recognized for their commitment to customer service, exceptional performance and dedication to quality. This is the second time Palmer Candy has presented this annual prestigious award to Bud’s Best Cookies. Seen here (L to R) are Akeem Ford/Assist. Warehouse Mgr., Sandra Kinds/HR Mgr., Al Cason/President, Antonia Jimenez/Quality Assurance, Danielle Medlock/Production Mgr., Jenifer Cason/Finance-Office Mgr., Laquitta Tompkins/Premix Technician, and Tiffany Cobert/Order Entry-Online Sales.
From all the suppliers Palmer works with nationwide, Bud’s Best was singled out for “outstanding service, hard work, enthusiasm and commitment to excellence throughout the year.” Palmer evaluates suppliers on the basis of “commitment to customer service, exceptional performance, dedication to quality and willingness to go above and beyond.”
The Sioux City, Iowa based candy company purchases Bud’s Best bite size cookies and enrobes them in chocolate to create delicious candies. Palmer shared with Bud’s Best staff, “Sound business relationships are the key to any successful business, and we are very grateful to have that strong relationship with you…We greatly appreciate all your company has done and are extremely grateful for the wonderful people that work for your company.” Bud’s Best President Al Cason shared, “Palmer Candy’s business is very important to us and we are honored to receive this award.” Learn more about Bud’s Best Cookies at www.budsbestcookies.com. Looking for a recipe that includes Bud’s Best Cookies? Check out Adelaide’s “Famous” Original Banana Pudding here.†
“Everyone who comes back here cannot believe how Daniel [Walter] has used every inch of space and made it usable. It’s fascinating,” exclaims Vestavia homeowner Heather Agee about the transformation that recently took place in her garden home backyard. The family was thinking of moving because they didn’t have usable space for their two young daughters to play. They couldn’t envision how the small, muddy space could work.
The Agee family’s backyard space before PESI Landscaping transformed the space.Here is a look at the transformation. The family’s backyard went from unusable to the family’s favorite place to be!
Post PESI transformation, not only do the children now have a place to play, but Heather and her husband have a patio area for grilling and entertaining. By maximizing the backyard space, there was room for a climbing wall, a fort and even a swing and slide for the kids. “We were able to give them many different play areas in a limited space with no mud,” explains Daniel Walter, owner and founder of Professional Environment Services Inc. (PESI) Landscaping.
PESI’s Daniel Walter and homeowner Heather Agee standing in front of the backyard climbing wall and fort.
For more than 25 years, Walter and his team have been transforming difficult outdoor spaces into beautiful functional spaces for homeowners in the Birmingham area. His landscaping projects range from small backyards like the Agees to large new construction projects. What brings him the most joy is bringing creativity to the toughest spots in a homeowner’s outdoor space. “Seeing their eyes light up at the finished product and then getting pictures from them months later showing me how they are using the space is so rewarding,” says Walter.
Wet, muddy conditions in this backyard were going unsolved until PESI stepped in.Check out the fun, outdoor space for the family to gather PESI created.
“I just love to build and create. I thank the Lord every day that I get to work in a job I love and my goal is to conduct my business in a way that honors Him.” He adds a big side bar benefit is the opportunity to work with friends and family.
It is now enjoyed by the homeowner as a putting green- something the homeowner didn’t think was possible in the small backyard space.Here’s another example of how an outdoor space that was going unused.
During many summers, he has had the chance to work side by side with his sons who are now both in college and his mom handles the office management. “I’m so grateful for that, and I have really been blessed that I have found a career that I love. I can’t stand sitting still and I’ve always enjoyed being active outdoors. I really get to do my hobby for a living.”
To learn how PESI could transform your outdoor space, call 205-368-5402. To see more examples of how PESI makes Birmingham backyards great again, visit Facebook.com/PesiBham.
Watch and see how PESI Landscaping transformed a small, unusable backyard in Vestavia into the place where both children and adults can relax and have fun. †
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-Mark’s Outdoors 
