Lighthouses provide a source of strength and rescue in the midst of a storm. Maxine Rogers of Mobile is using this theme to teach others about God’s grace and provision in the midst of troubled times.
Rogers has written material for three different seminars, centered on a lighthouse theme, which she currently teaches.
The first, which she calls “my signature talk,” is titled “Peace inthe Midst of the Storm.” The second is titled “Keepers and Givers of Light” and the third is titled “Daymarks of a Christian.”
What makes these seminars interesting are the lighthouse murals that Rogers uses for illustration. One is a painting that was done by a friend that portrays a lighthouse, rocks and stormy waves. The other has lights within the mural which light up.
Rogers had been considering teaching seminars since 1979, but not until retirement in 1996 was she able to pull it all together. “I know now that was the Lord’s timing,” she said.
The idea for using a lighthouse theme came in 1979 when Rogers endured a storm of her own. She had just moved into a new house when Hurricane Frederic hit. “The house started collapsing around us,” she said.
Rogers uses this experience to teach others about God’s care and provision in hard times. “I use that to get me into the storm part and then I talk about some personal tragedies,” she said.
Rogers believes being a schoolteacher for 34 years helped to prepare her for what she is doing now. Rogers taught at Alba High School in Bayou La Batre for 32 years, and she taught at Magnolia Springs Christian School in Theodore for two years.
Another area of life that has prepared Rogers for her current ministry is her experience with Sage Avenue Baptist Church, Mobile. During her 13 years as a member, Rogers had many opportunities to teach. She taught Sunday School for the entire 13 years as well as Discipleship Training.
“I believe this is an extension of all the years that I taught school and Sunday School, and I believe it’s the calling of God,” she said.
God has opened many doors for Rogers including opportunities to speak at various denominational churches. Rogers has conducted her seminars at many churches in the Mobile area, but she has also been able to travel to Shocco and Louisiana.
Rogers says she teaches anywhere from one seminar a month to two or three a week.
The biggest influence in Rogers’ life was her parents. She credits them for molding and shaping her. She was raised in a godly home and saved at the age of 7. “I still remember the tug, which I know now was the Holy Spirit wanting me to say yes,” she said.
Rogers has also been influenced by the time she has spent working alongside her husband, Ralph B. Rogers, a retired minister.
One ministry that Rogers and her husband perform together is a Bible ministry. In order to reach out and comfort those who are facing hard times, they give out Bibles. “You see so much and meet so many people with problems and who are nonchurched. That gives us an area of ministry,” she said.
The one thing that Rogers really wants people to come away with from her seminars is encouragement and being uplifted in the Lord. “If I do that, I believe that is what God expects,” she said.
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