+ Church Directory
+ Read the Bible Online (Link)
Contributing Writers: Mike Mills, Spring Hill Church | Doug Fincher | Pastor Randy and Sue Smith | Mike Belgard | Tim Perkins
Faith
March 5, 2022 - On March 5,1946, a strange thing happened. Winston Churchill, the famed British leader, arrived in the small Missouri town of Fulton. He had been invited there by Missouri’s Favorite Son, President Harry Truman. Churchill was to speak at the little Westminster College.
The speech that Churchill gave that day, 76 years ago, introduced a new term to the world. In his legendary voice he proclaimed, "an iron curtain has descended over Eastern Europe." It was the first time that term had been used, and it marked the beginning of The Cold War between the US and the USSR.
Most of you are old enough to remember the falling of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the break-up of the Soviet Union. But now, with the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, some predict that a new Iron Curtain may be falling.
We pause this morning to remember the people of Ukraine. And to pray for the missionaries, the pastors, the churches, and our brothers and sisters in Christ there.
Meet you back here on Monday,
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org
March 4, 2022 - The McWilliams-Rather Cemetery Association invite you to attend and participate in our Fundraising and Annual Meeting to be held on Sunday, March 27th at 3:00 pm at Todd Spring Baptist Church in Shelbyville.
March 4, 2022 - Tomorrow our church is having its annual Women's Conference. For over two decades women from all across our region have been coming to First Baptist Center on a Saturday in spring for good fellowship, good food, and good teaching. It's a day to celebrate women and their spiritual journeys.
The Bible was written during a male dominated age and so it's not surprising that most Bible characters are men. But that doesn't mean that the Word of God has no stories about women. From Eve to Esther, from Rahab to Ruth, from Miriam to Mary, the Bible boasts many great women of the faith. One of these is found in the fourth chapter of the book of Judges. Her name was Deborah.
Deborah was one of the judges of Israel. That word "judge" is used in the same way we use it here in Shelby County. Our county judge, who, by the way, is a woman, isn't a court official. She's the leader of our county. And for 60 years, Deborah led the nation of Israel. She was a prophet, a military general, a counselor - she was even a songwriter! And Deborah was an amazing leader. She was a faithful woman of faith.
My youngest sister is named after this amazing woman of the Bible. She's pretty amazing, too. She's a mother, a pastor's wife, a teacher. She loves her family, loves her church, loves her Savior. And just like the Deborah of old, she is a faithful woman of faith.
Meet you back here tomorrow,
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org
March 3, 2022 - I got a phone call this week informing me of the sudden passing of an old friend, someone I had known for more than 60 years. To be truthful, he was more family than friend and though I had not seen him in more than 10 years, I thought of him often. It made me think of a poem by Leigh Hodges, one I first read many years ago.
Closed eyes can’t see the white roses,
Cold hands can’t hold them, you know;
Breath that is stilled cannot gather
The fragrance that sweet from them blows.
Death, with a peace beyond dreaming,
Its children of earth doth endow;
Life is the time we can help them,
So give them the flowers now!
Here are the struggles and striving,
Here are the cares and the tears;
Now is the time to be smoothing
The frowns and the furrows and fears.
What to closed eyes are kind sayings?
What to hushed heart is deep vow?
Naught can avail after parting,
So give them the flowers now!
If you have an old friend you haven’t reached out to in some time, let them hear from you, tell them you love and appreciate them.
It’s something to think about… tbp
Join Us for Worship this coming Lord’s Day at Center Church of Christ or online at www.centerchurchofchrist.com.
March 3, 2022 - This coming Sunday morning our church will sing a new song, one that we've never sung together before. It's called "House of the Lord" and it's filled with truth and joy. The Contemporary Christian songwriter, Phil Wickham, composed the song in 2020 - during the height of the pandemic - during a time when we weren't allowed to meet in the house of the Lord. And joy was in short supply, as well.
Wickham, however, was inspired by the fact that the house of the Lord is not necessarily a building, not just a place made by hands. The house of the Lord is wherever God is. And if you're a child of God, He makes His home . . . in you! Your spirit, your heart is the house of the Lord. And where God is, there is joy - even when life is at its most challenging.
I hope you'll be able to attend church this Sunday, inside of a sanctuary or worship center - assembled with the family of God for praise and teaching and fellowship. But, even if you cannot "assemble yourselves together" (Hebrews 10:25), you can still experience the joy of the Lord, and you can celebrate that He lives in you.
We worship the God who was. We worship the God who is.
We worship the God who evermore will be.
He opened the prison doors. He parted the raging sea.
Our God, He holds the victory.
There's joy in the house of the Lord. There's joy in the house of the Lord today.
And we won't be quiet. We shout out Your praise.
There's joy in the house of the Lord. Our God is surely in this place.
And we won't be quiet. We shout out Your praise!
Meet you back here tomorrow,
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org
March 2, 2022 - Wallace Chapel invites family, friends, to our Pastor and Wife Derrick and Shanetta Rhodes to celebrate their day!
The event will be held on March 6, 2022, at 11:15am.
Wallace Chapel Baptist Church is located at 109 S. Marcus St. in Timpson.
March 2, 2022 - We're still 18 days away from the first day of spring, but here in Shelby County, Texas, we're starting to see some signs that the season is changing. And we're grateful to God for that. The beginning of spring, on March 20, falls on Sunday this year. And we're planning a series of devotions during the week prior, that will focus on our Creator and on His creation. Hope you can join us for those thoughts.
The shift from the cold winter wind to the soft breezes of spring is always a refreshing blessing. We've had a fairly mild winter here in Center, so the contrast isn't as dramatic as it sometimes is. But I was thinking this morning that, in a way, the past two years have been a kind of extended winter for our world. The pandemic came home to America just about exactly two years ago now, with schools and churches and businesses shutting down in March of 2020. The cold wind of fear and loss and isolation has blown steadily through our culture during these past 24 months.
We are truly ready for the soft breezes of hope.
We are ready . . . for spring.
Meet you back here tomorrow,
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org
March 1, 2022 - Today is a day that's known by several names. Some call it "Mardi Gras" or "Fat Tuesday". Others refer to it as "Shrove Tuesday" or "Pancake Day". What's all this about? Well, basically, it's all wrapped up in the fact that today is the last day before Lent, that six-week season in the traditional church calendar that leads to Easter.
The Lenten Season is known as a time of fasting, or at least a time to give up certain rich foods or other indulgences. Thus, the "fat" Tuesday name, signifying a day to indulge in all those things that wouldn't be allowed during Lent. Mardi Gras, of course, is just the French translation of Fat Tuesday. The biggest Mardi Gras in the U.S. is in New Orleans, but Texas has the third biggest in Galveston.
The term Shrove Tuesday is less well known. The word "shrove" is derived from the old word "shrive" which means absolve or forgive. This reflects the tradition of using this day before Lent to examine ourselves, our hearts, our spirits - and to make confession. Just as Lent is a time of preparation for Easter, Shrove Tuesday is a time of preparation for Lent. Pancakes, and other pastries, were often eaten on this day, to use up milk and eggs and sugar that would spoil during Lent. Many churches still host a pancake breakfast on Shrove Tuesday.
And so, it's important to take time to look ahead, to look forward. And it's important to search our hearts, and to prepare.
Because Easter is coming!
Meet you back here tomorrow,
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org
March 1, 2022 - Grace and peace from our brother Jesus, Amen. Sunday was Transfiguration Sunday. Three of the most trusted disciples accompanied Jesus to the holy mountain, where the light of God shone brightly on his son. They also saw two of the greatest figures of their faith—Elijah and Moses—speaking with Jesus. The disciples saw the transfigured Jesus in yet another new way—as God’s chosen.
March is just about here, when Paxton Methodist will collect cans of chili for Community Christian Services. I will take soap and shampoo along with a couple of checks to CCS on Wednesday. This week features Mardi Gras, literally “Fat Tuesday,” and Ash Wednesday, both leading to the period on the Christian calendar called Lent. This is a time of reflection but also a time of hope. At the end of Lent comes Easter.
Like most freedom-loving Americans, our prayers this morning were for the people of Ukraine. My maternal grandparents came from a region that today is partly in Ukraine and partly in Poland. Ukrainians have never looked upon Russia as a friend—the reason my grandparents left. A fearsome part of Ukrainian history is Stalin’s slaughtering and starving millions of peasants. Let us remember that the United States is that shining city on the hill—the beacon of democracy—for many around the world, and respond with compassion in this situation.
Our Sunday School lesson focused on Matthew 28: 16-20, when the eleven disciples went to the Galilee as the resurrected Jesus instructed them. Specifically, Jesus told them to go out into the world and make disciples. Our success in “making disciples” will depend on how we treat others. Words won’t work, but action and truth will.
My sermon was based on Luke 9: 28-36, the Scripture immediately following Jesus’ Sermon on the Plains—AKA Sermon on the Mount—which I featured the previous two Sundays. This was the portion of Luke’s story about the Transfiguration of Jesus, also representing his turn (physical and mental) from the Galilee toward Jerusalem, where he would be crucified and resurrected.
Our hymns this week continued the theme of hope: “My Hope Is Built” and “Rock of Ages.” On the CDs we use now, the first song was a breathless romp; “Rock of Ages,” however was fortunately much more sedate. Our bulletin quote came from Bishop Yvette Flunder: “It is vitally important in the midst of all this present chaos and madness...that we hold on to hope.” Funny thing, although the quote speaks of “this present chaos and madness,” it can actually apply to countless troubled situations throughout history—not just our own.
Our church congregation this Sunday included Sue’s Uncle Eddie, who was visiting from Monroe, Louisiana. He’d been wanting to visit his sister, my mother-in-law Dixie, but didn’t trust his driving or his attention span while doing it. So we picked him up one Monday and drove him back the next Monday, reuniting with family in Nacogdoches during the week. Eddie also made friends of our two canine companions, to the extent that Gunter was planning to accompany us on the trip. Gunter panics if we drive further than the post office, so that made his offer all the more heroic.
Whoever you are, in whatever faith you were born, whatever creed you profess; if you come to this house to find God you are welcome here. Paxton United Methodist Church is an inviting church that takes to heart the idea of “Open Doors, Open Hearts, and Open Minds.” Worship begins at 10:00. Our email address is paxtonumc@yahoo.com. If you would like the weekly email newsletter about Paxton Methodist, you can send your email address to the Paxton email address, and I will add you to the list. God’s Speed.
March 1, 2022 - House of Refuge Apostolic Ministries Inc. will be celebrating our Founder and Leader Apostle William E. Nash Jr. on March 13, 2022 at 3:30PM our special guest is the Honorable ArchBishop J.L. Lawson from Miracle Tabernacle Prayer & Praise Cathedral Longview, TX. Everyone is invited. Mask are required!!
Pages
