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Contributing Writers: David Mathis | Tim Perkins
Past Contributing Writers: Mike Mills, Spring Hill Church | Doug Fincher | Pastor Randy and Sue Smith | Mike Belgard
Sun, May 31
May 27, 2026 - Mt. Zion CME Church will host their Family and Friends Day on Sunday, May 31, 2026, 3pm.
The theme for the program is, A Place To Belong: Family, Faith, Fellowship Romans 12:5
With Rev. Richard Edwards, Pastor and guest speaker Rev. David Avant of New St. Matthew Baptist Church Nacogdoches.
Sun, Jun 07
May 12, 2026 - Join First Methodist Church in Center to celebrate Pastor Malcolm Monroe and his faithful years of ministry and leadership at a reception following the 10am worship service on Sunday, June 7th.
Thank you, Pastor Malcolm, for your dedication, faithfulness, and the lasting impact you've made.
First Methodist Church is located at 211 Porter Street, Center, TX 75935.
May 20, 2026 - New Hope Cemetery annual homecoming will be on Sunday, June 7, 2026 at 12 noon. Please bring your lawn chairs and favorite dishes.
If you are unable to attend and would like to make a donation for the upkeep of the cemetery, please send your checks to:
New Hope Cemetery Association
c/o Alyson Harris Porter
1597 FM 2974
Center, TX 75935
May 21, 2026 - St. John Missionary Baptist Church is hosting the 19th Pastor and Wife Anniversary for Pastor Winston and 1st Lady Terri Kibbles on Sunday, June 7, 2026 at 2:30pm.
"Called and Chosen for This Season" Isaiah 61:1-2
Guest speaker for the event is Pastor W.R. Ricks, First Missionary Baptist Church, Lufkin, Texas.
Mon, Jun 08
May 26, 2026 - Old Home Missionary Baptist Church would like to invite you to join us for our VBS.. SHIPWRECKED.. RESCUED BY JESUS! It will be June 8th - 11th , nightly from 5:30 - 8:00 PM. We will start each night with a light meal, followed by music, our Bible lesson, crafts, games and our Science Wowza. Come prepared to have a fun filled night of food, fellowship and learning about Jesus! Call or text for more info: 936-254-4872
Sat, Jun 13
May 25, 2026 - Come join us for the Annual Homecoming of the Joaquin Community Cemetery to be held at the First Baptist Church of Joaquin on Saturday, June 13, 2026 at 10:30am.
Door prizes will be 8x10's on heavy photo paper of carefully restored photos of ancestors from numerous family lines and other iconic photos of Joaquin history. In addition we will be playing “Name or Claim That Ancestor.” Kids of all ages are invited to create sidewalk chalk art.
A regular business meeting will be conducted and an offering will be taken for the upkeep of the cemetery.
A potluck dinner will follow and the committee will provide ice and paper goods.
We hope that you and your family can attend and share with us the joys of the occasion as we celebrate our beautiful historic cemetery and honor the lives of those who came before us. If you cannot be present and desire to make a contribution, please send your check payable to Joaquin Community Cemetery Association, P.O. Box 236, Joaquin, TX 75954.
Faith
May 28, 2026 - Turn on the television, read the news reports and you will know that we are living in perilous times. To be sure, our world seems to be in a constant state of strife and conflict. There is strife between nations, there is strife in our own nation, there is strife between families. It exists, it is a reality. It seems that our world is a world in chaos. We live in a constant state of frustration and hustle and bustle.
It seems that in a world like ours, the words of the Psalmist are sane advice. He writes, “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10). Perhaps our problem is that we do not take that advice. The chaotic state of the world is largely the result of men and women wanting to do things their way instead of doing things God’s way. We are often quick to place the blame on God for our misfortunes, when, most if not all of them are due to the abuse of our God-given faculties.
In a wonderful way, God is able to bring good out of evil, this is the verdict of history. The remedy for a better state of affairs is for the world to turn to God for its inspiration and guidance. Have you ever thought what a transformation there would be in a sorely perplexed and troubled world if we would only allow God to reign in our hearts and lives and direct our thoughts and actions? Stop, take a deep breath, be still and know that God is in control and let him control your life.
It’s something to think about… tbp
Center Church of Christ
www.centerchurchofchrist.com
May 27, 2026 - Mt. Zion CME Church will host their Family and Friends Day on Sunday, May 31, 2026, 3pm.
The theme for the program is, A Place To Belong: Family, Faith, Fellowship Romans 12:5
With Rev. Richard Edwards, Pastor and guest speaker Rev. David Avant of New St. Matthew Baptist Church Nacogdoches.
May 26, 2026 - Old Home Missionary Baptist Church would like to invite you to join us for our VBS.. SHIPWRECKED.. RESCUED BY JESUS! It will be June 8th - 11th , nightly from 5:30 - 8:00 PM. We will start each night with a light meal, followed by music, our Bible lesson, crafts, games and our Science Wowza. Come prepared to have a fun filled night of food, fellowship and learning about Jesus! Call or text for more info: 936-254-4872
May 26, 2026 - Good Morning! It’s Tuesday, May 26.
Last Sunday afternoon, I had the honor of playing piano for the memorial service of a longtime football coach in Carthage, Texas. There are a few songs that are frequently featured at funerals, songs like “In the Garden,” “Victory in Jesus,” and “Amazing Grace.” But there’s another gospel hymn that I always like to include. This is the story behind that song.
Thomas Dorsey was born in 1899 in rural Georgia. Like many southern African Americans of that era, he migrated to the north, settling in Chicago. There Dorsey, a talented musician, rubbed shoulders with such legendary performers as Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey and Louis Armstrong. He forged a successful career as a blues artist. But then, in 1930, he found the Lord, and was led by God to become a gospel singer.
One night, in 1932, Dorsey was leading the music at a revival crusade, away from home, away from his wife, who was due to have their first child. After the service ended, he received a fateful telephone call. His wife, Nessie, had died in childbirth, and their infant son had lived for only a few minutes. Grief stricken and inconsolable, Dorsey drove through the night back to Chicago. In those dark, lonely hours, the Spirit of God began to comfort his broken heart, giving him a simple lyric and a simple melody.
Twenty years later, the Blackwood Brothers Quartet would have moderate success with a recording of Thomas Dorsey’s song. A young truck driver, driving through the night, heard the song on the radio. Five years later, that young man recorded that same song. His rendition was a huge success, and introduced the little gospel hymn to the world. The young man’s name was Elvis Presley. The song was “Precious Lord, Take My Hand.”
Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on, help me stand
I am tired, I am weak, I am worn
Through the storm, through the night, lead me on to the light
Take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home
Mark 9:27 - “And Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up.”
Meet you back here tomorrow,
David
cindertex50@yahoo.com
May 25, 2026 - Come join us for the Annual Homecoming of the Joaquin Community Cemetery to be held at the First Baptist Church of Joaquin on Saturday, June 13, 2026 at 10:30am.
Door prizes will be 8x10's on heavy photo paper of carefully restored photos of ancestors from numerous family lines and other iconic photos of Joaquin history. In addition we will be playing “Name or Claim That Ancestor.” Kids of all ages are invited to create sidewalk chalk art.
A regular business meeting will be conducted and an offering will be taken for the upkeep of the cemetery.
A potluck dinner will follow and the committee will provide ice and paper goods.
We hope that you and your family can attend and share with us the joys of the occasion as we celebrate our beautiful historic cemetery and honor the lives of those who came before us. If you cannot be present and desire to make a contribution, please send your check payable to Joaquin Community Cemetery Association, P.O. Box 236, Joaquin, TX 75954.
May 21, 2026 - St. John Missionary Baptist Church is hosting the 19th Pastor and Wife Anniversary for Pastor Winston and 1st Lady Terri Kibbles on Sunday, June 7, 2026 at 2:30pm.
"Called and Chosen for This Season" Isaiah 61:1-2
Guest speaker for the event is Pastor W.R. Ricks, First Missionary Baptist Church, Lufkin, Texas.
May 21, 2026 - In the long ago, when God appeared to Moses out of that burning bush, He was sending Moses on an errand to the ruler of Egypt. He was going on a mission to the king for his King. He needed credentials.
God asked him, “What is that in thine hand?” Moses answered, “A rod.” What was simply a stick in the hand of Moses, by the power of God became the force that brought the plagues on the land of Egypt, divided the Red Sea and brought water from a rock. All of that when Moses used it as God directed him. Little things, when placed in the hand of God become great things.
In the hands of a young shepherd boy named David, a sling and five small smooth stones were enough to bring down a Philistine giant. A young boy’s lunch of five loaves and two fish when placed in the hands of Jesus and with his blessing became enough to feed five thousand.
Each of us have in our hands a decision. The decision of whether or not we are going to live God’s kind of life. God can take our life and make it something big, wonderful, useful and beautiful. When we submit ourselves to the Lord, when we allow God to direct our lives, we can become a mighty force for good.
It’s something to think about... tbp
Center Church of Christ
www.centerchurchofchrist.com
May 20, 2026 - New Hope Cemetery annual homecoming will be on Sunday, June 7, 2026 at 12 noon. Please bring your lawn chairs and favorite dishes.
If you are unable to attend and would like to make a donation for the upkeep of the cemetery, please send your checks to:
New Hope Cemetery Association
c/o Alyson Harris Porter
1597 FM 2974
Center, TX 75935
May 18, 2026 - Free produce items will be available from 4pm until 5:30pm (while supplies last) from the East Texas Food Bank on Friday, May 23, the 4th Friday of the month, at First Baptist Church, 117 Cora Street, Center, Texas 75935.
No eligibility requirements, paperwork, or ID required.
Volunteers are always welcome! Help us, help others! The food pantry is on the 4th Friday of each month and volunteers are needed from 3pm to 6pm. Sign up in FBC office and fill out connect card.
May 18, 2026 - Good Morning! It’s Monday, May 18.
I had the blessing yesterday of preaching at a lovely little church near my home in Tenaha, Texas. A warm and welcoming fellowship of believers, a lighthouse on a hill for over a century. The church literally sits atop a hill, overlooking miles and miles of beautiful green pastures, pastures filled with contented Texas cows. It’s a picture. As I left the sanctuary following worship, I paused to take it all in. And a scripture verse came to mind.
“Every beast of the forest is mine, says the Lord, and the cattle on a thousand hills.” Psalm 50:10
Sometimes we pat ourselves on the back when we put a little money in the offering plate, or maybe we congratulate ourselves for giving to a special ministry or mission project. But when you really think about it, it’s kind of ridiculous. It’s like if I borrowed my neighbor’s lawn mower, used it, gave it back - and then celebrated MY generosity! Everything we have comes from God and literally belongs to Him. Our houses, our possessions, our jobs, our families . . . the cattle on a thousand hills.
He asks only that we be good stewards of His blessings. And that we be careful not to let all these things become more important than our relationship with Him, our relationship with “the Giver of all good gifts”.
Meet you back here tomorrow,
David
cindertex50@yahoo.com
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