Shelby County Today

April 10, 2025 - I can remember as a boy, watching the potter at work at the wheel at the old Marshall Pottery. I would stand mesmerized by the skill with which he would throw a lump of clay on the wheel and mold it into a work of art. They made many beautiful pieces of pottery in those days. They made pitchers, butter churns, strawberry pots, pickling crocks among other items. But they also made just plain, red clay flower pots.

It is the red clay flower pot I envision when I read what Paul wrote in II Corinthians 4:7. He said, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us.” You and I are in that passage of scripture. We are the plain, red clay pots they made so many of at the pottery. Those red clay pots were nothing spectacular. They were only vessels in which to plant flowers, perhaps a beautiful lily or a magnificent hydrangea or some other flower of God’s creation. With a beautiful flower in the pot, you focused on the beauty of the flower, not the vessel.

We are often easily fooled by containers. Cheap jewelry can often be found in elaborate boxes while expensive perfume may be in a plain bottle. The splendor of God can best be seen in plain settings. We must take ourselves out of the center of the stage so others can focus on the beauty of God. We are just plain, red clay pots.

It’s something to think about... tbp

Come join us for worship at Center Church of Christ or online at www.centerchurchofchrist.com.

April 9, 2025 - The Annual Buckner and Extended Family Reunion is Saturday, May 3, 2025 at 12 noon in the Fellowship Hall of Clever Creek Baptist Church, 199 CR 1042 at FM 417 West, Center, Texas 75935. For more information, contact Brandon Buckner at 409-656-6949.

April 8, 2025 - A Pastor Installation Service of Pastor-elect Deshmond D. Johnson will be held Sunday, April 13 at 3pm at Mt. Horeb Baptist Church.

The church is located at 462 county road 102, San Augustine, TX. 75972.

The Installation Speaker for this occasion will be Bishop Cedric Grace, Mt. Zion Baptist Church.

April 7, 2025 - Good Morning! It’s Monday, April 7.

What’s the most expensive book in the world? Well, a few years ago, billionaire Bill Gates paid 30 million for the Leonardo da Vinci Codex. That’s a manuscript from the early 1500’s, written in the master’s mysterious hand - he famously wrote backwards from right to left. A nice little volume to have in your personal library. 

But the most valuable book was not handwritten, and that is the very reason it is priceless. In 1545, a German printer named Gutenberg produced the first book made entirely by machine. He developed the process of moveable type and, in that moment, he changed the world. Before this invention, the written word was only available to the very wealthy. The printing press opened an information revolution. Imagine the impact of the internet... and then multiply that by a million.

For this momentous step in the history of man, Johannes Gutenberg chose the Word of God. In 1554 he printed 180 Bibles. Only 49 still exist. None are owned privately, but are found around the world in museums and libraries. Gutenberg’s homeland - Germany - boasts the most, with 13. We’ve got 11 here in America. Tokyo has one, so does Australia, and - a bit of a surprise - there are two Gutenberg Bibles in Russia. The last one went up for sale in 1978 and was purchased by the University of Texas. You can see it there today. It is reputed to be worth over 50 million dollars.

What is the Bible worth to you? What value would you place on the written Word of God? We find the answer in Psalm 19:7 - “The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold.”

Meet you back here tomorrow,
David
cindertex50@yahoo.com