April 10, 2025 - New Life Church is hosting an Easter Family Experience: Color Edition on Saturday, April 19, 2025 from 2pm until 4pm. Come experience the reason for the season — in COLOR! Bring the whole family and celebrate Easter like never before with: A live donkey, Music ministry, Jump house, Snow cones and cotton candy, and SO much more!

This is a FREE event for all ages, and we can't wait to see you there!

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 10, 2025 - The Shelbyville District Women Department hosting 'It's Tea Time' on Saturday, April 26, 2025 at 3pm at 138 College Street, Tenaha, Texas 75974. The events theme is Sister Sister! "I am my Sister Keeper" ~ Ecclesiastes 4:9-10.

Speakers are District Missionary Pamela McClain, Mt. Enterprise District, and District Missionary Dorothea Robinson, Lufkin District.

District Superintendent is Freman Bryan.
District Missionary is Phyllis Thompson.

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 9, 2025 - Shelby County PAC (Parent Advisory Committee) is excited to host the 2025 Baccalaureate Ceremony at Triumph Church located at 908 Daniels Street, Center, TX 75935, under the leadership of shepherd, Bishop Howard Cloudy, Sr. on Sunday, May 4, 2025.

A Mix & Mingle for Graduates is at 2:30pm with the ceremony at 3pm. Dinner for graduates is immediately following the ceremony.

We invite all Shelby County and surrounding area high school and college graduates to join us for this special event! Seniors planning to attend are encouraged to fill out the Senior Information Form (Google Form).

For additional details or inquiries, please contact the Program Committee:

We look forward to celebrating this milestone with you!

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 - First Baptist Shelbyville invites the community to its 1st annual RISEN Event on Saturday, April 12 at 11am.

The event promises a fun-filled day for the entire family! Some things to look forward to - Fish Fry, Rolled Ice Cream, Cotton Candy, Inflatable Obstacle Course, Inflatable Basketball Game, Inflatable Carousel, Face Painting, Egg Roll Race, and Crafts for All Ages!

There will also be a Free Bicycle Raffle!

Everyone is welcome to come celebrate our RISEN Savior!

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

April 4, 2025 - Just for a moment, ponder the message of the following passages of scripture. Matthew 12:36-37, “But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” Ephesians 4:29-30, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”

By our words we express our ideas and thoughts. With words we can hurt, discourage, anger, stir up strife and crush the spirits of those around us. Conversely, we can cheer, enlighten, encourage, uplift and calm others by our words also.

We can speak a language that is pure and pleasing in the sight of God and unquestionable in the sight of men, or we can corrupt that language until it damns our soul. Stop and think!

Do my words justify or condemn me? Is my speech pure and clean or is it distasteful in the sight of God and man? Let us strive to speak in a manner that is becoming to Christians and uplifting to those we associate with daily.

It’s something to think about... tbp

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

April 3, 2025 - Pleasant Grove Cemetery Annual Meeting and Homecoming on Saturday, April 26, 2025 at 11:15am Meeting followed by lunch at 1440 County Rd 1470, Timpson, TX 75975  (Shelby Co.) Please join us at the annual Pleasant Grove Cemetery homecoming. The minutes from last year’s business meeting are posted on the Pleasant Grove Facebook page.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/pleasantgrovecemetery/

Donations can be mailed to Pleasant Grove Cemetery Association, 663 Private Road 118, Center, TX 75935.

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