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Contributing Writers: Mike Mills, Spring Hill Church | Doug Fincher | Pastor Randy and Sue Smith | Mike Belgard | Tim Perkins
Faith
May 20, 2021 - To my mind, “Sonnets From The Portuguese” is one of the most beautiful works to come from the pen of Elizabeth Barrett Browning. The most familiar passage from that great work reads, “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” My favorite is a bit more obscure.
Hidden among the lines of the poem are these words, “The face of all the world is changed, I think, since first I heard the footsteps of thy soul”. Of course, this poem was a love poem. It was written by a woman to the man of her choice. My friends, those words have a spiritual application to those who are followers of Jesus Christ.
You see, Jesus has the power to transform lives. There are many examples in the New Testament of those whose lives were never the same since they first heard the footsteps of Jesus in their soul. Think of the sinful woman dragged before Jesus early one morning, caught in adultery. What about the Jewish ruler, Nicodemus who came to see Jesus late one night? There was the woman who touched the hem of Jesus’ garment and was healed. Then there were the two tax collectors, Matthew and Zacchaeus along with those nameless souls who were healed of their various infirmities.
When we truly come to know Jesus Christ, our lives will never be the same either. If our lives have not been transformed by Jesus, then maybe we have never made Him the Lord and Master of our lives. Perhaps it’s time for us to fully surrender our stubborn will to His.
It’s something to think about…..tbp
Visit Center Church of Christ at 110 Hurst Street, Center, Texas Or online www.centerchurchofchrist.com
May 17, 2021 - Shelby County Outreach Ministries’ Senior Programs are happy to announce the reopening of the Senior Nutrition Site with guidelines and new safety procedures. We will open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-2 beginning on May 18, 2021. Starting June 1, 2021, our program will be open M-F from 9-2. Please call the director, Darlene Mitchell should you have any questions or concerns. The phone number is 936-598-7768.
May 17, 2021 - My son Neal called me from Manhattan, New York last week after reading my book, “Fincher and Friends.” “What’s the secret for all the things you’ve accomplished in your eighty-seven years?” he asked. I thought for a moment and answered, “I guess it’s because I never lost the wonder.” To see and learn something new… to meet new people… and learn about their lives is an exceedingly great joy.
My call to preach The Gospel has bequeathed to me unlimited opportunities to make life-time friends from my sixteen Pastorates… from my first one in Patroon, Texas in 1952… to my thirty-year Pastorate of Calvary Baptist Church in 2021. How blessed I am to hear from those I baptized years ago and whose weddings I performed! I’ve now lived long enough to baptize many of their children… and perform their weddings, too!
My friends have given me the stories that I write in five newspapers every week. And I praise the Lord for the memory He gave me… a memory that dates from my 4th birthday in 1937 to my 87th one in 2020. And He also gave me another gift…
… the gift of never losing the wonder.
May 16, 2021 - Grace and peace from our friend and brother Jesus. May 16 was the 7th Sunday of Easter, as well as Ascension Sunday. In bygone days Christians would go to their places of worship last Thursday to celebrate the Day of Ascension, when Jesus left his friends behind. Last week I had no article in the paper and no weekly newsletter because my four-legged friend Sam and I went to Dallas right after church. I had a really nice visit with my daughter, son, future daughter-in-law, sister-in-law, and brother.
As is always the case at Paxton Methodist, Fannie had a really good Sunday School lesson for us. Read by Gene, the scripture focus was Luke 9: 28-36 about Peter, John, and James joining Jesus on the mountaintop and witnessing the Transfiguration. This story places Jesus right up there with Moses and Elijah for these Jewish folks. From the cloud they hear God saying that Jesus is the Son of God, the chosen one, and telling Peter, John, and James to listen to him. This was a one-time, spectacular event, but our author encouraged us to look for the holy ourselves in ordinary life. Even our lives today contain these special moments, if we’ll just be attentive to them.
Since we resumed in-person worship, our music has been on CD. Still no vigorous singing! The songs I meant to share this week were related to each other: “I Saw the Light” by Hank Williams and Jackie DeShannon’s “Put a Little Love in Your Heart.” Technology and age don’t always go together, and I couldn’t get them to play on my tablet. Plan B was a good one, though: Sue DeFee had two Elvis CDs, so we heard the King singing “He Touched Me” and “Amazing Grace.” Can’t go wrong with those!
My sermon this week continued with the Easter Season theme of Jesus showing his disciples—and us—how to be caring and compassionate. As John the Elder said, “God is Love.” The Gospel Lesson came from John 17: 6-19. Jesus asks God to protect the disciples as they continue bringing the Good News of God’s love into the world. And remember, WE are his modern-day disciples and are, therefore, charged with that same mission.
We are collecting canned fruit for Community Christian Services. Sue also saw a call on Facebook for diapers and took a variety of sizes by CCS last week. The volunteers at CCS have been working hard throughout the pandemic to help those in need. They still have in place some social distancing procedures, optionally available.
Joaquin Senior Center, closed for over a year because of the pandemic, plans to reopen on Tuesday, July 6. Sue will send out the new procedures, which include showing proof of vaccination, to the Seniors on their list. If you’re not currently a Senior Center participant but would like the details on becoming one, you can call 936/269-3975 and leave a message with your name and address or send it to PO Box 567, Joaquin TX 75954.
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.
May 13, 2021 - The habit of faultfinding is a bad habit that lots of people fall in to. The tragedy is that it is easily acquired and not readily broken. In case you haven’t noticed, we live in an imperfect world. Everything is flawed and defective. Institutions all blunder and fall short of the ideal. People are all erring creatures and sometimes we are offended by their faults. However, we should not pay so much attention to the faults and failures of others. Neither should we dwell on the defects of the world we live in.
If we are not careful, we can become chronic, carping, fault-finders. When that happens we take the next step and become grumblers. Then, if we are not careful we will become a growler. Folks who growl long enough end up being cynics. When that happens, we are no good to ourselves or anyone else.
To my knowledge, no one ever wakes up one day and says, “I think I will become a cynic.” It happens when we begin to find fault and the habit takes root in our hearts. It then grows until our mind becomes twisted and our heart becomes sour.
It is no wonder the wise man said, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” (Proverbs 17:22)
It’s something to think about…..TBP
Join us for Worship this coming Lord’s Day!
Center Church of Christ
110 Hurst Street
Center, Texas
www.centerchurchofchrist.com
May 11, 2021 - National Day of Prayer Event is set for Thursday, May 13 from noon until 12:30pm in front of our Historic Courthouse.
Join the leaders and pastors of our community as we pray for America, for our First Responders and Military, for our Churches and for our Schools.
Join us as we meet "in the center of Center" to celebrate the Power of Prayer.
For more information call David Mathis at 979-533-1575 or 936-598-5605.
Rev. and 1st Lady Winston Kibbles Sr.
May 11, 20213 - St. John Missionary Baptist Church is hosting the 14th Appreciation Service for Rev. and 1st Lady Winston Kibbles, Sr. on Sunday, June 6, 2021 at 2pm. Special Guest is Rev. A. L. Horton Sr., Pastor of Reed Chapel Baptist Church, San Augustine, Tx.
Come celebrate this great occasion with us. The theme is “Celebrating the Laborer that dwells among us.”
1 Thessalonians 5:12-13: And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord; And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.
St. John Missionary Baptist Church is located at 2308 CR 2050, Center, Texas 75935.
May 10, 2021 - Powdrill Cemetery Homecoming will be Saturday, May 15, 12:00 noon in the Neil Grant barn, located 1 mile north of Arcadia on FM 1645. Please bring your favorite dish and stay for a short business meeting afterward.
If you are unable to attend this year, you may mail your contribution for upkeep of the cemetery to the following address. We thank you in advance for your generous contribution as costs have increased through the years.
Powdrill Cemetery Fund
c/o Derek Grant, DVM
549 Lakewood Drive
Center, Texas 75935
May 10, 2021 - Sitting for a meal with my parents (and five sisters and four brothers) brings back sweet memories. Daddy built a long bench on each side of the table and put a nail keg at each end for us to sit on. Naturally, we all wanted to sit on a keg and had a good many scuffles trying to be the first to get there. The familiar call, "you kids come eat" was always music to our ears and we didn't have to be called twice.
We weren't allowed to eat the last biscuit, piece of cake, etc. and were forbidden to talk while food was in our mouth. We couldn't chomp on our food, take huge bites, play with our food, reach across the table or eat with our mouths wide open. (It is obvious that this is an ancient story)
We were allowed to talk and encouraged not to rush through our meals. The interaction with my siblings and parents at the table is one of the fondest of my childhood memories. They sat down with us, talked about our day with us and let us talk to each other. There was no time limit except that we had to be done before bedtime.
People who can sit thru a whole meal gorging…but never saying a word…are almost as repulsive as those who talk with a mouth full of food. . I think Mother had it right: Talk at the table. Eat at the table.
But don't talk with food in your mouth.
May 6, 2021 - Lone Cedar's Homecoming Service is this Sunday, May 9th. Services start at 10:30am.
If anyone would like to make a donation to the cemetery fund please mail it to: John Paul Lawson, 2926 County Road 3373, Joaquin, Texas 75954 or Irada Oates, 204 County Road 3182, Joaquin, Texas 75954.
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