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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
Faith
November 2, 2020 - Grace and peace from our brother Jesus, Amen. Sunday was All Saints Day. This important and vital Sunday is the day Christians remember all those souls in the local church who died this past year, and all those who helped the church and us as individuals grow to become what we are. It is a day to remember the past, rejoice in the present, and anticipate the future.
We are coming to the end of the Christian year this month. Christ the King Sunday will end our November, and the first Sunday in December will begin a new year with Advent. I think most of us are ready to see 2020 getting smaller and smaller in our rear-view mirror. But with the pandemic growing by leaps and bounds, we wonder if 2021 is going to be much different than the last eight months. I sure hope so. But for that to happen, we all must practice our patriotic duty: wash our hands regularly, practice safe distancing, and yes, wear a mask in public. On November 11, we will remember and give thanks for all the veterans who made the patriotic decision to defend our nation. Every generation has had to make sacrifices for the nation and for future generations. We must do our part right now and right here.
Paxton Methodist Church is meeting each Sunday wearing masks and practicing social distancing. Shelby County has had a big increase in Covid cases just as the nation as a whole has seen a huge spike in cases and deaths. Our music is only on piano and CD—no singing to spread germs. Today Mrs. Hilda’s leg was giving her trouble, so she skipped her usual piano solo. Instead, we listened to Willie Nelson’s “Where the Soul of Man Never Dies.” (Today is also called All Souls Day.)
This past month we collected peanut butter and jelly for Community Christian Services. I delivered all the goodies, along with checks from some of our members. In November we will collect rice and beans. Community Christian Services has had several extra-large food giveaways during October, with long lines of vehicles coming for food boxes. This has really helped out during a very difficult time. The volunteers are such hard-working people doing good works! The pandemic has caused eight million more people to fall under the poverty line. Texas has the highest number of uninsured people in the United States, which has added to the burden of providing medical care to those in need. So CCS is definitely meeting an important demand.
Today’s Sunday School lesson urged us to look for God’s presence in unlikely places and critical times. This was quite an undertaking for the author; he used four different Old Testament scriptures to emphasize that God will meet us anywhere and at any time.
The Gospel lesson for Sunday came from the Jesus Manifesto. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus explains who is truly blessed and living in the Kingdom of God. The 2020 All Saints Day landed on a Sunday, which I think we needed this year. So many saints have died from Covid 19, leaving so many people grieving, with just memories of their loved ones.
We also celebrated communion today. Last week’s Sunday School lesson said communion brings together the past, the present, and the future. When we commemorate the love of God through communion, we are joining Christians worldwide in this important rite. All Saints Day reminds us that those of the past and the future are also part of our worshipful remembrance.
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.
October 28, 2020 - New Life Church is excited to announce that NLC Kidz will be hosting a fun, family experience on Thursday, October 29th from 6:30pm to 8:30 pm. The night will be FULL of Fun, Food and Fellowship! Trunks FULL of Treats with Cool Games, “Train” Rides, Funnel Cakes, Cotton Candy, Popcorn, Photo Stops and oh so much more!! Please share with all your friends and we sure hope to see you there!!
October 29, 2020 - Words are wonderful things. They have a beauty all their own. They have associations in our minds that give them reputation. Some are bores and some shine brilliantly.
Yet, there is an eloquence without words. “Silence is golden” someone has said. Silence can be eloquent also. Jesus was a master at using the eloquence of silence. He used it many times.
Remember when a woman was brought to Him who had been caught in the act of adultery. The law said such a person must be put to death. What must Jesus say? He was silent. He stooped down and wrote in the sand and said, “Let the sinless one throw the first stone.” When he looked up, His words and His wise silence had done their work. All the accusers were gone, and a penitent woman stood there alone.
He told Peter of the sins he would commit in denial. Peter argued. The day of trial came. Peter sinned. At the right time, Jesus turned and looked at Peter. That was all. He just looked. Yet, that was enough to make Peter go out and weep bitterly.
Truly, silence can be golden. Silence can be as eloquent as words. Knowing when to speak and when to be silent is one mark of real wisdom.
It’s something to think about ... tbp
Center Church of Christ
Yet, there is an eloquence without words. “Silence is golden” someone has said. Silence can be eloquent also. Jesus was a master at using the eloquence of silence. He used it many times.
Remember when a woman was brought to Him who had been caught in the act of adultery. The law said such a person must be put to death. What must Jesus say? He was silent. He stooped down and wrote in the sand and said, “Let the sinless one throw the first stone.” When he looked up, His words and His wise silence had done their work. All the accusers were gone, and a penitent woman stood there alone.
He told Peter of the sins he would commit in denial. Peter argued. The day of trial came. Peter sinned. At the right time, Jesus turned and looked at Peter. That was all. He just looked. Yet, that was enough to make Peter go out and weep bitterly.
Truly, silence can be golden. Silence can be as eloquent as words. Knowing when to speak and when to be silent is one mark of real wisdom.
It’s something to think about ... tbp
Center Church of Christ
110 Hurst Street
Center, Texas
“Love your neighbor as yourself...” Matt. 19:19
October 26, 2020 - I watched the brown headed Cowbirds pair off so sweetly again this year, but as usual they didn’t build any nests. When birds of smaller species build theirs and lay their eggs, the cowbirds sneak in, roll their eggs out, replace them with their own, and then let the smaller mother hatch their eggs. If an egg from the natural mother is allowed to hatch, the mother cowbird will come and push it from the nest.
The Audubon Society blames the cowbird for the sharp decline in the bunting and finch population. Like moss, leeches and other parasites, these crafty little devils live off the hard work of the smaller species.
And what about cowbird people? They too want the best for their own and will stop at nothing to see they get ahead, even if it means pushing someone else’s babies from the nest. Cowbird people are even more despicable than cowbirds because (unlike birds) they have the power of choice. So there’s little to admire about cowbirds...and even less about cowbird people.
October 26, 2020 - The Senior Nutrition Site will host a Community Health Care Provider Meeting on Thursday, October 29, at 1:30. We are inviting all Health Care Providers that work in Shelby County to attend.
We will be discussing our senior meal programs for senior citizens 60 and older. We will also discuss the other programs that Shelby County Outreach Ministries offers to seniors in our community.
Due to providing adequate seating arrangements, please let us know if you can attend by 12 noon on Wednesday. We would love to see you there! For more information and to confirm your attendants, please call Mrs. Darlene Mitchell at 936-598-7768.
October 26, 2020 - Grace and peace from our brother Jesus, Amen. Sunday was the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time. We had a good rain in Joaquin Friday, and Saturday morning was nice and cool. My two dog companions, Gunter and Sam, along with our grand-dog Stella, went to the park with me Saturday morning. They had such a good time running and chasing each other. The cool morning air also put an extra step into my walking.
Paxton Methodist Church is meeting each Sunday wearing masks and practicing social distancing. Shelby County has had a big increase in Covid cases just as the nation as a whole has seen a huge spike in cases and deaths. Our music is only on piano and CD—no singing to spread germs. Mrs. Hilda played a lively special, “Sweetest Name I Know.” Our Hymn of Joy was “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing,” the Methodist anthem.
In the month of October we collected peanut butter and jelly for Community Christian Services. Next month we will collect rice and beans. Community Christian Services has had several extra-large food giveaways recently, with long lines of vehicles coming for food boxes. This has really helped out during a very difficult time. The volunteers are such hard-working people doing good works! The pandemic has caused eight million more people to fall under the poverty line. Texas has the highest number of uninsured people in the United States, which has added to the burden of providing medical care to those in need. So CCS is definitely meeting an important demand.
Our Sunday School Lesson for Sunday was based on Luke 22: 14-20. The lesson talked about communion and how it became so important in the universal church over the centuries. Communion was very important in John Wesley’s theology because he saw the very act as a means of grace from God. Our author said that communion brings together the past, the present, and the future. This lesson was a good preparation for next Sunday, which is All Saints Day.
The Gospel lesson for Sunday was Matthew 22: 34-40, the most concise statement of what a follower of Jesus should believe, feel, and do. When asked by a group of Sadducees and Pharisees to name the most important commandment in the Torah, Jesus said it was to love God and then to love one’s fellow human beings. As theologian Marcus Borg would say, “This, the greatest commandment, strikes at the very heart of what it means to be a Christian.”
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.
October 22, 2020 - It was in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:9 that Jesus said, “blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” For more than 20 centuries this great word has been knocking at the closed door of the hearts of men and women, largely in vain. We have said yes with our lips. Yet, in our hearts, we have said, “blessed are the sowers of discord.” Blessed are the war makers and blessed are the fomenters of strife. We see it every day in our land.
We must understand that to make peace is to do far more than merely abolish strife. It is to do more than cause folks to be peaceable. It is quite possible that we may keep the peace without having peace. We may bring about cessation of strife without in any real sense being peacemakers.
The peacemaker Jesus speaks of does a positive work. This individual puts an end to strife by bringing in the opposite of strife. This person does not pull up the noxious weeds of discord and enmity and hate one by one and leave the garden bare. Rather, this person sows and cultivates such a luxuriant crop of love, joy, peace, and long-suffering that the disturbing weeds are all crowded out.
We live in a world that is filled with and characterized by fighting. It affects every level of our society. In this continual strife, God calls His people to be peacemakers. However, to be a peacemaker, it involves first making peace with God through Jesus Christ.
It’s something to think about…tbp
Center Church of Christ
110 Hurst Street
Center, Texas
www.centerchurchofchrist.com
October 18, 2020 - Grace and peace from our brother Jesus, Amen. Sunday was the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time. We had some beautiful fall days this past week! I am starting my article on Saturday, when it is 45 degrees at morning dog-walking time. The house felt cold to me when I got up, but I am not ready to turn the heater on. I bundled up for the walk, and the dogs really seemed to have fun running and chasing each other at the park.
Paxton Methodist Church is meeting each Sunday wearing masks and practicing social distancing. Shelby County has had a big increase in Covid cases just as the nation as a whole has seen a huge spike in cases and deaths. Our music is just on piano and CD—no singing to spread germs. Mrs. Hilda played a sprightly version of “When the Roll Is Called up Yonder,” and our Hymn of Joy was “What a Beautiful World,” sung by Louie Armstrong. This week I came across a poem about autumn that I incorporated into the Prayers of the Church.
In the month of October we are collecting peanut butter and jelly for Community Christian Services. We had a church meeting this morning to hear the charge conference reports and the church budget for 2021. It was budgeted to give First Baptist Church Joaquin $200 to help with Community Christian Services Children’s Christmas gift program. We also pledged the Gideons $400: We agreed to mail this check since the pandemic makes it impossible to have a Gideon speaker this fall. After hearing the reports and discussion, the church folks approved the budget and all the reports.
We had a most excellent Sunday School Lesson based on Nehemiah 8: 1-12. Mrs. Fannie reminded us that the idea of today’s lesson was to help us form the church into a community. In the scripture reading, we saw how the people were reclaiming their identity as a group and as followers of the Torah and God. This idea of community is what my sermon was also about, from the Epistle Lesson 1 Thessalonians 1: 1-10. These are the oldest verses in the New Testament, as Paul sent this letter in 52 CE. It is obvious that Paul cared greatly for the friends he met on his travels. And we see how important community was to the early Christians. Jesus spoke of such community as the Kingdom of God. I titled my sermon “My Glory Was I Had Such Friends,” a chapter title in the latest Irish Country Doctor series that I’m currently reading.
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.
October 15, 2020 – First United Methodist Church (UMC) of Center is hosting a Virtual Garage Sale beginning Saturday, October 17 through Saturday, October 24, 2020.
The community is invited to attend the virtual garage sale by visiting First UMC’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/FUMCCenterTexas/ or Facebook Marketplace at https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/.
Garage sale items will be available for pick up on Saturday, October 24, from 10am to 1pm, at the church located at 211 Porter Street. There will also be a live sale in the church parking lot on Saturday, October 24 day from 10am until 4pm. Any sold items not picked up by 1pm will be sold at the sale.
Advance payment for purchased items can be made via check to First UMC or via cash or check on the day of pickup.
First UMC is not accepting any additional garage sale donations.
All donations from the virtual garage sale will benefit First UMC Missions projects and outreach.
For additional information about the virtual garage sale, please contact Polly Montemayor, First UMC Missions Committee Chair at (936) 591-5586, church office at (936) 598-2707 or visit www.fumccentertx.org.
October 15, 2020 - Once upon a time, I thought I might like to take up the game of golf. I played a little for a few years, and then realized, golf was not my game. The men I played with (my grandfather and some of his friends) were guys that believed strongly in the Mulligan. Truth be told, none of them was ever going to join the PGA. Now, to those unacquainted with the finer technical points of the game of golf, let’s define what a mulligan is: “You are allowed a second drive, or a do-over on your drive off the first tee if your first drive is not good enough or not to your liking or satisfaction.” That means that “first shot” doesn’t count. You get a “do-over.”
Wouldn’t it be great if we could take a mulligan in life? Wouldn’t it be great if God gave us a do-over?
Well, when we get to Isaiah’s prophecy, we find that our God is the “God of the Mulligan.” The faith and hope of God’s people were at a low point during this period. They needed constant assurance that things would turn around. Isaiah repeats these assurances over and over. When you turn to Isaiah 43:18, you find a beautiful statement. “Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.” When we come to God with a penitent heart, when we obey God’s will, when we begin to live God’s kind of life, God gives us a do-over. A mulligan!
It’s something to think about . . . tbp
Center Church of Christ
110 Hurst Street
Center, Texas
www.centerchurchofchrist.com
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