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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
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
October 14, 2020 - Neuville Baptist Church is hosting a revival Friday, October 16 through Sunday, October 18th. Services start at 7pm on Friday and Saturday and at 10:50am on Sunday. Bro. Ryan Perry will bring the message and The Perry singers will provide the music.
Neuville Baptist Church is located at 1258 FM 2140, Center, Texas.
October 13, 2020 - Tomorrow morning, October 14, 2020, there will be another shipment of food boxes delivered to Community Christian Services (CCS) in Joaquin. CCS is located behind First Baptist Church of Haslam, next door to Brookshire Brothers. This is the 2nd truckload received through the Farmers Feeding Families Program.
No paperwork is required, one box per vehicle. CCS asks everyone to respect the volunteers and be patient as boxes are unloaded and distributed accordingly. There will be a line formed starting at 9am until 11am.
October 13, 2020 - Huxley Helping Hands Drive-thru food pantry will be Saturday, October 17, 2020 at Hillcrest Baptist Church, Center, TX at 9:00 am.
Please line up in the order that you arrive. Must be in line by 9:30 am to receive a box. Only (1) box per household and ID is required.
“Master, teach us to pray…” Luke 11:1
“Serve the LORD with gladness.” Psalms 100:2
October 12, 2020 - Mother and Daddy didn’t attend church till I was a teenager, but they both taught us to pray and read the Bible to us when we were young. Bill and I were taught to pray a prayer before meals, "Dear Father, Bless the food we take and bless us all for our Jesus' sake." But most of the time, Daddy “asked the blessing.” His prayer was not loud, was very short, and was always the same: “Dear Lord, make us thankful, but how wonderful it is to look forward to the Lord's day and as David said, “I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the House of the Lord."
The third prayer that I especially remember was the prayer that Pam taught our twin granddaughters when they were about four years old. Before meals, they loved to say it together, "God is great, God is good, let us thank him for our food. Amen." One summer when they visited us, Zoe said, “Meme, can we say a different prayer today? It’s still a prayer to God. We learned it in Vacation Bible School.” Then we all held hands and the girls prayed in perfect unison, "But give honor to Christ in your hearts as your Lord; and be ready at any time when you are questioned about the hope which is in you." (1 Peter 3:15)
I have prayed the same exact prayer before meals all of my adult life. Pam and I hold hands and pray, “Dear Lord thank you for our food. May it be blessed for the good of our bodies, Amen." And I don’t feel guilty in repeating the same prayer before meals because I mean every word of my prayer every time. The value of our prayers are not dependent on how long we pray or how loud we pray, but must be sincere. If our heart prays it right, our mouth can’t pray it wrong.
October 12, 2020 - Grace and peace from our brother Jesus, Amen. Sunday was the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Sunday morning began with sunshine and nice temperatures. Our prayers certainly go out to those south of us who suffered through a second hurricane in the last six weeks. This year, 2020, is one that we will long remember—for many wrong reasons. Maybe we can just put an asterisk next to it in the record books and move on.
Today, Theresa and Larry brought a huge photo to share with us, posting it in our bulletin board area. It was a picture of all the folks in front of the courthouse who came out for the Patriot’s Day program last year. Our little church was well represented. Just as it has everywhere else, the pandemic has necessitated adjustments to the usual commemorations by the VFW.
Fannie shared with the group the certificate given in appreciation for our church’s support of the inspirational area off the Carthage loop, featuring a statue of Jesus carrying a man. Through Ms. Fannie’s efforts, our church is seeing that the park is maintained this month. Bricks in the plaza are inscribed with names of individuals and groups who have contributed to its building and maintenance.
Paxton Methodist Church is meeting each Sunday wearing masks and practicing social distancing. If you haven’t realized, Shelby County has had a big increase in Covid cases in the last week. Our music is just on piano and CD—no singing to spread germs. This week Mrs. Hilda picked out a lively hymn for us; later, we listened to the upbeat hymn, “Lord of the Dance,” sung by Donovan.
In the month of October we are collecting peanut butter and jelly. Today before we began our worship service, I read through parts of the Congregation/Clergy Assessment that we send to the district. As folks left, they stopped at a station by the door with pens, hand sanitizer, and the clipboarded signature sheet to verify the assessment.
Next Sunday we will have a Church Conference, at which time we will approve a budget for 2021 and all required reports and forms for the upcoming Charge Conference. This is a Methodist thing that we do once a year. Our Charge Conference is Saturday, November 21st at 2:00, when our District Superintendent, Dr. White, will come to Paxton. Most churches in the East District are having virtual conferences using Zoom, but we are so far behind the times technologically at Paxton Methodist that our Charge Conference will proceed in the old-fashioned, in-person way.
As always, Fannie had a really good Sunday School lesson planned out. Gene read the scripture from Joshua 24, which includes, “But for my family and me, we will serve the LORD.” The title of the lesson was “Choose Today.” Our author said that new behaviors don’t come easy, and we certainly know that’s true. But our faith should affect how we treat others and also how we allocate our time. When we make an effort to begin each day with God, we increase our ability to face life’s challenges with more strength and wisdom.
I had a hard look at all the scriptures for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time before I settled on the Epistle lesson, which was Paul’s letter to the Philippians 4: 1-9. Despite Paul being in prison and his understanding that his future was bleak, he made time to write to one of his favorite Jesus communities, trying to get two believers to reconcile after a squabble. Euodia and Syntyche were well-liked and respected. We don’t know what came between them, but Paul wanted them to forgive each other. Paul was so upbeat despite his circumstances. He urged his friends to be gentle with each other and, instead of being anxious, to take concerns to God in prayer and petitions. The scripture reading ends with Paul reminding them that the God of Peace is always with them. That is important to remember during of time of fatigue and anxiety.
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 8, 2020 - First Baptist Church of Center is hosting a Life Saving Blood Drive on Thursday, October 8 from 10am to 2:30pm in the Fellowship Hall.
To sign up online please visit this link https://tinyurl.com/y3xdkld2
*Free COVID-19 anti-body testing for all successful donations! This test is authorized by the FDA only for detecting the presence of antibodies against SARS-Co V-2, and is not intended for diagnosis of COVID-19.
First Baptist Church is located at 117 Cora Street, Center, Texas 75935.
EAT. DRINK. BRING I.D.
October 8, 2020 - We are all familiar with a number of old sayings. One of these is “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.” It is in fact a phrase I have used on many occasions. Usually it was used to try and get a head start on eating something.
There is a passage of scripture in Psalms 34:8 that speaks to this where David says, “O taste and see that the Lord is Good.” David, you see, invites us to taste and see that the Lord is Good.
The entire spirit of Christianity is, “The Lord is good.” But how do we know this? Not by hearing what someone has said. Not by believing the words of others. We are to know by making trial ourselves.
Notice, David does not say “Taste and see IF the Lord is good.” He rather says, “Taste and see THAT the Lord is good.” There is no doubt, there is no question mark. It is a settled fact that the Lord is good. The story of the cross is the ultimate example of God’s love, in that He sent His only Son to die for me to cleanse me from sin.
When we taste and see that the Lord is good, we can then live with the confidence of Paul, when he said, “and we know that all things work together for good to them that love God.” (Romans 8:28)
It’s something to think about … tbp
Center Church of Christ
110 Hurst Street, Center, Texas
www.centerchurchofchrist.com
October 7, 2020 - My heart is humbled. I have been asked to organize a local prayer vigil for the hurt and suffering in the Joaquin, and Logansport area.
I don't want to interfere with church services this evening, so I would like to ask all that want to come and be a part of this, to meet at the Joaquin city park, downtown, at 6pm tomorrow, October 8.
There are so many of our people hurting, suffering, lost, and sick. So many people that need the support of our community right now to gather around each other.
James 5:16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
So let's join together Thursday evening at 6pm at the park to pray with and for each other.
Please share this post so that others can see it.
October 5, 2020 - Grace and peace from our brother Jesus, Amen. Sunday was World Communion Sunday. Christians from all around the world joined together in a Service of Communion and Remembrance. Paxton Methodist participated in this worldwide Christian event but with safety precautions in place. We are all masked, and I use hand sanitizer before offering Communion. Everyone stays seated while I bring each person a small Ziploc bag containing a sealed juice and a wafer; then I make another turn around to retrieve the packaging.
Paxton Methodist Church is meeting each Sunday wearing masks and practicing social distancing. Our music is just on piano and CD—no singing to spread germs. This week we enjoyed a modern version of “Ode to Joy” by Julio Iglesias. And, by the way, remember to get your flu shot this year! Especially with Covid still very much in our lives, you need to stay healthy every way you can.
We have started the new month of October, now seven or eight months into this pandemic. Over two hundred thousand Americans have died from Covid 19. Our prayers go out to the President and First Lady and all who are or suffering or recuperating from this terrible disease. There are so many in our Shelby County area that have been sickened; some have died, leaving families grieving and heartbroken. Scientists and doctors agree that wearing masks and practicing social distancing could save tens of thousands of lives between now and the end of 2020. So wear a mask—it’s common sense and common decency.
In the month of October we will be collecting peanut butter and jelly. I delivered September’s macaroni and cheese, along with some checks from Paxton Methodist to Community Christian Services. I see so many friends and fellow educators volunteering when I go to CCS that my heart is warmed. CCS is having a huge food giveaway shortly: On Wednesday, October 7, from 9-11AM, they will have 1,000 boxes of produce, milk, and meat. There are no restrictions on income or age, no information from participants required, and Logansport folks are welcome.
The First Baptist Church of Joaquin has already started organizing the CCS Christmas gifts and clothing for children in need. With this terrible pandemic, the need will be greater than ever. Paxton Methodist supports their efforts financially, as a church and also individually. Sue and I adopt a student from the Angel Tree, buying clothes and gifts. Sue helps on giveaway day, translating between Spanish and English, working with Paula at the City Office when the Spanish gets too complicated for her.
Our new unit in Sunday School is called Our Mysterious but Approachable God. Gene read our scripture from Exodus 24: 1-12, which speaks of Moses, Aaron, and others who worshiped at the holy mountain. Here, Moses is given the commandments and a covenant is put in place between Moses’ people and God. But the main focus of the lesson was learning to forgive ourselves when we fall short of what we should be doing in our living and in our faith. I especially liked when the Sunday School author said, “The path toward ethical behavior is a teachable heart that recognizes the power and love of God.”
My sermon preparation this week was again influenced by the course I am taking called Early Christianity; From the Disciples to the Reformation. I have read and listened to 23 lectures so far. I had medical tests in Nacogdoches this week and listened to lectures all the way there. When I got to the hospital, I looked through the glove compartment for some note paper but only found a used envelope. I had to put on a surgical mask and I fill out a pile of medical forms. After that I was sitting and waiting and waiting! On that envelope, I wrote down all kinds of notes of things I could remember from the lectures that I wanted to preach on.
Once again my focus this week was what those earliest Jesus followers were feeling after Good Friday. How did they cope with great loss and then the confusion and joy of Easter Sunday? What did they feel was true and/or important? The Gospel lesson, Matthew 21: 33-46, was the allegory about the landowner and those wicked tenants who killed the landowner’s servants when they attempted to collect the rent. When the just and fair landowner sent his own son, they killed him also. Of course, in an allegory each character stands for someone else—for example, the landowner is God, and his son is Jesus.
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.
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