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Contributing Writers: Mike Mills, Spring Hill Church | Doug Fincher | Pastor Randy and Sue Smith | Mike Belgard | Tim Perkins
Faith
July 18, 2019 - If you remember from Paul’s letter to the church at Rome, he had a burning desire to preach the gospel in the Capital city. In Acts 27 we find Paul on his way to Rome, yet he is going as a prisoner. While there, he would have great success and members of Caesar’s household would be converted.
However, the voyage to Rome was not without incident. A great storm occurred which threatened to tear the ship in pieces. The crew struggled to keep the ship afloat. They lightened the load by throwing everything overboard that was expendable. They went for days upon days not being able to eat.
Yet, in the midst of it all, Paul stood upon the deck of the ship and told them to be of good cheer. He did not tell them to be of good cheer because of the seaworthiness of the vessel. They were not to be of good cheer because of the experience and dedication of the crew. They were to be of good cheer because the Lord had promised Paul that there would be no loss of life. Paul said, “Be of good cheer, for I believe God.”
The faith that sustained Paul on that voyage and in that storm can sustain us in the storms of life. Whatever storm may be blowing through our lives, we can be of good cheer, for “we believe God”. Like the words of that old familiar song, “Be not dismayed, whet-er be tide, God will take care of you”, and He will.
It’s something to think about… tbp
Join us for worship this coming Lord’s day at the Center Church of Christ, 110 Hurst Street, Center, Texas or online at www.centerchurchofchrist.com
July 18, 2019 - Tennessee Cemetery Homecoming is Sunday, July 21st. Music by Royel Clark from 10:30 to 11:30. Business meeting from 11:30 to 12:00. Lunch from 12 to 1:00. Music from 1:00 to 2:00.
Come out enjoy fellowship and good food. If you would like to make donations they can be mailed to:
Tennessee Permanent Trust Fund
% Jeanie Rhodes
1434 CR 4916
Timpson, TX 75975
Tennessee Working Committee
% Roger Balkcom
P O Box 94
Joaquin, TX 75954
July 18, 2019 - White Rock Missionary Baptist Church is hosting a Burger plate fundraiser for lunchtime on Wednesday, July 24th. Burger plates are $7 and includes a cheeseburger with fixins, chips, dessert, and bottle water.
Delivery available to Center and Nacogdoches. Pickup is also available at the church and you are welcome to eat in the fellowship hall at White Rock MBC.! Contact Sonya Wilburn at 936-332-9392 or Jessica Dillard at 936-488-0673 to place an order.
July 17, 2019 - Supplicating Women’s Prayer Conference 2019 ~ The GATHERING, slated on Saturday, July 20th at the John D. Windham Civic Center.
Recently added to the illustrious platform of speakers will be Janet Kasper from the Office of the Governor Greg Abbott. She is the East Texas Regional Administrator of the Child Sex Trafficking Team.
She will make a presentation on Governor Abbott’s initiative to address child sex trafficking across the state of Texas.
The conference is designed to serve the women attendees holistically through Bible teaching, corporate prayer and exhortation. The conference will also provide viable information and resources as helps and tools to empower.
Other speakers are Dr. Cathy Moffitt of Heartfelt International Ministries, Dallas, Texas, Elder Tou U. Whittington of The Potter’s House Church, Dallas, Texas and TouUCommunications and Marketing Firm, and Karla Osayi, Pastor of Temple of Praise Church, Houston, Texas.
Elder Cassandra Bering, conference host, visionary and founder/CEO of Cassandra Bering Ministries, Inc. will be the keynote speaker.
Cassandra is a native of Tenaha, Texas and now resides in Fort Worth, Texas. She has been in ministry for seventeen years. She holds a Masters of Divinity from Texas Christian University Brite Divinity School and is in her second year of the Doctor of Ministry Program at Regent University. She is passionate about the empowerment and uplifting of all people, especially hurting people through leadership training, prayer, education, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ using the prophetic voice of advocacy through social justice.
There is a $25 registration fee which includes continental breakfast. Register at www.cassandrabering.org.
July 16, 2019 - Supplicating Women’s Prayer Conference 2019: The Gathering, slated on Saturday, July 20th at the John D. Windham Civic Center.
Recently added to the illustrious platform of speakers will be Janet Kasper from the Office of the Governor Greg Abbott. She is the East Texas Regional Administrator of the Child Sex Trafficking Team.
She will make a presentation on Governor Abbott’s initiative to address child sex trafficking across the state of Texas.
The conference is designed to serve the women attendees holistically through Bible teaching, corporate prayer and exhortation. The conference will also provide viable information and resources as helps and tools to empower.
Other speakers are Dr. Cathy Moffitt of Heartfelt International Ministries, Dallas, Texas, Elder Tou U. Whittington of The Potter’s House Church, Dallas, Texas and TouUCommunications and Marketing Firm, and Karla Osayi, Pastor of Temple of Praise Church, Houston, Texas.
Elder Cassandra Bering, conference host, visionary and founder/CEO of Cassandra Bering Ministries, Inc. will be the keynote speaker. Cassandra is a native of Tenaha, Texas and now resides in Fort Worth, Texas. She has been in ministry for seventeen years. She holds a Masters of Divinity from Texas Christian University Brite Divinity School and is in her second year of the Doctor of Ministry Program at Regent University. She is passionate about the empowerment and uplifting of all people, especially hurting people through leadership training, prayer, education, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ using the prophetic voice of advocacy through social justice.
There is a $25 registration fee which includes continental breakfast. Registration starts at 8 am or you can register at www.cassandrabering.org.
July 15, 2019 - Love and peace from our brother Jesus. We are in the midst of Ordinary Time, and unfortunately, as I start writing my article for next week, Barry is churning in the Gulf. Saturday morning I took my puppies and our granddog to the park. It wasn’t nearly as hot as it had been all week, and there was a gusty wind blowing. I sure feel for those on the coast and hope people stay as safe as they can—but I’m enjoying the scraps of the storm we’re getting.
The title of our Sunday school lesson was “Jesus Teaches Us to Love One Another,” but the scripture from Matthew 5 sounded harsh to our modern ears. Our author also spent quite a bit of time talking about human brokenness. Toward the end of the lesson, the author reminded us that God has a one-item agenda: reconciliation, AKA learning to care for each other.
My sermon was based on the Gospel Lesson in which Jesus tells of the Good Samaritan. I titled my sermon, “The God Rule,” which is to love God completely and to love our neighbors as ourselves. In today’s Gospel, Jesus makes quite sure that his listeners understand that everyone on God’s earth is our neighbor.
We had a small crowd this morning, but we all had a good time visiting. Joe and Hilda kept our music going. Sue, our liturgist, led us in our Psalter Lesson, affirmation, and the Gospel Lesson. Our announcements reminded us that Tuesday at 2PM is our Holiday Nursing Home ministry. Also, July is our month for collecting cans of spaghetti and ravioli to donate to Community Christian Services in Joaquin.
Sue told us of seeing Pastor Jody, whose church is home to Community Christian Services. He said how much he enjoys seeing the many volunteers—from other churches and many areas of life—working so well together. But something else has been happening to give him additional joy: Those who are the clients of CCS have often become its volunteers as well. Our church is so happy to help in some small way with this worthy effort.
Our worship time is 10:00 AM; we would love to have you come to worship with us. I know how very busy everyone is: Our early meeting time enables you to move on to family get-togethers or jobs afterward. Not to mention naps, which my wife says are best on Sunday afternoon. 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, Open Minds.” Sunday School starts at 9:30 and 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 me your email address to the Paxton email address and I will add you to the list. God’s Speed.
July 15, 2019 - As we were growing up in the 40s, just about every boy between six and 10 years of age owned a sling shot. Even if we’d had money, we’d still have to build our own since they weren’t sold in stores My brothers (Bill, John, Joe) and I usually made our stocks from the forked limbs of willow trees. The rubber bands were made from the pure red rubber inner tubes not the post WWII black synthetic ones. When Mother saw that her hair-cutting scissors were dull, she’d say, “You boys been cutting inner tubes with my scissors?”
There were no self-serve service stations back then and Johnny Johnson at his Service Station near the Center, Texas square usually gave us a used worn-out red inner tube. The used tubes were usually covered with “hot patches” which were a record of the many holes they’d sealed. A two-stock cut from a willow limb and bands cut from the best rubber deserved the best “flap” to hold our ammo. This was also free. Since garbage pick-up was almost unknown, there were many small dumps nearby. The Mill Creek dump was our happy hunting ground for old thrown-away leather shoes… and shoe tongues made perfect sling shot flaps.
Our ammo was also free. Mr. Weaver had a building supply store in East Center near the tracks. We would climb his big pile of rocks and fill our Sledge overalls with the smoothest ones. Old cast iron stoves could be easily broken by a hammer to make excellent sling shot ammo. Varmints like snakes and turtles were some of the many things to fear when the Fincher boys were on a “Sling-Shot Hunt.” I don’t know how Mother kept up with us ten kids…
… with half of us exploring every day with our sling shots.
July 15, 2019 - God created the first man, Adam, and placed him in the Garden of Eden. A paradise on earth, a place of utmost beauty, rich in all the things which man could ever need in his lifetime.
God gave Adam a wife, a woman named Eve which He created from one rib taken from Adam’s body that she might be made from man and called woman.
God gave Adam and Eve only one rule, one command other than to live in and tend the garden, that was not to eat from the tree that grew in the center of the garden, the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Adam and Eve broke this one rule and God cast them out of the garden, forever, and told them that they would live in suffering, no longer in God’s paradise but in an imperfect world made imperfect by their own failure to obey God’s law.
I want to tell you today of two men, the first man, Adam, made from the dust of the earth and the last man, Adam, Jesus Christ, a living spirit.
“The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” (1 Corinthians 15:45)
The first man Adam created by God from the dust of the earth, his life blown into him by God, the breath of life from the creator.
“But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven.” (1 Corinthians 15:46-47)
Jesus was not created from dust but was as God, a spirit being, he was created in flesh when God implanted his seed into Mary and created the Christ child, the body of Jesus on earth. Sent to be the Savior of the earth, of all who would believe and obey.
“As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.” (1 Corinthians 15:48-49)
All men are created, in their mother’s womb by God from the earth, all are of the dust as was the first man Adam.
When one accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and is saved from all sin, he dies to the world and is resurrected in Christ Jesus, to then bear the image of the Savior.
This is true for flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven. Those of us who have accepted Jesus as our Lord will be raised on the day of the rapture of the church to be forever with our Lord.
“I tell you this, brothers; flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.” (1 Corinthians 15:50)
And then He speaks to the saved.
“Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:51-57)
If you don’t know Jesus as your Lord and Savior won’t you accept Him today.
Accept Him as Lord and be forever saved from the penalties of sin, forever at home with Him in heaven.
Time grows shorter each day and no one knows the day nor the hour that the Lord will return for his own, for his church.
Prepare today for his coming for when He comes it is too late and your fate is sealed. Accept Him today and know his joy and peace, even while you live here on earth.
May his blessings be upon you this day and forever…
July 12, 2019 - Mt. Zion C.M.E. is hosting a 1st Appreciation Service for Rev. Richard Edwards and First Lady Sharren Edwards at 3pm on Sunday, July 21, 2019.
Guest speaker is Rev. Billy E. Gardner from Sweet Union Baptist Church, Garrison, TX.
Morning Worship is at 11am with guest speaker Presiding Elder Milton Proctor.
Rev. Richard Edwards ~ Pastor
Rev. Milton Proctor ~ Presiding Elder
Rev. Lawrence L. Reddick, III ~ Presiding Prelate
July 10, 2019 - Sometimes, I read things that are just too good not to pass along. I don’t recall where this came from, but it needs to be shared.
It seems that the preacher had just concluded a hot and scathing sermon on the sin of swearing. He had stated several times that he knew that one of his hearers was guilty.
The Services ended. The worshippers one by one filed out the door. The first to go was a woman never suspected of using foul language. With a red and angry face she exclaimed, “I’ll never darken this door again!” Before the astonished preacher could recover from the blast, another said, “Well preacher, if I had known you were near last week, I would have been more careful.” A third said, “I think that you might at least have come to me privately about it, rather than telling it to the whole church.” A fourth remarked, “I was never so embarrassed in all my life.”
Then came the real culprit – the one at whom the preacher had aimed all his remarks. With a bland and innocent smile, he grasped the hand of the preacher and said, “Brother, that was what I call a real sermon. You certainly did pour it on them today.”
Sadly, I have met that individual more than once over the past 50 years of preaching.
It’s something to think about…..tbp
Join us for worship this coming Lord’s day at the Center Church of Christ, 110 Hurst Street, Center, Texa
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