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Contributing Writers: Mike Mills, Spring Hill Church | Doug Fincher | Pastor Randy and Sue Smith | Mike Belgard | Tim Perkins
Faith
November 12, 2018 - We, the members and Pastor of Carroll Chapel CME Church, in Shelbyville would like to invite you to our annual Family And Friends Day, Sunday, November 18 at 3pm.
Our Guest Speaker will be: Elder Archie Thompson.
Everyone is invited.
November 7, 2018 - It's time to visit "The Porch" at Smyrna Baptist Church in Huxley on Monday, November 12th at 7pm and refreshments will be at 6:30pm. Amy Blackwell will be the guest speaker. Worship Leader is Scott Lewis.
Everyone is invited to come and receive a blessing... Bring someone!!!
For more information, call 936-332-7079.
Pastor Bro. Rusty Hall
November 7, 2018 - Today we see a world in turmoil, a world of strife and persecution, but it will not always be this way for a day will come when all things will change, when trouble and strife will be no more and when all living things shall live in harmony.
“There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.” (Isaiah 11:1-2)
The man, Jesse, who is referred to here is the father of David, the king of the Jews. The shoot of the stump of Jesse is none other than Jesus Christ who is often called, Son of David.
“And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him” is fulfilled immediately after he rises from the waters of the Jordan River when he is baptized by John the Baptist.
“And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matt. 3:16-17)
And the Lord Jesus shall one day return to the earth to rule the earth and shall have power over all things of the earth.
“And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins.” (Isaiah 11:3-5)
And a time of complete peace will come over the new heavens and the new earth and all shall be as the Lord intended, for all shall be in harmony.
“The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them.” (Isaiah 11:6)
As Jesus tells us, we must come to him as little children trusting and believing in him completely if we are to inherit the kingdom of God.
“The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” (Isaiah 11:7-9)
This is the time and the place of heaven that we all long to experience, a time of blessed peace and joy like none other.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt. 6:20-21)
And so I ask you today, where are you building up your treasures? Are you striving to build them on the earth where they will eventually be burned up, or, are you building them in heaven where they will rest securely until it is your time to collect them?
May you accept Jesus Christ as your Sovereign Lord and Master and know his joy and peace today…
November 5, 2018 - Sunday was All Saints Sunday. Last Thursday was All Hallowed Saints Day. We still celebrate All Hallowed Saints Eve (Halloween), but few Christians celebrate All Saints Day on Thursday. So Sunday has become the day we remember the saints of our church and the saints of our lives. We are having Texas autumn weather with cool mornings, but some afternoons the temperature nearly reached 80! Droughts seem a thing of the past as we are now well ahead in rainfall for the year.
In November we are collecting rice and beans for Community Christian Services. The church also sent a check to First Baptist in Joaquin for buying Christmas gifts for kids. Next Sunday we will have a Gideon speaker at our church. The church voted to double our budget to $400 to give to the Gideons. Today, being the first Sunday of the month, we celebrated Holy Communion. On Thursday we head to Focused Care for our monthly ministry.
The Gospel Lesson for today was Mark 12:28-34, where we see Jesus being questioned about the most important commandment. Sometimes we mistakenly think that there are only 10 commandments—actually there are 613! But Jesus immediately says to love God and love neighbor as oneself is the two-part “greatest of all commandments.” This is the core and everything else is extra—just window dressing.
Our Sunday School lesson came from Genesis 25: 19-34, dealing with the birth of Esau and Jacob. They sounded like typical siblings, with all the rivalries that come with that relationship. The scripture and lesson seemed to create more questions than answers for us students. The prayer that ended the lesson was longer than normal, power-packed with good thoughts: Fannie had us read it in unison so we could really concentrate on its meaning.
“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.
November 5, 2018 - When I returned from a Lion’s Club meeting one day, Pam met me on the porch. “Doug, you just missed a true Mountain Man,” she said. “He came to see your gun shop… he was tall, wore a big hat, and had a Sam Elliot mustache. He said he’d be back tomorrow.”
After getting soaked by rain on my way to the shop the next morning, I was humming and listening to the rain when I was suddenly electrified by a soft tap on my shoulder. “I didn’t mean to scare you,” he laughed. “I’m Will Poss… my friends call me Lorrie. I’m Bennie Poss’s grandson.” When he asked if I knew Bennie, I told him that everyone in San Augustine County both knew… and loved… her.
“I just left a Hunting Guide job in Wyoming,” he said. They wouldn’t hire me until I promised I’d be called by my other name (Will) instead of 'Lorrie.' “I toughed it out in an old Red Dale travel trailer for two years… it got so cold that I had to stack bales of hay around it to survive the winters.” Will and I had a common interest in guns and our many visits in the shop resulted in our close friendship.
One of my friends was fishing in Toledo Bend Reservoir one day when he spotted Will fishing from an inner tube… all alone… a quarter of a mile (!) from land. “When I asked him if he needed help, he said, 'Naw, I’m fine… I’m just tearing the bass up out here.'” When Will and his wife joined our Church, he sat near the back so he could sip (incognito) on his Orange soda.
When our 900 pound Milling Machine was delivered to us, neither we nor all our neighbors could get it into the shop. I finally told Pam to call Will. “Where there’s Will, there’s a way”, I laughed. Within minutes he wheeled into the driveway and hollered, “Pam, get me your liquid soap,” And within an hour, Will had the machine slid up four steps, into the shop, and mounted to the floor.
Will called one day and asked if I wanted to buy his trailer. “I’ve taken a surveying job in Fort Stockton, Colorado,” he said. We bought his trailer and two weeks later he and Gladys made their move. I later received a three page handwritten letter from Will. “Preacher,” he wrote… ”I want to tell you that I’ve made some mistakes in my life, but the Lord has forgiven me. I meant it when I accepted Christ as a teenager and everything is right with my soul.” His letter was so moving that I took it to his grandmother and let her read it. As tears filled her eyes, she sobbed, “This is the answer to my prayers.” I gave the letter to her because I knew her special love for Will. Then two weeks later we were all shocked when Gladys called and said Will had died a tragic death. And till this day when I am working at my Milling Machine, I often think of the day Will wheeled into our driveway and hollered, “Pam, go get your liquid soap.”
I miss my dear friend. I miss him a lot.
November 2, 2018 - Ministers Fellowship of Shelby County is hosting a Thanksgiving Service at 6pm on Sunday, November 18, 2018 at Center 1st United Methodist Church.
Come join us for worship and giving thanks to the Lord for all that He has done for each of us.
Count Your Blessings
November 2, 2018 - Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church is hosting a Fall Festival on Saturday, November 10, 2018. Festival begins at 5:30pm.
Come enjoy carnival themed games, candy for the kids, food and drinks, cake walk, hayride, camp fire, weenie roast and more!
Join in on the fun-filled evening for the entire family! Pleasant Grove MBC wants you to have a fun and blessed time!
The church is located on 87 North between Center and Timpson. For more information, contact Bro. Josh Crawford at 936-572-5303 or find us on Facebook.
1 Timothy 4:12
October 28, 2018 - Scare Tactics - New Life Church 822 Hurst Street, Center, Texas Oct 28th 6pm and Oct 29-Nov 1 at 7pm Nightly
Scare Tactics is an annual production by New Life Church in its 8th year. This production includes; live action drama, video scenes, costumes, make-up, lights, sound effects, interaction with the audience, and a short gospel message. Each year’s production is totally new; new story lines, characters, scenes, etc. Although this is a difficult task it is essential in order to keep the experience new and fresh each year. This presentation is based on a TV show by the same name, in which participants wish to scare friends or family. In our version they are trying to scare others about the importance of our decisions concerning eternity i.e.; Heaven or Hell
Is Scare Tactics like “Hell House?”
In a word, NO! Scare Tactics is a drama with a complete story, a short gospel message and then ends with a scene depicting the wonders of Heaven for those who have become Christians. The presentation has been compared to Heaven’s Gate & Hell’s Flames, a production that has garnered national attention. Although some elements are similar, the total experience in every Scare Tactics presentation is unique because Pastor Steve writes a new story each year with the same heart for reaching people with the gospel message as he does for his sermons.
This year’s presentation is titles “The Appointment.” Our verse for this year is “it’s appointed unto man once to die, then the judgment.” Hebrews 9:27.
Performances are Oct 28th 6pm and Oct 29-Nov 1 at 7pm nightly. Nursery will be provided.
November 1, 2018 - Timpson Missionary Baptist Church will be hosting a fundraiser for the family of Betty Duke on November 17th at 11am.
Brisket, sausage, and chicken will be served along with all of the sides. Bro. Charlie will be cooking.
October 30, 2018 - “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” (Psalm 32:1)
Do you know the blessings of forgiveness this morning? Have you given yourself over to the Lord Jesus, submitting to his will for you, not to your own selfish wishes?
If not, then let me encourage you to step forth in humility and ask the Lord for forgiveness, say to him;
“In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me! Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me.” (Psalm 31:1-2)
Many would say; “I have prayed to the Lord for various things but he just doesn’t seem to hear me for my prayers are never answered. That may very well be true for the Bible says;
“The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry.” (Psalm 34:15)
While the Lord God sees all and hears all, his ears are inclined to the righteous. He only listens to those who doubt, the non-believers, when they cry out to beg for forgiveness for their sinful ways.
But when the righteous cry out; “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of their troubles.” (Psalm 34:17)
I do not want to deceive you here, there are times when the righteous cry for help and their answer is silence for they have asked for something which the Lord does not wish them to have right now. There are times for all people when the answer is NO. but, when any child of God cries for help, God hears him and responds in the best possible way for that situation. One must trust in God in all things, that is faith.
Know this; “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of all of them.” (Psalm 34:19)
“The poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of his troubles.” (Psalm 34:6)
All people are born with the sin nature given us by Adam when he sinned against God in the Garden of Eden. Every one of us know, from birth, how to lie, to cheat, to steal; just watch a baby as he or she grows from birth, any time you ask; “did you do that” his reaction is to lie to keep out of trouble. That is the sin nature within all of us. That must be washed away if we are to live, to dwell, in the Lord and know his grace and mercy.
Only by the saving grace of the Lord Jesus are our afflictions of sin washed away for as the Lord says; “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
Only by accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior can one be washed free of the afflictions of sin and removed from the penalties of sin which is the death of the spirit, the second death.
“The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.” (Psalm 34:22)
Come to him today, accept his saving grace and mercy and let his precious blood wash your sins away.
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)
Come to him and accept him today so that you too can say; “I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.” (Psalm 34:4)
Blessed be the name of the Lord. May his grace and mercy wash over you today…
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