Shelby County Today

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 29, 2018 - Sunday was the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time. What a surprise I had when I got to Sunday School! When I first came in and saw the young man standing next to Fannie, I thought he was one of Fannie’s grandsons. But I soon realized he was former student and friend, Glenn McGee, in town for the memorial of his classmate, David Bigger. Sue and I taught Glenn and his sister Whitney, becoming close friends with his mother Carolyn and his stepfather Robert, who were our daughter’s godparents at her baptism. Seeing Glenn was a wonderful surprise. And it was so nice of him to join us for Sunday School and worship. 

Our Sunday School continued the theme of creation and dealt with the strange way Isaac and Rebekah became a family. The idea of a pre-arranged wedding sounds strange to our Western ears but wasn’t unusual back then. The way this future bride was selected, however, was a little out of the ordinary. 

We filled up the back seat of my truck with peanut butter and jelly and I will deliver it to Community Christian Services. In the month of November we will collect beans and rice. On Sunday, November 11th we will have a Gideon speaker come to update the church on the work of the Gideons. Sue announced the second (and last) flu shot clinic at Joaquin Senior Center from 10-11, Thursday, November 15. 

The scripture I chose for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time was Hebrews 1: 1-4. Many Biblical scholars believe Apollos wrote this long sermon because the writing style is so different from the letters we know Paul wrote. Apollos was a Hellenized Jew from Alexandria, educated in Greek rhetoric. He was trying to re-introduce Jesus to second-generation believers having a crisis of faith.

Last week was our program at Lakeside Assisted Living. Minnie had played for the program at Holiday Nursing Home the week before, but Hilda did the honors this last week. Stellar and her mom joined the group, with Stellar singing and accompanying herself on guitar. Matt took the preacher duties—although from a standing position due to back problems—and Maggie assumed the emcee job. Gene and Nora both sang “old-time religion” songs and helped lead the other singing. Ollie, Fannie, and Sue read selections—Ollie’s about America, Fannie’s a Norman Rockwell dog story, and Sue’s a short list of “see you later, alligator” sayings. As usual, it was lovely to have Margie and Jo with us. In November our Lakeside program will be on the 5th Thursday, November 29, because of Thanksgiving.

“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 the list. God’s Speed.

October 26, 2018 - Pastor Byron Coutee, Jr. and the Blount Chapel Missionary Baptist Church would like to invite everyone to our Church Anniversary on Sunday, November 4, 2018 at 3:00pm. Guest Speaker: Pastor Marquist Taylor of the Free People Church in Lufkin, Texas. Please join us for a remarkable time in the Lord! Dinner will be served.

October 25, 2018 - Idolatry, the worship of idols, one of the Ten Commandments of God says; "You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God," (Deuteronomy 5:7-9) This is the very first of the Ten Commandments of God, for without upholding this the first, there is no need for one to try and keep the rest.

Just what is idolatry anyway? Simply put, it is putting anything before God, taking away from God; your time, your attention, your energy, devoting time that should have been given to God, time spent with God, to any other activity. 

You may say; "Oh, I would never do that." Well, let me ask you, when you rise from bed each morning, do you spend your rising time with God, or, might you reach for your cell phone or computer or turn on the television first. The same when you go to bed at night, do you finish your day with the last prayer of the day, or, might you just check one more time with your computer or cell phone. Do you see how easy, without even thinking, it can be to develop an idol and put it before God? 

God says this about idolatry; "And they shall return your lewdness upon you, and you shall bear the penalty for your sinful idolatry, and you shall know that I am the Lord God." (Ezekiel 23:49) A very stern warning from God about idol worship, it is not something to be taken lightly. God says it is lewd and sinful and that he will make you know that he, and he alone, is the true God.

Now don't get me wrong, I am not here to say that technology is evil or wicked, not at all. What I am saying is that improper use of anything can be. For too much of anything can pull one away from the Lord God. 

Without technology I could not send out this devotional each morning, nor could we see and hear the many preachers who use the technological media to spread the gospel across the planet each day.

God gives us all things, it is up to us to use them properly, for his glory, and not to misuse them for lewd or sinful purposes.

We have a period of time in America which many call; "March Madness", a time of college basketball tournaments that is highly popular and in many cases, idolized by millions of people every day. Millions of dollars of productivity are lost because workers can't work for trying to watch or hear these ball games. It is the same in summer for baseball and in fall with football. Folks, this is idolatry, there is nothing wrong with the games, the problem is in the excessive attention given them.

Be very careful how you allocate your time each day. Enjoy your favorite things, just don't let them override your love for, or your time given, to the Lord God.

Paul said this about idolatry; "Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry." (1 Cor. 10:14)

The Apostle John said this; "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." (1 John 5:21)

Both of these apostles, who had spent several years actually walking and living with the Lord Jesus knew the dangers of idols and both plead with us to flee from them to keep ourselves from them.

Let us take heed to their words and be careful each day to give ourselves and our attention to the Lord. Amen...