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Contributing Writers: Mike Mills, Spring Hill Church | Doug Fincher | Pastor Randy and Sue Smith | Mike Belgard | Tim Perkins
Faith
November 21, 2017 - Roberts Baptist Church will be serving Thanksgiving dinner on Thanksgiving day, Thursday, November 23 from 11am to 2pm.
If anybody that's shut-in or just don't wanna cook can call Dennis at 936-275-5420 or 596-6025. You can also call the church at 936-275-9961 and we will deliver your lunch, or you can come to the church and eat.
Roberts Baptist Church is located at 1535 FM 2213 in San Augustine.
November 21, 2017 - The Todd Spring Baptist Church will celebrate 139 years of existence on Sunday, November 26, 2017 at 11:30am.
Pastor Frankie Cooper and the Gates Chapel Baptist Church will be the special guest. Everyone is invited to attend. Lunch will be provided.
Pastor Wilbert Simmons, Jr. is the pastor.
November 13, 2017 - Entertaining, uplifting, and ministry-minded” are words often used to describe a Paul’s Journey event. Paul’s Journey, a Chapel Valley Music Recording Artist on the “Inspire” label, is an award-winning group based in Houston, TX. The ministry of Paul’s Journey is in its 38th year now, and they have garnered many Top 40 Radio hits and earned many awards down through the years such as the 2007 ‘SGM FanFair Group of the Year”. In 2012 Paul’s Journey was nominated for “Horizon Group of The Year and in 2013, 2014, and 2015 the group was chosen by Southern Gospel Music fans as one of the “Top New Traditional Quartets” in the country. Throughout time, this powerhouse group has quickly become known for their unique style and blend. The group travels some 200 dates per year all across the USA and abroad.
Paul’s Journey is comprised of Rod Treme, Matthew Esquivel, Brad Davis, and Jamie Streetman. From up-tempo songs to heart-felt ballads, audiences of all generations, denominations and walks of life are recognizing the refreshing sound of Paul’s Journey. Their high-energy performances and enthusiasm is captivating, contagious, and spiritually uplifting.
Do NOT miss this opportunity to experience the ministry of Paul’s Journey on Friday, December 8th at 7:00 PM. They will be performing at Toledo Bend Cowboy Church, located at 2543 FM 3172, in Huxley, TX. The concert will be preceded by a Covered Dish Dinner at 6:00 PM at the church. For more information regarding this performance, feel free to contact Lynda Huebel at 936-368-2547 or Bro. Jeff Spring at 936-488-9091.
For more information about Paul’s Journey or their ministry, check them out at www.paulsjourneymusic.com or contact The Victory Agency at 936-689-1732.
“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:1-2)
November 21, 2017 - As Christians we are taught to trust not in man, but to put our trust only in the Lord for only the Lord is trustworthy and true, yesterday, today and forever.
And so as I travel through this cruel, evil world I look to the heavens for my help knowing that all good things, all help comes from the Lord God above.
I keep thinking of the elderly couple from Sutherland Springs, TX. that lost their entire family to the insane person who opened fire on the church congregation a few Sunday’s ago. They lost their son, his wife, their children and their children’s children in a few brief minutes.
Yet when the reporter asked the man how they would cope with their loss, his answer was simple yet so profound, he said; “We are very close with God, though we cannot understand how or why God does so many things, we know it is not for us to understand all things, we are just to trust in God and we know that shortly we will be joined with our family once again.”
What a testimony from one who has just lost so much, for as with Job, they had lost their entire family in the blink of an eye, yet, like Job, they never wavered in their faith in the Lord God.
Just think of that, if a similar fate were to befall your family this day, could you show the same level of faith in the Lord as did this elderly couple?
“For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.” (Psalm 33:21)
Only through a close, trusting relationship with the Lord God can one’s heart remain glad when times become troubling and persecutions befall us.
We must trust in the Lord God; “For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.” (Psalm 33:4)
Everything the Lord does is upright and trustworthy and righteous and he looks for those same attributes in those who would follow him each day.
“He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.” (Psalm 33:5)
Yes, the Lord loves righteousness and justice and despises wrong doing and those who mistreat others for their self gain. But, the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord, waiting for all to claim it for their own lives, for their own eternity.
“Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!” (Psalm 33:8)
Oh that it would be so, that all people would trust in the Lord, that all people would know and fear the Lord, that all people would accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.
However, we know this is not to be. “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.” (Matthew 7:13)
Sadly, most will choose this wide and easy gate and path to eternity, only to find at the final judgement that they have made a foolish choice, but then it will be too late and they will be doomed to destruction forever.
“For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:14)
My prayer for you this day is that you will follow that hard and narrow path of service to our Lord, that you will seek and find and enter through that narrow gate that leads to glory. May the blessings of our Lord be upon you this day...
November 21, 2017 - In order to give families an abundance of time to observe the Thanksgiving Holiday, Abundant Love Ministries will adjust THIS WEEK weekly services as follows: Bible Study will be held Tuesday, November 21 at 6:00 pm. There will be NO Wednesday night services.
November 20, 2017 - Sunday was the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time. Next Sunday marks the end of the Christian Year as we celebrate “Christ the King” Sunday. The following Sunday will begin the 40 days of Advent and our preparation for the birth in Bethlehem. We had a nice group this morning for Sunday school and worship. Our world traveler, Carolyn, was back and we all loved seeing her. Everyone is getting ready for Thanksgiving. Some are hosting and some are traveling. We at Paxton Methodist wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.
Our Sunday school lessons on “covenant” are coming to an end next week. Fannie mentioned what a good job our author did in taking the idea of covenant from early in the Old Testament to the New Testament. I had one professor at school who said the Bible was all about covenant-making and covenant-breaking. Gene read our scripture lesson from Hebrews, after which Fannie reminded us that the covenant Paul spoke of is the one we as Christian people live under. Discipline and hard work are needed as we travel that lifelong road toward Christian perfection.
Our Paxton Community Christmas Party is Tuesday, December 5th at 6:00 PM. We hope to see everyone there. This coming Tuesday we head to Holiday Nursing Center for our ministry at 2:00 PM. We received a nice thank you note from First Baptist Joaquin for our church’s donation to the fund for providing Christmas gifts for young folks in need. I also had a very nice call from last Sunday’s Gideon speaker, Sam Hammontree, thanking Paxton Methodist for our hospitality and support of the Gideons. We really enjoyed having Sam, Jamie, and Caitlyn with us last week.
“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. Godspeed.
November 20, 2017 - The Gregstons were our “down-the-hill” neighbors when our family moved to Shelbyville, Texas in 1950. They were almost as poor as were…but not as poor….because they owned a cow….and their cow’s milk and butter they kindly shared with us. Their son Kenneth and I became close friends and often fished together in Dr. Jack Windham’s Lake.
When I was discharged from the Army, Kenneth invited me to go fishing with him again at Dr. Jack’s Lake. “We’ll put in at the button willows and head straight to our favorite spot”, he said. The next morning, we turned into the woods near the First Methodist Church, and within minutes were pulling in fish with almost every cast. In less than an hour our fish basket was full and Kenneth chuckled, “Let’s go in”. “We’ve got too many already”. And as I was lifting the basket into the boat, it slipped from my hands and headed straight toward the bottom. I snatched off my shoes and hollered, “I’m going after them!” “No, Henry…No!”, Kenneth shouted back. ”This water is 15 feet deep!”
As I moved downward, the water got cold…and then completely black. Unable to touch bottom, I frantically started toward the surface when an amazing thing happened. My right foot slipped right under the basket’s bail (!) and it was still there when I exploded at the water’s surface. Kenneth tearfully repeated, “I told you, Henry”. “I told you!” “I thought you had drowned.” I rolled on my back, raised the basket with my foot my foot and calmly said, “Get ‘em Kenneth”. The surprised look on his face is one I’ll never forget.
When Pam and I stopped on the Shelbyville Hill last week, my memory flashed back to 66 years ago…to 1950. I showed her our house on the hill, the Old Mill Pond and told her about Dr. Jack’s oil derrick and his lake in the woods. I also told her about the day Kenneth and I went to catch “a mess of fish” for supper and wound up catching a basket-full… not once…
…but twice.
November 16, 2017 - Brother Mike Sparks has answered his calling to preach the Gospel. Pastor Marlin Cloudy, Sr. will ordain him into the ministry on Sunday, November 19, 2017 at 12:00 noon.
You are welcome and invited to participate in his Initial Sermon services at Abundant Love Ministries, located at 1426 Shelbyville St., Center, TX 75935.
November 15, 2017 - A Night of Worship musician appreciation/musical. Celebrating two years (Theme: Psalm 150:6) honoring: Min. Jason Tucker, Jamonie Nash, and Deuce Daniels.
The event will be held November 18, 2017 6pm at House of Refuge 215 Church Street Center, Tx. 75935.
There are many ways that we can give praise to our God. So we will like to invite you and others to come get your praise and worship on.
Come sing, dance, shout or just wave your hands. Any way you would like to participate is welcome!
Please contact Min. Jason Tucker at 936-591-7499 for more information.
November 15, 2017 - Jesus came to save the world from sin and through his sacrifice on the cross of Calvary this was accomplished, once for all.
Yet too many refuse to accept this free gift of eternal life, too many either do not believe in Christ and his blessed works or they just are not interested in anything other than the present life here on earth.
This is sad but true, most will not make it into heaven, most will be doomed to an eternity of torment in hell.
For those who do know the Lord Jesus as Lord and Master we have one duty we are to perform for the Lord as we go through this life.
We are to be a reflection of his goodness, his grace and his mercy to all whom we meet each day. While this may sound like an easy task, it can be extremely difficult in times of stress and trouble.
As we struggle with the shootings in Sutherland Springs this past week, trying to understand the mind of a mad-man, let us take heed of the elderly couple who lost nine family members in this tragedy.
Joe and Claryce Holcomb lost their son Bryan and his wife plus four grandchildren and three great grandchildren to this senseless act of insanity and yet, they hold on to their faith in God without hesitation.
When asked about their feelings, Joe told the news people that he and his wife are “very close to God” and they believe that there will be a time when they will be reunited with their lost family members.
His answer for his feelings toward the shooter was one, not of anger but one of pity, for Joe knows the time will come when this person will be rewarded for his deeds and his reward will not be pleasant so he feels sorrow for him.
Joe made a statement which sums up the belief of all Christians when he said; “God doesn’t want us to understand him; he wants us to trust him. We don’t understand how God works, but we trust everything he does.” Amen Joe Amen...
How, you may ask, can anyone show this trust in the face of such devastation? For the Christian it is easy for we know the Lord and he gives us this assurance.
“The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the Lord shall be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.
Your sun shall no more go down, nor your moon withdraw itself; for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended.” (Isaiah 60:19-20)
Joe and Claryce Holcomb live in the glory of God, gathering their light from him and having confidence in his Word that their days of mourning will soon end with the joy of seeing their family again.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:33-34)
Trust the the Lord and he will make your paths straight, with less troubles. May all who struggle this day find solace in the Lord Jesus Christ.
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