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Contributing Writers: Mike Mills, Spring Hill Church | Doug Fincher | Pastor Randy and Sue Smith | Mike Belgard | Tim Perkins
Faith
July 24, 2023 - The House of Refuge Ministries will be having Family and Friends Day Sunday, July 30 at 3pm on 215 Church Street, Center.
Speaker will be Patricia Coleman of Perfect Love Ministries in Mabank, Texas.
Everyone is invited.
“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you...” James 4:8
July 24, 2023 - The combination of sandy roads, spring branches and a plentiful food supply has made Center, Texas’ Sand Hill Community an ideal nesting place for exotic birds from Mexico and Central America. Located about six miles south of Center, Texas, it remains one of the most beautiful parts of Shelby County Texas. My Dad explored these sandy roads when he was a youngster and took all ten of us there many times as we were growing up. Instead of vacations to The Grand Canyon or Yellowstone, we made ours to The Sand Hills… to Big Ditch and Gunnel’s Cave… which were only a short drive from of our house in Center. After becoming adults, we all made frequent trips home to see Mother and to re-explore the Sand Hill roads with her.
Back in the 70’s I asked my sister Jeri in Texarkana to meet me at Mother’s and spend a day in the Sand Hills with her. We left her house early one August morning and after a drive through the Snow Hill, Short and Jericho communities, we wound up taking pictures and picking Sand Hill grapes along a sandy road near Gunnel’s Cave.
Suddenly, I spotted a handsome lizard basking in the sun about fifteen feet off the road. As I complained to Mother about the lizard being too far away to photograph, Sis quietly touched my shoulder and whispered, “Let me talk to the lizard.” I nervously looked all around to see if anyone was watching us. Then as we walked toward him, she began: “Don’t be afraid.” “We won’t hurt you.” “Hen Doug just wants to take your picture.” After telling the lizard how pretty he was, we got close enough to see his eyes twinkle and after getting several close-ups, we backed away leaving him undisturbed.
As we were discussing my sister’s “way with lizards” on the way home, Mother said, “You know, God lets us come close and talk to Him, too.” “I know, Mother,” I replied. “And not only do we talk to Him.” “Through prayer and His Word…
“He talks to us, too.”
July 24, 2023 - Good Morning! It's Monday, July 24.
On this day in 1725, a boy was born in England. His father was a ship's captain. His mother died when he was six, and at the young age of 11, his father took him to sea. He, too, eventually came to captain a ship, a slave ship. Later he would share the testimony of a storm on the sea that came one night, a night when John Newton experienced a life-changing spiritual conversion.
Newton left the sea and became a pastor. He would often write poems to accompany his sermons. In 1773, at a New Year's Day service, he read a composition that he titled "Faith's Review and Expectation". John Newton was not a musician, and it was most probably chanted, not sung.
Interest in the poem soon waned in England, and Newton became known, not as a hymn writer, but as a leader in the abolitionist movement. He died in 1807, just weeks before Britain outlawed the slave trade. Around this same time, a spiritual movement, called the Second Great Awakening, began in the young country called The United States of America. And Newton's poem, joined with an old folk melody, gave voice to this revival.
In 1835, the poem, set to music, was published in a shaped-note hymnal called Southern Harmony. The editor used its first two words as the title, and Amazing Grace was reborn. It has gone on to become the most recognized song in the English language. The lyrics, an autobiography of John Newton's amazing life, continue to inspire us today. Here are the words of a verse that is left out of many modern hymnals.
The Lord has promised good to me
His Word, my heart secures
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures
Meet you back here tomorrow,
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org
July 22, 2023 - North Jericho Homecoming with dinner on the ground will be the first Sunday in August, August 6th. Please come join us at 12 noon for food and fellowship!
July 22, 2023 - The House of Refuge Apostolic Ministries presents September 16, 2023 a Women’s Empowerment Brunch - Grounded in Good Soil - Matthew 13:3-23.
The brunch is at 10am on Saturday, September 16 at Pineywoods Outreach Center, 255 Haley Dr., Center, Texas 75935.
Speakers are First Lady Pearl Nash, First Lady Donna Martin, First Lady Juanita Yarbrough, and First Lady Natasha Jones.
Tickets for this event are $40 and can be purchased from House of Refuge Apostolic Ministries, Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Center, or Bennett Chapel Baptist Church in Shelbyville. Ticket cost includes entry, buffet, drinks, and raffles.
For more information, they can contact Afrikina Dotson, Church Administrator, at 936-657-8172 or afrikinadotson@yahoo.com.
July 20, 2023 - Sorrow is a universal experience, it comes to the rich and poor, to the powerful and the weak. So much of the sorrow in our world is unseen, often it is hidden from view purposely. Many times it is known only to the individual and to God. It can be buried beneath a cheerful countenance and earthly baubles. Yet, even the most cheerful often have troubled hearts.
Our hearts can be troubled by sins, either our own or the sins of others. Hearts can be heavy because of the departure of a loved one or the deep waters of serious illness. There are times that our hearts are distressed due to the unfaithfulness of a friend or feelings of insecurity.
Jesus did not shun sorrow. To be sure, He was often found among people with heavy hearts, people who were distressed and uneasy. To these He was sympathetic. Jesus suffered with people and shared their sorrows. His mission was to “heal the brokenhearted” (Luke 4:18)
Jesus’ remedy for broken and troubled hearts was faith. He said “believe in God, believe also in me” (John 14:1). A few sentences later we read, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no man cometh into the Father but by me.” When our faith is in Jesus Christ, when we live life His way, our troubled hearts will find relief.
It’s something to think about. . . TBP
Join Us for Worship this coming Lord’s Day
Center Church of Christ
www.centerchurchofchrist.com
July 19, 2023 - Brother Jamie Lindley and East Hamilton Church of Shelbyville would like to invite you to a three-night Revival August 3rd, 4th, and 5th at 6pm nightly. A special message brought to you by Brandon Digilormo of Insane Ministries. Food and fellowship to follow on Saturday night, bring a dish to share.
East Hamilton Missionary Baptist Church is located at 7325 FM 2261 or 7.2 miles from Hwy 87 South, turn onto FM 2261 at the old Patroon Store, now known as Boondox Steakhouse.
“Salvation is the gift of God… not of works, lest any man should boast…” Ephesians 2:8
July 17, 2023 - When I was pastor of the First Baptist Church of Mauriceville, Texas, Deacon Leroy Neel and I often hunted and fished together. He called me one day to tell me about a binocular sale he’d seen in the Field and Stream Magazine. The ad described them as “8X precision optics with Old World craftsmanship” for the amazing price of $4.95!! We got our orders off that day and could hardly wait to get them.
After meeting for the formal opening of our new possessions, we raced outside to test them. But as we held them to our eyes, we only saw haze and rainbows. As Leroy grinned at me sheepishly, I asked, “Well, what do you think?” “I think we got what we paid for,” he laughed.
Most of us know that things too good to be true usually aren’t true. Many of my bargain buys --- a router for $19.95, a camera lens for $14.95 and a host of other “unbelievable” bargains have convinced me that getting what we pay for is a general truth.
But there’s a wonderful exception to this rule. Nothing we have can buy us a ticket to heaven. If we receive eternal life, it won’t be because we paid for it…
… but because Jesus did.
July 17, 2023 - Good Morning! It's Monday, July 17.
On this day, in 2009, Walter Cronkite died. He was the anchorman of the CBS Evening News from 1962 to 1981. That was a time before 24-hour cable and the Internet, a time when people watched the same TV program at the same time. And most of America watched "Uncle Walter" deliver the news of the day.
I always had a special interest in Cronkite, because he was a "Houston boy", like me. But he connected with all of us. It was impossible to remember the day that John F. Kennedy was killed, without also remembering Cronkite removing his glasses and delivering the fateful bulletin in a choking voice. Cronkite was there when man stepped on the moon. And when he declared that the Vietnam war was unwinnable, President Johnson said, "If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost the country".
Year after year, polls pronounced Walter Cronkite "the most trusted man in America". When he closed his broadcast with the words, "and that's the way it is" - we believed him. Who do we have in America like that today? Whose voice carries that kind of weight? Who can we truly trust? Tough questions. I won't try to answer them. Instead, I'll leave you with these thoughts.
Psalm 9:10 - Those who know Your name trust in You, Lord, for You have never forsaken those who seek You.
Isaiah 26:3 - You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are set on You, because they trust in You.
Psalm 56:14 - In God I trust, and am not afraid.
Meet you back here tomorrow,
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org
July 13, 2023 - James would write for us, “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow, for what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” If you want to make God laugh, really laugh, tell Him what you are going to do tomorrow.
The Bible is filled with examples of those who had great plans for tomorrow, and yet, tomorrow never came. When Felix heard Paul preach, he trembled upon hearing the word of God. He told Paul to go his way and he would call for him at a more convenient time. He told Paul he would wait until tomorrow and for Governor Felix, tomorrow never came.
Jesus tells us of a rich farmer who had an abundant harvest in Luke chapter 12. He was planning to tear down his old barns and build greater barns to have a place to store all his abundance. He had great plans for tomorrow, but God had other plans. God called that man a fool and told him his soul was required that very night. Tomorrow never came for that farmer.
Paul would write to the church in Corinth, “now is the day of salvation” (II Corinthians 6:2) Do not put off serving the Lord until tomorrow, but begin today, right now, to serve the Lord and live His kind of life, His way.
It’s something to think about... tbp
Join Us for Worship this coming Lord’s Day at Center Church of Christ or online at www.centerchurchofchrist.com
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