Shelby County Today

October 6, 2017 - Mark you calender for Short Homecoming set for Sunday, October 8, 2017. Lunch will be served at 12noon. Singing will take place after the meal. For more information, please contact John Monk at 936-598-4150.

October 3, 2017 - “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

Our role as children of the Most High God. To comfort others in their afflictions as we ourselves have been comforted in our afflictions by the Lord God. Our role is to reflect the joy and goodness of our Lord Jesus in our daily lives that all people we meet each day will see in us, that something special that is living and walking each day with the Lord Jesus. This we must do each day.

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18) For many who are perishing no words will convict, but for more, seeing is believing, and to see the proper example of Christian living projected through us is more powerful than any spoken or written word. For many must see evidence of faith before listening to the words of God.

“For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Jesus Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and true wisdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:22-24)

The power of the living God, showing his power and majesty through the weakest of people.

“For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-27)

Yes, God uses those of common abilities and modest means to shame the most powerful of the world. For in our weakness Gods power is manifest for all mankind to see. By our lives, lived in Christ, God is glorified. 

For only through our life’s testimony, as living examples of faith, can the faith of many come to rest not in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

There is a gospel song which sings of the light of each child of God, it says; “this little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.” 

That is what God is asking of each of his children this very day, that each of us let our light shine forth into the darkness of this world that the forces of evil will be illuminated by the glory of the Lord. For in the light, evil is no more.

Every Christian is called by God to serve him and not our own earthly desires or the wishes of mankind for once we are saved the love of Christ controls us.

“For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this; that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him who for their sake died and was raised.” (2 Corinthians 5:14-15) “For our sake He made Him to be sin, who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) Any Questions!!!

“This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine; this little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine; this little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine; let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.” 

It's your call to serve, let it shine for Christ. May his blessings be yours today.

October 2, 2017 - Sunday was the 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time. The Gospel Lesson for this Sunday was another of Jesus’ parables set in a vineyard. In Matthew 21: 23-32, a vineyard owner asks his first son to go and work in the vineyards. The son refuses but then rethinks what he has said and heads to the vineyards. The second son agrees readily to his father’s request but doesn’t show up for work. Jesus turns the tables on his questioners—the priests and the temple elites—asking them a question: “Who did the father’s bidding?” Of course everyone can see that the reluctant son who actually goes and works did his father’s will. Jesus compares the second son who readily agrees but then does nothing to the religious folks who live and work around the Temple.

We had our usual group at Paxton this morning. We added to our prayer list Hilda’s sister, who has been displaced from her home by Hurricane Harvey. We pray for Linda as she contemplates all that needs to be done. Gene reported that the Salvation Army received our $500 donation for hurricane recovery. Our Charge Conference is tomorrow evening at 6:00. During the month of October our church will be collecting peanut butter and jelly for Community Christian Services.

Fannie’s Sunday school lesson come from Genesis 15, about God’s covenant with Abram. A question the author poses for us is whether we have the courage to examine and to trust in the Word of God. One of the questions toward the end of the lesson asks how we can see the Sacred in the ordinary day-to-day of our lives. I believe that is where we will see the Sacred, but we must open our eyes to that possibility.

I was unable to attend last week’s program at Lakeside Assisted Living. As my sister-in-law says, we’re now in the going-to-the-doctor years. But my wife emceed the program and wrote this: Several of our main participators were unable to come to Lakeside this time, but we had a lovely time anyway. Mrs. Hilda was downright festive on the piano, including some songs we don’t usually sing. Gene sang several pieces: “Little Brown Church in the Wild Wood,” “It’s a Wonderful Life,” and “Morning Has Broken.” He was in such fine fettle that he serenaded some of the ladies afterward, with the accompaniment of Maggie and Jo. Nora favored us with one of her beautiful a capella songs and a book about planting trees all over the world. Sue read funny poems about pet snakes and rotten brothers and sisters. And what else did we do? Sang and sang, talked and laughed.

“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.

September 28, 2017 - Johnny Cash sang a song when I was growing up about a boy named Sue. In the song he told of all the bad things that happened to him because of the name he was given and summed it up with "Life ain't easy for a boy named Sue." However toward the end of the song, he realized that he was given that name to make him strong and tough. So, when he reflected back on his life, he was thankful for the name he was given. He also realized that when he had a son he was going to try and make his life easier by naming him, " Bill or George anything but Sue !" Isn't life a lot like that today. Sometimes we are given nicknames or are named after people, that back in the day were popular names for our parents and grandparents but have completely different meanings and representations today.

These days, people give their children family names, names they just randomly make up, biblical names, there is even a trend to name all your children with names that start with the same first letter, but that was not the case in the old days. Names had a specific meaning and purpose. There was a man in the Old testament whose name so affected him it made him seek God to change how he perceived himself. 1 Chron. 4:9 says," Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers and his mother called his name Jabez "because I bore him in pain." How would you like to go through life with a name that your mother gave you because you were painful to give birth to ? I am convinced that he took some teasing as a kid. I'm also sure that my name would not be repeatable if that were the case with what my mother named me. But Jabez took the name given him and instead of complaining or whining about it, he set out to change how he was perceived because of it. If we look at the first part of the verse it tells us, " Jabez was more honorable than his brothers." Why? We see in the next verse. " Jabez called out to the God of Israel." Jabez took a name that was meant to be a reminder of great pain, and turned it into a name that reminds us of how God will change our lives when we live honorably and put our trust in Him to change our circumstances. He is faithful to do just that.

When we humble ourselves and call out to God he changes our circumstances and our name. Here's what he said; "Oh that you would bless me indeed and enlarge my territories, that your hand would be with me and that you would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain. So God granted Him what he requested." The world may try to give you a name like, poor, oppressed, depressed, ugly, fat, skinny, mean, unworthy, unloved, diseased, or dumb, these are all lies. The devil wins when he can make us believe this about ourselves.

No matter what the world has labeled you as, or what people might think of you, when you call out to God and seek Him He gives you a new name. His names for you are: Honored, Chosen, Blessed, Loved, Liberated, Healed, Holy, Righteous, Royal Priesthood, Saints, Sons, Daughters and Friends. You see, in His eyes you are all these things. He only sees you with the eyes of a loving caring Father who is waiting to here His child call His name. He's waiting. Let God change your life and your name.