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Contributing Writers: David Mathis | Tim Perkins
Past Contributing Writers: Mike Mills, Spring Hill Church | Doug Fincher | Pastor Randy and Sue Smith | Mike Belgard
Faith
February 27, 2025 - The cross on Calvary’s hill was already casting its shadow over Jesus and he had just finished eating the Passover with the twelve. Sitting there at the table, he told them that one of them was going to betray him. He told them he was only going to be with them a little while and then he told them how they were to love. He said, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
Yet, even though Jesus tells us to love one another, if we are honest, most of us don’t really want to love. We would much rather be loved. We are always looking for someone we can go to in times of trouble. Someone who will listen to us, someone who will care and comfort us. We want to be loved.
We like to go to other people, but when they come to us do we find them to be something of a nuisance? We like for others to care for us and comfort us in times of trouble but do we find it a bother when others want us to care and comfort them in times of trial?
If we are honest, most of us will have to admit that we like the privilege of being loved but find the duty of loving others to be disturbing. If we want to please the Lord, we must learn to love as Jesus did. It’s not optional.
It’s something to think about... tbp
Come join us for worship at Center Church of Christ or online at www.centerchurchofchrist.com
February 26, 2025 - East Texas Food Bank (ETFB) Mobile Pantry with fresh produce will be in the parking lot of First Baptist Church in Center, 117 Cora Street from 4pm until 5:30pm this Friday, February 28, 2025.
The Mobile Pantry is held the fourth Friday of each month. The drive-through Mobile Pantry is open to anyone needing food and there are no ID requirements.
February 24, 2025 - St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church is hosting its 32nd Pastor and Wife Appreciation Service for Pastor, Freddie D. Wilson and wife, Sister Lula Wilson on Sunday, March 16, 2025 at 3pm. Guest speaker will be Pastor Brian Wilson, Unity of Faith Baptist Church, 272 E. 78th Street, Shreveport, Louisiana.
February 24, 2025 - Good Morning! It’s Monday, February 24.
Have you ever heard of the Battle of Los Angeles? It occurred on February 24, 1942, during World War II. On that night, LA was under a black-out, air raid sirens were wailing, and over 1400 artillery shells were fired at the enemy.
The enemy, it turned out, was a weather balloon.
February of 1942 was a time of great fear in the United States. The Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor just three months before. Rumors and misinformation were running rampant in the media and throughout the population. The same week that this “battle” happened, President Roosevelt signed an executive order allowing authorities to round up 120,000 Japanese-Americans, most of them U.S. citizens, sending them to internment camps. They spent the next three years surrounded by barbed wire and guard dogs, and many of them lost their homes, their businesses, their health.
Fear can foster great panic, can give new life to old prejudices, can lead to poor decisions. As human beings, as Americans, as children of God, we can find peace and justice and wisdom. And we can find hope in 2 Timothy 1:7. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
Meet you back here tomorrow,
David
cindertex50@yahoo.com
February 19, 2025 - Everyone is invited to join First Pentecostal Church of Jesus Christ in an indoor Prayer Walk.
First Pentecostal Church of Jesus Christ is located at 480 FM 2026, Center, TX.
The prayer walk will be held Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, February 19 - 21, 2025 at 6:30pm.
All are welcome to visit 12 stations of prayer.
February 17, 2025 - Joaquin Community Methodist Church is having a fish fry fundraiser this Saturday, February 22 beginning at 11am. Plates are $15 each and includes fish, coleslaw, french fries, hushpuppies and a dessert.
Proceeds will go to save the church building. Joaquin Community Methodist Church is located at 105 Faulkville Street, Joaquin, Texas 75954.
February 17, 2025 - Good Morning! It’s Monday, February 17.
On February 17, 1963, the “GOAT” was born - Michael Jordan! Fans love to debate about who was the best player in the history of one sport or another, and those conversations can get pretty heated. But the idea that Jordan is the “Greatest of All Time” seems to be widely accepted by most basketball fans. I certainly count myself in that group.
I only had the pleasure of seeing MJ play in person one time. I was living in Dallas in 1997 when the Chicago Bulls came to town. I was a big b-ball fan, and had been to lots of Rocket games growing up in Houston. But that spring night in Reunion Arena was a revelation. The court was filled with world-class athletes, young men who had been stars all their lives - and all I could focus on was Mike. And he was never difficult to find, no one ever looked - or played - like Jordan. He dominated the game. He was the man. He is the GOAT.
Our world, at any one moment, has just a few individuals like that, A-type personalities who command our attention, who dominate the conversation, who make the headlines. There were people like that in the Bible, too, movers and shakers like Moses and Abraham, like Esther and Deborah, like David and Daniel, like Peter and Paul. They were mightily used by Almighty God. That’s no surprise. The surprise lies in the fact that He also uses ordinary folks, like Ruth and Rahab, like Jonah and Jabez, like Mary and Joseph . . . like me and you.
I close with a verse I love - Acts 4:13 - “When they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. But then they understood that they had been with Jesus”.
Meet you back here tomorrow,
David
cindertex50@yahoo.com
February 13, 2025 - The Joaquin Church of Christ invites you to attend our Gospel Meeting February 16-20 with speaker, Jonathan Glaesemann, who will present lessons on "Building Stronger Faith.” Sunday morning services are at 9am and 10am and the Sunday evening service is at 6pm. Monday through Thursday services will be at 7pm. We look forward to seeing you as we study God's word together.
February 13, 2025 - I remember hearing Doris Day singing on an album a popular show tune entitled “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered.” I think those words often describe the way that we feel. Most of us have burdens and cares that others know nothing about. Because of these burdens, we often hide our pain and our hurt behind a facade of bravery and stoicism. There is a familiar but often neglected passage of scripture in I Peter 5:7. In that passage, Peter writes, “casting all your care upon him for he careth for you.”
In our world today so much is impersonal. This is the age of bigness and numbers. Yet, though we may have to give the bank the last “four of our social” along with our account number, God still knows us as an individual. God does not keep track of his own by computers. God knows us by name.
We all have various kinds of cares. Yet, every care that you and I are carrying is in this verse. Every burden that we are called to bear is in this verse and Jesus is also in this verse. Peter says we are to cast our cares upon him because he cares for us. No one understands like Jesus. When your heart is pained, when the burdens seem great, the one who cared enough to go to the cross and save us is concerned for all our cares.
It’s something to think about... tbp
Come join us for worship at Center Church of Christ or online at www.centerchurchofchrist.com.
February 10, 2025 - Good Morning! It’s Monday, February 10.
Today we focus on an Old Testament Bible character with a very strange name - Mephibosheth. He was the grandson of King Saul and the son of Jonathan. On a day when he was five years old, both his father and his grandfather were killed in battle. His nurse took the little boy and ran in terror from the camp. There was some kind of accident and the child was injured. Mephibosheth would never walk again.
David had a strange history with this family. At the same time that Saul was trying to have him killed, Jonathan was trying to save his life. That was a kindness that David never forgot, and in 2 Samuel 9 we witness David repaying that kindness. He was now the King, and possessed enormous power. One day he asked his court, “Is there anyone still alive in Saul’s family?”. The question caused great alarm, since, in that time, new kings would often have heirs of the old king put to death. David sent the command for Mephibosheth to come to the palace.
As Mephibosheth journeyed to Jerusalem, he must have felt like he was walking to the gallows. But King David, on seeing the son of his friend Jonathan, assured him that he had nothing to fear. David restored the lands and the wealth of Saul’s family to Mephibosheth, and offered him a place at the King’s table - a tremendous honor. The King gave Mephibosheth back his life. He didn’t have to do that. And, in doing this kindness, he risked appearing weak to his enemies.
But David chose the high road, chose to return Jonathan’s kindness. He chose to “pay it forward”, as the saying goes. In our world today, we witness the endless cycles of hate, the eternal cycles of revenge. David reminds us that we have the power to create new cycles - of forgiveness, of peace, of kindness.
Meet you back here tomorrow,
David
cindertex50@yahoo.com
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