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Contributing Writers: Mike Mills, Spring Hill Church | Doug Fincher | Pastor Randy and Sue Smith | Mike Belgard | Tim Perkins
Faith
September 14, 2016 - There once was an old farmer who was walking along a turn row going home after a long days work in the fields. As he walks he hears a voice from the ground saying, "Hey, pick me up." As he looked around he didn't see anyone around so he began his walk again. Once again he heard, "Hey, please pick me up." As he looked down at a mud hole that he was walking past, he noticed a small frog looking up at him. The frog spoke up and said, "Please pick me up. I am a frog now but if you pick me up and kiss me I will turn into a beautiful woman who will give you anything you desire."
The old farmer looked with astonishment at the frog because he could not believe what he had just heard. He picked the frog up, looked at it this way and that. Then without saying a word he put the frog in his shirt pocket. As he began to walk along the turn row, the frog pushed it's head out of his pocket and said to the farmer, "Aren't you going to kiss me? I will give you anything that you want." The old farmer looked down at the frog and said, "Naw, at my age think I would rather have a talking frog."
You see the farmer had learned over the years to be satisfied with what he had. We sometimes think we always have to have more, or the new and improved version of everything. We just can't be satisfied with what we have and realize that we are blessed already.
When we learn to be content with what God has blessed us with we can live happier, less stressful, joy filled lives. Paul the apostle wrote to the church at Phillipi while he was in prison. He said, "For I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Phil. 4:11-13) To live content lives, Paul is saying, that whether we are rich or poor, hungry or well fed, whether we have the nicest boat, biggest house, or live in a shack, our joy and our strength comes from Christ and Him alone.
So ask yourself these questions. Is there anything going on in your life that God can't fix? Is there anything that you don't have right now that you just can't live without? Is there something or someone in your life that seems to control your happiness. If you answered no to these questions, then you have probably learned to be content with what God has given you and you trust Him to sustain you. If you answered yes, then you need to realize that the God who created everything in the universe is waiting for you to put your total trust in Him. He wants you to rely on His strength. Remember what Jesus said, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all theses things will be added to you." (Matt. 6:33)
God promises to give you all that you need and just like that old farmer you can be happy and content with just a talking frog. Trust Him, Believe Him, turn your life over to Him and His strength will take care of all your needs.
I'm just Sayin
Mike Belgard
September 13, 2016 - Jackson Missionary Baptist Church in Joaquin on Highway 7 will be hosting a Awana Kick-Off Wednesday, September 14th. We would like to invite the communitJackson Missionary Baptist Church to Host Awana Kick-Offy to another great year, all we are waiting on is you!! Registration begins at 5:45 p.m. - meal and activities to follow. We will meet each Wednesday Night.
September 9, 2016 - The 1st to preach the "new message", the message of repentance and acceptance of the coming Savior ( Jesus Christ ) was John the Baptist. Also, the 1st to preach that to truly be saved is to repent of all sins and effect a true and lasting change in one's life.
John explained that each person would be changed forever and that change would show in the way they lived their daily lives from that day forth. As James, the Brother of Jesus, said; "be yea doers of the Word, not just hearers of the Word". As John preached the Word of God the people came to him saying; "So the people asked him, saying, what shall we do then? He answered and said to them, he who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise. Then the tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, Teacher, what shall we do? And he said to them, Collect no more than what is appointed for you. Likewise, the soldiers asked him, saying, and what shall we do? So he said to them, Do not intimate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages." (Luke 3:10-14)
This message from John gives us all a new outlook on life, we realize that the new person should be more benevolent, helping his fellow men, not from commands but from the heart.
Our natural sin nature causes us be born to covet, to be greedy, to hoard, and to ignore the needs of others. When we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, we begin becoming more like Christ, who is Himself a giver. Our concern for others grows, especially for those in need. We become willing to sacrifice so others will be helped.
Whether tax collector or soldier or ordinary person; John tells us to be truer to Christ and not to take advantage of others or of our position in life.
As your life changed to the extent that others identify you as a believer?
Are you recognized as a giving person?
Do others see you as a fair and honest person?
Can you be trusted with the well-being of others,even if, they are not believers,?
The truly repentant do not look for opportunities to do harm to one another. They seek to do good to all. They don't falsely accuse but speak only the truth. They are content with fair pay for a good days work.
Take some time to reflect upon your life both before you accepted Christ and after. Have there been changes?
Can others see these changes in your daily life? Are there areas in which you have struggled to become a truly changed person? Do you ever worry about ever becoming a truly changed person? If so, there is hope for you then.
The truly repentant are more aware than ever of their shortcomings. And further evidence of true repentance is the understanding that we are constantly changing, more for the better than for the worse...
The world says; take all you can, keep it all, do not share. Do not listen to the world, only when you fully turn away and begin to seek God and His will for your life will you find true contentment.
May God Bless And keep you each day...
September 12, 2016 - Sunday was the 17th Sunday after Pentecost. I was going to preach on the assigned Gospel for the 17th Sunday but kept being pulled to the stark words of the prophet Jeremiah. So my sermon used the Old Testament text and the Epistle. Jeremiah’s words in 4:23-28 paint a very bleak picture of the world. Last week my sermon ended with words from writers at the end of WWII. Writers such as C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien used metaphor and fantasy to rescue people from their despair. After the horrors of WWII it was hard to imagine what the future held. No one even wanted to look because after such devastation and inhumanity, what could the future hold? Like Jeremiah, these Christian writers spoke of hope and the possibility that things would be better.
Sunday was Patriot Day, when we remember the awful events of September 11. That horrible day we wondered if there could be any kind of future. For many days there was a sense of the hopelessness that had been felt by Jeremiah’s people and the “Greatest Generation” of WWII. But our faith is about hope even in the midst of tragedy. It is up to us—the hands, feet, eyes, ears, and voice of our brother Jesus—to work each day bringing his Kingdom to life where we are!
In good Methodist fashion, our church approved the budget for next year and voted to pay our conference and district apportionments, continued support for our church officers, and continued support of the pastor. Committee reports were signed, ready to go off to the District, and we will be all set to go to the Charge Conference in Center in a couple of weeks. I was not raised a Methodist and for so many years all these meetings and reports seemed strange to me. But over the last twenty years I have gotten used to the Methodist way of doing business.
Our songs today, chosen by Joe Fiedler, were just right for Patriot Day: “America the Beautiful” and “America,” which many people call “My Country ‘Tis of Thee.” It’s impossible not to feel a stirring of the heart during these poetic descriptions of the land we love. Joe also had to admit to his upcoming birthday, his 89th, and we sang “Happy Birthday” to him.
During the month of September, we are collecting boxes of macaroni and cheese for Community Christian Services. On Friday, September 23rd there will be a shot clinic at the Joaquin Senior Center: Flu, pneumonia, hepatitis, and T-dap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) shots will be offered from 9:30 until noon. All are welcome. Paxton Methodist has been a long-time supporter of the Gideons, and this year we will have a Gideon speaker on Sunday, October 9th. We have two more nursing home ministries this month, led ably by Mrs. Hilda.
“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. God’s Speed!
September 12, 2016 - Growing up without a car meant that my brothers and I had only two ways to get anywhere…it was either walk ….or hitch hike. Fishing at Mill Creek required a 4 mile walk down the railroad tracks and a squirrel hunt on Teneha Creek in Shelbyville meant a hitch- hike of seven miles.
When I enrolled in Panola Junior College in Carthage (40 miles from home), I hitch hiked for a full semester and when I became a student pastor of the Patroon Baptist Church (85 miles from ETBC in Marshall) I hitched a ride every Saturday for almost a year. After every evening service, I walked out to Highway 87….. in pitch darkness….and thumbed my way back to college. I never missed a preaching appointment and was never late for my 8:00 Monday morning class. When I later became a ministerial student at The Baptist Bible Seminary in Springfield, Missouri (550 miles from home), I hitch-hiked home for holidays and to all my preaching appointments.
Those were the good old days… (the 50’s & 60’s). No locked homes …or cars. We walked our streets…day or night…without the fear of being mugged, raped or murdered.
I loved Hitch hiking back in the old days. It gave me new experiences; new friends and the kind motorists enriched my life with their many unforgettable stories. And I sometimes think that if I weren’t an old feller now, I’d try it again. But knowing what I know today about our once safe country…even if I was young again, I’d probably never thumb a ride or pick up a hitch-hiker again.
I don’t think Hitch-hiking will ever experience a comeback…
…..unless our once safe America experiences one, too.
August 9, 2016 - McMahan Chapel 3rd Annual Antique/Classic Car Show, Saturday September 17th. Registration beings at 8:00am, showtime at 10:00am. $25 entry fee day of show, $20 pre-registration. Judging begins at 10:30am. Hamburgers or hotdogs, potato salad, baked beans, cookies and tea or coffee for $6 a plate. Homemade ice cream will be available as well. All proceeds go to McMahan Chapel UMC.
To pre-register mail fee and info about your car to Sharron Mills, Rt 2 Box 424, San Augustine, Tx 75972. Please include phone number. The available classes are Pre-49, 1st and 2nd place car. 1st and 2nd place truck. 1st and 2nd place open car. Class Post-48 will host the same trophies as Pre. Custom or Radically Modified, 1st place Car and Truck. Motorcycles, open class, 1st and 2nd place. Trophies for all that place! To gather more information, please contact 936.275.5542 or 936.275.2640
GPS location of the church is 2240 McMahan Chapel Road Bronson, Texas.
September 8, 2016 - First United Methodist Church will celebrate it's 150th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, October 29th from 10 am to 5 pm. Sunday, October 30th Men’s Breakfast will be at 9am, followed by a Combined Worship Service at 10:15 am. The church was established in 1866 the same year the courthouse was moved from Shelbyville to Center.
Activities are planned for Saturday, October 29th including a covered dish lunch. Dr. Jerry Neff will preach Sunday, October 30th. Community members, past members and anyone who would like to join us in the historic 150th anniversary celebration is invited to attend our weekend celebration. More details about the planned events will be sent out in September.
September 8, 2016 - The First United Methodist Church of Center was organized early in 1866, in a two story building shared by the Masonic Lodge using the second floor and on property deeded to the church by Judge E.G. Wheeler. Both Methodist and Baptist worshipped in this building.
In 1888, a building program for a new church was begun and culminated in 1892 in a new frame building located on the site of our present church. This building was remodeled in 1910.
The present church building was erected in 1927 during the pastorate of Rev. John Franklin Kidd, and the old parsonage which now serves as the youth director parsonage was built in 1939 while Rev. A.D. Lemons was pastor. The Northern Methodist and the Southern Methodist merged in 1939.
Runnels Chapel was added to the church building in 1950 and the entire church was remodeled and redecorated. Rev. Chester Phillip was the pastor at this time. Central heat and air conditioning were added in 1954. The same year, the J. E. Armstrong residence and property adjacent to the church was purchased and converted into a youth center and church school space.
The History of United Methodist Church Cemetery:
The First United Methodist Church Cemetery is one of the old cemeteries in Shelby County located in the Nancy Smith survey on land deeded by Judge M.W. Wheeler and Sam Samford “who deeded the land to his beloved church and burying ground for generations to come.” The First Methodist Episcopal Church South was organized during the early part of the year 1866 soon after the town of Center was established. The first church and Sam Samford Masonic Lodge #149 building was located on the North side of the cemetery. The top floor was used by the lodge and the ground floor was a meeting place for the church and Sunday School.
There are many historically significant Center and Shelby County citizens buried in the First United Methodist Church Cemetery, including Elkanah Samford, first Worshipful Master of the Sam Samford Masonic Lodge #149 and his wife, Davila Adaline Samford; Rev. James R. Burke, early Methodist minister; Shelby County Civil War veterans and wives; and R. L. Parker, considered the Father of Center, responsible for relocating the county seat from Shelbyville to Center. There are approximately 107 graves dating from 1861 to 1939. The earliest marked burial on this site is Jarrell Chandler in 1861 before the property was designated as a cemetery. The last burial was Pollie Brodgen Amason in 1939. http://www.shelbycountytexashistory.net/Shelby/cem_methodistme.htm
In the late 1980s, the Runnels Chapel Sunday School class received a sizeable donation designated only to be used for cemetery grounds improvements. At that time, Nell Polley and her committee diligently worked on the project. At the beginning, cemetery grounds improvements included installing a black chain link fence surrounding the cemetery, planting azaleas, crepe myrtles, roses and other shrubs, outlining flower beds with border bricks and flagstone connecting walkways within the interior of the cemetery, installing a sprinkler system and placing several benches and tables. For many year, the cemetery project work was completed under the guidance of Nell Polley and currently Suzanne Ihlo continues the care of the cemetery. In the fall of 2015, the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce Shelby Beautiful Clean Committee presented a Community Beautification Award to the First United Methodist Church for their constant care and efforts for beautification to the community and being mindful to the preservation of the historical value of the cemetery. In July 2015, an application was submitted to the Texas Historical State Cemetery for a historical marker. Presently, the church is currently waiting for a reply.
The cemetery is owned by the First United Methodist Church and church Trustees to maintain the historical site.
September 6, 2016 - Sunday was the 16th Sunday after Pentecost. This was the first Sunday of a new month and the Paxton Church celebrated Holy Communion. This month, our church will be collecting macaroni and cheese for Community Christian Services. The Gospel Lesson for this Sunday is the last part of Luke 14. In last week’s Gospel, Jesus had been invited to dine at a leading Pharisee’s home. Our lesson today takes up as Jesus leaves the house and a large crowd had come to hear this rabbi. Jesus in no uncertain terms explains the high cost of being one of his disciples. To be a disciple one has to hate his family, give up all his possessions, and take up the cross. All three of these propositions are not easy things to do. As Bonheoffer said there is no such thing as cheap grace. This “hard saying” of Jesus is not difficult to understand; it is hard to be willing to do! Bishop Willomon said that many find it easier to recreate the Gospel and the Savior than it is to become a true disciple. People have been recreating for centuries!
The Charge Conference for this area will be held at FUMC in Center on September 22nd at 6:00. Next Sunday between Sunday school and church Paxton will have a short Church Conference. We will approve the various reports, the paying of next year’s apportionments, the budget, and continued support of the pastor. After that I will make copies and deliver them to Center. Later that week I will officiate at the wedding of Valarie and Mark and am looking forward to that.
Monday is Labor Day. It is also the Monday that we go to Green Acres for our monthly ministry. Our program will begin at 2:00. Later in the month we will also go to Holiday and Lakeside.
We had somewhat of a crowd at Green Acres. Included in the group were two of Mrs. Fannie’s former students and a former Joaquin student. We sang lots of old-time church songs (some better known than others). Nora led us in “God Bless America,” Fannie told about playing in the rain, Sue read a picture book called “We Can’t Sleep,” and Matt talked about the Gospel. Mrs. Hilda was lively on the piano, and I emceed. Neither Matt nor I have been at the church programs in awhile—he’s been on vacation and then back at school, and I’ve been nursing my broken foot. It was good to reacquaint.
“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. God’s Speed!
September 6, 2016 - Smith Chapel Baptist Church will be celebrating their Musician's appreciation Saturday, September 10th at 7:00 PM. All are invited.
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