Shelby County Today

June 15, 2016 - Pine Ridge Missionary Baptist Church, Joaquin, TX., will be having vacation bible school June 20-24, 2016. It will be from 9:00am til 12:00pm daily, and refreshments will be served. Our theme this year is The Conquerers. Come on out for fun, crafts and learning about our Lord. For more information, please call Lela Woolf at 936-269-4429.

June 14, 2016 - Abundant Love Ministries Women's Ministry would like to invite you to join us for our annual Women's Conference on Friday June 24, 2016 at 6:30 PM and Saturday June 25, 2016 at 10 AM at 1426 Shelbyville Street in Center, TX.  Our theme is "Deliver Me From Selfies - Becoming Selfless in a Self-Centered World" 2 Timothy 3:1-2.  The Guest Speakers will be Sister Alice Rogers and Sister Hazel Morris along with a Special Presentation by ALM's "Women of Praise".  T-Shirts for sale $15 all sizes. T-Shirts orders and money need to be turned in to First Lady Felicia Cloudy by Sunday June 19, 2016.

June 14, 2016 - Lessons from Malachi, the last of the Old Testament Prophets.

Malachi was the last of the messengers of God to the Israelites of the Old Testament. His ministry was in the 4th century before Christ, about 430 years before the birth of Jesus.

His message came directly from God as his book shows that through it's verses. While it is only 4 chapters and 55 verses, 47 of them are spoken by the Lord. The highest percentage of any book of the Bible. In the first verse he credits the Lord as he says; "The burden of the "word of the Lord" to Israel by Malachi."

Both Haggai and Zechariah had told the Israelites that if they would build the temple that great prosperity would come to the nation of Israel. They built the temple but were expecting material or worldly gain. God intended great spiritual gain through their worship in the temple.

Since they misunderstood, they became discouraged when they didn't become rich in the world and their worship became only a ritual, formal ceremonies and they began to defile the alter of God with unfit offerings. They even got to the point of only offering to God the animals which the Roman Governor had rejected as payment of taxes. 

Just as with so many today, the absence of God's blessings are seen as His unconcern and not our own sins.

The time from Genesis to Malachi is about 1500 years, Malachi demonstrates that there had been few improvements in the lives of the people during that time. They still were ignoring the Word of the Lord, they were still living for their own selfish interests and desires, and they were still as unconcerned about God's coming judgement as were those before the flood. As is said, there is; "Nothing new under the sun."

The Israelites of Malachi's day had much the same problems as America today. Religious problems were that they did not honor God, they prayed for God's grace even as they were insulting Him through their lack of reverence and lack of worship.

They had social problems, idolatry was rampant; "For Judah has profaned the Lord's holy institution which He loves: he has married the daughter of a foreign God." (Mal 2:11) Even while they were deep into idolatry, they would still go to God's alter and cry and pray, to no avail. Worship of worldly gods brings debasement upon society, until they would return to God they would suffer. Wake up America, it's the same for us...

Their moral problems were rampant; adultery, lying, idolatry, stealing, pridefulness, lack of reverence for God, cold-heartedness, lack of respect for parents. Do these things should familiar to you? Moral decay is always the result of the loss of a close relationship with God.

Through Malachi, God gives us hope when He speaks of His faithful; "They shall be Mine says the Lord of Hosts, on the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him. Then you shall again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him." (Malachi 3:17-18)

May the Lord bless you and keep you. Please feel welcome to join us any Wednesday evening for Bible study. For more info call 936-615-1427.

June 13, 2016 - "He was lost and is found…” Luke 15:32

In the summer of 1980, Mother called her ten children to tell us our dad was missing.  His habit for years was to rise at 4:00 , drive to his Water Superintendent’s Office in East Center, and return home at 8:00 for breakfast.  But this day he didn’t return.

We asked J.M. Warr to fly his plane over the Jericho area and look for his truck.  (Daddy made frequent early morning drives down these peaceful roads). Meanwhile, family members frantically searched the myriad of Sand Hill roads, but found no trace of Daddy.  But on the second day of searching, we received a radio message from J.M.’s plane:  “I’ve spotted Henry’s truck…it’s on a hillside in the Snow Hill community.”
       
When we finally located the right road, we found him lying about twenty yards from his truck.  His mattered eyes were almost swollen shut and fire ants covered the bleeding cuts on his face and arms.  As I leaned over him weeping, he weakly raised his hand and whispered, “Son, don’t worry….I’m all right”.  He then desperately clutched the cup of water we’d gotten from the nearby spring.
       
We later learned that Daddy had stuck in deep sand as he returned from a drink from the spring.    But as he jacked up the back of the truck, the jack gave way and the truck backed over him as it rolled downhill.  He intermittently gained consciousness during his two days in the scorching sun and had almost given up any hope of rescue.  To our great joy, a few days in the hospital made him almost like new.
Our dad passed away in 1983. And I know if I were able to ask him today how he is, he could reply to me again:

"Don’t worry, Son….I’m all right”.