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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
August 30, 2016 - The Apostle Paul calls upon all Christians to give of themselves in service to the Lord. He asks us; "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your "reasonable service". And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (Romans 12:1-2)
Paul beseeches (to make an urgent appeal) us to give ourselves, he begs us in the most powerful way he can, "by the mercies of God", the ultimate appeal for service. And he calls this living sacrifice or total giving of ourselves; "your reasonable service".
We, His children, are the only things God will redeem from this world when we reach the end of this age. We have nothing else to give Him and we should give cheerfully, without reservation.
All saved people have been bought and paid for by the blood of Christ Jesus, while they have not yet been glorified, or made perfect, they still belong to God and by giving of ourselves, we are only giving, to God, what is already His.
No matter how hard we may try, we cannot get totally away from sin because any earthly body is simply an avenue of sin, it is the venue by which all people do sin. So, why not give it gladly to God. Giving over our bodies is the token that proves we are indeed willing to serve God, it is our offering completed.
When we do give willingly of ourselves in service to God's will we become useful vessels for our Lord. By standing in the gap for the gospel we become priests in His kingdom here on earth. Paul said, we are not to be conformed to this world, Paul saw all of this world; nature, society, the intellectual world and the commercial world as being controlled by Satan, the prince of the air, and in being antagonistic to God's cause.
While we must live in it, we cannot be a part of it, we cannot conform to it for we must serve God and not man. Jesus tells us this; "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciple." (John 15:7-8)
When a person is saved and his transformation from the physical world to the spiritual world takes place, he no longer will use his body as an instrument of sin. The change causes him to produce the fruit of the spirit in his life. Only then does the believer become able to prove what is the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God.
In Paul's eyes, this is simply our reasonable service to God. May God bless and keep you each day...
August 29, 2016 - Sunday was the 15th Sunday after Pentecost. It was a rainy evening Saturday: At the Smith house we collected about an inch and a half. This is one of the wettest Augusts that I can remember. I used as my scripture verses from Jeremiah 2 and Luke 14. Jeremiah and God are talking; God feels abandoned by his special people. He wonders to his prophet if he wronged them—have the chosen forgotten all God had done for the ancestors. In these passages are wonderful images of the Sacred as Jeremiah speaks of living water—flowing water. This he compares to the broken wells built by people that cannot even hold water. God is not happy about his chosen people whom he believes must have forgotten all about him.
The Gospel for the 15th Sunday after Pentecost comes from Luke 14, telling the story of when Jesus went to dinner at a leading Pharisee’s home. One writer says that the author of the Luke Gospel is preoccupied with eating. But I would think that a traveling rabbi who depended on the goodness of strangers would seldom turn down a free meal. In these two scriptures come two important theological ideas—springs of living water and the table. Living water and the bread of life given at the table are the cornerstones of the two sacraments of Protestant Christians—baptism and communion.
We had a nice crowd at Paxton this morning. My son Jacob is in for a visit and came with Sue for church. I talk about my two kids quite often, but many of the folks have never met them. In answer to the plea from our bishop, several folks are giving to United Methodist Relief to assist the flood victims in Louisiana. The church also voted to send $500 from Paxton Methodist.
Last week was our ministry to Lakeside Assisted Living. I was at yet another doctor’s appointment (the bane of getting older), but I heard reports of a lively program. Clarissa, Hannah, and Josiah Menefee performed on piano, violin, psaltery, and mandolin—toe-tapping music ranging from religious to bluegrass. Other music included Nora “singing a book,” Joyce Hughes doing a piano solo, and her granddaughter Tori Windham presenting several specials and leading congregational singing. Ollie shared a letter she’d received recounting “angels among us,” Fannie offered some of her thought-provoking points, and Sue read “Amigos Forever,” a picture book Hilda bought for that purpose. So nice also to have Sylvia with us, feeling better, and in lovely voice.
“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!
August 29, 2016 - “I was shown mercy.....” I Tim. 1"16
Mother believed in “applying the board of education to the seat of learning” as we ten children were growing up. She was always blessed with plenty of hedge bushes near our house whereon grew many switches.
A few years before she died, I asked her why I got so many spankings growing up. Sternly eyeing me, she replied, “Young Man, you didn’t get near as many as you deserved!” And she was right. We never got spankings for the many watermelon and sugar cane patches we snuck into....nor for the eggs we swiped from our neighbor’s hen house when we played hooky.
I’ve gotten a good many spankings from the Lord along the way, too. Unlike Mother, He saw even my secret sins. But like Mother, He hasn’t given me near what I deserve. I deserved justice.
But He gave me mercy.
August 28, 2016 - Carroll Chapel CME Church in Shelbyville will be having their annual Homecoming and three night revival on September 11th at 3:00PM. Nightly revival will be at 7:30PM.
Our guest speaker for September 11 will be Elder Archie Thompson of The Triump the Kingdom and Church of God and Christ, in Shelbyville, TX.
- Monday Night: September 12,will be Elder Lakendrick Bluford, Triumph Church in San Augustine, TX.
- Tuesday Night September 13: Bishop Roosevelt Swindle , First Pentacostal Church in Shelbyville, TX.
- Wednesday Night: September 14: Rev. Frankie Cooper of the Gates Chape, B.C. in Shelbyville, TX.
Everyone is invited.
August 25, 2016 - Patroon Baptist Church invites you to join us for an evening of fun Saturday, September 10, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. We welcome all ages, and children are encouraged to bring a friend. This is the perfect oportunity for old and new friends alike to have some good, clean fun in a safe place.
Along with grilled hamburgers, this event will feature a s'mores roast around a fire (adult supervised, of course), horseshoes, washers and volleyball. It's sure to be a great time for all!
Patroon Baptist Church is located in the Patroon community at 310 FM 2261 Shelbyville, TX.
August 24, 2016 - The Todd Spring Baptist Church on HWY 147 in Shelbyville, TX will have their annual Homecoming services Sunday, August 28th at 11:30AM. Everyone is invited to attend.
August 22, 2016 - First Baptist Church of Center is hosting a Blood Drive in Honor of Shelley Locke on Thursday, August 25, 2016 at 10am until 4pm in the church gym. All donors will receive a gift certificate for a free pint of Blue Bell Ice Cream!
Contact Theresa Crawford at 936-598-5605 for more information or to sign-up.
August 22, 2016 - Sunday was the 14th Sunday after Pentecost. The Gospel story is found only in Luke, but similar controversies dealing with the Sabbath are found elsewhere in Luke and in the other Gospels. Once again we must transport ourselves into a foreign time, a foreign place, and a foreign culture. Jesus is asked to reach from the scrolls at a synagogue and to teach. But as often happens with Jesus other events alter his plans and he has a chance to teach by example. The “good church folks” at the synagogue, as was often the case, didn’t like what Jesus did or said. Unfortunately the words and teachings of Jesus sometimes seem out of place in our success-oriented world, where people may think wealth or fame is a sign of God’s favor.
What a strange month August has been! It started out as a typical hot and humid August but then morphed into a rainy, cooler month. Our prayers and thoughts are with those in Louisiana who have suffered greatly from the floods and to those in California suffering from one fire after another. In my weekly email newsletter I put a letter from the bishop about the disaster and what we can do to help. United Methodist Relief has been on the ground since this disaster started helping out. Our local giving to the District and Conference helps pay salaries to UMCOR so that all donations can go directly to flood relief. Looking and listening to the weather this weekend, it seems that our traditional August weather will return later this week.
Our ministry to Holiday Nursing Center was postponed because of Gloria Fiedler’s funeral. Visitation and the funeral were held last Tuesday at Mangum’s and burial was at the cemetery behind Timpson Missionary Baptist Church. Paxton Methodist provided a meal for family and friends afterwards. We really appreciate the use of Timpson Missionary Baptist’s fellowship hall and the help that church members and Delta Gamma gave after the funeral.
United Methodists hold yearly meeting called Charge or Church Conference. Our Charge Conference will be at First Methodist in Center, where many of the smaller churches will come together to hold one area-wide conference. Our church will do much of the work of budget writing and planning for the Charge Conference ahead of time. All that means is the pastor needs to get busy and start filling out the necessary paperwork for 2017. As the name indicates, we Methodists tend to be very methodical and believe in planning ahead.
Monday is the first day of school for some Texas students and teachers. We wish them all the very best as they begin another year. Vera is ready to welcome fourth graders to their first day. Paxton Methodist has been collecting new children’s socks and underwear to donate to Community Christian Services. In September we will be collecting macaroni and cheese. This Thursday is our ministry at Lakeside Assisted Living that starts at 2:00. Clarrisa, Hannah, and Josiah Menefee plan to perform for the residents of Lakeside. We hope you will be able to join us.
“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!
August 22, 2016 - “Listen to me and eat what is good....” Isaiah 55:2
When my brothers and I were growing up in Center, Texas, Weaver’s Pond was our favorite fishing place….. and walking through Mr. Masseys watermelon patch was our favorite way to get there. One summer day in July, John and I stopped to check on an especially handsome melon…. (We’d been watching its growth for a couple of weeks.) It was long, large and striped…the prettiest in the field. After thumping and checking the bottom of the melon that day, we decided the time had come.
A couple of hard hits with our fists burst it wide open and exposed a beautiful red heart and an aroma that was unmistakably “watermelon”. John and I grabbed a chunk of the heart, took a big bite, and just as the juice began dripping from our elbows, we glanced up and there he was! ….the 80-year-old Mr. Massey …. staggering toward us and hollering, “I’ll git you boys!” Quickly jumping through the fence, we plunged into a large growth of honeysuckle vines and as we lay motionless, Mr. Massey passed so close to us that I could almost feel the touch of his khaki pants as he brushed by. John later said that his heart was beating so loud that he was afraid Mr. Massey might hear it beating, too.
During my teenage years, I had several experiences in watermelon patches….and have eaten many, many watermelons….but the one that John and I will remember the best won’t be ones we ate…..
…….but the one we almost ate.
August 18, 2016 - Fun in the Son scheduled for Saturday, August 20 at First Baptist Church in Center has been cancelled.
The event has been rescheduled for Wednesday, September 7 at 5:30 p.m.
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