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Contributing Writers: Mike Mills, Spring Hill Church | Doug Fincher | Pastor Randy and Sue Smith | Mike Belgard | Tim Perkins
Faith
February 27, 2023 - Good Morning! It's Monday, February 27.
On this day, ten years ago, Texas lost a favorite son. Van Cliburn was one of the greatest pianists of the modern era, and easily the most famous. In 1958, at the tender age of 23, and at the heart of the Cold War, he won an international piano competition in Moscow. The tall, lanky Texan became the toast of Russia and a worldwide celebrity.
And he wasn't even a Texan! Van Cliburn was born in Shreveport, Louisiana to an oilman father and a concert pianist mother. His family soon moved to Kilgore, Texas and Van (at the age of three) began to take piano lessons. His fame made him a citizen of the world, but as an adult, he made his home in Fort Worth.
Van Cliburn was a longtime member of the Broadway Baptist Church, which was often the venue for concerts presented by Fort Worth's Southwestern Baptist Seminary. I was singing in one of those concerts, as a seminary student, in 1987. A buzz began backstage . . . Van Cliburn was in the audience! To use a basketball metaphor, it was like standing at the free throw line and seeing Michael Jordan sitting in the stands.
After the concert I got to meet the maestro and he was very gracious. I'll never forget shaking his hand. I've always thought that my hands were larger than average, but when we shook, Cliburn's hand swallowed mine up. I can manage the stretch of a 10th on the keyboard, that's two steps past an octave - pretty good. Van Cliburn could play a 13th - freakish! Next time you see a piano keyboard, start at middle C and take 13 steps. You'll be amazed.
An amazing talent, an amazing career, an amazing life. And a man that had been gifted by God with hands that were perfectly designed for the purpose he was born for. God made you unique, as well. And He made you for a unique purpose. Life is all about finding that purpose and embracing it.
Meet you back here tomorrow,
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org
February 22, 2023 - Most of us have our bad days. On those days, our every act, our every thought, our every spoken sentence seems to have “but,” a “can’t” a “don’t” or such like. On those days, we are at our worst. We fret about our health and our circumstances and we pity ourselves to the very verge of tears.
But what do we get out of it? Well, we get misery and worry. By compounding every problem and considering every obstacle, we make matters worse than they are. So, why do we beat ourselves up when we get “down in the dumps?” Because we momentarily lose our perspective. We magnify things out of proportion so that they overwhelm us and upset us.
Yet, we can quickly get rid of negative thoughts. We must switch our will power to the positive current. Once we do, we will notice an improvement almost immediately. One by one, count your blessings in health, wealth, home, family and other areas of life. Think about all the things that are right in your life instead of all those things that are wrong. It is just as easy to be constructive and positive as it is to be destructive and negative.
So, the next time you are “down in the dumps” and having a bad day, do something about it! Take a walk, chat with a neighbor or undertake a worthwhile project. Before you know it, the weight of the world will be lifted from your shoulders.
It’s something to think about... tbp
Join us for worship this coming Lord’s Day at Center Church of Christ or online at www.centerchurchofchrist.com.
February 21, 2023 - Northside Church of Christ in Center is welcoming guest speaker Brady Cook of Greenville, Texas for a Gospel Meeting February 26 through March 2.
Big Lessons from little verses:
- Sunday, 9:30am - What is Truth?
- Sunday, 10:30am - I Have Learned to be Content
- Monday, 7pm - Jesus Wept
- Tuesday, 7pm - His Commandments Are Not Burdensome
- Wednesday, 5:30pm - And Looking Up His Eyes (*Earlier start time)
- Thursday, 7pm - For God So Loved the World
Northside Church of Christ is located at 192 Highway 96 North, Center, Texas 75935. For more information, contact Nathan Cox, minister at 936-332-1091 or visit online at northsidechurchincenter.com or Facebook @northsidechurchofchristcentertx.
February 20, 2023 - Dwayne Williams, evangelist and gospel singer fondly known as “the Texas Teddy Bear,” will be with Clever Creek Baptist Church for meetings, Sunday through Wednesday, March 26-29, 2023.
Sunday School will be 10 a.m. Sunday morning, March 26; worship time will be 10:55 a.m. with Dwayne singing and preaching. The meeting will resume Sunday evening at 7 p.m. and will continue Monday through Wednesday evenings at 7 p.m. with Dwayne singing and preaching, along with others who join with us.
The theme for this meeting will be 'GREAT GRACE: Amazing Grace—Wonderful Grace—Saving Grace—Keeping Grace.'
We will be emphasizing the meaning and message of that great gospel hymn—“God of Grace and God of Glory” each service as we encourage one another to embrace the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, His grace and goodness. We invite all who want to honor the Lord Jesus and give Him praise. This meeting emphasizes the “Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt.”
You can find your way to Clever Creek Baptist Church by driving south on State Highway 96 to the top of Bounds Hill where you turn left at the sign pointing to Clever Creek on FM 417 (traveling east toward Shelbyville), turning left at the bottom of the hill, crossing the railroad track and continuing to the church on the right at the intersection of CR 1042. You can reach the church driving on SH 87 turning in Shelbyville at the Post Office onto FM 417 west and driving by the Shelbyville First Methodist Church and continuing on to the church on the left at the intersection of CR 1042. (199 CR 1042, Center, Texas 75935)
Clever Creek Baptist Church is “A Congregation Praying, Praising and Proclaiming The Lord’s Good News.”
February 20, 2023 – Join us for an afternoon of family fun, food tasting, and a friendly cooking competition! First Methodist Church Missions Committee will host their annual Gumbo, Chili, and Soup Cook-off competition on Sunday, February 26, 2023, beginning at 4:00 p.m. in the church Fellowship Hall located at 211 Porter Street, Center.
The cooking competition is open to all ages, all local organizations, and amateur cooks only. A non-refundable entry fee of $10.00 per team secures table space. Advance registration is due by Monday, February 20, 2023.
Teams can set up their cooking space beginning at 3:00 p.m. Teams will have the opportunity to compete in one of the food categories as well as the Best Decorated Table Space category by decorating their table with a theme of the team’s choice.
Admission tickets are $5.00 for adults, $3.00 for youth ages four to 12 years, and free children 3 years and under; event tickets will be available at the door. The event begins at 4:00 p.m. for competition food sampling, which includes gumbo, chili and soup samples, crackers, and drinks. Adult ticket holders will receive five tickets to vote for their favorite Gumbo, Chili or Soup and youth will receive three voting tickets. Additional voting tickets will be available at the event for $1.00 each. Voting ends at 5:30 p.m. Winners will be announced at 6:00 p.m. for First Place People’s Choice awards in all cooking categories and Best Decorated Table Space.
In addition, a silent auction will take place during the cook-off competition. All proceeds from the cook-off fundraiser will benefit the First Methodist Church Missions.
For complete event rules and team registration, please visit the First Methodist website at www.centerfirst.org or our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/FirstMethodistCenter.
For additional information, please contact Becky Parfait, Cook Off Coordinator at 936-332-3456 or the Church Office at 936-598-2707.
Join the Joy and Register Today!!!
February 20, 2023 - St John's Episcopal will be holding their annual Pancake Supper on Tuesday, February 21st from 5pm to 7pm in the parish hall.
Ash Wednesday Service will be held at 12 noon on the 22nd. Everyone is invited to attend.
February 16, 2023 - Is the message of the cross current? What message is there for men and women of the 21st century? Can the events on a hill so long ago affect us now? Can the death of one man by crucifixion affect men and women when thousands can now be killed with one bomb? The answer is yes. Yes the message of the cross is current and relevant. There are two short words in John’s Gospel (John 19:28) that show us how current this message is. Those words are when Jesus says, “I thirst”.
Jesus said, “I thirst” because Jesus died as a man. John’s primary purpose was to show the deity of Jesus but in this passage he shows us the humanity of Jesus. Jesus came to feel what we feel and to know our needs. The human race had sinned and must die.
The fact that Jesus experienced that painful thirst brings new meaning to other passages. Even in our day and age with all its advancements, with cell phones and the internet and supersonic plane travel, people still die without God.
Jesus knows our pain and our temptations. He knows the deep waters we pass through and he knows the storms that blow through our lives. Yet, through obedience to Jesus’ commands and living His kind of life, the storms can be calmed and our thirst can be quenched. What we must do is surrender our stubborn human will to the will of Jesus. We must make Jesus Christ the Lord and Master of our lives.
It’s something to think about... tbp
Join Us for Worship this coming Lord’s Day at Center Church of Christ or online at www.centerchurchofchrist.com.
February 6, 2023 - Neuville Baptist Church will be holding revival February 12th through February 15th. We would like to invite everyone to come out and join us.
Bro. Jim Moss Evangelist
- Sunday morning 10:45am
- Sunday Evening 5:30pm
- Monday through Wednesday 6:30pm
February 13, 2023 - Carroll Chapel CME Church in Shelbyville would like to invite you to our Annual Black History Program on Sunday, February 19 at 3pm.
Guest Speaker will be Apostle Cassandra Swindle, Pastor of Murry Chapel in Sacul, Texas.
Everyone is invited.
February 13, 2023 - Saint Paul Missionary Baptist Church invites you to our Black History Program on Sunday, February 19, 2023 at 10am. The Negro Baseball League of Shelby County will be honored at this time.
Everyone is invited to come and celebrate with us. "A Church With A Vision, A Community of Faith."
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