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Contributing Writers: Mike Mills, Spring Hill Church | Doug Fincher | Pastor Randy and Sue Smith | Mike Belgard | Tim Perkins
Faith
"He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name." Psalms 111:9
May 6, 2024 - J.W. and I were students at ETBC in Marshall, Texas back in the fifties. We had several things in common: We were both ministerial students, drove '55 Fords, were both English majors, and were both student pastors.
One Sunday he invited me to visit with him at his church in Weaver, Texas, (a small town in northeast Texas.) The building resembled many of the country churches of that time… a small sanctuary with two Sunday School rooms. As he walked me through the building, I called out, "'J', what is the seating capacity of the building?" He immediately grabbed me by the arm, pulled me to the side and whispered, "Doug, don't call me 'J.' Call me Rev. Baker… I want the people to respect me here." And since members were now arriving, I choked down my rebuttal for the time being.
As we drove home, I asked if he knew that Billy Graham never liked being called Reverend. "When Reverend" appears in the Bible," I said… "It is referring to God… not man. People respect us by what we are," I insisted.
I haven't seen J.W. since we graduated from ETBC in the summer of '58. I heard he married a girl named Patricia that he called "the world's sweetest girl."
J. W. Baker was a good man and I have no doubt that he was respected wherever he went…
Even by those who called him 'J.'
May 6, 2024 - Good Morning! It's Monday, May 6.
Mother's Day is this Sunday, and this morning we begin a five-part series on mothers of the Bible. Our first character is one that the Bible says very little about. She's only mentioned a few times, and during a part of her story she isn't even referred to by name. But we know her name. It was Jochebed, and she was the mother of Moses.
By the time Moses was born, the Israelites had been in Egypt for over 400 years. The memory of Joseph, who had saved Egypt from famine, had faded. In Exodus 1:8 we read these unsettling words, "and there came a Pharaoh who did not know". That Pharaoh, distrusting the Jewish people and seeing them as a threat, made a chilling decree that all Hebrew boy babies should be killed. It was a decree that would be echoed 15 centuries later, when King Herod, fearing the Christ child, had all the male infants in Bethlehem put to death. Jochebed hid Moses for the first three months of his life, and then she came up with a remarkable plan.
Every morning, the daughter of Pharaoh would come to the Nile to bathe. On one such morning, Jochebed put Moses in a basket and placed it in the river. The Egyptian princess saw the child and had her attendants rescue it. Cue Miriam! - the sister of Moses - who approached and offered that she "knew" of a Hebrew woman who could nurse the child - for a price. And so Jochebed was paid by Pharaoh to care for her own son. But she had a price to pay, too. When the baby was weaned, he would move to the palace and be raised as a child of the king.
Jochebed was a mother who showed great faith and trust. When she laid that baby in a basket, she did not know that her son would grow to become a leader of his people, a leader who would free them from slavery. She also had a characteristic that we see in every godly mother - she was selfless. Jochebed put the needs of her child above her own. A beautiful story. A story of love and sacrifice. A story that would be echoed 15 centuries later . . . in Bethlehem.
Meet you back here tomorrow,
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org
May 2, 2024 - The 3rd Annual Women’s Conference will be held Saturday, May 18, 2024 at 10am at St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church, 617 Hopkins Street, Center, Texas 75935. The conference theme is “In Spirit and in Truth.”
Speakers are LaDonna Martin Stevenson, Evangelist Cindy Gatlin, Evangelist Stephanie Hicks, and Evangelist Marilyn Lister-Thompson.
A $15 offering is welcomed.
St. Paul MBC is located at 617 Hopkins Street, Center, Texas 75935 with Rev. Dr. Freddie D. Wilson, Pastor.
May 2, 2024 - Have you ever seriously asked yourself if your life is counting for Christ? In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus instructs us to let our lights shine before men that we might “glorify the Father.” Peter instructs us to “show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light”.
It is past time for those who love the Lord to stand up and be counted for Jesus Christ. Joshua of old stood up when he said, “As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.” Yet, do we in this present day and time, an era when people are ridiculing Christianity, have the conviction and determination that Joshua had? Are we willing to stand up and be counted among the people of God? Christians must stand up, take sides and have convictions against the forces of evil, hatred and corruption that exist in our modern world. There is an old saying, “if you do not stand for something, you will fall for anything.” That statement is truer now than at any other time in our history. It is time for us to let others know that we are living for Jesus.
We must live the Christian life seven days a week. We must be Christian in our home, with our family, at school and on our job. We must be Christ-like in our thoughts, our conversation and our attitude. We must stand up and be counted for Christ.
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.
May 2, 2024 - We regret to announce that the National Day of Prayer event, scheduled for today, Thursday, May 2, has been cancelled due to the weather. Shelby County is under flood watch and thunderstorms are likely through the noon hour.
Everyone is encouraged to take a moment today to lift up prayers for our country and for our community.
April 26, 2024 - Each year, on the first Thursday of May, in towns and cities across America, people gather for the National Day of Prayer. Here in Shelby County, we meet in front of our historic courthouse, and next Thursday, May 2, noon-12:30, we invite you to join us.
The brief, half-hour event will include our National Anthem, the Pledge of Allegiance, and prayers for America, government officials, the military, first responders, schools, churches, and families. At 12:30 (if we have at least 100 people!), we'll form a human prayer chain around the courthouse and sing Amazing Grace.
If prayer is an important part of your life, join us next Thursday, at the center of Center, for the National Day of Prayer. Call 979-533-1575 for more information.
April 29, 2024 - When I decided to get a B.A. instead of a B.S. at ETBU, I knew I would have to take a course in some foreign language. And since Greek was the World language when Jesus was born and since our New Testament was originally written in Greek, I decide Greek would be my foreign language choice.
So on the first morning of Dr. Roark’s class, we were given some free advice. “Young men,“ he began, “If you plan to miss any of my classes, don’t bother coming back.” “A third of you will either flunk out or drop out of this class and it will probably be “διαιρώντας το μυαλόo” that caused it.” “Those Greek words are translated as “worry” in English but they mean literally “to divide the mind”. “And you can’t pass this course unless you come to every class with an “undivided mind.
I immediately thought of my “divided mind” through High School. As teachers like Mr. Wyatt was trying to explain Algebra, I day-dreamed about going down to perch fish or swim at Weaver’s pond as soon as school let out. Consequently, my “divided mind” made me barely pass Algebra even though I had great fun after school.
Because of my determination to learn Greek from Dr. Roark, I began challenging Tony Evans and Jimmy Millikan for first place in the class. On the second year, I asked Dr. Roark who did best on the last test. I had a 99 and Tony and Jimmy both had 96’s. I later learned that they both became Seminary Professors.
In 1947…at 14 years of age… I gave my life to Christ. It was unconditional surrender. And I will always be fine…
…as long as I serve Him with an “undivided mind”
April 29, 2024 - Good Morning! It's Monday, April 29.
This Thursday at noon, there will be a National Day of Prayer event in front of our historic courthouse here in Center, Texas. I'm coordinating this half-hour event that will include the singing of our National Anthem, and prayers for our country, our schools, our first responders, our soldiers, our churches, and our families. If we have at least 100 present we'll end at 12:30 with a human prayer chain around the courthouse, while we sing "Amazing Grace". I think it's going to be an amazing moment, and if you're one of our local readers, I hope you'll join us.
Today we'll begin a short series on prayer, in preparation for the National Day of Prayer. We focus today on the most famous prayer in history - The Lord's Prayer. It's found in two places - a short version in the gospel of Luke, and the longer, more familiar version in Matthew.
Some call it the "Our Father", but I prefer the name "The Model Prayer". Jesus was a man of constant prayer. He followed the instruction in I Thessalonians 5:17 to "pray without ceasing". But in the sixth chapter of Matthew, Jesus isn't praying - He's teaching us how to pray.
He teaches us to begin our prayers by focusing on the Father. The first three of the seven petitions in this famous passage are centered on God. Only after saying, "Thy will be done" should we ask for our daily bread. Protestant believers end this prayer with a doxology, a proclamation of praise. It isn't found in the earliest manuscripts of Matthew, but it's a beautiful expression of worship.
"For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever!"
Amen.
Meet you back here tomorrow,
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org
April 25, 2024 - There was a popular song written in 1974 entitled “One Day At A Time” that has been recorded by somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 different recording artists. One line of the song reads, “Lord help me today, show me the way, one day at a time.”
Perhaps that’s the concept the Psalmist had in mind when he wrote these words in Psalms 118:24, “This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad today!” (NCV). Here is a man with a word of wisdom that all of us would do good to live by. He lived in a long ago day but he has a philosophy that is fresh and up to date for us today.
In fact, I am persuaded this is even more needed in our crowded and hectic world than it was in the more quiet time he was privileged to live in.
What you and I need to do is to learn this man’s secret. If we claim the promises of God today, we take care of our yesterdays and leave the past with God. Just as God takes care of yesterday, so will he take care of tomorrow. Today is all we have, it is all we can manage and it is all we need. If we live right today, we can leave yesterday and tomorrow in the hand of God. What we must do is make sure we live for God today.
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.
April 24, 2024 - Mt. Zion C.M.E. Church is delighted to extend a cordial invitation to join the Baccalaureate Service of the Graduating Class of 2024. This special occasion will take place on Sunday, May 19, 2024, at 11am at the Mt. Zion C.M.E. Church located at 921 Martin Luther King Drive in Center, TX.
The Baccalaureate Service is a cherished tradition that marks the culmination of a students' academic journey and offers an opportunity for reflection, gratitude, and celebration. It is a time to come together as a community to honor the achievements of the graduating class and to offer them blessings and well wishes as they prepare to embark on the next chapter of their lives.
Following the service, there will be a reception where attendees can mingle, congratulate the graduates, and enjoy light refreshments.
We sincerely hope that you will be able to join us for this meaningful occasion. Your presence will undoubtedly add to the joy and significance of the day for our graduates and their families.
Thank you for your support and for being a part of this special moment in the lives of our graduates. You may contact Kristi McClelland at (936) 591-4268, Anita Williams at (936) 332-7847 or Veronica Berry at (936) 488-8096 for further information.
Warm regards,
Baccalaureate Service Committee
April 23, 2024 - Strong Cemetery has cancelled their annual homecoming this year.
Donations can be mailed to: Strong Cemetery, P.O Box 1383, Center, Texas 75935.
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