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Contributing Writers: Mike Mills, Spring Hill Church | Doug Fincher | Pastor Randy and Sue Smith | Mike Belgard | Tim Perkins
Faith
August 25, 2022 - Every morning, the sun comes rising over the eastern hills to flood this old world with its light. There are myriads of folks who greet each new day with an eager freshness. To them, every day is full of hope and promise. Their hearts are light, their problems are nothing more than challenges to a more exhilarating life. Yet, there are others who face each new day with a certain amount of dread and foreboding. They are convinced that the problems they face are not just challenges, they are a weight to carry beyond their strength.
To those who greet the morning light with eagerness, there is no word of encouragement necessary. To the others, words of encouragement seem to have lost their meaning. Yet, even they might take heart from a man whose life was plagued with illness. Robert Louis Stevenson was a British novelist, poet, essayist and musician. He gave us, among other works the classic, “Treasure Island.” Stevenson was plagued with poor health and yet wrote, “Anyone can carry his burden, however hard, until nightfall. Anyone can do his work, for one day. Anyone can live sweetly, patiently, lovingly, purely, till the sun goes down. And this is all that life really means.”
You know, this is really all the Lord expects of us. Just to live for Him one day at a time. Then, when life is over we can fall asleep in His arms of love, care and protection. Blessed thought and happy day!
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.
August 24, 2022 - Grillin’ Chillin’ & Lovin’ First (GCLF) announces their first event on Saturday, September 3 from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at Portacool Park near the splash pad. GCLF is free family fun! Everyone is welcome to attend!
GCLF is all about families getting together with other families, making new friends, grilling dinner, and having fun. We will meet on the first Saturday of the month at various locations around Center. Bring something to grill for your family - hot dogs, hamburgers, steak, sausage, boudin – whatever you like. Drinks, sides, and fixings will be provided - just remember to bring buns if you need them! We also provide the grills! We will have activities and crafts for families with games and music. Remember to bring your lawn chairs!
For more information about Grillin’ Chillin’ & Lovin’ First, visit https://gclf.fun, contact Malcolm Monroe at (936) 598-2707 or send an email to GCLF.FUN@gmail.com. Follow GCLF on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/GrillinChillinLovinFirst/.
August 24, 2022 - Neuville Baptist Church will be having homecoming on Sunday, August 28th. Services begin at 10:50AM. Bro. Orr will be preaching. Lunch will follow the service. Come join us.
“….For he hath no form or comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.” Isaiah 53:2
August 22, 2022 - From the time Christian children settle into Sunday school classrooms, an image of Jesus Christ is etched into their minds. In North America he is most often depicted as being taller than his disciples, lean, with flowing, light brown hair, fair skin with light-colored eyes. Classical European painters usually portray Him as tall and thin and with delicate, almost effeminate features. The Original African Heritage Edition of the King James Bible has a picture of Jesus looking like a man from Central Africa.
He was a Jew and very likely resembled the Jews of Israel today.
For centuries some have believed that Jesus was under a Nazirite vow. According to Numbers 6:1-6 the person taking a Nazirite vow pledged to abstain from wine and grapes, to avoid touching a dead body and to not cut his or her hair until the end of the vow's duration. But the Gospels record occasions when Jesus drank wine, which means He would have broken a Nazirite vow had He been under one. Samson, John the Baptist and Samuel were “Nazirites”…but Jesus was a “Nazarene” meaning only that he was from Nazareth. There is absolutely no way that we can determine how long his hair was proving that hair length isn’t a definitive measure of anyone’s worth.
The New Testament emphasizes Jesus’ sinless life and moral teachings, but has almost nothing to say about what He looked like. The mob that came to arrest Him that fateful night could not tell Him apart from Peter, John or any of the others - Judas Iscariot had to actually point Him out (Matthew 26:47-49). Jesus was an ordinary-looking man.
So maybe it's time for us to dust off the Gospels and discover the real Jesus. We could find that not only did Jesus look different from what we have believed, but that the Gospel contains many other truths about Him that we’ve never heard.
August 22, 2022 - Good Morning! It's Monday, August 22.
Just a few weeks ago, Shelby County Texas was high and dry. We were in a drought. We were under a burn ban. The temps were in the triple digits and rain was a distant memory. How things have changed! We got three inches over the last few days, it's pouring as I write this, and the weatherman says there's lots more to come.
And so, naturally, I'm thinking about a man... named Noah! Here's a reprint of a clever top ten list. Enjoy.
Everything I Need to Know in Life, I Learned From Noah's Ark.
1. Don't miss the boat.
2. Remember, we're all in the same boat.
3. Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark.
4. Stay fit. When you're really old, someone may ask you to do something really important.
5. Don't listen to critics, just get on with the job at hand.
6. Build your future on high ground.
7. For safety sake, travel in pairs.
8. When you're stressed, float a while.
9. Remember the ark was built by amateurs, the Titanic by professionals.
10. No matter the storm, when you're with God, there's always a rainbow coming.
Meet you back here tomorrow,
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org
August 22, 2022 - Grace and peace from our brother, Jesus. It is Saturday afternoon, and the strangest things are happening: The Cubs just tied the ballgame with the Brewers and it’s raining. [Update: The Cubs won, making 5 in a row, we got almost two inches of rain!] Saints be praised. The temperatures are moderate for August, and we are supposed to get rain for the next few days. Yeah! My wonderful dogs, Gunter and Sam, act like they want to go for a walk, but when they get on the front porch and realize it’s raining...full stop! I saw a bumper sticker that said, “If you want to know what Heaven is like, get a dog.” I agree 100%. Those two make continually make us laugh.
This morning at Sunday School I filled in for Fannie, who had a grandchild getting baptized. The poor folks at Sunday School had to listen to me twice! In the reading from Ephesians, we hear Paul speaking about the divide between Gentile and Jewish believers. Even though this issue was supposed to have been put to sleep, it kept raising its ugly head—and Paul had to keep warning against it. Many of the converts that looked to Paul were Gentiles. The Jewish followers had always seen Jews as set apart—God’s chosen. They felt it was a step down to worship with and eat beside Gentiles. They had a sense of entitlement, and Paul knew that wasn’t going to work.
Our worship service began with gathering words from Psalm 71, which says we can take refuge in the love of God. Our affirmation was The Apostles’ Creed. The CD player was having issues today, but eventually we sang “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing” and “When We All Get to Heaven.” In a nod to today’s sermon, our first bulletin quote was about aging: Dr. Seuss said, “I still climb Mount Everest just as often as I used to. I play polo just as often as I used to. But to walk down to the hardware store I find a little more difficult.” Inside the bulletin, Malcolm Forbes advised, “Being right half the time beats being half-right all the time.” We missed Carolyn, Sue and Fred today, hoping they’ll soon be back among us.
We will collect children’s underwear and socks for another week, and then our donations go to Community Christian Services. In September our contribution will be boxes of macaroni and cheese, a favorite of kids everywhere. When she was younger, our great-niece ate all-orange meals featuring mac-n-cheese and Goldfish crackers. After she grew old enough to cook for herself, she often made mac-n-cheese. Sue asked what her favorite recipe was, and Ava replied, “The blue box.”
I titled my sermon “Recalculating.” When I have GPS on in the truck but am not going exactly the way it directs me, it says, “Recalculating.” I read this week that the only person who really likes change is a wet baby. I think that is true and becomes truer the older we get. But we have to be ready to recalculate because we don’t know what the future holds. In Sunday’s Gospel lesson, it seems as if all the planets get aligned. Jesus and his disciples just happen to be in that unnamed village on the Sabbath. Jesus is asked to read from the scroll and speak at the synagogue. He looks where the women are allowed during service, seeing a woman bent by eighteen years of hardship. Jesus, full of mercy, goes to her, grabs her hands, and straightens her up. For the first time in many years, she is able to look someone in the eye. The leader of the synagogue criticizes Jesus for “working on the sabbath,” but Jesus, of course, shows the healing to be the right thing to do.
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, and Open Minds.” 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 your email address to the Paxton email address, and I will add you to the list. God’s Speed.
August 18, 2022 - The story is told that one evening, a man lit a taper and began to climb a long, winding stairway. “Where are you going?” inquired the taper. “I am going up higher than a house to show ships the way to the harbor!”
“But no ship in the harbor could ever see my light” said the taper. “It is so very small.” “If your light is small”, the man responded, “keep burning brightly, and leave the rest to me.”
When the man reached the top of the long steps, he came to a great lamp. Then he took the little taper and lit the lamp. Soon the great polished reflectors behind the lamp sent bright beams of light many, many miles out to sea!
The legend of the taper is but a suggestion of how God can use His light in our lives. Our job is to keep His light glowing. The effectiveness is in His hands.
No wonder we have such language from Jesus: “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel but on a candle-stick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine among men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-14)
So, how brightly is your light for Jesus shining?
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
August 18, 2022 - New Prospect Missionary Baptist Church, Timpson, Texas will have their Annual Homecoming on Sunday, August 21, 2022 at 1pm. The guest speaker will be Rev. Mario Osby, Pastor of the Smith Chapel Baptist Church in Timpson, Texas. Everyone is cordially invited to attend.
There will be no morning services. We will not have a revival this year.
Sis. Janice Garrett, Program Coordinator
Rev. Rayford Caraway, Pastor
August 16, 2022 - Good Morning! It's Tuesday, August 16.
The Bible is, first and foremost, a book about God - His personality, His purpose, His plan. But, it's also a book about people - people who, because of their relationship with God, changed their world. Some of these people are major Bible characters. You know their names well, because they are often spoken about, preached about, and included in these Daily Devotions. People like Abraham, Noah, Moses, David, Peter, John, and Paul. But then there are the hundreds and hundreds of characters who play a smaller part in The Word. Perhaps they're only mentioned in one story. Perhaps in just one verse. And perhaps we don't even know them by name.
There was a man in 1st Century Jerusalem, a man who played a part in one of the most important moments in history, a man who gave us an inspiring example of faith. And, yet, we don't know his name. In the Bible he is just called "a thief" - the thief who hung on the cross beside Jesus. The crucifixion story is featured, of course, in all four gospels, but each story is unique. Matthew and Mark speak of the "two thieves" and John just says "two others". Luke describes them as "criminals" and is the only gospel writer to include their conversation with Jesus. After one thief hurled insults at Christ, the other said - "Don't you fear God, since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong. Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." (Luke 23:39-42)
This story of this nameless man reminds us of several things. First, challenging circumstances can either bring out the worst in us, or the best. Second, the opportunity to have relationship with God is a never-ending opportunity. And last, if we have a repentant heart, God is faithful to forgive. The Bible doesn't tell us the thief's name, but, perhaps, we'll learn what it is... when we meet him in heaven!
Meet you back here tomorrow,
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org
“I am the Way, the truth and the life…..”
August 15, 2022 - While pastor of the First Baptist Church in Mauriceville, Texas, I made a late evening hunt off the Lemonville Road. I became so engrossed with the hunt that that I wound up trying to find my way back after dark. Three hours of wading through rice laterals and briar patches brought me to Homer Bishop’s house on Highway 96 who drove me home.
On the following Sunday as I was about to preach, Deacon Joe Daily presented me with a brand new wrist compass and showed me how to use it. From that day, I took it with me on every hunt and it never failed to get me home.
Mankind is hopelessly lost in the darkness of sin and all his efforts cannot take him home. So God gave man The Compass, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Man can find a lot of things without The Compass. But he’ll never find a home in heaven…
… without Him.
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