Shelby County Today

May 2, 2022 - Good Morning! It's Monday, May 2.

This Thursday at noon there will be a National Day of Prayer event in front of our historic courthouse - in the "center of Center". I'm coordinating this half-hour event that will include the singing of the National Anthem, and prayers for our country, our schools, our churches, our military, our first responders, etc. If we have at least 100 people attend, we'll end the half hour with a human prayer chain around the courthouse, singing "Amazing Grace"! I invite all of our faithful daily devotion readers to come down and join us, as we come together to pray this Thursday at noon. Today we'll begin a brief series on prayer in preparation for the National Day of Prayer.

When it comes to the subject of prayer in the Bible - what's the first thing you think of? I imagine it's the passage that we call "The Lord's Prayer". We find two versions of it - a longer one in Matthew and a shorter one in Luke. Some people call this prayer "The Our Father". I like to call it "The Model Prayer" because it's not a record of Jesus praying, it's a record of Him teaching His disciples, and us, how to pray. I think that the real "Lord's Prayer" is found in John chapter 17. Jesus has completed the teaching lesson that He shared with the disciples in the Upper Room, and then, just before they go out to the Garden of Gethsemane where He will be arrested . . . Jesus prays.

It is a prayer that it is remarkable because of its very personal language, its intimate connection with God. In verse 10 Jesus prays, "All I have is yours, Father, and all You have is mine". And it is remarkable because, even though Jesus is about to face an unimaginable test, His prayer is almost completely directed outward. He's not praying for Himself, He's praying for His disciples, He's praying for me and you. 

"I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as we are one. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that You sent me and have loved them, even as You have loved me."

A selfless prayer. A prayer for others. A model prayer.

Meet you back here tomorrow, 
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org

April 28, 2022 - Peter would write in I Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon Him for he careth for you” (KJV). Personally, I like the way that Phillips translation gives us this passage when it says, “You can throw the whole weight of your anxieties upon him, for you are his personal concern.” Whether we realize it or not, you and I are in this verse. If there was ever a passage for troubled believers, this is the passage.

So much in this world is impersonal. You have to press one for English and give someone the last four numbers of your social security number. Yet, God still knows you and me as individuals. Guess what, God does not track us down by the last four digits of our social security number either. He knows us by name and he has time for us. Just like he had time for an outcast publican named Zacchaeus, a woman with a disease that touched the hem of His garment, and an unnamed woman with a poor reputation he met beside a well near Sychar. Jesus had time for them, and he has time for me and you.

When we read that passage in I peter, we realize we are in that verse and that our cares and burdens are in that verse. Peter tells us that Jesus can take on the full weight of all our worries and anxieties. Everything we are carrying, all the baggage we have and every care that is a roadblock to a blessing.

Don’t ever wonder if Jesus cares. He does, and He wants to bear our burdens if we will only let him.

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 27, 2022 - It’s almost time… so mark your calendars for Saturday, May 7, 2022 at 11am for the Sardis Cemetery Homecoming fish fry fundraiser. We will have the best catfish around! The plates have lots of fried catfish, French fries, the very best pinto beans, (made by Melba Rodgers) and all the fixings… plus homemade desserts. Lick your fingers good eating for $10 a plate!

This fundraiser helps to maintain the cemetery. We need your help and contributions to keep up with this inflation. We look forward to seeing you there. LaNell Rash will be ready to help you and answer any questions you may have regarding the cemetery.

It’s always so beautiful this time of year! So come on by for a visit with some of the nicest people in the county!

All proceeds will benefit the upkeep of the cemetery and grounds. Any donations can be mailed to Sardis Cemetery, 6034 FM 414, Center, TX 75935.

April 25, 2022 - The Buckner reunion will be held at the Clever Creek fellowship hall on Saturday, May 7, 2022 at 10:30am. Bring your favorite covered dish and stay for the auction. All proceeds will go towards up keep of our family cemetery. Donations are welcomed.