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Contributing Writers: Mike Mills, Spring Hill Church | Doug Fincher | Pastor Randy and Sue Smith | Mike Belgard | Tim Perkins
Faith
June 1, 2023 - A businessman was sitting at his desk. All around him were bills, letters and other evidence that he was totally absorbed in the details of his business.
The minister of the church entered, anxious to discuss the man’s soul. The business man said, “Oh, you must excuse me brother, I am too busy to take time for that today.” Politely, the minister asked, “When shall I call on you again?” The man said, “I don’t know and I can’t tell you. I am just too busy right now. I have a lot to attend to.” With a sad and heavy heart, the minister excused himself and the businessman returned to his paperwork.
A few days later, a disagreeable stranger stepped into the businessman’s office and laid a cold hand on his shoulder. “Come, you must go home with me” the visitor demanded. The businessman laid down his pen, closed his desk and left. He had no choice. A cold chill settled on him as images of so many things left unfinished flashed before his eyes. The name of the visitor was death.
We may think we are so busy we don’t have time to obey the Lord and live His kind of life. However, we will someday not be too busy to die.
Find the time to serve the Lord 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.
May 30, 2023 - Good Morning! It's Tuesday, May 30.
Yesterday, a good crowd of community friends met at our civic center for a Memorial Day event. One of the children from First Baptist, Dylan Roberts, gave us a special moment as he sang "God Bless America".
This song was written in 1918, during World War I, when it's composer, Irving Berlin, was a private in the U.S. Army. He revised it right before World War II, and on Armistice Day, 1938, Kate Smith premiered this "new' song on her radio show. Its' popularity swept the nation. If we examine the lyrics, we could easily describe it as a song of prayer. Berlin called it a peace song. The verse is seldom sung today, but Kate Smith always included it in her rendition -
"As the storm clouds gather far across the sea, we will pledge allegiance to a land that's free
"We will all be grateful for a land so fair, as we raise our voices in a solemn prayer"
Kate Smith raised over 600 million dollars in war bonds, more than any other celebrity. Irving Berlin donated the millions in royalties from this song to the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America. He died in 1989. She died in 1986. But their song lives on. A song of patriotism. A song of peace. A song of prayer.
"God bless America, land that I love. Stand beside her and guide her through the night with the light from above
"From the mountains to the prairies, to the oceans white with foam, God bless America, my home sweet home.
"God bless America, my home sweet home."
Meet you back here tomorrow,
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org
May 25, 2023 - Admittedly, in our day and time, with the uncertainty in our world, there is seemingly much to be afraid of. Jesus said in John 10:10, “I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly”. Yet, to live the abundant life Jesus wants us to live, we must conquer certain things and one of those is fear.
Fear can have a ravaging effect on our lives and can be one of our greatest adversaries. There is an ancient legend of a man driving one day toward a certain city. He was stopped by an old woman asking for a ride. He took her up beside him and they drove down the road. As he looked at her, he became frightened and asked, “Who are you?” The old woman replied that she was Cholera. He ordered the old woman to get out and walk. Yet, she persuaded him to take her. She promised not to kill more than five people in the city. She even gave him a special dagger, the only weapon that oculd kill her and told him that she would meet him in 2 days and he could stab her if she broke her promise. 120 people died in the city of cholera. The enraged man went to look for her, and meeting her raised his dagger to kill her. She stopped him, saying she had kept her agreement, and killed only 5 people. Fear, she said, killed the others.
Oftentimes, this legend is a true parable of life. Disease kills its thousands, fear kills its tens of thousands. Sometimes, the greatest miseries of humanity come from the dread of trouble rather than from the presence of trouble.
It’s something to think about... tbp
Join Us for Worship this coming Lord’s Day at Center Church of Christ or online www.centerchurchofchrist.com
May 23, 2023 - Lone Cedar Missionary Baptist Church will be having their Revival Services May 29 to June 2nd at 7pm nightly. Bro. Marlin Ferguson is the Evangelist, Dr. Travis Worsham is the pianist, and Bro. Jay Pollan will be leading the singing.
May 23, 2023 - First Baptist Church in Center is hosting a Vacation Bible School on June 5-9 from 9am to 12pm.
Registration can be accomplished by visiting FBCCenter.org
May 22, 2023 - One Day Vacation Bible School at Mount Calvary Full Gospel Church - 5527 FM 417 East - Shelbyville, TX 75935, Saturday, June 10, from 10am till 3pm.
Bubbling Up For Jesus
- Crafts
- Outside Games & Water Slide (Bring Dry Clothes)
- Cotton Candy - Snow Cones & Lunch, Refreshments
Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian
May 22, 2023 - Old Home Baptist Church VBS - "Stellar, Shine Jesus' Light" will be June 5th-8th (Monday - Thursday) from 5:30 to 8:00 PM nightly for Ages 3 thru 6th Grade. Old Home Baptist Church would love to have your children join us for Bible Story time, games, snacks and lots more. For details, text or call Wendy at 936-254-4872.
May 22, 2023 - The Joaquin Community Cemetery Homecoming will be held on Saturday, June 10, 2023 beginning at 10:30am. We plan a program with slide show about horses around Joaquin many years ago. We have plenty of pictures of folks riding and in buggies. It should be a lot of fun. There will be an offering taken for upkeep of cemetery and a pot luck lunch will follow. There will be door prizes and the kids are invited to decorate with sidewalk chalk that will be provided. All in all a good time will be had by everyone attending.
May 22, 2023 - Good Morning! It's Monday, May 22.
Yesterday, in my broadcast Sunday School lesson, we studied the famous passage in Ephesians 6, where the Apostle Paul encourages us to "put on the full armor of God". Paul wrote those inspiring words to the church in Ephesus from Rome. He had always dreamed of going to Rome, as a missionary, as a church-planter, as a preacher. But when he finally arrived in that great city, he came as a prisoner.
The charges against Paul were relatively minor, so, instead of being placed in the dungeon of the notorious Mamertine Prison, he was put under house arrest. For two years he was guarded by, and perhaps chained to Roman soldiers. As he wrote about the "helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith", he was inches away from a living metaphor.
The New Testament includes four letters that Paul wrote during his time of incarceration - Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. They have been dubbed "the Prison Epistles", and we would not have them had not Paul been imprisoned. During this time, the great apostle was visited by his protégés Timothy and Mark, and had the time to mentor them, to prepare them to carry on his work.
The book of Romans was written as Paul was still dreaming of visiting Rome. In the eighth chapter he proclaims this powerful truth - "God works all things for good, to those who love Him and are called to His purpose". Paul could have grown bitter and disillusioned during his time of house arrest. Instead, he trusted God to do a good work, even during a bad time.
A lesson for us today.
Meet you back here tomorrow,
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org
May 18, 2023 - I enjoy history. In my reading about the American “Civil War” (sometimes referred to as “The War of Northern Aggression”) I read of a woman who heard that the enemy (Yankees!) was approaching. She immediately grabbed a poker from beside the fireplace and rushed out of the house into the yard. Someone standing nearby laughed and asked, “What good do you think that poker will do against guns?” She grimly replied, “At least they will know which side I am on!”
Jesus was concerned about this when he said, “He that is not with me is against me” (Matthew 12:30) There is no such thing in Christianity as a “middle of the road” position. We may refuse to take part in the troubles of individuals. We may refuse to take part in the differences in nations. We may refuse to get involved in the political debates that rage in our nation. But we cannot refuse to take a part in the work of the Lord. Refusal places us against Christ. In no other condition in life is this felt so severely as the work of Christ. There is a reason for this. Our final home with God depends on what we do while we dwell on this earth. We are constantly fighting evil and upholding right if we live as Jesus would have us to live and according to his teachings. It is a race. It is a battle. It is a struggle. There is no place where we may rest and there is no possibility of capitulation. We must be constantly on the march.
We need to pick up our pokers and let the devil and his crowd know whose side we are on.
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.
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