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Contributing Writers: David Mathis | Tim Perkins
Past Contributing Writers: Mike Mills, Spring Hill Church | Doug Fincher | Pastor Randy and Sue Smith | Mike Belgard
Faith
February 23, 2026 - Good Morning! It’s Monday, February 23.
The Bible is a book that teaches us in many different ways. There are verses that explain doctrine, there are poems of praise, there are characters who serve as examples. And then there are the stories. As children, these stories are the gateway to understanding who God is, and these stories guide us throughout our lives. One of the most dramatic stories in the Word is the Tower of Babel.
This story is found in Genesis 11. You won’t find the term “Tower of Babel” there, but you will find people who became so full of themselves that they tried to build a structure that would reach to heaven, that would make them as powerful as God. The story speaks to the constant temptation to rely on our own strength, forgetting that we should be completely dependent on Him. But the story also speaks about language, about how God punished the people by dividing them into many different tongues.
Today there are over 7000 languages in the world. Over 400 of them are spoken here in the United States, where 20% of the population has a first language other than English. When I served on staff at First Baptist Rosenberg, a suburb of Houston, we did a study and found that there were 125 languages spoken within 30 minutes of our church. Even here in rural East Texas there are dozens of different tongues. In a time of great division in America, some count language as a dividing line.
But we are connected by our humanity, and by a common desire to be connected. And, no matter our language, we are connected by the love of God, and by the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible has been translated into over 3000 languages. I’ll share this verse in English.
Galatians 3:28 - There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ.
Meet you back here tomorrow,
David cindertex50@yahoo.com
February 19, 2026 - We read in Mark chapter 6 that Jesus and the disciples were trying to get away from the crowd of people for a little peace and quiet. They needed some R & R as we would say. Yet, Mark tells us the multitude followed and Jesus spent the day teaching them. The “day was far spent,” evening was coming and the great crowd of people needed to be fed. In Mark chapter 6 and verse 38 Jesus asks the disciples, “How many loaves have ye?”
Jesus was not asking for information, he knew how many loaves they had. Neither was he asking because he could not feed the multitude without their loaves. Jesus wanted those disciples then and all disciples of all ages to know that He is to bless others through them. He wanted them to know, and he wants us to know, that we must be willing to use what we have or give it into his hands that others might be blessed.
The disciples in that far off day did not have enough for themselves, but when they surrendered what they had to Jesus, it increased sufficiently to feed themselves and the multitude with more left than they had at the beginning. It is not how much we have, but how much faith we have in what Jesus can do with what we have.
Jesus says to us, “How many loaves have ye?” We must never say or think “not enough.” When we surrender it all to Jesus, when we commit it to Him, we have more than enough.
It’s something to think about... tbp
Come and join us for Worship
Center Church of Christ
www.centerchurchofchrist.com
February 5, 2026 - Do you have a winning recipe? Enter your favorite chili, gumbo, or soup—or just come hungry! Sample the entries and vote for your favorites on Sunday, February 22, 2026 from 4pm until 5:30pm at First Methodist Church of Center. Awards presentation will be at 6pm.
Additional happening during the cook-off:
- Silent Auction
- Dessert Auction
Entry and Voting:
- Amateur Team Entry Fee: $10
- Ages 13 and up: $5 (includes 5 voting tickets)
- Ages 3–12: $3 (includes 3 voting tickets)
- Under 3: FREE
- Additional voting tickets: $1 each
Bring your appetite, invite a friend, and join us for great food, fellowship, and fun for a great cause!
Team Registration ends Thursday, February 19th. All proceeds benefit Missions and Outreach.
February 14, 2026 - A shared ministry of First Methodist Church and St. John's Episcopal Church will be holding an Annual Pancake Supper on Tuesday, February 17th from 5pm to 6:30pm in the parish hall at First Methodist Church, 211 Porter Street, Center, Texas. Everyone is invited to attend.
February 16, 2026 - Mt. Zion C.M.E. Church's Black History Program is at 3pm on Sunday, February 22 and the 2026 Black History Month Theme is "A Century of Black History Commemorations."
Speakers:
- Ms. Linda Harris, MSW, LMSW, Director of Field Education / Clinical Instructor and Stephen F. Austin School of Social Work - Nacogdoches, Texas
- Jeremy Small, Doctor of Education Director of Secondary Education, Bastrop I.S.D. - Bastrop, Texas
Guest musician is Bro. Johnathan Fountain and Orator is Sis. Vanessa Davis. Additionally, Joyce Johnson - Program Chairperson; Rev. Richard Edwards - Pastor; Rt. Rev. Lawrence L. Reddick, III - Presiding Bishop; and Rev. Milton Proctor - Presiding Elder.
"Never be limited by other people's limited imaginations."
February 16, 2026 - Saint John's Episcopal Church will have an Ash Wednesday service at 12 noon on Wednesday, February 18th. Pancake supper will be Tuesday, February 17th at Center Methodist Church parish hall. Everyone is invited to attend.
Let’s take a moment to consider the religious affiliations of our chief executives. More of them were Episcopalians than any other denomination - 11 in all - including George Washington. In second place, with 8 presidents, comes the Presbyterian faith. Ronald Reagan was in this group. Donald Trump was raised Presbyterian, but now presents as non-denominational. There’ve been 4 Baptists (Jimmy Carter), 3 Methodists (George W. Bush), 2 Quakers (Richard Nixon), and 2 Catholics (John Kennedy and Joe Biden).
A couple of presidents never officially joined a church - Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln. Jefferson is no surprise, being known for his Deist beliefs, a system based on rational thought and revelation through nature. But Lincoln, famous for using scripture references in his speeches more than any other president, is something of a spiritual enigma. An internet search of all the Bible verses he used, and how he used them, would make an interesting self study.
There is a particular verse that speaks to us on this holiday morning - I Peter 2:17 - “Love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the emperor”. And so, on this day, we honor our presidents, and we pray that each of our elected leaders will seek God for wisdom, for strength, and for direction.
Meet you back here tomorrow,
David
cindertex50@yahoo.com
February 16, 2026 - St. Paul MBC announces that due to unforeseen circumstances, the Black History Month program is cancelled at this time. Normal church service will continue as scheduled.
St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church will have 4th Sunday on February 22 featuring their Black History Month program starting at 10am.
The focus of the program will be dealing with power of youth leadership in the church in the civil rights movement.
Special guest speaker will be Derrick Rainey from Little Rock, Arkansas. He is the Student Pastor for Longley Baptist Church in Little Rock and he is also the mayor of Wrightsville, Ark.
February 12, 2026 - Lone Star Baptist Church warmly invites the entire community to join us for a powerful and encouraging Grow and Go Weekend, a time of spiritual growth, fellowship, and hands on training in sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ.
This special weekend is designed to equip believers to confidently witness to others, deepen their understanding of Scripture, and be nourished by God’s Word. Together, we will walk verse by verse through the book of Epistle to the Philippians (Chapters 1 through 4), discovering the joy, courage, unity, and strength found in Christ.
Whether you are new in your faith or have walked with the Lord for years, this weekend will strengthen and refresh you.
What to Expect
- Biblical teaching and study
- Practical witnessing training
- Role play and live interaction opportunities
- Group table discussions
- Fellowship with other believers
- Encouragement and spiritual renewal
We will provide:
- Supper on Friday
- Breakfast, lunch and Supper on Saturday
- Pens, notebooks, and highlighters
- A Bible if you do not have one
Everything you need will be provided. Just come with an open heart.
- Friday – February 20, 6pm to 8pm
- Saturday – February 21, 8am to 6pm
- Sunday – February 22, 9:30am to 10:45am
All are welcome. We look forward to seeing you there.
Grow and go weekend: Don’t make ways to witness, make witnessing your way!
Lone Star Baptist Church is located at 2026 Highway 87 South, Center, Texas 75935.
February 12, 2026 - There is a little obscure sentence found in Philippians 3:10 that expressed the deepest longing and desire of the apostle Paul, where he writes, “That I may know Him.” Paul’s deepest and most fervent longing evidently was to know Jesus better. That ought to be our deepest longing also. The knowledge of God revealed in Jesus Christ gives us a grip on the great spiritual realities. If we are to know Jesus better, then we must spend time with the book of God, the Bible. You see, it is the Bible that reveals Jesus Christ, the son of the living God to us.
Right here, right now, this very minute, how real is Jesus to you? Jesus Christ needs to be real in our lives and we need to make Him more a part of our lives.
If we are to come to know Jesus, if He is going to be real to us, there is a price to be paid to know him. Let’s be honest, everything worthwhile has a price to pay. To be a world class athlete, an individual must pay a huge price in training. To be an accomplished musician, long hours must be spent in practice. There were those in the New Testament who left everything for Jesus. Peter, Andrew, James and John got out of the fishing business. Paul said he counted all things loss for Christ. If we want to know Jesus Christ, really know Jesus Christ, we must be willing to surrender our will to the will of Jesus and make him first in our lives.
It’s something to think about. . . tbp
Come and join us for Worship
Center Church of Christ
www.centerchurchofchrist.com
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