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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
November 22, 2022 - Bright Morning Star Baptist Church presents a Thanksgiving Day Community Dinner on Thursday, November 24, 2022 from 10am until 1pm. Everyone is invited.
If you know any needing a meal delivered (within city limits) facility approval, please call 936-332-2789 or 936-590-5392 and leave message or text by Wednesday, November 23 at noon.
Bright Morning Star Baptist Church is located at 623 Martin Luther King, Center, Texas 75935.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. Psalm 100:4
November 21, 2022 - Grace and peace from our brother Jesus, Amen. This is my first article and newsletter in a couple of weeks. I had surgery on both hands a few weeks ago and am healing up nicely. I am still restricted on the weight I can pick up and on not overworking my hands. I have entrusted dog walking duties to Sue, and she has faithfully taken Gunter and Sam for morning walks on these cold autumn mornings. These last few mornings feel like January in East Texas, not November.
All of us at Paxton Methodist Church wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving. What an important day to remember all our blessings! Of course it is a reminder that Christmas will be here soon: We need to get decorations and trees put up and finish (or start) Christmas shopping. 2023 promises to be a New Year for Paxton Methodist Church. You may have noticed that our church sign on the highway in front of the church reads “Paxton Methodist Church.” The word “United” has been dropped. Paxton Methodist is joining a new denomination, The Global Methodist Church, starting January 1st and will also be getting a new minister. The one certain thing we humans can depend on is change.
During November Paxton Methodists are collecting rice and beans for Community Christian Services. Some of our members are sponsoring a particular young person as part of the angel tree project—or donating money to help. It seems that in this time of thanksgiving and the promise of new birth and new hope, people are even more generous with their time and resources. I read that if we allowed ourselves to meet God everywhere, each day would become a Christmas Day.
We began our worship service listening to the hymn, “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee.” We at Paxton were very joyful this morning as Sue and Fred braved the really cold weather and came to join us. They are a very sweet couple and we were all so happy to see them after a long recovery.
Our Gathering Words came from Psalm 100, urging us to greet the Lord with gladness. The affirmation of faith was the Apostles’ Creed. The next hymn was the beautiful Thanksgiving song, “We Gather Together.” The congregation wasn’t completely familiar with it, but it is my wife’s favorite hymn. Our final song Sunday was “This Is My Father’s World,” the facing page to my favorite hymn, “Morning Has Broken.” My message was all Thanksgiving. It was to remind us that gratitude must lead us to thankfulness. We all certainly have things to be thankful for, even though they may slip our minds during this busy time of the year.
We had our regulars at Sunday School; once again our author took a scripture that we have often heard but used it in a way most of us hadn’t thought of. In the scripture Moses’ father-in-law tells Moses he can’t do it all and must delegate, allowing others to help him out. He tells Moses to find men who are honest and trustworthy. We often are reluctant to trust others, figuring they wouldn’t do as good a job as we would—or that it is simply easier just to do it ourselves.
After living under the threat of pandemic for a couple of years, Paxton Methodists decided to renew our Paxton Community Christmas get-to-together this year. The program will begin at 6:00 PM on Thursday, December 15. After songs and a couple of readings, a light meal will follow, mostly catered rather than potluck. Come join us.
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.
“Inasmuch as you did it to the least of these my brothers, little ones, you did it to me….” Matt. 25:35
November 21, 2022 - Deacon Jones was the most consistent and dependable deacon in my West Texas pastorate. He never missed a service, he served on the Finance and Usher’s Committees and never missed a meeting. His dress, home, automobile and lawn were immaculately neat. He was Chairman of the Deacons and was known for his prayers of thanks.
But none of us dared to be seen in public with him. His intimidation of waitresses, nurses, bankers and grocery clerks was well-documented in our town. After blessing the food one day, he shouted at the waitress, “You brought me cold coffee! Get out of my sight and don’t let me see your face again!” And his unconscionable mistreatment of his hospital nurses was an embarrassment to us… and to God.
I’m sure Deacon Jones was taught to say “thank you” while growing up. But saying and praying “thank you” is meaningless hypocrisy when we have no consideration for our fellow man. God, who sees in the darkness and the light, is not fooled by our unsubstantiated prayers of thanks.
“Thanks-giving” means nothing if we’re not “thanks-living.”
November 21, 2022 - Good Morning! It’s Monday, November 21.
Did you go to church yesterday? If you did, then I can guess what the theme of the service was - thankfulness! Our new interim pastor, Tim Watson, preached a sermon called “Thanksgiving in Three Tenses.” He reminded us that Jesus Christ has been faithful in the past. He’s faithful in the present. And He will be faithful in the future. It reminded me of Hebrews 13:8 - “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
Last night our church was part of a Community Thanksgiving Service. A big crowd, with all kinds of people, all kinds of faiths, met for an hour of praise, preaching, prayer... and pies! A pie fellowship followed an inspiring service. It was all about the church with a capital “C." It was all about giving thanks for the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, a gift given to us all. It reminded me of Ephesians 3:20-21.
"To Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen."
I'm thankful today for His grace and for His church!
Meet you back here tomorrow,
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org
November 14, 2022 - On Sunday, November 20, at 6pm, there will be a Community Thanksgiving Service at Center’s First Methodist Church, 211 Porter. It will be a celebration of fellowship featuring praise music led by several area church groups, and inspiring thoughts from several area pastors. A homemade pie reception will follow the service. Every member of our community is warmly invited. Contact David Mathis at 979.533.1575 for more information.
“Beware of men corrupted in mind and bereft of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a way of financial gain.” I Tim. 6:5
November 14, 2022 - After writing a recent article about my preacher-Grandmother, I received an email today from a San Augustine friend, Agnes Sparks. “Your Grandmother lived in a time when most folks thought more about the place they were heading in the "after-life" than we do today.” And she’s right… many do preach as if this life is all we have.
…And if you send them your money, you’ll receive wealth and prosperity. “It’s God's will for you to live in prosperity instead of poverty.” ‘It's God's will for you to pay your bills and not be in debt,” says a prominent prosperity preacher. “It's God's will for you to live in health and not in sickness all the days of your life.” By following the Lord, he says people recognize him everywhere and he doesn’t have to pay traffic tickets, (gets by with breaking the law) gets the best parking spot in parking lots, a first class seat on crowded airplanes with no boarding pass, and priority seating at restaurants.
I wonder why this recipe didn’t work for the church in Jesus’ day. Early Christians suffered unspeakable persecution (the Apostle Paul was beheaded in a Roman prison with no material possessions.)
If the prosperity preachers are right, why don’t they take their message to the starving of the world who really need prosperity?
Maybe it’s because the preachers couldn’t prosper there, either.
November 14, 2022 - Good Morning! It’s Monday, November 14.
In every church there are elder saints who serve as examples of faithful service. They are mentors. They are leaders. They are a blessing. Take a moment and remember people like that who have touched your life.
Marian Hooker was one of those people at my church. And early this morning she went home to glory. I had the honor to visit her in the hospital last night. Her family and I sang hymns around her bedside. She was ready to go.
A life well lived. A legacy of faithful service. A blessing.
Meet you back here tomorrow,
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org
November 10, 2022 - Have you ever walked through a cemetery and taken the time to look, really look at the tombstones there? It is often quite interesting to walk among the old tombstones and see the epitaphs that have been written by men.
Often, in older cemeteries you will find some very ornate tombstones and monuments. Perhaps it has been erected in honor of a child taken far too soon from his or her parents. It might be a man or woman taken in the springtime of life. Then again, it might be an aged father or mother, respected and honored. You see a name and you find some verse of hope on that tombstone or monument.
Today, you usually find only the name and the dates. You see the year they were born and the year they died and there is a small dash in between. The dash is what we do between the time we are born and the time we die. That’s what is most important. The dash, you see, is critical because it is your identity. It is who you are, husband, wife, mom, dad, teacher.
The dash is your influence, how you touch the lives of others. The dash is your legacy. It is what you leave behind to future generations.
When your life is over, when the pale horse and his rider cross your threshold, when your love ones erect a monument to you in some cemetery, what will your dash represent?
It’s something to think about. . . TBP
November 9, 2022 - The Shelby Family Life Center will be hosting a fall festival fundraiser on Saturday, November 12th starting at 12 noon. We will have lots of food, games and fun activities.
We will also be hosting a 3 on 3 basketball tournament in our Family Life Center Gym. In person registration is from 11am until 11:30am for $10 per person. Four players per team. Bring a team or join a team.
Come out and join us.
November 7, 2022 - Good Morning! It’s Monday, November 7.
I grew up in Houston in the 1960’s, so I grew up as a Houston Astros fan. I was a fan even before they were called the Astros. The team entered the league in 1962 as the Colt 45’s - a very cool name - but the name was changed in 1965, with the opening of the Astrodome.
In the early days, the team wasn’t very good, and they had to literally give tickets away. My dad was a minister, and any minister could sit in the outfield bleachers for free. He and I went to a lot of Astro games. Last Saturday night a ticket was a prized commodity and cost a pretty penny. And, at the end of the game, my Astros were crowned World Series champions.
They won it back in 2017, too, but that win was tainted by accusations that the team had cheated. This second championship was a second chance for greatness. But, after the game, on the Astro's night of triumph, the sportscasters couldn’t help but bring up the cheating scandal once again.
God is a God of second chances, but the Bible reminds us that, when we fall short of God’s best, there are consequences. Moses was a mighty leader, but he wasn’t allowed to lead his people into the Promised Land. David was a great King, but the honor of building the Temple was given to his son, Solomon. The Apostle Peter became a wise father to the Early Church, but his betrayal of Jesus must have haunted his life.
Cautionary tales. God gives second chances. But sin has a price.
Meet you back here tomorrow,
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org
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