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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 22, 2017 - There was an experiment where a group of children were put in a classroom. A teacher was chosen to go into that classroom and teach these children. However, before the teacher went into the room they were briefed on the children's behavior. The first was told that these children were good students and that they had exemplary behavior. When the teacher went into the room she walked in smiling with a pleasant demeanor. She was eager to answer the children's questions. When asked at the end of the day how it went she gushed at how smart and easy these children were to teach.
The second teacher was briefed on the same class but was told that the children were difficult to control and slow to learn. Her approach to the children was vastly different. She was very stern in her speech and gave only short answers to the children's questions. At the end of the day the second teacher appeared much more stressed and told the researcher how difficult her day had been with these children. The researchers came to the conclusion that the teachers attitudes toward their work and the children were directly related to the positive or negative information they received. Positive counsel produces positive attitudes and results. Negative counsel produces negative attitudes and results.
We can easily apply these same principles to our lives. Have you ever worked with someone who always says "that will never work" before they even try? What about those who are constantly complaining? They seem to always want to share their misery with everyone. If we are to be happy and productive, we need to avoid those who would speak negativity into our lives. Instead you need to seek out those who can speak positive things into your life. We can use the principles taught in the Bible to help us overcome negativity in our lives.
First, we can make sure that we do not ask people who have predetermined, negative ideas about things for counsel. King David tells us in the first Psalm, "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields it's fruit in season, it's leaf does not wither . And he will prosper in all he does." In other words when you seek counsel from someone who is not a Godly person, you cannot get wise, Godly answers. But if you align yourself with those who are seeking God, you will most often receive wise counsel that is led by the Spirit. The Bible promises us if we follow this principle we will always be successful.
Second, we must speak positive encouraging words into other's lives. When we speak encouraging words to others it not only gives them hope, but helps us to maintain a positive attitude and wholesome spirit. "We are what we speak." Paul says in Ephesians 4:29, "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good for edifying (building up), that it may minister grace to the hearers." We must learn to speak good things if we are to expect positive results. Our words are powerful, and must be spoken wisely.
God loves you and He wants you to live a happy, successful, joy filled life. When you meditate on the love that God gives us in His word and share through positive words to others, both of you will "bloom where you are planted." Believe Him, trust Him, and surround yourself with others who do the same, and He promises to never let you fail.
I'm just Sayin,
Mike Belgard
February 22, 2017 - St. Johns Episcopal Church will have an Ash Wednesday service at 2pm on Wednesday, March 1st. Communion will be served by Father Bob DeWolfe.
Everyone is invited to attend. Located at 1063 Southview Circle - 96 South.
February 22, 2017 - Mt. Mariah Baptist Church cordially invites you to come and share in this great event to be held March 5 at 3pm.
11941 East County Road 3285 Garrison, Tx. 75946. Rev. Arthur Cloudy, Pastor.
Come one, come all!
February 21, 2017 - St. Johns Episcopal Church is having its annual pancake supper on Feb. 28th Fat Tuesday from 5pm to 7pm.
Located at 1063 Southview Circle-96 South. Everyone is invited to attend.
February 21, 2017 - Gates Chapel Baptist Church of Shelbyville will host its 104th Church Anniversary program on Sunday, March 5 at 2:30pm. The special guest speaker will be Rev. Marvin Jackson, Jr. of Clayton Temple, Timpson. Everyone is invited to attend says Pastor Frankie Cooper.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not lean on your own understanding." (Proverbs 3:5)
February 21, 2017 - The great king Solomon, the son of king David brings us these words in the book of Proverbs, the source of many of the wisest words of the Bible.
King Solomon advises us against depending upon our own opinions, but instead to trust in the Lord and not ourselves.
"In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths." (Proverbs 3:6)
To make straight our path means to make our path shorter, more direct, an easier way to go. So by asking God for His help and leadership in all that we do we find ourselves having an easier time of navigating the path through this world. Acknowledge your own weakness and His strength.
As the old saying goes; "the man who has himself for his lawyer has a fool for a lawyer" so to is the man who "leans upon his own understanding".
"Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil." (Proverbs 3:7)
The wise man fears the Lord, for He is all powerful, controlling all things, at all times. As the model prayer says; "for your's is the power, the kingdom, the glory" these things, all power, all kingdom and all glory belong only to the Lord, it is His and His alone and He will not share His glory with anyone.
The person who thinks he is smarter than the Lord is indeed a fool and destined for darkness. Fear the Lord and turn away from evil so that you too may flourish and be fruitful.
No man possesses wisdom, wisdom is an attribute which must be found and it is only found through prayer to the Lord. When, as a young man,Solomon became king of Israel God asked Solomon what he would wish for God to grant to him. Solomon asked for the wisdom to govern his people with knowledge and understanding. "And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore," (1 Kings 4:29)
Solomon understood what God had done for him and he used his God-given wisdom to rightly judge and rule over Israel all of his days. He wrote these words about wisdom and understanding; "Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from "her" (being wisdom) is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold." (Proverbs 3:13-14)
If you find yourself floundering in a sea of despair, if the daily grind seems just too much to handle, stop what you are doing.
Sit for a time each morning, waiting on the Lord. Just sit and talk to the Lord as you would your best friend, for He wishes to be so. Talk to Him about your problems and troubles, ask Him for guidance and leadership and wisdom.
But first, if you are not saved, ask Him to save you, for the prayers of the unsaved fall on deaf ears.
Ask him to forgive your sins and to save your soul from hell, accept Him as Lord and He will redeem you. Gain the wisdom from God to navigate the straight path through this world.
May God bless you and keep you and make His face to shine upon you...
February 21, 2017 - Patroon Baptist Church will be holding a spring revival March 5 through March 8. Supper will be served each night at 6 p.m. and services will begin at 7 p.m. The revival will be brought by Bro. George Ross from New Hope Baptist Church. Patroon Baptist Church is located at 310 FM 2261 in Shelbyville.
February 20, 2017 - Sunday was the 7th Sunday of the Epiphany, a season which is very long this year because Easter is so late. The Old Testament Lesson from Leviticus and the Gospel Lesson are tied by a command. In Leviticus 19:2 we are told to be holy because God is holy. In Matthew 5:48 Jesus says we are to be perfect because God is perfect. Holiness and Christian Perfection strike at the heart of Methodism and Wesleyan theology. In Wesleyan thought there is no holding steady—either one is moving toward Christian perfection or one is moving away from God. We too often become conditioned and don’t spend the time needed to study and to meditate. Wesley speaks of two kinds of works which are a sign of one’s love for God. First are works of piety which include worship, prayer, meditation, fasting, and studying scriptures. Then there are works of mercy: visiting the sick and imprisoned, taking care of the poor, and above all else, Wesley says, “doing no harm.”
We had a small Sunday School class but a great lesson, which again used Paul’s letter to the Galatians as the starting point. Paul speaks in his letter to people about freedom, an idea not well understood in the Empire. Only a small number were citizens of Rome. Most people were conquered, and many were slaves. But Paul sees freedom in following Jesus. Ms. Fannie led a lively discussion, and we all appreciate her preparation. We missed Joy at Sunday School and worship, sending her our best as she recuperates from surgery. Keith and Vera both have the flu, and we hope they start feeling better soon. We miss you all.
Our Sunday School class (there is only one) is held in the sanctuary. It is always such a wonderful sound to hear the door opening as folks come to worship. It was great to see Larry, Susan, Laura, and Joe. Hilda plays for First Methodist in Tenaha and then drives down 84 to Paxton to play for us. Hilda and Joe always select hymns that seem just the right ones for that particular Sunday.
Sue starts off our worship time with The Gathering Words which usually come from that Sunday’s Psalter Lesson. We as a congregation then speak a creed of our church. Usually we use the one that most Protestants know the best—The Apostles Creed. But the last few Sundays we have been using a Modern Affirmation. Next Sunday is The Transfiguration, which will be followed by the forty days of Lent. As you know, Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, which is the day after Fat Tuesday (better known as Mardi Gras) and ends on Easter weekend.
We have two ministries this week. On Tuesday we go to Holiday Nursing Center and on Thursday, Lakeside Assisted Living. Both ministries start at 2:00. We have been collecting soap and shampoo all month for Community Christian Services. Next month we will donate cans of chili.
“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, Open Minds.” Sunday School starts at 9:30 and 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 me your email address to the Paxton email address and I will add you to the list. God’s Speed!
February 16, 2017 - Please join us for our Annual Church Anniversary at Triumph Church at 908 Daniel St., Center, TX on Sunday, February 19, 2017 at 3:00pm.
All are welcome! Steven Neal, Pastor
February 14, 2017 - Every day he came to the nursing home and sat. Every morning at the same time he would walk through the door, pass the nurses station and greet the nurses and staff with a "Good morning. What a beautiful day."
He would go down the hall, enter the room where his wife was lying in bed and greet her with a kiss. She would stare blankly into space as if she never heard him. He would wrap a napkin around her neck and begin feeding her. He would tell her what the latest news was with the children and grandchildren. He would laugh out loud as he told the stories, but still she would just stare. Everyday, seven days a week, 365 days a year the same routine. One day as he entered the building with his usual greetings to the staff, one of the orderlies asked, "Do you ever take a day off? You know she wouldn't know if you missed a day." He looked at the young man and said, "Son I made a commitment to her over 60 years ago that I would never leave her. That I would love her and care for her until I died. Young man love is not just about saying, its about doing."
Love is probably one of the most used, but most misinterpreted words in the English language. Love is not just a word or emotion to describe something that we like, its the very essence of human existence. Without love the world would disintegrate into chaos. However, when true unconditional love is applied to any situation it will transform that situation into a picture of God himself. 1 John 4: 7-8 says: "Beloved let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love."
The first fruit of the Spirit mentioned is love. It is not coincidence that it is first. Without love, nothing else we do really matters to God. In 1 Corinthians 13 Paul tells us of the importance of doing all things for love. "And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing." You see when we are filled with the Spirit, love becomes the motivation for everything we do. There are so many people who think that being a "christian" is about showing up for church, teaching Sunday school, going on mission trips to far away places, or making a public display standing for a religious cause. These are great things to do, but if you do them just to receive accolades from the world not because you have a true love for the people that you are doing it for, you have missed the point. Demonstrating Gods love for people so that they may see Him through you should be your only motivation. Just as Gods love for us is without limits or boundaries, so should our love for others be. Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates His own love for us that while we were still sinners Christ died for us." You see God loves you without conditions. He loves you right where your at. You don't have to be good enough before he'll love you. Jesus died for you while you were still lost. I am so thankful He didn't say," I'm going to wait until Mike gets good enough before I show him my love." But instead He said, "I'm going to show Mike how much I love him by dying on the cross for him even though he doesn't love me or know me right now." You could be the worst person in the world or the best and he loves you the same. Love is just what God does.
Paul goes on to tell us what true love really looks like. "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Love never fails." (1 Cor 13: 4-8) True love always behaves like that passage. Husbands, can you say that your wives use these traits to describe how you treat her? Wives, what about loving your husbands this way. This is the kind of love God has for you. We should all reflect His love and rest in His love.
I'm Just Sayin'
Mike Belgard
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