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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
December 1, 2016 - The Center First United Methodist Church will host Sacred Sounds of the Season Thursday, December 1 in the church sanctuary at 6:00 p.m. Soloists, pianists, choirs, handbell choirs, and choirs from around the county will all be a part of this joyous celebration of the birth of the Christ Child. Everyone is invited to attend.
December 1, 2016 - First Baptist Church of Timpson will host Southern Gospel Quartet, Paul's Journey, for a Christmas Themed Concert on December 11th at 6:00PM.
For more information please see our website at www.timpsonfbc.com First Baptist Church Timpson - Timpson Texas or call 936-254-2220. A love offering will be collected. We look forward to seeing each of you here.
W. Dee Daniel, Pastor
First Baptist Church, Timpson
November 29, 2016 - As John tells us in the 3rd Epistle of John; "Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good." (3 John 11)
In the 5th chapter of Ephesians the great Apostle Paul is tells us just how we should walk or live as God's children.
"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light." (Ephesians 5:8)
He makes no bones about it, telling us bluntly that as we are now blessed to be walking in the light of the Lord, we must act like it. In other words if we are going to talk the talk then we must walk the walk.
In the 4th chapter he tells us; "and do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God ( to cause mental stress ), by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." (Ephesians 4:30) Having the blessing of redemption from God we are not to grieve, or cause mental stress, on the Holy Spirit.
"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor (loud outcry, to drive or force), and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice (evil intent, desire to hurt or harm). And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." (Ephesians 4:31-32)
There is the formula for Christian living, loving God and loving our neighbor as ourself. We must remember, we are saved from God's wrath by God's grace through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. We are so richly blessed being heirs of the throne of God, members of the Holy Family of God, no manner of earthly fortunes can compare to the riches we have stored up for us. Praise God daily for this blessing, amen...
But, this great fortune carries with it responsibility. Each of us may be the only image of Jesus many of the people we encounter each day will ever see. The image we project is going to be the vision they will forever have of the Lord Jesus.
It is the responsibility of each and every Christian to project a Godly imitation. If we are going to talk the talk, then, we must walk the walk, or, we do Jesus a great disservice.
As Paul tells us; "Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma." (Ephesians 5:1-2)
We must project that Godly image if we are to serve God as He wishes each day.
May God bless all each day...
November 29, 2016 - On behalf of Pastor George Cartwright and the Mt. Horeb Baptist Church family we would like to invite everyone to our annual Men’s and Women’s Day Sunday, December 4, 2016 at 3:00 p.m. at the Mt. Horeb Baptist Church in the Bland Lake Community. Rev. Timothy Teal and the Bell Chapel Baptist Church will be our special Guests for the evening, please join us and be blessed.
November 28, 2016 - The holidays can be a stressful time for some as hardships fall trying to come up with the extra for meals and food. Turtle Rock Baptist Church will be hosting a food drive this month.
Saturday, December 2 we will be coming to your neighborhood passing out plastic bags with a note attached to the bag about the food drive. We will be back around Saturday, December 10th to pick up any non-perishable food items you will donate. Just leave the bag with the food on your porch.
We are also going to have drop off boxes in a few stores in Shelbyville and Huxley for drop off points for those houses we aren't able to leave bags. We just don't have enough volunteers to canvas the whole area of Shelbyville. If your church or organization would like to help pass out bags next Saturday or pick up food, please let us know. You can contact Sandra Lindley at 936-598-9750.
If you know of someone in need of a food basket, call Sandra Lindley at 936-598-9750.
November 28, 2016 - In the spring of 1938, Mother took this picture of me. It was my first picture and was taken on Maxwell Street in Center, Texas. This red clay street was too rough to drive on when dry and too slick to drive on when wet. As I studied this picture last week, memories popped up everywhere. I immediately spotted the hill where we had dug up arrowheads. We called it “the hill where the Indians used to live.”
My grandparents lived next door in a house that looked just like ours. All Maxwell Street houses looked alike. They had a water well, an outdoor toilet and a wash pot in the back yard. The well’s water bucket became our refrigerator when we loaded it with milk and butter and lowered in the well. A number 2 wash tub of sun-warmed water and a bar of Mama’s (my grandmother’s) home-made soap got us “clean as a whistle”. We didn’t bathe every day but had to wash our feet every night before going to bed.
We were overjoyed when Daddy brought a box of “Post Toasties” home one morning. When we asked for some, Daddy replied, “Yes, but you’ll have to eat your breakfast first”. So after gulping down our oatmeal, we ate our first-ever bowl of Post Toasties. Since none of us wore shoes, we often got painful bruises on our feet. These bruises (called “stone bruises”) were injuries to the bone and not the skin.
While Mother was visiting Mama one day, I saw smoke pouring from the windows of our house. When I screamed, “The house is on fire!” Mother and I ran into the house and grabbed my sleeping sister from a pallet on the floor. We got “Sissy” and her goldfish out just in time.
After our house burned, we moved to a house on Cotton Ford Road and eventually our family grew to ten children. I have vivid memories of all the years of my life, but none more vivid than the year of 1938. We were without doubt the poorest family on Maxwell Street, but in the ways that really matter….
….the richest.
November 22, 2016 - Todd Spring Baptist Church's 138th Anniversary will be held on Sunday, November 27, 2016 at 12:00 noon. Rev. Wilbert Simmons, Jr. is the pastor.
Special guest will be Rev. Frankie Cooper and the Gates Chapel Baptist Church. Everyone is invited to attend.
November 22, 2016 - This is the time of the year we all begin to think back on things that remind us of the holidays. We remember old friends, old times, and holidays past. For some, the holidays bring about depression and sadness. We have a choice of how we feel. Whether you are happy or sad over the holidays is a choice that you make.
I want to give you some biblical tips today on how to improve your holidays mood. If you follow these basic rules, no matter what has been going on in your life, it will improve your outlook and mood as well as bring back the joy of the season.
1) Volunteer. When we spend our time doing something productive it keeps us from focusing on our self and the problems that we are having. It also gets us involved with other people, and we develop new relationships that can help us overcome loneliness and depression. Our time is one of the greatest gifts we can give. So don't be stingy with it. It will lift your spirits as well as those you help.
2) Do random acts of kindness. Pay for a strangers meal without them knowing it. Help an elderly person with their groceries. Hold the door open for someone. It doesn't take much sometimes to get a smile from someone or make their day. Kindness is a fruit of the spirit that we can all share with others.
3) Do something for someone who you know cannot repay you for what you have done. Anyone will do something for a person that can do something for them in return, but a true act of kindness is when you do something for someone who can't pay you back. Your joy will be much greater because it is truly a selfless act.
4) Sing. That's right, I said sing. Belt one out! Sing loud. Sing like you can. When we sing with reckless abandon, it releases some chemicals in our bodies that make us feel good and improve our mood. Sing a song that makes you happy and reminds you how blessed you really are. When I was injured in a car accident and was lying on a gurney in the ER my oldest daughter held my hand and we began to sing "Amazing Grace" right there in the ER. For that time, I could not think of what just happened, but how blessed I was to have my family and friends with me .
5) Laugh. A good belly laugh produces those same chemicals that make you feel good. It is true that "Laughter is the best medicine." All the people that I have cared for in my years practicing medicine that live to be 100 or older, have been happy people. So laugh loud, often, and with reckless abandon. It will add years to your life as well as life to your years.
6) Count Your Blessings. When you focus on how many things you have to be thankful for, you can see just how blessed you have been in life. We are blessed to just be a citizen in the United States, where we still have the freedom to worship God without fear of persecution. Counting our blessings brings joy and peace to our lives as well as driving away depression and anxiety.
God has given us a prescription for the holiday blues and this is it: "Finally brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are trustworthy, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--- meditate on these things." Do these things and your blues will turn into smiles and your depression will turn to joy. Follow Gods prescription for the holidays and have a happy holiday.
I'm Just Sayin
Mike Belgard
November 21, 2016 - It happened at 3:00 this morning. I suddenly woke up and for two hours lay recalling the prayers of friends I have known. When I was four years old, I heard Daddy pray for the first time. Before Bill and I ate our oatmeal, he prayed, “Dear God, make us thankful for these and other blessings. Amen.” He prayed the same identical prayer at every meal as we were growing up.
When I was pastor of The First Baptist Church of Starks, La., 90-year-old Mrs. Ada Berwick always included the words, “Dear Lord, bless the ‘cold and indefinite’ in her prayers. I thought she meant “cold and indifferent”, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that middle-of-the-road “indefinites” need our prayers, too.
Deacon/Music Director T. O. Ellington of FBC, Shelbyville, Texas included the word “desire” in all his prayers. At the conclusion, he’d say, “Dear God we thank you for the ‘desire’ to be here today.” And T.O. was right. It’d really boring to sit in a church service without a desire to be there.
When our twin granddaughters (Zoe and Lundyn) were five years old, Pam and I taught them to pray, “God is great, God is good, let us thank him for our food. Amen.” When they were spending a week with us one summer, Zoe said, “Meme, can we pray another prayer today? It is different, but it is still to God.“ Then we all held hands and the girls prayed in perfect unison, "But give honor to Christ in your hearts as your Lord; and be ready at any time when you are questioned about the hope which is in you.." 1 Peter 3:15. "We learned it in Bible School last summer", they said. It was difficult for Pam and me to hide the tears of joy in our eyes.
Before going back to sleep, I thanked God for the memory of those prayers…
...And thanked Him for remembering them, too.
November 21, 2016 - Sunday was Christ the King Sunday or Reign of Christ Sunday. This final Sunday on the Christian calendar has been celebrated for over 1500 years. At one time this festival time was just that—festive—but today it’s more of just a remembrance. Next Sunday begins a new year and is the First Sunday in Advent. This New Year will be the Year of Matthew, so most of the Gospel Lessons will come from there. Regardless of what year the Gospel reading is, though, it’s always about Jesus dying on the cross on Christ the King Sunday.
The lesson certainly isn’t upbeat and doesn’t seem to fit with many happy merry festivals that are just around the corner. Since this has been the Year of Luke in the Revised Common Lectionary used by most Christian churches, today’s reading comes from Luke 23:33-43. Jesus and one of the thieves strike up a conversation. Jesus assures the thief that he will be with Jesus in paradise. Christian tradition says this thief is named Dismas. In the Good as New translation, Jesus’ promise says, “We will keep one another company today, in God’s garden.” That sounds really cool!
In England , this festival day is sometimes called “Stir Up Sunday.” One of the first prayers in The Common Book of Prayer begins, “Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people.” I don’t know anyone who doesn’t need his/her “will” stirred up from time to time.
We have one more Sunday in this quarter. I think all that attend Sunday school have really enjoyed this writer. Once again the scripture lesson comes from Revelation. We all have become accustomed to the wording, full of metaphor and flowery language. But the images of life-giving water and tree leaves that will be used to heal are certainly nice to hear. Fannie has a hard time keeping us on topic, but I don’t think she really minds. We had a very good discussion this morning.
We were in double digits at Paxton Sunday morning. Our dear friend Susan Whiddon and her niece Laura and husband Joe came and worshipped with us this morning. We really felt honored by their coming this morning. Of course Susan and Fannie taught many years together in Center, and many former basketball players remember Coach Whiddon fondly. Laura and Joe recently moved to Joaquin from Dallas, and I am sure it will take some time to get used to the slow pace here!
We had two Nursing Home ministries this week. On Tuesday we went to Holiday and had a wonderful time with the residents. On Thursday we went to Lakeside Village Assisted Living and had a great time seeing old friends. We had special music provided by Tori and Joyce. The residents really enjoyed their singing and playing. Some of us only wish we could make such a beautiful sound—it’s more of a “joyful noise” for me!
Paxton Methodist is busily planning (or finding out plans from Mrs. Fannie) our Christmas program on December 6, followed by finger foods. Friends of Paxton are certainly welcome to join us, starting at 6PM. We’re also happy to be included in Joaquin First Baptist’s plans for kids’ Christmas gifts. We are doing both money and gifts: If you’re interested in helping with either, talk to Beverly Jousan or Lynn Silvey. This is the first year of Community Christian Services, and we’re all hoping for a merry Christmas like those supervised for the past 30 years by Joaquin Christian Services, thanks to Gayle Samford, Harold and Judy Irish, and Leah Madden.
“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!
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