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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 23, 2015 - Sunday was the 4th Sunday in Advent and is often referred to as Mary’s Sunday. Our gathering words were The Canticle of Mary also called The Magnificat. Today is the last Sunday of Advent. Christmas is right around the corner and the television news says 100 million of us will be traveling this Holiday Season. Paxton United Methodist wishes everyone a Joyous, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
The scriptures for this Sunday all deal with anticipation and restoration and healing. Micah has done what a prophet of God is suppose to do—tell the people to repent—to turn back to God. His words are fierce but like earlier prophets Micah sounds a hopeful note that in the midst of troubles and difficulties God is always with us. In our Gospel Lesson Mary is told that her child will be the chosen one—the Messiah promised in the Hebrew Scriptures. We need to remember how often God has used humble people—the most unlikely people to be his messengers of Good News.
Fannie decided that Sunday School would be about Christmas. So she searched her “teacher folders” and removed stories and poems about Christmas. Like a good teacher she assigned parts and we had a joyous time. We were in double digits at church and so we were all happy about that. It sounded about evenly divided between those staying home and those traveling this holiday. Sue, her mother Dixie, and I will head to Monroe for a day to visit Dixie ’s brother Eddie and his wife Pasty. But we plan to be home for Christmas. This will be the first time in a very long time that our kids will be home for Christmas.
Last week several volunteers went to Holliday Nursing Center to sing Christmas carols and to just enjoy each others company during this festive time. On Monday, Delta Gamma played host to the Pineywoods Harp Ensemble and Fourte’ Cello Ensemble. Their program was filled with Christmas carols. Afterwards, the ladies of Delta Gamma had refreshments. Sue and I enjoyed ourselves so much and visited with old friends that we don’t see all that often.
Everyone in the Joaquin area was saddened by the news that Mike Wood died after a long battle with cancer. Mike taught for over 30 years and also served as mayor and fire chief. He was a friend to us all and we are going to really miss him in so many ways.
As I was writing this article Fannie called. Steven Joe was headed to the hospital in Longview . Our prayers and thought are with him.
“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 9:15 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!
December 22, 2015 - (Psalm 33:12) "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance."
For many generations America was this blessed nation, but, sadly it seems she has turned from God and has gone the way of so many others, the way of the world.
God allows all people their own free will which is many times, our undoing. It is our choice if we are to serve Him, or if we are to serve man. God allows the lost to sink into the pit which they have made, trapped in their own nets like fish in the sea.
Verse 15 of our text tells us just that; "The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made; in the net which they hid is their own foot taken." (Psalm 9:15)
God will not be mocked, people will most definitely reap what they sow. Those that sow in the flesh "building worldly wealth and empires" will reap corruption. Those that sow in the kingdom of God will reap of the joys of heaven. Again, that is each person's individual choice that must be made. That's that "free will" thing again.
Verse 17 says that; "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God." (Psalm 9:17) There is a literal, eternal, burning hell. It was prepared for the devil and his angels. While hell is for individual unbelievers, but it is also for nations that forget God. The Lord will judge the nations at His return to earth, and the "goat" nations, those lined up on the left, will be cast into hell.
You might ask; "how can that person do so well, by his words and deeds he convicts himself of non-belief? Well, think about what Jesus told the Pharisees, in my words, He told them "you better enjoy your riches in this life for this is all you will ever have". The righteous may have to wait, but eventually they will receive their riches, in heaven. So too, the poor and the needy will one day be rewarded as verse 18 tells us; "For the needy shall not always be forgotten; the expectation of the poor shall not perish forever." (Psalm 9:18)
Their faith might be tried, but they will not be forsaken by the Lord for God is able to supply all of their needs through Christ. Vengeance belongs solely to the Lord, and He and He alone will repay. The Psalmist prays that God might arise to prevent the wicked from prevailing and to judge the heathen. Verse 19 says; "Arise, O Lord; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight." (Psalm 9:19)
You see no matter how many television preachers rant every week about the mercy and love of God, the God of mercy and love is also the God of wrath and judgment and judgment will come.
Every person will give an account to the Lord: the saved for their faithfulness and the lost for their unbelief. Those are two separate judgments for two classes of people. The first at the rapture when all the righteous are judged and approved by Jesus, the second at the White Throne Judgment when all of the lost will be judged guilty of non-belief and cast into the sea of fire which is known as hell, for an eternity of torment.
Verse 20 says; "Put them in fear, O Lord: that the nations may know themselves to be but men." (Psalm 9:20) The greatest of men, the greatest of nations, yes, even America, are but mere mortals, and their days are numbered with God.
The Psalmist prayed that God might strike fear in the hearts of the nations, causing them to realize their frail nature. Perhaps he thought some of them might recognize their need of God and turn to Him for mercy. That maybe some of the nations might follow the instructions written in II Chronicles 7:14 where God tells Christians, those of His name, to humble themselves and pray and repent and that then He would hear them, forgive them and heal their lands.
Pray Christians, pray daily for American Christians to do just that, pray so that God will then be able to forgive our sins and heal our land. Amen???
You are always welcome to join us for our weekly Bible Study at 6:00 PM on Wednesdays at Spring Hill Baptist Church. For more info call (936-615-1427)
December 15, 2015 - Forgiveness, the prophet Daniel says in (Daniel 9:9) "To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him." Daniel tells us that even though we have done wrong and sinned against God, that He still forgives our sins by His great mercy. Praise the Lord that our God is such a loving and forgiving God that even though we do not deserve mercy, He grants it to us.
Saved by the grace of God, forgiven for our sins and transgressions by His glorious mercy, we are the blessed children of the Most High God. How blessed we are to be called His children.
I hear many preachers extolling these virtues of our Lord and it is true that God is most merciful and forgiving and we should rejoice in that fact. Rejoice in the mercy of God that allows us to receive that which we cannot earn nor deserve.
Almighty God is most certainly a loving God, but He is also a just God. Since He is just, He cannot ignore our sins, nor can He allow them to go unpunished. Another part of the payment of sins that we often do not mention is the consequences we must face for our actions.
Forgiveness is always available to those children of the Most High God who ask Him for it. Consequences, however, remain after forgiveness is given and must be paid, in full, by all who have sinned against God.
Let us look at King David as proof of forgiveness and consequences of sins.
In the book of 2nd Samuel we see part of the story of King David and his rule over the kingdom of Israel.
One evening as David sat on the roof of the king's house he saw, below him, a woman bathing. (2 Sam 11:2) "And from the roof he saw a woman washing herself, and the woman was very beautiful to look upon." Her name was Bathsheba, she was the wife of one of his fighting men, a man named, Uriah. Now Uriah was away fighting under David's commander, Joab, so David sent for Bathsheba to join him in the Kings house.
David seduced Bathsheba that night and she conceived and soon afterwards told him that she was pregnant. Now, the good King has a problem, he has committed adultery with another man's wife and now she is pregnant. David sends for Uriah to come to Jerusalem and gives him a chance to spend the night with Bathsheba so his sin will be covered and Uriah will be known as the babies father.
When Uriah refuses, David sends a sealed note, by Uriah, back to Joab instructing him to put Uriah at the front of the battle and then allow him to be killed. This is done and word soon comes to Bathsheba that her husband has been killed.
After a period of mourning David sent for Bathsheba; (2 Sam 11:27) "David sent and fetched her to his house and she became his wife, and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord."
The Lord sent Nathan, the priest, to David to admonish him for his sin and David did confess and ask for forgiveness, which he was given, but, even still, Nathan told him this; (2 Sam 12:14) "Howbeit, because by this deed, thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, that child also that is born unto thee shall surely die."
David then began to pray and weep; for 7 days he wept and would not eat as he tried to prevent the death of the child. Though the Lord forgave David of his sin, he was not relieved of the consequences of his sin and at the end of the 7th day the child died.
You see, David's sins of adultery and murder were forgiven but not excused. He still had to pay the consequences of his sins, something we need to better understand today.
Many times people pray for forgiveness for sins and yet when hard times still befall them they will assume their prayers were not heard by the Lord. Believe me, He heard and If the prayers were in earnest, their sins were forgiven. That is the truth, we are most certainly forgiven by our Loving God, but for justice to prevail, we must pay for that same sin. That is it's consequence.
Today, in this world of; "it's not my fault, I didn't do it" this truth needs to be taught. The brother of Jesus, James, the leader of the church of Jerusalem tells us; (James 5:16) "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." Yes, prayer by the righteous works, but sin still comes at a price and that price must be paid even as forgiveness is given by our loving and just Holy Lord.
You are always welcome to join us for our weekly Bible Study at 6:00 PM on Wednesdays at Spring Hill Baptist Church. For more info call (936-615-1427)
December 23, 2015 - St. John Missionary Baptist Church Family will be Celebrating the New Year In with “Night Watch Service” on December 31st at 9:45pm. Service will be held at St. John Baptist Church in Center, 2308 CR 2050, with Rev. Winston Kibbles Sr., Pastor.
Special guests are Rev. Alvin Davis and Open Door Baptist Church of Center, TX and Rev. Jeremy Moore and Friendship Baptist Church of Bobo, TX.
We are asking All that can, please come and join us as we celebrate the old and bring in the New Year worshipping, praising, and giving thanks to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
December 22, 2015 - Wallace Chapel Baptist Church announces their 2016 Church Calendar. Wallace Chapel Baptist Church is lead by Pastor Derrick Rhodes and First Lady Shaneeta Rhodes. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28
January 23 - Musician Appreciation Day 7:30 p.m.
February 7 - Sunday School and Usher Day Program 2:30 p.m.
March 13 - Pastor and Wife's Appreciation Day 3:00 p.m.
April 3 - Family and Friends Day 2:30 p.m.
May 15 - Men and Women Day 2:30 p.m.
July 3 - Homecoming 12:00 Noon
July 5 - Annual Revival 7:30 p.m. Nightly
July 6 - Annual Revival 7:30 p.m. Nightly
July 7 - Annual Revival 7:30 p.m. Nightly
September 4 - Church Anniversary 3:00 p.m.
October 26 - Youth Revival 7:30 p.m. Nightly
October 27 - Youth Revival 7:30 p.m. Nightly
October 28 - Youth Revival 7:30 p.m. Nightly
December 21, 2015 - The community of Saint Therese and Saint Mary of the Epiphany Mission wish you a Merry Christmas! Christmass at the Vigil Mass (La Avoided - Misa Vespertina De La Vigilia) will be held December 24th at 4:00PM at St. Mary of Epiphany in English, 6:00PM at St. Mary of Epiphany in Spanish and 8:00PM at St. Therese in Spanish. Christmass Day (La Navidad) will take place December 25th at 10:30AM at St. Therese - Center in English and 12:30PM at St. Therese - Center in Spanish. New Year (Nuevo Ano) 2016 will be held December 31st at 4:00PM at St. Mary of Epiphany in English, 6:00PM at St. Mary of Epiphany in Spanish, 5:00PM St. Therese - Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and 8:00PM St. Therese in Spanish. Solemnity (Solemnidad) The Blessed Virgin Mary, The Mother of God (Santa Maria, Madre De Dios) will be held January 1, 2016 10:30AM at St. Therese - Center in English and 12:30PM at St. Therese - Center in Spanish.
December 7, 2015 - In 1962 I moved to Starks, Louisiana a small one- street town in Calcasieu Parish composed of two grocery stores, a post office, a school, and two churches. I was the new Pastor of the First Baptist Church and was asked on my first day to visit Ernest Bachelor, a retired business man. My visit with him revealed that he knew the history of the Starks as no one else and along with a wealth of other information, he told me about Bearhead Creek. “Folks around here fish mainly around Big Island and the Sabine River sloughs” he said. “But Bearhead Creek is where the fish are”.
Early one morning I grabbed my spinning rig with several spinner baits and drove to the Creek Bridge. Sliding down the slick banks, I reeled in a bass on my first cast and within moments had strung up six “keepers”. Crawling under a nearby fence, I fought through the thick underbrush to one hole after another and caught fish in them all. But I found more than fish that day. Water moccasins were suddenly everywhere…on logs… swimming in the water… and dropping from overhanging bushes. I stepped on one coiled up in the trail. I staked my fish out on tree branches as I fished down the creek and when I picked them up on the way back many had been eaten by the snakes abd turtles.
So I returned home with a stringer of fish and some mixed emotions. I knew I’d have to be better prepared on my next trip. From that day on, I always took my.22 Colt revolver and a can of “Off” mosquito dope with me. And in time, shooting snakes became almost as much fun as catching fish.
Several school teachers were curious about my fishing place and I finally told teachers Charles Simmons and Paul Gageneaux and they promised to keep it a secret. The following Saturday morning they drove to the creek, fished all day, and returned home with one goggle-eyed perch. To this day they think I led them on a wild goose chase. I eventually told my brother Joe who promised he’d never tell. But several weeks later, I met him with two of his DuPont co-workers leaving the creek with a considerable string of fish.
I also told my friend Phil Williams about the creek. When I later moved to pastor a church in Amarillo, he called: “Doug, my cousin Billy Bob wants to know if you’d let me take him fishing on Bearhead.” “Phil”, I laughed. “I don’t own that creek any more than you do”. “I know”, he replied. “But I promised you I’d never tell”. He called me after their trip and said that when Billy Bob saw a moccasin slide into the water, they left and never wet a hook.
I grew up fishing on beautiful Mill Creek near my hometown of Center, Texas… and hardly ever saw a snake. But if I got hungry and needed something to eat, I wouldn’t go to Mill Creek. I’d grab my fishing rig, jump in my truck …..
…and wouldn’t stop till I got to Bearhead.
December 21, 2015 - “I will remember the wonders of old….” Psalms 77:11
My brother Joe and I talked on the phone from 9:00 P.M. to 12:05 A.M.(!) this morning. Our conversation was mostly about the memories of our childhood Christmases. After cutting a pine tree (one year a holly), we made our ornaments from Crayola-colored rings stuck together with water and flour glue. None of us ever saw or ate an apple, an orange or an English walnut until Christmas every year.
On Christmas Eve, we lay whispering in bed till daylight. When Mother and Daddy called us, we ran to the fireplace, warmed and opened our presents. A cap pistol with several rolls of caps was for many years our Christmas toy and we each got an apple and an orange. I was so proud of my English walnuts one year that I hid one on a window ledge and enjoyed it several weeks later.
Even thinking about the smell of fruit, fresh pine needles and smoking cap pistols can still bring tears to my eyes. We were unbelievably happy with so little and were truly a rich poor family. And even though those days are forever past, time hasn’t destroyed the happiness of them.
The memories live on.
December 21, 2015 - You're invited to join us Thursday, December 24 at Shelbyville United Methodist Church for our Candlelight Christmas Eve Worship beginning at 6:00pm. Our scripture focus will be Isaiah 9:2-7 and Luke 2:1-20 and the message is "Light in the Night."
December 19, 2015 - Jackson Baptist Church presents Christmas Musical "Christ Is The Beginning Of Christmas" Sunday, December 20th, at 6pm
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