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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
After years away, the Shelby County native steps back on stage to share a message of hope, grace, and a God who meets us right in the middle of life.
October 20, 2025 — It’s been years since he stood on stage and sang from his heart, and for Trey Wilson, walking away from music wasn’t a decision made overnight. It happened slowly — the weight of life growing heavier, responsibilities pulling him in different directions, and the stage that once felt like home becoming a distant memory.
But grace has a way of meeting us where we are.
Wilson grew up singing gospel music in Shelby County, Texas. Long before audiences stretched beyond county lines, it was Sunday mornings in small churches and community gatherings where he found his voice. “It was never about being seen,” Wilson has said. “It was about the songs, the message, and what God can do with both.”
After years of singing and traveling, Wilson retired from full-time music in 2013. Seven years ago, he stepped away completely. The lights dimmed. Life got heavy. But in that quiet space, something far deeper took root.
“It’s in the stillness that God often does His best work,” Wilson shared. “He doesn’t wait for us to have it all together. He meets us right where we are.”
Now, for the first time in years, Wilson is stepping back on stage—not to relive the past, but to give voice to the grace that carried him through it. He will sing at Living Grace Family Church in Center on Saturday, October 25 at 6:30pm. Admission is free, and doors open at 5:30pm.
This night won’t be about polished perfection or a big show. It will be honest, raw, and real. A man who walked through some heavy seasons, now standing in front of his community with a simple message: God still meets people right where they are.
Wilson says this isn’t a comeback. It’s a reminder — for himself and for anyone listening — that grace doesn’t need a spotlight. It just needs a willing heart.
“I’m not stepping on that stage to prove anything,” Wilson said. “I’m stepping on that stage because God wasn’t finished with the story.”
For anyone walking through a heavy season, this night is an invitation: come as you are.
October 20, 2025 - Pastor Marlin Cloudy Sr., First Lady Felecia Cloudy and the Abundant Love Ministries family would like to invite you to join us in our Annual Pastor's and Wife Appreciation Services, Sunday, October 26, 2025 at 2:30pm.
Bishop Howard Cloudy, Triumph the Church and Kingdom of God in Christ, 3rd District, is our guest minister. ALM regular morning services are cancelled and this will be our only service for the day. You are welcomed and invited.
Abundant Love Ministries is located at 1426 Shelbyville Street, Center TX 75935.
October 20, 2025 - Good Morning! It’s Monday, October 20.
Last Saturday something happened at my house in Tenaha, Texas that hasn’t happened in a long time. It rained. We’ve been suffering from a drought, but on Saturday afternoon we enjoyed a long, slow, soaking rain. And then, right after dark, we had a gulley-washer! It was just what we needed, and it was a blessing.
My county, Shelby, gets an average of 53 inches of rain each year. That’s one of the highest levels in the state. The lowest is in the El Paso area where they only get about nine. That’s a wide range. The Holy Land has a similar wide range. Along the coast, cities like Tel Aviv can get over 40 inches of rain in a year. People in Northern Israel, near the Sea of Galilee, can expect 30. Jerusalem is drier, getting about 20, and Southern Israel, in the Negev Desert, is even drier than El Paso.
But wherever you live in Israel, there is a dry season - April to September - and a rainy season - October to March. Very, very little rain falls in the dry season. The season that is beginning right now has two parts, the autumn rains and the spring rains. The autumn moisture softens the ground for planting, and the spring showers prepare the crops for the harvest. The Bible usually refers to them as the early rains and the latter rains.
God’s Word speaks of rain many times. That’s not surprising since its initial readers lived in a semi-arid environment and were people of the land and dependent on its bounty for their very lives. Scripture says much about the things of Nature, and often uses natural things - like rain - as symbols of spiritual things. The latter rain is a metaphor for the outpouring of God’s Spirit, an outpouring that refreshes our spirits, and is a blessing.
Psalm 68:9 - “O God, you cause abundant rain to fall on your people. When they are weary, you sustain them.”
Meet you back here tomorrow,
David
cindertex50@yahoo.com
October 18, 2025 - Blount Chapel Baptist Church Harvest Program is Sunday, October 19, 2025 at 2:30pm. Guest speakers are Sis. Yolanda Neal , Sis. Krystal Chimney, and Sis. Pearl Nash.
The program’s theme is ‘Harvest of Mercy and Praise’ with scriptures Joshua 1:8 and Psalm 67:5-6. Everyone is and always will be welcome!
The church is located at 298 CR 3760, Center, Texas and is led by Pastor Byron Coutee, Jr.
October 17, 2025 - We live in a changing world, and nothing emphasizes that more than recent events on the world stage. Yet, many of us have seen great changes in our life in transportation, the performance of household tasks, medicine, and communications. To some of us who remember rotary dial phones and party lines, the internet and cell phones are things we never imagined when we were younger.
Yet, with all the changes in our world, human nature has not changed. Sin has not changed. Men and women still have the same greed that characterized Lot. The same love of power is still evident that showed itself in Diotrephes. There is the same love of money, the same lusts of the flesh. Because men and women still do not have the ability to guide themselves, we still need guidance.
However, with all the changes we have seen in our world we can take courage from the fact that Jesus Christ never changes. The writer of Hebrews would tell us, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8). Jesus is still the King of Kings who has all authority. Jesus Christ is still the Savior of the World. He is the one who came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. However, we must live his kind of life. He must be the Lord and Master of our life – all of our life. Is Jesus the Master of your life?
It’s something to think about... tbp
Come Worship With Us This Coming Lord’s Day
Center Church of Christ
www.centerchurchofchrist.com
October 16, 2025 - The Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church, where Pastor Johnny Jones is pastor, will be hosting BBQ Rib Fundraiser, Friday, November 7, 2025, beginning at 11 am until sold out. Plates are $12 and include BBQ ribs, sausage, potato salad, baked beans and a dessert.
Drive thru pick up will be located at 213 Hurst St (Old Medico Pharmacy). Will also deliver for orders 5 or more. Contact Connie Brinson 936-427-2255 or Herman Collins at 318-461-0253.
October 14, 2025 - Good Morning! It’s Tuesday, October 14.
This news just in - The Rapture didn’t happen... again! You may have noticed the internet story last month about a South African pastor, Joshua Mhlakela, who predicted that The Rapture would occur on September 23. Well, we all woke up on September 24, still here on planet Earth. After that, one might think that Pastor Mhlakela would choose to take a break from posting his predictions to the world - but he’s not a quitter! He quickly informed us that his calculations had been slightly off and that it would happen, instead, on October 8. Oh well, perhaps the third time will be the charm. I’m thinking that this won’t be the last time we hear from the esteemed pastor.
People predicting the end of the world is certainly not a new phenomenon. The difference now is that anybody with a smart phone can share their prediction with the entire world. But what is The Rapture anyway? The word “rapture” doesn’t actually occur in the Bible, and the doctrine of Christians suddenly disappearing from the earth wasn’t widely preached until about two hundred years ago. Beliefs about the end times remains one of the most diverse and divided areas in Christian theology. I grew up in a church where The Rapture was preached, and it continues to echo from many pulpits today. And some continue to predict the date that it will happen.
Perhaps Matthew 24:36 could be a source of wisdom for Joshua Mhlakela - and for us. Jesus said, “but about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” And Christ, in verse 44, adds this postscript, “so you must remain ready.”
Meet you back here tomorrow,
David
cindertex50@yahoo.com
October 13, 2025 - The Patroon Cemetery Association will hold its Annual Meeting and luncheon on Sunday, October 19, 2025, at 12:30pm. After consideration of whether to return the meeting to the cemetery, the Cemetery Board decided Patroon Baptist Church Fellowship Hall would be the most cost-effective location. You are able to visit the cemetery and your loved one before or after the meeting.
The Annual business meeting will begin at 12:30pm and lunch will follow. Please bring your favorite covered dish or dessert.
You are welcome to attend Patroon Baptist Church Services. Sunday School begins at 10am and Church Service at 11am.
The importance of a Cemetery Reunion:
Donations are needed for the maintenance and preservation of the cemetery. Our cemetery is a historical cemetery and this event has always brought together families and friends to honor their loved ones.
For those unable to attend and who would like to donate please mail checks to:
Patroon Cemetery Association
c/o Chris Windham,Treasurer
2088 CR 2798
Shelbyville,TX 75973
Hope to see you there!
October 13, 2025 - Open Door Women Ministries presents the 2025 Women’s Conference on Saturday, November 1, 2025 at 10am at Open Door Baptist Church, 900 Cotton Ford Road, Center, Texas. Speakers are Sister Stephanie Hicks, Minister Nicole Ross, Minister Abril Wright, and Elder Sheila Willis.
October 9, 2025 - To my mind, “Sonnets From The Portuguese” is one of the most beautiful works to come from the pen of Elizabeth Barrett Browning. The most familiar passage from that great work reads, “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” My favorite is a bit more obscure.
Hidden among the lines of the poem are these words, “The face of all the world is changed, I think, since first I heard the footsteps of thy soul”. Of course, this poem was a love poem. It was written by a woman to the man of her choice. My friends, those words have a spiritual application to those who are followers of Jesus Christ.
You see, Jesus has the power to transform lives. There are many examples in the New Testament of those whose lives were never the same since they first heard the footsteps of Jesus in their soul. Think of the sinful woman dragged before Jesus early one morning, caught in adultery. What about the Jewish ruler, Nicodemus who came to see Jesus late one night? There was the woman who touched the hem of Jesus’ garment and was healed. Then there were the two tax collectors, Matthew and Zacchaeus along with those nameless souls who were healed of their various infirmities.
When we truly come to know Jesus Christ, our lives will never be the same either. If our lives have not been transformed by Jesus, then maybe we have never made Him the Lord and Master of our lives. Perhaps it’s time for us to fully surrender our stubborn will to His.
It’s something to think about... tbp
Center Church of Christ
www.centerchurchofchrist.com
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