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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
July 11, 2022 - Grace and peace from our brother and our teacher, Jesus. Amen. I didn’t have an article or newsletter last week, as my little dog Sam and I went to see family in Dallas. I stayed with my daughter, and my son drove down from Denton. He took home a car full of stuff from his growing up. I don’t know how he did it, but he got all the bags, boxes, and tubs in his car. The three of us had a nice dinner together in between. I didn’t get to see my brother Kent and sister-in-law Mary: They both had mild cases of Covid, with Mary quarantined at home and my brother (a lung transplant patient) in the hospital. Both are better; Thursday Kent got to come home, where he will isolate for awhile longer. Cases of Covid are really starting to spike again. The best protection is to get vaccinated and wear a mask.
On July 3, we celebrated Independence Day by saying the Pledge of Allegiance and singing the National Anthem for the Gathering Words. Our hymns were “America” and “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” With Communion also that Sunday, our bulletin was full, leaving no room for quotes.
In July, we are collecting cans of spaghetti and ravioli for Community Christian Services. Last month I delivered paper towels and toilet paper to CCS. As always it was really nice seeing old friends about the work of helping others. The downtown Blessing Box has been full of cantaloupe and vegetables, along with the usual cans, jars, and boxes. Next to it, the little library on the square has had many customers taking and leaving books.
We had a very special guest at Sunday School and worship this morning: Gene and Joy’s niece Debbie visiting from Maryland. Our Sunday School lesson was about Philip and the Ethiopian from Acts 6: 26-39. Phillip is guided to the carriage carrying a well-to-do and important official. This man had been to Jerusalem, studying the Jewish scriptures. Philip explains scripture to him and then tells him the story of Jesus. The man is baptized right there by Philip and then, as suddenly he appeared, he was gone. Our author thinks that Philip being guided by the Spirit to the carriage was a “divine interruption.”
We began Sunday’s service with Gathering Words based on Psalm 82. We used once again the 21st Century Affirmation to declare our faith. The two songs were “O How I Love Jesus” and “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” both well-known to our congregation. Just based on the chosen hymns, you can probably get the idea of the theme for my sermon.
The scripture reading was Luke 10: 25-37, about the Good Samaritan, Jesus’ most famous parable. Every time I read this lesson I learn new things. We all know the story of the injured man on the road who was left for dead. Rather than help, two very privileged Jewish men, guardians of the law, walked on the other side of the road, ignoring the injured man. It was a Samaritan, of people hated by many Jewish folks, who stopped and showed compassion.
Jesus used a most controversial and unusual person for the hero—the person who demonstrates the essentials of our faith. We are to love God and our neighbors as ourselves. Jesus makes it very clear that we are all neighbors worthy to be treated with dignity and respect, as valuable a lesson today as it was back in the first century. No matter the time period, there are “Samaritans” in our lives; Jesus doesn’t give us a pass but expects kindness of us toward all.
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.
July 7, 2022 - Pleasant Grove MBC would like to thank everyone who purchased a raffle ticket to help send our youth to Church Camp! The camp was absolutely amazing! No one wanted to leave! I want to send a special thanks to sponsors as well.
The Sponsors were: Shofner’s Washateria, 3 P’s Pressure Washing, Hughes Florist, Zack’s Tint Shop, Heather Chambliss, and Automotive Collision Specialist.
Thank you all for making this happen for our kids. Without you, this wouldn't have been possible. God bless you all.
July 7, 2022 - Imagine visiting in a home and having the opportunity to get to know the family that lives there. Then, you do not see them for a year or so and then go back for another visit. This time you notice one of the children is not there when it’s time for dinner and everyone is around the table.
So, you ask, “Didn’t you have a little boy named Billy when I was here before? I haven’t seen him tonight. Where is he?”
The family members exchange glances and look a bit puzzled. You start to doubt yourself and think you are mistaken. Then one of the family members says, “Oh, yes, now I remember Billy. But, you know, we don’t know what happened to him. We haven’t seen him for several months now. He seemed like a nice boy too.” The rest of the family smiles and nods and yes, they remember Billy too. They speak pleasantly and kindly of Billy, but no one can remember seeing him for a long time and no one knows why he left.
You know, in God’s family, this scene is replayed over and over in congregations all over our land. There are brothers and sisters who have not been seen around the Lord’s table in months or even years. Wonder how God feels about that? So, maybe, just maybe, if you at some point left God’s family table, it’s time to “come to yourself” as did the prodigal son in Luke chapter 15 and make your way home.
It’s something to think about. . . tbp
Join Us for Worship this coming Lord’s Day Center Church of Christ or online at www.centerchurchofchrist.com
July 5, 2022 - Good Morning! It’s Tuesday, July 5.
Yesterday we enjoyed the 4th of July (7/4). Today we continue our summer with July 5th (7/5). And so, this morning I’m thinking about an amazing pair of scripture verses, Matthew 7:4 and 7:5. You’ve heard them before...
How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye', when all the time there's a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
The 7th chapter of Matthew is the last part of the most famous sermon ever preached - the Sermon on the Mount. And here we catch a glimpse of Jesus' sense of humor. A picture of someone trying to remove a tiny, tiny piece of dust from their friend's eye, while sticking out of their own eye is a two-by-four!
But there's a great lesson here, too. And that lesson is this - We're not God! He is the Judge, not us. Does that mean we shouldn't care about the spiritual condition of our friends? Of course not. But how can we presume to help others with their sin, if we've ignored our own?
A 7:5 lesson for 7/5!
Meet you back here tomorrow,
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org
July 4, 2022 - Mt. Olive Baptist Church is hosting a Family and Friends Celebration on Sunday, July 10, 2022 at 2:30pm and Bro Victor Frankin will bring the Word from above.
Mt. Olive Baptist Church, Timpson, Texas
Pastor Carlos A. Johnson
July 4, 2022 - Good Morning! It’s Monday, July 4th.
Today our country celebrates her 246th birthday - that’s a lot of candles! And we take a moment to look at the story behind the song “God Bless America”
Irving Berlin, a young songwriter, was a private in the US army during World War I. He wrote a catchy tune and was sure it would be a huge hit. It wasn’t. The song lay forgotten for twenty years until the world, once again, went to war. Berlin premiered it (again) on November 11, 1938. Today we call that Veteran’s Day. Back then they called it Armistice Day - the anniversary of the end of World War I.
Singing this “new” song was a young singer named Kate Smith. She went on to have a long and illustrious career, but this remained her signature song. And she would always include the seldom heard verse -
As the storm clouds gather far across the sea
Let us swear allegiance to a land that’s free
Let us all be faithful to a land so fair
As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer . . .
Irving Berlin always referred to it as his “peace” song. In this time of war and rumors of wars, we sing it once again.
God bless America, land that I love
Stand beside her and guide her
Through the night with the light from above
From the mountains to the prairies
To the oceans white with foam
God bless America, my home sweet home
God bless America, my home sweet home
Have a wonderful Independence Day!
Meet you back here tomorrow,
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org
July 1, 2022 - There is a tender story told in Mark 14:1-9 of something which happened during some very difficult days for Jesus. The Jewish leaders were plotting his death and He was surrounded by his critics and His enemies. In this narrative, we see Him going to the little village of Bethany. It is the night before Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem and He goes to a party in His honor in the home of Simon, a leper.
Picture the scene as Jesus is reclining at the table and John tells us Mary came and anointed the feet of Jesus (John 12:1-3). Well, the critics began to raise their voices and talk about her. Jesus said to leave her alone, she had done what she could.
Have you ever thought about the love that caused her to do this? Have you ever experienced that kind of love? An unexpected act of pure love, that is what you see in this beautiful story. She loved Jesus and she did what she could. She didn’t have much, but what she had she gave to Jesus. Not to Simon the Leper, not to Peter or James or John. What she did, she did for Jesus.
God loves us more than we can ever love Him. You see, we can never pay Him back for what He has done. God doesn’t require the debt to be repaid. He just wants us to accept what He has done and to love Him for it. He wants us to live a life obedient to His will. He only wants us to do what we can.
It’s something to think about... tbp
Join Us for Worship this coming Lord’s Day at Center Church of Christ or online at www.centerchurchofchrist.com
July 1, 2022 - The House of Refuge Apostolic Ministries Presents 'An Evening with Lady Nash' on Sunday, July 10, 2022 at 3:30pm. Special guest is Dr. Alma Allen, Vineyard Place International, Houston, Texas. The theme is 'Blessed and Highly Favored' from Luke 1:28. Lady Nash will be escorted by Tyrone Davis. Dinner will be served. Everyone is welcome.
The church is located at 215 Church Street, Center, Texas 75935.
June 30, 2022 - Homecoming at Old Home Baptist Church will be Sunday, July 10th. The meeting will begin at 10:30 followed by the Worship Service at 11:00. Bring your favorite dish and join us for lunch in the fellowship hall afterwards. Call or text for more information: 936-332-9293.
June 29, 2022 - Grace and peace from our brother and our teacher, Jesus. Amen. Summer is officially here as of last week: In downtown Joaquin, we got our first summer shower Sunday. It wasn’t much of a rain producer, but we will take what is given and be thankful. My phone says we are in for a week of cooler temperatures, only in the low and mid-nineties. Add to that the promise of lower humidity, and we all may be ready to venture out. I got up early Monday morning for my walk in the park with my canine companions, Gunter and Sam. We saw Doug pull up at the Community Center to get the Joaquin Senior Center off and running. It was nice to see that they were able to open again after being closed for illness. Gunter usually runs to the fence to bark at Doug but gave him a break this morning.
We had everyone back for Sunday School. Fannie was in prime teaching mode with a really good lesson on character building. Wearing a commemorative tee shirt, Fannie shared a project that her students did some eighteen years ago about developing positive character traits. Everything Fannie brought up fit right into our Sunday School lesson and worship service. It was wonderful to have Joy and Claudia back and hope they keep feeling better. We send our good wishes to Fred, that he’ll be back in the pink next week. Larry is back from his Arkansas trip, reporting a good time.
We began our worship with Psalms 43-43 as the gathering words. Our first song was “It Is Well with My Soul,” a little ambitious for our small group. Fortunately, the accompanist played slowly, or we might still be trying to get on the same page. We did much better with “Near to the Heart of God,” which was shorter, easier, and more familiar. Our affirmation was a modern statement of 21st century faith.
Reflecting the gathering words, our bulletin cover quoted Tecumseh, the Shawnee chief: “When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light, for your life, for your strength. Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living.” Inside was a quote from Jon Meacham, the writer who eulogized George H.W. Bush: “We’ve always grown stronger the more widely we’ve opened our arms.” And one of our illustrations was from 1 Peter: “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” Lots of good advice!
I felt like I got very little done last week, putting things off to the last minute. I can’t operate like that for long before I get out of whack. So I am trying to get an early start on next Sunday. Usually in my sermon I choose one of the four traditional lectionary scriptures to focus on: Old Testament, Psalms, Gospels, and Epistles. However, this time—maybe because I was so unfocused last week—I covered a little bit of each one. My wife, a retired high school English teacher, said I connected each idea to the others; I’m happy she didn’t find anything to correct with her red pen!
The first part of Paxton’s mission statement says that we “gladly minister to our entire community.” That was evident as we loaded up my truck bed with rolls of toilet paper and paper towels. Obviously there was no shortage of paper products in our area during June! In July we will collect cans of ravioli and spaghetti.
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.
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