Family News and Notes
Congregation Generosity Continues to Abound!
Last Sunday's special contribution for the hurricane relief effort was $4744.00. This was in addition to other monies and donated items that were forthcoming in the days immediately following Hurricane Katrina. In addition to this, many of you volunteered many hours of service to receive, process and ship the much needed water, food, medicine and other needed supplies to our brethren and others in desperate need in the Hattiesburg, Mississippi area. Your spirit of generosity has been outstanding! There is no way for us to accurately measure the good that has been done... but the Lord knows. May all the glory be to Him as we continue to work together in this and other efforts that will bring praise and honor to His name. The Elders.
Many thanks to Bob Hedges, Jody Sparks, Daniel McCary and Jimmy Jay Fox for the lesson last Wednesday evening. They each did a fine job.
Wayne Pickrel saw his surgeon Monday morning and the doctor found a second spot on his lung. Surgery had been planned but after a biopsy was performed it was determined that there were cells present in the lymph nodes and the surgery was cancelled. Wayne is scheduled to see his Oncologist on Wednesday Sept. 21st to determine when he will begin chemo treatments. He is at University of Texas Health Center in Tyler, Room 517. We need to pray for Wayne and this family.
Helen Roper has now been transferred back to Titus Regional Medical Center in Mount Pleasant for rehab. She is in Room 514. She would like visits, but keep them short between 4:00 PM and 9:00 PM.
A phone call Friday morning from Billy Campbell she will have surgery on Friday September 23rd about 7:00 or 7:30 AM at Zale Lipshy Hospital on Harry Hines Blvd. in Dallas. Billy says her doctor is hopeful the surgery will solve some of her problems. She requests that we keep her in our prayers, and also Gene.
Elna O'Neal is scheduled to enter Baylor Hospital on Wednesday, September 21 to see if a "stint" can be placed in her left leg. If this is not possible, she will undergo by-pass heart surgery.
Wayne Lineberger, husband of Janice Lineberger, was admitted to East Texas Medical Center in Tyler on Wednesday. He is in room 6604. Wayne was diagnosed with CLL Leukemia, which is treatable; however, his red platelets are extremely diseased and immediate attention has to be given to correcting this problem before the treatment for the leukemia can begin. Wayne has lost a lot of weight in the past few months and he is very weak. His condition is not good. Our prayers on behalf of Wayne, Janice, and their family will certainly be appreciated.
Ollie Culver (Sandy McCann's mother) passed away and her funeral was conducted by Bates-Rolf Funeral Home in DeKalb on Wednesday at 10:00 AM with burial at Gravel Hill Cemetery in the Oak Grove Community near Avery, Texas.
Make a note we still have many in the nursing homes and confined at their homes that we also need to continue remembering in our prayers. Please refer to the prayer list for those names and if you see someone missing please let us know.
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GOSPEL MEETING at Blodgett church of Christ September 25 thru September 28. Bro. Johnny Ramsey is guest speaker and services will be conducted:
Sunday 10:00 AM Bible Class
TOPIC: Getting the Most Out of Bible Study
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GOSPEL MEETING
North Jefferson church of Christ
October 9th thru October 12th, 2005
Guest Speaker will be Michael Light of Bangs, Texas.
Services will be conducted
Sunday 9:00 AM Bible Class
Ladies Bible ClassTuesday 10:00 AM
For TOPICS see the brochure available for you on the round table in the foyer. ALSO, there are Book Markers available for you. On the reverse side are scripture references.
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PRAYER LIST:
Justin Barker, Rachel Barker, Louis Bell, Winell Blackard, Annah Brown,
Billye Campbell, Perry Cooper, Zenith Hargrove, Hollis Lee, Joyce Lee, Georgia Lide, David Neal, Winnie Patton, Wayne Pickrel, Bronson Roper, Dorothy Sargent,
Alva Mae Sheets, Edith Shiflet, Rebecca Tippitt
ALSO: Melba Boyd, Austin Cody, Denise Dering, Wesley & Juanita DuBose, Ruby Jeffery, Lonita Thompson
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The Tragedy Of Forgetting
By Jodie Boren
(Guest Article)
A while back I forgot something I don't remember what so my daughter laughed and said I was suffering from "old timer's disease!" A lot of jokes are made about old people forgetting, but the truth of the matter is that young people forget just as frequently as do old folks. We all forget things now and then. This is why Peter felt a keep responsibility to remind the brethren in Asia Minor of the truths they had been taught (ii Peter 1:12, 13, 15).
One of the main reasons we forget something is a lack of interest in that particular something. Because we will one day be judged by God's Word (John 12:48), it is imperative that we love and respect God's Word (Psalm 19:7-11). We are to hunger and thirst after the righteousness contained in God's Word (Psalm 119:172, Matt. 5:6). God warned Israel in Deuteronomy 4:23, "Take heed unto yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God." In Deuteronomy 6:11 Moses wrote, "...beware lest thou forget the Lord."
In Deuteronomy 8:11-14 we find a great exhortation not only to obey the commands of God, but to not forget the Lord. "Beware that thou forget not the Lord, thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day; lest when thou has eaten and art full, and has built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; and when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou has is multiplied; then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
As Christians, we've been delivered from the bondage of sin we can't forget God! Thus, James says that we are not to be a forgetful hearer but a doer of God's Word (James 1:22-25). In this context, James says the one who is blessed is the one that continues in the perfect law of liberty (i.e."the gospel"). This, of course, means following the teaching of Christ.
What will happen if we forget the Lord? We can turn to Jeremiah 23 and read the warning given to the wicked priests and prophets some 600 years before Christ. The record states in v.39, "Therefore, behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and cast you out of my presence. " Can you imagine anything more tragic than being forgotten by God and cast from his glorious presence? It's terrible to even contemplate such a thing! Since the same God is still the sovereign ruler today as in Jeremiah's time, should we not heed that warning? Paul tells us in II Thessalonians 1:7-9, "And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power."
If we do not forget the Lord, but serve him faithfully, the reward is great! Jesus said, "Verily I say unto you, there is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake and the gospel's, but he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sister, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come, eternal life! (Mark 10:29). What a precious promise!
It's no laughing matter to forget the Lord. Our eternal destiny depends on our remembering the Lord and His covenant. Just as remembering names, dates, etc.,, takes desire, effort, and practice, so does remembering the Lord. May we all be diligent seekers of God (Hebrews 11:6).
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The Absent Minded Professor
Geoff Litke
(from Bangs Church of Christ bulletin)
A typical day in the life of a freshman college student He came in and took his seat in a Literature class. The professor walks in, beautifully quotes several passages from the King James Version of the Bible, then takes his copy and throws it against the wall. He goes on to claim it is of the highest literary value, but not the Word of God, and goes on to explain the syllabus and conduct class as normal.
The student, who grew up in a small town and regularly attended a faithful church, then went to philosophy class where the professor began his seminar, by asking "how do you know"? This doctor of philosophy proceeded to raise questions about everything from the flavor of ice cream to his own existence. However, among the trivial and absurd things he buried the existence of God. The humble student was surprised and sickened, knowing that this was an attack against God.
Finally this young college student went to a basic science class where the professor boldly began explaining that "billions of years ago" out of absolutely nothing, the universe just happened by PURE CHANCE and amazingly out of that life formed without any REAL PURPOSE. Truly a frustrating day for the young man who just wants to get through school and get a good job so he can take care of his family and other duties.
The above scenario is neither extreme nor uncommon. While there are still many conservative schools where this kind of thing does not happen, it is nonetheless becoming more frequent. For ages educators taught literature with no reference to the Bible and did a fair job. Why would a teacher feel compelled to begin class with something he himself claims is trivial? Why berate the Scriptures in the beginning of a literature class? Why this? How does the doctor of philosophy boldly conclude that no one should believe in God because he cannot know? In contrast, these science teachers can insist that they know exactly what happened in the creation and that God was MOST CERTAINLY absent. Perhaps one needs to sit in the other's class. In reality, all three need to listen intently to the word of God. It is therein that one finds truth (John 8:31-32).
When Paul dealt with the intellectuals of his day on Mars Hill (Acts 17:22ff), he showed the foolishness of their gods. He directly portrayed their ignorance in their efforts at approaching the very subject of religion (Acts 17:23). One of the greatest impediments to their thought was their tendency to think of God like themselves (acts 17:24-25). These are exactly the same points to press with the "intellectuals" of this age who are ignorant concerning God and feel compelled to oppose him.
Mass media is marketing evolution and due to the caliber of its supporters the masses (including some Christians) are buying into these concepts to one degree or another. Faith must rest entirely upon the scriptures (Romans 10:17). One cannot claim the ways of the world and the ways of God (James 4:4). Agnosticism (the belief that we cannot know ) has NO place in Christianity. God does not grant eternal life based upon the merits of the postmodern concept of "open mindedness." Allowing for many "gods" while giving a devotion to him is never acceptable. Yet, this is what Christians attempt when they believe in "theistic evolution", or approach doctrinal problems with the knee-jerk "we cannot know" mentality. God told man how the earth was formed and how long it took (Genesis 1:1; Exodus 20:11). A person cannot claim to be religious based merely upon an appreciation for the beauty of the Psalms.
The bottom line is that these men worship gods like unto themselves, absent minded. These believe that some force devoid of personality, purpose and mind invented all things. Their creator is absent minded, and they have not a shred of evidence on which to base their conclusion. Belief in organic evolution is not according to science. The filed of science is limited to that which is observable and can be reproduced. Organic evolution has never been observed and its fundamentals can never be reproduced. This is "science falsely so-called."
While the absent minded professor may cry that they can empirically test the product of chance evolution they are still left with a mindless god who does not exist and whom they cannot prove. The product of a loving God who created man in His image (Gen. 1:26-27) may likewise be tested. Man does exist, some people like ice cream and some do not, but the ONLY explanation for man and ice cream is the one given in Hebrews 11:3, "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear."
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