Family News and Notes
Today, being the first Sunday of the month, if you have made plans and are able to do so, then you may contribute to the Building Fund today. Thanks.
Men... the Business meeting has been rescheduled and will be after evening services on October 16th.
Our Gospel Meeting begins on Sunday, October 9th and running thru Wednesday, October 12th, with
Michael Light of Bangs, Texas as guest speaker. Please make plans to attend.
Cheryl Tigert (Staci Cook's mother) had surgery on her left thumb Tuesday morning at Titus Regional Medical Center.
Mailing address for Bronson Roper follows: (He would appreciate cards and/or letters)
Bronson Roper
1802 Hunt Street
Commerce, Texas 75428
(He has a birthday coming up on October 15th)
Don't forget to check the table in the foyer for updates to your Pictorial Directory .
Helen Roper is in Pleasant Springs Nursing Center, Room 131. She will be there a few weeks for therapy.
Hollis Lee remains in East Texas Medical Center in Tyler and he is not doing very well. Joyce is also scheduled to have surgery soon.
Wayne Pickrel begins his treatments on Monday (Chemo and Radiation). He will undergo 38 treatments.
To Ladies Bible Class:
How do I express my appreciation to you and for you? A simple "Thank You" falls far short of what I want to say. Your devotion to God, prayers for me, words of encouragement, cards, pats on the back, concerns for me and my family, and your monetary gift mean more to me than I can ever express. You are truly the greatest. In Christian Love, Wayne Pickrel
Billye Campbell had a stroke Friday morning and was taken to Titus Regional Medical Center and later transferred back to Zale Lipshy Hospital in Dallas. Please pray for Billye's recovery and for Gene.
Gary Don Holloway (age 56) of Odessa (nephew of Nelda Dunn and Elna O'Neal) suffered a heart attack last week and had surgery to correct blockages. Complications have caused him to remain in the hospitalwith lots of pain.
Carolyn Fox of Marshall (Roy's wife) is scheduled for surgery this week for cancer treatment. Carolyn Janice Lineberger's sister-in-law and is kin by marriage to several in this congregation.
Wayne Lineberger remains about the same. He is taking Chemo treatments.
Dudley Farrell had knee surgery last Tuesday in Dallas.
David had a surprise visit from Lee & Kelley, Travis & Luke Moses, who dropped by for a visit on Thursday. They all went out to eat Mexican food for lunch. They were on their way to Arlington to visit Kelley's mom and then on to EI Paso to visit Lee's folks for a week of vacation. They are all well and the boys are growing like weeds, and talking real good.
THANK YOU ..."Dear ones: I want to thank you for all your prayers and remembering me for the bulletin every week. I enjoy reading every word of it. I just wish I could be there with you. I miss worshipping with you and miss all of you so very much.
In Christian Love
Annah R. Brown"
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Prayer List
Justin Barker, Rachel Barker, Louis Bell, Winel1 Blackard, Annah Brown,
Billye Campbell, Perry Cooper, Zenith Hargrove, Hollis Lee, Joyce Lee, Georgia Lide, Elna O'Neal, Winnie Patton, Wayne Pickrel, Dorothy Sargent, Alva Mae Sheets,
Edith Shiflet, Rebecca Tippitt
ALSO: Melba Boyd, Austin Cody, Denise Dering, Wesley & Juanita DuBose,
Dudley Farrell, Carolyn Fox, Gary Don Holloway, Ruby Jeffery, Wayne Lineberger, Lonita Thompson
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"TETRIS" Dealing With Life as It Comes
If you've ever played the computer game "Tetris," you know that multiple patterns of blocks descend the screen at ever faster rates as the game progresses. The object of the game is to cause the blocks to fall into the waiting spaces at the bottom of the screen to form solid lines of blocks, which then disappear making room for more blocks. The catch is, the computer sends the various shapes of blocks randomly, so you must use the game controller to spin and move the blocks to fit them into the waiting spoces to form more solid
lines and score more points. The knack to scoring higher is not getting hung up waiting for the perfect shaped block to descend, but rather to make the best of what the computer sends down, by spinning and moving the blocks as they fall. If you make the mistake of waiting around for the perfect shaped block to fit a certain hole, the game is over before you know it, because other blocks just keep on coming relentlessly, until the screen is filled to the top, ending the game.
Perhaps "Tetris" parallels the "game of life," and therein is the spiritual point 1 would like for you to ponder. As we strive to faithfully live the Christian life, it would be wonderful if life always served us up a bed of roses. But, life doesn't always do that, does it? So, we have to make the best of what God has given us in the way of talents, abilities, and opportunities, in order to use what life, nature, and the random chance of events beyond our control dishes out As Solomon said, "I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the
swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all" (Emphasis mine -DMc.) (Eccl. 9:11). Even Satan must be figured into the equation, as he sends temptations, trials, and tribulations to try to upset the apple cart of your life.
Maybe you wanted to be a song-leader, but you can't carry a tune in a #10 washtub. You may, however, be blessed with the talent to be one of the best Bible class teachers around. What are you going to do? You could sit around whining and complaining because God didn't give you perfect pitch, or you could take the talents He did give you and become the best Bible class teacher you can be. Maybe you've had some misfortune befall you. What are you going to do? You could sit around feeling sorry for yourself and drown in self-pity, or you could get up off your couch, dry your eyes, put on a happy face, and go find someone less fortunate than yourself to minister to in the name of the Lord (Mt6:16-18, Gal.6:10).
In the work of the Lord's church, we find the Lord's plan to be perfect, but people and situations are often flawed. Because of that reality, I fear we may many times make the mistake which is fatal in the game of
"Tetris, " which can also be spiritually fatal in the game of life. That is, we get hung up on waiting for everything to be perfect before we attempt to do what God wants us to do, only to find that life has passed us by while we waited. As one fellow said, "Life is what happens to you while you're planning for something else!" We must learn to "seize the day," by availing ourselves of the opportunities for service God sends us today.
Teddy Roosevelt once wrote: "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of good deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is
actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; ...who at the best knows in the end the triumphs of high achievement, and who at the worst, ifhe fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat!"
Will you dare greatly to use what life gives you to do something worthwhile for the Lord? Will you learn to "deal with life as it comes" and make the best of it, to the ultimate glory of God? May God bless you in doing so and may He help you to be a winner in the game of life!
David McCain
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What Is Our Delight?
Johnny Ramsey
Psalm 1:2 informs us of the good and happy man ...His delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
For joy and peace in life many agree such conduct is the roadway to happiness. We do not see very many contented and cheerful people in our frenetic and confused world today. Thousands are worried, critical, morose and miserable wh,le only a small percentage seem to be at peace with their maker and their fellow men. To murmur and complain never lifts us up to higher ground but rather produces heavy hearts and lonesome days. Ina Pogue captures the proper spirit of appreciation for blessings in abundance:
I'll thank God for the blessings
That His mercy has bestowed;
I'm drinking from the saucer
Because my cup has overflowed!
Christians have so much to be grateful for. We have a gracious Savior, the Bible, the providence of a loving God, the hope of heaven, faithful brethren to encourage us, the joy of serving in the kingdom and the perfect example of Jesus to follow. What more could we ask?
An old hymn challenges our hearts:
Let us with gladsome mind
Praise the Lord for He is king;
For His mercies always endure
Ever faithful, ever sure.
Each day that we complain we waste. Someone wisely reminds us that we can take the day off but we cannot put it back! The happy man of the first Psalm not only allowed the word of God to provide joy but also the basis of productivity in bearing much fruit for the Lord.
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THE CHURCH OF THE LORD IS:
The fulfillment of prophecy -Isaiah 2:2-3.
The object of Christ's promise -Matthew 16:18
The Institution of all the save people -Acts 2:47
Purchased by the blood of Christ -Acts 20:28
The body of Christ -Colossians 1 :18; 1 :24
The family of God -Ephesians 3: 15
The kingdom of God -Matthew 16:18-19
The custodian of God's wisdom -Ephesians 3:10
The pillar and ground of the truth -I Timothy 3:15
The house of God -I Timothy 3: 15
The group whom Christ will save-Ephesians 5:23
The body of which Christ is head- Ephesians 5:23
The bride of Christ -Romans 7:4
That for which Christ gave himself -Ephesians 5:25
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