FAMILY NEWS AND NOTES
Volume 10 19 October 2008 Issue No. 34
PRAYER LIST
Justin Barker, Rachel Barker, Doris Bell, Louis & Nona Bell, Billye Campbell, Suzanne Charlton, Irene Duncan, Nelda Dunn, Angie Jimenez, Mary Jane Joyner, Joyce Lee, Georgia Lide, Ben McCain, Joanne Miller, Wade Miller, Thelma Reed, Rebecca Tippitt
ALSO: Gary Bell, Wesley DuBose, LaWanta Garner, Michael Gilbert, Donald Johnson, Mary Jo Lee, Wayne Lineberger, Cammy Jo McCain, Betty Newman, Johnine Phillips, Don Shuette, Paul Unger, Yvonne Waldrup, Shirley Wright
Service Arrangements
COMMUNION FOR OCTOBER 2008
SOUTH SIDE NORTH SIDE
AM
Rance Robison
Bob Hedges
Bronson Roper Austin Neal
PM
Jim Duncan Darrell Cooper
ANNOUNCEMENTS ………… ……… Bob Hedges
(Sunday and Wednesday)
SONG LEADER (AM)……………. … Hal Roper
(PM) ……......……...… Hal Roper
Wednesday Nite ……...…. Wade Miller
PRAYERS —– Sunday
AM First Prayer ….............……. George O’Neal
AM Closing………….................…. Rodney Cook
PM First Prayer…..............…….…. Jody Sparks
PM Closing…………….................…. Jon McCain
PRAYERS — Wednesday Nite
First Prayer…….................…. Rhodney Freeman
Closing……………................…….….… Tim Jones
And now for … FAMILY NEWS AND NOTES
Angie Jimenez came thru her surgery OK and is now back at home.
Iona Carpenter was scheduled to return home by this weekend. Her problem was not her heart but other health problems.
Nelda Dunn had stents placed in her leg(s) this past week. She was scheduled to be back at home by the printing of this bulletin.
Wade Miller is doing better following his broken ankle and is able to get around much better, altho still wearing the special boot.
Ben McCain was to meet with his surgeon on Friday at Baylor in Dallas to see about his colon surgery. No word at the printing of this bulletin but should hear something by today.
We had 148 present for the first Bible Bowl of this season. Eight congregations participated. Our group won 2nd place with only one wrong answer. Good going!!!
Watch for announcement(s) concerning the next night for the Bible Bowl. Our study material will be the Old Testament book of Judges, out of the NKJV. The first test will cover Judges
1-3. Our coaches this year will consist of the Armstrong(s), the Robison(s), and the McCary(s).
On Saturday afternoon, October 25, at 4:00 PM the young people are invited to meet at the building … dressed “tacky” and we will go around town picking up donated items for our pantry. A sign-up list will be in the foyer for folks to sign up for donating.
Afterward we will meet at the home of Daniel and Kelly McCary for the Campfire Cookout beginning at 6:00 PM. Remember, at that event you are to bring your camp chairs and a drink or dessert.
With regards to David’s article this morning in the bulletin … I read it twice. I do not believe that love could have been defined in a better way than that exuded in his article. We need to remember that things DO change. Just think back over your own lifetime at the changes that have occurred, both in the private sector and in the ministry. Haven’t things worked out for the best every time for those who love the Lord? I believe everything is going to be alright. Pray for this loving family as they move on toward new opportunities and making new friends and winning souls for Christ. Our love for one another should be uppermost in our minds and hearts and we need to move on from misguided heartbreak. God heals broken hearts and rewards those who diligently seek the truth. When it comes time for this loving family to finally depart, let your heart go with them. They will not forget you. – Rhodney Freeman
There Is Danger In Neglect
Mike Benson—Muskogee, OK, Bulletin Digest
In a certain mountain village in Europe long ago, a nobleman wondered what legacy he should leave to the local townspeople. At last, he decided to build them a place of worship.
No one saw the complete plans for the church building until it was finished. When the people gathered, they marveled at its beauty and completeness. Then some asked, “But where are the lanterns? How will the building be lit?” The nobleman pointed to some brackets in the walls. Then he gave each family a lantern that they were to bring with them each time they came to the assembly. “Each time that you are here the area where you are seated will be lit,” the nobleman said. “Each time you are not here, that area of the building will be dark.”
THOUGHT: Whenever we neglect the worship assembly, others who are in attendance miss not only our presence, but the encouragement we could have offered them.
“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another” —(Hebrews 10:24-25a).
“Preacheritis”
Almost from the very beginning of the Lord’s church, the terrible spiritual malady of “preacheritis” has plagued the Lord’s church, often causing division and strife that hinders the Lord’s work and stifles spiritual progress. What is “preacheritis,” you ask? If you’ll get out your medical dictionary, you’ll find the “itis” suffix on the end of any medical term indicates a condition of inflammation. For instance the word “arthritis” describes an inflamed joint. Thus, “preacheritis” is a word someone coined to describe the inflammation of the heart, the soul, and most often the tongue, which results in contentions and division in the Lord’s church over a favorite preacher. It is a bad “bug” and a dangerous spiritual ailment, which infects the souls of those who have it, and has hindered the growth of many a congregation where it has sometimes reached epidemic proportions.
Listen to what Paul wrote about this terrible disease, “Now I beseech you, brethren by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it hath been declared unto me…, that there are contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? …For whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? …Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase” (I Cor. 1:10-13, 3:3-7).
The Scriptures are plain, are they not? Our loyalty must be to God and Christ alone, not to any man. Oh sure, faithful preachers are always appreciative of brethren who loyally support us with your undying love, encouragement, and friendship. But, when we move on, we expect you to do the same for the next man, if he is a faithful preacher of the Gospel.
Some of you brethren in expressing your love for me this week have said, “there will never be another preacher just like you!” But, a month after I’m gone, I know you’ll feel the same way about the new preacher. Some brethren just love preachers, and will do their best to support every faithful brother who preaches God’s Word. I also realize there are other brethren who say out of ear shot, “I hope there will never be another preacher just like you!” I appreciate you too, for you help to keep me humble!
The point is, please don’t let “preacheritis” infect your heart, your soul, or your tongue. Your new preacher will deserve your full support. Whoever the elders select, he will not do things in exactly the same way I did them. His preaching style may be different from mine (I’m sure he’ll preach the same Gospel, but perhaps from a different perspective and with a different style). I can hear some saying, “Hallelujah, now maybe we’ll get out on time!”
What I am asking is, please let the next preacher be himself, and don’t try to make him fit my mold. He will have his own way of doing things. Decide right now you’ll love him, help him, encourage him, and support him in his work, just like you have done for me. Do the same for his wife. If you’ll do that, you’ll see the Lord’s work prosper, and six months from now you’ll all be saying, “David and Janice who?” David McCain
