Family News and Notes
Copies of the Minutes from the Men's Business Meeting and Financial Report for the month ending November 30 are available on the table in the foyer. If you are interested, please take a copy.
Please remember .this week our mid-week service has been changed to Tuesday evening December 23rd. We'll see you then.
We will still meet on Wednesday evening December 31. Make plans to stay after services and enjoy finger-food, snacks, fellowship, etc. We will sing in the new year.
The Ladies Bible Class made Holiday Bags and sent cards for shut-ins last Tuesday. The ladies wish to thank everyone who gave money, food and toiletries for the Holiday sacks. Thanks also to all that helped deliver the sacks and flowers. Approximately 30 sacks were delivered. They had enough goodies to take boxes to the nursing homes and even took a box to the Women's Shelter. All this was given by the members of our congregation. Thanks.
Phyllis Moon is in Room 513B at Titus Regional Medical Center.
Janelle Stephenson is back at home from the hospital but is still having difficulty breathing. She continues with her treatments. We need to continue our prayers on her behalf.
Remember Velma Lucky (sister of Ruby Pipkin) who fell and broke her hip last week. She is 90 years of age.
Hazel Phillips has been in ICU at East Texas Medical Center in Tyler due to blood pressure problems. Please remember her in your prayers.
Sandra Cooper remains in the hospital in Houston. She responds to some of Darrell's questions and comments by squeezing his hand or blinking her eyes, but remains in poor condition. She is not eating well and does not talk much. Darrell and Sandra, both, need our prayers.
We need to not forget the others of our congregation who are ill. I would remind you to check the PRAYER LIST for those names. If you know of any others, please let someone know ASAP.
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PRAYER LIST
Justin Barker, Louis Bell, Sandra Cooper, Bonnie Horton, Howard Horton, Corine Hudson, Phyllis Moon, Elna O'Neal, Winnie Patton, Hazel Phillips, Dorothy Sargent, Alva Mae Sheets, Janelle Stephenson, 
ALSO: Judy Betts, R. C. Grissom, Velma Lucky,
Elizabeth McGill, Kelsey Meyers, Ken Mullins, Jim Parker, Shawn Phillips, Chelsea Simpson
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Service Arrangements
ANNOUNCEMENTS...........Ralph Phillips
SONG LEADER...........................Bill Jones
PRAYERS Sunday
AM First Prayer................Gene Campbell
AM Closing................................David Neal
PM First Prayer..............Frankie Sargent
PM Closing..................Fred Harkrider, Jr.
PRAYERS Wednesday Nite
First Prayer..........................Wayne Pickrel
Closing....................................Jack Cooper
COMMUNION FOR DECEMBER
AM Jerry Freeman.............Weldon Miller
Bud Roach..................George O'Neal
Jon McCain.....................Ben McCain
PM Wayne Charlton................Tim Jones
ATTENDANCE COUNT......Grady Duncan
TRANSPORTATION.....Call Frankie Sargent
903-752-2647
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Spiritual Redecoration
Jesus once taught that if we don't fill our lives with positive goodness, Satan will fill us with evil (Lk. 11:24-26). We don't have to work at being evil to be Satan's servant, all we have to do is fail to work at being good. Jesus warned that when the unclean spirit departs, and we clean house, we must not forget to redecorate, lest the evil spirit return with seven wicked friends, making our last state worse than our first.
Why is it that some people are pleasant and easy to get along with in old age, while others are bitter and hard to get along with in their twilight years? Aside from the random mental or physical incapacities, which afflict some unfortunate souls, causing unpleasant changes in their temperament and personality, what accounts for the fact that some folks mellow with the years, while others become crotchety old ogres?
A little evil befalls all of us from time to time, as we struggle to complete our earthly sojourn. Tragedy strikes. Persecution rears its ugly head. Trials and tribulations test our mettle. Friends let us down. Brethren say things that hurt our feelings. Family members betray our commitment and love. So, we work to drive the evil spirit out. We clean house, we bury the hatchet, and we offer forgiveness to those who have wronged us.
But, we don't forget! We fail to redecorate our spiritual house with sweetness, kindness, and love. We may have buried the head of the hatchet in the stump, but too often we've left the handle sticking out, where we let it fester, as if to remind us of the wrongs we have suffered and the injustice we have been done. The evil spirit returns then with his seven wicked friends: hatred, jealousy, envy, malice, strife, pride, and bitterness, and our latter state is worse than our first. Rather than being the sweet-spirited, mellow, patient, forgiving, mature Christians, which God wants us to be and which would benefit our lives the most, we become bitter, hateful, envious, crotchety old ogres.
How can we avoid that most unpleasant end? Two Scriptural admonitions come to mind which give instructions on "spiritual redecorating." The Bible says, "Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not, rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. ...Recompense to no man evil for evil. ....If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves... Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good" (Rms. 12:14-21). "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things" (Phil. 4:8).
The only way to overcome the evil that attacks our lives, is to fill every nook and cranny of our being with positive goodness. Mellow, or crotchety? Happy, or sad? Sweet, or bitter? The choice is truly yours! Why not let good win out over evil? David McCain
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Thank you for your kind reception of the Colin Graham family last Wednesday. Please keep them in your
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Mopping Up
by Brandon Jackson (Jasper, AL)
Wielding a mop can be an amazing skill. Starting with a clean bucket of water and a dirty floor one proceeds to get the "dirt" in the bucket and the "clean" on the floor. It requires patience, skill, and elbow grease to make the process work. Some people have swept their lives clean, or even wiped their slates, but have you ever heard of someone mopping up his life? What a wonderful analogy.
Start by filling your bucket. Every person who sets out to mop a dirty floor must prepare a bucket of water to be used to loosen the dirt. Fill your bucket from the clean flowing fountain of God's word.
Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life (John 4:13-14).
For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water (Jeremiah 2:13).
Next, grab that mop and get to work. You see, it is the mop which applies the water to the floor. The mop represents our application of God's instruction. We must apply the cleansing water of God's word to our lives or it just stays in the bucket. It takes work. It takes delving into a study of the word of God each day to gain skill in application.
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (II Timothy 2:15).
I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word. Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word (Psalm 119:16-17).
I can remember working at a movie theater, cleaning up after everyone had gone home. I would take my mop and begin at the back of a theater and mop every row until I reached the bottom. That was hard work; I expended hours of time and energy in removing the cola and candy that covered the floors. But, cleaning the theaters demanded hard work.
It takes practice and skill to take the lessons out of the Bible and put them to use in our lives. However, we can take courage in the knowledge that every day we pull out that bucket, fill it up, and take a mop in our hand. We work daily to make our lives free from the sin that tries to cover them up.
It took my work and a supply of fresh clean water to get those theaters clean. Some people would mop with the same bucket of water all day long and the only thing they accomplished was . . . smearing the dirt around. It does not matter how hard one works on his life; without a clean supply of water, without God's word, the only task accomplished is a smearing of godly principles. Why settle for an unsightly smearing when God's word is so freely made available to us? Take the time to study it, apply it, and keep it fresh in your life. You will be amazed at its power to leave your soul sparkling clean.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek (Romans 1:16).
Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee (I Timothy 4:15-16).
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee (Psalm 119:11).
When one truly applies the word of God to his life and follows the commands found therein he can "mop up" his life. The wonderful thing about God's plan is that it does not matter what condition your floor (life) is inmopping up with His word will make it brand new. You may only have a few spills or a small layer of dust, or it may be that you have deep dark scuffs. It won't matter. With God's word and a consistent application of it your life can be "spic-and-span."
Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation (Psalm 24:3-5).
Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil (Isaiah 1:16).
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