FAMILY NEWS AND NOTE
Volume 10 21 DECEMBER 2008 Issue No. 43
Service Arrangements
COMMUNION FOR DECEMBER 2008
SOUTH SIDE 
NORTH SIDE
AM
Wayne Pickrel Weldon Miller
George O’Neal Jody Sparks
Cody Sparks Charles Kyle
PM
Ron Traughber Tim Jones
ANNOUNCEMENTS ………….… Frankie Sargent
(Sunday and Wednesday)
SONG LEADER (AM)………........… Weldon Miller
(PM) …….........….. Weldon Miller
Wednesday Nite ……...............…. Hal Roper
PRAYERS —– Sunday.
AM First Prayer …….... Gene Campbell
Closing…………......Bronson Roper
PM First Prayer…….… George O’Neal
Closing…………...… Fred Harkrider
PRAYERS — Wednesday Nite
First Prayer………….….. Jerry Freeman
Closing……………………..… Tim Jones
PRAYER LIST:
Betty Abbey, Justin Barker, Rachel Barker, Louis & Nona Bell, Doris Bell, Billye Campbell, Suzanne Charlton, Steele Cooper, Irene Duncan, Amber Kimbrough, Ben McCain, Wade Miller, Elna O’Neal, Thelma Reed, Bud Roach
ALSO: Beth Adams, Roy Coats, Wesley DuBose, Lacy Farmer, Carolyn Holliday, Gene Garner, Donald Johnson, Chuck Kyle, Wayne Lineberger, Jesse & Jacob Massey, Yvonne Waldrup, Charlie Whitney, Linda Wysinger
Thanks to Royce Armstrong for the wonderful lesson he taught last Wednesday evening.
Folks, we need all kinds of non-perishable items for our pantry. The season is upon us and our benevolence will surely increase. We don’t have an updated list at the printing of this bulletin, but you can refer to the old list on the table in the foyer for most of the items needed. Thanks for your kindness.
Men, the Sound Room is still in need of men to train (we need at least ONE) to learn the basic operation only. This is to cover an instance when both Wade and Ronnie will not be available due to sickness or being out of town. We seriously need a back-up person. Contact Wade or Ronnie if you are interested in volunteering.
The monthly youth devotional to be hosted by Hal and Karen Roper … that was scheduled for today … is postponed until January 11.
A new program is being started for our children ages 3 thru 10, as a Children’s Bible Hour, to begin January 25th. This will be immediately following the morning worship service. It will be only once a month and will last from 11:00 AM until noon. There will be a Bible lesson, activities, and lunch. This will give the parents a chance to eat “alone.” See Amy Jones for details.
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.
Our congregation will be participating in a clothing drive for our brethren residing in the Navajo reservation in Kayenta, Arizona. We will be gathering clothes, all sizes, for the whole family (especially fall and winter wear), beginning the first of the year until the end of the summer.
Please remember Amber Kimbrough in your prayers. She has been fighting a severe antibiotic-resistant skin infection for several months. We hope that a new medication and treatment will finally clear up this condition.
At the writing of this bulletin Dudley Farrell’s father-in-law is still in Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas. He will be there for a couple of weeks.
Irene Duncan fell last week and has lots of bruises. No broken bones but the pain from the bruises is causing her some pain. Grady is looking after her.
Carolyn Holliday had surgery on her broken ankle last Wednesday at TRMC. It is anticipated that she will be moved from her current room #530 on Saturday to the 4th floor and she is scheduled to remain there for about 20 days while she has physical therapy.
Gene Garner reportedly had a mild stroke last week but after examination he was released from the hospital. Lawanta is not doing very well at this time.
Wade Miller is scheduled to have injections in his back to try to alleviate the numbness and pain in his left arm and hand. Additional news ... Wade and Vicki celebrate their 30th anniversary on the day of his procedure, on Dec. 22nd.
Bud Roach is scheduled for surgery (carotid arteries) on December 30th at Longview Regional Medical Center.
Chuck Kyle had an emergency appendectomy last week and is doing well.
Charles Whitney (Sue’s husband) is doing better after his follow-up procedure. He remains in ETMC in Tyler, but was hoping to come home on Saturday.
Donald Johnson is out of the hospital and is doing well.
Funeral for brother James Butler is scheduled for 10:00 AM Monday at the Wilshire church of Christ at 400 E. Wilshire in Oklahoma City, OK with a graveside service to be conducted at 3:00 PM in Fredrick, OK (about a 2-hour drive south of Oklahoma City). His body is currently at Matthews Funeral home at 601 South Kelly in Edmond, OK. Their phone no. is 405-341-2787. Sister Marie Butler’s phone no. is 405-285-9210.
What’s Not In Ephesians 6:4
Mike Riley—The Southwesterner—Ada, OK
There are three entities that are not found as a part of the discipline and teaching instructions in Ephesians 6:4:
1) The State is Not in Ephesians 6:4.
Educational institutions cannot be counted on, especially for moral teaching. In fact, you had better be watchful because some schools may even promote the exact opposite of your values. Your child might be encouraged to reject God as the Creator, reject the counsel of Scripture, and explore their sexuality, even to the extent of homosexual conduct. Keeping a “pulse’ on your child’s education is more important now than ever.
2) The Local Church is Not in Ephesians 6:4.
As important as local churches can be in assisting parents in this great responsibility, god never instructed a group of Christians to raise my children to know the Lord. Instead He charges every father with that responsibility!
How many examples could be cited of children who sat in Bible classes Sunday after Sunday and ‘Wednesday after Wednesday who no longer serve the Lord? And of those examples, what percentage do you suppose received very little teaching in the home? How many of them heard very little positive being said about the brethren or about serving them. How many prayers were prayed besides mealtimes, if even then? (Whatever happened to families eating dinner together around a table instead of in front of a television?)
Bible classes should merely supplement the greater, daily, life-consistent, short-term work of parents in the home. Yes, it is short-term work. Eighteen years fly by seemingly in a moment. That means training children is an urgent work! The greatest spiritual influence is not the quality of their Bible classes or the talents of those who teach them, but the example and behavior of parents. The local church is no substitute for “you shall teach them [God’s Word, His desires] diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up” (Deut. 6:7).
3) The Mother is Not in Ephesians 6:4.
Certainly, the mother can be an invaluable asset in rearing children to know the Lord. Timothy’s mother and grandmother serve as a great example (2 Tim. 1:5, 3:145-17). If the father does not fulfill his god-given responsibility, then a mother who cares about the souls of her children must shoulder the responsibility. But our passage calls for leadership from the husband! He may employ the assistance of his helper, his godly wife, but the responsibility is his nonetheless.
Does a perception exist that bible study is not manly? Do some think “that’s woman’s work?” the example of Jesus, the ultimate Man, dispels such a notion. Fathers, step up to the plate! Read the Bible with your kids. Present its treasures to them as just that — a treasure-trove full of wisdom. Speak specifically of application. Warn them of potential dangers. Explain your trust in and love for God. Pray for them. Teach them to pray. Display contentment. Do not murmur. Rejoice! Paint a clear portrait of real manhood and womanhood (a biblical definition). Show them a loving, honoring, self-sacrificing relationsh8ip between husband and wife.
Let them know that what you want for them more than anything—and I do mean anything —is for them to become Christians and to go to heaven when they die. once they have obeyed the Gospel of the Lord Jesus, further admonish them to live obediently, genuinely as Christians and to be an upstanding example for others to imitate.
Conclusion
What is the focus of your home? Dare you ask you children for the answer to that question! You might want to think about doing so for the sake of their souls’ salvation and your own. These most precious souls need instruction in “the good and the right way” before it is too late (1 Sam. 12:w24; cf. Prov. 3:1-4, 4:10-13).
