Family News and Note
The year is almost over. Who would have thought it would pass so quickly. Next Sunday is not only the first day of the week, but it is the first day of a new year. Let us all begin anew our dedication to the Lord and the work of the Church.
BUILDING FUND If you are able and wish to do so you can make a contribution to the Building Fund next Sunday, January 01, 2006.
Elna O'Neal was able to return home last Wednesday.
Hollis Lee is feeling better and was able to be at services last week. He and Joyce are really glad to be able to be back in their home, but Joyce is still not feeling well.
David McCain has been very ill at home all this past week with a virus. We are very glad he is feeling much better now. In conversation Thursday he was still very weak and tired, but hoped to be at church today.
Jim Duncan became ill last Wednesday with sore throat, croaky voice and generally feeling bad all over.
Wayne Pickrel has been experiencing some weakness as a result of his chemotherapy and he still must avoid crowds. He hopes to be able to be back among us soon.
Betty Ferrell continues to regain her strength and movement in her legs following her surgery. She hopes to be back soon.
Check the Prayer List for other folks we need to remember in our prayers.
Letha Fomby (Paula Hurndon's mother) is scheduled for cancer surgery on Friday, December 30. She has requested our prayers.
Hollis Morton of Marshall (brother-in-law of Judy and Rhodney Freeman) passed away at his home last Sunday evening following a lengthy illness. His funeral was conducted Wednesday morning at Downs Funeral Home in Marshall with burial in Harris Chapel Cemetery at Tatum. Please remember his wife, Dana, in your prayers as she begins to heal from her loss.
THANK YOU "I really appreciate the wonderful basket of all the goodies. My diet went south! Thank you all so much for thinking of me. I'm so blessed to have such a great Christian family.
--God bless you all, Ola Mae Simpson"
THANK YOU "You are always there when others need you. When least expected, you come to their aid. You never tire of doing for others. You are truly the children of your Heavenly Father, for His love shows through in your lives. Thank you so much for your prayers, calls, cards, and food that you have showered on us during my limited abilities. You are more special to us than you might have realized and our love for you grows stronger with every passing day. -- In Christian Love,
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IN CHARGE OF SELECTING MEN TO MAKE ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR JANUARY
Tim Davis
IN CHARGE OF SELECTING MEN TO LEAD PRAYERS FOR JANUARY
Joe Ferrell
IN CHARGE OF SELECTING MEN FOR COMMUNION TABLE IN JANUARY
Jerry Freeman
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Rhodney's "Funny Bone"
ECNALUBMA: (ek na lub' ma) (n.) A rescue vehicle that can only be seen in the rearview mirror.
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PRAYER LIST
Betty Abbey, Justin Barker, Rachel Barker, Louis Bell, Winell Blackard, Annah Brown, Billye Campbell, Perry Cooper, Betty Ferrell, Hollis Lee, Joyce Lee, Georgia Lide, Courtney Marshall, Elna O'Neal, Wayne Pickrel, Marie Plemmons, Dorothy Sargent, Alva Mae Sheets, Rebecca Tippitt
ALSO: Melba Boyd, Austin Cody, Letha Fomby, Ruby Jeffery, Wayne Lineberger,
Lonita Thompson
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Leaders in the Lord's Church
-- Part One --(A Person of Humility)
(Guest article from "The Southwesterner" from
Southwest Church of Christ of Ada, Oklahoma)
For many years we have heard this phrase and we have understood it to be speaking of Elders in the church. Let us remind ourselves that this phrase (Leaders in the Lord's Church) is not only meaning the Elders of the church. There are several leaders in the church who have willingly given of their time and passion to the Lord's work and have made an impact in people's lives. There is one thing I want to bring up in this article. Being a leader doesn't always mean these leaders were good leaders. There are good leaders who have led the Lord's church to higher understanding of our Lord and His work and then there are those who have done their best at leading brothers and sisters in Christ away from their Lord. Church, this has become a big problem in our day in age. Our leadership skills have not been the best they can be. For what reasons, I don't know. I am sure there is a huge list that we can go down and see why our leadership is not at our best. I want us to look at the Bible and learn from some of the examples given to us. If there is anyone out there today wanting and willing to serve the Lord as leaders in His church please listen closely to what the Bible has to say. Understand I am not just talking to the men but to our ladies also!
Although we are a New Testament church, I want us to go back to the Old Testament and look at an example of leadership in God's family. Let's take a look at Joshua and his example.
As a leader, Joshua teaches us that we are to be a person of humility. Before Joshua was a leader he was a follower. He knew his place and his duties as a follower. He knew he had to learn and apply those things he learned to his life. For forty years he served under Moses in the wilderness. Exodus 33:11 lets us know that Joshua was a true servant of Moses. Through this we know that humility is essential in leadership. You must know how to follow in order to lead. You must know what serving is all about in order to know what servant leadership really means. People will follow the leaders that do instead of those that don't.
I Joshua 3:7 the Lord mentions that He begin to exalt Joshua in the sight of Israel so that they may all know that just as God had been with Moses He will be with Joshua. What we need to understand is that although Joshua is approved by God to be a leader, he has now become an even greater servant with greater responsibilities. You see, becoming a leader is not barking orders at others but actually doing what needs to be done and others will follow and imitate what you do. Paul mentions in I Corinthians 11:1, "Be imitators of me as I am also of Christ." He was not saying be imitators of me because I am a leader but because I am a servant of Christ. Brothers and sisters in Christ, if you want to be a leader in the Lord's church, I commend you for that, but I want you to understand that being a leader is not an easy thing. Being a leader does add greater responsibility and accountability for the way that you lead God's people. Being a leader is not becoming holier than others. Being a leader will make you a servant and a worker for the Lord. Please understand that being a leader means that you now understand that you are a servant. Paul mentions in Philippians 1:21, "For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain." None of us will dare say that Paul was not a leader in the church. We all know by his writings that Paul was a man that a lot of us would try to follow in his example because of the way he lived his life. Although we see Paul as a strong and powerful leader in the church we must understand that the reason Paul was a good leader was because he was a great servant. Remember, Paul said, to me to live is Christ! He shows his humility through his leadership. Yes, he understood he was an influential person and a leader but he knew that what he was doing was not because of him or for him but because of Christ. He did these things because he was a true servant of God.
Humbling yourself to God is not a bad thing. If you are a leader in the Lord's church then I really want you to understand that you are only in this position because you have decided to humble yourself before God. You decided to give of your time and passion for the Lord's work. Thank you so much for being that person for our Lord and Savior. Thank you for being a servant-leader!
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--Part Two (A Man of Faith & Trust in God)
When we talk of faith and trust in God, a lot of times we don't really understand what these words mean. Most of the time we take these words to mean what we want them to mean instead of what God made them out to mean. For example in Number 13:25 - 14:10, we see a definition of these two words.
Moses sends out men to spy out the land of Canaan. He asks them to see what the land was like, see whether the people who live there are strong or weak, whether they are few or many, is the land good or bad, are the cities they live in like camps or fortifications, is the land fat or lean, are there trees, if there are trees, then being some of the fruit. As these twelve men go out to spy on the land they see that this land is "flowing with milk and honey" as described by the spies. This meant the land was perfect for living. That was not all they saw though! They told of what the people were like. They said their men were strong and their cities were large and fortified. Before even thinking of what they were saying they had already given up. They had seen the beauty of this land that God had already promised them and yet they still turned from God saying, could we not have died in Egypt? Why must we die out in this wilderness? They rebelled against God and His plan. Church, how many times have we done the same? Understand that these men were part of those that God delivered from Egypt! Yet they still have not learned that God will deliver them if they only trust and have faith in Him. We can see this happening time after time as we read the Bible but understand that we see this happening time after time in our own lives! We have seen the glory of God. We have seen what the Israelites have gone through and what they missed out on for not having faith and trust in God and yet we too turn from God. Shall we have faith or shall we turn away and choose to die in Egypt? When will we understand that God will not break a promise? When will we understand that God has already delivered us! It's not only the Egyptians that had trouble with this; we too have the same problem. God has offered us salvation in eternity with Him and yet we question His commands and a lot of times we turn away from Him. As a leader please understand what Joshua had to do in this case.
Joshua and Caleb both show their leadership amongst the leaders and take a stand for what is right! They tore their clothes and said "If the Lord is pleased with us then He will bring us into this land and give it to us a land flowing with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord; and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey."
Brothers and sisters in Christ, as leaders in the Lord's church we too will have to make decisions like these men had to in their time. Will we rise as leaders and let people know that our faith and trust is in God or will we back down and fear the responsibilities we have as leaders? We will face times when being a leader will not be an easy task for us. We will face times when the decisions we make will affect things to come in the future and in order to make those decisions we have to be prepared to make them. Who do you trust today? Where is your faith this day? God has already granted us victory! He wants us to lead His people to the land flowing with milk and honey (Heaven). Will you be a Joshua or a Caleb or will you back down and surrender your salvation. Ask yourself this question daily to make sure that your faith is still in God.
After these two men took a stand, the congregation wanted to stone them. They wanted to kill them and when this was about to happen, the glory of the Lord appeared to all the sons of Israel. Do you not think God will be with you while you take on the challenges of the world? Do you not think God will deliver you as He did those in the past? Remember God has never broken a promise He has made. Will you trust and put your faith in Him? It is your choice. I ask you today, don't just be a man who is a leader in the church, be a good leader. Be a leader who personifies "A Man of Humility," "A Man of Faith and Trust in God" and "A Man of God's Word."
Oh yeah, just in case you forgot who were the men who entered the promised land, the land flowing with milk and honey, (The land of Canaan) keep reading your Bible. You'll find out, it might surprise you!
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