Family News and Notes
To all of our visitors and .regular members, we want to extend a hearty welcome to our worship services here at North Jefferson! If the bulletin is a little incomplete or discombobulated this Lord's Day, please blame "me" (the preacher), as our regular secretary, Rhodney Freeman is taking a few days off to nurse his wife back to good health.
Calling all adults (college age to "ancient of days"). This is your last call to remind you all to sign up for the big holiday dinner party scheduled for this coming Friday evening, December 8th, at the McCain's new home, located at 414 Dogwood Lane (it is the second house on south side of Dogwood, just west of Florey, which is the main north/south street on the southeast side of Mt. "P." Festivities will begin at 6:30 with appetizers and visiting. Dinner will be served around 7:00. We will provide the main courses, the bread, and the drinks, and you are asked to bring the side dishes of a salad, a vegetable, or a dessert (one dish per individual or coupletrust me there will be more than you can eat). The main courses will be turkey and dressing (both regular and Cajun fried), southern ham, and some other "chef's surprise" (maybe road kill Armadillo!). The meal will be buffet style where you can go back for sixth's and twelth's and "eat until it ouches you," while you visit and laugh until your heart's content! We will then play some fun games, have some usually hilarious entertainment, and perhaps do some other wild and crazy things, howbeit wholesome things, the climax of which will be "the crazy gift swap!" Remember to bring a wrapped gift (either legitimate or gag gift, or bothbe creative$15 max limit please) and be sure to leave your feelings at home, because the rules change year by year in order to keep you totally confused! This annual party is our way of saying thanks to the congregation for putting up with us (and my preaching) for another year, so we hope every adult will do your best to attend, so we can let you know how much we appreciate all of you for the generous love and support you have showered upon us the past three years.
Youth Activity Next Sunday, Dec. 10thAll of the young people are asked to eat lunch with your family next Sun., & then meet at the building at 2:00 p.m. to first wrap all the gifts for the Bole's Home Kids, and then go make the singing holiday pantry pick-up drive to help refill our pantry as we visit the homes of the members who have signed up to let us come sing for the groceries, as we sing some seasonal favorites like Jingle Bells or Rudolph! Then, following the evening service, all the youth (& any parents who would like to come) are invited to the McCain's home for a festive evening of holiday refreshments and games. We will provide all the food, but everyone is asked to bring a 2-Liter soft drink of your choice. Instead of a gift swap, everyone is asked to bring a monetary donation that we will combine and send to the Graham family, our missionaries in Ireland, to help purchase some holiday gifts for their 3 children, Samantha, Jordan, and McKenzie! Note to Adult MembersIf you want the kids to come to your house to sing and pick up pantry supplies, you must sign up on the list on the foyer table. There is also a list of needed pantry supplies and you are asked to purchase just those requested items.
The Tuesday Morning Ladies Bible Class will meet at the regular time this Tue., at 10:00 a.m., to study Romans 9. The following week, Tue, Dec. 12th, will be the last meeting before the holiday break, and will be spent making and delivering the holiday baskets. There is a list on the foyer table for items needed for the holiday baskets, or if you prefer, $$$ can be donated to Amy Jones for the purchase of needed items
Hospital Report:
Sue Browning had 6 heart bypasses performed on her heart at Baylor Hospital, in Dallas two weeks ago, but is making steady progress. She is back home again, and is being cared for by James.
Hollis Lee was able to come back home to Mt. Pleasant this week to the Pleasant Springs Nursing Home, following the amputation surgery on his right leg last week. However, on Friday, he was rushed to the local hospital with breathing difficulties and then quickly transferred to the ICU at Mother Francis hospital in Tyler, where it was determined that he had carbon monoxide poison due to his breathing difficulties. He is in critical condition and mostly unresponsive and it will be several days before they can clear the CO2 effects from his system. Joyce is with him in Tyler.
Judy Freeman was taken to the local hospital with chest pains on Wednesday, and quickly transferred to Tyler's ETMC for a heart catheterization. Fortunately, the medication given her for a clot and the performance of a balloon angioplasty procedure and the placement of a stint/s were able to correct the blockage. She will likely get to come home tomorrow.
Vernon Garrett had eye surgery in Dallas on Thursday. Everything went well but it will be several weeks before the results of his surgery will become evident in whether or not it helps to improve his vision. He is recovering at home, and is hopeful that his vision will return after the surgery heals.
Please remember all of these brethren and their families in your prayers, as well as others of our number who have been sick.
Geneva Cooksey sent word that she arrived safely in Commerce, but was not yet "settled in" as she is still unpacking boxes. She sent her sincere thanks to all who helped her move.
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PRAYER LIST
Judy Freeman, Vernon Garrett, Sue Browning, Hollis Lee, Justin Barker,
Rachel Barker, Jean Bell, Winell Blackard, Annah Brown, Nancy Chastain,
Josephine Cooper, Perry Cooper, Jan Hargrove, Joyce Lee, Georgia Lide,
Wade Miller, Carl Lee, Marie Plemmons, Helen Roper, Alva Mae Sheets,
Edith Shiflet, Ola Mae Simpson, Julia Terrell, Rebecca Tippitt
ALSO: Bobby Brewster, Cristell Cato, Austin Cody, Lana Downs,
Juanita DuBose, Wesley DuBose, Carolyn Fox, Roy Fox, Edna Graves,
Ruby Jeffery, Carlos Kidwell, Wayne Lineberger, and Nola Vandusen.
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The Fearful Responsibility of Parenting
I used to be an expert on parenting before I got married and adopted some kids! The poet was surely right who penned, "With the pitter patter of little feet, there are a million words to eat." I'll never forget one of my college professor's tongue-in-cheek story about his expertise in child-rearing. He said that before he got married, he had a sermon entitled, "How To Raise Your Children." Then he got married and had children, which prompted him to change the title to, "Suggestions On Raising Your Children." Finally, he mentioned that when his kids got to the teenage years, he threw the sermon away! Does that ring any bells for any of you parents?
No one likes to be told how to raise their children. After 52 years of life on this planet, it has been my observation that few things make folks any angrier than criticizing their parenting abilities. Discipline, or the lack thereof, is especially a taboo topic! If you want to win friends and influence people, don't ever tell a parent his philosophy of child rearing is all wrong.
Though parents don't generally appreciate unsolicited criticism of their parenting skills, most parents do seek out advice on difficult parenting problems. The trouble is, far too many look for help in all the wrong places. They turn to the self-help books, many of which are written by liberal, humanistic, atheistic psychologists. In our undisciplined, rebellious society today, we see the results of a whole generation of children who were raised according to the philosophies of Dr. Spock, and other liberal child-psychologists of his ilk.
What parents need to do to improve their parenting skills is to spend more time reading the Word of God. Here is a self-help book that will really work, because it's the only one you can trust to be right 100% of the time. As Creator of the human race, God is the only real "expert" in the field of parenting. Surely He knew what He was talking about when He told parents how to do the job. Would any faithful Christian dare to challenge His expertise?
According to the Scriptures, three ingredients of the godly parent stand out as the basis for successful child rearing. They are: heaps of love (which includes positive praise, reinforcement, and reward for good behavior), lots of faithful teaching and training (especially of God's Word by both instruction and example), and consistent discipline (in the form of correction and punishment for unacceptable behavior).
Love is the basis for all family relationships. Without deep and abiding love, parents are spinning their wheels when they try to teach, train, or discipline their children. However, when parents really do love their children, they will teach and train them as God's Word instructs (Deut. 6:3-9, 32:46-47, Eph. 6:4). Finally, truly loving parents will discipline their children to help them grow spiritually mature (Prov. 13:24, 19:18, 22:6-15, 23:13-14, 29:15-17, Eph. 6:4).
Being a parent is an awesome and fearful responsibility. My mother-in-law says it's a cradle to the grave job. Translated, that means she isn't through working on "me" yet! I told her she had to take over for my mother, after mother passed away several years ago. The point is when you sign on to be a parent, you're signing on for a lifetime of responsibility. It's tiring, frustrating, sometimes heart-rending work, but it's worth the effort because of the great rewards that are in store for godly parents. I encourage our young parents to accept God's challenge of being a godly, loving, teaching, training, exemplary, and disciplining parent. Don't forget to spend lots of time in "the Book" and on your knees seeking God's guidance and help.
David McCain
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The Heart Of A Child
Whatever you write on the heart of a child,
No water can wash away.
The sand may be shifted when billows are wild,
And the efforts of time may decay.
Some stories may perish, some songs be forgot,
But this graven record, time changes it not.
Whatever you write on the heart of a child,
A story of gladness or care,
That Heaven has blessed, or earth has defiled,
Will linger unchangeably there.
(Author Unknown)
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