TRANSPORTATION: Those needing transportation can call; Frankie Sargent at 903-572-2647
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Family Notes and News
Men remember that we have the Men's Business Meeting following evening services tonight. Please try to attend.
Sandra Cooper had a heart attack last Sunday nite and was admitted to Titus Regional Medical Center. She was transferred Monday to Methodist hospital in Houston for further treatment. Tests revealed problems with her kidney function and blood sugar, but there did not appear to be any heart muscle damage. She continues to feel better. She is in Room 1101-B, Fondren Building, Methodist Hospital. Phone: 713-790-5510. If you wish to send her a card please send it to:
Sandra Cooper
c/o Kyle Cooper
10915 Desert Springs
Houston, Texas 77095
At the writing of this bulletin Joyce Lee was still at Titus Regional Hospital but was scheduled to be released.
Hollis Lee is still having trouble with his heart. He was scheduled to return to his doctor for further treatment.
Narci Cooper is sick at home with a really bad cold.
Barbara Duncan's doctors determined that she had had a stroke. She was told her condition should improve with proper medication.
Iona Carpenter was dismissed from the hospital and is back at home. The proper course of treatment for her back problem is yet to be determined.
Congratulations to our teens: On Saturday nite, April 5, 2003 the following were honored at the High School Awards.(selected by the Teachers)
Karen Sargent: received Awards for: "Who's Who-Senior Outstanding Student in Math"; "Most Likely to Succeed." She was also recognized for being in the National Honor Society and Treasurer of the Student Council.
Jessie Wisdom: received an Award for: "Who's Who-Freshman Outstanding Student"
Justin Lee: received an Award for: "Most Irresistible"
We received a letter from Joey Davis (who we are sponsoring at Memphis School of Preaching), advising of some of the things he is involved in and that he is soon to complete his first year there. The letter will be on the round table in the foyer for your viewing.
We also have a Monthly Missions Report from Miguel Arroyo of Queretaro, Qro., Mexico. It is too lengthy to show here, but it, too, is on the round table in the foyer for your viewing.
Mount Vernon church of Christ is having a Gospel Meeting April 20-23 (Sunday thru Wednesday) with Brother Marvin L. Weir of Rowlett, Texas as Speaker. Sunday services are at: 10:30 AM and 6:00 PM with Monday thru Wednesday services at 7:00 PM.
LADIES DAY. Mount Vernon church of Christ 3rd Annual Ladies Day on April 23rd at 10:00 AM with guest speaker Marvin L. Weir. A Salad lunch will follow the lesson. If you wish to attend please call the church at Mount Vernon by April 18th at 903-537-4129.
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The Ladies of the Pearl Street church of Christ, 312 Pearl Street, Denton, Texas 76201, invite you to be our honored guest for a day of edification, learning, and fellowship on Saturday, April 26, 2003.
"Our Pattern for Living"
Topics will include: How I can be a Good Example in purity, love, speech, conduct, faith and attitude.
Registration-9:00-9:30
Lunch will be served at 12:30
R.S.V.P. (940) 387-3531
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PRAYER LIST:
Bob Adams, Justin Barker, Louis Bell, Iona Carpenter, Billy Carter, Sandra Cooper, Barbara Duncan, Patsy Duncan, Howard Horton, Corine Hudson, Hollis Lee, Joyce Lee, Wade Miller, Ruby Pipkin, Meryl Riley, Murphy Ross, Dorothy Sargent
ALSO: Geneva Cooksey, Woodrow Cooksey, Minnie Moore
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Tom's Pen
Excuses and Explanations
by Tom Wacaster
A "theory" is defined by Webster as "a hypothesis assumed for the sake of argument or investigation." A number of years ago I came across a book entitled, "Official Explanations." It was a "tongue-in-cheek" look at the uncanny ability of the human race to "explain" acts of irresponsibility and irrationality. For example, one explanation for the Three-Mile Island nuclear accident was, "Into every one's life a little fall-out must rain." Excuse making is as old as mankind. The response of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden is a case in point. As one South African brother once said, "Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed the snake, and the snake didn't have a leg to stand on." I have, through the years, collected a number of excuses and explanations of everyday phenomenon which have, at least to date, alluded adequate explanation. For example, most of us are aware that yawning is contagious. Why? Explanation: You yawn to equalize the pressure on your eardrums. This pressure change outside your eardrums unbalances the pressure in the ear of others, so they yawn to equalize the pressure in their ears." Makes sense! Here is one for linguistic experts: "The quantity of consonants in the English language is constant. If omitted in one place, they turn up in another. When a Bostonian 'pahks his cah,' the lost R's migrate southwest, causing a Texan to 'warsh' his car and invest in 'erl' wells." I thought, as I read these theories, that we should up with some 'theories' of our own to explain some not-so-rare behavior of brethren. In the area of church attendance: Attendance is the combination of two foreign words (the precise language hereto date not known). The first word, 'atten' is a system of rating. We might rate the preacher's sermon well done and extremely entertaining as 'atten.' The second part of our word, 'dance' derives from the same root word as our English word 'dance," which Webster defines as "to move quickly." Since attendance restricts my movement, such does not rate 'atten,' and hence my absence from the same. In the area of personal Bible study: It has been said that your brain has a left side, and a right side. If you are left handed, your right side of the brain is the predominant portion of your brain. Right-handed people operate out of the left portion of the brain. With that axiom well established, it only makes sense that since most folks are right-handed, then most folks operate out of the left side of their brain. And since Bible study is the "right" thing to do, this robs most folks of the ability to study the Bible on a regular basis. Silly you say? Sure. But then, so are all attempts to excuse oneself from such basic Christian responsibilities as attendance and Bible study. The sad aspect of all this is the undeniable truth that God never accepted excuses for our misbehavior and irresponsibility, no mater how "official" the explanation may seem to mortal men.
There is no man or woman alive who cannot know certainly that God exists and that He has a will for man. This does not require an existential "leap of faith"; it merely requires use of the God-given powers of observation and reason:
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world (Psalm 19:1-4).
Every time one looks up at the sky, it as if the sky is screaming, "Look, here I am! Though mankind is continually advancing technologically, they will never be able to create anything on the scale of me. There HAS to be God!" It does not matter one's language, culture, or background; the testimony which nature provides to God abounds.
God revealed Himself personally to mankind prior to the delivery of the law of Moses, before there were "Israelites," or "Jews." Every man or woman has had at least one ancestor to whom God spoke directly. Every descendant of those to whom God spoke had the responsibility of handing down the spiritual knowledge he had received. However, most failed miserably in this regard: "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient ('fitting,' ASV)" (Romans 1:28). When the knowledge of God hindered man's lifestyle, man chose to refuse the knowledge of God which he had obtained, and refused to obtain any more true knowledge of God.
The Jews had been particularly blessed to have been entrusted with the Old Testament Scriptures (Romans 3:1-2; Deuteronomy 4:8). However, the Jews chose to abuse the privilege which was theirs to know God. They openly rebelled against Him, yet claimed Him as their God. Instead of obeying God, they cried, "The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord" (Jeremiah 7:4), as though God would continue to bless them merely because He had blessed them so abundantly in the past.
There are still many seen today who choose either to refuse or to abuse the knowledge of God. When most people hear the saving message of the Gospel of Christ, they refuse it-because they do not like what it says, because they do not want to do what it demands, or because they do not want to give up their hedonistic lifestyles. There are others who abuse the knowledge they have been blessed to have of God. When you talk to them about religious matters, they will respond, "I'm church of Christ" (note the adjectival use). To them, this means that they do not have to attend worship or continually serve God in any manner. Once they have been baptized, they have "fulfilled all righteousness," thus assured of heaven regardless of future obedience or rebellion.
It has been said that "knowledge is power." It is truly an incredible power one has who knows the truth regarding God-"But as many as received him [Jesus Christ, LM], to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name" (John 1:12). But one need continue in that knowledge in order to "lay hold on eternal life" (I Timothy 6:12,19). Let no one refuse the knowledge which has been offered with its accompanied blessings; neither let any abuse the privilege of the knowledge of Christ.
