Family News and Notes
The Clean-up List (on the table in the foyer) is still incomplete. We need volunteers. Thanks for using your talents for this purpose.
Ladies Bible Class resumes Tuesday morning at 10:00 AM on Lesson 11. All ladies are encouraged to attend.
Tonight after services there will be a planning meeting of all young people and parents and other interested parties to plan the 2005 youth Activity Calendar. We hope to have an activity each month for both the older and younger age groups, with perhaps some combined events. If you would like to host a devotional, wiener roast, service project, hayride, bowling, skating, cookout, or other outing for our youth please plan to attend this meeting.
Weldon Miller was admitted to the hospital last week for tests but was able to return home. Doctor's could not diagnose the cause of his problem. He is feeling a little better.
Elna O'Neal will have surgery to install a stint on Monday, January 3, 2005, at Baylor Hospital in Dallas. This is a risky procedure and she and George have requested that we keep her in our prayers.
Billy Carter has been experiencing really bad breathing problems this past week. Please add him back on your prayer list.
Kenneth Wisdom (Jesse's grandfather) has been in Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler.
C. B. Burkham (a former member of North Jefferson church of Christ when it was downtown) passed away Sunday, December 26, 2004.
His funeral was conducted on Thursday, December 30, 2004 at 10:00 AM at Laurel Land Funeral Home in Fort Worth.
If you wish to send a sympathy card the address is:
Evelyn Burkham
109 Trinity Circle
Crowley, Texas 76036
Charles Best passed away last week. His funeral was conducted by Radar Funeral Home in Longview at First United Methodist Church 12:00 Noon Thursday, December 30, 2004.
Beo Melancor (Tammy's grandfather) passed away Monday night in Crawley, LA.
THANK YOU . "To the members of North Jefferson church of Christ:
We would really like to thank each of you for your prayers, cards, food, and words of sympathy during our time of grief for my mother.
---In Christian love,
Tim Jones and family
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Rhodney's "Funny Bone"
A couple of local preachers stood by the side of the road holding up a sign that said, "The End is Near! Turn yourself around now before it's too late!"
They planned to hold up the sign to each passing car.
"Leave us alone you religious nuts!" yelled the first driver as he sped by.
From around the curve they heard a big splash. "Do you think," said one preacher to the other, "we should just put up a sign that says 'bridge out' instead?"
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PRAYER LIST:
Justin Barker, Rachel Barker, Louis Bell, Annah Brown, Sue Browning, Billy Carter, Josephine Cooper, Perry Cooper, Zenith Hargrove, Howard Horton, Ruby Lawhon,
Hollis Lee, Winnie Patton, Hazel Phillips, Dorothy Sargent, Alva Mae Sheets
ALSO: Denise Dering, Ercell Fetters, Marie Holloway, Patricia McCracken,
Kelsey Meyers
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Served Or Servant?
Two classes of people are found in every organization on the face of this earth: those who contribute to the cause and those who detract from it. It matters not whether you're talking about an organization as large as a nation, or as small as a local civic club, some members furnish the ride, while others just go along for the ride. The business world provides a good illustration of this truism. In every corporation there are those employees who are genuinely interested in the welfare of the company, and then there are those whose only interests are quitting time and payday.
Sadly, this condition also prevails in the body of Christ. Of course, we thank God for those brethren who approach Christianity from the servant's viewpoint, as they serve and contribute according to their ability for the good of the body. These are the happy, contented, satisfied Christians whose lives are a blessing to others and a joy to behold. How utterly disappointing, though, are those brethren who approach the Lord's church from the "what's in it for me" perspective, of what the church "owes" them. These "Christians" "miss the boat" as they sit idly on the sidelines waiting to be entertained, rather than rolling up their sleeves and joining the game.
These latter folks are the unhappy "Christians," the guilty, mixed up, "on again off again" brethren who are looking for something in religion they will never find unless they repent and change their heart. They judge worship by its entertainment value. They shop for a church home not on the basis of the soundness of the local congregation or the faithfulness of its members, nor of where they are most needed to serve, but rather on which church will give them everything they want, and tell them what they want to hear. They seek a religion of convenience, however, they are forever doomed to unhappiness, because they haven't learned that, "it is more blessed (happy) to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35).
>From the Biblical record we learn that the joy of service was one of the most difficult aspects of Christian living for Jesus to convey to His followers. Over and over again we find the Lord stressing the noble qualities of servant hood: humility, patience, compassion, kindness, stewardship, zeal, charity, hard work, meekness, mercy, gentleness, and love (Mt. 5:3-12, 20:27, 23:11). Not only did Jesus teach His disciples about what it means to be a servant of others, He also modeled the servant's heart before them (Phil. 2:5-8). Yet time and again His closest followers, the Apostles, evidently missed the point, for we find them continually arguing over which one of them would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven (Mark 9:33, Mt. 20:20-23). Finally, on the night our Lord met with His disciples in the upper room, no one offered to perform the common courtesy of washing the feet of the assembled group, so He took the job for Himself, in order to teach the Apostles an object lesson on servant hood, they would not soon forget (John 13:1-17).
Jesus' point was simple yet so very profound. He said, "For I given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them" (John 13:15-17). "But whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many" (Mt. 20:26-28). Greatness in the kingdom of God comes not from age, money, position, power, or popularity; not even from being a "charter member" of a local congregation, rather it comes from humble service. The real joy of Christianity is reserved for those humble servants who realize their talents and abilities, and who, without reservation, stipulation, or strings, offer those things in service to the Lord with the attitude, "here am I; send me" (Isaiah 6:8).
So, which will it be for you: served or servant, leech or leader, parasite or participant? You'll have to decide for yourself, but remember this admonition of our Lord Jesus Christ, "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and for the gospel's the same shall save it" (Mark 8:35). What have you done to serve Christ and His church today? That's how true Christianity is measured! David McCain
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THE SILENT SERMON
A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly, suddenly stopped coming to church. After a few weeks, the Preacher decided to visit.
The Preacher found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire.
Guessing the reason for the Preacher's visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited.
The Preacher made himself at home but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs.
After some minutes, the Preacher took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone.
Then he sat back in his chair, still silent. The host watched all this in quiet contemplation.
As the one lone ember's flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and lifeless.
The Preacher glanced at his watch and realized it was time to leave.
He slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow, once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it.
As the Preacher reached the door to leave, his host said, with a tear running down his cheek, "Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I shall be back in church next Sunday."
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I NEVER INTENDED TO QUIT
(guest article from Bangs Church of Christ)
written by: Gus Nichols (deceased)
A man who had not attended one service of the church in four years told me he had never thought of "quitting" the church. I reminded him that he had:
1. Withdrawn his presence from the services
2. Refused to give his moral support to the activities of the congregation.
3. Withdrawn his financial support, for he had not given one dime to help carry on the
Lord's work.
Then I asked, "What else would you have to do in order to 'quit' the church? In case you ever decide that you no longer desire to be a member, what other steps will be necessary to 'quit' the church?"
As the true status dawned upon him, his expression reflected his sober thoughts. He replied, Why brother Nichols, I've already quit, haven't I? Well, I surely did not mean to! And I do not know when I did it I am coming back." He did too. At the next service, he was restored and three years later he was still faithful.
Dear reader, how about you. Have you quit the Lord and His church without resolving to do so? Perhaps no one deliberately decides to quit, but many carelessly drift into backsliding.
If you quit attending services, quit boosting the program of activities planned by the elders and quit giving as God has prospered you to enable the congregation to meet its budget, you need to be restored.
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