Family News and Notes
Tuesday Night, July 19th, the 2005 Summer Youth Bible Series of Northeast Texas (SYBSNET) will meet at New Boston church of Christ. Bro. Daniel Hooten will be speaking on the topic "Facing The Dangers Of The Night" beginning at 7:00 PM. Most likely the group who goes will be leaving here at about 6:15 PM. So see you.
Next week the 2005 Summer Youth Bible Series of Northeast Texas will come to a close with a final meeting on Tuesday, July 26 at Blodgett Church of Christ with Bro. Randy Daw presenting a lesson entitled "A Lamp To Lead Us Home To Heaven."
Ladies Bible Class will have a Salad Luncheon on Tuesday, July 19, at 12:00 Noon in the home of Amy Jones. All the ladies are invited. Bring your needlework and stay and visit.
We are seeking VOLUNTEERS to help in our Sound Room. Several of the men who now perform this duty have been recently either out of town working or have become ill and cannot come to services. It would be good if 2 or 3 would volunteer to train for this so we would have a larger "pool" of men to perform this small service. Thanks.
Justin Barker (age 7) will be attending the TEXAS LION'S CAMP for Special Youth this week. He will leave Tuesday and be at camp Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and will return on Saturday. The Lion's Club is sponsoring him in every way. Let's keep Justin in our prayers that he may have a most enjoyable camp.
A Gospel Meeting begins today at Cookville Church of Christ and runs through Wednesday (July 17-July 20). Speaking will be Brother Dalton Graves on Sunday, Brother Brian Gochenour on Monday evening, Brother Johnny Ramsey will be the speaker on Tuesday evening, and Brother Doug Blackard will be the speaker on Wednesday evening. Services for this meeting are 11:00 AM on Sunday and at 7:30 PM each evening. Everyone is invited to hear these men present one of their favorite sermons in the "OLD FASHIONED WAY." See the flyer on the round table in the foyer.
Louis Bell continues to experience health problems and he requested last Sunday that we continue to remember him in our prayers.
There are several others on our Prayer list. Please check the back page of this bulletin for those names.
Nancy Chastain responded Wednesday evening and following is her request: "I want to be a better daughter, mother, sister, grandmother and great-grandmother instead of just praying and waiting for God to do my job. I want the young people to see the best Christian example in me. I ask the prayers of the church." We need to pray for and encourage Nancy so her wishes may be fulfilled.
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Johnny Rex Phillips (son of Josephine and Perry Cooper) passed away at his home Thursday. His funeral will be conducted this afternoon (July 17) at 2:00 PM here at the building by Bates-Cooper-Sloan Funeral Home, with burial at Nevill's Chapel Cemetery. David McCain and Jim Parker will be speaking. Visitation was held Saturday evening from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM at the funeral home.
This family has had a double loss in the past several months, and we need to keep the family in our prayers, as they will need much support in the days ahead.
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PRAYER LIST:
Justin Barker, Rachel Barker, Louis Bell, Annah Brown, Billye Campbell,
Perry Cooper, Vernon Garrett, Zenith Hargrove, Hollis Lee, Joyce Lee,
Winnie Patton, Dorothy Sargent, Alva Mae Sheets,
ALSO: Melba Boyd, Denise Dering, Wesley & Juanita DuBose, Ruby Jeffery, Lonita Thompson
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COUNTING BLESSINGS
Johnny Ramsey
Forgetting the evil deeds of yesterday is a necessary part of living for Jesus. The sterling words of Philippians 3:14 should impress us: "I press on toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of Christ Jesus."
Since God has promised to remember our sins no more (Heb. 8:12), we can rejoice that our sins are blotted out (Acts 3:19), when we genuinely repent and obey! An old gospel song is a real blessing:
I'm pressing on the upward way,
New heights I'm gaining every day;
I want to live above the world,
Tho' Satan's darts at me are hurled;
Still praying as I onward bound,
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.
Why must we press onward and upward and never digress?
1.We must not let Satan win.
2.We have a Savior to glorify
3.Any hesitation can weaken our future.
4.Others need to see our progress.
5.Going back to the world would spell disaster.
6.A failure to advance spiritually brings apostasy.
7.The joy of Christianity would pass us by.
Human nature is such that if we are not busy in the service of Christ we grow weaker and may even forget we were purged from our old ways (II Peter 1:8-10). Remember that the Devil desperately tries to snatch away the word of God before it takes root in our hearts (Mark 4:15). Some folk never get started in zealous Christianity because the past overwhelms them!
One outstanding deterrent to apostasy is to constantly count our blessings. Far too many people complain rather than expressing appreciation for the richness of the gospel.
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WE CAN DO BETTER
Johnny Ramsey
A major purpose of Christianity is to cause us to grow into the likeness of the Savior. We earnestly crave the word of God that "we may grow thereby" (1 Pet. 2:1-3). We must "go on to perfection" (Heb. 6:1) as we strive to do better as servants of Jehovah. We dare not become stagnant in the work of our Redeemer. These words should challenge our attention: "The richest soil, if not cultivated, produces the rankest weeds."
When we become so arrogant that we see no need for improvement, we have allowed Satan to beguile us. "If you have tried to do something, and failed, you are vastly better off than if you had tried to do nothing and succeeded." Some are so deceived that they really think they have already done the best they can. But 2 Pet. 3:18 demands, "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." Two brief statements fit right here real well:
[1] When there's work to be done, turn up your sleeves, not your nose.
[2] It's what you learn after you know it all that really counts.
We cannot build a proper reputation on what we are going to do. Some preachers are so lazy that they never get out of the planning stage. Real faith leads to zealous action as we yearn for a closer walk with God. Will Cowper wrote these vibrant words:
The dearest idol I have known,
Whatever that idol be,
Help me to tear it from Thy Throne,
And worship only Thee.
When we understand that there are many ways we can grow in the glorious cause of Christ, we will not be content with mediocrity and resting on past laurels. We will deepen in the attributes of godliness and soar to greater heights. The Bible encourages us, "And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away" (1 Pet. 5:4). A heart-warming gospel song truly grasps the thrust of this lesson concerning nearness to our Redeemer:
Would you in His service
Labor always at your best?
Let Him have His way with thee.
His love can fill your soul
And you will see
It was best for Him
To have His way with thee.
We can, and will, do better when we stay close to the Lord Jesus!
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