Vivian Meeker Passes

http://www.sawyergeorgefuneralhome.com/obituaries/2012/12/vivian-meeker/

My advice to young men concerning preparing themselves to be Elders

- Don’t seek the office, let the office seek you.

- Work hard to be the best servant of God you can be. The rest of it (being an Elder) will take care of itself.

- Dedicate yourselves to understanding the Bible. Know the Old Testament as well as you know the New Testament. A lot of problems in the church are a direct result of weak knowledge.

- Learn to be an effective teacher. Study those who are effective at teaching and imitate them.

- Search out opportunities to teach.

- Live what you teach. Don’t be a hypocrite.

- Work on being a good husband and a good father. Those relationships are the training ground for leading a congregation of people.

- Get to know everyone in the congregation. Especially the old people, the widows and the kids. Find the person who seems to have no friends and become his/her friend.

- Practice putting the needs of others before your own needs and wants.

- Enjoy all of God’s creation and rejoice in it. Be a happy person.

Church News 4 Feb 07

I watched one of my favorite movies the other day... "Ground-hog day" with Bill Murray. Bill Murray's character, Phil, has to live the same day over and over again. At first Phil lives each day taking advantage of other people. He robs banks, he's rude to others, and he takes sexual advantage of women, but the one woman he loves he cannot win over with his evil trickery. Then he becomes despondent and kills himself every day...only to wake up again the next day to start all over again. Finally Phil resolves to do good for others and spends his day preventing accidents, helping those in need and showing kindness to everyone. When his dream girl sees the kind of person he has become she can't help but be attracted to him. It's not until he makes that fundamental change in himself that he wins over the love of his life and wakes up in a new day. I think there's a big Christian message in this movie. We're not ever going to become the people we need to be until we quit serving ourselves and start looking out after the needs of others. Living lives of service creates a fundamental change in who we are and is attractive to the world. They see Christ living in us. If we turn our lives over to Christ we will wake up one morning in God's heavenly kingdom where we will live for eternity. Julie and I were driving to church this morning and we saw a bum lying next to the road. At first I thought he was asleep but then I noticed the grimace on his face and realized he must have fallen down and injured himself. I thought... it's just a drunken bum and I'm on my way to church. Then I thought of Jesus teaching about the Good Samaritan. I was about to turn around and go help the guy when I noticed a pedestrian had stopped and was helping. I almost messed up.

Hubert Foster Passes

http://www.seasidefuneral.com/obituaries/Maury-H.-Foster4872109390/#/Obituary

A Glorious Wife (1-28-07)

There's a concept that is sometimes missed in Eph. 5:22-33 which compares the church's relationship to Christ with the wife's relationship to her husband.

To paraphrase, Christ offered a conditional relationship to those who would believe in him. If believers would subject themselves in all things to his headship unconditionally he would accept them as his bride and love them in all things... unconditionally. His love would include giving up everything for them... ultimately his life (and everything in between). He had a purpose in this... he wanted "a glorious church (bride) without spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish."

Sometimes we see stormy marital relationships where the husband wakes up one day and comes to the conclusion that he doesn't love his wife anymore, in fact he doesn't even like her. She's not the kind of wife he wants. Whose fault is that... hers? Maybe... but maybe it's his fault.

If Ephesians teaches anything it teaches that Christ did some things to prepare a glorious church for himself. Some husbands want to just walk into headship without paying a price... without doing anything to demonstrate love for their wives. When the reality is that if she could see demonstrable love she might be a glorious wife and accept his headship.

So husbands if you ever get the feeling that you don't like your wife anymore... it may not be her fault. She is what you made her.

Full-grown Christians understand this concept. They have subtracted pride from their lives and replaced it with humility and appreciation (and headship) for the ones with whom they have mated with for life.

How Bad is it to be Inhospitable?

In Matthew 10:5-15 we read of Jesus sending his 12 disciples in pairs to teach about the coming of the Kingdom and to perform miracles to validate that message. He told them not to pack anything for the trip that “worthy” hospitable people would take care of them. If people were not hospitable then they were to just ignore those “unworthy” people and leave. And then Jesus describes how bad of a sin it was to be inhospitable… he said that was it worse than the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah. Think about that, Sodom and Gomorrah were very evil cities they practiced violence and homosexuality and oppressed righteous people. God destroyed those cities with fire and brimstone. I can just imagine the Judgment Day when we’re all waiting to be judged by God and God sends all the evil-doers from Sodom and Gomorrah to Hell and then looks at all the so-called Christians who were inhospitable and tells his Angels to send them to the hottest part of Hell. Let’s focus on what it means to be hospitable and make it a strong point in our lives.

Paul's Pattern for Evangelism

In Acts 17 we read the account of the beginnings of the church in Thessalonica. Paul was there just a short time… perhaps four weeks or so but had a big impact. Some of the Jews were persuaded but of the Greeks “a great multitude and of the chief women not a few”. So what in that short period of time did Paul teach to produce such a response? - Paul taught the theory of Christianity. Acts 17:3 states that he taught, “it behooved the Christ to suffer, and to rise again from the dead, and that Jesus is the Christ”. - Paul taught how they should live their lives. Beginning in 1 Thess. 4 Paul states reminds them what he had taught them before. He taught them what not to do… don’t practice sexual immorality. He taught them to instead treat each other with brotherly love… the love that serves. To not lead riotous lives, to do honest labor and to mind their own business. - Paul taught them about eternal life in heaven. - Paul taught them about “The day of the Lord” and sudden destruction and being prepared. However, preaching and teaching a balanced Gospel message was not the only ingredient for success. Paul attributes his success with them to the manner in which the Gospel was presented including his having given himself up for them, “we were well pleased to give unto you not only the Gospel but to give up our selves for you because we loved you”. This concept is very well evidenced by the many expressions of Paul’s concern for them found in the text of 1 Thess. Paul was not just concerned about planting the seed but also nurturing the young plants. When he found out that their faith had survived persecution he was not self-satisfied and complacent but urged them to do even better in their service of love for each other and the world. Success in evangelism begins with teaching a well balanced view of the Bible coupled with a genuine love for people and a vision for what they can become. Conversely, unsuccessful evangelism begins with skewed teaching, treating evangelism as a job with little regard for God’s people and satisfaction with the status quo. Paul’s example is not just a model for Evangelists but for all Christians because we should all be concerned about the lost and helping each other to grow. Reflect on these things.

Thoughts about the Gerasene Demonaic (Mt. 5:1-20)

- When Jesus got out of his boat the demon-man came to meet Jesus. Sort of a fatal curiosity or demons and Jesus couldn’t be in the same town at the same time. The demon should have run away but didn’t. - The demon-man could not be restrained with chains. Demon strength allowed him to be able tear the iron chains apart. You see claims of demon possession today but you don’t see anyone tearing iron chains apart. - He screamed night and day and mutilated himself. I’ll bet the wives got sick and tired of all that screaming and sent their husbands to chain him and shut him up. - The demon-man knew Jesus and tried to negotiate with Jesus so that Jesus would not “torture” the demon. “Torture” to a demon was wandering around without someone to inhabit. - The demon apparently could not just inhabit just any random human being in the area. - The demon did not want to come out of the man but did not want to leave the region either. - The demon had a name and Jesus wanted to know what it was. - After continually begging, the demon suggested that they be cast into a herd of 2000 pigs. - The demons needed Jesus’ permission even to indwell within pigs. - The pigs rushed down into the lake and drowned. Either Jesus drowned the pigs, the demons drowned the pigs or the pigs committed suicide rather than have demons live inside them. - Do demons possess animals today? - The demon-man’s neighbors could not control him with chains much less cure him. Jesus didn’t need chains he could fix the problem.

Being Thankful for Bad Things That Happen to Us

You know, most of the time when we thank God in prayer, we thank him for the positive things he has done for us… food, health, occupation, etc. Did you ever think about thanking God for something bad that happened to you? That’s what a guy named Nebuchadnezzar did. In Daniel 4:2, “It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the most High God has done for me”. Nebuchadnezzar then recounts how God took his kingdom away and punished him. Daniel 4:33, “He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven until his hair grew as long as eagle’s feathers, and his nails were like bird’s claws”. God punished Nebuchadnezzar because in his pride Nebuchadnezzar failed to give God credit for the power of his kingdom. So the kingdom was taken away and Nebuchadnezzar became an animal. However, in time Nebuchadnezzar gave God the glory and his sanity and kingdom were returned to him. Nebuchadnezzar was letting his people know that something terrible had happened in his life and he had learned from it. He gave thanks to God for something negative that he had experienced from God. Nebuchadnezzar wanted his people to know about it and he wanted God to know that he knew too. Daniel 4:37… “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.”

Being Better Neighbors

Howdy. You know in David's class last night he asked the question, "Why aren't we saving more lost souls?" The answer was found in 1 Cor. 9...service...At the end of class I made the comment that another reason is that we aren't that different than non-christians.

Here is an example. My neighbor, Barney, mows 2 acres just like I do. I noticed the other day he was using his push mower. I talked to him and found out that his riding mower was broken and he was going to try to replace the engine on it. I told him he could use my riding mower any time he wanted. He said...no he would just keep using the push mower. I walked away feeling like I had done my duties as a neighbor and as a christian.

Tonight about 7 pm I was out with my chain saw trimming up my oak trees when I noticed Barney pushing that mower through grass that was about 12 inches tall. I thought, "Barney really needs to buy a riding mower" and continued trimming my trees. Then I saw Barney's other neighbor, Andy come over with his riding mower and start helping Barney. I thought, "Doh... I wish that was me!" and I felt ashamed because Andy was a better neighbor than me. Julie came out and I related to her my feelings and she told me to get my mower and help...it wasn't too late...so I did.

See, Andy's not even a Christian. I never see him going to church. Usually he's sitting on his front porch with a can of beer in his hand. Often times in areas of service we're not any better than non-christians. We're going to have to really work hard to be different than the rest of the world.

Here's another lesson. You can offer to help someone but oftentimes it's better just to help without asking. See a need and fulfill it. The benefit of helping others is not primarily for them...it's for you and me...it turns us into better people and we might convert a lost soul along the way.

Criticism and Critics

At the gym where I work out there’s a guy who does a handstand and then proceeds to do push-ups from the handstand. I was surprised to hear someone else say, “He’s showing off”. It made me think that if you are living your life at a really high level or at a really low level then you are setting yourself up for criticism but if you are living your life at an average level you’ll be OK. Everyone wants to be average. Christians are supposed to be living their lives at really high levels in service to God, to each other and to the world. They are supposed to let their “lights shine brightly” so that people will be drawn to the light of Christ living in us. Unfortunately some will even criticize that. We have to be careful about being critical people. Criticism, done the wrong way, can be emasculating. I never thought that guy at the gym was showing off… it never entered my mind. Rather, it inspired me to be in better shape physically. We can choose to be inspired or we can choose to become critics. Inspiration builds us up… being critical tears us and others down. Choose which you want to be. Heaven will only be filled with those who let their lights shine and who help others to be illuminating.

The Power of Blood

Church News. 19Mar2006

A few weeks ago a client brought in a sick puppy. It was hypothermic and comatose and when I looked at its gums I knew immediately what was wrong with it...Hookworm anemia. You see those little Hookworms have teeth...they bite the intestine and make it bleed and then feed on the blood. I told the client that the puppy needed a blood transfusion to survive but was so close to death that it might die just due to the stress associated with giving the blood. She said for me to go ahead and try and to spare no expense. I took 30 cc of whole blood from a donor and as I started infusing the blood into the puppy I could see him slowly getting stronger. In an hour he was standing up and barking and wanting to go home. Blood has an amazing affect. The owner cried with joy when she took that puppy home.

We're an awfully lot like that sick puppy. Our lives are wrecked with sin and a lot of times we are so deep in sin we don't even realize the harm we are doing to ourselves. Sin is like an illness that slowly saps us of our strength and can ultimately kill us. The cure for that illness, just like for that of the sick puppy, is blood. Christ's blood restores life to us and not just any kind of life but good healthy lives for us on this earth, to say nothing about eternal life. While the life of a christian is not necessarily an easy life it is a good life that builds us up. We can have the benefit of Christ's blood by simply believing in him. We contact his blood through the waters of baptism.

I wish I could be like that puppy's owner and take some of you to the Great Physician and tell him to baptize you and cure you of your spiritual illness, but I can't do that...you have to do it yourselves.

If you haven't received the life giving blood of Christ...don't wait...it will make you stand up and bark.

Jean Cave

Jean Cave passed away today. I think I heard RD and Jean had been married 63 years. God blees you Jean.

Paying the Price

1 John 2:1-2, "... And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father... Jesus Christ the righteous... and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins..." Jesus is called our advocate with the Father. An advocate is like a lawyer. If we have to go to court before a judge, a lawyer goes with us to plead our case for us whether we are guilty or not guilty of violating some law. When we pray to the Father asking him to forgive us for breaking his Law (sin) we are in essence... pleading guilty. Jesus as our advocate identifies us to God. Jesus says, "this is one of my people... I paid the price with my blood... forgive him..." What a wonderful blessing we have as people of faith. Imagine those who never confessed Jesus to be the Son of God. They get in trouble... they pray to God... Jesus says, "He is not one of mine... let him pay the price for violating your Law". How horrific! Help your friends and loved ones learn about God.

The Prodigal Daughter

Remember in Luke 15:11-32, the very emotional story of the “Prodigal Son”? The son claimed his inheritance from his father and with that money he went to another country and wasted it up in “riotous living”. Finally he was broke and starving. No one would help him. He decided he would go back home and tell his dad he was sorry and ask to be a servant on the farm.

When his dad saw him far off down the road, he recognized his lost son and ran to him and hugged and kissed him. The boy said to him, “Father I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight: I am no more worthy to be called son”.

The father turned to his servants and said, go get the best clothes, put a ring on his finger and shoes on his feet: bring the fatted calf… we’re going to have a party… “for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found”.

This is a very emotional story about forgiveness and how we treat those who want forgiveness. I love that story. Let’s change it up a little. Let’s make the Prodigal Son a Prodigal Daughter.

She wastes her life in “riotous living” she recognizes her sin and decides to go back to her Dad. He sees her and runs up to her and hugs her neck and kisses her. She asks for forgiveness and then looks down and notices she is… pregnant.

What happens next? My guess is the old man is so happy to have his “dead” daughter back that he does just for her what he would do for the son… even if she is pregnant.

I tell this story because sometimes when a girl gets pregnant out of wedlock we think we have to treat her different. Somehow she has to know that she has sinned, and throwing a party or a baby shower might mute that message or perhaps encourage other girls to get pregnant out of wedlock.

I think we think too much sometimes.

The joy of recovering a loved one lost in sin should be so joyous that we want to send the message… you are completely forgiven… welcome back daughter. That’s consistent with Luke 15

Citizenship

There is a big push in our country to limit immigration to this country, some of it so that immigrants will not compete with Americans for jobs.

I see a lot of hard working immigrants in our country; Hispanics, Nigerians, Chinese… to name a few. I also see a lot of Americans who just flat won’t work. They would rather live off of government programs.

If I had my way citizenship in this country would not be based upon where you were born but on your character and your drive to work. That’s right… you could have your citizenship revoked based on a lack of these attributes.

That’s not a strange or foreign concept. It describes something similar to what happened with God’s nation, Israel. The people had become elitist and arrogant and despised those who were not Jews. God condemned them for their lack of character… their hypocrisy, their inconsistency and their twisting of his laws to suit themselves. He changed the rules for citizenship in his nation. No longer would it be based on who you were and where you were born… it would be based on Christian character… on faith.

Of course basing citizenship in America on character will not ever happen and we are perhaps doomed to follow in the footsteps of Israel and become an “elitist, arrogant nation who despises those who are not us.” Let’s be good citizens of the nation of America but more importantly let’s be good citizens of the nation of God.

Talking Frogs

Church News 8/24/08

There’s an old guy at the gym where I work out… we’ll call him Bosquez. Bosquez is great at telling jokes. His face is very expressive, he gives just enough detail and he has a slow, gravelly voice with a Hispanic accent. I love to watch him tell jokes. The trouble is, he doesn’t know any good jokes. So I thought I would help him out with my “talking frog” joke. The condensed version goes like this… an old man playing golf comes across a talking frog who informs him that she is really a beautiful, young princess who has been placed under a curse. If the old guy will kiss her, she can transform back and they can be married and live happily ever after. The frog really has a hard time convincing the old guy to do this and finally the old guy explains… “I think I’d rather have a talking frog”.

Most people really laugh at that joke… not Bosquez. Bosquez looks at me through those thick glasses and says… yeah, we just want someone to talk to. He never smiled.

In our day and time, and perhaps every day and time, most young men who are looking for a wife are looking for a young woman of beauty and sensuality. Certainly physical attraction is important but importance should also be placed on things like character and chastity and godliness. People can’t help how they look but they can control… who they are… and the one who possesses inner beauty can be far more attractive than the one who possesses external beauty only.

According to Bosquez he’s had a lot of girl friends and wives over his 78 year life span. Don’t be like him and learn the hard way that a talking frog may be more attractive than a beautiful woman.

Having a Good Enemy

Church News August 31, 2008

Walker loaned me a book that has an interesting quote in it…

“The true military man is pleased if he has a resourceful and courageous enemy opposing him. ‘The next best thing to a good friend is a good enemy’ is no doubt a saying of military origin.” On the other hand the professional’s scorn for an easily beaten or unskilled foe passes all bounds.

The Christian after all is a type of soldier in the army of the Lord. Our enemy is Satan. Satan has been around a long time and has been victorious in many battles to subvert the souls of men. He is a “good” enemy, so to speak, to the true soldier of Christ because he is highly skilled. Christ defeated him. It was Satan after all who was behind the Jewish nation and Roman empire when they murdered Jesus. Satan thought he had achieved a great victory. Little did he know that he was playing right into the hands of God. The Christ could not be killed.

The Christian soldier can win great honor in his battles with Satan by resisting Satan’s trickery to induce Christians to sin. The Christian soldier can also win great honor by coming to the rescue of those who are losing their personal battle with Satan.

1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the Devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour.”

James 4:7, “Be subject therefore unto God; but resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.”

Satan hates every good thing. He doesn’t like seeing people praying. He is weakened by every kind deed. He doesn’t like seeing Christians congregating together. Their singing is repulsive to him. The Christian soldier must prepare himself and be pure and good. He must pledge fealty to his Lord and be unafraid of the enemy. Hunt Satan down and bring back his scalp. Remember this… there won’t be any cowards in heaven.

Obama, David Smitherman and Bill Clinton

Remember awhile back when David was gone to a "Gospel Meeting"? Hmmm. Thanks to Gus Cargile for the idea and Glenn Madden for the photoshop.

Families

Mark Perkins, Greg Perins, Scott Perkins, Jim Perkins, Mike Perkins and Sharron Perkins Wade. When I was a kid I loved reading paperback western novels. I read a lot of novels by Zane Grey and Max Brand but my favorites were those written by Louis Lamour. Lamour had a series of westerns that chronicled the Sackett family. The Sacketts were a family of mountain folk. They scattered all over the west and fought Indians and trailed cattle herds and the like. What I liked most about them is that when one of their own was in trouble Sacketts from all over the west would come to help out. I’ve always thought about the Perkins family as being like the Sacketts. We’re all scattered but when we need to we’ll all come together; weddings, funerals, Grandma’s 90 birthday party and now for our cousin Mark Perkins who is in a different kind of fight… a fight for his life. Perkins’ are coming together for him from all over. The church should be like that too… fiercely loyal to each other, sharing laughter, sharing tears and sharing our lives together and fighting to protect our family. Oneness in families doesn’t happen overnight it is forged on the crucible of time. I still have all of my Louis Lamour paperbacks and every once in a while I get them out. They are old and brittle and tattered now but I still like reading about their adventures and the great Sackett family. I also like seeing families come together and look out after their own… like my physical family and spiritual family have done for my cousin Mark. Thanks.

Lessons from pets

Sometimes when I examine a dog at work the client says something like this, “I’m spending more money on my dog than I do on my kids!” I usually respond by saying, “yeah but this dog will never talk back to you or break your heart”.

I have watched Julie over the years with our pets. Our dogs and cats love her. They want to be in whatever room she is in. They want to sit on the couch by her. She talks to them and they listen. She can read their expressions and know what they want. It’s always very emotional for both of us when their health deteriorates so much that we have to put one of them to “sleep”. When our Sheltie “Suzy” had to be put to sleep for lung cancer, Julie asked me to bring the shot home because Suzy gets nervous up at the clinic. Julie held Suzy in her arms at home while I administered the euthanasia solution, she died very peacefully. We both cried.

What makes people love their pets so much? And is there anything we husbands can learn from that?

People love their pets because no matter how horrible of a mood we might be in… they are still happy to see us. Sometimes I go into an exam room where there is a lab puppy who is jumping up and down and wanting to lick me and just sooo happy… I tell the client… “this is how my wife acts when I get home from work every day”. Imagine if that were true .

People love their pets because their pets want to be with them. You husbands think about this… your wife needs you to be with her. It might mean you have to sacrifice some of your precious time… just to be with her. Maybe just watching some dumb movie with her. No one needs that lesson more than I do.

People love their pets because their pets think they are the greatest people in the world. It’s easy to tell your wife that you love her, but those are empty words if she can’t see it in your actions. Convince her with your actions that no one on earth is more important than she is.

I wish every one of you could have a loving pet and experience them from puppyhood to old age and failing health. They can teach you a lot about the shortness of life and how to care for each other.

Planting Seed

I’m big into gardening. Sometimes when I plant seed it doesn’t germinate. Sometimes it doesn’t germinate because I plant it too deep or too shallow or there is not enough moisture or too much moisture or the soil is not at the right temperature. Sometimes it’s just bad seed. Good seed planted according to the directions will germinate and properly cared for it will grow and flourish. It is a fact of nature. Another fact of nature is that God’s Word is good seed. When it is planted in the proper conditions it will grow and flourish. If we’re planting God’s seed and it does not grow it’s not a seed problem… it’s a planting problem. If we’re planting rice in the Sahara desert we’re probably not going to be successful growing rice. If we’re planting God’s seed in the hearts of people who care nothing about God’s Word we’re going to have similar results. Jesus knew that. That’s why he went to the discarded people of Jewish society; the prostitutes, the dishonest Tax Collectors, the unrighteous, etc. He had some seed that when planted in their hearts could change their lives and who they were… and it did. I know how to plant tomato seeds. If they don’t come up it’s a seed problem so I go buy new seed. If we’re having problems with God’s seed we better reconsider how and where we are planting it… the problem is not with the seed.

Imagine two families.

Church News. October 26, 2008 Howdy! Imagine two families. The first family has parents who never discipline their children. Oh, they may voice displeasure and even disappointment in their children’s behavior but they love their children so much that they cannot bring themselves to discipline them. The second family is exactly the opposite. The parents are constantly watching their children looking for any opportunity to discipline them. Most people can clearly see that these are two extremes of parenting and neither serve the best interests of the children. What cannot be clearly seen is while we may reject these extremes of parenting our children, many of us accept these extremes when they are applied to how God interacts with his children. Take for instance those who are so assured of their salvation that they live however they want to - confident that like the doting parents, God loves them so much that he overlooks anything and everything they do. Conversely, there are those who are so worried about committing a single sin and possibly losing their salvation and because of it they are crippled with fear. Like the two extremes of parenting, the extreme views of how God deals with his children are incorrect as well. Most of us can see that effective parents both reward and punish their children in an atmosphere of love, understanding that kids will make mistakes but they are still our children. There may be a point in families where children totally reject their parents and live evil lives. As parents we cannot accept that but we are always looking for these wayward children to realize their mistakes and return to us. We are looking and praying for the chance to forgive them. I think this middle ground best portrays how God deals with his children. Study the scriptures and watch how Jesus interacted with Peter for a fuller understanding of this.

Subject: Church News. June 22, 2008 (Chickens)

Howdy! Recently I purchased six baby chicks from the feed store. As they have grown up I’ve noticed that in spite of the fact that they never knew their parents (or for that matter any other chickens) … they instinctively know how to be chickens. They know how to eat and drink, how to take dirt baths, how to make chicken noises and how to reproduce and they seem to be in good psychological health. God equipped them to be chickens without any training from other chickens. Like chickens, God equips us with certain abilities as well. Romans 1:18–20. “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities… his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made… so that men are without excuse.” God gives all of mankind the ability to know about his eternal power and divine nature by observing what he has created… the earth and all it contains. Man can conclude by looking at nature that there is a God and that he has eternal power and a divine nature. Man is different than a chicken though. A chicken can’t be anything but a chicken, but a man, even though he is given the ability to know about God, can reject who he is and turn from being a son of God to being a son of Satan (It would be better to be a chicken)… how sad. Accept God today, learn more about him by reading the Bible and be who he wants you to be.

Fishers of Men

In the first century conversions were like fishing with a stick of dynamite or with a gill net. Huge numbers obeyed the Gospel call. In large part due not only to the power of the Gospel message but also to the great miracles that were worked. Today conversions are usually one at a time, like fishing with a fishing pole. The bait that attracts the potential convert is the Gospel message coupled with the example of a Christ-like life. Sometimes a fish will hit that bait and run with it. Other times, like a flounder, they just want to hold it in their mouth for a while. Everyone’s different… some need more time. Be patient give the Gospel message and the power of a Christian life time to work.

The Old Ways

I own a White Mountain hand crank ice cream machine. Most people use electric ice cream machines… not me… mine has to be cranked by hand. It takes 20 – 30 minutes to make ice cream. Julie keeps threatening to buy an electric one but I won’t let her. I prefer to crank mine by hand. Years ago I heard from an old guy that when tractors first came out that many farmers were resistant to them. They said things like, “I can make a better crop with mules than with tractors” or “If you buy a tractor then you have to go and buy gas…”

Some people like the old ways and are resistant to change. I’m that way about church too… I believe in the old ways… the Bible ways; singing without instrumental accompaniment, baptism by immersion, taking the Lord’s Supper every week, etc.

Cranking ice cream by hand or farming with mules is a personal choice that we can do or not do, but things related to church come from God. God knows what kind of worship he wants and we should respect that.

I like to hand crank ice cream because it reminds me of good times at my grandparents house when I would take turns with my cousins turning that crank. Those memories are pleasing and precious to me. I worship God the old way because it pleases Him and pleasing Him pleases me too.

Church News Nov 2, 2008

We had a 10 year anniversary party at Tejas Vet. Clinic last month. We invited all our clients to attend. It was very successful. What amazed me, and I guess it shouldn’t have, was how motivated we were to clean the place up and spruce it up a little bit. In fact, a lot of things I have just let slide over the years, all of a sudden I fixed up. That’s human nature I suppose… if there’s no deadline… we’re not greatly motivated to do things. It made me think of our lives and our accountability to God. It sure would be nice if God would just tell us when he’s coming to judge the world. That way we could all be ready. I can just see it… all of a sudden people would start dealing with sin in their lives. Even some of the “gray” areas of sin would suddenly become “black and white” for us.. After all we would not want to take any chance that we could end up in Hell and suffer eternal condemnation. Who would risk that? Not only that but all of a sudden we would be looking for opportunities to serve others But you know what? I’m afraid that if God did actually give the exact date when he was coming back that there would be some “smart” guy who wait right up to the day before judgment to make things right. Sort of sneak in right at the last minute. And that’s not what God wants in people. He doesn’t want folks who are trying to beat the system. He wants people who believe in him and are so grateful that they want to be exactly the kind of people God wants them to be. I guess it’s better for God not to announce the exact day when he’s coming. We need to adjust ourselves to God’s plan and not try to adjust God’s plan to ourselves. Speaking of anniversary parties it would be great if we could have one at Parkway. There are a lot of things that need to be done at the building. If anyone knows how to install door sets we have about four that are sitting around in boxes.

About Cancer from Mom

Cancer is so limited...

It cannot cripple love;

It cannot shatter hope;

It cannot corrode faith:

It cannot destroy peace;

It cannot kill friendship;

It cannot suppress memories;

It cannot silence courage;

It cannot invade the soul;

It cannot steal eternal life;

It cannot conquer the spirit.

Well this was not what we all wanted you to hear today about your new journey, cancer changes your life! Uncle Bob said, he would not want to go back to who he was! Cancer showed him how really blessed he had been and gave him a depth he would have never had! He kept a gratitude book while he was ill.

You have a fight on your hands, you have an example to set of how a godly man marches on, we have a God who loves and cares for us and holds our hand through all the things we have to go through.....He will be right beside you!!! So will everyone who loves and cares for you and maybe even some who don’t our God will listen to them all, he has our name written in the palm of His hand, He knows how many hairs are on our head....He is an awesome God!!

There are so many stories of people who miraculously over come the situation you are in, so many righteous people are praying for you , how wonderful is that!!!

Mark you are like a son to me, if I could I would take this cancer for you I would...................I love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Aunt Weenie

Prayer request for Mark Perkins

My cousin Mark Perkins has recently been diagnosed with Duodenal Adenocarcinoma. He is 52 years old. Here is an excerpt from what he sent out to our family... "Because this cancer is so rare, it is difficult to make a lot of predictions, but his feeling is that without treatment I am looking at about 6 months, with chemo up to 2 years (with of course negative effects of the chemo)." Please pray for Mark, he is very special to me and our family. I've attached a photo of Mark when he was in Corpus Christi for Walker and Jo-Len's wedding. To the right of Mark is David Smitherman. I've attached this photo so you can have a face to think about when you petition our God. The second photo is of the male cousins. There are a total of eleven Perkins cousins. Jana and Sharron are not pictured. Mark is the fourth from the left. Here is Mark's e-mail... perkinsmark83@yahoo.com

Darell Hymel Lessons. Aug 25 & 26

Sat 10am - Disciplining Children Sun 9:30am - Choosing a Mate and Preparing to be a Good Mate Sun 10:30am - The Beatitudes and Marriage Sun 5pm - Differences Between Men and Women

Prayer Request

Please pray for my cousin, Mark Perkins, who has been diagnosed with Duodenal Adenocarcinoma.

The Need for Elders in a Congregation

Congregations without Elders are handicapped congregations. For the church to function at a high level a congregation needs Elders. When considering how Elders function in a church it’s important to realize that all the members can and should be doing some of these duties; building up the weak, encouraging to works of service, seeking wayward members, teaching, etc. When the time comes to select/replace/add Elders men should already be performing these necessary things so that a man’s name automatically comes to the mind of most members. For example, “that Joe Schmoe is always checking on the widows, on members who aren’t attending well, he’s hospitable, he encourages people, he knows his Bible, etc. We need him for an Elder!”. Make it easy on a congregation… do the things you’re supposed to be doing anyway.

The Progressive Nature of Two Becoming One Flesh

Ephesians 5 speaks about a husband becoming “one flesh” with his wife. Husbands and wives become “one flesh” at the point of their marital union. However, there is a progressive oneness that develops in the relationship. That is… the quality of the oneness improves.

1 Corinthians 6:12-20 in speaking against casual sexual relationships between a man and a woman (or a prostitute) argues that improper sexual relationships corrupt the relationship we have with Christ by making us “one flesh” with a prostitute.

So by definition we can become “one flesh” with a woman merely by engaging in sex with her. The quality of that kind of oneness is minimal and transitory… even destructive. Certainly the oneness of marriage cannot be compared to the oneness of a casual sexual relationship with a woman that we may barely know.

A husband and wife become one as they experience life’s trials and joys together. Trust and confidence replace doubt and suspicion so that the relationship can grow. A seed is planted and the young sapling grows into a sturdy tree that can withstand the perils of drought and wind.

The relationship is a progressive one and the two become “one flesh” as they live up to their marital responsibilities as outlined in the scriptures. Too often marital couples despair at the troubles they have and lack faith in God’s transforming promise. Ephesians 5:32 calls it a great mystery and I suppose it is because it is better experienced than explained. Have faith in God and what he can do for you.

Church = Jesus Christ

As I wrote previously, Eph.5:22-33 is a section of scripture whose primary intent is to describe how Christ and the Church become one flesh. We’ve already visited the concept of being in subjection to Christ and living sin free lives so that we can be a pure bride to him. The second thing that helps us be “one with Christ” is accomplishing the mission of the church, i.e. the church must become Jesus Christ. Eph. 4:15 states that the church must grow into him… Jesus Christ the head of the body (Church). In fact, this same section of scripture states that God gave gifts to the church to help accomplish this process; apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. So how do we become Jesus Christ? It is a growth process. We must all come to a complete knowledge Of Jesus Christ, learn true humility (bury our pride and self- will) by living lives of service to each other and create a unified body of believers. Which by the way is God’s primary evidence today for Jesus having come from God (John 17:21-23). Christ’s true bride must be pure and cleansed from sin and work to become him so that when others view the Church they see Jesus Christ. The two are one flesh.

One Flesh with Christ

Eph. 5:22-33, is a passage of scripture that compares the husband/wife relationship with the relationship between Christ and the Church. Usually these passages are used to learn about the husband wife relationship, but clearly the import of these verses is to teach about Christ and the Church.

“For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak in regard of Christ and the Church.”

So how does Christ and the Church become one flesh?

J

ust as a man desires a wife that is pure and has not been in a physical relationship with another man, Christ desires that his “wife” be pure. Certainly we are not pure when we come to Christ. We are soiled by our relationship with Satan who we follow when we sin. Christ, however, has made provision so that we can be pure and virginal, in regards to sin, when we enter into a relationship with him. His self- sacrifice, the giving of his blood, cleanses us of our sinful relationship with Satan and makes us pure… totally pure.

We enter our marital relationship with Christ when we arise out of the waters of baptism having our sins washed away. Then we are cleansed and truly a bride worthy of a relationship with Christ because he has made us pure and worthy.

A condition of our marital relationship with Christ is subjection. Christ requires that his bride live by his standards. If she does the reward is great… becoming “one flesh” with Christ. Experience the mystery. There is only one path.

Paul and Rome

The Apostle Paul, according to the book of Acts, made three missionary tours. On his third tour while staying in the city of Corinth he wrote the letter to the Romans stating that he desired to come to them to help establish them in the faith. Two to three years later he would do just that. He first, however, wanted to complete his last missionary tour and go to Jerusalem. Part of that desire was so that he could deliver the collection that had been made among the Greeks for the poor Christians who lived in Jerusalem. As he traveled to Jerusalem he was warned by his fellow Christians that when he got to Jerusalem he would be imprisoned… Paul didn’t care about that… he was not even afraid if they killed him. When Paul reached Jerusalem he ended up being imprisoned by the Romans for about two years. During that time he was able to testify about Jesus to Ananias (High Priest) and the whole Jewish council, to Felix and Porcius Festus (Roman Governors) and to King Herod Agrippa (King of the Jews). After testifying to these high officials Paul exercised his right as a Roman citizen and appealed his case to the Roman Caesar (Nero) himself. In Acts 23:11, Jesus confirms for Paul that he will go to Rome and “testify” about him. I wish we had a record of what Paul told Nero. So Paul gets to go to Rome at the expense of the Roman government. In addition, he is under Roman protection. When Paul was conducting his three missionary tours he frequently was physically abused to the point of death by the Jews who rejected Jesus. While Paul was imprisoned in Rome he stayed in a house he rented and had a Roman soldier as a guard who also protected him from the wrath of the Jews who visited him and listened to his testimony. So God manipulated the Roman government to provide for and protect Paul while he testified about Jesus. What irony. Paul got to testify about Jesus to the most important and imposing men in the world. Imagine if a Christian today were to go into the Muslim world and testify to the King of Saudi Arabia and to their religious authorities. What an incredible impact Paul had for the cause of Christ generally and for the Christians in Rome specifically.

Note from Cindy Graf

Cindy wrote this after her mom's passing.

Thank-you from Merle Mayfield

Merle was back at services today after successful Aortic Aneurysm surgery. Prayers are pretty good medicine... keep praying for her.

HMHY

I was going into the ATT office this morning and a young man stopped me and asked me for money. He had a story that sounded pretty good and was clean-cut and respectful (but of course the Devil can wear those attributes as well). I told him that I didn’t routinely give out money but if he wanted to I would pay him to work. Of course I couldn’t think of what work that might be at the time but I told him to wait around and after I concluded my business at ATT I would talk to him some more.

When I finished at ATT, I hoped he would be gone but nope there he was waiting on me. In the meantime I had thought of two jobs he could do… a hard one and an easy one. So I sprung the hard one on him and told him I had some brush that needed to be cleared and I would pay him $10/hour and could give him 3-4 hours work (Actually it was on the neighbors vacant land). I asked him why he didn’t have a job and if he had a drug or alcohol problem. He thought about the job and said he really needed $60-70 and could I give him a ride to Violet and Hwy 37 and he offered to ride in the back of my truck. I let him ride in the front and along the way he asked why I questioned him about a drug/alcohol problem. I told him because the reason most people aren’t working is because of some underlying problem and usually that is drug/alcohol related (laziness is a factor as well but I didn’t offer that). I then told him that I can usually find someone a job if I see something in them… like trying to work on sin in their lives. I told him that I teach a Bible class every Sunday morning at 9:30 am and gave him a church business card. He took it and thanked me.

I share this because when we choose to help someone we can offer a much greater gift than simply forking over some money. Believe me that would be easy for me to do and I wouldn’t miss the $20 or so that it would cost me to get rid of him. Instead, I offered to pay him for work. I gave him a ride up front (I wasn’t afraid of him). I expressed a level of concern for him and offered to help him with his physical needs if he would first address his spiritual needs, i.e. making peace with God though living righteously. That is a gift worth a lot more than $20. We’ll see what happens.

Building Us

Jesus, in John 17 while he was deep in prayer to his Father, prayed that his followers (you and I) would all be “one”. That we would bury pride and ego and live lives of service to each other… true humility. 1 Corinthians 12:26 adds further instruction to that concept. When one of the members is sad… all are sad. When one is happy… all are happy. We all understand these concepts but how should they be applied? In 1998, when my father died, fourteen from Parkway made the three hour drive to attend his funeral. I was impressed with that then and I’m still impressed. I understand the sacrifice that is made for such an effort and I’ll never forget it. I also understand that I’m a pretty high profile member at Parkway. Let me urge this… when one of our members, perhaps of a lesser profile, loses a loved one… attend that funeral. If there is a sacrifice in time that needs to be made then to the best of your ability make that sacrifice. At funerals, all the façade of self- control is stripped away and you see people in their purest form with all their raw emotions exposed. It is an experience that is huge in developing compassion and love for each other. Through those and other experiences we become a congregation that is a true family not just an assembly of casual acquaintances. Sometimes people will say, “Well I didn’t know the deceased”. No, but you do know your fellow Christian. Parkway is a great congregation but we can make it better. It becomes better when every member decides to live a life of service, expressed in deeds, to every other member in the congregation.

Perfect Hospitality

Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” Hospitality is huge in building congregations and individual Christians. It is the theory of Christianity put into practice. After all, Jesus said that the world would recognize us by our love/hospitality for each other. Sometimes Christians can fool themselves into thinking they are hospitable when in fact they are self-serving by only being hospitable to those who are hospitable in kind. That is a type of hospitality but not the “type” or level that is characteristic of a faithfully mature Christian. If you want to really please God be hospitable to widows, to the socially inept, to the mentally unsound, to the people that you have the least in common with and who the world has little care for. If you do that, God will hug you when you enter Heaven and tearfully say “thank-you for helping my people.”

Why A Chronological Study? Chronology implies historical reality. It means that the things that we are reading really happened, and that they happened in a certain order. Hopefully knowing the order in which they happened will reveal a greater degree of understanding regarding God’s will for our lives. Why an Introduction? The Gospel is not a modern novel, it was a testimony set down for people that were already familiar with the figures, places, and events that took place within the narrative. This introduction presents some background information that may make this Gospel study easier for non-first-century readers. The Place Judea, a province of the great Roman Empire. The name Judea comes from a tribe of Hebrews called Judah, and these two words are where we get the term Jew today. In centuries past, Judea had been part of a larger independent kingdom called Israel and worshipped a single god. Piece by piece the kingdom of Israel had fallen to various conquerors. During the dismantling, prophets of the one true god foretold of a Messiah or Savior that would return and restore the fallen kingdom. This seemed to occur during the rule of Judah Maccabee, but the Maccabees were soon overthrown by corruption and competing empires. The Time The Roman Republic has recently fallen, and the Roman Empire has risen in its place. It is a time of change all across the world—and Judea is no exception. Dissatisfied with Roman rule, bandits and warlords multiply, rebellions brew, and revolutionaries whisper. Rome, after all, is an empire of cities and a vast wilderness exists between the feeble bastions of civilization. Judea is more primed for revolution than most, drawing upon an ancient history and unique religion to bolster their cause. The People Roman Citizens enjoy special privileges across the empire. These privileges range from free food to special legal hearings. Romans are a very secular and practical minded people suited for engineering and military operations. They are not highly regarded for their imagination. Roman Soldiers are professional fighting men that have sworn a portion of their life to the Roman Empire in exchange for payment, wealth, and the prospect of citizenship. In the Roman Republic each Roman was required to spend some time as a soldier, but as the Republic became wealthier, this custom was gradually discarded. In this period, most Roman soldiers are not Roman at all, but foreigners striving to make a living and to gain their Imperial Citizenship. The language of Roman Citizens and Soldiers is Latin. Greeks are a civilized people closely related to the Romans in terms of culture, but are still considered to be a conquered people. Greeks are given to abstract thought and philosophy, and are considered to the fanciful and decadent by the more serious-minded Romans. In Judea the most dominant language and culture is Greek as a result of Greek conquests under Alexander the Great in the preceding centuries. The Jews are members of the Hebrew tribe of Judah. By the time of the New Testament nearly all of the other Hebrew tribes had been severely compromised ethnically, culturally, and religiously by a succession of conquerors. There are three factions of Jews mentioned in the Gospel. The Sadducees are a group of culturally Greek Jews trying to preserve the “core” of Jewish religious practices. In their view only the written word of God (Torah) is acceptable and authoritative, and all other oral rabbinic traditions ought to be discarded in favor of Greek culture. The Sadducees do not believe in any form of resurrection or afterlife since no such thing is referred to in the scriptures. Their religious practices focus exclusively on Herod’s Temple in Jerusalem. They are favored by their Roman overlords and high priests tend to be selected by the Roman governor from among their number. The Pharisees are a group of Jews that strive to maintain their cultural purity. Because the Sadducees are compromised by embracing Greek culture but still retain control of the Temple, Pharisees create a system of belief known as “A Nation of Priests.” In essence, every Jewish home becomes a temple, and each father presides as priest. Priesthood is attained by academic achievement rather than blood inheritance, and strictures that traditionally were interpreted as applying only to priests and the temple are expanded to include all Jews everywhere at all times. In effect, Pharisees were attempting to purify the world by bringing the purity of the temple to everyday life. The traditions practiced by the Pharisees included the Talmud, an oral tradition passed from Rabbi to Rabbi intended to accompany the Torah supposedly beginning with Moses himself. The Zealots are the least influential of the three Jewish factions in the Gospel. Sometimes indistinguishable from common bandits and robbers, the Zealots are cultural extremists that reject Roman rule and Greek corruption. They seek a violent rebirth of the state of Israel and will stop at nothing to see this come about. The Zealots actively seek the prophesied Messiah. The Prophets As the confusion grows, men claiming to be prophets of God emerge in Judea. Some even claim to be the long awaited Messiah. Honi the Circledrawer is revered by many for seeming to be able to have requests for rain answered directly by God. He earns his name by refusing to leave a drawn circle until God delivers the rain he requires. Hanina ben Dosa is regarded by the Jews as having saintly behavior and miracle-working powers. He teaches regarding works that endure and the moral character of the Jewish people. Jochanan the Immerser is an apocalyptic ascetic that immerses Jews to restore their spirits and encourage them to hold fast for the coming of the Messiah. Walker Perkins

Edification for the Purpose of Evangelism.

Edification is the process of building people morally and spiritually. Evangelism is the sharing of knowledge for the purpose of conversion. Edification and Evangelism are blood brothers to each other.

There are two ways people are brought to Christ; through individual action and through collective action. These two general actions are not mutually exclusive of each other and there is some sharing between the two.

The area of individual action is illustrated in 1 Peter 3. An individual leads such a morally exemplary life (via edification) that people ask questions about the cause for it. The individual then shares (via evangelism) the information with the questioner.

The area of collective action is illustrated in John 17:22-23. The world comes to believe in Jesus Christ through the “oneness” of the believers with each other and with God. The Gospel has great power to change lives and to assemble from the rich/poor, black/white, young/old, tattooed/non-tattooed a group of people who forsake their differences for Jesus Christ. These individuals are built spiritually (edification) into a collective (the church) for the purpose of sharing belief (evangelism) in Jesus Christ.

The church and the individual are God’s chosen tools to reach a lost world. Do not neglect your responsibilities to grow spiritually as an individual and to grow spiritually as a church. If we fail in that, we’ve failed… the world.

Nathan and Zach

Michelle Christie

Another new graduate. Michelle graduated from nursing school at Texas A&M Corpus Christi a few weeks ago.

Michael Terry

Former member Michael Terry is in town to graduate with a degree in Pharmacy from Texas A&M Kingsville. Michael will be working in Normangee, Texas.

Zach Graf

Another one of our own graduating from Texas A&M University College Station. Zach Graduates at 2:00 pm on the 11th with the Corps!

Nathan Turner

One of our own, Nathan Turner, graduating from Texas A&M College Station.

Confessing Sins

James 5:16 “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” Different religious groups have different practices that are based upon this verse. The Catholic Church has a confessional booth where “confessing your sins” is done before a priest and is mandatory. Those who are affiliated with Churches of Christ typically confess their sins before the whole group. These confessions are generally very generic in nature and are voluntary. Each practice is generally consistent with the text but neither practice is the primary intent of the verse. First of all this instruction is not given to the church as an organization to establish some rule but is given to individual Christians. It is an individual responsibility. Secondly, this instruction is not given to receive forgiveness of sins. Only God can forgive sins and that is freely given to any who would pray directly to him. What then is the purpose of this verse? In my opinion the purpose of this verse is to build humility and closeness among Christians. Pride is the greatest weapon Satan possesses. When an individual can find another individual and tearfully recount the mistakes that have been made in the past, then that builds humility and unity. When Christians are unified and humble, each seeking the other’s good, then God’s light is shining in a dark world. It’s not easy confessing the worst about our selves. My suggestion is to find the person you are the closest in the world to, your husband or your wife, and practice confessing your faults. See what that will do for the two of you and then take the next step.

Song Leader Tips

I sent this out before but am including it here so people can reference it better. At our last meeting someone raised the question about how many songs to lead at the various services. On Sunday mornings I figure I can lead 6-7 songs. For a traditional Sunday morning service (a la Jeff Carr) the preacher needs to be able to start preaching at 11:00 am. That gives him 30 minutes or so. If the Lord’s Supper is after the lesson then the preacher needs to be able to start preaching at 10:50 am. The Lord’s Supper and offering take about 10 minutes. On Sunday evenings the singing and Lord’s Supper need to be finished by 5:15 PM. That’s usually 3-4 songs. On Wednesday evenings the singing needs to be finished by 7:15 pm. That’s usually 3-4 songs. In addition, try not to switch between the gray songbook and the regular songbook too many times. I hear it is confusing to the older people. Sing from one then sing from the other. One of the biggest and yet easiest things we need to do is to use the mike. The older people tell me that when people are speaking from the Lord’s Supper table they cannot hear half the time. Put your mouth directly over the mike and speak into it. Thanks. Rob

Benjamin Torno

The kids were getting pretty creative.

Chris with Ukulele

He does a pretty good "Somewhere Over the Rainbow..."

Beach Fun and Singing

John Kilgore

John was here for three lessons today on "Worship"... excellent. We added a little scenery to make him look better... Victoria and Sydney.

Developing Productive Christians

In football at some point you have to play with the players you have. If you are going to win you have to develop whatever players you have.

Congregations are the same way. Elders cannot lament that the church will not be what it needs to be because of a dearth of talent. Elders must work with whatever members are in the congregation. Effective Christians are not born (per se), they are made. That takes patience.

Mike Sherman believed in playing talented freshmen even though he might have an upperclassman with more experience at the position. He believed in playing talent. He stated that talent only gets better with experience and you can only get experience by getting in the game.

Certainly that is a biblical concept. Jesus taught that you pruned productive vines so that they would produce more. Non productive wood was removed.

The perils of advancing a young player over an older player is that the older player may become jealous and get his feelings hurt. If you have a good “locker room” where players/members have bought into the concept of team first, i.e. the church comes first and whatever personal sacrifices I have to make I will make, then it should not be an issue.

Sherman said that to be successful in football you have to have talent at three positions; Quarterback, left Offensive Tackle and a pass rushing Defensive End. If you had those three you could succeed with average talent in the other positions.

Congregations have to be strong and innovative in preaching and teaching. They must also have strong leadership and a strong cadre of women.

Christians develop by having a comprehensive understanding of the whole Bible; New Testament and Old Testament. That requires teachers that are well versed in the scriptures. Leaders stimulate members to works of service and lead by example.

Women are the backbone of the congregation. They teach the children’s classes, they take care of the widows, they schedule the baby and wedding showers and push their husbands to do what needs to be done.

Successful congregations develop their members, strong Christians have a powerful impact in the community.

“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”

Galloway Baptism

Jeff Carr baptizing Dave Galloway. A few weeks ago Jeff took a phone call at the building from Dave Galloway's son out in Florida who was requesting a Bible study for his father. This is the reult.

Winning Teams

There are a lot of similarities between the game of Football and the Church and her work.

- both are team oriented
- both rely not only on the abilities of their members but also how those abilities function within a group
- both have a goal or mission
- both can be evaluated on their performance
- both have people in a leadership position to keep their members focused, on task and motivated.

Coach Mike Sherman while coach of the Texas A&M football team noted that championship teams are built first in the locker room. That if you don’t have a good locker room then regardless of the players individual abilities you won’t have a winning football team. Football teams comprised of players with lesser abilities can out perform teams comprised of players with greater abilities.

Congregations of Jesus Christ are like that as well. If the theory of Christianity is not reflected in our lives and how we interact with each other then we’re not going to be very successful. If a churches members are angry with each other or jealous of each other or anything else that is inappropriate and sinful then it will not present well to the world and people can read that when they visit a congregation.

There are a lot of things that influence how a congregation performs but first and foremost congregations need to get there act together as it relates to controlling sin in our lives and appreciating and serving each other.

Greetings and the "Holy Kiss"

1 Cor 16:20, “Greet each other with a holy kiss”.

This instruction is given five times in the New Testament and yet it is not something that is ordinarily seen among Christians today. Most say that it was a custom of the times and the emphasis should be not on the “kiss” but on the greeting.

Christians are to greet each other… they are not to ignore each other. A greeting denotes a sense of worth. When we greet each other we recognize even on a minimal basis that the other person exists. The warmth of the greeting is directly proportional to the sense of worth we feel for the person.

As an Elder, I position myself at the exit of the auditorium and try to shake hands with every person that I can. In Preacher vernacular that’s “shaking them out”.

Sometimes people complain that they don’t know everyone. Solution? Stand shoulder to shoulder with me at the back door and you can get to know everyone.

A few years back Julie and I were in Las Vegas for some continuing education. We visited at a church and I remember thinking, this church must get a lot of visitors. On the way out I shook hands with the Preacher and then decided I would help that church with their hospitality. So I stood right next to the Preacher and shook hands and introduced myself to everyone in that building. Hospitality and greeting are not just the responsibility of the home congregation… visitors have a responsibility as well.

You know if Jesus Christ visited our assembly I’ll bet everyone would stand in line to shake his hand. Remember what he said, “… as often as you have done it to one of these you have done it to me”.

I’m all for the Holy kiss… just tell me which you want (handshake/holy kiss) as you exit the building.

Commands Modified by Examples

Romans 13

“Let every soul be in subjection to higher powers… they are ordained of God”
“Rulers are not a terror to the good work but to evil workers”
“He (the ruler) is a minister of God, an avenger of wrath to those who do evil”

These verses teach Christians to obey government rule and to be loyal subjects. Taken by themselves one could make the argument that Christians must do whatever government charges them to do… even if it is contrary to God’s other commandments.

However, commandments must never be isolated from examples in the scripture. Examples, found in the scriptures, can often modify our understanding of a command.

Take for example Moses. His parents disobeyed the command of the King of Egypt that all male newborn children had to be killed. Did they violate what is taught in Romans 13?

Apparently not, Hebrews 11:23, “By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid by his parents… and they were not afraid of the King’s command”. Their disobedience was called “faith”.

So we interpret the teaching in Romans 13 to mean that “generally” we are to be subject to government and we obey our governmental leaders unless they issue a law that clearly violates God’s other commands like… “Thou shall not kill”.

Understanding God’s laws for us requires patient study of the scriptures and the balancing of commands and examples. There are no shortcuts when it comes to Bible study.

Parkway Deacons

Boy Scouts at Building

An incredible view of our building.

Walker and Boy Scouts

Boy Scouts at Parkway

Jeff Carr took a phone call at the building inviting us to participate in an event to educate Boy Scouts on the 10 Commandments. Several churches were involved and Walker did the instruction due to Jeff being out of town. Walker does happen to be an Eagle Scout.

Helping the Lost

Romans chapter twelve describes the kind of life that God wants his people to live. These verses provide a model for Christian living that describes how God’s people should interact with other people.

The purpose for this model is two fold. First, God’s diagram for living provides for happy lives. God loves his people, he wants them to be happy and he wants his people to love him for what he does for them.

Secondly, this model for Christian living presents his greatest tool for bringing non-believers to Him… His instructions personified in living form. The theory of Christian living becomes living and breathing fact.

1 Peter 3:15, says that non-believers will ask questions about God based on what they see in the lives of his followers. Christians are living conversion machines who don’t, necessarily, have to go out seeking converts but who, because of the way they live, attract the converts to them.

So why don’t we see more non-believers flocking into churches asking questions?

Because Christians tend to park their lives in churches and among friends who are already Christians or friends who aren’t Christians but who lead pretty good lives. Or they just isolate themselves from everyone.

Jesus did his best work among the morally degraded people of his day… people who had wrecked their lives through the ravages of sinful excess.

My advice would be to share your lives with the kind of people Jesus shared his life with. We are after all powerfully equipped to turn these people to God and all we have to do is present our lives to those who need it the worst. The questions will come.

Survey Results: What can Congregation do to Help Personal Growth

- More social connections
- Older Christians offer gentle advice when they see the need
- Continue what we are doing
- More fellowship. More personal greetings. Smile. Show happiness.
- Help personal work skills. Continue Bible based teachings. Review song leader and congregational singing lessons from the past.
- Being more friendly
- Summer Bible studies with no break for the summer. Groups to ID those who need a call, card, or care. People on the left side talk to people on the right side. People with kids talk to people w/o kids. Pray for everyone.
- Continue providing good teaching, preaching and singing.
- Offer more Bible classes
- Each one of us have a list of people that we “notice” at each service and call anyone on the list who missed and check on them in case they need something. Change quarterly.
- Home visitation. Encouragement. Fellowship.
- Challenge personal growth. 10 minute visitor rule at the end of services.
- Groups like we had in the past. More functions for Christians to come together and learn more about one another.
- Christian friends are what help Christians grow. Small group activities… write cards, study, go to a movie.

Obeying God’s Law and the Parable of the Talents

When the master charged his three servants with managing his money there were some things they understood about him…

- there would be a deadline
- he meant what he said
- they were expected to not only preserve his capital but to also increase it
- if they failed there could be great punishment (death)
- if they succeeded there could be great reward.

The Master gives $100,000 each to his seven servants.

The first servant who had been a farmer decided to buy hammers for three dollars each and sell them for two dollars each. I won’t make much money but it’s better than farming. The master will be happy I’m making progress.

The second servant might think… I don’t want to be killed if I lose the $100,000 so even if I don’t make anything off of it I’ll put it in a safe place and he can have his capital back. No reward but no punishment either.

The third servant might think… I don’t want to lose the $100,000 but I don’t want to risk it either…. I’ll invest it in U.S. saving’s bonds. It won’t make very much money but it will make some and I won’t lose any. It’s a conservative investment but also a safe one. My master won’t be thrilled with me but he won’t kill me either.

The fourth servant might think… I don’t want to lose the money but I don’t want to risk it either… I’ll invest it in the stock market. There is some volatility in the stock market but if I do lose some capital my investment strategy is sound and my master will understand the risk involved.

The fifth servant might think… I’m going to Las Vegas to the Blackjack table. I can win big there. I’ll say my prayers and since Jehovah is on my side I can’t lose.

The sixth servant might think… the price of Gold is going out the roof… I need to get in on it and buys Gold at its highest and then the bottom falls out.

The seventh servant might think… hmmm, I need to buy low and sell high. The housing market is undervalued now but it should rebound. These other guys are either investing in safe conservative investment modalities or behaving with great risk. I want to do the best for my master that I can and reward his confidence in me.

All seven of these servants understood their master’s rules but all seven acted differently. Why? Because they each had a different perception of him. Some interpreted his laws out of a sense of fear, some out of a sense of love and still others out of a sense of love balanced with fear.

If we’re not careful the same mistakes can be made when it comes to obeying God’s laws. We might be overly restrictive with his laws if we are only motivated by fear. We might go too far if we think God’s love will forgive anything we might do. The best approach is to fully appreciate his love for us and the liberty it allows while respecting the restrictions he places on us and the punishment we might incur.

Survey Results: Your Comments on How to Improve Our Teaching Efforts

- Worksheets and homework
- Adult teachers need to be better prepared. Most classes do not have opportunities for participation.
- Encourage individual participation
- New class for kids in upper elementary age. More people willing to teach
- All classes end on schedule
- More participation
- Better prepared teachers. More teacher meetings. Bigger work room.
- More teachers. Guidance to ensure quality teaching. Shadowing/helping. Unannounced visits from elders/experienced teachers quarterly to provide feedback. Written feedback form for the students so that parents are aware of child’s development.
- More studies in NT.
- Hold a class to prepare teachers for the upcoming quarter and discuss teaching ideas/tools.
- More inspirational
- Three children’s classes a week are too many. Perhaps a Sunday night assembly with everyone in auditorium. Quizzes.
- More teacher training. Training on use of work room. More teachers.
- More options and variety.
- New and fresh speakers
- More teachers to give other teachers a break.
- Teens: More active participation. Interaction with teens from other congregations.
- Improve adult students
- Kids classes: three year through the Bible is cumbersome. Topical studies at older levels.

Survey Results: Subjects You Want More Preaching On

- Living a pure life. Practical not just theoretical. Marriage vs. living together
- Home and family
- Daily Christian living. Good works. Practical subjects
- More practical application
- Modern problems
- Sex
- Jeff: series on Fruit of the Spirit/works of the flesh and other text based lessons. David: contemporary issues as applied to Bible principles.
- Steps on being saved. Steps on improving Christian life.
- Bible basics
- All subjects even hard ones. More variety.
- Service to one another. Christian interaction. Call each other by name.
- Walking in the light with every day application. What to avoid. What to do properly. More on what it means to be part of the body. Serving others.
- Everyday Christian living. How to become a leader of the church (men and women)
- “was” and “am” as it pertains to who we were and who we now are. Self evaluation: Lord I was a will full sinner now I am your forgiven child.
- Christ, Love, Gospel.
- God’s love. Christian encouragement.
- Humanism. Relativity of Christian life on current life and times.
- No more comments about Homosexuals or America’s ruin or lack of school prayer or the like. Jeff’s sermon on Porn. was good, we need more stuff like that.
- Prioritizing personal life. Mentoring from older to younger Christians. Practical lessons in connecting with people from a different walk of life (race, age, etc.)

Survey Results: Areas the Congregation is Doing Well

These are the responses to the question, "In what areas is the congregation doing well?"

- Friendliness

- Good teachers, lots of classes

- Improved singing. Members are tolerant and friendly.

- Accepting of new (different) individuals. Good prayers. Good Bible study.

- Very loving, helpful, hospitable congregation. Excellent teachers. Good teaching program.

- Love and concern for all.

- Faithfulness

- Close knit group. Bible classes and preaching good. Welcoming to visitors.

- Friendliness

- Caring for those members in need

- Not being judgmental

- Open friendly atmosphere

- Love and caring for each other

- Good work with international students.

- Loving and caring for each other. Opening homes up for studies, showers, etc. Love the diversity of cultures. Welcoming visitors. Singing. Willingness to serve elderly. Excellent adult class teachers.

- Welcoming to visitors (should be more welcoming to each other)

- All

- Supporting brethren in times of need. Handle disputes effectively. Eldership is strong.

- Very close knit family that cares for each other deeply.

- Love the family feel of the congregation.

- Basic teaching. Worship. Fellowship. Finances. Adult classes.

- Most everything.

- Plenty of conversation before and after services. On track with personal work and in home Bible studies.

The Newest Christian at Parkway

Brandon Yzaguirre, son of Cindy Paul.

Shepherds

Zechariah 11:16 describes the work of a Shepherd over his flock of people…

- Visit those who are about to perish
- Seek those who are straying away
- Heal the wounded
- Feed the sound

Visit Those Who are About to Perish

Elders should care for those elderly members in the congregation who have lived a long life in service to the Lord. Generally, they are at a point in their lives where their health is failing and much of their time is spent going to see doctors and taking medications. Additionally, many are widows who must bear the problems of life without a loved one to help and support them. Elders must lead the way in caring for the elderly in the congregation and motivate others to help.

Seek Those Who are Straying Away

Some versions render this, “Look after the young”. Older sheep learn to stay in the safety of the flock. They have been conditioned to be flock animals. It is usually the younger ones who stray whether it be in a flock or in a church. It would be difficult to even try to “drive” an older member from the congregation the young however are occasionally looking for something new and exciting. Elders need to recognize this and not let the young stray too far. They must be “herded” back and encouraged to develop good assembly habits.

Heal the Wounded

Sin has a “wounding” effect on us. Left untreated we can become spiritual cripples, maimed by unresolved sin. Elders need to be on the look out for behaviors that are not Christ-like and not be afraid of addressing those behaviors. Sin can cripple us but it doesn’t have to. God’s wonderful grace can make that wound go away so there is not even a scar left. Elders are a part of that healing process.

Feed the Sound

Proper nutrition prevents a lot of illnesses. Those who are “sound” need to be nourished so they can continue their growth as a Christian. Left unnourished and unchallenged the sound can become weak and lackadaisical in their spiritual responsibilities. When the sound are nourished properly they too can help the “perishing”, the “straying” and the “wounded”.

Elders have a responsibility to everyone in the congregation. They must recognize each person’s special needs. The goal is to present spiritually healthy and unblemished sheep to the Father. The reward will be great.