Happy Thanksgiving!

     The church of Christ at Enola is doing very well, enjoying fine fellowship, growing in grace and faith through Bible study, increasing in our love for God and for others through various service opportunities, always prayerful to God for our needs and for the needs of our community and our nation.

     We had a delicious Men’s Breakfast last Saturday morning.  Sonny, Larry, Greg, and Andy showed up early to prepare breakfast for the group.  Right after our meal together we put on our boots and gloves to work on our landscaping out in the front of our building.  Wow!  Everything looks great.  Thank you to every brother who stayed to finish the project.  Thank you to Phil, Eddie, and Patrick for the use of your equipment and the top soil. Thank you to Ronnie for operating the backhoe.  Thank you to Brandon for driving the dump truck. Thank you to Brother David for organizing everything and for the crape myrtles, the azaleas, and the mulch.  It was truly a joy to work together for our Lord and His church.  I am thankful to the Lord to represent the church as minister and friend.

     Our ladies met last Thursday night to prepare gift boxes for our young professionals and college students.  These boxes were filled with all kinds of goodies and mailed out this week.   We hope that a small gift from the church at Enola will remind our young professionals that they are loved and appreciated.  Our ladies are also involved in a Bible study every Monday evening in the annex.  They are studying about how to be better women, mothers, and grandmothers.  A Holiday Get-Together has been scheduled for our ladies at the home of Cindi Burleson in December.  Please check your bulletin for details.  I think our ladies are going to exchange Christmas ornaments.  It’ll be fun.

     This coming Sunday (25^th) we will continue our study in the Parables of Jesus and the Parable of the Barren Fig Tree.  A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard.  He wanted a fig and found that the tree had not produced any figs for the past three seasons.  Because the tree had not produced fruit, he asked that the tree be cut down.  The vine dresser intervened on behalf of the tree and asked for one more chance, one more year.  Note that the fig tree was planted in a vineyard.  Why?  We should bloom where we are planted.  It is right for God to expect us to bear fruit in a reasonable time frame.  We should know that God’s expectation is not inexhaustible.  God is patient, but mean’s what He says.  I hope you will meet with your fellow Christian brothers and sisters for Bible study, fellowship, and worship at every opportunity.

     On Sunday evening at Enola we are returning to the foundational principles of the Christian life.  We have studied God’s plan of salvation (faith, repentance, confession, and baptism).  Now what?  Paul wrote to Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:11 about the things we must flee and about the things we must pursue.  We are looking at pursuing righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and gentleness.  This Sunday we will take a closer look at pursuing FAITH.

     Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.  Let us always be thankful today and everyday!  Feel it.  Think it.  Say it.  Show it.  Be it.