You are a Shining Christian Light!

     Hope everyone had a good week this past week.  It’s Saturday evening and I’m just now writing by blog for the week.  The Razorbacks just blew a big league against a team in New Jersey.  Well, it’s football.  There’s a winner and a loser in every game.  I do like winning.  The Enola Church of Christ is doing well.  We have had a busy week with several of our members participating in the Faulkner County Fair in Conway.  I enjoyed watching them with present their animals for the competition.  There were plenty of ribbons, buckles, and congratulations to be handed out.  Hard work and dedication always pay off.  Sometimes the payoff is a ribbon, a buckle, an award, and even a college scholarship.  At other times the payoff is simply the feeling of accomplishment you have when you know you did your very best.  To every Christian who let their light shine this week at home, at school, at work, or in the community where you live; thank you and God bless you.

     Our lesson in the morning (Sunday, 22^nd) is entitled “The Facts of Life – Hell is Real and How I know.”  I know this is not a topic that any of us are particularly interested in, but hell is a real place and will one day be the eternal home for those who do not know God and to those who have not obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ.  You can read this in 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10.  Either the Bible is right or wrong.  I believe that the Bible is truth.  Was Jesus mistaken?  Was Jesus wrong?  Was Jesus deceiving us?  Was Jesus lying when He spoke of hell?  Well, if hell is not real, what can we conclude about Jesus?  No.  Jesus was not mistaken.  He is not wrong.  He isn’t deceiving us.  He is not lying.  He is the Way.  He is the Truth.  He is the Life.  No one comes to the Father except through Him.  You can read this in John 14:6.

     Jesus asks every Christian to love others as He loves us.  You can read about this in John 13:34-35.  Just how did Jesus show and share His love.  How does He love?  On Sunday evening we are thinking about how Jesus loved and then asking ourselves if we are loving the way He loves.  I want to love like He does.  He is our Shepherd.  We are following Him.

     I love Wednesday evenings at the Enola Church of Christ.  After Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at work, don’t you need a boost to your faith, hope, and love?  I certainly do.  And Wednesdays at Enola is just what I need.  We meet at 7:00 p.m. for only an hour.  We sing a few songs together.  We mention those who are need and pray for them.  We read the Bible and study it together.  On the last Wednesday in the month we have a “singing.”   I know how it is.  After a long day of work, it is sometimes hard to find the energy to get home just in time to head out for Bible study.  Believe me, when you do, you’ll find that your decision will be rewarded with a stronger faith in God, a deeper love for Jesus and your fellow Christian brothers and sister, and a happy heart.  Come out and see.  You’ll be so very glad you did.

     Hey!  How about a trivia question for you to research and answer every blog?  We have a Bible trivia question every week at Enola.  I’ll include it in my blog.  Here it is.  I hope enjoy it.  I’ll include the answer in next week’s blog.

A certain man ran for his life.  He slept under a tree. He prayed.  He ate two super nutritious meals.

Who was he?

Why was he running? 

What kind of tree? 

What did he pray for? 

When was the next time he ate?

Are you sleeping well at night?

     The days are flying by.  September 10^th and still almost 100 degrees up in the country.  I hear that cooler weather is coming our way.  I’m ready.  Aren’t you?  We had another great day this past Sunday (8^th) meeting with fellow Christians and guests (139) studying the Bible, remembering Jesus in communion, honoring God, and having our faith strengthened in worship.  I hope you are putting first things first.  God should always be first in life and living.  Life is simple.  We are the ones who complicate things.  We want too much.  We try too hard.  We make mountains out of molehills and molehills out of mountains.  We often say “Yes” when we should say “No.”  Then we say “No” when we should say “Yes.”  We speak when silence would have been so much better.  We are silent when a word fitly spoken would have been so right.  Now be honest.  Just how much of our precious time do we spend “surfing?”  You know what I’m talking about.  It could be “channel surfing” or “internet surfing.”  What about Facebook, Twitter, or Ebay?  Note that I wrote the word “we” rather than “you.”  It could be that couples forget how to communicate with each other because…really…how can two people communicate with her on one computer or Nook or IPad or IPhone and him on another all while the TV is noisily booming in the room.  What would happen at your house if you turned everything off, the TV, the computer, the cell phone (at least silenced it), the videogames, and any other electronic device.  When was the last time you heard silence.  What would you do?  Would you think to pray?  Would you look, actually look at your husband or wife, or at your children to love them and appreciate the beauty of the people around you, the people who love you and whom you love?  Would you think about God?  How blessed you are?  It could be that this is exactly what you and I need to do to clear our minds and our lives of all the clutter that makes life so complicated.  Try it.  Don’t be afraid.  Not too long ago I was in my office and had one of our Christian brothers stop in for a little advice.  He told me that he wasn’t sleeping very well at night.  He said that it took him several hours to get his mind settled so he could sleep and even then his sleep was often restless.  I asked him what he did just before he retired to bed.  His answer was his problem.  The last thing he did before he retired to bed was watch the evening news.  Now don’t get me wrong.  We need to stay informed about the world around us.  I suggested that he watch the morning news or maybe the early evening news and then before retiring to bed that he rest his thoughts on what is most important in life.  To me I often think of my grandchildren.  I think of Saturday’s soccer game when my seven year old grandson scored five (That is right) five goals.  I was there and enjoyed every moment of the game, even though it was 99 degrees in the shade.  I think of my eight year old granddaughter who just lost her second front tooth.  The image of her big smile will forever be etched in my mind.  I think of my 3 years old granddaughter has she rushes into my arms all the while yelling “PopPop, PopPop, you love me so much.”  Now that is the way to retire to bed at night, thinking of the precious, priceless, most important things in life.  As you can see, I sleep very well every night.  Sin always stands in the way of our peace and happiness.  This coming Sunday morning our sermon series will continue on “The Facts of Life.”  We have already looked at two facts of life; Life is Short and Eternity is Long.  This week we will look at Fact #3 – Sin is Terrible.  Sin IS terrible.  Sin will take you further than you wanted to go.  Sin will keep you longer than you wanted to stay.  Sin will cost you more than you were willing to spend.  When you are ready to let go of sin, sin is not ready to let go of you.  When you or I look at sin, we see power, prestige, position, or pleasure.  When God looks at sin, he sees His Son hanging, dying on the Old Rugged Cross.  Oh, that we would realize just how terrible sin really is.

Enough for tonight.  Know that Jesus Christ is the answer to sin.  John 3:16-17 is so simple and so wonderful.  I am a Christian.  Please think about becoming a Christian too.  It’s not complicated.  People complicate the plan of salvation.  God simplified it.  Believe in Jesus Christ.  Repent of your sins that have caused you so much trouble.  Confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, the Son of God.  Be baptized into Christ, immersed in water so that sin will be washed away. 

Singing or Playing?

     Hello from up in the country, Enola, Arkansas and the Enola Church of Christ.  We had another great day this past Sunday (1^st) with 137 assembled together for Bible study, fellowship, and worship.  Everyone seemed to be excited to be back into the “old school” routine.  After all, it’s September!  Gary Beeson did an outstanding job directing the service as we sang psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with melody in our hearts to God.  We always sing this way; in spirit and in truth, without a piano or an organ, without guitars, percussion, or any other mechanical instrument of music.  We specifically choose to worship God this way.  Why?  Well, when I read the Bible I find that Jesus and the disciples sang a hymn (Matthew 26:30).  You will not find a place in the Bible where Jesus ever played an instrument or was in a service where instruments were played or commanded or even inferred that mechanical instruments of music could be used in worship.  When Paul wrote to the Christians in 1 Corinthians 14:15, he mentioned singing.  He wrote, “What is the conclusion then?  I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding.  I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding.”  Very simple.  Paul once again writes about singing in Ephesians 5.  In verse 8-10 he writes; “For you were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.”  Did you see that?  “Finding out what is acceptable to the Lord…”  Now read chapter 5, verse 17. “Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”  Read that again.  Is anyone interested in this modern day of ours what the will of the Lord is, or what is acceptable to the Lord?  In verse 19 we can read about singing, not playing instruments.  In his letter to the church of Christ at Colosse we see that Paul once again wrote about singing.  In chapter 3, verse 15 he writes, “And let the peace of God rule your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.”  One body!  Of course we know that the “one body” is the church that Jesus built (Ephesians 1:22-23).  The very next verse (16) Paul writes, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”  Once again, let me ask:  Did you read about any instrument of music?

     I realize that King David in the Old Testament loved instruments of music and included various mechanical instruments of music in temple worship.  We no longer live under the authority of the law, the prophets, the psalms, or the proverbs.  We live under the authority of Jesus Christ.  He has all authority (Matthew 28:18).  God has spoken to us today not through the law or the prophets, but through His Son, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1-2).  When Jesus was transfigured in the presence of Peter, James, and John in Matthew 17, Peter said to Jesus, “If You wish, let us make three tabernacles; one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”  Note what happened next.  God spoke from heaven and said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.  Hear Him.”  Did you catch that?  Who is it we are to hear today?  Moses?  No.  Elijah?  No.  Jesus.  Absolutely.  James wrote about singing in such simple terms.  In James 5:13 we read, “Is anyone among you suffering?  Let him pray.  Is anyone among you cheerful?  Let him sing psalms.”

     Believe me.  I understand that mechanical instruments of music can create much excitement and can be played in such a way or in such combinations that our emotions can be moved to tears or to great joy.   Just think about it though.  When it comes to what we do when we meet together for worship, who are we trying to please or impress:  People?  Ourselves?  Or God?  I also understand that some people are very talented when it comes to playing the piano, the guitar, the drums, or other instruments.  Play these instruments at home, at school, at work, or for your pleasure, but when the church comes together to worship God, let us put aside these things and our own desire to be seen and heard and applauded in order to worship Him in the way that pleases Him.

     This coming Sunday (9^th) we will continue in our series “The Facts of Life” and think about how long eternity is.  Yes.  Life is short.  And eternity is mighty long.  Our suffering in this short life cannot be compared to the peace and joy we will experience in heaven forever.  On Sunday evening we will have a very special guest preacher; Brother Bill Cline with Truth for Today.  May God bless us as we put Him first in life and living every day.

Thanks for reading!

     So much for the cooler weather in Arkansas!  Hot, hot, hot now!  Be careful out there.  Our children and grandchildren are back in school.  Some are involved in football, cheerleading, track, and other sports.  We need to make sure they have plenty of liquids before, during, and after their practices and events.  They also need proper nutrition in order to perform to their potential.  Parents first, then teachers, coaches, and assistants need to see that our children maintain a proper diet.  Just a little bit of preacherly advice to consider.  May God bless us with wisdom and patience as we make adjustments to a new routine.

     The Enola Church of Christ had a great Sunday this week (18^th) with 136 in attendance on Sunday morning.  Everyone was smiling and very happy to gather together for worship, Bible study, and fellowship with fellow Christians.  That’s good.  I always arrive early to shake hands with my Christian family, greet our guests, and get focused on my ministry to the church for Jesus Christ.  Not all preachers see the importance of the welcome when the church meets.  The old saying “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care” is true.  I have found that my brothers and sisters in Christ, as well as the guests that often worship with us at Enola give more consideration to the lessons I teach and the sermons I preach when they have been greeted, their hands shaken, and welcomed by the preacher and other leaders and members of the church of Christ when they arrived.  First impressions are so very important.

     This Sunday morning we will conclude our series “Have a Good Day.”  Just how can we have a good day when we have so many troubles?  Take one day at a time, just today, not yesterday or tomorrow, just today.  Count your blessings, not your troubles.  Decide to be optimistic about life.  Think positively.  Love life and live like you do.  Our final lesson in their series teaches us to FILL OUR LIVES WITH GOOD.  Prayer is good.  The Bible is good.  Love is good.  God is good.  Really!  Life is good.  Every day is a good day when I fill the day with good.  Evil is all around us.  Bad things happen to all of us.  We all have stories to tell; stories of pain, sorrow, sickness, loneliness, doubt, and death.  In Christ Jesus we can have a good day in the midst of our stories.  Remember Psalm 23.  Right in the middle of this psalm, David writes about God’s table, prepared with every blessing of life.  David said of the Lord, our Shepherd; “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.”  Think about it.  Even in the presence of pain, sorrow, sickness, loneliness, doubt, and death God prepares His table.  And we are sitting at His table.  When my Granny Burleson was alive, she always hosted the entire family for lunch on Christmas day.  What a table of food.  Now, she knew how to prepare a table.  She had one of those large old timey solid oak tables.  Every inch of that table held a dish of food.  In the meat department there was chicken (three or four different ways, fresh from the yard), roast with all the trimmings, ham, venison, turkey, even hotdogs.  Then the vegetables!  Oh my!  Purple hull peas, cream corn, okra, potatoes (again, prepared three or four different ways), pinto beans, tomatoes, onions…I could go on.  Biscuits, homemade rolls (You know those rolls that go perfect with butter and fresh honey), cornbread, muffins, and buns were on the kitchen cabinets.  We had fruit from Papa’s garden, cantaloupe, watermelon, grapes, peaches, pears, even figs and persimmons.  Then came the desserts.  We had every kind of cake and pie you can think of and some that you probable couldn’t think of.  Every inch of the table and kitchen cabinet was filled with such delicious, life-altering blessings.  Now remember, this is a human table.  What of God’s table?  I can tell you this for sure.  I am a Christian and because I am a Christian, I am sitting at God’s table every day.  Friends, come to the table.  Hear the good news.  Believe what Jesus taught in the New Testament.  Repent of the sin that causes so much trouble for you and for every one of us.  Confess that Jesus is the Son of God.  Be baptized like God directs us to in the Bible.  Pull your chair up to God’s table.

     I hope to see you up in the country this Sunday morning at the Enola Church of Christ.  We meet at 10 for Bible study and at 11 for worship.  We also meet at 5 on Sunday evening and at 7 on Wednesday evening.  You need to get some fresh air anyway.  God bless you and yours.

Are You Ready? Fall is in the air!

     Beautiful!  Cool!  Fall has been in the air lately.  I’m ready for it too.  They say the summer will have another last go or two before cooler weather finally settles in.  We’ll see.  I hope you have had a good week getting your children and grand children ready for school.  Ours are very ready to get going.  It’ll take a few days to get into that old school routine.  Prepare the night before.  Get to bed a little earlier.  Be patient.  Start the day off right with prayer and a verse or two from God’s word.  I’ll be praying for our teachers and students to adjust correctly and quickly.  Remember to leave home earlier since the traffic will be much heavier than usual with those big yellow school buses stopping to picking up our children.  Also know that our honorable law enforcement officers will be out in force to make sure that we all stay on the right side of the law.

     This Sunday (Tomorrow – August 18^th – Sorry about my blog being so late this week) we will continue with the next to last sermon in our series “Have a Good Day.”  How can I have a good day when I have so many issues, so many worries, so many troubles, too much pain, sorrow, and loneliness?  Take one day at a time.  Count your blessings, not your troubles.  Decide to live every day optimistically.  This Sunday we will focus on loving life and living like we do.  We live be the grace of God.  He saves us.  He schools us.  He separates us for a good day.  Focus on God.  Believe Him.  Do what is right all the time.  Wait for your blessing.  We can do this.

     Our Sunday evening sermon is a continuation of last week’s lesson.  We are looking at the five steps every person much take for salvation by grace through faith.  Simple and right from the Bible.  I look forward to sharing this lesson and our Sunday morning lesson with the church and our guests.

     LADIES:  The Ladies Bible Class is now in session, meeting every Monday evening at 6:30 p.m. in the Annex at the Enola Church of Christ, 253 Highway 107 North in Enola, Arkansas.  This is a great time of fellowship, study, and discussion.

     Tomorrow is Sunday, the Lord’s Day.  At the Enola Church of Christ we will be meeting at 10:00 a.m. for Bible study.  Eddie Hawkins will be teaching in the auditorium completing a study of the Bible book of Colossians.  Our young adults have their own Bible study session in the Annex every Sunday morning.  We have classes for babies, children, and teenagers.  At 11:00 everyone comes together in the auditorium for worship.  Every Sunday we remember the sacrifice that Jesus made for us by sharing in the Lord’s Supper together.  We take the opportunity to give of our financial blessings when the offering plate is passed.  We sing and pray.  We study the Bible.  We enjoy meeting together and feel so very blessed through our membership in the church of Christ at Enola.  It could be that you are searching for a group of Christians who love God and earnestly desire to follow His word in every way in life and living.  This is our desire and plea.  Come and see.

Watermelons are finally affordable!

     This week we have enjoyed the beautiful weather with cooler temperatures and several showers of rain.  We’re thankful to the Lord God for His rich blessings toward us.  Just today I noticed that the cattle in several pastures were lying down; a sure sign of plenty.  Could it be that David remembered all those days and nights out in the fields watching over his father’s sheep when he wrote Psalm 23?  He wrote about the Good Shepherd; “He makes me to lie down in green pastures.  He leads me beside still waters.  He restores my soul.”  In my mind I can almost see David, as a young man noticing the sheep or cattle lying down in green pastures, full, satisfied, content, and at peace.  Oh, if we would trust Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, if we would follow Him, if we would hear Him and obey Him.  What a difference this would make in life today and into eternity. 

     Our sermon tomorrow, Sunday, August 4^th will be lesson two in our series “Have a Good Day.”  Last Sunday we looked at the first ingredient:  Live One Day at a Time.  The second ingredient in the recipe for a good day is “Count Your Blessings.”  Too many people, Christians too, are too busy counting their issues, ailments, limitations, problems, and worries instead of their blessings.  Now don’t get me wrong.  I realize that we live in a real world, a world of the negative things listed above.  We must focus on our blessings, not our issues.  We hit what we aim for.  We aim at what we focus on.  What are we focusing on?  Problems?  Or Blessings?  Right in the middle of our problem, we can, if we will remember to count our blessings.  Right in the middle of dealing with our issues, we can, if we will remember to count our blessings.  The past is history.  Tomorrow may never be.  Today is where we are right now.  Are we truly living life the way we need to be living it right now, today, this very moment?  I hope you are.  When you find that you are counting the wrong things, stop and count your blessings.

     On Sunday evening we are looking at some things that can make our break our mission to show and share the gospel of Christ with those we know and love.  Last Sunday we looked at five words that can make our break our mission: Sanctify, Ready, Hope, Meekness, and Fear.  This Sunday evening we will look at five feelings that can make or break our mission for Christ.  

     School will be back in session in just a few days.  Be a little more attentive when you are out and about.  Traffic is heavier with all those college students back for the fall semester at our local colleges, especially around Conway.  It won’t be long before we’ll be seeing school buses picking up and dropping off our children and grandchildren.  Leave a little bit earlier for work and when you are running errands.  Please, please put your cell phone away while you are driving.  You can tell when someone is talking on their cell phones or texting while driving.  They are usually driving too slow then too fast then back to too slow.  They weave and wobble left and right.  How do I know this?  Well, I was behind a driver on Highway 64 today doing this.  When he looked up from his phone into his rearview mirror and saw the big DODGE symbol on the front of my truck, he refocused, put his phone down, sped up, and drove away from me.  Parents:  Sit your teenage or collage age drivers down and speak with them about life and death, texting, cell phones, and driving an automobile. 

     May God bless you and your family is my prayer every day.  Hope to see you tomorrow at the Enola Church of Christ facilities, up in the country, just north of Enola on highway 107. 

Fall is on the Horizon my Friends

     It’s been a busy week once again with our incredibly awesome VBS.  We had a wonderful series of studies from God’s word from Galatians 5.  We studied the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  I was singing the song as I typed the list.  You probably sung it in your head too if you know the song.  Attendance was magnificent every night.  We almost made it to 200 on Wednesday night (192).  Thank you to our youth minister, Brandon Breeding for coordinating this year’s VBS.  Thank you to our teachers.  You are the best!  Thank you to our snack coordinators; Steve and Kim Mooningham.  You had everything ready every night.  Thank you to Patrick Breeding for getting our big night at the country fair together on Wednesday.  What a blast!  Thank you to every Christian who provided whatever we needed for the success of our VBS.  Thank you to every participant.  I hope you learned to be more loving, more joyful, more at peace, more patient, kinder, good, more faithful, gentle, and more disciplined in your life.  Only in Christ can we experience the fruit of the Spirit.

     Can you believe it? August arrives this coming Thursday.  The summer is nearing an end and fall is on the horizon.  This week I felt a little bit of autumn in the air.  I love the fall – cooler weather, football and other fall sports, teachers , students, and parents getting back to the old school routine, and everything and everyone sort of settling down from summer activities.  Don’t get me wrong.  Fall has its own busy times with what I have already mentioned above.  The Enola Church of Christ is doing well.  I am glad.

     Tomorrow morning (Sunday, July 28^th) we will begin a new series of lessons on the recipe for a good day.  Often, when we meet someone we know we greet them with the expression: “Have a good day!”  Well, just how do we do that when we have so many worries, so many issues, so many battles to fight, so many people depending on us, so many expectations to meet, so much to do and not enough time, it seems to do it?  I’ll try to answer this question with this series of lessons from God’s word.  The first ingredient or step to have a good day is to LIVE ONE DAY AT A TIME.  We’ll talk about that tomorrow, Lord willing.  I hope you can make it up to the country to hear, learn, and begin having a good day every day.

     On Sunday evening we will learn about how to become better at showing and sharing our faith and hope in Christ Jesus with those who need to hear and have good news.  We can win or lose when it comes to sharing our faith in Christ Jesus with others.  We’ll look at five words in 1 Peter 3:15 that can determine a win or a loss. 

     There are several congregations in the county hosting their Vacation Bible Schools.  I will be speaking on Monday night (July 29^th) at 7:00 at the Greenbrier Church of Christ.  You are invited to make the short drive through the “bottoms” to support this good effort.

     Our “Young at Heart” meetings every Friday in June and July have been so edifying to our seniors.  Our last meeting was this past Friday with 24 in attendance.  Thank you to Callie King and Clare King for your planning, preparing, and dedication.  Thank you to Brother Larry Arnett for being there every session to assist in so many ways.  Thank you to every member who helped in this wonderful program.  We are strong when we are together.

VBS - July 21-24 at Enola - Come one...Come all

     We’re a okay up in the country; working hard, praying every day for our great state and our nation.   We all need wisdom and courage to think, speak, and live the way we should.  We need patience and strength in the face of so many obstacles that are blocking our path to heaven.  Jesus said it best in the Parable of the Sower in Luke chapter 8.  Life is often difficult, hard if you will.  When life is hard, we sometimes give in to the hardness of life and become hardened ourselves.  We say, “Well, since I’m not having a good day, why should anyone else.”  If we want to be the “good ground” that pleases God that bears the good fruit of righteousness, we must remain open and sensitive to every opportunity to give, to serve, and to show and share the tender loving care of Jesus Christ.

     There are so many rocks in the field that we are trying to plant.  The field is our heart and the hearts of those around us.  The seed is the word and ways of God.  Temptations are like rocks in the field that we are trying to plant.  We all deal with temptations.  Some don’t bother me at all.  Some trouble me all the time.  It seems that I am constantly moving the rocks or trying to plant around them.  One thing is for sure for me.  These temptations, the rocks won’t keep me from planting. 

     We’re trying to grow in faith and love, but there are so many thorns that are growing up around us.  These thorns are the cares of life, pleasures, and the deceitfulness of riches.  We all have work to do, bills to pay, spouses to please, children to raise, neighbors to get along with, quotas to meet, expectations to meet…I could go on and on about the cares of life.  Sometimes…many times we let these cares of life hinder or maybe even stop our progress to grow closer to the Lord.  If it’s not the cares of life, maybe it’s our desire to find pleasure in life, to be entertained.  We all need rest and relaxation from time to time, every day even.  Nothing wrong with that.  Pleasure can become a thorn if we lose sight of our priorities.  We all know that riches are deceitful.  We need clothes to wear, but do we really need a $100 pair of jeans or a $500 outfit?  We all need food, but do really need to spend so much on trips to Little Rock, Hot Springs, or Branson to eat?  We need a house to live in, but just how many square feet of space do we really need?   We need a way to get to work, to school, and to worship, but what is so wrong with the vehicle we have?  Does a 2013 model get us where we want to go better than a 2012 model?  You see.  These “thorns” that Jesus spoke about can really hinder our progress as Christians to grow closer to God and closer to living like Jesus would have us live. 

     We all need to become good ground.  Our hearts are softened when we realize how precious life is and what is really important; faith in God, family (our spouses, our children, our grandchildren, our Christian family, our friends and neighbors…people), and our friends.  Temptations can hinder us, but we know that temptations also lead us to patience and strength (James 1).  We all have to face the cares and pleasures of life and the deceitfulness of riches.  We meet with the church every Sunday morning, Sunday evening, Wednesday evening, and at every other time we can to help us prioritize our lives so that these things do not hinder our progress as Christians. 

      Well, enough about that.  Our VBS begins tomorrow, Sunday (21^st) at 5:00 p.m.  Our theme is “It’s a Blue Ribbon Life.”  We will be studying the fruits of the Spirit.  Our plans are to meet on Sunday at 5:00 then on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at 7:00.  I hope you can make the drive up in the country to attend.  You’ll be so glad you did.  Just think.  When was the last time you saw cattle grazing out in the field.  You need a little country in your life.

     Hope you are doing okay.  I am.  You know preachers.  We can’t hardly wait for Sunday’s.  I look forward to Bible study with my fellow Christian brothers and sisters.  I look forward to the fellowship we enjoy at Enola.  I especially look forward to honoring God in worship.  See you on Sunday, Lord willing.

VBS at Enola - July 21 - 24 - Y'all Come

     Hey, from the country.  We had a good Lord’s Day on Sunday.  Our attendance was down a little (124), but the summer always has us scattered a bit.  We’re having a good week; hot for sure, but looking forward to the coming activities that are just around the corner.  The Faulkner County Gospel Crusade is scheduled for Sunday evening, July 14^th through Friday evening, July 19^th at 7:00 p.m. each evening.  There will be a different speaker each evening.  Our theme is “The Home as God Would Have It.” The crusade will be held at the Reynolds Performance Center on the campus of UCA in Conway.   I have the privilege of preaching on Wednesday night.  My topic is “For Better or Worse.”  My lesson will include three of our couples at Enola:  Roger and Michelle Robinson, Rusty and Gina Goodnight, and Jim and Mary Montgomery.  I am excited about presenting the word of God during the crusade.

     Our VBS at Enola will be incredibly awesome this year.  VBS is scheduled for Sunday evening through Wednesday evening, July 21^st through the 24^th.  The Sunday session begins at 5:00 p.m.  Sessions on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday will begin at 7:00 p.m.  We will be studying the fruits of the Spirit.  I hope you will make plans to make the short drive from Conway on Highway 64 to the 8 Mile Store, then left on 36 for about 9 miles, then straight onto Highway 107 through Enola on the left.  You can’t miss our brand new sign.  If you’re coming from Vilonia, just take Simpson Road to 36. Watch out.  Simpson is mighty curvy.  Turn left for short distance then right onto 107.  Go about 3 miles to the church building on the left.  If you’re coming from Greenbrier, just come through the Bowie bottoms to 107 in downtown Enola. Turn left and watch for the building on the left.  VBS is not just for children.  We will have a different speaker each evening for the adults. 

     Our “Young at Heart” meetings on Fridays with the seniors are going very well.  We had another good crowd last Friday (23).  We all enjoyed answering patriotic questions and singing patriotic songs.  Larry Arnett grilled hamburgers and hotdogs for the group.  Several Christian brothers and sisters prepared the side items and desserts.   If you are young at heart come and be a part of our get-together on Friday at 10:00 a.m.  You’ll fit right in.

     Our Sunday morning sermon series is going very well.  We are examining our love and life and asking ourselves if we are putting God first.  F – Finances – Where am I spending my money?  I – Interests – Where am I spending my thoughts?  R – Relationships – Where am I spending myself?  This Sunday morning we will ask ourselves the S – Schedule – Where am I spending my time?  Am I making every moment count in my life?  Think about it.  Is God first when it comes to your time?

     We have a Ladies’ Fellowship and a Men’s Fellowship every month.  The women of the church meet every second Thursday at 7:00.  The men meet every third Thursday at 7:00.  In July the ladies will meet at the Burleson’s on the 11^th.  The men will meet at the Burleson’s on the 18^th.  We visit, discuss relative issues that we face in life, and turn to the Bible for answers, encouragement, and strength to grow in our faith in Jesus Christ.  We also take time to pray.  The church is growing and prospering.  God always keeps His promises.  We are so very thankful.

     We’re in desperate need of rain up in the country.  I would love to see a cloudy sky, hear the sound of thunder, smell the rain, and then see the rain coming down from God above.  God knows what He’s doing.  I know that.  The rain will come our way in God’s time.  We’re thankful for His providence, rain or shine.

Learning, loving, and living - Country, my friend!

     Last blog I mentioned the heat.  On Thursday of last week the thermometer in my Dodge Ram 1500 registered 103 degrees.  Today (Tuesday, July 2^nd) there was a feeling of fall in the air and the temperature was only in the mid 80’s.  I got out early this morning to work at little bit on the big oak tree at the church building with Larry Newland.  All the firewood has been cut, split, delivered, and stacked.  Even now the huge trunk is slowing burning into ash.  Chuck Loyd is maintaining the process.  Very soon Andy Kelly will be working on leveling the area where the tree used to be for a nice new play area for our children.  Larry Arnett and I took a look at one of the other trees just behind the annex for the possibility of a tire swing.  We’ll see what we can come up with.  God has blessed the Enola Church  of Christ with priceless and precious children.  I want every child to think of the church as a people and a place of family, friendship, learning, growing, joy, and happiness in Jesus Christ.  I love to hear parents tell me that their children can’t hardly wait for Bible class, worship, and fellowship with their friends and that they have to deal with their children crying because they have to leave to go home.  I realize that play areas, tire swings, and these kinds of things are just that, things.  The church’s #1 priority is and will always be Jesus Christ.  Even Jesus enjoyed being with His friends, Lazarus, Martha, and Mary.  He went to a wedding in Cana.  He fished with His disciples.  He spent a lot of time in the garden.  He often spoke about the lilies of the field, the birds of the air, and we find that He loved children.  When it comes to children, Jesus said, “Of such is the kingdom of heaven.”

     Our Sunday morning sermon series “Putting God First” continues with a lesson on the letter “R.”  Are we putting God first in our relationships?  We’ve already asked, “Where am I spending my money?  Am I putting God first in my finances?”  We’ve also asked, “Where am I spending my thoughts?  Am I putting God first in my interests?”  When you think of friends, who do you think of?  I mean, who do you think of in the Bible?  When I think of friendship, I think of love.  I think of Jonathan and David, not Jonadab and Amnon.  I think of trust.  I think of God and Abraham, not Jesus and Judas Iscariot.  I think of respect.  I think of Aquila and Priscilla, not Ananias and Sapphira.  We’ll talk about friendship this Sunday.  I hope you will be present.  The drive up in the country will do you good.

     On Sunday evening this week we will focus our thoughts on freedom.  After all Independence Day is on Thursday.  It would do us good to take a little time to think about all the freedoms we enjoy every day, some complicated and sophisticated and others plain and simply.  Isn’t it funny how we overlooked the plain and simple too many times. 

     Remember our incredibly awesome VBS scheduled for Sunday evening, July 21^st through Wednesday evening July 24^th.  Sunday evening we begin at 5:00 p.m.  Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday we will begin at 7:00 p.m.  Our theme is “It’s a Blue Ribbon Life” speaking of the Christian life of course.  We will be studying love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  You’ll recognize these as the Fruits of the Spirit.  I hope you will plan on being with us up in the country at Enola for one or all of these VBS sessions.  We have a class for adults too.  Bring the kids and stay for VBS for yourself.

     Remember the 4^th Annual Faulkner County Gospel Crusade too.  We’ll be meeting for six night at Reynolds Performance Center on the Campus of the University of Central Arkansas on July 14^th through July 19^th.  Our theme is “The Home as God Would Have It.”  Mark your calendar for this very special time of spiritual encouragement. 

The Christian Life - The Only Way to Live

     Hot, hot, hot!  Have you had a good week?  I hope so.  We’re doing well up in the country, and I’m not just saying that.  We really are.  Today (Friday, June 28), we had a great “Young at Heart” meeting at the Enola Church of Christ annex building.  For some reason today was “bring your grandchild to the young at heart meeting” day.  We had a great time visiting, sharing memories of our salvation in Christ, eating lunch, and playing games.  It was a joy to hear each person share the memory of their baptism into Christ.  I found it very interesting that out of the 15 adults who shared their experience, nine made their decision to become a Christian during a “Gospel Meeting.”  One of our three elders at Enola, Brother Larry Arnett was present to hear this statistic.  I looked at him and said, “Well, when is the last time we hosted a “gospel meeting” at the Enola Church of Christ?”  His statement was refreshing and exciting.  We will be planning a Gospel Meeting in the near future.  Amen to that!  After lunch I had the privilege of sitting at the table with six of the group’s grandchildren; teaching them to play dominoes.  Just think about it.  In the same room, at the same time, in the same decade there were people over the age of 65 and people under the age of 10 playing the same games having a great time and without cell phones, Ipads, Iphones, tv, or video games.  God is good.  Life is good too.  I’m glad.  Oh, and the big winner at our table was Abby Ingram, age 3.  By the way, just before we played games, Abby stood up and with very little help said the books of the Old Testament.  Can you see why I said above that we are doing well up in the country?  Thank you, Callie for coordinating our “Young at Heart” program this summer.  And “Thank you” Larry Newland (last Friday) and Kim Mooningham (this week) for providing the delicious lunch for the group.

 

     Our Sunday morning sermon series “Putting God FIRST” continues this Lord’s Day.  Last week we looked at the “F” in FIRST.  Are we putting God first in our finances?  This Sunday morning we will look at the letter “I.”  Are we putting God first in our INTERESTS?  Just what am I interested in?  Making money? Having fun? Moving up to the next rung in the ladder?  Pleasure?  Entertainment?  The kingdom of God and His righteousness?  Jesus told us in Matthew 6:33 to seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness FIRST and our needs will be met.  How about it?  Let us put God first in our interests.

     Our Sunday evening series “The Old Rugged Cross” comes to a close this week as we talk about the salvation we will finally inherit at the end of the way.  Remember?  There are requirements in the way of the cross – Courage, Reason, Obedience, Sacrifices, and Sincerity.  There are experiences on the way of the cross – Challenges, Responsibilities, Opportunities, Successes, and Sorrows.  At the end of the way of the cross we will have Christ Jesus, Riches beyond our imagination, our One and Only Father, Security, and finally most importantly Salvation.  Salvation is a beautiful thing.  We have been saved.  We are being saved.  We will be saved.  It would be worth it if you could be here with the church this Sunday evening to hear this message.

     There are a couple of events coming up that you need to be a part of.  The 4^th Annual Faulkner County Gospel Crusade is scheduled for July 14^th through the 19^th at the Reynold’s Performance Center on the campus of the University of Central Arkansas.  Each session begins at 7:00 p.m. and concludes at 8:00.  I will be speaking on Wednesday evening, July 17^th.  Our theme is “The Home as God Would Have It.”  My topic is “For Better or Worse.”  It is such a privilege to be asked to preach at the county-wide event.

     It’s VBS time!  The Enola Church of Christ will host an INCREDIBLY AWESOME VBS on Sunday evening, July 21^st at 5:00 p.m. and on Monday through Wednesday, July 22^nd through 24^th at 7:00 p.m.  Our theme this year is “It’s a Blue Ribbon Life” and we will be studying the Fruits of the Spirit.  Adults:  we will have a class for you too.  I hope you can come and be a part of this year’s VBS.

Hope you are having a good week!

     Hello my friends from up in the country in Enola, Arkansas.  We’re having a good week showing and sharing the Christian life.  Sunday (16^th) was a good day.  We had 134 in attendance and everyone seemed to be in good spirits.  We had a few guests from the community and that is always a blessing. A few of our Christian brothers and sisters were out of town vacationing or visiting with family.   It could be (we hope) that those who visit will one day decide to become a member of the church of Christ and worship and work with us here at Enola.  We want to grow both in spirit and in number.

     We always have exciting things going on here at the Enola church of Christ.  Our senior adults are enjoying a very special summer with our “young at heart” program.  Our seniors meet every Friday in June and July at 10:00 a.m. for visiting, activities that build strong faith, and lunch together.  The program concludes at 12:30.  Lunch is free and provided for our seniors.  Our Vacation Bible School has been scheduled for Sunday evening through Wednesday evening, July 21 – 24.  We provide Bible classes for every age, even the adults.  Everyone always enjoys VBS at Enola.

     The 4^th Annual Faulkner County Gospel Crusade will be held at the Reynold’s Performance Center at the University of Central Arkansas on Sunday, July 14^th through Friday, July 19^th at 7:00 p.m. each evening.  The theme this year is “The Home as God Would Have It.”  There will be a different preacher every night.  I will be preaching on “For Better or Worse” on Wednesday evening, July 17^th.  I hope every Christian will make plans to attend this very special event for the church of Christ in Faulkner County.  I am very happy to be a part of the program this year.

     This coming Sunday (23^rd) our morning sermon series is entitled “Putting God FIRST – An Examination of My Love and My Life.”  We will take the letters of the word “FIRST” and decide if we are truly putting God first in our lives.  This Sunday we will look at the letter “F” and ask ourselves, “Am I putting God FIRST in my FINANCES?”  We will look at only three passages of Scripture and make the changes we need to make.  On Sunday evening we are very close to concluding our series of lessons on the Old Rugged Cross.  We have looked at the requirements of the cross (Courage, Reason, Obedience, Sacrifice, and Sincerity).  We have looked at the experiences of the cross (Challenges, Responsibilities, Opportunities, Sorrows, and Successes).  Now we are looking at what we will find at the end of the cross (Christ, Riches, One and Only Father, SECURITY, and Salvation).  I hope you are enjoying these lessons and growing in your appreciation for what Jesus did for every one of us on the old rugged cross.

     For every member of the church of Christ at Enola; make sure you check your newsletter for something new.  Look for this week’s Bible trivia question.  Some questions might test your Bible knowledge.  I certainly love to read God’s word every day and find that when I do, my day goes so much better.  Try getting up a few minutes earlier in the morning to include reading your Bible and prayer.  Believe me.  And you know it’s true.  We need more Bible reading in our world today along with much prayer.

Hot and Muggy in the Country

     We had a great Sunday at Enola this week (9^th) with family and friends gathered together to worship God in spirit and in truth.  I am thankful for every opportunity to meet with my fellow Christians to honor God, remember Jesus, and look forward to another week of Christian living.  We’re so very blessed.   Several of our Enola brethren were out of town grabbing a little R and R.  It’s good to have you back home now.

     Have you driven by the church building late lately?  When you do you will notice something new and exciting; our new sign is now lit up beautifully at night.  Cindi and I stayed late after our evening worship on Sunday to watch it come on at dusk.  Now we can post our church activities and events for the community to see, post thoughtful statements for those who might need encouragement, and generally show and share God’s love with others through simple Scripture texts.   Thank you again to those who worked to get our sign in place and in order.

     This past Sunday we asked ourselves a couple of questions: Do I have a generous heart?  Is God asking too much from me?  Someone asked Jesus about the most important commands of God.  He told those who were listening that God’s greatest command is that every human being love God with all their heart, all their soul, all their mind, and all their strength.  He said that we should love others as we love ourselves.  Well, do we?  Is God asking too much? Some certainly think so.  You can tell by the way they walk, talk, and act.  May we love God not for the things He has, or for the things He has promised, or for the things we might get from Him.  Let us love Him for who He is, our Father.  This week we had a new addition to our family at Enola.  Ross and Kayla Robinson were blessed with a brand new healthy baby daughter, Marlee Kate.  We all love her.  We love her not for what she can do for us, or for what she might give us, or for any other selfish reason.  We love her simply because she is our family.  Newborn babies are not easy to deal with.  Babies cry a lot.  They can’t take care of themselves at all.  They do not sleep very much at first.  They sometimes smell bad.  They are very expensive from the start.  They cannot do anything for us except be ours.  And that is completely enough.

     This Sunday is FATHER’S DAY.  I’ll be sharing a sermon on the “do’s and don’ts” of fathers.  There is a sign on the right side of highway 64 going into Conway that has Ephesians 6:4 quoted on it.  After the quotation the challenge is this:  Father’s, it’s your job.  Just do it.  I hope you will remember your dad on Sunday, but more importantly remember your Father in heaven, not just on Father’s Day, but every day.  It could be that your dad wasn’t what he should have been or isn’t what he should be.  Know that you have a Father in heaven who is exactly what a father should be.  His word is our lamp and light for life.  He provides for us every day with blessings, opportunities, discipline, and unconditional love.  He also holds us accountable for how we live our lives.  Every dad should learn from Him and do likewise.

     YOUNG AT HEART – We have a very special ministry available to our seniors and their friends.  Every Friday in June and July from 10:00 to 12:30 we meet at the Annex at our facilities north of Enola on highway 107 for a time of fellowship, lunch, and visiting.  Last Friday we had 17.  Everything was terrific.  Thank you to Callie King for coordinating the activities and our lunch together.

     Our awesome Vacation Bible School is on the horizon schedule for July 21-24.  Mark your calendar and plan to be with us every night.  I’ll let you know the theme, times, and plans as soon as we get everything arranged.  VBS is always a wonderful time of Bible study and fellowship.

     Boy is it hot outside.  Please take care of yourself when working outside.  Be smart.  Try to do as much work as you can outside early or late.  Even if you are accustomed to outside work, watch out for dehydration and the signs of heat stroke.  

Thank you for reading...

     June!  Can you believe it?  Better hurry.  2013 is moving by; steady and sure.  We are so very thankful for the rain we’ve been receiving lately.  I can’t help but think about this time last year when we were in the middle of at terrible drought.  Those were difficult times for everyone out in the country.  We didn’t lose heart or give up on our way of life.  One of our cattle farmers told me the other day about the hay he just cut, racked, and baled.  He took in almost 50 bales.  On the same piece of property last year he took in less than a dozen bales.  Rain is a good thing, not too much, not too little, just right.

     The Enola Church of Christ is doing well this week.  God continues to bless us.  We were down a little in number this past Sunday (119).  I counted more than 20 who were out of town vacationing.  A few were out of town with their sons and daughters in sporting events.  No problem.  We’re just living life.  Just a couple of weeks ago Cindi and I took a few days ourselves.  I always encourage my fellow Christian brothers and sisters to remember who they are when they travel, that God knows exactly where they are and what they are doing, that the people around them need to see Christ living in them.  I look forward to visiting with other Christians in other parts of the country when I travel.  What a blessing it is to know that there are Christians all around the world who love God and are looking for Jesus’ return.

     We concluded our series of sermons “Looking for the Door of Opportunity” last Sunday morning with a lesson entitled “Success Leads to Success.”  I challenged the church to pick a winner and copy it.  The church in Acts 2 believed in the inspired word of the apostles of Jesus Christ and “continued steadfastly” in that word fully devoting themselves to it.  They saw the success of Jesus Christ in the apostles and walked through the door of opportunity.  King David wrote Psalm 1 and Psalm 23.  Do you remember what he called those who refused to walk in the counsel of the ungodly and those who refused to stand in the path of sinners and those who refused to sit in the seat of scoffers?  He called them “Blessed.”  Do you remember the why we can lie down in green pastures, walk beside still waters, and have our souls restored?  Do you remember why, even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death we are not afraid?  Do you remember why goodness and mercy follows us all the days of our life and in the end we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever?  Well, the answer is plain and simple.  The Lord is our Shepherd.  We shall not want.  We see Jesus, the Good Shepherd, note that He is a Winner, Successful in everything and we copy Him, His thoughts, His words, His ways, His everything.  Success leads to success.  Don’t turn to a loser, a failure, Satan, the devil, our enemy to copy him.  Look to Jesus, a Winner, the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2).

     Our “senior” members and friends have a very special opportunity every Friday in June and July from 10:00 to 12:30 at our facilities at 253 Highway 107 North in Enola.  If you are “young at heart” and would like to meet with fellow Christians for a time of food, fun, and fellowship, this is your special invitation to come and join us.  Lunch will be provided.  If you can’t make it for the whole time, that’s okay.  Come and stay as long as you can. 

     Vacation Bible School at Enola is coming soon.  VBS is one of our most exciting and beneficial activities each and every year.  I’ll let you know the dates, times, and what to expect asap.  God bless you and your family is my prayer for you.