Hey, my friends. I am happy to be writing again from the country
in Enola, Arkansas. The Enola church of
Christ had another great day this past Sunday (26th). We had 140 in attendance. I saw so much love and excitement in the
faces of everyone as we worshiped together in spirit and in truth. God has blessed us. May we show Him our gratitude by living the
way we should. Sin is terrible. Salvation is precious.
We had two high
school graduates this year: Aundrea Hardin and Wyatt Beene. We are so very proud of these fine young
adults. Both are beautiful Christian examples
to every teenagers in life and living.
We also had three young adults to graduate from college, all in
nursing: Amanda Curtis Head, Courtney
McIntire, and Tyler Harral. We are so
very proud of them. It thrills our
hearts to know that so many people will be positively impacted by their service
as nurses. On Sunday evening we honored
these young adults with a congregational fellowship together. Our youth minister, Brother Brandon shared a
message from God’s word with the church on Sunday evening and we dismissed to
the annex for a finger-food fellowship. If you did not get to attend due to Memorial
Day activities, make sure you let these graduates know how proud you are of
them and all that they have accomplished.
We’re praying
for our neighbors in Moore, Oklahoma and the surrounding area where the terrible
storm destroyed so much property and negatively affected so many lives. Cindi and I spent a little time in our storm
shelter last Monday night when the same storm came through Vilonia and
Enola. Thankfully, the storm passed over
us with little damage. The Enola
congregation met last Wednesday evening for Bible study and prayer for Oklahoma. We also took up an offering for them and sent
it by the hand of our Christian brothers and sisters in Vilonia. Our gift, along with the gifts of others in
our area was delivered last Saturday. If
you would like to contribute to this effort, just see one of our elders:
Brother Arnett, Brother Hawkins, or Brother Shock. They will make sure our offerings get to the
people who need it.
The old oak
tree that has graced our property for many years died and has been laid
down. Brother Larry Newland and the men
from the church are now cutting the tree up into firewood. For members of the Enola congregation, if you
would like to have some of the wood to burn this winter, check in with Brother
Larry and we’ll see that you get a load.
We are sorry to lose such a beautiful tree, but we all understand that
death is a part of life.
Our Sunday
morning sermon series “Finding the Door of Opportunity” is going well and
helping each of us to look a little bit deeper into God’s word and into our
lives. It is true. Everyone makes mistakes. We all sin and come short of God’s
expectations. We must learn from our
mistakes if we expect to find the door of opportunity to forgiveness, strength,
wisdom, and salvation. Are you learning
from your mistakes or do you keep on making the same mistakes over and over
again? Learn. Like I told my son several years ago when he
was about to get married, “Son, when you make a mistake, say I’m sorry. But try to live in such a way that you don’t
have to say I’m sorry too much. Learn.” I’m trying to live by my own advice.
The Enola
Church of Christ is doing well. We love
God. We love each other. We love others and try to show and share that
love every day. It could be that you are
at a place in your life where you need this kind of love, God’s love. If you visit with us, you will find that we
are simply and plainly Christians. We are not complicated or fake. Our worship is simple, yet filled with love
for God and a commitment to His word in spirit and in truth. We sing.
We pray. We share in the Lord’s
Supper in remembrance of Christ’s death.
We give of our time, talents, and treasures. We hear a message from God’s word. We do what we do because we love God and want
to please Him. Come and see.
