Can you believe it? February already! - Spring is just around the corner!

February 3, 2019 - Hello from beautiful Morrilton, Arkansas to reading a little about the happenings in the Harding Street Church of Christ.  What a view we have from our front entrance; Morrilton High School and Devil Dog Stadium.  It seems that I have always been and ever will be a Devil Dog fan.  Every morning when I drop out of my Ford F150 truck seat to go into the church office I glance across the street and thank my heavenly Father.  

Our weather has been really been a bear recently; 18 one day and then 70 a few days later.  I am so happy that the ice and snow is further north.  Winter will soon give way to Spring and I’m glad about that.  God knows what He’s doing.  It will be so good to see the flowers popping up and the trees budding out again in just a few weeks, Lord willing.  

The Harding Street congregation is doing just fine, continuing in the Way of Jesus Christ in simplicity and steadfastness, holding strong to the faith that is in Christ.  It seems that the world around us continues to move further and further away from these three principles:  continuance, simplicity, and steadfastness. (Consider what recently took place in the halls of government in the state of New York.)  Is faith in God so difficult to “get?”  What does Hebrews 11:6 tell us about faith?  And what about repentance?  When we sin; saying “I’m sorry” and changing our hearts, minds, and actions is common sense and Biblical truth (Acts 2:38).  Is God asking us to do something that we just cannot do?  I don’t think so.  And what about confession?  Either we deny Jesus as the Christ or we confess Him as the Christ.  There is no in between (Matthew 6:24).  And baptism?   No matter what people say or teach to the contrary, baptism is required simply because Jesus declared it to be (Matthew 28:18-20).  And is true sincere Christian living so difficult to grasp?  Why do some feel as though these basic principles are from some bygone era and should be discounted as “old-fashioned” and irrelevant in this, our modern-day society?  Fact is:  The Bible is indeed a very old book; but still relevant, still vibrant, still alive, still convicting, still needed, still true in this day in which we live. And here at Harding Street we will ever read it, respect it, rely on it, teach it, and preach it until our Savior comes again.

Brother Bane and I will change things up a little bit this month.  Brother Bane will be preaching on Sunday morning today, the 10^th and the 17^th.  I’ll be preaching Sunday evening tonight, the 17^th and the 24^th.  We will have a guest preacher on Sunday, February 24^th for the worship hour and Bible class in the auditorium, Brother Bob Turner.  Brother Turner will be visiting with us to preach and then share some very important information with us about a “Leadership Project” that we might get involved in, a ministry that is designed to help us develop leadership within the church.  We’ll see how it goes.  In March I’ll be doing all the preaching on Sunday AM and PM, Lord willing.

Remember that TODAY is the final day to turn in your “Deacon Recommendation Forms.”  We hope to appoint some additional deacons to help David, Tony, and Gary with the ministry of the church.  The elders will be meeting with those you have recommended and plan to announce the names for further consideration on Sunday, February 10^th, Lord willing.

Check out the new Harding Street website – www.hardingstreetcoc.com.  We’re still working on it so be patient as we learn what and how to do what needs to be done.  God is blessing us.

A lot going on in and with the Harding Street Church of Christ...

January 25, 2019 – Hello and welcome to you on this beautiful Arkansas Friday!  Sunday (27th) it will be so good to have the opportunity to meet together on the last Lord’s Day in January, the first day of the week.  We will study the Bible together.  Through the study of God’s word our faith grows stronger, our mind becomes sharper, and our confidence in Christ is reaffirmed after a week of life and living.  We will pray together today.  A family that prays together stays together.  We want to stay together and “be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10).  Today we will sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs together.  We sing because Jesus sung (Matthew 26:30).  Just think about the voice of the Son of God has!  One day we’ll hear it.  We sing like Paul sang; with the spirit and with the understanding (1 Corinthians 14:15).  The church is to “speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in our hearts to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19).  We are to “let the word of Christ dwell in us richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16).  “Worship” can become and for many has become more about what pleases people rather than what pleases God.  We will share in the Lord’s Supper, the bread representing Jesus’ body, the fruit of the vine representing Jesus’ blood.  We have communion together every Sunday.  In the Bible the church met to “break bread” on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7).  We are continuing steadfastly in the Apostles’ teaching (Acts 2:42).  We will “lay something aside” giving as we have purposed in our hearts, not grudgingly or of necessity, but cheerfully and bountifully for the work of the church (1 Corinthians 16:1, 2 Corinthians 9:6-8).  Let us always worship God in spirit and in truth.

We have a lot going on at Harding Street.  We need every member’s TLC (Tender Loving Care).  We need every member's prayers.  We need every member.

We are updating our “Those to Serve” List - EVERY MEMBER @ HARDING STREET:  Please if you have not yet filled out a “Member Profile Sheet,” please do so before you leave on Sunday.  Copies are located on the table in the lobby.  Just fill it out and place it in the plastic holder on the table.  Our deacons need to know who can serve in the many and varied positions in the service of the church.

Additional Deacons – Last Sunday (20^th) we began the process of appointing additional men to serve as deacons at Harding Street.  David, Tony, and Gary need our help.  We have until next Sunday evening, February 3^rd to make our recommendations to the elders.  The eldership will then meet with those we have recommended and place the names before the congregation on February 10^th.  The church will then have two weeks to review these men and Lord willing, we will appoint additional deacons on Sunday morning, February 24^th.  Copies of the “Deacon Recommendation Sheet” are located on the table in the lobby.  Please recommend as many men as you deem qualified (I Timothy 3:8-13).  Thank you.

Sunday we will complete our lesson series “God’s Power through the Principles of Prayer."  We have looked at the DEMAND that we pray, the DESCRIPTION of prayer, and the DIRECTION of Prayer.  Sunday we will consider the DYNAMIC of prayer, the force that moves the hand of God in our lives. 

COMING SOON: Our new and updated website www.hardingstreetcoc.com. 

IN PROCESS: Renovation of Kitchen in the Annex/Installation of Commercial Dishwasher.

BIG PLANS for 2019 - And we're on our way!

January 17, 2019 – We have big plans for so many great and positive changes in the Harding Street church of Christ in this new year.  The elders met with several of the ladies about renovating the kitchen and the ladies restroom in the annex to better suit our needs.  New partitions, new cabinets and counters, and a new commercial dishwasher are now in the works.  

We want to be better organized in our service to God, to the church, and to our guests.  The church of Christ at Harding Street is blessed by God with so many gifted and talented members.  It would be so good to have every member using their gifts and talents to glorify God.  So, if you have not yet filled out a “Member Profile Sheet,” please do so this Sunday.  Copies are located on the table in the lobby.  Just fill it out and place it in the plastic holder on the table.  Our desire is to fulfill the Lord’s directive in I Corinthians 14:40.

We have three of the finest men in the church serving as deacons; David Blaylock, Tony Chenault, and Gary Watters.  They have so much work to do and are in need of help.  This Sunday (20th) we begin the process of appointing additional men to serve as deacons at Harding Street.  To the church:  Please read I Timothy 3:8-15 and recommend men of the church who will serve the church well as additional deacons.  We have until Sunday evening, February 3^rd to make our recommendations.  The eldership will then meet with those we have recommended and place the names before the congregation on February 10.  The church will have two weeks to review these men and Lord willing, we will appoint additional deacons on Sunday morning, February 24^th.  Copies of the “Deacon Recommendation Sheet” are located on the table in the lobby.  Please recommend as many men as you deem qualified.  Thank you so much for your love and commitment to the Lord’s church at Harding Street.

Our theme for January on Sunday morning is: “God’s Power through the Principles of Prayer.”  We have looked at the DEMAND that we pray.   Last Sunday we looked at the DESCRIPTION of prayer; “supplications, prayers, intercessions, and the giving of thanks.”  TODAY we will consider the DIRECTION of Prayer.  Jesus spoke about prayer in Matthew 6:5-6 and said, “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.”  It seems that these people had lost the “direction” of prayer.  They were praying to men.  Jesus said, “Pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”  We pray to the Father in the name of the Son for everyone and in everything.  This we will do.

We’re in the process of getting our website www.hardingstreetcoc.com up and running again.  Linda Fulkerson from the Downtown congregation has special expertise in this area and is working on our site now.  I can’t hardly wait to see how it will look and all the great things we can do to further the gospel of Christ over the internet.  May God bless our efforts with a harvest of new Christians in the coming days is my prayer!  Our task is to plant and water.  God gives the increase in His own time and pace.

Things are always looking up at Harding Street!

January 10, 2019 – What a day, glorious day - TODAY!  God is alive and well.  Sunday is the Lord's Day.  We will gather together to worship Him in spirit and in truth; family and friends, members and guests assembled in the name of Christ Jesus to sing, pray, offer our gifts, hear a message from the word of God, and remember Jesus’ life, death, burial, and resurrection in the Lord’s Supper.  I’m so glad to be a member of the Harding Street Church of Christ at 906 E. Harding Street with you.

We enjoyed a wonderful feast on Tuesday evening (8^th) for our monthly Area-wide Fellowship and Singing.  What a joy it was to see so many smiling faces from so many congregations in our area.  We are not alone in our commitment to Christ.  Thank you to every Christian brother and Christian sister for planning and preparing such delicious soups, stews, breads, desserts, and drinks for our family and our guests.  You are the very best of the Lord’s church at Harding Street.  I am so proud to be your minister and friend.  God is blessing us with all that we need as we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness in life and living (Matthew 6:33).

Remember our theme for January on Sunday mornings: “God’s Power through the Principles of Prayer.”  Last Sunday we looked at the DEMAND that we pray. Prayer should be first (1 Samuel 12:19-25).  Prayer is a command (1 Thessalonians 5:17).  Prayer is the way to blessings (James 4:2), the cure for worry (Matthew 7:7-11), and the pathway to peace (Philippians 4:6).  THIS SUNDAY we will look at the DESCRIPTION of prayer.  Our text will be 1 Timothy 2:1-4.  Just what does it mean to make “supplications, prayers, intercessions, and the giving of thanks for all men?”  What do these things mean?  Paul writes to his son in the faith concerning the desire to “lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence (dignity)” and that the church should pray for this.  He says that this is “good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”  We’ll consider these things during the sermon time on Sunday, Lord willing.  Hope you can come and hear.

Every Harding Street member is asked to pick up and fill out a “Member Profile Sheet” located on the table in the lobby.  Fill it out and place it in the plastic holder on the table as soon as possible.  We need your help in all areas of ministry here at Harding Street as we “abide in faith, hope, and love, these three, but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13).  In all that we do we want to “let all things be done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40).  To be “steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work or the Lord, knowing that our labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58) is our prayer, plan, and practice.  Working together in the name of Christ our Savior will show our community and the world Jesus living in us.

We’re reviving our website.  Our website www.hardingstreetcoc.com will soon be up and running.  We plan on using our site extensively in the coming days to promote the gospel of Christ here and around the world.  Just wait and see.  You’ll be able to read about the past, present, and future of the church of Christ at Harding Street.  We’ll have our calendar posted on the site, news concerning our ladies, our youth, and our education programs, as well as the many other events and activities at Harding Street.  We plan to have a special page for our local and world missions.  Anyone will be able to visit our website to download and hear the gospel sermons right from our pulpit here at Harding Street.  You’ll be checking our website out every morning, noon, and night.  To God be the glory in all that we do.

Three days in - 2019 - So far, so good. God provides. I'm happy about that.

January 3, 2019 - Hello to you on this third day of 2019.  So far so good.  Did you make any “resolutions” for 2019?  Lose weight.  Spend less.  Save some.  Finish what I start.  Clean out the garage.  Be more patient.  Have less “screen time.”  Talk less and listen more.  Have fun.  Be happy.  The other day my youngest grand and I were together running errands trying to check off a list of things that needed to be done:  #1 – Walmart to get items, #2 – Post office to mail a letter, #3 – Lowe’s to return an item that didn’t work, etc.  She had the list and I noticed later that she had added a few items to it from the back seat; #4 – Sing Christmas songs, #5 – Tell jokes, #6 – Play games, #7 – Have fun, #8 – Be happy.  Isn’t it amazing what we can learn from our children?

Proverbs 3:1-6 is one of my favorite passages from the Bible.  Verses 1 and 2; “My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands; for length of days and long life and peace they will add to you.”  

Don’t you want length of days, a long life, and peace?  I do.  So, we must not forget the laws and the commands of God.  I receive the promises only when I meet the conditions of the promises.   When I remember God’s law and let my heart keep His commands, then whatever my length of days may be or whatever “long life” may mean and whatever peace can be mine, will be.  Life cannot always be measured in quantity.  A better measure of life could be in quality.

Verse 3 and 4; “Let not mercy and truth forsake you.  Bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, and so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man.”  

What do you think it means to “let not mercy and truth forsake you?”  Can mercy and truth actually forsake us, or is it that we forsake mercy and truth?  I guess either way, we must always let mercy and truth show in and through our lives from our hearts like a necklace.  We must never “hide” such valuables from the world.  Our world desperately needs mercy and truth.  When I am merciful and truthful, Solomon says that I am truly successful in life and living.  People will see me as a light to the world and so will God.

Verse 5 and 6; “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”  

Sometimes our thoughts and feelings are pretty good.  However, at other times our thinking and what we feel about a situation cannot be trusted.  We can always trust in God, in His ways, His will, and His word, the Bible.  Those who know me know that I am somewhat directionally challenged.  I need guidance to stay on the right path.  What about you?  When we submit to God’s leadership, to His will, way, and word, to what is right according to Him, He promises to direct the paths of our life.

Our theme for January on Sunday mornings at Harding Street will be “God’s Power through the Principles of Prayer.”  Do you pray?  Would you say that the church of Christ at Harding Street is a praying church?  When should we pray?  How?  Does prayer matter?  This Sunday (6th) we will focus our attention on the DEMAND that we pray.  Prayer should be first (1 Samuel 12:19-25 – A very interesting aspect of prayer).  Prayer is a command from God (1 Thessalonians 5:17).  Prayer is the way to blessings (James 4:2), the cure for worry (Matthew 7:7-11), and the pathway to peace (Philippians 4:6).  Let us pray.  Great things are on the horizon.