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.

Happy New Year - Almost!

December 28, 2018 – Hello to you my friends.  Sunday is the final Lord’s Day in 2018!  The Burleson's certainly have traveled a long way since this time last year.  Cindi and I are so very thankful to be members of the Lord’s church at Harding Street in our home town of Morrilton, Arkansas.  This time last year we lived in Louisville, Kentucky, 540 miles away from you and from our children and grandchildren.  I was preaching at Watterson Trail in J’Town.  Cindi worked as Director of Compliance and Risk Management in Jeffersontown, Indiana.  We had no idea of the changes that would take place in our lives in only 12 months.  Today we live in Morrilton, Arkansas in our own new house.  I am the new minister and one of the elders at Harding Street.  Cindi is an instructor and the Director of the Center for Insurance and Risk Management Studies at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway.  And most importantly, we live only 18 miles from our children and grandchildren.  I stand completely amazed and marvel at the ways and purposes of God in life.  What will 2019 hold for us, for my family and yours, for the church of Christ at Harding Street?  The answer to this question I cannot even fathom to imagine considering what I have just written about 2018.  I do know this.  God will provide the answers to our questions, the solutions to our problems, the healing to our hurts, and the strength, wisdom, and help when we need it.  In the sermon time on Sunday (30^th) we will consider what we should focus as our PRIORITY ONE in this new year, 2019.  

Adam and Eve had their unique responsibilities in Genesis 2.  Moses and the Israelites were given the 10 Commandments in Exodus 20.  Solomon wrote about “the whole duty of humanity” in Ecclesiastes 12.  Micah wrote the three things that were most important to God in Micah 6.  Jesus was asked about the “first commandment” in Matthew 22.  He answered this question and then proceeded with the second and then taught about the intensity of His command in John 13.  What is our task today in this new year?  What should be our PRIORTY ONE in 2019?  Come this Sunday at 9:00 a.m. to see.  Simple.  To the point.  Come to Jesus.  Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.  Live in trusting faith in Him. 

Thank you for the confidence you have placed in Brother Bill Brice, myself, and Brother Charles Camp as your eldership.  We will give our all to live out the sermon you’ll hear preached today.  I hope that we will unite together as one congregation of the Lord’s people to Teach as Jesus taught, Love and Jesus loves, and Care with the same passion and principle that Jesus cares for His church and for the lost.  Everyone can use a little “TLC” every day.  Let’s make it our aim to show and share TLC everywhere we are with everyone we meet starting right now.

Every Sunday at 10:00 a.m. right after the morning worship hour we have Bible study sessions for all ages.  Our children are learning so much from God’s word.  Our teens are learning about righteousness from Abel, courage from Caleb, faith from Timothy, humility from Ruth, discipline from David, duty from Esther, compassion from Joseph, friendship from Jonathan, responsibility from Josiah, sacrifice from Jesus, bravery from Joshua, and service from Samuel in a series entitled; “You Don’t Have to Be Old to Be Great.”  I’m teaching the class and please parents of our teenagers; make sure your teen has the opportunity to be a part of this very important study. 

God bless us as we finish out 2018 growing the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.