Articles
God's Family
God's Family
By Steve Melton, July 25, 2023
We praise You our heavenly Father,
And honor Jesus the King of Kings.
Thank You for letting us be Your children,
And all the joy and blessings that brings.
We are amazed at Your awesome power,
You are the Creator of soul and life.
You give us comfort and peace
As we deal with our problems and its strife.
Thank You for giving us Your Spirit,
For He gave and shared Your word.
For in it He revealed Your plan of salvation,
The greatest story that can be heard.
We are grateful for Jesus's redemption,
For a while it caused You loss.
But Your justice was secured,
With Jesus's crucifixion on the cross.
Now we can be Your children
As part of Your spiritual family.
For just as Jesus is,
So we will likewise be.
To Those Who Bring Small Children to Church
There you are at church. Your baby or toddler is restless. Perhaps even a little boisterous. You try to silence them, and nothing. You try to pacify them with food or toys, and nothing. Eventually, you resort to the last thing you wanted to do: you pick them up, and before a watching audience, you make the march out of the church. All the while you’re a little embarrassed, maybe a little frustrated too. You might even think to yourself, “There’s no point in coming to church. I get nothing out of it because I have to constantly care for my kid.”
I want you -- mothers and/or fathers - to know just how encouraging you are to so many. The elderly woman who often feels alone beams with a smile at the sight of you wrestling with your little one. She’s been there before. She knows how hard it can be, but she smiles because to hear that brings back precious memories. Seeing young parents and their small children brighten her day; she may have just received bad news about her health but seeing the vitality of young ones removes - if but for a moment - her fears. The older man who always seems to be grouchy notices you too. He’s always talking about how children in this day have no respect or sense of goodness. But he sees you - a young family - in church every week Like clockwork, he can depend on the sight of you and your young family. You give him hope that maybe the Church isn’t doomed after all, because there are still young parents who love God enough to bring their restless children to church.
Bring your children to church! If we don’t hear crying, the church is dying. As hard as it might be for you as a parent who’s half-asleep, keep on doing what you’re doing. You are an encouragement, and you’re starting off your children’s lives as you should. (Author Unknown)
A few additional thoughts: church growth is sometimes a bit messy. New converts sometimes do not dress the same way as older members, visitors often sit in our favorite pew, increased numbers increase the lines at the restrooms, small children make noise, and parenting styles are different than fifty years ago. This is the world we live in, and these are the souls we are given to save. If we want to be part of a growing congregation, we will not just bear with these things, we will revel in them as signs of life and growth. Churches unwilling to adapt and accommodate these things will dwindle and die. (prb)
A Moments Wisdom on Tribulations
--The ancients used an interesting little instrument, called the tribulum, to beat grain to divide the chaff from the wheat. The word “tribulation” comes from this word. Tribulations truly separate the chaff from the wheat in human character.
--The brook would lose its song if we removed the rocks.
--The triumph song of life would lose its melody without its minor keys.
--There is no education like adversity.
--Difficulties strengthen the mind as labor does the body.
--Adversity makes men, and prosperity makes monsters.
--Even a misfortune may prove useful in a few years.
--The important thing about a problem is not its solution, but the strength we gain in finding the solution.
--There was never a picture painted, there was never a poem sung,
But the soul of the artist fainted, and the poet’s heart was wrung.
A Dish of Ice Cream
“Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it. And He took them up in His arms, put His hands on them, and blessed them” (Mark 10:13-16).
In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 year old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.
“How much is an ice cream sundae?”
“50 cents,” replied the waitress.
The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied a number of coins in it.
“How much is a dish of just plain ice cream?” he inquired. Some people were now waiting for a table and the waitress was a bit impatient.
“35 cents,” she said brusquely.
The little boy again counted the coins. “I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said.
The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and departed. When the waitress came back, she began wiping down the table and then swallowed hard at what she saw. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were 15 cents – her tip.
Upcoming Sermons
8/6/23 AM - “The Memorial of Christ” (A Worship Service Dedicated to the Lord’s Supper); PM - Monthly Worship in Song - Themed Singing Service: “The Lord’s My Shepherd”
8/13/23 AM - Shaking Hands with a Leper; PM - “I Quit!”
8/20/23 AM - God Wants All of Us to Be Saved; PM - When Love Facilitates Sin
8/27/23 AM - The Bible Plan for Personal Peace: Things Persons at Peace Refuse to Believe; PM - The Bible Plan for Personal Peace: Things People at Peace Do Differently Than Others
