Highland Lakes church of Christ

“’Honor your father and mother’ — which is the first commandment with a promise —’that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on earth.’ Fathers, do no exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” ~~ Ephesians 6:1b-4

Quotes About Fathers

It is a wise father that knows his own child. ~~ William Shakespeare

Fathers, like mothers, are not born. Men grow into fathers and fathering is a very important stage in their development. ~~ David Gottesman

When a father gives to his son, both laugh; when a son gives to his father, both cry.~~ Jewish Proverb

A man never stands as tall as when he kneels to help a child. ~~ Knights of Pythagoras

Noble fathers have noble children. ~~ Euripides

A Special Prayer for Fathers

God, bless all the fathers in the world. Guide them to be good role models and loving to all their children. Help them to be a father like You are. Give them grace and patience to handle situations in a loving way. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Special Praise for Fathers

♥ Let us praise those men who have “fathered” us in their role as mentors and guides.

♥ Let us praise those men who are about to become fathers; may they openly delight in their children.

♥ And let us praise those fathers who have died, but live on in our memory and whose love continues to nurture us.

The story is told of a time when Abraham Lincoln (before he was President) was walking through town with two of his young sons. The two boys were crying and visibly unhappy. A friend stopped Mr. Lincoln and asked him what was wrong with the two boys, to which he supposedly replied, “Exactly what’s wrong with the whole world…I have three walnuts and each boy wants two.”

To some degree, we can all identify with this story. We live in a world that is consumed with consuming. Even though Jesus taught that life does not consist in the abundance of our possessions (Luke 12:15), we continue to live as though it does. We know what it is to be always spending, but never satisfied.

Years ago, the comic Flip Wilson used to do a satirical bit of comedy known as “The Church of What’s Happening Now.” More recently, a theologian by the name of Mark Buchanan wrote a short piece, “The Cult of the Next Thing.”

“I belong to the Cult of the Next Thing. It’s dangerously easy to get enlisted. It happens by default – not by choosing the cult, but by failing to resist it. The Cult of the Next Thing is consumerism cast in religious terms. It has its own litany of sacred words: more, you deserve it, new, faster, cleaner, brighter…It has its own deep-rooted liturgy: change, instant credit, no down-payment, no interest for three (or more) months. It has its own preachers, evangelists, prophets, and apostles: ad men, pitchmen, and celebrity sponsors. It has, of course, its own shrines, chapels, temples, meccas: malls, superstores, club warehouses. It has its own sacraments: credit and debit cards. It has its own ecstatic experience: the spending spree. The Cult of the Next Thing’s central message proclaims – ’Crave and spend, for the Kingdom of Stuff is here!’”

Rather than being content with what we have, we always crave something else. But what about glorifying and serving God? Do we need more and constantly different “things” for that? If so, He would provide them for us (Matt. 6:33-34). But, in truth, we are currently exactly right where we need to be. We have all we truly need to have. Therefore we can answer God’s call to glorify Him right now! Instead of saying, “If I only had this” or “If only I had that” we should be serving Him in this, our current situation!

After many trials and hardships, Paul finally learned the lesson of contentment: “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Him Who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:11-13).

May we all be satisfied and content with what our God has so richly provided for us. May we all be completely satisfied with our God. He is all we need; then, if trials and hardships come, we can say with Paul, “I can deal with everything that comes my way,” because, “I can do all things through Him Who strengthens me.” – Bart Warren, South Green St. church of Christ, Glasgow, KY

A relay was tripped at the Sir Adam Back Power Station on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. The stage had been set when the relay was inadvertently set too low a few days before; it tripped at 5:16 pm. on November 9, 1965. It was this incident that inspired the 1968 film, “Where Were You, When the Lights Went Out?”

By 5:27 pm., New York went down. An estimated 80,000 people were trapped in the subways, traffic lights went out and brought the streets to a screeching halt. Two hundred and fifty flights into JFK Airport were diverted. The entire Northeast Power Grid had gone down, the blackout covered 80,000 square miles and over 25 million people were without power — all because of a relay! We call it “The Ripple Effect.”

As I was growing up, my grandfather had a pond behind his house. When we would visit on Sunday afternoon, we would go fishing. Inevitably, someone would pick up a dirt clod and toss it in just to see how long it would take for the ripples to hit the bank on all sides. The clay dirt even produced clods that would skip across the pond like a smooth rock — but you have to be in the hills to have rocks, and this pond was in flat farm land.

Paul wrote, “For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone” (Romans 14:7). John Donne is famous for his version, “No Man Is An Island”. We affect one another as we interact in daily life; no one lives in isolation, no one lives truly to himself alone. We all cause a ripple effect of our own each day, with most every move we make on some days. We would be amazed if we knew how far out the ripples of our own life go.

There has never been, nor will there ever be a ripple effect like the one caused by the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The ripples of His blood, shed for forgiveness of our sins, sent waves into the past as well as the future. His life and sacrifice has touched each one of us in a significant and eternal way. We are what we are because of who He was and is. – Steve Norris; Robinson & Center church of Christ; Conway, AR

FELLOWSHIP MEAL

Our Fellowship Meal takes place the evening of Sunday May 25^th, after our worship assembly. Hosts and hostesses are: John C. & Ida Brewer, Troy & Leana Futrell and Cary & Brenda Miller. Make plans to come, bring a favorite dish and enjoy our time together. Are you a visitor? Come and join us as our special guest!

VISITING FOR THE MASTER

VISITATION PROGRAM Team #1 (leaders: Teri & Joe Winnett) will meet on Wednesday, June 4th, at 6:30 pm in the library for their assignments.

DRIVERS NEEDED

Heart of Texas Bible Camp 2014 – We will be sending 6 campers to the Heart of Texas Bible Camp in Brady, TX this year. 3 campers will attend session #1, June 8–13, and 3 campers will attend session #2, June 15–20. We have drivers for taking the campers to Brady for both sessions and drivers to pick them up after session #2.

A driver is needed for Friday morning, June 13, who can pick up our 3 girl campers in Brady between 8 AM and 10:30 AM to bring them home. The driver will need to have a vehicle large enough to carry the 3 campers and their gear. A sheet with this information is posted on the bulletin board in the back of the auditorium. Please let Joe know if you would be willing to help as a driver.

THANK YOU NOTE

Dear Church and Family, Thank you for your loving expressions throughout the times I needed them. Always during the day I could feel the lifting of the Lord and that prayers were said on my behalf. These prayers and support are greatly appreciated by myself and family. With love, Marcus and Joanne Grumbles and family

“And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 1 Kings 19:12-13 (ESV)

Someone once asked Joan of Arc why God spoke only to her. She responded, “Sir, you are wrong. God speaks to everyone. I just listen.”

When God spoke to Samuel, it was as the boy lay down quietly in the middle of the night. Even then, Samuel did not at first recognize that the voice belonged to God. He needed the wisdom of his experienced mentor, Eli, to understand who was communicating with him. But based on how often Samuel heard God’s voice as an adult, it’s clear that he did learn to identify, listen to, and obey God’s voice.

We are often very busy people. And we can easily get caught up in the activities of our obligations. Whatever you are involved in, that’s why it’s important to set aside time to quiet yourself and listen for God’s direction. As author and minister Bill Hybels says, (we) “need to ask God to give us Samuel’s ear.” Short but engaging thoughts, what do you think?

Thoughts from reading “The 21 Most Powerful Minutes in a Leader’s Day” by John C. Maxwell (Leadership Promises For every Day). — via Ken Darnell