EVIDENCE OF OUR COMMITMENT

Posted on May 31, 2013 by highlandlakeschurchofchrist

To what degree are we committed to the Kingdom of God? For many the answer resonates quickly. Commitment is readily affirmed. But I’m talking specifically about what is revealed in our action. Do our actions demonstrate a commitment to the Kingdom? Or, do they demonstrate something wholly different than perhaps we even feel within?

Christianity is, by design, relational. Our relationship with God. Our relationship with other. With His church. With the World. As in any relationship, what is within must be expressed in order for it to be truly valid. Too often in many personal relationships the goodness that is within is scarcely expressed. At least, it isn’t conveyed well enough. What I mean is this . . . sometimes a husband and father may in his heart love his family. He truly believes he loves them, and in his heart of hearts, he does. But somehow that love stays inside. He may within himself feel that he loves his family. And the family may witness glimpses of that love. But primarily what they experience is a dad who is tired all the time, complains a lot, never seems satisfied, and for the most part wants little to do with the interworking of the home and gives a sense that he just wants to be left alone.

As the old saying goes, “Actions speak louder than words”.

The same can be said of faith. The evidence of our commitment to the Kingdom is revealed not by what is within, but rather by what is expressed through intentional action in our lives.

In Galatians 5:22 the apostle Paul writes, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

Paul says to us, “This is what it looks like when the Spirit of God resides within you. Love is revealed. Joy is made evident. Peace sooths from within. Patience is a constant. Kindness is our natural response. Goodness is pursued. Faithfulness is what we are about. Gentleness is the norm. Self-control is a given.” And if we think things through, as God orchestrates the design of Scripture, it is the Spirit Himself, guiding Paul’s pen, saying to us, “This is what it looks like when I live within you.”

Second Century Apologist, Irenaeus, writes, “The glory of God is man fully alive.” One cannot but think our being “fully alive” is conditioned by our relationship with God through Christ, an acute awareness of God, and by our commitment to the Kingdom ~~ Jason Reeves, West Erwin Church of Christ, Tyler, TX

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MAY 26, 2013 WEEKLY NEWS

Posted on May 24, 2013 by highlandlakeschurchofchrist

May 26th:  While Joe Winnett is of town, Charles Greenawalt will preach at the morning worship service and Ken Darnell will preach at the evening service.

May 26th: Fellowship Meal hosted by Janet & Myron Fietz, Josie & Adam Garcia and Vicky & James Williams.

May 27th:  Funeral service at 2:00 p.m. for Hilda Whitson, a charter member of our congregation who died Thursday, May 23rd in Austin, TX.

May 29th:  May Singing Night

June 2nd: Dennis Welch will report on the missionary work in Cambodia during Bible class and preach at the worship hour.

June 5th: Memorial service for Michael Garrison, the son of Sam Garrison, at 10 a.m. at our building.

June 12th: Deacons’ meeting combines with Elders/ Preacher meeting.

June 16th: Father’s Day

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FIVE REASONS TO STUDY YOUR BIBLE

Posted on May 23, 2013 by highlandlakeschurchofchrist

1. To detect the misuse of Scripture.

There are two reasons people might misuse Scripture. The most obvious reason is simple human error. The Bible is a big book with much information. If we do not gather all the relevant information about a topic we will likely come to a conclusion that is not balanced and even wrong. No one is above making mistakes. Sometimes mistakes can take root and so many people believe it that it seems to be true. Remember the scares about Y2K? Many believed what was untrue.

Another reason people might misuse the Bible is to gain something from others. Religions often have the unfortunate reputation of only being out to gain power, money, or both.

Sometimes that is an unfair stereotype, but sometimes religions deserve that reputation. Paul, one of the greatest men in the New Testament, wrote about such men who were impostors. In 1 Timothy 6:5, he mentioned unscrupulous men, men of corrupt mind, who thought that “godliness” was a means of “financial gain”. Jesus even warned of false teachers who come to us as wolves in sheep’s clothing. To know these people, we must know the Bible. We should carefully compare what people say with what we read there.

2. To be ready to answer tough questions.

In 1 Peter 3:15 we are told to “Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and always be ready to give a defense (answer) to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with gentleness and respect.” The word “defense” is the word from which we get our English word “apologetics”. It means to make an orderly defense of a position we hold to be true.

Christians should know what they believe and why they believe it. A good way to help in that is to attend good Bible classes that will help give the reasons for faith. Classes also give us the ability to learn how to give answers when people ask us difficult questions. No one can learn everything, but we can all learn something more.

3. It has all we need to guide us.

Second Timothy 3:16 tells us that God’s Word is given by God and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness. You might be surprised how often the Bible has something to say about our lives! God’s ways are the best ways and He has shared them with us in the Bible.

4. It fills our minds with good things.

Philippians 4:8 says that one key to joy is to meditate on things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. The Bible certainly gives us many great lessons on these topics.

5. To show God we care.

We should follow this advice, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). We cannot be perfect people because we all make mistakes, but we can be faithful. Anyone who would be called faithful must show himself or herself faithful.

– via White Rock church of Christ, Dallas, TX

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MAY 19, 2013 WEEKLY NEWS

Posted on May 21, 2013 by highlandlakeschurchofchrist

2013 05 19 IPhone 001Upcoming Events:

May 19th:  during the Sunday morning assembly, our guest speaker, Jordan Fontenot, accompanied by those of his family who came with him, will give a report about his mission trip to Jamaica in Bible class and he will also preach at the worship hour. Jordan is the grandson of one of our elders, Claude Fletcher. It is always a pleasure to have Jordan with us and hear his reports and good lessons.

May 22nd: VISITING FOR THE MASTER Team #2 (leaders: Cary & Brenda Miller) will meet on Wednesday, at 6:30 pm in the Library for their visitation program assignments.

May 25th: Men’s Prayer Breakfast at 9:00 am in the Fellowship Room (all men and male guests are invited).

May 26th :   in the absence of Joe Winnett, Charles Greenawalt (in the morning) and Ken Darnell (in the evening) will fill the pulpit.

Joe and Teri will be in Drumright, Oklahoma, on that day. An old hatbox with about 250 letters from two soldiers in WWII, addressed to their parents, Mr. & Mrs. E.H. Harvill in Drumright, had been sold at an estate sale 15 years ago. The buyer of the old hatbox, Pamela Gilliland, had been unaware of its contents when she first bought it, but finally investigated it and decided to enlist, about a week ago, a history buff, Doug Eaton, to find out more about those letters. It turned out that the two soldiers, writers of the letters, were brothers, Robert and Eural (Dale) Harvill, Dale being Teri’s father. Those letters will be turned over to Teri on the 26th, who will certainly enjoy reading them, giving her an insight into the experiences and thinking of her Dad and Uncle in the war, and also coming in contact with the memory of a different era in our nation.

May 26th: Fellowship Meal hosted by Janet & Myron Fietz, Josie & Adam Garcia and Vicky & James Williams.

June 5th: Memorial service for Michael Garrison, the son of Sam Garrison at 10 a.m. at our building.

June 12th: Deacons’ meeting combines with Elders/Preacher meeting.

 

News from the Food Pantry

A generous amount of money was given to the Food Pantry, a memorial to honor Eddie Savage, the late brother of Brenda Miller. This contribution is gratefully accepted by the Food Pantry and is very helpful in defraying the cost of the food that is being purchased from the Food Bank and from other places. Thank you!

Items that are needed at our Food Pantry:

 Personal hygiene products

 Canned meat

 Peanut butter

At the present time, hold back on the egg cartons!

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RIPPLES

Posted on May 21, 2013 by highlandlakeschurchofchrist

2013 05 19 IPhone 002Sometimes smaller churches make the mistake of thinking that they cannot do much for the cause of Christ. We assume that limited numbers and limited resources means we can only have limited results. This is not true! Allow me to share with you the opening lines of a recent letter from Doug Wheeler who has just returned from his annual trip to Nigeria . . . “Dear brethren, I want to thank you for your support and the great interest you have in Nigerian evangelism! I must say that you are one of the leading congregations in INFLUENCE for Christ and His church in Nigeria, BECAUSE of your WBS (World Bible School) program you have going on in Nigeria through Sylvester Imogoh . . . How does that make you feel? You ought to feel honored and blessed that Christ is doing such a significant work through us! As a small child I loved to throw a pebble into a pond and watch the ripples move out over the entire surface. I was fascinated that something so small could affect something so large. Who would have ever thought that the little ole Highland Lakes church of Christ would be one of the leading churches in the world to have an influence on the entire nation of Nigeria? Brethren . . . let’s keep the ripples going . . . it’s having a great impact for the Lord! — Joe

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MAY 12, 2013 WEEKLY NEWS

Posted on May 10, 2013 by highlandlakeschurchofchrist

Upcoming Events!

May 19th: Jordan Fontenot will give a report on his mission trip to Jamaica in Bible class. He will preach at the worship hour.

May 22nd:  VISITING FOR THE MASTER (VISITATION PROGRAM) Team #2 (leaders: Cary & Brenda Miller) will meet on Wednesday, in the Library at 6:30 pm for their assignments.

May 25th: Men’s Prayer Breakfast at 9:00 am in the Fellowship Room (all men and male guests are invited).

June 5th: Memorial service for Michael Garrison, the son of Sam Garrison at 10 a.m. at our building.

June 12th: Deacons’ meeting combines with elders/ preacher meeting at 9 a.m. at the building.

With Sympathy

Brenda Miller’s brother, Eddie Savage, passed from this life on Thursday, May 2nd. Memorial services were held on Friday, May 10th at the Taylor Funeral Home in Bay City, Texas.

Sam Garrison’s son, Michael Garrison, died on Sunday, May 5th. He was 56 years old. A memorial service will be held at our church building on Wednesday, June 5th.

Our love, prayers and heartfelt sympathy goes out to all the loved ones in the families of Brenda Miller and Sam Garrison.

Can You Help?

The elders want to develop the office in the fellowship wing as a conference room. They are looking for a small table with four chairs to put in it. If you know of an available one, please let one of the elders know.

 

“At the day of judgment we shall not be asked what we have read, but what we have done; not how eloquently we have spoken, but how holy we have lived.” – Thomas a Kempis

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MOTHER

Posted on May 10, 2013 by highlandlakeschurchofchrist

2012 01 07 Cannon 120Mother as teacher: “(The sayings of King Lemuel) – an oracle his mother taught him . . .” (Proverbs 31:1)

“The best academy, a mother’s knee” — James Russell Lowell

“The mother’s heart is the child’s school-room” — Henry Ward Beecher

“All I am I owe to my mother” — George Washington

2012 01 07 Cannon 142Mother as nurturer: “The wise woman (also a mother) builds her house . . . “ (Proverbs 14:1a)

“An ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy” — Spanish Proverb

“A mother understands what a child does not say” — Jewish Proverb

“There is no way to be a perfect mother, and a million ways to be a good one” — Jill Churchill

“To nourish children and raise them against odds is any time, any place, more valuable than to fix bolts in cars or design nuclear weapons”  — Florida Scott-Maxwell

2012 01 07 Cannon 018As character builder: “A wife (she is also a mother) of noble character who can find?

She is worth far more than rubies” (Proverbs 31:10)

“The heart of a mother is a deep abyss, at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness” — Honore’ de Balzac

“Giving kids clothes and food is one thing, but it’s much more important to teach them that other people besides themselves are important and that the best thing they can do with their lives is to use them in the service of other people” — Dolores Huert

“No matter how old a mother is, she watches her middle-aged children for signs of improvement — Florida Scott-Maxwell

“A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care about pie” — Teneva Jordan

2012 01 07 Cannon 137HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

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MAY 5, 2013 WEEKLY NEWS

Posted on May 3, 2013 by highlandlakeschurchofchrist

WITH SYMPATHY

Our brother and former deacon, Herman Taylor, died unexpectedly on Saturday morning, April 27. Funeral services took place on Friday, May 3rd, at our building. Joe Winnett officiated. Burial took place at the Bear Creek Cemetery close to Bertram.

Our love, condolences and prayers go out to Sherry Wills, husband Ken Love and to all in the Taylor family and Herman’s friends.

VISITING FOR THE MASTER (VISITATION PROGRAM)

Team #1 (leaders: Teri & Joe Winnett) will meet on Wednesday, May 8 in the library for their assignments.

Men’s Prayer Breakfast

The elders will be hosting a men’s prayer breakfast on Saturday, May 25th at 9:00 am in the fellowship room. All men of the congregation and male guests are invited to come join in a time of spiritual and physical fellowship.

Can You Help?

The elders want to develop the office in the fellowship wing as a conference room. They are looking to put a small table with four chairs in it. If you know of an available one, please let one of the elders know.

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ARE WE WEIGHTED DOWN?

Posted on May 3, 2013 by highlandlakeschurchofchrist

The army of Alexander the Great was advancing on Persia. At one critical point, it appeared that his troops might be defeated. The soldiers had taken so much plunder from their previous campaigns that they had become weighted down and were losing their effectiveness in combat. Alexander immediately commanded that all the spoils be thrown into a heap and burned.

The writer of the letter to the Hebrews admonished, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1). The race, marked out for us is the Christian life. How often do we, like the “foolish Galatians”, allow things of this world to hinder us from our enduring faithfulness to God? If we are careful we will allow such things as work, recreation, education, retirement plans, hobbies, and even our families weight us down and impede growth and the “pressing toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me [us, now] heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).

As Alexander commanded his armies, we must not simply store in another place those things that hinder us from our fighting the good fight, but we must cast them aside and completely remove them from our lives — regardless how precious they may seem!

Consider the results for the armies of Greece: “Alexander’s men complained bitterly, but soon came to see the wisdom of the order,” someone wrote, “It was as if wings had been given to them — they walked lightly again. Victory was assured.”

Remember, “No one can serve two masters . . . “(Matthew 6:24).

~~ via Jacksonville Church of Christ Bulletin, Jacksonville, Alabama

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APRIL 28, 2013 WEEKLY NEWS

Posted on April 29, 2013 by highlandlakeschurchofchrist

2013 04 28 I Phone 011A Work of Love

We are preparing a “care package” for Hunter Smith, Mary Smith’s grandson. After talking to Mary after class Wednesday evening, the following list is suggestions she had for items for Hunter and a few I added:

1. Hunter loves the Texas shaped corn chips from H.E.B. as well as the H.E.B. bean dip and cheese and bean dip. He is not much into sweets of any kind.

2. Raman Noodles – chicken clear broth – not the creamy.

3. Word search.

4. Animal puzzles.

5. Movies: Marley and Me – since this is an old movie we may have to purchase this online. I will consult with Lexy to see if there are other suggestions in this category that kids in her age range are watching. No we won’t go the “Barbie” route… … … … … … … … … … … …

6. Books:

a. MagicTree House series

b. Box car children. – Mary said these can be purchased at a ½ price book store.

7. Action figures Ben10.

8. Money – the family could use some gift cards for meals; change for the hospital machines, gas, etc.; as well as help with other expenses.

9. A lap desk and bedside storage caddy have been ordered. The total price will be $48.67 for those who would like to help with these items. I ordered these last week.

And, one special, cuddly stuffed dog.

We need to have our package together by Wednesday, May 1st, because Mary will go back to Mississippi the following week.

I’m sure you gals can come up with some others…these are, after all, just suggestions, except for the lap desk and caddy…I think these would be very helpful to Hunter who has already started school by Scype. He will be taught “home bound” until he gets well enough to go to school.

Love you gals. Call with questions. Pray, Pray and Pray some more for everyone in that family.  – Paula

Our Fellowship Meal . . .

. . . takes place this evening after our worship assembly. John & Tina Brewer, Adam & Josie Garcia and David & Sheri Zoller will be our hosts and hostesses. Be sure to come to this good fellowship!

VISITING FOR THE MASTER

(VISITATION PROGRAM) Team #1 (leaders: Teri & Joe Winnett) will meet on Wednesday, May 8 in the library for their assignments.

A THANK YOU NOTE

Thank you for your prayers for my mother, Alice Christian. She is at home now and under hospice care. Thanks, Wanda Christian.

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