Where Men Meet God

Posted on August 30, 2012 by highlandlakeschurchofchrist

 I read of a man who was driving through the country side and saw a small church building with a sign out front. Beneath the church’s name were the words, “Where Men Meet God.”

The true purpose of worship is to keep in touch with God, the giver of life. Worship is to sense the presence of God, to recognize His majesty and holiness, and to respond to Him in loving obedience.

Worship is also performed daily when we meet our obligations with the spirit of Christ. But there must be a time when we engage in public or corporate worship. It is a great privilege and should be taken with serious involvement and responsibility. We should be concerned about expressing reverence, awe, respect and love for God as we come before Him in worship.

God is present, in the audience when we worship Him! It can be that some consider themselves spectators and view those leading in worship as actors! Just remember, no one can sing, pray, listen, eat, or give for you.

We cannot meet God in worship where:

People do not sing

Children perform cute tricks to the delight of others

Children crying and parents in and out

The nursery and training room are unused

People crowd the back seats and are inattentive.

This is what true worship is all about – God and man – the getting together. Could it be that we sometimes forget the purpose of the assembly?  The Lord is in His holy temple: Let all the earth keep silence before him. (Habakkuk 2:20)

— Bill Blackstone

Posted in Front Page | Leave a comment

August 26, 2012 This Weeks News

Posted on August 25, 2012 by highlandlakeschurchofchrist

Adult Bible Class Series for the Summer:

Next Wednesday evening will be our last special singing class for the summer, “Learning New and Old Songs”.  In retrospect, it was great to have had the opportunity to learn something new and to reinforce the old. Thanks to all who came to this different approach of helping us to learn and to sing praises to our wonderful and awe-inspiring God, our Heavenly Father! A foretaste of one of the things that await us in heaven.

NEW ADULT CLASSES TO BEGING SOON

Beginning on Wednesday evening September 5, at 7:00 p.m., we will have a class on “The Christian Destiny” taught by Charles Greenawalt. In the Old Testament Job asks the question, “If a man dies, will he live again?” What is the answer? This class will meet in the Fellowship Room.

At the same time, Ken Darnell will be teaching “Church Growth”. This class will meet in the auditorium. Ken will be presenting God’s balanced formula for growth.

On Sunday, September 2, our Sunday morning adult classes will begin a study of Titus. We will use the same teachers and rooms.

Ladies, we are invited to attend the LLANO LADIES DAY. The topic is: “Patchwork of Prayer” and the speaker is Nancy Hankins. This takes place on Saturday, September 15th, from 9 to 12 am at the Llano Church of Christ, 402 West Main Street in Llano. Lunch will be provided. If you are planning to go, please sign up by Saturday, August 29th. The sign-up sheet is on the bulletin board and there is also a flyer with more information.

Our Ladies Bible Class will start on Wednesday, September 5th. Dana Grubb, who is the author of the book that will be our study guide, will be our guest speaker on that day. We will also have a salad luncheon.

Come to Our Fellowship Meal this evening, after our worship assembly! It is hosted by Don & Norma Bryan, Charles & Barbara Greenawalt, James & Vicky Williams and Hilda Whitson. Food and fellowship are always great. Make your plans to attend! Visitors, come, too. We enjoy your presence.

VISITING FOR THE MASTER

(VISITATION PROGRAM) Team #1 (leaders: Teri & Joe Winnett)) will meet on Wednesday, September 5th, at 6:30 p.m. in the Library for their assignments.

Food Pantry Needs!

The Food Pantry is still in need of peanut butter, canned meat and pork & beans. Your help is very much appreciated!

Posted in Weekly News | Leave a comment

The Strange Case of Leopoldo Ducany

Posted on August 25, 2012 by highlandlakeschurchofchrist

Action Magazine carried an article about a gentleman from the Philippines named Leopoldo Ducany.

One afternoon, Leopoldo’s wife brought him a fish which she had purchased at the local market. She asked him to clean it so she could prepare it for supper.

The meal-to-be was wrapped in a year-old newspaper. As he tore away the paper, Leopoldo noticed an ad for World Bible School. The ad prompted a response, and before long he was regularly receiving Bible correspondence materials.

At the conclusion of the series of lessons, Leopoldo requested baptism and was added to the body of Christ (Acts 2:47; Galatians 3:27). He made this decision to follow the Lord despite the obvious anti-church sentiments held by Communist rebels in his region.

If we can (a) reach a man on the other side of the world with (b) a year-old newspaper wrapped around a dead snapper, then (c) don’t you think we can reach our local communities with the saving message of Christ?

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commended you. And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).  — Mike Benson, KneEmail

Posted in Front Page | Leave a comment

August 19, 2012 This Weeks News

Posted on August 25, 2012 by highlandlakeschurchofchrist

Adult Summer Bible Class Series: “The Christian’s Everyday Problems”.

This coming Wednesday evening, Joe Winnett will present thoughts on the topic of “The Problem of Discipleship”.  Maybe there should not be a problem for the believer, the one who has decided to be a follower of Christ. But if we look at this relationship as one that is easy, comfortable and convenient, then certainly there is a problem.

NEW ADULT CLASSES TO BEGING SOON

Beginning on Wednesday evening September 5, at 7:00 p.m. we will have a class on “The Christian Destiny” taught by Charles Greenawalt. In the Old Testament Job asks the question, “If a man dies, will he live again?” What is the answer?

At the same time, Ken Darnell will be teaching “Church Growth”. This class will meet in the auditorium. Ken will be presenting God’s balanced formula for growth.

On Sunday, September 2, our Sunday morning adult classes will begin a study of Titus. We will use the same teachers and rooms.

VISITING FOR THE MASTER

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

Our Fellowship Meal . . .

. . . will take place next Sunday evening after our worship assembly. It will be hosted by Don & Norma Bryan, Charles & Barbara Greenawalt, James & Vicky Williams and Hilda Whitson.

Food Pantry Needs!

The Food Pantry is still in need of peanut butter, canned meat and pork & beans. Your help is very much appreciated!

Posted in Weekly News | Leave a comment

Those Who Mocked God

Posted on August 25, 2012 by highlandlakeschurchofchrist

Johnny Ramsey, a favorite preacher of many, wrote the following article for the Gospel Minutes, on some who mocked God:

John Lennon: Some years before, during an interview with an American magazine, he said, “Christianity will end, it will disappear. I do not have to argue about that. I am certain. Jesus was okay, but his subjects were too simple. Today we are more famous than him” (1966). Lennon, some years after making that statement, was shot six times.

Tancredo Neves (President of Brazil): During the presidential campaign, he said if he got five hundred votes from his party, not even God could move him from presidency. Sure he got the votes, but he got sick (one day before he was supposed to take the oath of office) and died one month later.

Cazuza (bisexual Brazilian composer, singer and poet): During a show in Caneca (Rio de Janeiro), Cazuza, while smoking his cigarette, puffed out some smoke in the air and said, “God that’s for you!” He died at the age of 32 of Aids in a horrible manner.

An employee of the White Star Line (which built the Titanic): After the construction of the Titanic a reporter asked, “How safe would the Titanic be?” With an ironic tone the employee said, “Not even God can sink it” (National Archives and Records Administration). The result? We know what happened.

Man becomes so arrogant. “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good” (Psalm 14:1).

“Do not be deceived, God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life” (Galatians 6:7,8).

“If the righteous receive their due on earth, how much more the ungodly and the sinners” (Proverbs 11:31). Destruction often starts already in this life and carries through into eternity.

Posted in Front Page | Leave a comment

August 12, 2012 This Weeks News

Posted on August 10, 2012 by highlandlakeschurchofchrist

Adult Summer Bible Class Series: “The Christian’s Everyday Problems”.

This coming Wednesday evening, Charles Greenawalt will present thoughts on the topic of “The Problem of Enemies”.  Another very interesting topic! Plan to come and learn what God has in mind for us when we are beset by enemies; how we are to deal with them in godly fashion and spiritual maturity.

Welcome to Our Fellowship!

We are so happy that Judy & Barry Womack decided to join us here at the Highland Lakes congregation! They have previously attended the church of Christ in Marble Falls. Welcome to both of you!

Please add the following information to your directories:

WOMACK, Judy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (830) 789-9059

Barry*

208 Sparerib Road

Marble Falls, TX 78654

Birthdays: Judy — 11/20 Barry — 02/09

Anniversary: June 6, 1975

Ladies Corner

Ladies, mark your calendars for Thursday, August 16th. That is the day of our “end of summer before class begins” luncheon, at Gattis’ in Kingsland, in the party room, beginning at 11:30 a.m. During our time together, the new lesson guides for the next year will be distributed and Brenda will give us information about the subject matter of our Ladies Bible Class study for next year. However, this luncheon is not restricted to just those ladies who attend class. All ladies of the congregation, or those who are thinking about becoming members, are welcome to attend. All ladies will pay for their own meal and bring your plates to the party room which has been reserved on that day for our use. PLEASE RSVP to pawelch@tstar.net or 512 755 2182…this is important because Gattis needs to know how much pizza and salad to have on hand. We are looking forward to seeing you.

Attention, Singles!

The singles group will meet Sunday, at “Gattis Pizza” for their monthly luncheon.

Ice Cream Social!

Hot August is here, a good time to have our yearly Ice Cream Social. Today, after our evening worship hour, we will have this “cool” get-together. Crank up the freezer, choose the ingredients and bring the finished product for all to enjoy. You can also bring store bought ice cream or a cake, cookies, sprinkles and other good things that go with the ice cream. Come and enjoy! As always, today’s visitors are our special guests.

VISITING FOR THE MASTER (VISITATION PROGRAM)

Team #2 (leaders: Cary & Brenda Miller) will meet on Wednesday, August 22nd, at 6:30 pm in the Library for their assignments.

Food Pantry Needs!

The Food Pantry is still in need of peanut butter, canned meat and pork & beans. Your help is very much appreciated!

Posted in Weekly News | Leave a comment

The Avenues of God

Posted on August 10, 2012 by highlandlakeschurchofchrist

Any time a Christian struggles with faithfulness to God, the avenues of God, readily available to the believer, are intrinsically granted in the covenant that Almighty God has given to us in His Son Jesus.

Paul speaks of the Armor of God in Ephesians 6 by which we “take our stand against the devil’s schemes (v. 11). The belt of truth. The breastplate of righteousness. The shield of faith. The helmet of salvation. The Sword of the Spirit, God’s Word (His spoken, written and Divine Word). These implements are defensive by nature, protective by design.

In Roman armor the belt is secured first. The breastplate, once in place, is then connected to the belt with leather straps. The helmet was often also, once in place, connected to the breastplate in a similar manner. There were two swords that were at the Roman soldier’s disposal. One was long, an offensive weapon. The other was short, more easily maneuvered. In battle the shorter sword was often held in the soldier’s off hand because it was utilized primarily as a defensive sword. Paul’s description here is of the shorter, defensive sword. It further depicts God’s covenantal, protective nature and the avenues relationship with Him that is provided for us through the Gospel of Jesus. The question is: “Do we devote ourselves to them?”

What are the avenues God has given us to draw nearer to Him during times of temptation? To protect us during times of attack from Satan? In order that we might prove faithful to Him? I believe four primary avenues He has granted us are: His Spirit, His Word, prayer, and each other.

However, do we truly invest ourselves in these pivotal facets of our faith? How in tune are we with His Spirit that resides in us? Are we aware of the Spirit’s direction, counsel and the spiritual strength He provides? Do we read and study scripture? Do we hide His Word in our hearts? How much time do we spend with God in His Word? And in prayer? Do we intentionally pray? Do we set aside intentional time to pray to our Father? Do we commune with Him every moment of our lives? Do we strengthen one another? Pray fervently for one another, when we see a problem in another’s life? Do we hold one another accountable? Do we have the relationship with committed disciples of Jesus as faithful participants in the Kingdom that covenant provide and faithfulness requires?

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3).

“No temptation has sized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

“Everything we need,” Peter assures. “A way out,” Paul affirms.

But….do we pursue the avenues of God?

~~ Jason Reeves, West Erwin church of Christ, Tyler, TX

Posted in Front Page | Leave a comment

Bible Vegetarians

Posted on August 6, 2012 by highlandlakeschurchofchrist

It is a good thing to be a vegetarian if one is well informed. Mankind started out to be vegetarian until after the flood. Then God gave people permission to eat meat (Genesis 9:3). Possibly one reason being that the soil had been leached out by the flood and now people needed to get the important protein and other nutrition in their diet from a different source. Could it also be that in centuries down the road the “concept of meat” would fit into God’s schemes and teachings, in an extended, spiritual application? In regard to vegetarianism, Paul Harvey, much beloved radio personality of yesteryear, once quipped, “Vegetarian is an old Indian word for doesn’t hunt well”. An interesting thought, fitting quite well into our subject matter. We all certainly like meat in our diet, all kinds of meat. Some, who have grown up in the South, even like to eat squirrel!

If people know how to get certain important nutrients from their vegetarian diet, this is a good thing. But it is quite different in the spiritual realm; “meat” is a very important part of the spiritual diet; one cannot do without it! Unfortunately, it seems like there are many Bible vegetarians nowadays. There is no “meat” in their diet, because they don’t hunt well. They do not search or hunt through the Scriptures as they should. Jesus declared, “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me.” (John 5:39). Had the Pharisees truly searched, they would have known that Jesus was the long awaited Messiah (John 7:52). If we truly search, we will be able to apply Scripture to our everyday actions.

In contrast to the Pharisees, the Bereans were great hunters. Of them, Luke records, “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11).

What about us? How well do we hunt? 2 Timothy 2:15, “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.” Now the question is: are we Bible Vegetarians? If we are searching the Scriptures as we should, there is plenty of meat in our diets. Good, solid nourishment, spiritual protein. Maybe some of it is so strong, that, for just a little while, the “stomach” – mind and heart – rebels because it does not want to accept it? Hebrews 5:12-14, “In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”

May God help us to see the seriousness of Bible study, so that we may translate God’s principles into our lives. This in turn will enable us to support all of our life’s decisions with solid “meat”.

— BULLETIN DIGEST

Posted in Front Page | Leave a comment

August 5, 2012 This Weeks News

Posted on August 4, 2012 by highlandlakeschurchofchrist

Adult Summer Bible Class Series – The Christian’s Everyday Problems

This coming Wednesday evening, Joe Winnett will present thoughts on the topic of “The Problem of Friends“. A very interesting topic, worth listening to! Plan to come and learn about the interaction of friends.

Ladies “End of Summer before Class Begins” Luncheon

Ladies, mark your calendar for Thursday, August 16th.  That is the day our luncheon at Gattis in Kingsland, in the party room, beginning at 11:30 a.m.  During our time together, the new lesson guides for the next year will be distributed and Brenda will give us information about the subject matter of our Ladies Bible Class study for next year.

However, this luncheon is not restricted to just those ladies who attend class.  All ladies of the congregation,  or those thinking about becoming members, are welcome to attend.  All ladies will pay for their own meal.  Please RSVP to pawelch@tstar,net or 512-755-2182. RSVP is very important as Gattis needs to know how much salad and pizza to have on hand.  Looking forward to seeing you!

With Sympathy

Long-time, close friend of Bill and Mary K. Flannery, Larry Palser of Colorado, passed away recently from cancer.  He was only 60 years old.  Our condolences are extended and God bless all the friends and family, who are grieving over Larry’s much to early death.

Visiting For the Master

Visitation Team #1, lead by Teri and Joe Winnett, will meet on Wednesday, August 8th at 6:30 p.m. in the library for their assignments.

Singles August Luncheon

The singles group will meet next Sunday, August 12th at Gattis Pizza for their monthly luncheon.

Thank You

There is a “thank you” letter on the bulletin board from Bob Foster’s sister and brother-in-law. Continue to keep them in your prayers.

Ice Cream Social

With hot weather here in August, it is a good time to have our yearly Ice Cream Social.  Next Sunday, August 12th, after our evening worship hour, we will have this ‘cool’ get together.  So crank up the freezer, choose the ingredients, and bring a finished product for all to enjoy.  You can also bring cake, cookies, sprinkles and other good things that go with the ice cream. Come, enjoy and bring a visitor!

The Food Pantry Always Has Needs

Our food pantry is still in need of peanut butter, canned meat, and pork and beans. Your help and support is very much appreciated.

 

 

 

Posted in Weekly News | Leave a comment

July 29, 2012 This Weeks News

Posted on July 27, 2012 by highlandlakeschurchofchrist

Adult Summer Bible Class Series: “The Christian’s Everyday Problems”.

This coming Wednesday evening, Ken Darnell will present thoughts on the topic of “The Problem of Immaturity”.   God has commanded that we must grow up into maturity. Unless there is personal growth, how can we lead others to Christ? How can we show others that there is something out there that helps us deal with life’s complexities, the various problems we encounter here on earth? A very helpful topic. Plan to attend.

Thank You!

My Christian Family,

Thank you for all the prayers that went out for my daughter. The prayers were answered and DeLaina is doing fine. She received a good report on Friday and will not have to see the doctors again for three months. Thank you for checking on mom and dad while I was away. Your call and food brought to them made it easier for me to focus on helping DeLaina with her recovery. I know now that God has put me where He wants me to be. All of your kindness fills me with such joy and peace. I am glad to be home again with you all.

In Christian love, Sherry

Tour the Holy Land

Cary and Brenda Miller were recently blessed by a trip to the Holy Land, touring Israel and Jordan with a group of Christians from West Texas. Cary will present pictorial highlights of their journey this Sunday evening during our worship assembly. We are looking forward to this special treat!

Our Fellowship Meal . . .

. . . takes place this evening after our worship assembly. Hosts and hostesses will be: Bill & Mary K. Flanary, Guy & Charlotte Hastings and Ken & Thelma Thuleen.  Come and enjoy this, in so many ways, good fellowship!!! If you are a visitor, join us as our very special guest.

And “Barnabas” the Encourager Came!

“He” came and left some yellow envelopes on the table in the hallway. Addressed to various members, the envelopes contained encouraging messages. Thank you, “Barnabas” for this very kind gesture! It is much treasured and also very uplifting!

The Food Pantry Still Has Needs!

The Food Pantry is still in need of peanut butter, canned meat and pork & beans. Your help is very much appreciated!

Posted in Weekly News | Leave a comment