Happenings at FUMC of Joaquin & Paxton - July 26, 2010
Submitted by Randy Smith, Pastor

Sunday was the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost. The Epistle Lesson for this Sunday was Colossians 2: 6-15. The Colossian Jesus Community was just one of the many communities founded or helped founded by Paul. There were developing questions within the community about certain practices. We need to remember that these early communities were trailblazers and would help to mold future communities. Paul reminds them that they already have everything they need—Christ and his love. He urges these early believers to live in that love and not be distracted by things that were being added and so call new requirements for members.

We had a wonderful service at Paxton UMC. Joe and Gloria Fielder worked together to provide the music. Carolyn Umbrell read from Psalm 103. The Psalms seems to cover the entire range of human emotion and I think that is why the Psalms still speak to our hearts and minds and souls. We had a great crowd at Joaquin Methodist. We had many guests today. Maria Mu’tis, a friend of Gail and Nolan Sholar is visiting from Odessa . Maria is an accomplished violinist and she and Cynthia played our hymns together. Maria also played Ava Maria as a special. It was really wonderful! Doris Ogden, Gail’s aunt from Abilene worshipped with us and we certainly enjoyed having her. Gene and Syble had their son Kerry and his wife Rosanna. Also, granddaughter, Krisha came with her two children, Zeke and Evelyn. Jenie and Cody Evans were visiting from Keatchie Janet Boyter and her son, Nathan and granddaughter Addie were also visiting. Nathan is going to be a freshman at Joaquin High School next year. Welcome!

There was a short Trustees meeting after church. Next week, the Finance Committee will meet. Joel McMahon, the pastor at FUMC Center will conduct the Charge Conference for Joaquin & Paxton this year. I will get up Rev. McMahon and set a date this fall for our conference. Our Wednesday Night Bible is at 6:00 and will take up where we left off—John 12. Our Thursday Morning Prayer Breakfast is at 8:00.

Services at Paxton United Methodist Church begin at 9:30 with Sunday School at 10:30. Sunday School at Joaquin Methodist is 10:00 and worship service begins at 11:00. Our website is at joaquinumc.com. Our web master is Jason Gill. Our email address is at joaquinumc@hotmail.com and prayer requests may be sent to joaquinumc@gmail.com and we will post them on our website. Take care and God’s Speed.

Pull Up a Chair - June 18, 2010
By Bro. Michael

From time to time a comparison is made between the United States and the old Roman Empire . But is that a fair comparison to view the United States and say that we are following the same path of destruction that Rome took. I want us to see this first from a spiritual perspective.

The Roman religion was transactional; I give my money and time to get a return from one of the gods. The Greek gods lived on Mt. Olympus , away from the lives of humans. In much the same way the Romans saw their gods living apart from humans only to occasionally do something good or bad for someone. The Romans adopted the Greek gods, changed their names and added emperor worship to their lists of gods. This addition was not for worship, but as a mark of loyalty and another transaction. Religion was like renewing your driver’s licenses something you had to do.

Christianity began to spread in the Roman world and before long became transactional. Priests became those who could help in the transactions with God. We now live in what is called the Postmodern World where all truth is personal and subjective, which means what may be true for me is not true for you. It really does not matter what you believe so long as you tolerate my ideas and beliefs. Again, we find most of religion is transactional.

Faith in Jesus Christ is not transactional but transforming. Some go to church in hope that God will bless them the rest of the week. We build our lives much like our homes, a room for God and a room for pleasure, room for my family and as long as God stays in His room my life is lived just the way I want it. Our Lord Jesus Christ is calling us to make him our King, not just a hobby; to yield all of life to Him then our faith becomes transforming.

Center First United Methodist Church News - July 27, 2010
Composed by Mary Lynn Tinkle

Rev. Joel McMahon preached on the pain of loss this passed Sunday. Loss can be the death of a loved one but there are also other types of loss such as loss of health, a child moving away from home, a job or anything you once had and now miss or need. Rev. McMahon said the most common response to loss or to ignore the pain, blame others, and withdraw. To heal from loss we must first face it honestly instead of ignoring it. We must first name the loss. By naming the loss we are able to specifically identify what we are mourning.

Rev. McMahon said the next step in dealing with the pain of loss is instead of blaming we must trust God. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." Being a Christian does not exempt us from the pain of loss but as Christians we have our God with us to help support and care for us. When we trust in Him, God will help us cope with the pain of loss.

Rev. McMahon also stressed the importance of sharing our pain instead of withdrawing. Galatians 6:2 says, "Carry each other's burdens, and in His way you will fulfill the law of Christ. It is natural to withdraw from others when we are in pain but healing from loss is helped when we reach out for the support from our Christian family. This is why it is so important for us as Christians to reach out to those who are experiencing the pain of loss. Telephone calls, cards, visits and prayers are some of the ways we can reach out in the name of Jesus to offer support, friendship and a listening ear to those suffering the pain of loss.

Six prayer crosses were blessed before being sent to soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan including one sent to Specialist Issac Ja'Mal Trotty who is a 2009 Center High School graduate. His parents are Marketta and David Edmond and his grandparents are Jimmy and Frankie Arnold of Center. Please keep these brave soldiers in your prayers. To request a prayer cross please email prayercrosscenter@yahoo.com or call 936-591-0564.

This is another busy week in the life of our church. Council on Ministries meet on Monday at 5:15, Kids N Christ will have a day of church activities and go bowling, Education Committee also meets Tuesday at 5:00 followed by Church Council at 6:00. Exercise class is offered on Wednesdays and Fridays at 8:30, the newly formed intercessory prayer group meets each Wednesday at 10:00 in Runnels Chapel and choir practice is at 6:00.

Twenty five people joined us for "Christmas in July" bingo last week. Everyone enjoyed the wonderful Christmas refreshments that included fruitcake cookies, John Griffin's toffee, Eleanor Ginn's punch and Terri Lacher's snickerdoodle cookies. Everyone left with at least one prize and the fellowship was enjoyed by all.

Pastor McMahon is reaching out to members and to others in the community in a variety of ways including the use of technology. He is on Facebook and Twitter. If you would like the latest church news please contact him or you can access us at www.fumccenter.org using the links provided.

The volleyball court that has been under construction and is now complete We will have plans in the near future for some friendly competitive games and hope this will serve as another outreach to bring people to church and to become a part of our many church activities.

The members of the First United Methodist Church wish you a blessed week and an open invitation to join us in worship and in the activities of our church.

Pointing to God - April 13, 2010
Carla Reed , Pastor of Shelbyville United Methodist Church

I was unable to go and see the movie that played recently at the Rio Theater, but I really wanted to go because I had read the children’s book so often to my grandchildren. The name of the book and the movie is “Where the Wild Things Are”. It is the story of a little boy named Max who got in trouble and was banished to his room without supper. His mother called him a “Wild Thing” because he made such a ruckus wearing his wolf suit. Max’s room became, in his imagination, a forest with all matter of wild animals roaming about. But Max was able to face off the fiercest and soon frightened all of them and became King and the “most wild thing of all”. Being king was fascinating for awhile, but soon was lonely at which point Max returned to the real world where his supper waited for him and he found he returned to the place where someone loved him best of all.

Okay Christian, my friend, what are the wild things we face privately and publicly? They are temptations of course. We are not spared the temptation to blend into the environment in which we live for the world in which we live is laced with temptations large and small. Even Jesus was not spared the wilderness of temptations. Do you ever wonder why we know about what happened. He was alone with the “wild beasts” after all. He must have shared the story with his disciples to let them know how to deal with all the wild temptations lurking about.

Jesus used three strategies that are available to us. He remembered who he was (in Matthew’s gospel, two of the three temptations begin with, “If you are the Son of God”). Right after Jesus’ baptism that directly precedes his temptation in Matthew’s gospel, the spirit of God descended saying, “You are my Son, …..in whom I am well pleased”. We can remind ourselves that we all are the sons and daughters of God. We are not some riff raff relegated to believing the things this world might call us. Our identity is firmly within the hand of God.

The second strategy Jesus used was that he quoted scripture. Of course the tempter could quote scripture as well. We all sometimes misuse scripture to serve our purposes, but how breathtaking and eye watering it is when scripture takes us for Jesus’ use. What a wonderful feeling it is to be completely wrapped in the wisdom of scripture. It will guide us, discipline us and keep us in the loving fold of Jesus Christ.

The third strategy we can use against the “wild things” that tempt us is to realize that we are not alone. Jesus was surrounded by angels. Like Max in the children’s book, we can turn our face to the one who “loves us the best”. Compared to the love of Christ, there is nothing sweeter. His love is around us in so many ways. The very Spirit of God fills us enabling us to lift up our faces and behold the love of God. Blessings to all, Pastor Carla.
(Inspired by Strength for the Broken Places by James A Harnish)

Viewpoint - July 26, 2010
By Pastor Steve Harris

Has God placed a special blessing on America?

As we look in retrospect at the blessings of God upon our young nation, we cannot help thinking that God does have a plan for our nation. I read that in The Light and the Glory, Peter Marshall and David Manuel asked whether God has a plan for America. They investigated the possibility of God’s special involvement with our country and stated the following:

“What if Christopher Columbus’ discovery of America had not been accidental at all? What if it were merely the opening curtain of an extraordinary drama? .... Like all those who have discovered the reality of the Living Christ, we knew that God had a plan for each individual’s life - a plan which could with spiritual effort, be discovered and followed. What if He dealt with whole nations like He dealt with individuals? What if in particular he had a plan for those He would bring to America, a plan which saw this continent as a stage for a new era in the drama of mankind’s redemption?”

George Washington summarized this thought when he said, “No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the indivisible hand which conducts the affairs of man more than those of the United States.” Those who study history and the Bible cannot help but notice there seems to be, as one looks at it from our vantage point today, a very definite indication that God does have a plan for America. That we do not have any direct reference to it in the Old or New Testament does not discount the fact that in His sovereign purpose, God could have included America as part of His overall redemptive plan. Please pray for America! It’s time for a grass roots revival! God Bless the U.S.A.!

(Steve Harris is pastor of Center United Pentecostal Church and host of the 1 hour weekly radio talk show, Living the Life, heard Fridays at 11:00 a.m. on KDET 930 AM)

Notes From a Prayer Journey - July 3, 2010
Submitted by Shirley Goodwin

THEY NEED NOT DEPART!

Matt 14:14-21

14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.
15 And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.
16 But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.
17 And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.18 He said, Bring them hither to me.
19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.
20 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.
21 And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children. (KJV)

Whenever life gives us a situation with many needs, we discover ourselves feeling like the disciples felt in Matthew chapter 14. The disciples were filled with despair when they realized the time of day and that 5,000 men, plus women and children, who were with them had not eaten and needed food. The disciples concluded that the people needed to go into the village and purchase food for themselves.

Can you imagine the disciples’ panic when Jesus told them to give the people food to eat? They told Jesus, “We have here but 5 loaves and 2 fishes.

Jesus told the disciples to bring the multitude to Him. Jesus, very calmly told everyone to sit down on the grass; took the fishes and loaves, blessed and broke them. He then gave the food to His disciples, who gave the food to the multitude of people. Everyone had more than he could eat and 12 baskets of leftovers remained uneaten.

Whenever life hands us a situation filled with urgency and the only things we can see are the needs involved, let us recall Jesus’ words, “They need not depart”. While the disciples saw many hungry people, Jesus saw a situation in which everyone needed to calmly sit down and enjoy a refreshing meal.

Sometimes, we need to go to a quiet place and sit down. Then, we can silently, quietly or orally talk to Jesus and sit in His presence. He will supply all of our needs.

Prayer for the day:

Jesus, I thank You for Your blessings. I ask Your forgiveness for my sins. Father, help me to hold fast to my faith in You in times of difficulty. Thank you for supplying my needs. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Email: shirley.prayerjourney.goodwin@gmail.com