January 2002
Crystal Jones 1-2 January A minister was opening his mail one morning. Drawing a single sheet of paper from an envelope, he found written on it only one word: "FOOL." The next Sunday he announced, "I have known many people who have written letters and forgot to sign their names. But this week I received a letter from someone who signed his name and had forgotten to write a letter." The crumbling, old church building needed remodeling, so the preacher made an impassioned appeal, looking directly at the richest man in town. At the end of the message, the rich man stood up and announced, "Pastor, I will contribute $1,000." Just then, plaster fell from the ceiling and struck the rich man on the shoulder. He promptly stood again and shouted, "Pastor, I will increase my donation to $5,000." Before he could sit back down, plaster fell on him again, and again he virtually screamed, "Pastor, I will double my last pledge." He sat down, and an larger chunk of plaster fell hitting him on the head. He stood once more and hollered, "Pastor, I will give $20,000!" This prompted a deacon to shout, "Hit him again, Lord! Hit him again!" |  Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Did you get everything you wished for? Christmas brought many wonderful things for alot of people this year. Families were brought together, friends from the past surprising us. God has been so good to our little church. He has blessed us in so many ways, even ways that are hidden from our eyes. We made it through another year with God's grace, and we continue on into this new year. How many of us thought we would ever see the year "2002"? It boggles the mind (mine at least). Bro. Tim gave us a good bit of advice last Sunday. He told us "We can doubt, pout, and do without, OR we can pray, believe and receive". Sounds like real words of wisdom. For those who could not attend the last Sunday worship service of 2001, you missed a great message and a real blessing in partaking of the Lord's Supper. Let's keep up the fight to get more souls saved this year, work on our christian life, and pray all the more. I'm sure God has many more wondrous things instore for all of us in 2002. 
Step-By-Step Grace "When thou passest through the waters...they shall not overflow thee" (Isa. 43:2). God does not open paths for us in advance of our coming. He does not promise help before help is needed. He does not remove obstacles out of our way before we reach them. Yet when we are on the edge of our need, God's hand is stretched out. Many people forget this, and are forever worrying about difficulties which they foresee in the future. They expect that God is going to make the way plain and open before them, miles and miles ahead; whereas He has promised to do it only step by step as they may need. You must get to the waters and into their floods before you can claim the promise. Many people dread death, and lament that they have not "dying grace." Of course, they will not have dying grace when they are in good health, in the midst of life's duties, with death far in advance. Why should they have it then? Grace for duty is what they need then, living grace; then dying grace when they come to die. --J. R. M. |
1/Genesis 1,2
