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Family
Lines Newsletter, January 26,
2003
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**TO FIND STRENGTH, REFINE FOCUS**
By David
Chadwell
What New Testament people's ability to trust God
provide you strength? Do they include these people? Zacharius and
Elizabeth, the elderly parents who gave life to John who baptized? Wonder
if they were alive when their only son was executed? Mary, Jesus' mother,
who conceived him prior to marriage? Her husband, and the son she
conceived, died before she did. John, the man Jesus said was the greatest
person ever born (Matthew 11:11)? He was beheaded. Jesus, God's son,
the Messiah, the Christ? He was crucified. Peter, the apostles'
leader? He was crucified upside down. Paul, Christ's apostle to
non-Jewish people? He was beheaded.
Were Zacharius, Elizabeth, Mary, John, Jesus,
Peter, Paul, or others like them weak people? No! They lived their
lives in surrender to God's will with confidence in God's purposes. If
those purposes included having a child when you were elderly, so be it.
Elizabeth found it embarrassing, but so be it.
If God's purposes included conceiving a child as a
virgin (which few believed), so be it. Mary responded, "Behold, the female
slave of the Lord ..." (Luke 1:38).
If God's purposes included his execution, so be
it. John understood the risk he took before he declared the condemnation
that eventually resulted in his execution.
If God' purposes included crucifixion, so be
it. It was not what Jesus wanted, but he still surrendered to "Your will
be done" (Matthew 26:39).
If God's purposes included death, so be it.
Tradition says Peter requested an upside down crucifixion because he felt
unworthy to die as Jesus did. Paul said, "I will continue to be poured out
like God's drink offering ..." (2 Timothy 4:6).
Weak in faith? No, strong in faith!
Define strength. They were strong enough to give children to God's
purpose, strong enough to die by execution. How did they measure faith's
strength? How did they measure God's blessings? By homes, careers,
jobs, prosperity, or the "good life" they lived? No. They measured
God's blessings by their usefulness to God's purposes. The highest
blessing God granted them in physical life was using them to accomplish His
purposes.
Christian men or women who measure God's blessings
primarily by the material, primarily by the physical, primarily by living
standards, primarily by health, primarily by what happens in the lives of loved
ones lean on a sword with its point directed toward their heart. God's
priority blessings are not material or physical. Now God's priority
blessings are forgiveness, redemption, atonement, holiness, purity, and
spiritual life. God's priority blessing after physical existence is
eternal existence with Him.
"If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we
are of all men most to be pitied" (1 Corinthians 15:19).
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**From Baby Steps to Giant Leaps**
By David
Boozer
In the movie "What About Bob?" Bob (Bill Murray) is
advised by his psychiatrist to take baby steps toward improvement. This is
one philosophy that we have taken at the Way, especially regarding the
kids. Last Friday and Saturday, however, Donna Lindgren and Michelle
Boozer abandoned our approach of taking baby steps; they took a giant
leap. Friday afternoon, they loaded a rented van with pillows, sleeping
bags and nine wound-up kids and headed three hours away to Camp Wyldewood's
youth retreat in Searcy. This trip was a giant leap because four of the
nine kids were from the Way. This experience was completely new to
them. Hanging out in the woods around a campfire with people passionately
talking about Jesus Christ is not something inner city kids do often. As
they found out, that passion is like this stomach virus going around, EXTREMELY
CONTAGIOUS!
This is just the beginning for these kids. Another
retreat is planned for April. Also, each one now wants to attend Camp
Wyldewood's summer camp. Seven days of GIANT LEAPS forward for kids who
are often more used to going backwards. For them to go, however, they will need
mature Christians to take a pretty giant step and sponsor them - to pay their
way. Think about it and contact Donna or Michelle. Help these kids take
one more giant leap forward in this exciting process we call
discipleship!
**Borrowing & Returning TV's and VCR's**
On
the 1st floor, TV's and VCR's are stored in the Library. All teachers,
please return audio-visual equipment to the Library after you use it.
**Teachers Needed**
These positions need to be
filled as soon as possible. Please call Robin Pratt-Webber at 783-8728 if you
can help.
Kindergarten teacher for Wednesday night. This is for a
6- month period beginning in March and ending in August.
Two teachers are
needed for the three year old class on Sunday morning.
**New Wednesday Night Class**
Joe Pistole is
beginning a discussion class in room 200 on Max Lucado's book, "In The Grip of
Grace." Class members are asked to supply their own copy of the
book.
**Guyana Mission Team, 2003**
The Lord needs
more workers for this trip.
Can you serve in Guyana this Summer, June
7-15?
**On Sunday, January 26**
our afternoon
assembly will be at 3:30 p.m.
No fellowship or meal is
planned.
Our 4th Sunday evening fellowship will resume in
February.
**David's Sermons**
Sunday Morning: "Whose
Perspective? Yours or God's?"
Sunday Afternoon: Victory In Jesus
**GOT WORK?**
Let us help!
Mexico Mission
Team Servant Day!
Saturday, February 1, 2003
You make a donation - we do
the work!
Wide variety of skills available!
Teen and adult
workers!
Painting
Cleaning
Baby sitting
Computer
skills
Yard work
Wash and wax cars
Baking
Simple carpentry
work
Singing
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**Say A
Prayer For**
* Iris Rios (sister of Mickey Mendez) is in Sparks
Hospital, room 412.
* Virgil Kirchner is continuing chemotherapy
treatments.
* Louise Howard had the staples from her knee replacement surgery
removed Wednesday and is doing well.
* Gail Stevens (a friend of Donna
Beneux's) is in ICU at St. Edward Hospital.
* Continue to pray for Anita
Maxwell, Erma Beshears, Sandy Berger, Kathy Bauer, Vicki Varvel, Sandy Thurman,
and Nadine Hawkins.
**Bereaved**
Our love and sympathy is extended
to Bill Moss in the death of his brother, Charles. Funeral services were
Monday in Fort Smith.
**Mission Work & Travel**
John Paul &
Ruby Lee Hundley are in France.
Jerry Canfield is traveling to Nigeria at the
end of January.
Thomas & Kindy Kweekul are in Thailand.
Chris &
Heather Carroll are in Thailand; Deborah Wilson is visiting them; Jim Wilson is
in Ethiopia.
**Those in Military Service**
Alan Roper is
expected to leave Ft. Bragg for Iraq this week. Larry and Donna Roper
appreciate your prayers for Alan and his wife, Kimber.
**New Arrival**
Congratulations to Ken and Beth
Frederick on the birth of a daughter, Jenna Danelle, born on January 20th.
Jenna weighed 7 lbs., 7 ozs.
**Phone Number**
Naomi McLinden Green's phone
number is 471-5874.
**Note of Thanks**
Words cannot express our
thanks for your cards, visits and the many prayers during Paul's and my very
critical hospital stay. They kept us encouraged. Hopefully, our home recovery
will be short, and we can be at worship again.
In Christian love,
Paul
& Marlene Tucker
**Lady Razorback Trip Planned**
We are planning
to travel to Fayetteville and watch the Lady Razorbacks play Tennessee on
January 30th. All 60+, widows, and widowers are invited. An information
sheet and sign-up list is posted outside room 100.
**Widows/Widowers**
Widows and widowers will be
hosted by the Singles group at noon on Saturday, February 1st in the Family Life
Center.
**Car Clinic**
Car Clinic will be Saturday,
February 1st at the Annex, 8:00 to 11:00 a.m. -- weather
permitting.
**Ladies' Class Luncheon**
The Wednesday morning
ladies' Bible class will have a potluck luncheon following class on January
29th.
**Singles Potluck**
The singles are having a
potluck dinner on Friday, January 24, at 6:00 p.m. in the home of Janelle
Graves, 105 Nellie, Arkoma, OK. Phone numbers are (918) 626-3951 or (479)
414-4871.
**Typewriter Needed**
If you would like to
donate a good, electric typewriter (self-correcting would be great!) to the
Hispanic Ministry, please call Lynn Dickey. Oscar Nolasco needs one for his
work.
**Found in the Parking Lot**
A package
containing various sheets of plate glass was turned in to the office last week.
It was left by a car in the parking lot. If it is yours or if you have
information on it, please call the office.
**Library Donations**
Debbie Treat has donated
three books to the Library in memory of her father, Frank Flippin, Jr.
"A
Love Worth Giving" by Max Lucado
"Shaped by God" by Max Lucado
"Bringing
Up Boys" by James Dobson
**River Valley Christian School**
RVCS is
planning its Spring Banquet for Tuesday, February 25th in the Fort Smith
Convention Center. Art Linkletter is the keynote speaker. If you are
interested in attending, information is posted in the foyer.
**Happy Birthday**
January 26
Jake
Jackson
January 27
Jeana Belote
Paul Beneux
Harvey
George
Josephine Johnson
Larry Todd
January 28
Charles Dicks
Gene Monk
Barney
Puckett
January 29
Frances Gilley
January 30
Harold Davis
Abbey
Jenkins
January 31
Phillip Burns
February 1
Brandon Combs
Carolyn
Harrell
Ashley Haworth
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**Family Life Ministry**
By Brad
Pistole
"The Certainty of Life?"
This past Tuesday I
received a call from a minister in Florida. He called to remind me of a young
man, about 30 years of age, whom I had recently visited in a Fort Smith
hospital. You see, about 5 months ago, he was in ICU recovering from brain
surgery.
Since this man's mother lived in Florida and could
not be here with her son, he felt like it would be a good idea for someone in
the church to visit him. Ironically, since I had been through some very similar
things just a few years ago, it turned out to be a great idea for me to go visit
him.
I met the young man, his sister and her husband. I
found out that their parents had divorced several years ago and they rarely got
to see their mother any more. She is a member of the church, and as any good
mother would be, she was concerned for the spiritual condition of her
children.
I had a good conversation with her children that
day. I was able to share with them the fact that I had been through many of the
same things they would soon go through. I let them know that the church would be
there to help them whenever they needed us.
Now scroll forward
about 5 months to this past week. ... I received a call from the minister in
Florida to let me know that the father of these children was in a Fort Smith
hospital in ICU about to die. He also informed me that this man's son, the young
man I had visited with just months ago, had been killed that very morning in a
car accident in Fort Smith.
Roy and I went to the hospital to visit the sister.
Imagine the stress of knowing you have just lost your brother and knowing that
your father will die any moment.
Isn't life interesting? My friend survived a brain
tumor only to die months later in a tragic accident. The only certainty we have
in this life is that Life Is Uncertain. I hope you are making plans in this life
for the life that is to come. Eternity is one of the only things we can be sure
of.
This temporary life on earth is full of
uncertainties. What kind of plans are you making right now? Do they involve
things that are temporal or eternal? Make the CERTAIN choice. Choose God and
choose him TODAY!
**Nursery Workers**
Infants: Berniece Rogers,
Sharon Faries, Joann Davenport
Toddlers: Sue George, Kristin
Smith
Evening: Marjorie Blake, Bennie Hedrick
**Schedule of Services**
Sunday Worship (10:30)................637
Sunday Classes (9:30) ................. 473
Sunday Evening
(6:00)...................298
Wednesday Worship (7:00).............311
The
Way (4:00) ................................41
Spanish Morning
Worship................13
Spanish Evening Worship (6:30)......16
Sunday
Contribution ................$17,203
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