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Family
Lines Newsletter, March 18,
2004
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**What Is Your Reaction: To Follow or To
Destroy?**
By David Chadwell
Matthew 8:19, Then a scribe came and said to Him,
"Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go."
Matthew 12:14, But the Pharisees went out and
conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.
Israel reacted to Jesus. We react to
Jesus. You react to Jesus. At issue is not, "Will we react to
Jesus?" At issue is, "How will we react to Jesus?"
Assume the Jewish scribe heard Jesus' sermon
and witnessed his acts prior to declaring a desire to follow Jesus
anywhere. Remember, this educated, specialized, informed man was
knowledgeable. Perhaps he was inspired by Jesus' sermon in Matthew 5, 6,
and 7. Perhaps he was in the multitude who witnessed the leper cleansed,
the paralyzed man restored, the sick healed, and demons cast out. He was
impressed! Boldly he announced to Jesus his willingness to follow Jesus
anywhere!
There are no assumptions about what the Pharisees
witnessed--they heard Jesus and witnessed his miracle. However, they focused on
the wrong thing. They did not see Jesus' miracle because they were blinded
by when he did it. Blinded is too weak a word--they were obsessed with when
Jesus healed the man with a withered hand.
They were absolutely certain Jesus was wrong!
He could not possibly be right! These genuine experts in scripture
knew Jesus could not be right! Devotion to God's will demanded they expose
Jesus for the "masquerading fraud" he was! Were not the Ten Commandments
explicit about keeping the Sabbath day holy? How could someone speak for
God and dishonor the Sabbath?
In an attempt to expose this "fraud," they asked
Jesus if it was in agreement with the Law to heal on the Sabbath. Their
conviction: healing on the Sabbath was in violation of God's Law if the healed
person's life was not in immediate jeopardy.
Jesus answered by restoring the man's withered hand
to a functioning, healthy hand. After healing the man, Jesus said, "It is
lawful to do good on the Sabbath day."
The scribe heard and saw Jesus and wished to follow
him. These Pharisees heard and saw Jesus and wished to destroy him.
Both heard, both saw, and both reacted. Yet, the reactions were
opposite. The scribe was attracted. The Pharisees were
repulsed.
Jesus does not specialize in telling us what we
want to hear or in "performing" for us. Jesus tells us what we need to
hear and does what is in our eternal best interest. If you are around
Jesus long enough to hear and observe, you will react.
You will react because Jesus will (1) tell you how
to be the human God envisions and (2) how to surrender to God's purposes.
Not only does he tell us, but he also shows us. Being the human God wished
cost Jesus his life as he surrendered to God's purposes. However, that was
fine. He focused on the eternal, not this world. Where is your
focus?
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**Experiences in the Valley**
By Derrick
Jones
Have you ever had to walk in the valley? What are
some things one goes through while in the valley? Is the valley you are in
helping you grow closer to God? We all have faced valleys in our lives. Let's
consider four promises which will help us through the valleys.
First, we will go through trouble. God's presence
is promised to those in trouble (Psalm 91:5). Christ knows trouble is a reality
of life (John 16:33). Trouble comes to train, mature, and sometimes defeat us.
Second, testing will come in our lives. God permits
testing, but He also limits it. In time of testing, God is with His child (Psalm
66:12; Isaiah 43:1-2).
Third, tears will be evident when we go through
valleys. Disobedient and wayward children create tears. No Christian is immune
from all heartbreak and tears! Tears won't last forever (Psalm 30:5; Psalm
126:5-6).
Finally, triumph can occur when we trust in God to
lead us out of the valleys. The mountaintops of our lives mean more after our
valleys! The valleys need not be feared when we know God is with us. Do we find
ourselves in valleys right now? He lifts us up!
**Lions for Christ**
Calendar of Events
*
March 24th, Singing at Health & Rehabilitation Center
* March 27-28th,
College Spring Retreat ''I Want to Know Christ.''
**LTC Practices**
* 12:00 Senior High
Chorus
* 1:00 Junior High Chorus
(note time changes above)
* 4:00
Junior High Bible Bowl
* 4:00 Elementary Puppets only
* 4:45 Elementary
Drama
* 5:00 Junior High Drama
* 6:00 Elementary Chorus
**LTC Christian Art**
All ages, bring your
completed project to morning church service next week, March 28th. If you have
questions call Shanna Davis at 474-7260.
**New Grandbaby**
Congratulations to Jim and
Deborah Wilson on the birth of a new grandson. Jonah Mark Dennis was born
Friday, March 12 in Santa Cruz, CA to Richard and Felicia (Wilson) Dennis.
Jonah weighed 8 lbs., 4 ozs.
**Note of Thanks**
Dear Church Family,
We
want to thank you so much for all the cards, flowers, and meals provided during
my recent illness and recovery - but especially for the prayers. We are blessed
to be part of such a thoughtful and caring church family.
In Christian
love,
Vicki Abuzeide
**60+ Potluck**
Our next fellowship is Saturday,
March 20th in the Annex at 6:00 p.m. Bill Brazelton will have a slide show of
his trip to the South Pole.
**"Peak of the Week"**
Wednesday, March
24
7:00 p.m. in the FLC.
"The Lord our Righteousness"
Read Jeremiah
23:6; 33:16
**Senior Game Day**
Thursday, March 25
1:00
to 3:00 p.m. in the Annex
Bingo and prizes!
Come and join in the
fun!
**River Valley Christian School **
Spring
Banquet 2004
Featuring Keynote Speaker
Chief Justice Roy S.
Moore
Thursday, April 1, 6:30 p.m.
Fort Smith Convention Center
Tickets
($25.00 each) are available at the RVCS Administration Office
(4720 B Rogers
Avenue)
The Solid Rock Book Store
and Christian Family
Center
**Happy Birthday**
March 22
Linda
Allen
Debra Gail Hatfield
Donna Roper
Greg Wewers
March 23
Diane Arnold
Jess Huff
Jon
Huff
Kimberly Layman
March 24
David Dickey
Jamie
Loftin
March 25
Wilma Son
Larry Treat
March 26
Mike Burk
Larry Prater
March 27
Landry Dockery
Helen Pratt
Hannah
Pressley
**Sunday in Worship**
Morning
"Whose Son Are You?"
(Satan's
Question to Jesus)
Chris Benjamin, Speaker
Evening
A Transition: The
Relationship
Between Being and Doing
David Chadwell, Speaker
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**Remember in Prayer**
* Judi Green was recently diagnosed with
cancer. She had a lumpectomy Thursday morning and will have follow-up radiation
treatments.
* Odessa Wright (mother of Doyle) is very ill with cancer and
now under Hospice Care. She is living with her daughter in the Oklahoma City
area.
* Continue to pray for Christy Hesslen and family.
* Jon and Liz
Huff's children have undergone some testing. Ben is fine. Elijah (age 21 months)
will go to Children's Hospital in Little Rock Friday morning for additional
tests.
* Doug Moore and his family have been worshipping with us for a while.
Doug was hospitalized with a broken wrist after a car accident last weekend. He
went home Wednesday. If you would like to send a card, the address is Doug and
Jo Ellen Moore, 905 Anderson Way, Van Buren, AR 72956.
* Maile McDonald and
her family.
* Russ McConnell (father of Sandy Berger) is recovering from back
surgery.
* Helen Epton, mother of Rebecca Holloway, is now living at Fort
Smith Health & Rehab, Room 56, 3310 North 50th Street, Fort Smith, AR 72904.
Cards and visits are welcomed.
* Jo Harvey (mother of Jennifer Cohu) in her
treatment for cancer.
**New Members**
Carl and Fran Wade
705 South
17th Street
Fort Smith, AR 72901
Phone: (479) 709-9930
We welcome Carl
and Fran who recently moved here from California. Carl was baptized March
15 by David Chadwell. Please add Carl and Fran to your church
directory.
**Prayers for Missions**
* Jerry Canfield is
traveling and working in Ghana and Nigeria for 3 weeks.
* Jim & Deborah
Wilson are leaving March 18th for a 2 ½ week trip to Ethiopia.
**Bridal Shower**
A shower honoring Danyelle
Lusby is planned for Sunday, March 28, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the Annex.
Danyelle is registered at Penneys, Dillards, and Linens and Things.
** "We're the West-Ark Church of Christ and We Welcome You" **
By
Chris Benjamin
That message will be broadcast on the airwaves through March and
April. In connection with our worship series focusing on "The Passion of
the Christ," we have produced radio and television messages that welcome people
in this area to join us for worship and to share in our appreciation of the
gospel.
The radio messages will be aired Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7
p.m. on ESPN Radio 96.3 FM. Josh Bice's assistance was crucial in
producing these messages. The 60-second messages will run through April 9,
and each week the message changes giving me the opportunity to raise questions
that will be answered in that Sunday's sermon.
The 30-second television messages will be aired on the following Cox cable
stations: TBS, A & E, Discovery Channel, Weather Channel, Nickelodeon, ABC
Family, Food Network, and the Travel Channel. They will air between 6 a.m.
and midnight from March 19 - April 10. James Anderson assisted with the
production of this message and his leadership in getting our invitation out on
the airwaves has been outstanding. The television spot is brief, but for those
wanting more information, the message directs people to our website, which
Michael Cole works on so diligently.
Advice and encouragement from people like Gary Brown, David Boozer, J. T.
Smith, Chuck Combs, the elders, and my fellow ministers has been essential in
this process. One has to consider many things when investing in an effort
to "get a message out to the public." One principle that guided the
production and content of the message was this: It needs to be welcoming
and inviting! That's why every message contains the phrase "We're the
West-Ark Church of Christ and We Welcome You."
There's a second vital principle then that follows from this: We need
to be welcoming and inviting! All who worked on these media messages agree
that they are no substitute for our attitude and influence as individuals and as
a church. I encourage you first to pray for this ministry of communication
(Col. 4:4). Second, it would be so tragic if people were to join us some
Sunday and we did not demonstrate the welcome that we have communicated over the
airwaves. I encourage you to be very intentional about demonstrating the
hospitable spirit that you have shown my family over the last few months - I
know you are capable of welcoming people because my family and I have
experienced it firsthand! "So be wise in the way you act toward
outsiders; make the most of every opportunity" (Col. 4:5). As Christ has
welcomed us, let us welcome others.
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"Seniors, it won't be long now..."
By Brad Pistole
Can you believe your senior year is almost over? It's hard to believe
that it's time to start thinking about graduation, but it is. I'm writing
this to let everyone know that our Senior Graduation Services at West-Ark will
take place on Sunday, May 23rd at 10:30 a.m. As you know, May 9th is
Mother's Day and May 30th is a holiday weekend. So we will stick with the 23rd
for graduation services.
On the morning of the 23rd, all of the seniors will meet upstairs in the
gym in the smaller classroom. For those of you who may be new or unfamiliar with
our graduation services, we will be wearing our different High School graduation
caps and gowns during the service. Just bring your cap and gown with you and you
can put it on once you arrive.
There will be a large section down front that will be reserved for our
seniors and their families. We invite all family members to sit down front in
the section reserved for them so we can recognize them along with their
senior.
All of our seniors should have received a letter just like this from me
already. If so, you know that we need to hear from you A.S.A.P. if you plan to
participate. We also want to make a bulletin board for the senior class so we
will need a wallet-size senior picture from each of you as soon as
possible.
If you have any questions concerning Senior Graduation Services, please
call the office at 452-1240. We look forward to this special day in honor of
this year's senior class. There are special days ahead for each of you. Make the
most of them.
**Third Sunday Nursery**
A.M. Nursery
Gail Mason
Bo Mason
Flora Johnson
Missy
Blasdel
Kristy Abernathy
P.M. Nursery
Linda Wear, Terri Jones
**Attendance and Contribution**
Sunday A. M. 650
Bible
Classes 456
Sunday P.M. 240
Small Groups
25
Wednesday P.M. 341
Contribution $16,559
Children's
Home $228
The Way 35
Hispanic Attendance 31
Hispanic
Contribution $147
Laotian Attendance 35
Laotian
Contribution $214
**Schedule of Services**
Sunday Morning Worship, 10:30
Sunday Bible
Classes, 9:30
Sunday Evening, 6:00
**Weekly Classes**
Tuesday Morning WINGS, 9:30
Wednesday Morning
Ladies
Bible Class, 10:00
Wednesday Evening Bible
Classes for all ages,
7:00
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