-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Family
Lines Newsletter, July 1,
2004
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**Hard Decisions, Not Half-Hearted
Promises**
David Chadwell
Matthew 7:24, 25 "Therefore everyone who hears
these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built
his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds
blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been
founded on the rock."
Jesus' coming into this world involved numerous
hard decisions. Either he would or he would not be a human being.
That cannot be a maybe decision. (See Philippians 2:6, 7.) To say
"No!" to the rule of Satan was an "either/or" decision, not a perhaps
decision. (See Matthew 4:1-11). To assume the role of a poor servant
in his ministry involved a definite commitment, not a "wait and see"
attitude. (See Matthew 20:28.)
Jesus' commitment involved being misunderstood by
his own followers, rejection by the people he came to help, resentment from
those he tried to redirect, and criticism from those who were certain "we know
God better than you do." When we carefully consider his Gethsemane
prayers, his suffering prior to and during death, and his willingness to become
a cold, dead body, we know those involved hard decisions.
He did not say to God, "Maybe we will do it your
way." He did not say, "I will suffer some -- but I say when enough is
enough!" His decision to die was a non-reversible decision! Jesus
did not live with "one foot in evil and one foot in godliness" -- just to be on the
safe side. He decided for God, and he followed through on his
decision.
Could it be, in the past, it has been too
convenient to be a Christian in this society? There was a time when
society's values commonly were Christian values. Christians often did not
have to make a decision! However those days are gone.
Today, society's values and God's values often are
in contrast-unless we redefine God's values. It seems we can transpose any
ungodly pursuit into godliness if we alter God's definitions a bit. By
altering God's definitions we can be a little bit sexually active outside of
marriage, a little bit dishonest, a little bit untruthful, a little bit greedy,
a little bit vulgar, a little bit against God, a little bit selfish, a little
bit hypocritical, a little bit ...
Often we create the impression that Christians can
be converted when conversion suits their immediate desires, serve when it is
convenient to serve, make God their priority when it suits the moment's
purposes, honor Christ when it is the thing to do, and live for God when we are
surrounded by those who live for God.
Jesus becoming our Savior involved hard
decisions. Following Jesus as our Savior involves hard decisions.
Just as becoming the Savior involved being misunderstood, rejected, resented,
and criticized, being the Savior's disciple often involves being misunderstood,
rejected, resented, and criticized. We follow Christ or we do
not.
After washing his disciples' feet, Jesus said,
"Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one
who is sent greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you are
blessed if you do them" (John 13:16, 17). The storm is
gathering!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Page
2
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**HEY KIDS**
It's coming soon!! VBS 2004
Come
and learn about HIS LAST WEEK
Monday - Thursday, July 19-22
9:30 a.m. -
12:30 p.m.
* Join a Bible-Time Family
* Visit the Synagogue
* Listen to
the Storytellers
* Visit and Participate in the Marketplace!
*
Carpentry Shop
* Spice & Herb Shop
* Rope-Making
Shop
* Pottery Shop
* Scribe Shop
* And other
interesting shops!
REGISTER TODAY!
Call (479) 452-1240
or register
online at www.westark.org
**Sunday Morning**
Chris Benjamin,
Speaker
"If You Would Just Listen"
Psalms 81
**Sunday Evening**
Transformation Illustrated:
Tax Collectors
David Chadwell, Speaker
**Getting Ready for VBS!**
The following are
needed for VBS:
PEOPLE:
* Marketplace Shop Keepers
*
Marketplace Helpers
* Family Helpers
* Bakers to bake candies for our
Candy Shop
* Bakers to bake bread for our families and Baker's
Shop
ITEMS to be donated or loaned:
* Greenery/Trees
* Old
sheets/ fabric
* Pottery
* Baskets
* Rugs
* Old bicycle tire
rims
* Any instruments that might have been used in Bible times (string harp,
pipe, etc.)
See Dena Jenkins if you have items to donate or
loan.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Page
3
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**In Our Thoughts and Prayers**
* Yolanda Gunn
is scheduled for surgery July 3rd and will be hospitalized overnight.
* Marie
Lyle was admitted to Sparks Hospital last week.
* Beatrice Neighbors, Mitch
Harper's grandmother, is in room 653 of Sparks Hospital.
* Kay
Marchant was recently in a car accident and had surgery.
* Wanda Jeffcoat is
in St. Edward Hospital, room 4408.
* Adam Jenkins will go back to see his
feeding specialist at Children's Hospital on Thursday. Adam has shown some
improvement and the family greatly appreciates your continued prayers!
*
Trace Helms
* Loftin twins
* Lorena Dunavant
* Sanh Luongvan
* Maile
McDonald
* Judi Green
* Lear Mae Moody
**Bereaved**
We
extend our love and sympathy to our church family in the death of their loved
ones:
* Kitty Nincehelser lost her mother earlier this month. Services for
Mrs. Ware, Friday, June 18th, in Texas. Mrs. Ware was a member of the Church of
Christ near Wheeler, Texas.
* Fred Jackson's mother, Daisy Mae Jackson, died
last week. Services were Saturday in Conway. She was a member of the Robinson
and Center Church of Christ in Conway.
* John Smith, father of Patty Kaiser
died Sunday. Services were at the Lewis Funeral Chapel on Wednesday. Mr. Smith
is also the brother-in-law of Kathleen Taranto and the uncle of Meg
Canfield.
* Wayne Bailey's father, Luther "Luke" Bailey died Friday. Services
were Monday at the Waldron Church of Christ.
* Cecil Rupe of Cameron, OK
died Saturday. She is the mother of Frances Threet and Dorothy Caldwell. Funeral
services were Tuesday in Pocola.
* Jordan Walker's grandmother died June
24th. Burial was Sunday in Melbourne, AR.
**Prayers for Military**
Add to this prayer list
Lori Dotson (daughter-in-law of David & Jennifer Dotson). Continue to
remember Daniel Kweekul, Phillip Lux, Johnny Lindgren, and Jeff Amos, who are
currently serving in Iraq. Brandon Daws has a 2-week furlough starting July
1st.
**Baptism**
Ashley Stafford was recently
baptized by Brad. If you would like to send Ashley a card, you may do so
in care of Ann Selig, 6801 Duncan Circle, Fort Smith, AR 72903.
**Welcome!**
Ashlee Johnson
109 Mollie
Court
Barling, AR 72923
Phone: 479 462-6950
Please add Ashlee to your
church directory.
**Senior Game Day**
Our next game day is
Thursday, July 8th at 1 p.m. in the FLC.
**Widows/Widowers**
We will not have a Car
Clinic or luncheon in July.
**60+ Potluck**
Our next potluck dinner is
Saturday, July 17th at 6:00 p.m. in the Annex.
**Note to Gateway Parents**
In our game room in
recent weeks, it has become evident that we need to spend some time with our
2nd-6th graders learning the books of the Bible in order. Take some of that car
time this summer and review the books with them. It can be a game! This is
valuable and is worth the time you will invest. Thank you for sharing your
kids with us! ~~ Mary Burkett
**Gateway Kids! **
This Sunday is our last week
of this rotation. Please be prepared to say your memory verse (Matthew
22:37-39). To all students (especially the new 2nd graders), this Sunday,
July 4th, and Wednesday, July 7th are the last dates to earn points for the next
celebration awards. July 11 will be our next celebration. We
will meet in the FLC during class. BE PREPARED!! You may need some "wet weather"
protection for our next celebration.
**Happy Birthday**
July 4
Reva Hoff
Suzanne Karr
Jim
Newton
Cory Wakefield
July 5
Margaret Gillian
July 6
Michelle Morgan
July 7
Kristy Abernathy
Amanda
Robison
July 9
Brett Cooper
July 10
Martha Walker
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Page
4
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**Family Life Ministry**
By Brad
Pistole
Wow! What a great summer we've had so far. It's
hard to find the words to describe what we've experienced so far this summer.
This is the 14th summer I've worked with the teens at West-Ark and you might
think that I would start to get bored of the same old routine.
After all, the summer is the most stressful time of the year for
me. My weekly hours almost double from May - August. There is very little rest
and very little time off. And while I do find myself tiring easier and
recovering from events much slower these days, I still simply love it.
There is so much excitement and so much energy that comes from
watching new births and growth take place. Do you remember when you were a kid
and you planted your first seed in a plastic cup of sod and placed it on the
kitchen window sill? Do you remember watering it each day and waiting for it to
sprout? Do you remember how excited you were when it finally broke through the
sod and started to grow?
I experience that same excitement on a
much greater level when I watch our teens begin to experience spiritual growth
for the first time. It's very rewarding to plan events for the summer with
specific goals in mind and then watch as the teens continue to grow from week to
week.
Do you remember marking the door frame in your room with a
pencil to see how tall you were? If you were like I was, you could hardly wait
each week until you returned to see how much you had grown. Everyone gets
excited about growth. And that's what it's like for me to work with our young
people. I love to see them grow.
As hard as it may be to believe,
the summer of 2004 is at the half-way point. Five weeks have passed which leaves
us with 5 weeks to go. We have been blessed by 3 major youth events so far
and we have 3 major events remaining: Green Valley Bible Camp (July 4-10),
Vacation Bible School (July 19-22), and Soul Lift in St. Louis (July 24-27).
I pray that you and your family will make the most
of the time that remains this summer as it relates to your spiritual life. Aaron
and I have prepared the seeds that we hope to plant inside each of you. If you
will allow God to water and apply his Sonlight, you will experience wonderful
growth that you will never forget.
~Brad
Pistole
**Sunday Nursery**
A.M. Nursery
Sandi
Pippin
Melissa Walker
Dena Jenkins
Irene Willis
P.M. Nursery
Dixie Burkhart
Gina
Williams
**Attendance and Contribution Count**
Sunday A.
M. 668
Bible Classes 405
Sunday Night 243
Small Group
9
Wednesday P.M. 315
Contribution $12,888
Children's
Home $329
The Way 48
Hispanic Attendance 43
Hispanic
Contribution $153
Laotians Attendance 30
Laotian Contribution
$170
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------