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Family
Lines Newsletter, September 16, 2004
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**The Search for Meaning**
By David
Chadwell
Hebrews 11:13-16, All these died in faith,
without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them
from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the
earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a
country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from
which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is,
they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not
ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for
them.
The older we are, the more we search for meaning
and significance in life. The more spiritually mature we are, the more we
realize our insignificance. Usually, age urges us to evaluate personal
significance, and often advances spiritual maturity.
Obviously,
those two perspectives go in opposite directions. In one, we seek for
assurance of personal significance. In the other, we realize our
insignificance.
The effect of both results in a great irony in
human physical existence. We, as followers of God and Jesus Christ, grow
in awareness that we do not belong. Evil's expressions increasingly
distress us. Hate and contempt's expressions frustrate us inwardly and
outwardly. Injustice deeply troubles us. On deeper levels, we
realize that there are no simple answers--existence's problems are quite
complex! We yearn for simpler times, fully aware that such times do
not exist. The more we are exposed to, the less we understand.
We look at the struggles around us, shake our
heads, and quietly say to ourselves, "Did they not know this would be the
result? Did they not understand the consequences?" When the obvious
answer is "No!" we are astounded that anyone "could not know that."
The author of the writing we know as Hebrews
understood the enormous tension created by being a person of faith in an
environment that says only "reality" exists. The more you are a person of
faith, the less you fit into "physical reality." The people to whom this author
wrote knew that struggle--they lived in an extremely idolatrous
environment!
He reminded them that the great people of faith they
admired--including Abraham--"did not fit." Though these people were only
"stops" on God's journey to His objectives in Christ, though they glimpsed but
never possessed God's great promises in Christ, though they had a choice to
belong to "physical reality" or to "faith," they understood some things very
clearly. They clearly understood they did not fit in this unjust
world. They clearly understood they belonged in a place where only
righteousness (the purest form of justice) exists. They clearly understood
that while they did not belong here, there was a place they would belong.
Though the physical world thought they were stupid, God was not ashamed of
them. God cherished them so much that he prepared a place of righteousness
for them--a place where they always would know they belonged.
Find your significance in God. Find your
insignificance in God. Know you "belong" in God's presence. Measure
yourself by your faith, not your possessions, position, or power. Never
"belong" in an unjust world. Always "belong" to a righteous
God.
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Page
2 [Except for prayer updates, the deadline for information in the
newsletter is 3:00 p.m. on
Wednesdays.]
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**Make plans for our special contribution for
Hurricane Relief Sunday morning, September 19th.**
**New Bible
Study**
Gary Brown has started a new Wednesday night Bible class on "Angels"
in Room 203. All who are interested in this study are invited to
attend.
**LTC Information**
There will be a coaches'
meeting September 19th at 5:15 p.m. in Room 100.
**Jail Ministry Update**
Three men answered the
gospel call and were baptized into Christ on Saturday, September 11th. Thank you
to Steve Breedlove for teaching these men about the love and grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
In the Master's service,
Dan Cathey
**Sunday Morning**
Focusing Daily on Jesus
and
His Cross, Part 1
Chris Benjamin, Speaker
**Sunday Evening**
Focusing Daily on Jesus and
His Cross - Part 1.5
Chris Benjamin, Speaker
**Coming Events**
Ladies' Day
Rena Road Church of
Christ
Saturday, September 18
9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Theme: "First
Love"
Speaker: Lee Banks
Lunch will be served.
9th Street Church of Christ
Fall Gospel
Revival
September 26 - 29
Sunday afternoon worship
and singing at 3:00
p.m.
Monday - Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.
Speaker: Thomas Hartaway
of
Little Rock, Arkansas.
**Happy Birthday**
September 19
Andrew Todd
September 20
Virginia Mobley
Callie
Walker
Wanda Wear
September 21
Glenda Roberts
Pam
Watlington
Russell Wieser
September 22
Jamey Burkhart
Jordan
Haworth
Bea McDonald
September 23
Michael Doyle
Opal
Hewett
Molly Walker
Shirley Webb
September 24
Odell Bryan
Annona
Burns
Ashlee Johnson
September 25
Melinda Griffin
Darlene
Hostetler
**"Peak of the Week"**
Focus on Mission &
Ministry
9/22/04 France - James Word
9/29/04 Nigeria - Jerry Canfield
10/6/04 Ethiopia -
Roy Dunavin and/or Jim
Wilson
10/13/04 Southeast Asia (1) -
Jerry and Meg
Canfield
10/20/04 Guyana Medical -
Michael and Jeannie
Cole
10/27/04 Iglesia de Cristo (TBA)
11/3/04 Southeast Asia (2) -
Jim and Deborah
Wilson
11/10/04 Prayer Lab
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Page
3 [Please e-mail newsletter information to Debbie@westarkchurchofchrist.org
or call the office at
452-1240.]
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**The Wonder Working Power of Prayer**
* Saige Blasdel entered St. Edward Hospital
Wednesday morning as an outpatient for hernia repair.
* Carol Green will have
a heart catheterization on 9/22/04 in St. Edward Hospital.
* Carl Wood has a
mild form of a muscle disease and has been accepted in the MDA program.
* The
Jenkins family appreciates your prayers for Adam. His new occupational therapies
seem to be helping, but they still have a long road ahead. Adam will have a
brain scan on the 23rd to rule out any underlying problems.
* Debbie Belote's
mother, Norma Williams, will have knee replacement surgery on Monday in
Springdale, AR.
* Rochelle Brown's cousin, Darrell Lane, was severely injured
in a car accident in Kansas City on September 11th.
* Carlene Payne's
daughter-in-law, Hope Payne (age 24), is in ICU with pneumonia and septic
shock. She has been unconscious and on a ventilator since Sunday. Carlene
suggests that notes and cards would be encouraging for her son, Benjamin.
The address is: Benjamin & Hope Payne, 2580 Bougainvilla Drive,
Jacksonville, NC 28543.
* Esther Gunn's friend, Diane Blount, has started
radiation treatments for a malignant brain tumor.
* Larry Treat began
chemotherapy treatments Monday for Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
* Kathy
Lewis
* Chuck Cunningham
* Anita Maxwell
* Kathy Eichenberger (mother
of Scott James)
* Maile McDonald
* Gary & Judi Green
* Don Green
* Lear Mae Moody (mother of Sue George)
**Prayers for Military**
Michael Gooden (son of
Benny & Martha) has been redeployed to "parts unknown." Also, please
remember in your prayers Michael's wife and family in Fayetteville,
NC.
Jim and Sarah Newton's grandson, Shane Newton, is
stationed at Fort Bragg, NC.
Continue to remember Daniel Kweekul, Phillip Lux,
Johnny Lindgren, Jeff Amos, Lori Dotson, Brandon Daws, Matthew Faries, and Aaron
Bailey.
**Changes of Address**
Kevin & Reynda Allen
Maggie Allen
6809
Lookout Drive
Fort Smith, AR 72916
Phone: (479) 648-1080
John and Jill Wood
Carl Wood
619 Dugan Mill
Circle
Fort Smith, AR 72908
Phone is unchanged.
**Baby Shower**
A shower honoring Kim Lankford
Bice is planned for Sunday, September 26th, from 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. in the home of
Helen Pratt, 3705 May Branch Lane in Fort Smith. Kim is registered at
Wal-Mart and Toys 'R Us. It's a boy.
**Potluck Reminder**
The next 60+ potluck is
Saturday, September 18th at 6:00 p.m. in the Annex.
**Dishes Returned**
If you took food to the
Newton Family, your dishes are returned and available on the hall table in the
foyer.
**Notes of Thanks**
Brothers and Sisters in
Christ,
Your remembrance of us at this time of our mother's death is greatly
appreciated. The food was excellent. The many cards and your attendance at the
funeral encourage us. Thank you for caring. Our church family is a
blessing.
Jim & Sarah V. Newton
**Fall Preaching & Worship
Topics**
9 - 26
The Lord's Supper
David
Chadwell
10 - 3
Daily Focusing on Jesus and the Cross -
Part 2
10 - 10
Proclaiming a Biblical Worldview - Part
1
10 - 17
Proclaiming a Biblical Worldview - Part
2
10 - 24
Increasing Love and Godly Behavior -
Part 1
10 - 31
Increasing Love and Godly Behavior -
Part 2
11 - 7
Missions Weekend - Dan McVey
11 - 14
Nurturing Spiritual Growth and Holiness
- Part 1
11 - 21
Nurturing Spiritual Growth and Holiness
- Part 2
11 - 28
Recognizing Spiritual Gifts and Using
them to Glorify God - Part 1
12 - 5
Recognizing Spiritual Gifts and Using
them to Glorify God - Part 2
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**Family Life Ministry**
By Brad
Pistole
It's hard to believe that we're half way through
the month of September and that we've already completed a month of school, but
it's true. Before you know it, you'll be putting up a Christmas tree and making
out your New Year's Resolutions.
But before that happens, I want to remind you that
God has not promised us tomorrow. We only get one day at a time and that day is
TODAY.
I am convinced that the pace of our lives in
today's world is faster than ever before. And things will probably speed up even
more in the near future. But even if they do, we will never jump forward into
the future. We only get one day at a time.
With that reality in mind, we should be asking
ourselves the deeper questions in life. You know, the eternal ones.
When you live your life with eternity in mind,
things begin to change. The choices of the day become a whole lot more important
than just choosing between "going to the Big Game" or "making it to the lake one
more time this summer."
You'll find that your spiritual life will change,
too. It will become so much more than just "going to church."
When you realize that today is the only day you
have, you begin to realize that YOU ARE THE CHURCH. It's not something you
have to "go to." And things begin to take on a whole new meaning. You see
yourself, the people around you, and the opportunities of the day in a whole
different light.
Maybe that's the way God intended it...
(Luke
12:1-48)
**Nursery**
A.M. Nursery
Gail Mason
Bo Mason
Flora
Johnson
Missy Blasdel
Kristy Abernathy
P.M. Nursery
Linda Wear
Terri
Jones
**Attendance and Contribution Count**
Sunday A. M. 665
Bible Classes
460
Sunday Night 324
Small Group 37
Wednesday P.M.
333
Contribution $16,570
Children's Home
$323
The Way NA
Hispanic Attendance 49
Hispanic Contribution
$150
Laotians Attendance 33
Laotian Contribution $187
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