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Family
Lines Newsletter, December 7,
2006
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** Now Is Today Which May Be
All There Is! **
By David Chadwell
Matthew 6:34, So do not worry
about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble
of its own.
This morning was
interesting. It began by my reading an obituary of a friend, a doctor,
killed in a car accident at 53 years of age. I knew him first as a single
student in some of my Bible classes at a student center. The young lady
who became his wife was in those classes. It is very difficult to believe
that a friend 13 years younger than me is no longer a part of earthly
life. To me, that is quite sobering!
Shortly after that, I read Joe
Pistoles message about the death of
Andrew Brady. He was a young, unmarried coach in a Christian school with
deep roots in this Christian community. An aneurysm unexpectedly took his
life and devastated his parents!
My point is to challenge us to be
sober and appreciative. I do not seek to be morbid!
Among those who believe Jesus
Christ is Gods son who provides the world with salvation, this time of the year
is hope-filled. Gods promise to do something unique provided past
hope. The Sons coming made that hope a reality. His hope of
resurrection makes life meaningful now. That hope gives the future its
greatest meaning.
Prior to Jesus birth, ministry,
death, and resurrection, life and the world were pretty hopeless. Without the
resurrected Jesus, they still are. No matter what we accumulate, what we
have, or what we are worth, it is all temporary. As the present quickly
becomes the past, the haunting question is, Why? Why does it
matter?
May I paraphrase a statement in a
lesson Jesus gave? In the context of those who chased security through
theological correctness (Matthew 5:21-6:18), those who chased security through
possessions (Matthew 6:19-24), and those who worried because of what they did
not have (Matthew 6:25-33), Jesus challenged people to look at today
differently.
All we can do with the past is
learn from it. All we can do with the future is worry about what it will
bring. If we spend today fretting about the past or being anxious about
the future, all we achieve is a wasting of now. Be alive now. Do
good now. Never neglect the problems and challenges of
now.
The truth is this: All we
have is now. Now learns from the past, refuses to waste itself
worrying about the future, and takes care of nows needs.
Do not waste today thinking about
what you should have done. Do not waste it fretting about the
future. Use now well because it is all you have.
Accept these facts. Security
is not found in theological positions. Security is not found in
possessions. Security is not found in anxiety. Security is found in
the resurrection by those who are wise enough to use now as an investment in
God.
Never stop being grateful for what
you have. Never look at the temporary as permanent.
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**Wonder Working Power of
Prayer**
(Alphabetical order by first name)
Agnes Ely (mother of Dave
Cogswell) -- prayers for comfort
Belle Wood -- prayers for comfort
Betty Hatcher is recovering from surgery for
a broken wrist.
Betty Porter is in St. Edward Hospital, room
4321.
Bob Williams (father of Debbie Belote) is home from the hospital and
continues to recover from pneumonia.
Grace Peters has been dismissed from
the hospital.
Janet Jackson had out-patient surgery Wednesday morning.
Kathy Rosalez is waiting for test results.
Praise! Lee Anne (Lowe) Goins of
the Dayton Church of Christ had surgery to remove a brain tumor on December
1st. The surgery went very well and LeAnn continues to improve.
Marie Sutherland is in St. Edward Hospital, room 4307.
Linda Davis requests
prayers for Marilyn Wilbanks, who was recently diagnosed with multiple
cancer.
Praise! Christy Pucketts friend, Melvin McCourt, is much improved
and home from the hospital.
Naomi Spears, daughter of Pearl Beam,
continues to recover at Sparks Hospital, room 641.
Randy English &
Family (missionary to American Samoa)
Sharon Barker (recovering
from pneumonia)
Starr Pistoles breast cancer surgery is scheduled
for Thursday, December 7 at Baptist Hospital. (Starr is the daughter-in-law of
Joe and Peggy).
Tina Eudaly (Mary Burkett's mother) is recovering from hip
replacement surgery.
Trucilla Surrat, mother of Kathy Rosalez, was taken to
the hospital Wednesday afternoon.
Wendell Fenton, father of Natalie Nelson
**Prayers for Bereaved**
Our
love and sympathy is extended to the following families:
Berniece Rogers in
the death of her brother, Bill Bowers. Funeral services are Friday (12/8/06), 12 noon at North Little Rock Funeral Home.
Ann & Leslie Holland in the death of a cousin, Andrew Brady. Andrew was
basketball coach at Central Arkansas Christian School in North Little Rock and
has many friends in this area.
**Prayer Pagers**
Belle
Wood 441-1792
Kathy Rosalez 441-6639
Sharon Barker
441-2386
Starr Pistole 441-2384
Dial all pagers
441-2395
**Military Prayer
List**
Mitchell Bryant, Adam Morrissun, Jeff Amos, Brian Harris, Kyle
Evans, Charles Hardy, Wes Roper, Michael Gooden, Michael Anderson and
Jonathan Smith.
**Prayers for Missions**
Thomas and Kindy Kweekul are in Thailand.
Continue to pray for our
missionary families in Vietnam and Laos.
John Paul & Ruby Lee Hundley
in France.
**70th Wedding
Anniversary**
Rex and Mildred Lawman (former West-Ark members) will celebrate
their 70th Anniversary on December
12! If you would like to send a card, their address is 1804 Mill Creek Circle,
North Little Rock, AR 72116.
**Game Day**
Thursday,
December 14
12 Noon
Meg Canfields Home
2 Chestnut Court, Fort
Smith, AR 72903
**Inner City Ministry -- Serving
Those in Need**
December 16th (3rd
Saturday)
December 30th (5th
Saturday)
December has five Saturdays, and it is West-Arks turn to
serve the meal at Hope Park Pavilion on December 30th in addition to our regular
3rd Saturday on December 16th. If you can help serve, please call Jack Lewis, or if you are part of our regular 3rd Saturday crew, but can also
serve on the 30th, please let Jack know.
**Pancakes and
Finals!**
December 11-15, 7-10 a.m. daily
Its finals week for UAFS
college students, and the Lions for Christ will host a pancake breakfast each
morning of that week. We still need a few more cooks. If you can come and
help, please contact Colleen Frost at the church office or at home.
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**LTC
Announcements**
Registration fees of $30 per child are due by December 10.
They can be given to Clark Risley or Nancy Smith. If arrangements need to be
made, see Gary Brown or Clark Risley.
December 10, 5 p.m., Room
100
Meeting for all elementary students and parents participating in chorus,
drama, and puppets.
Chorus Practice
Junior &
Senior High, December 10, 4:30 p.m.
**Hope Chest Toy
Collection**
The Hope Chest is still collecting toys. It is our goal to fill
the big red container in the foyer at least one more time in order that we will
have as many toys as we had last year. Also, if you have Christmas
decorations or holiday items that you aren't using this year, please consider
donating those to the Hope Chest for distribution. Just place them BESIDE
the container.
**Next Two Sunday
Nights**
December 10 Guest Speaker, Steve DeLoach (Guyana
Missions)
December 17 -- Kevin Roberts, Speaker
**Holiday Schedules for Sundays
and Wednesdays at West-Ark**
Wednesday, December 20th
Normal
schedule
Sunday, December 24th
Morning and evening worship at
regular time.
Sunday evening
-- KFC and Youth Worship will not meet.
Wednesday,
December 27th
Normal schedule
Sunday, December 31st
Morning
and evening worship at regular time.
Sunday evening -- KFC will not meet.
Youth
Worship will coincide with their New Year's Eve activities.
**Church Office Schedule**
The
church office will be closed December 25, 26 and January 1.
We will not
publish a newsletter on December 28th (week of Christmas).
**Ladies' Retreat**
Mark your
calendars for our Ladies' Retreat, February 16-17, 2007.
Our theme is "Gifted
By God."
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**Family Life Ministry**
By
Brad Pistole
West-Ark Teens Host JOY Bunch
Christmas Dinner
On Saturday, December 16th, our
7th-12th graders will host our annual 60+/Joy Bunch Christmas Dinner in the
Family Life Center. The dinner will last from 5:30 7:00 p.m. All of our 60+
members and elders and their wives are invited to attend.
The sign-up list for the dinner is
located just outside Room 100 on the bulletin board. Please sign up A.S.A.P. so
we can make appropriate arrangements for our meal.
The menu for this year is full of
great stuff: Chicken Spaghetti, veggies, salad, rolls, homemade desserts,
etc. Our 7th-12th grade LTC choir will also be singing for us. You wont
want to miss the food and fellowship, so make plans now to attend!
Our teenagers and adult volunteers
need to arrive by 3:30 p.m. to help set up, decorate and cook. We look forward
to this event every year and hope to see all of you on Saturday, December 16th
from 5:30 7:00 p.m.
And just a reminder
the Junior
High will be having their Christmas Party immediately after the dinner in the
FLC. It will last from 7 9 p.m. and everyone needs to bring a wrapped gift
($10 or less in value). Please sign up on the youth board upstairs.
**Happy Birthday**
December 10th
Josh
Kimbrow
Brent Perkins
December 11th
Lacy
Layman
Doris Robertson
December 12th
Bill
Beall
David Boozer
Taylor Burress
Breck Cogswell
Earl
Flood
Nadine Hawkins
Stephen Tomlin
December 13th
Brian
Hite
December 14th
Brooke
Barker
Ken Johnson
James Vachel Roughley
December 15th
Tucker
Anders
Michael Jones
December 17th
Olan
Nincehesler
Morning Nursery
Trish
Carson
Dwonne Cogswell
Vicki Anderson
Evening Nursery
Terri
Jones
Marquetta Walker
**Attendance and Contribution
Count**
Sunday AM Worship 694
Bible
Classes 443
Sunday Evening 334
Wednesday Evening
250
Contribution $20,872
Childrens Home $232
Laotian
Attendance
37
Contribution $171
Iglesia de Cristo
Attendance
50
Contribution $161
Office Phone (479)
452-1240
Fax (479) 452-5767
office@westarkchurchofchrist.org
www.westark.org
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"Making
disciples for Jesus who are eager to serve
others."
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