**Bereaved**
Our love and sympathy is
extended to Nadine Hawkins in the recent death of her aunt, Blanche Harris, of
Saginaw, Michigan.
**Pray for Mission Efforts**
Continue to
pray for our missionary families in Vietnam and Laos.
John Paul & Ruby
Lee Hundley in France.
Steve & Coleen DeLoach, Operation
Guyana
**Prayer Pagers**
Doris Robertson,
441-2384
Roger Dicks, 441-2386
Patty Kaiser, 441-2387
Dialing (479) 441-2395 will contact all West-Ark prayer pagers at once.
The
Perkins Family has returned their pager with the following
note.
Dear Church Family,
Wed like to thank
everyone for the prayers, support and love during this time. We appreciate all
of you!
God bless,
The Perkins
**Pray for Our Military **
Adam
Morrissun
Brian Perkins
Brian Harris
Jeff Amos
Jonathan
Smith
Kyle Evans
Michael Anderson
Ron Wheat
Stephen McElroy
Wes
Roper
**Note of Thanks**
Thank you for your
kindness and expressions of appreciation shown to Vivian and me Sunday following
the announcement from the Elders that I have resigned as a shepherd of the
West-Ark congregation. We were especially appreciative of the plaque and flowers
presented to us by the current elders.
I have counted it a blessing from God to have
served as one of your Elders for approximately 14 years on two separate
occasions. You have always shown love and respect to Vivian and me over the
years, and we are grateful. I still want to be as active as possible and
serve you in every way that our heart circumstances will allow.
May God bless you, and it is my prayer that all
of us will continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ
who blesses us with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus. ~~Earl Flood
**Wedding Shower**
A couples wedding shower
honoring Daniel Tignor and Julie Keller is planned for Sunday, April 15, from
2:00 to 3:30 p.m. at Meg Canfield's home (2 Chestnut Court in Fort Smith).
Daniel and Julie are registered at Wal-Mart. Daniel has been an active West-Ark
member since moving to Fort Smith a little over a year ago and serves on the
Missions Committee. He and Julie will make Fort Smith their home after her
graduation from Harding University in May.
**Bridal Shower**
You are invited to a Bridal
Shower honoring Ashlee Johnson (bride-elect of Jeremy Beauchamp) on Sunday,
April 22, from 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. in the West-Ark Annex. Ashlee is registered at
Target, Linens N Things, and online at Crate and Barrel, http://www.crateandbarrel.com. The wedding will be in Kansas City,
Missouri.
**Engagement Announced**
Mr. and Mrs. Stan
Burkhart are proud to announce the engagement and approaching marriage of their
daughter, Amanda Lee, to James Robert Hedrick of Fayetteville, AR. The
wedding ceremony is planned for May 19th at Magnolia Gardens in Springdale,
AR.
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3
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**If God Could Change Me Any Way He Wished
**
By David Chadwell
THEREFORE I urge you, brethren, by the mercies
of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God,
which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this
world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove
what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans
12:1, 2)
If God could change me any way He wished, what
would He change? How would the way I think be different? How would
what I value be different? How would my priorities change? What would happen to
the way I use my time? In what would I get involved?
What would I discontinue? How would my to do list be
altered?
Of this I feel certainwe all would
change! The congregation, dating, marriages, parenting, job performance,
and relationships would change! In fact, most of usif not all of uswould
be shocked at some of the changes God made in us. Not only would we be astounded
at some areas of alteration God made, but when we knew and understood the
reason, we would be even more astounded.
Some changes we prize. Many prize becoming
a teenager. Many prize becoming 16 so we can acquire a drivers
license. Many prize high school graduation, college graduation, qualifying
for most anything, a first paycheck, a wanted job, a wanted engagement, a wanted
marriage, a wanted birth, a first home, a first car, etc.
Some changes we do not like. Many do not
like turning 30 or 40 or 50 need we go any further? Most do not like divorce,
ruptured relationships, boring jobs, debt, traffic violations, unreasonable
stress, being dominated by unbearable people, over commitment, impossible
expectations, sickness, death, etc.
Transformation is about changing us.
Generally speaking, adults least like change when it involves changing
me. Do not mess with my bodyI like it the way it is! Do not
mess with my mindI like it the way it is! Do not mess with my
prioritiesI like them the way they are! I am okay. I have no
complaints with me! Why can you not just accept me as okay? If I am
pleased with me, why cant you be pleased with me?
Being a Christian is choosing to be transformed.
Choosing to be transformed is choosing to change. It is choosing to allow
God into my heart by changing the way I feel. It is choosing to allow God
into my mind by changing the way I think. It is choosing to allow God into
my body by changing how I use it. It is choosing to allow God to make me a
person who never stops growing in His values and priorities. It is
choosing to live for eternity instead of living for now.
Transformation is not about joining an
organization and conforming to expectations of others. It is about
becoming the person God can make me. Transformation never
stops!
**Sunday VBS Meeting**
Well have an
organizational meeting for everyone who wants to be involved in VBS on Sunday,
April 15, at 5:00 in room 100. If you want to participate in VBS, but cannot
attend, please contact Dena Jenkins or Staci James.
**VBS is June 18-21**
Catch Jesus in
Action
**LTC Lunch on Sunday!**
Join us Sunday
morning after worship for lunch in the FLC. This is for all LTC
participants and their families!
**Happy Anniversary!**
Congratulations to G.
C. & Margaret Stone on their 67th Wedding Anniversary, April
12th!
**Senior Game Day!**
Thursday, April 19,
12:00 p.m.
in the home of Meg Canfield.
Come and join the fun and
games!
**Lions for Christ Finals Week Pancake
Breakfast**
May 7-11, 7 10 a.m.
If you would like to help with breakfast
for our college students, please contact Colleen Frost at home or at
the church office.
**You are invited to a Come and Go Party**
to celebrate Jewell Cox Kings 100th Birthday
Saturday, April 14, 3:00 to
6:00 PM
at River Park on Clayton Expressway.
Come have a piece of cake
and leave your best wishes.
Jewell is the mother of Barbara
Miller.
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4
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**Family Life Ministry**
By Brad
Pistole
**Jesus Hes So Nice? Continued
**
I hope you took the time this past week to
personally look up the scriptures that were listed and read the stories in full
context. If you missed last weeks article, here they are again.
Just turn and read about the Jesus found in Matthew 11:16-19, Matthew 12:46-50,
Matthew 21:31-32, Matthew 23, Mark 2:13-17, Mark 11:15-19, John 4, John 8 and
John 9:34-41.
Do you find a kind, sweet, soft-spoken,
non-controversial, and easily understood Jesus in these passages? Or
did you have to go back and read them again to try and understand exactly what
it was he was trying to say and do?
Have you ever questioned the way Jesus chose to
approach things? Be honest! Some of his sayings are pretty hard to
take. He was rather bold! At times he was plainly
confrontational
even down right controversial. Surely, this wasnt Gods
plan!
Just look at what He said, Dont imagine that I
came to bring peace to the earth! No, I came to bring a sword. I have come
to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a
daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. Your enemies will be right in
your own household. (Matt 10:34-46)
And this wasnt even the toughest or most
confusing thing he ever said. In John 6:22-66, he completely dumbfounds
his listeners with his words. At one point in the story, the scriptures
say Even his disciples said, This is very hard to understand. How can anyone
accept it?' And after he finished speaking, the scriptures say, At this
point MANY of his disciples turned away and deserted him. Does Jesus ever cause
a problem for you and your theology???
Wouldnt it be great if we could make Jesus
fit into a nice, neat little box that makes perfect sense? Wouldnt it
be great if he would do and say all of the things that fit perfectly with our
concepts of God, religion, church, the world, etc.?
Be he doesnt! And that causes us BIG
problems! Just like it did the religious people of His day and time!
And you know how they decided to handle that problem
(Continued next week.)
**Happy Birthday**
April 15
Tom Beard
Staci James
David
Young
April 16
Chandler Harper
Lila
Hull
April 17
Dave Cogswell
Barry
Neal
April 18
Ronnie Abernathy
April 19
Kevin Hesslen
April 20
Jenny Atchison
Wyatt
Benjamin
Robin Webber
Lauren Willis
April 21
Inez Hatfield
Jewell
House
**Morning Nursery**
Elaine Hill
Flora
Johnson
**Evening Nursery**
Carolyn Hankins
Sheila
Vaught
**Attendance and Contribution Count**
Sunday
AM Worship 864
Sunday PM Worship 215
Bible Classes 414
Life
Groups 53
Contribution $19466
Childrens Home
$320
Lao Worship
Attendance 49
Contribution
$228
Iglesia de Cristo
Attendance
42
Contribution $225
Office Phone (479) 452-1240
Fax (479)
452-5767
office@westarkchurchofchrist.org
www.westark.org-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Making
disciples for Jesus who are eager to serve
others."
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