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Family
Lines Newsletter, May 24,
2007
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**Holy Manners: Respect**
By
David Chadwell
Be devoted to one another in
brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor
(Romans
12:10).
So when He had washed their feet,
and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to
them, "Do you know what I have done
to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then,
the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one anothers
feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. 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 13:12-17)
If I belong to God, I should
respect you. Why? God created me in His image, and God created you
in His image (Genesis 1:27). If I respect God, I must respect
you.
If you are in Christ, I have two
reasons to respect you. Not only did God create us in His image, but God
also recreated us in Christ (Ephesians 4:20-24; Colossians 3:9-11).
Everything we are physically and spiritually we owe to God.
What does it mean for a person in
Christ to respect another person in Christ? (1) It means I will never give
you reason to distrust me. I will always hold you in honor. I will
value your reputation as much as I value my own. I will be as sensitive
about your person as I am about mine. I will be as devoted to your
spiritual success as I am devoted to my own spiritual success. I look at
you as a trust given to me by God. Because we belong to Christ, we belong
to the same family. That means family relationship in Christ is bigger
than any sibling rivalry or dispute.
(2) It means I do not deceive
you. I will be honest with you and about you. What I say to you will
be consistent with what I say to others about you. Your integrity is
important to me. I will handle your integrity as carefully as I would want
you to handle my integrity.
Being a Christian no more gives me
the right to seek your destruction than it gives me the right to ask God to
destroy you. Being a Christian no more gives me the right to seek to harm
you than it gives me the right to ask God to harm you. By Gods act, we
were both forgiven. By Gods act, we both continue among the saved.
By Gods act, we are part of His family. Neither of us have what we have
in Christ by our own goodness. Both of us are what we are in Christ
because of Gods goodness.
So I honor you as a brother or
sister. My honor is genuine, not pretended (Romans 12:10-16). I
honor you because we are together in Christ. When we disagree, I still
honor you. When you succeed, I honor you. When you fall, I pick you
up. I do for you what God does for me. You do for me what God does
for you.
My honor for you causes others to
honor the Christ who made you and me. We expose all to Christs kindness
by showing holy manners to each other. When people fail to see holy
manners in society, we Christians show them such manners by the way we treat each other.
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**In Our Thoughts &
Prayers**
Please remember in prayer Bob and Norma Williams (parents of
Debbie Belote) as they evaluate test results for Mr. Williams.
Praise the
Lord! Karen called from Colorado to update us on Chuck Cunningham. He had a MRI
and is doing great!
David Gates would like your prayers as he prepares for
out-patient surgery next week.
Glenanna OMara (daughter of Larry &
Janice Prater and sister of Shanna Davis) has pneumonia and is in Sparks
Hospital, room 697.
Tara Graves of Prarie Grove, AR, requests prayers for her daughter, Kailie, as
she recovers from surgery for a detached retina.
Lyndell Foster has been
diagnosed with carcinoid tumor (a rare form of cancer). On Tuesday (5/29/07) he
will have a scan to see if it has spread to his lungs. Wednesday, he will visit
an oncologist and set a date for surgery.
Mary "T" Kolb is in St. Edward
Hospital, room 5419.
Gretta Payne was called to Fort Smith on Sunday after
her mother, Reta Rodin, who is in Sparks SICU (2nd floor), developed serious
complications after surgery. Vince and Gretta Payne are former West-Ark members
now living in California. Gretta would greatly appreciate prayers and visits as
she keeps watch over her mother.
Kimberly Shawver requests prayers for her
sister-in-law's father, Severino Belotendos, a Christian who lives in the
Philippines. He is in a lot of pain and may have a stomach tumor.
Travis
Wade, Fran Wade's 15-year-old grandson, is scheduled for a corrective heart
procedure on May 31st at UCLA.
**Continue in Prayer**
James
Winchell
Marie Lile
Patty Kaiser
Philip Cooper (Donna Lindgrens
brother)
Randy English
Tim Williams
Toka Beall
Janet Tabor
& Family (friends of Missy Blasdel)
**Prayer Pagers**
James
Winchell, 441-2386
Patty Kaiser, 441-2387
**Missionaries in Prayer**
West-Arks Guyana Medical Mission Team 2007, June 2-10.
Our
missionary families in Vietnam and Laos.
John Paul & Ruby Lee Hundley
in France.
Steve & Colleen DeLoach, Operation Guyana
Evangelists
and their families with whom we work in Ethiopia and Nigeria.
**Prayers for Travelers**
Our
members on the Alaskan cruise (May 24 June 2)
All those traveling on the
Memorial Day weekend.
**Prayers for Military**
Adam
Morrissun
Brian Perkins
Brian Harris
Jeff Amos
Jonathan
Smith
Kyle Evans
Michael Anderson
Ron Wheat
Stephen
McElroy
Thomas Lara
Wes Roper
**Baptisms**
Congratulations to
the Harper and Dunavin Families! Elizabeth and Chandler Harper, daughter and son
of Mitch and Robin, were baptized after worship on Sunday evening by their
grandfather, Roy Dunavin.
Monday morning, Young Han was
baptized into Christ by Brad Pistole. Young is a college student and
graduate of Union Christian Academy. Tuesday morning, he left to serve for 2
years in the Koran military. He asks for prayers for his mother who is not a
Christian and hopes that he will be able to influence her decision to see the
need to follow Christ.
**Note of Thanks**
We would
like to express our sincere thanks for all the cards, prayers, and personal
expressions of sympathy in the recent loss of our father and the children's
Pappy. It is so wonderful to have such a close and loving church
family.
Bob & Patty Null and Family
**Wedding Day**
Ashlee Brooke
Johnson and Jeremy Drew Beauchamp
will be united in marriage on Saturday, May
26
at four oclock in the afternoon
151st Street Church of
Christ, Olathe, Kansas.
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**Nursery Worker
Needed**
Nancy James needs someone to help in the nursery during the 9:30
a.m. Bible class on Sunday, June 3, and Sunday, June 10, while she is on the
Guyana Medical Mission Trip. If you can work, please contact her.
**VBS Update!**
We are so
excited about all of you who have committed to VBS 2007. We truly feel
that it will be a huge blessing to the children as well as to you. We need
SHOPKEEPERS for the following:
rope making shop
jewelry making
shop
We also need:
1 family leader
preschool helpers
nursery
workers
helpers in all areas!
Please see the bulletin board in the foyer
for more information or to sign up. To God be all the glory!!
Dena Jenkins
Staci James
**The Hope Chest**
The Hope
Chest has an urgent need for the items below. Just place your donations in the
large container in the foyer.
mens casual pants & jeans
disposable diapers (sizes 1 & 2)
baby wash
baby shampoo
deodorant (small sizes)
Thank you for continuing to keep the container
filled. Your donations make it possible to serve the needs of many in this
community and area!
**Kids for Christ**
Our annual
Worlds Largest (as far as we know) Banana Split night is the traditional end
for our KFC year. With a combination of great kids and some really fun adults,
we had a great year and are already talking about next year and how to make it
even better. As has been our tradition the past few years, we will take the
summer off and will kick things back off the weekend after Labor Day.
Parents, if you have ideas on what
we can do better in KFC please see any of those who work in the program and let
us know your thoughts. To those who worked so hard this year, thanks. They
include: Dwonne Cogswell, Carolyn Hankins, Chuck Combs, Mike Burkett, David
Cobb, Keith Stobaugh, Erin Stobaugh, Mark Willis, Brent Evans, John Keller,
Barry Owen and Charles Hankins.
We cant wait till next year! Want
to get involved with KFC? See Gary Brown or anyone else above to let them know.
**Baby Bottle Campaign**
Dont
forget to fill your baby bottle from the Heart to Heart Pregnancy Support
Center. You have until June 3rd to fill it with your spare change. Your donation
will help them continue the wide variety of services offered to women, babies,
and families in our area.
**JOY Bunch Change of
Plans!**
The Branson trip has been rescheduled to June 2-3. We need 25
people to go because of an $800 non-refundable deposit. The cost is $70 per
person, and pays for your room, evening meal, and a show. THIS TRIP IS
OPEN TO ANY AGE. Please see Genneil Nye or Winston & Danna Turpin if
you would like to join in the fun!
**CDs Available**
Donna Roper
still has some of the CD's by Steve DeLoach and Rodney Britt. The price is
one for $15 or 2 for $25. The proceeds go to the work in Guyana!
**Metro Christian School Reunion
& Cookout!**
Saturday, June 16
(Fathers Day weekend)
11 AM until
??
Ben Geren Park (look for signs)
Cost for cookout is $5 per person or
$20 per family of 4 or more. Dinner will be on your own make arrangements with
friends for even more catching up! This invitation is for all
students, faculty, teachers, and their families. This is the formal
invitation! We are just trying to get the word out to anyone and everyone
who has EVER attended MCS.
For questions or to register (by June 1)
contact:
Tracy Griner tracey.griner@verizon.net
(972)307-7925
James Cole enviropest@suddenlink.com (479)
857-0559
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**Family Life Ministry**
"Jesus
-- He's So Nice" (Part 8)
By Brad Pistole
And the question is this, What
has changed? What used to be isnt the case any more, and I wonder what has
caused it.
Its obvious that in Jesus day
the religious people truly hated Him. They clearly made it their goal and
mission in life to destroy Him.
Its also obvious that sinful
people loved Him. They did everything they could to spend more time with Him.
So, again I ask, What has changed?
One look at todays world will
reveal the EXACT OPPOSITE of this. In todays world, the religious people claim
to LOVE Jesus with all their heart. They promote Jesus in every way possible.
Their buildings, banners, and marquees lift the name of Jesus to every person
who passes by. Yet, non-religious people in todays world seemed to be
appalled by Jesus. Most of them cringe at the sound of His name.
Why?
Has Jesus changed? Did He all of a
sudden become NICE to the religious people and MEAN to the sinful people? Isnt
He still the same Jesus who is the only person capable of setting people free
from their sins and struggles?
When did He become such a turn off
to sinful people? What changed to make this happen? Have you ever SINCERELY
thought about this? Since the Bible tells us that our Lord is the same
yesterday, today, and forever what could possibly cause such a change in
attitudes?
Without much thought, one might
say that its due to the sinful state of todays world. Yet one look at the
CHURCH in Corinth will reveal Christians who were involved in adultery, divorce,
hatred, envy, jealousy, etc. That sounds a lot like the world we live in today,
doesnt it?
Since Jesus hasnt changed, it
might be good for Gods people to think about what HAS caused this change in the
outsiders attitude toward Jesus??? Do religious people have anything to do
with this change? (May God bless you as you think this week
) To be
continued
**Happy Birthday**
May 27
Jessie
Moore
May 28
Ethan Heras
Greg
Null
Hannah Null
Lenora Word
May 29
Mark Anders
Jerry
Canfield
Billy Hines
May 30
Spencer
Barker
May 31
Elizabeth Harper
Suzi
Jennemann
Bailey Williams
June 1
Eleanor
Casey
June 2
Adam Davis
Bob
Faries
**Morning Nursery**
Sharon Faries
Bernice Rogers
Kristin
Smith
**Evening Nursery**
Angela Dunavant
Denise Lusby
**Attendance and Contribution Count**
Sunday AM Worship 665
Sunday PM
Worship 299
Bible Classes 439
Life Groups 68
Contribution
$17965
Childrens Home $184
Lao Worship
Attendance 32
Contribution $175
Iglesia de Cristo
Attendance 47
Contribution $220
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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