Cal Chesson - Our Second Chance

Durward Owen - Miracles

Two visiting Yankee Catholic friends, following an all night bar hopping, were seated at back of church. My son was joining the Methodist church. I went back to be sure they were safe enough to remain for the service. Al Brown asked, “what are you giving him?”.! responded, “nothing, we Protestants do not have that practice”.

Following the service I reached into my coat pocket to pull out my cigarettes, a lifetime practice, having smoked several packets a day, for as long as I can remember. Many efforts to stop had not worked. In a flash the comment by Al became a blinding experience, and I turned to David, gave him the almost full packet and said, “as a gift today I will never smoke a cigarette again as long as I live.

I have never smoked a cigarette since that day. I believe that was a miracle, and that miracles still come from God. We just do not recognize them.


JOHN CHAPTER 4, VERSE 48: “Unless you see miraculous signs and wonders you will never believe”

John Blackwelder - THE PRICE HAS BEEN PAID

THE PRICE HAS BEEN PAID

Read Psalm 50-12-14

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed on his name, he gave the right to become children of GOD

John 1-12-14

I have always considered myself religious, a Christian. For years, however, I struggled with past sins, bad choices and lack of works or perhaps commitment. I worried about life and death, family and problems. My religion exceeded my faith

My correct religion was challenged by a Bible Study closely dissecting the New Covenant, I knew my way to the Church but not true WAY. I was tempted to believe there were many ways and joined the world in correct and popular accepted belief. The study gave me LIGHT to find the WAY .

A Bible study opened the Bible to me for the first time since my youth.I looked in the mirror and challenged myself, my faith was lacking. I had been influenced by Satin;s old trick of making us think we carried the weight of our past and future sins. This message was sometimes projected from some pulpits,indirectly questioning the Blood of Christ, shed for us.Correct religion as presented by the worldly authorities questioning the sufficiency of Jesus Christ blood and attempts to relegate him to prophet, as Satin wishes and not the Son of GOD. Satin's defeat at the Resurrection.of CHRIST and the coming of the HOLY SPIRIT to members of his family sealed his fate.

I am at peace, his blood is sufficient for all my sins. I have accepted his invitation to follow him and be his bother, sharing a Heavenly FATHER who has given me new birth in the SPIRIT who resides in my earthly body.Get behind me Satin, you do not worry me and I recognize you for who you are

Thought for the Day

Accept the fact we are sinner, dead, but by the Grace of GOD and the blood of JESUS, live in him. His Kingdom has come

John N. Blackwelder, Sr

Ralph Webb BETTER TO . . .

Ralph shared with us a story he heard recently which offers good insight for all of us. A man had lived a long life and had successes and some failures. He realized he was on his death bed and in the hospital he and a friend were sharing thoughts. He was asked what he had learned from life. He hesitared a few moments as he considered his response and then said there were three things including
1> Better to tell the truth than lie
2> Better to know than be ignorant
3> Better to be free than a slave

Our group also added to the three another
4> Better to love and be loved that not

Thanks Ralph for some wisdom for long living.

Danny Watts - EXPLORING

Read Proverbs 22:6
Proverbs 22:6 (English Standard Version)

6(A) Train up a child in the way he should go;
even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Cross references:

1. Proverbs 22:6 : Eph 6:4; 2 Tim 3:15

We have different gifts, according to the grace given to us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. Romans 12: 6 – 8 NIV

In early 1974 a co-Youth Sunday school teacher asked if I would be an advisor in a to be formed Explorer Post. He was the Exploring executive in our county charged with establishing Posts county wide. Exploring is the co-educational division of the Boy Scouts of America. Thus began a 22-year commitment of my working with young boys and girls between the ages of 13 and 21 as a volunteer. Our post engaged in high adventure activities such as back packing, camping, rock climbing and rappelling, white-water canoing and kayaking, snow skiing, both down hill and cross county, etc. We endeavored to go out once a month rain or shine. Two primary lessons given them were ‘leave it better than you found it’ and ‘you are responsible for your own acts’. It is gratifying to hear occasionally from some of these Explorers or their parents about how much they learned from these experiences. What a blessing it is, thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, it is very hard to know and do the right thing as a teenager. Please help young people think before they do something they will regret the rest of their lives.

Thought for the day: We are responsible for our own acts.

Danny Watts

Prayer Focus: Young People

Ken Buker - Oh ye of" LITTLE" Faith

Matthew 18:2-6 (English Standard Version)

²And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them ³and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

⁵ "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, ⁶but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

Linda retyped this for us

O YE OF "LITTLE" FAITH
Matthew 18-2-6: (English Standard Version) 2. And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3. and said "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5. Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6. but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea."
"And a little child will lead them." Isaiah 11:6

The older I get, the more I look back. When I attended my dad's 90th birthday, my mom told me to be careful what I said to the group about dad -- There's a little boy in him too, you know! (My dad, a minister who never retired.)
Looking back on my childhood, I remember these songs - Jesus Loves Me -- Brighten the Corner Where You Are -- What a Friend We Have in Jesus -- In My Heart There Rings a Melody -- Into My Heart -- Faith of Our Fathers -- Onward Christian Soldiers.
So many more hymns come to mind and I loved them all - still do. When in the mountains or at the seashore, the songs just rattle around in my head at times. And when complicated ethical and theological questions are debated, we can just go back to that childlike faith that says Jesus loves me, this I know - for the Bible tells me so!
And in a couple of years - when I turn 90 - please, someone, remind me - There's a little boy in me somewhere. Let it show.
PRAYER: Thank you, Lord, for Amazing Grace. Amen

KEN BUKER

Click on yellow pad for larger picture

Bob Lumadue EYE ON THE SPARROW Video

Bob Lumadue EYE ON THE SPARROW

EYE ON THE SPARROW

Matthew 6:26
26Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

Matthew 10:26-31
26Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.
27What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.
28And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
29Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
30But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
31Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

About 70 years ago, in a small Methodist church in El Reno, Oklahoma, I first heard my mother sing “His Eye is on the Sparrow”. Even at that young age of seven, for some reason it had a significant effect on me. I did not fully understand the message, and certainly not the scripture behind it, but it touched me nevertheless. That is just the beginning of the story, which is somewhat self-serving, but I will tell it anyway.

This song is still in the Cokesbury Hymnal, thankfully, and I wish it were in the large Methodist hymnal. A lot of the old “down home” hymns have not survived the “improvements” that have taken place in the big hymnal over the years —but that is another story

Well, about 40 years ago, I was privileged to hear a cousin of my wife sing the same number in a small church in upper South Carolina, at a family gathering. Needless to say, it brought back memories.

About 15 years ago, at one of the first Hymn Sings at our church, a young tenor named Keith Hudspeth sang what has now become “my song” in his beautiful tenor voice. I cried like a baby.

Now, flash forward to about 10 years ago, and with no connection known to her, our daughter sang one of her first solos at St Andrews Methodist, and it was “His Eye is on the Sparrow’! Her voice bears an uncanny similarity to my mother’s voice — and that was a real experience, for me and for my wife Anne. Whatever talent our daughter has for singing, she got probably equally from my mother and from Arnie’s father, passed down to Anne and then to Liz. Certainly not from me!

Through the years of course, I have familiarized myself with the scriptures which were the inspiration for the song, mainly Matthew 6: 26, and 10:26-31. It becomes more and more apparent to me that God does have his eye on us, just as he has his eye on the smallest sparrow, and of course all living things.

I feel truly blessed to have the series of experiences I mentioned, and thank you for letting me share them.

My prayer would be that each of us continues to remember that “His Eye is on the Sparrow — and I Know He Watches Me”. Amen and Amen.

Tom Stinson THANKSGIVING

(Linda typed this for us . . )
THANKSGIVING
Suggested Bible Reading: Psalm 100: 1-5 (NIV) "1. Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. 2. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. 3.Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 4. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His Name. 5. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations."
Today's Scripture: Psalm 75:1 "Oh, God, we give thanks to you. We proclaim how great you are and tell of the wonderful things you have done."
This is the season of Thanksgiving. I have much to be thankful for - my family, friends, my church, and the fact that I live in a free country.
My lovely wife of 60 years and I moved to Charlotte in 1998 to be near our daughter and her family. It was quite an adjustment; however, we soon realized that with God's help, we had made the right decision.
I have had two open-heart surgeries and my wife has had cornea transplants, all of which would have been a 60-mile trip to a Birmingham hospital.
God has richly Blessed me and I am truly thankful.

Prayer: Dear God, help us to express our thanksgiving to you and all mankind.
Thought for the Day: Count our many Blessings.
Prayer Focus: Live your life in a Spirit of Thanksgiving.

TOM STINSON

Jim asked me to lead the group Thursday , November 19, and so I have been thinking about it.

On Thursday remember we are scheduled to present our "Upper Room" type articles to each other.
Since we have not discussed procedures, I thought I would make up some and let you tell me if they need changing. Here we go.

1> Look ate the Upper Room and check its format.
2>The Upper Room articles have several sections:
Title of your Write Up
Suggested Bible Reading
Todays' Scripture
(The Write up)
Prayer
Thought for the Day
Prayer Focus
3>We probably need to have read before the session, otherwise we will be there all day making copies, reading for first time, and finding scripture references, all while we are trying to eat.
4> To save time we would lose in copying, I suggest we print/copy before the meeting as follows . . .
5> I suggest we email copies to each other and we each can print out the ones we receive.
4>Also print a couple of copies of yours to bring in case we need extra, the emailing does not work. or/and for those without email. I might usa mail mine to Ken who has no email
5>If you want to use the copier at the church, there is one in the library beside Ownbey Class Room 110. Try to do well before class as it might be backed up as the microwave is sometimes heating our food.
6> Even if you are not going to be present, go ahead and email your work to all. When this project came up no one objected to the idea.
7> Let me know if you want to change these suggestions.
8> I will send you my copy after I give you a chance first to voice any changes to these suggested procedures (and after I add the prayer which I forgot until I made the list under #2).
9>I also will put mine on our Blog Site and later I will ask you if I may add yours.These suggestions are on our Blog now at http://noonbiblestudy.blogspot.com/

See you Thursday

donRedding

All:

A reminder that we'll meet in Rm 105 this week for another Truth Project

video. So we can start promptly at noon, be sure to arrive early enough to get some

of Shebra's good grub and be back to 105 by 12:00. Look forward to seeing you all there.

jim hatfield