Thanksgiving

What is the very first thing you think of when you think of November? Well, if you’re like most other Americans, you probably think of Thanksgiving! I think it is only right and proper that we should immediately think of Thanksgiving when November rolls around. Why, you ask? Well, I believe the harvest time with all the bounty of the crops and the beauty of the landscape with its bright and glowing colors ought to bring “Thanksgiving” to our minds for our great God who is responsible for all these amazing and wonderful things! Remember what the Apostle Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” So, how can we not just stop, take it all in for a moment, and respond with a heart filled with thanksgiving to God?

As you contemplate what you are thankful for and how to give thanks and show your appreciation to God for those things, I would like to hopefully encourage you in some new ways. If you were asked what you are thankful for, you would likely answer: God, family, children, home, job, vehicle, church family, friends and so on. These are all good answers and certainly valid reasons to be thankful. But I want to challenge you to go deeper! How can you truly show God how much you appreciate Him and what He has done for you? I want us to appreciate our relationship with God in Christ more deeply and show it to God and others in more meaningful ways!

For example: (1) Remember God in all things and at all times, (2) Recognize His hand in all things, (3) Give Him thanks in prayer for all things, (4) Repent of your sins every day, (5) Obey Him in all things, (6) Generously serve others, (7) Be grateful and thank others, (8) Have an attitude of gratitude, (9) Choose to be humble. Well, you get the idea!

We will, of course, celebrate on “Thanksgiving Day” with a variety of amazing things like turkey dinners with all the trimmings, pumpkin pie, watching football, visiting with family, etc. Likewise, in order to really show our love, appreciation, and thankfulness to God and for the blessings He gives to our church family we will once again celebrate with a “Welcome Home Sunday” which will be held on November 25th with a guest speaker to share with us! This promises to be a wonderful time of worship, music, fellowship, good food, and just plain fun and good times! Please plan to attend and bring someone with you, especially someone that may have been missing from the assembly of the saints in recent weeks, months, or even years!

In closing, I can’t encourage you enough to take this wonderful opportunity that the month of November brings to praise God and give Him thanks! Yes, consider what God has done through our Lord Jesus Christ and “Give Thanks” to our Heavenly Father!!!

 In His Loving Service,

Vernon

Happy Harvest Season!

September is gone and so is summer! October is here, and autumn is now upon us. The air is cooler, fresher, cleaner, and crisper. The summertime vegetation is beginning to die or go dormant for the fall and winter until spring comes again. A lot of the foliage is growing spectacular in color as it says “goodbye” until the spring. There are reds, oranges, yellows, assorted shades of green, and all colors in between. It really is an amazing display of God’s handiwork!

For many, if not most, people, October is also a time of year for festivals, pumpkins, fodder shocks, apple cider, wiener roasts, toasted marshmallows, S’mores, and a host of other special things that go along with the harvest season. Speaking of the “harvest” season, October is “Missions Month” for us at Main Street. It is the time of the year when we highlight the mission efforts we support as a church – those  faithful servants who are busy working for our Lord Jesus Christ all over the world from the U.S. to Africa to India and to other places near and far. Our focus culminates on “Missions Sunday”, October 28th as Alan Wan, a field representative for Good News Productions, International located in Joplin, MO, will be here to preach from God’s Word, present the work of G.N.P.I., and challenge us to take part in Faith Promise and to participate in evangelizing of our world for Christ!!!

Sunday, October 28th, will be the day we distribute the Faith Promise slips for 2019. Be in prayer about how God can lead you to participate in missions giving for next year. Please come on that Sunday prepared to fill out your slip so we can collect them that same day. We will also be sharing in a carry-in dinner on that day with the meal beginning at 12:30 PM.

After all, the mission work of the church both here in the U.S. and abroad in foreign lands is the responsibility and God-intended work of each and every Christian (cf. Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16; John 20:21). How we fulfill that responsibility may differ from person to person, but we must all do our part. Let me close with the words of the Apostle Paul inspired by the Holy Spirit: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

Let’s all get involved in the work of the Lord, let’s take advantage of every opportunity to reach out in the name of Jesus to the lost and hurting around us, and let’s all do our part to “make disciples of all the nations” to the glory of God in Christ and unto their salvation!!!

May God richly bless you as we move into this falls season!

In His Loving Service,

                                                                                                   Vernon

LOVE

February is upon us and that means "LOVE" is in the air. Don't believe me? Well look at it this way. Wednesday, February 14 is what day? Well, of course, it is Valentine's Day. We all know what that means! (And guys, if you don't you are in big trouble!) Also, consider this. Saturday, March 4th is the Main Street Church of Christ's annual "Agape Dinner". As we all, no doubt, have been taught by now, "agape" is an English transliteration of the Greek word for "God-like love". "LOVE" is indeed in the air!

The truth is, however, we ought to, as Christians, focus on "LOVE" 24/7/365, and certainly not just one time in the lone month of February. Love is the centerpiece of Christianity. This is true because of what we read in 1 John 4:8 (NKJV): "He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." With that admonition it becomes clear that love is the supreme test of whether one is a true Christian or not! Indeed, the Apostle Paul wrote the following to the Colossians, "Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection." (Colossians 3:12-14 NKJV)

So what is it about agape, "God-like love", which distinguishes it from all other types of love? It is the motive of the heart. Biblical love is not just an emotion, but rather an act of the will generated out of the influence of the indwelling presence  of the Holy Spirit and the sincerity of the heart. That is the test administered by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (NKJV) as he writes: "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging symbol. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing." That is a test we, as Christians, dare not fail!!!

After that test, the Apostle, in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a (NKJV) describes how Biblical love acts (love is a verb, not a noun): "Love suffers long and is kind, love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails."

After one takes this acid test and examines his heart and the way he loves, he will know wheter he truly loves with a Biblical love or not, and whether he is a Christian or not. Enjoy the "LOVE" that is in the air in February and while you are at it, keep the "LOVE" of God going forth throughout the remainder of the year as well!!! God Bless!!!

                                                                                          In His Loving Service,

                                                                                                     Vernon

Give Thanks to God

What is the very first thing you think of when you think of November? Well, if you're like most other Americans, you probably think of Thanksgiving. I think it is only right and proper that we should immediately think of Thanksgiving when November rolls around. Why, you ask? Well, I believe the harvest time with all the bounty of the crops and the beauty of the landscape with its bright and glowing colors ought to bring "Thanksgiving" from us to our great God who is responsible for all these amazing and wonderful things! What could be more appropriate than to respond with a heart-felt thanksgiving to God?

As you contemplate what you are thankful for and how to give thanks and show your appreciation to God for those things, I would like to hopefully challenge you in some new ways. If you were asked what you are thankful for, you would likely answer: God, family, children, home, job, vehicle, church family, friends, and so on. These are all good answers and certainly valid reasons to be thankful. But I want to challenge you to go deeper! I want us to appreciate our relationship with God in Christ more deeply and show it to God and others in more meaningful ways!

I will be preaching sermons throughout this month that are geared toward the reasons we ALL should be thankful to God for what He has done for us through Jesus Christ! I want to challenge each and every one of us who has been transformed  by the power of God through the Gospel to fulfill the Lord's call for us to be His witnesses to the whole world beginning in our own home, neighborhood, community, town, etc.! I want to fulfill what the writer to the Hebrews exhorted us to do: "Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works" (Hebrews 10:24 NKJV) Why? Well, let's allow the Apostle Paul to answer that: "Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him" (Colossians 3:17 NKJV).

Just as we gather together with earthly family to "Give Thanks" on Thanksgiving Day with a variety of amazing things like turkey dinners with all the trimmings, pumpkin pie, watching football, visiting with family, etc. Likewise, as a church family, we show our love, appreciation, and thankfulness to God for his blessings by celebrating with a "Welcome Home Sunday" which will be held on November 26th with Neil and Sam Gilliland coming to share with us! This promises to be a wonderful time! Please plan to attend and bring someone with you, especially someone that may have been missing from the assembly of the saints in recent weeks, months, or even years!

In closing, I can't encourage you enough to take this wonderful opportunity that the month of November brings to praise God and give Him thanks! Most of all, consider these words of the Apostle Paul that refer to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ found in 2 Corinthians 9:15, "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" Yes, consider what God has done through our Lord Jesus Christ and "Give Thanks"!!!

In His Loving Service,

Vernon

The Labor of the Church

It’s September which means another Labor Day celebration on September 4th. This is supposed to be a rest for American workers. But why rest if you don’t do any labor?

Hebrews 4:9 tells us, “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God,” and verse 11 says, “Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.” Further, Revelation 14:13 says, "Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.” But, again I ask, “How can we rest from our labor if we do no labor?”

There are those who say they are busy with “church work,” and they truly are. There are all kinds of activities that keep people busy around the church building. But there is a vast difference between “church work” and the “work of the church”!

What is the “work of the church” supposed to be? Through God's Word, we will find that the work of the church is threefold, let's look at them one by one:

PREACHING THE GOSPEL: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). Mark 16:15-16 says, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” What should the church be preaching (proclaiming, teaching)? Briefly, we should preach/teach: (1) Christ was the Son of God, (2) what Christ did on our behalf to save us, (3) what one should do to be saved, (4) the importance of the church, (5) the items of worship, (6) the importance of the Christian's life, etc.

HELPING THE POOR: The Bible shows us that the church was concerned about those who were in need of help. Who is to be helped? The needy in the church, first of all - that is the poor, old people, widows, cases of emergency, orphans of Christians, and so on. Not only are members of the church to be helped. All people who are deserving of assistance can be helped. This is a way of reaching people with the gospel.

EDIFYING THE CHURCH: To edify means to build up, to strengthen, to encourage. It is to help the members of the church grow spiritually. What are some of the things that edify? God's Word, fellowship, engaging in worship, helping one another, good works, love, etc. (cf. Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Thessalonians 5:11; Hebrews 10:24-25).

Are you busy doing “church work” or the “work of the church”? Have you earned your “rest” from God?                                                              

In His Loving Service, Vernon

What Should I do With the Gospel?

We studied a lesson last month titled “What Should I Do With The Gospel?” In that lesson we learned that we are called unto salvation by the Gospel (cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14), that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation (cf. Romans 1:16), that through the Gospel we are saved (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4), that we continue to be saved as long as continue in the hope of the Gospel (cf. Colossians 1:21-23), and that Jesus will come with His mighty angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not obey the Gospel banishing them from the presence and glory of God and giving them over to eternal destruction (cf. 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9).

WOW! That makes the answer to “What Should I Do With The Gospel?” extremely important, doesn’t it? I would like to propose to you a means by which you can answer this crucial question and always be able to remember it. Just think of the acrostic B.O.L.T. – Believe, Obey, Live, Teach! That’s the answer to the question my friends!

The Apostle Paul explained the Gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures...” Truly that is “Good News,” in fact, it’s the BEST of news, isn’t it? But it means nothing if I don’t BELIEVE it!

Likewise, I must not only believe the Gospel, I must OBEY it. Hebrews 5:9 says, “Having been perfected, He [Christ] became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,” and in Acts 5:32, we are told by Peter, “We are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.” Yes, we must believe it, but we must also OBEY the Gospel!

Have we done enough at this point? We are added to the church, we are in the                      kingdom of God, isn’t that enough? NO! We must remain steadfast and continue in the faith! We must LIVE the Gospel in our lives through a new, transformed, changed lifestyle as new creatures, born again, raised to live a new life in Christ conforming more and more into His image! Study Acts 2:42-47 to get a glimpse of what living the Gospel looks like!

Surely, we have done enough now! Not so fast! We must believe, obey, and live the Gospel, but there remains one more thing we must do – TEACH it! Jesus said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:15-16). Unless we are willing to open our lives, our hearts, our Bibles, and our mouths to TEACH the Gospel to the lost, they will remain condemned and miss out on salvation!

Notice the end of Acts 2:47, “The Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” He did in the early church and He could today if we would remember the Gospel and B.O.L.T. into action!                                                   

 In His Loving Service, Vernon

Let Freedom Ring

The month of July has come bringing the celebration of America’s Independence Day, July 4th! Much will be said about “freedom” and “liberty.” This compels me to say something as well. America our nation, the American homes, and the American church all seem to be plagued with the same curse: “Too Much Liberty and Too Little Freedom.”

Freedom is priceless and where it is present almost any kind of life is enjoyable. When it is absent life can never be enjoyed; it can only be endured!

Millions have died in freedom's defense and praise is in everyone's mouth (especially in July), but she has been tragically misunderstood by her advocates and sorely abused in the practice of her proponents. I think the difficulty lies with our failure to distinguish freedom from liberty, which are indeed sisters but not identical twins!

Freedom is “liberty within bounds”: liberty to obey holy laws, liberty to keep the righteous commandments of Christ, liberty to serve mankind, liberty to develop to the fullest extent all the immense possibilities our redeemed souls hold within them. True Christian liberty never sets us free to indulge our lusts or to follow the impulses of our fallen, sinful desires!!!

The desire for “unqualified” freedom caused the fall of Lucifer (cf. Isaiah 14:12-15) and wrought the destruction of all the angels that sinned (cf. 2 Peter 1:4; Jude 1:6). These sought the freedom to do as they willed, and to get it they threw away the beautiful liberty that meant freedom to do the will of God. Sadly, and tragically, the human race followed them in their horrible moral blunder!!!

Listen very carefully to what the Apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 5:13, “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”

Freedom in Christ is not for the purpose of indulging the flesh, but to lovingly serve one another. Indulging the flesh only leads to enslavement to it—loss of true freedom and liberty. How we exercise our freedom in Christ will either propel our growth in Christ forward or seriously impede it and hold it back!!!

As we, Christians, contemplate the ideas of “freedom” and “liberty”, may we all be led to pray to our loving Heavenly Father, “Thank You, Lord, for freedom from the chains of sinful habits and freedom to serve You in serving Your people.”

Remember the words of the Apostle Paul in Romans 6:22: “But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.”

That, my brothers and sisters, is what true “freedom” and “liberty” found in Christ are all about. So, may we be able to say in our homes, churches, and land, “Let freedom ring”!!!

In His Loving Service,

                       Vernon

Happy Father's Day!

As Christians, we have a relationship with our Heavenly Father. I don't mean to say that there's any who are equal to our Heavenly Father, but sadly, people often struggle in their relationship with God if they've had an absentee father or one who was less than ideal. And because of this, they also struggle with Father's Day.

I once read an article that said Hallmark gave free cards to prison inmates on Mother's and Father's Day. Whereas they always ran out on Mother's Day, only a small percentage of cards were actually used by inmates on Father's Day. This says a lot about our generation in regard to understanding the role of fatherhood!

But regardless of upbringing, Jesus made a statement to Mary after his resurrection that should encourage all of us: "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, "I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God."" (John 20:17)

Jesus bridged the gap and gave all of us an opportunity to have a relationship with OUR FATHER GOD. And in a great show of love, even before we came to this revelation, our Heavenly Father put people in our lives to reflect Him and His love for us.

Maybe it was a school teacher or a coach; maybe the father-figure was the store or garage owner who always asked how you were doing. Perhaps God showed Himself to you through a preacher or Sunday School teacher. And yet, there may be some reading this who are still thinking, "I didn't have that in my life". I understand. The devil has been a great counterfeiter down through the ages. He has had an agenda of perverting everything good that God is-including the image of Him as a loving Father!!!

An unknown author once wrote:

A dad is someone who wants to catch you before you fall, but instead picks you up, brushes you off, and lets you try again. A dad is someone who wants to keep you from making mistakes, but instead lets you find your own way, even though his heart breaks in silence when you get hurt. A dad is someone who holds you when you cry, scolds you when you break the rules, shines with pride when you succeed, and has faith in you even when you fail.

I have to agree. I've had all of these, and I hope you have too. And now I see that my Heavenly Father was there all along, speaking through and using many to mold me. So, on this Father's Day (and every Father's Day), I am grateful to Him-and for all He has done for me and everyone he used to get the job done. I hope you are too!

In His loving service,

Vernon

ἀγάπη

I really appreciated the events that took place in January which set a good foundation and launched the Main Street Church family in the right direction to accomplish many wonderful things in 2017. Rik Snyder and Rex McDonald preached very strong sermons on January 1st setting a good tone and understanding of vision found in the Word of God for us as we move forward as a church family. Brother Jack Rochotte did an exceptional job with the Annual Directional Meeting on January 15th recognizing achievements and appreciation for the servants in the church family who served so faithfully in 2106 while at the same time challenging us to attain greater love, unity, patience, and roles of servanthood in 2017! 

After supper on the night Jesus established the Lord’s Supper, He had this to say to His disciples in John 13:34-35, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” The word “love” here is the Greek word ἀγάπη (agapé). As we all, no doubt, have been taught by now, “agapé” is a transliteration of the Greek word for “God-like love.” 

Valentine’s Day falls in February and thus, February is seen as the “Love” month. We ought, however, as Christians, to focus on “LOVE” all twelve months of the year. Love is, after all, the centerpiece of Christiani- ty. This is true based on what we read in 1 John 4:8: “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” With that admonition, it becomes clear that love is the supreme test of whether one is a true Christian or not! Indeed, the Apostle Paul wrote the following to the Colossians, “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you al- so must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.” (Colossians 3:12-14) 

So what is the primary core ingredient of agapé, “God-like love,” which distinguishes it from all other types of love? It is found in the motive of the heart. Biblical love is not just an emotion, but rather an act of the will generated out of the influence of the indwelling presence of God and the sincerity of the heart. That is the test being given by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 as he writes: “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I 

have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.” That is a test we dare not fail! 

After one takes this acid test and examines his heart and the way he loves, he will know whether he truly loves with a Biblical love or not. In the end, he must continue striving and working in his life until he gets it right, for Paul closes his discussion about love with these words in 1 Corinthians 13:13, “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” 

Enjoy the “LOVE” that is the air in February and while you are at it, keep the “LOVE” of God going forth throughout the remainder of the year as well!!! God Bless!!! 

In His Loving Service,
Vernon

The New Year

It’s the beginning of yet another new year, yes, we have arrived at 2017. If you are like millions of other people that means you are most likely spending some time looking back over 2016 before even starting to look forward toward 2017. Well, there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, it is a very wise thing to do. We ought to examine ourselves and take a look at our performance throughout the past year. If we do, and we are honest about what we find, I am certain we will find numerous things we need to work on and try hard to do better in 2017.

If you are like those countless folks who are making plans to do better (I know I am one of those), you will likely consider your finances, your job, your family, your health (especially your weight – yikes!), and other areas. Unfortunately, far too few will even consider what is far, far more important than all these areas – their souls and the condition of their spiritual well-being!!!

The Apostle Paul encourages us in this area throughout his writings in the New Testament, and not only at the beginning of a new year. In fact, he challenged us to consider our progress each and every day, and most definitely, every Lord’s Day:

“Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. (1 Corinthians 11:27-30 NKJV)

“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are
disqualified.” (2 Corinthians 13:5 NKJV)

“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15-16 NKJV)

Clearly, performing a self-examination is a very good thing. And when we have discovered where we have failed, we must then turn to the Lord with repentant hearts seeking to be pleasing to Him and make better use of our time serving Him in the future. That is what we each will do as we look back over 2016 and then forward toward 2017. If we all do this and do it well, 2017 could be the best year ever in our personal, individual walks with Christ, and collectively as the Main Street Church of Christ!!!

In His Loving Service, Vernon 

O Holy Night

One of my all time favorite Christmas Carols in “O Holy Night.” I look forward to hearing a soloist per- form this song every year at the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service. I was looking at the lyrics and sud- denly one line just exploded out at me:

O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of our dear Saviour's birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pining, 'Til He appear'd and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices! O night divine, O night when Christ was born; O night divine, O night, O night Divine.

The line that stops me dead in my tracks is: “And the soul felt its worth.”

I don’t think this really happens much during the Christmas Season, do you? I mean you hear a Christmas Carol, you see a Manger Scene, your attention is turned for a moment to the Nativity of Jesus...but does it naturally follow that your soul suddenly feels its worth?

Why not? It seems like today we celebrate the Christmas Season in a vacuum. We do our best to turn our attention to Jesus, His coming, the circumstances surrounding His birth, and the magnificence of His gift! But it seems that we forget why He really came!

The Christmas Story is about a “Rescue Mission”. It’s about God coming to rescue us. It is about an act of humility, love, and selfless sacrifice unparalleled in the history of the world. But the act does not take place in a vacuum. The act is primarily to show the greatness of God and it does, but the object of this act is you and me. The purpose of this intentional act is our rescue, reconciliation, and restoration—to bring us back and bind us back to God!!!

Why have we lost sight of that? It seems that we focus today solely upon the supreme worthiness of God and the despicable worthlessness of all human beings. But the Christmas Story is about God saying to all of mankind, “Yes, I know you have all sinned and destroyed your relationship with me, but I still love you and I have come to rescue you!” Something profound takes place in the soul of a person when they know they matter, when they know they are valued, prized, and loved—it changes them!!!

The Christmas Story is the most stunning rescue story of all time and it is the greatest “Love Story” ever told!!! I think remembering this will help us celebrate the Christmas Season for what it truly is. Not in a vacuum, but in the context of love. I think it will allow us to be stunned and in awe at the way God goes about doing things. I think it will help us to fall in love again with His amazing heart of love. I think it will enable us experience some deep shift in our soul, as we come to feel our worth. We must really matter to God!!!

We look at the manger. We see the angels, the wise men, the Baby Jesus, and then we boldly sing, “And the soul felt its worth!”

God Bless & Enjoy this Christmas Season!!! Vernon

Missions Month

September is gone and so is summer! October is here and autumn is now upon us. The air is cooler, fresher, cleaner, and crisper. The summertime vegetation is beginning to die or go dormant until spring comes again. A lot of the foliage is growing spectacular in color as it says “goodbye” until the spring. There are reds, oranges, yellows, assorted shades of green, and all colors in between. It really is an amazing display of God’s handiwork!

October is also a time of year for festivals, pumpkins, fodder shocks, apple cider, wiener roasts, toasted marshmallows, S’mores, and a host of other special things that go along with the harvest season. Speaking of the “harvest” season, October is “Missions Month” at Main Street. It is the time of the year when we highlight the mission efforts we as a church support – those faithful servants who are busy working for our Lord Jesus Christ all over the world from the U.S. to Africa to India and to other places near and far. Our focus will culminate on “Missions Sunday”, October 30th as Linwood Smith, an Evangelist involved in a new church work in Monroe, GA, will be here to preach from God’s Word and challenge us to take part in “Faith Promise” and to participate in evangelizing our world for Christ!!!

There is another very special event taking place in October of 2016! We will be blessed to participate in a four-week challenge from God’s Word called “Take God At His Word: Experience the Power of Giving”! In order to maximize the effectiveness of this event, books will be passed out for each family or individual member of age on September 25th. You will be expected to read one chapter and discuss that chapter as a family or with a Christian friend before October 2nd. We will follow this pattern each week until the end of the four weeks on October 23rd. I promise I will do my best to enhance this event by bringing the very best messages that I can with God’s help. I further promise that if you will do your part by reading and discussing each week before you hear the message, God will bless you far beyond what you might think or imagine!

There is yet another big event which takes place in October—Halloween!!! It is no secret how I feel about this particular worldly display of foolishness. I have been inclined to speak against the whole notion of it and totally ignore it. But this year, I want to encourage us to glean from what Jesus commanded us in Matthew 28:19-20: “Go [literally, “Going” or “As you are going”] therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the

age.” The command of Jesus here is to “make disciples of all the nations.” My plea for all of us is “as [we] are going” about our affairs of life during this time the world calls Halloween that we take full advantage of this opportunity to speak up for the Lord and “disciple” or “teach” about Jesus Christ to those who blindly participate in worldly events like Halloween!!!

After all, the mission work of the church both here in the U.S. and abroad in foreign lands is the responsibility of each and every Christian. How we fulfill that responsibility may differ but we all must do our part. Let me close with the words of the Apostle Paul inspired of the Holy Spirit: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15: 58). Let’s all get involved, let us take advantage of every opportunity (even one such as Halloween), and let’s all do our part to “make disciples of all the nations” to the glory of God in Christ and to their salvation!!!

In His Loving Service, Vernon 

October is Here!

September is gone and so is summer! October is here and autumn is now upon us. The air is cooler, fresher, cleaner, and crisper. The summertime vegetation is turning brown going dormant for the fall and winter but in the process the foliage is will grow spectacular in color as it says "goodbye" until the spring. There are reds, oranges, yellows, assorted shades of green, and all colors in between. It really is an amazing display of God's handiwork!

October is also a time of year for festivals, pumpkins, fodder shocks, apple cider, wiener roasts, toasted marshmallows, S'mores, and a host of other special things that go along with the harvest season. Speaking of the "harvest season", October is a very active Revival month with several local churches holding Fall Revivals. October also brings Missions Month here at Main Street. It is the time of the year when we highlight the mission efforts we as a church support near and far all around the world. We will be blessed to have Al Seral, Executive Director for the Hippo Valley Christian Mission, with us on Sunday evening, October 11th to share the work they have going on in Zimbabwe. Our focus will culminate on Missions Sunday," October 25th as Kevin Morrow, Good News Productions International, will be here to preach from God's Word and challenge€ us to take part in Faith Promise and to participate in evangelizing our world for Christ!!!

There is another big event which takes place in October--Halloween! It is no secret how I feel about this particular worldly display of foolishness. I have never been one who was drawn toward the idea of even giving credence to it by doing a Christian substitute like a Harvest Party or Trunk or Treat. I have been far more inclined to speak against the whole notion of it and totally ignore it. But this year, I want to encourage us, myself included, to take a somewhat different approach gleaned from what Jesus commanded us in Matthew 28:19-20: "Go [literally, "Going'" or "As you are going"] therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and 1o, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." The command of Jesus here is to "make disciples of all the nations." My plea for all of us this year "as [we] are going" about our affairs of life during this time the world calls Halloween is for us to take full advantage of this opportunity to speak up for the Lord and "disciple" or "teach" about Jesus Christ to those who blindly participate in worldly events like Halloween!!! After all, the mission work of the church both here in the U.S. and abroad in foreign lands is the responsibility of each and every Christian. How we fulfill that responsibility may differ but we all must do our part. Let me close with the words of the Apostle Paul inspired of the Holy Spirit: "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 15:58) "Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done with love." (1 Corinthians 16:13)

Let's all get involved this year, let's take advantage of every opportunity (even one such as Halloween), and let's all do our part to "make disciples of all the nations" to the glory of God in Christ and to their salvation and a great harvest of souls for God!!

In Hish Loving Service,
Vernon

Turbulent Times

We are living in turbulent times in America today. On June 19th Dylann Roof went into a Bible study and prayer group meeting in Charleston, S.C. where he shot and killed nine black people apparently just because of the color of their skin. On July 16th, less than a month later, Muhammed Youssuf Abduluzeez entered a military facility and shot seven soldiers, five of whom died. One can only wonder if this wasn't a crime committed by a Muslim on a jihad. I know what all the talking heads are saying about Islam being a religion of love and tolaranee which promotes peace. Islam is derived from the Arabic root "Salema": peace, purity, submission and obedience. In the religious sense, Islam means submission to the will of God (Allah) and obedience to His law. In an even greater sense, "every" Muslim is on a jihad to bring "Sharia law," Allah's law, to be the law of every nation in the whole world. Oh yes, we are most definitely living in turbulent times!!!

All of this brings to my mind what King David wrote in Psalm 2 also during turbulent times:

"1 Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, 3 "Let us break their bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us."

On another occasion after the Jewish rulers had arrested Peter and John "being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurreotion from the dead (Acts 4:2), they were ordered to never preach or teach in the name of Jesus again. Of course, we know that they informed those rulers that they had to obey God rather than men (a lesson we had better learn and be fully prepared to follow). Then after they were warned and threatened of worse punishment if they ever taught in Jesus' name again they were set free. When they gathered with the saints and reported how they had been persecuted for the sake of Christ, we read this in Acts 4:24-30:

"24 So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: "Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, 25 who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: 'Why did the nations rage, and the people plot vain things? 26 The kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers were gathered together against the LORD and against His Christ.' 27 "For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together 28 to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. 29 Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, 30 by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus."

It is time for us to follow the pattern of the early Christians and pray for God to give us "all boldness" that we might speak His Word! God may or may not remove the threats, He may or may not remove wicked men from public office, He may or may not restore America, but without question He will be with His people and empower us to remain faithful and serve Him if we so choose. May we always choose to serve the Lord! ! !

In His Loving Service, Vernon

Independence Day

It's July and we will once again celebrate the 4th of July! Why? We will do so because on that day the Declaration of Independence was approved which says that because of all the things that Britain had done to the colonies, the colonies would now be free, independent states.

Independence was actually declared on July 2, 1776 at the Pennsylvania State House. After arguing about it and making some changes, the Continental Congress approved the Committee of Five's proposed Declaration to that effect. So, as a victory to their independence speech, they used this document to announce their declaration. Two days later, on July 4, 1776 with New York abstaining, twelve of the thirteen delegations to the Continental Congrass approved and ordered the printing of the Declaration.This version was signed only by the President of the Congress John Hancock (as attested by Secretary Charles Thomson). On July 19, 1776, four days after the New York delegation's concurrence which made unanimous the voice of Congress, the Declaration's title was ordered changed from "A Declaration of the Representatives of the United States of America in General Congress assembled" to "the unanimous declaration of the thirteen United States of America". On August 2, 1776 a parchment paper copy of the Declaration was signed by many of the eventual 56 delegates to do so. Many of these signers were not present when the original Declaration was adopted on July 4. One signer, Matthew Thornton, from New Hampshire, who agreed to the Declaration and having joined the Continental Congress, signed on November 4, 1776.

When the king of Great Britain, King George III, and Parliament heard about this they were angry. Great Britain and the people in America had already been fighting in a war called the American Revolution. America won the war, and in 1783 Great Britain had to recognize the independence of the new country, the United States, at the Treaty of Paris. America then made a new democratic government to govern them.

The people of America know that the Declaration of Independence is very important. Every year on the day of July 4th, they have the holiday that is named "Independence Day," the day that America declared her independence from the tyranny of King George III and Great Britain. We celebrate this holiday to remember the day that the Declaration was approved, and the day that the United States of America proclaimed to its freedom to be her own country. Americans also know the Declaration of Independence is very important because it presents the simple ideas that the people who started the United States believed in. It says that every person in this U.S is "created equal" with rights (of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness) and that this government has to listen to its own people. These things were what made America a free and independent nation!

Now, let me ask you a question. Have you ever made a declaration of independence to seek your freedom from the bondage and chains of sin and the tyranny of the tyrant Satan? If not, why not? I made that declaration on May 27, 1970! I turned to God in full belief in the Gospel message of Jesus Christ, repented of my sins, publicly confessed my faith in Jesus as the Son of God and Lord of my life, was baptized by Glen Matthews in the waters of the Mud River at Howell's Mill Christian Assembly in Ona, WV, and "won the victory"! I had declared and won my freedom from the tyrant Satan! I was free and still am, praise God! What about you? Have you declared and won your victory of freedom in Christ?

In His Loving Service,
Vernon

Mothers in the Church

The month of May and it is finally beginning to really resemble spring-time here in our area. After all, as the old saying goes, "April showers bring May flowers." But that is not all that May brings, it also brings "Mother's Day." The modern American holiday of Mother's Day was first celebrated in 1908, when Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother in Grafton, West Virginia. Due to the campaign efforts of Anna Jarvis, several states officially recognized Mother's Day, the first in 1910 being West Virginia, Jarvis" home state. In 1914 Woodrow Wilson signed the proclamation creating Mother's Day, the second Sunday in May, as a national holiday to honor mothers.

"Mother's Day" will be observed this year on Sunday, May 10, 2015. I do enjoy the celebration of Mother's Day because I believe that good godly mothers ought to be honored and respected. After all, God said in His word: "'He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD" (Proverbs 18:22); "Houses and riches are an inheritance from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the LORD" (Proverbs 19:14); "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himseff for her" (Ephesians 5:25); and "Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered" (1st Peter 3:7).

I suppose you have concluded by now that God tells us that a woman should be a wife before she ever becomes a mother!!! This is not some archaic, barbaric, mean-spirited, ancient, chauvinistic teaching of men in order to lord over women! This is God's heart, love, respect, and desire for the women He has created in His own image to be loved and treated properly with honor and respect. Our society has obliterated the will of God and His teaching concerning marriage, family, and motherhood. But God hasn't changed His mind one bit about this matter! The Apostle Paul wrote to Titus with these instructions: "But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine: that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in iove, in patience; the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things-- that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed." (Titus 2:1-5)

How can the will of God be carried out in this matter if there are no godly women left who honor marriage, the sanctity of God's Word, and their God-given role as mothers and leaders of the younger women? "Mother's Day" is a wonderful time for the mothers and for the church to honor motherhood. I just want to be certain that we remember to understand that we must honor marriage and teach our women that marriage must come first before motherhood in order to be pleasing God! Brethren, let's honor our mothers on Mother's Day"!

As important as my relationship is with Deena above all-others, and my mother, Colleen Eldridge, right behind, along with my daughters Mindy and Bethany, my grandchildren, and so on, the GREATEST of all relationships must be the one we have with God, in Christ, FIRST above all others!!! Jesus said this: '"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment" (Matthew 22:37-38). In contrast, Jesus said, "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:26). Lastly, Jesus said, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33).

In His Loving Service, Vernon

Christ has Risen

In the O.T. under the Law of Moses, it only took two or three witnesses to place an accused person under a death sentence (cf. Leviticus 17:6). So you might imagine that if there was a large number of witnesses to an event it would be an absolute certainty that their witness would prove the truth. "We believe Christ's resurrection can be proved with at least as much certainty as any universally believed and well-documented event in ancient history." [From the Handbook of Christian Apologetics by Peter Kreeft and Ft. Ronald Tacelli, SJ (Intervarsity Press, 1994)]

I agree with that statement and I am very certain the Apostle Paul would too. Here is what he wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8: "For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time."

Imagine that, the risen Christ was seen by Cephas (Peter), the twelve, over five hundred brethren at once, James, all the apostles, and last by me (Paul) also! Now remember, all it takes according to God's instructions in the O.T. to verify the truth of an event is "two or three" witnesses! There is really no doubt that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified, was physically dead, was buried, and rose from the dead!

The only people who can't see this and believe this are those who refuse to believe. It has been said that "there is none so blind as he who refuses to see." Please consider the truth of the death, burial, and RESURRECTION of the Lord Jesus Christ. Please consider what all of this means to you personally. As you do, consider what your rewponse ought to be to what the Lord has done for you. The only answer at which you can arrive is that you ought to respond by faith to what the Lord has done. Step out in faith by repenting of your sins, publicly confess Jesus as Lord and Christ, be baptized for the remission of your sins and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit to live within you, and live faithfully for him! Jesus Christ died for you - you ought to live for Him!

Sunday, April 5th, is the annual celebration of that morning when Jesus' empty tomb was found and the risen Lord appeared to those whom he had chosen to first reveal Himself to be alive. We will begin with a Sunrise Service followed by a fellowship over a breakfast meal.
Then we will have two opportunities to worship our risen Lord at 8:00am and 10:30am with a Bible Study time in between at 9:30am. We will also have another time of worship at 7:00pm that evening. What does all this mean to you? If you truly believe that Jesus died for you sins, was buried, and rose from the dead to give you the victory over sin, death, the grave, hell, and Satan himself,, then shouldn't you get up, assemble with the saints, and worship the Lord Jesus Christ giving Him all glory, praise, honor, and thanks for all He has done for you?

What a great way to launch into a continual life of praising, honoring, worshiping, and serving Jesus Christ our RISEN LORD!!! Amen! I hope to see you in the next assembly!

In His Loving Service,
Vernon

Guard Your Heart

The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 19:14 (NKJV), "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer."

Solomon wrote in Proverbs 4:23 (NKJV), "Keep ["watch over" - NASB, "guard" NIV] your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life."

A few of the most secure places in the entire world are here in America. One of those is Air Force One which, of course, transports the President of the United States from place to place.
There is also Area 51 which is a top secret Air Force base located in a remote part of Lincoln County in Southern Nevada. Hey it is so secretive that some in the military still refuse to acknowledge that it does exist. And then there is, of course, Fort Knox which is the home of America's gold reserve and which is so protected and fortified it could endure a nuclear blast.

Now, I guess I understand the reason that these places and others around the world are so secure, guarded, and protected, because they are deemed to be so important. But there is another place which needs to be better guarded and protected than all these places combined. It needs to be the most secure place in the whole world because it is the most important place in the whole world. What is this place? This place is our heart!!!

Why is our heart so important? why did Solomon exhort us to "keep, watch over, or guard" it "with all diligence"? The word "heart" is found 963 times in the Bible. There are a variety of meanings in these many usages including: the mind, the seat of the emotions, the will, the inner man, and even a reference to the person as a whole.

The most important point is that the Lord looks upon and considers the heart more than anything else: 1 Samuel 16:7b (NKJV) says, "The LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." Psalm 44:21 (NKJV) says, "'Would not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart."

Think of the heart as the incubator from which all of our actions, attitudes, ambitions, and articulations are hatched. When Solomon encourages us to "keep, watch over, or guard" our hearts, he is implying that we ought to do so above all other things!!!

Jesus expressed the reason for this diligence of protecting our heart above all other things when He said, "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man." (Matthew 15:18-20 NKJ'V)

We need to "keep, watch over, guard" our hearts above all other things! We should commune with our own heart by meditating upon the Lord and His Word, by examining our heart, our motives, our attitudes, and our actions. We should ask the Spirit of the Lord to reveal to us any unclean thing that may have entered our heart and planted a seed or a bitter root. The heart is a precious place. We must "keep, watch over, guard" our heart with all diligence, and allow this Jesus to be the Lord of our heart, If He is Lord of our heart, He will be the Lord of our lives! • May God Bless us all and help us to protect our hearts!

In His Loving Service,
Vernon

Love is in the Air

It's February! Can you feel it? As they say, "Love is in the air." But why do they say that? Let me briefly share something with you about Valentine's Day and the expression: "Love is in the air."

February 14th is traditionally known as St. Valentine's Day, and commonly known as Valentine's Day. The "day of love" has been celebrated for hundreds of years similarly to today's exchange of heart-shaped boxes of chocolates, bouquets of flowers, gifts and cards that say "I love you." There are many conflicting thoughts about the exact origins of Valentine's Day and the date on which we celebrate it. One interesting fact is that "The British Library in London owns the oldest known Valentine, a letter written by Charles, the Duke of Orleans.. ;" Apparently the Duke was imprisoned at the time he wrote his love poem (valentine) to his beloved wife.

It wasn't until the 14th century and through the works of the great poet Chaucer that St.
Valentine's Day became eternally linked with love. As "The History of Valentine's Day" is described on The Holiday Spot: "UCLA medieval scholar Henry Ansgar Kelly, author of 'Chaucer and the Cult of Saint Valentine', credits Chaucer as the one who first linked St. Valentine's Day with romance. In medieval France and England it was believed that birds mated onFebruary 14.
Hence, Chaucer used the image of birds as the symbol of lovers in poems dedicated to the day.
In Chaucer's 'The parliament of Fowls,' the royal engagement, the mating season of birds, and St. Valentine's Day are related: 'For this was on St. Valentine's Day, When every fowl cometh there to choose his mate.'" Thus, you got it, "Love is in the air!"

I remember back in my elementary school days when we had to get a Valentine card for all the other students in our class. Now if you wanted to improve your position with the teacher you got her a special card and, maybe even some chocolate! If you had that special someone you wanted to get their attention you got them a box of candy conversation hearts with special messages like "Be Mine," "Baby Doll," "Sweetie Pie," "Cutie Pie," "Me & You," well, you get the idea. Did you know that the first love letter came long before anything ever was known as a "Valentine"?.

The first, greatest, and most amazing "Love Letter" ever written was given by God--we call it the Bible!!! And why wouldn't God write an amazing "Love Letter" to us, after all, He has called us by some pretty wonderful "pet names" or terms of affection: "The apple of His eye" (Psalm 17:8), "His treasured possession" (Deuteronomy 7:6); "His own special people" (Titus 2:14), "His friends" (John 15:15), "Beloved...children" (1 John 3:1-2), well, I could go on and on, but you get the idea! You and I are the special treasure that is the apple of God's eye and He loves to tell us that. He loves to dote on us. He loves to let us know just how special we are to Him. As the old saying goes, "If God has a refrigerator in Heaven, He has your picture on it."

What a great time of the year to remember and take to heart those earthly folks and relationships which are so special to us. But it is also a great time to remember and to take to heart the most special relationship of all, the one we have with the God of all the creation who loves us and holds us so dear. Let us also remember to send Him our love in return!!!

In His Loving Service, Vernon

A New Year!

It's the start of a New Year so we all begin thinking towards resolutions. Actually I am not a big fan of them. I think that we generally don't follow them anyway. When we really resolve to do something to change our lives, it is usually at a time in life when we are to the point that we see the need for change. Of course if a resolution works for you, well then great!

A resolution usually means that we resolve to improve or better ourselves and that's always good, especially in the spiritual areas of our lives. I'm always for anything that improves our lives and relationships with our Lord. When you get right down to it, bettering ourselves as Christians involves bettering our relationships with God. We have to draw closer to Him before we can improve our Christian lives. Sure we can make a New Year's resolution to do that but I think resolving, day by day, gets the job done in a better way!

Do you remember the old hymn, "Just a Closer Walk with Thee"? I can remember that playing off a record when I was young. Okay, some of you don't know what records are! Records are round vinyl discs we ancient folks used to play on machines called record players that went round and round with a needle that filled a groove in the vinyl that produced sound (an old form of a CD). We had a record by Tennessee Ernie Ford with that old hymn on it and I can remember learning the words when I was quite young.

I am weak but Thou art strong, Jesus keep me from all wrong;
I'll be satisfied as long, As I walk let me walk close to Thee!
Just a closer walk with Thee, Grant it Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee, Let it be dear Lord, Let it be.

Thru this world of toil and snares, If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.
Just a closer walk with Thee, Grant it Jesus is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee, Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

When my feeble life is o'er, Time for me will be no more;
Guide me gently, safely o'er, To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore.
Just a closer walk with Thee, Grant it Jesus is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee, Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

This old hymn reminds me of how David lived his life before God. David sought the Lord daily believing and trusting in Him for all the blessings of life. Consider these words of David: "Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice.... Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God (I will praise His word), in God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?.... Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation!" (Psalm 55:17; 56:3-4; 68:19) Who cares? The Lord does!!!

We've all got to live the Christian life one day at a time. That in turn causes us to have the improvement in our Christian lives that we all so greatly need. Just resolve to live better for God, moment by moment, hour by hour, day by day, and that will all add up to our "best" for Him not only for this New Year but for our entire lives as well!!!

In His Loving Service,
Vernon