Announcements & Weekly Thought

 February 16, 2020
Sermon Title - Morning: The Ark of the Covenant                                          
Evening: Installing the "Word" in our hearts 

• Don't forget February 15, 2020 at 5:00 pm is our Friendship Dinner.  We have a good crowd coming but there is still room if you haven’t signed up yet, and Brenda has been working hard on the games so it will be a fun night all around.  Remember that you don’t have to be a couple to attend.  There are plenty of us who are single that are going so don’t be shy. 
• On Wednesday is our Fellowship Night.  We are meeting at 6:30 pm for light refreshments and then we will be focusing on singing and prayer this month.
• Finally, don't forget to attend the Senior Breakfast Potluck on Thursday, February 20th.  You don't want to miss out on Dub's bacon and sausage and all the wonderful food that everyone brings.  Everyone is invited!

Weekly Thought

  "CROSSING PATHS" 

From time to time in our journey through life we may cross paths with someone who later becomes somewhat famous because of his or her accomplishments. 

Like many of us, I have seen several of our presidents in person; for example, when I was working in downtown Los Angeles, I once saw Lyndon B. Johnson as he motorcaded through the city. 

What I did not know was that long before he became a national figure my Dad had escorted Johnson to a Democrat campaign rally in our hometown in Texas when he was running for the U. S. Senate. 

The unusual part of this is that my Dad was one of the very few Republicans in the county at that time. 

Then there was that Sunday when I attended a sermon given by Guy N. Woods, the preacher who had become well-known in the church due to his strong, stirring, and spell-binding delivery. 

But what I did not know was that back in the 1930's, before Woods was widely known, my Granddad helped him advertise a gospel meeting at the church in Wellington, Texas. 

My Granddad attached two loudspeakers to the roof of Woods' Model A Ford and wired them to the battery and to a microphone so he could drive around town and invite the populace to the meeting. 

And then there was the time my Mom did some secretarial work for Batsell Barrett Baxter before he became prominent throughout our brotherhood as a minister and an author. 

In a somewhat similar vein, I wonder how many of the people who encountered Jesus Christ during His life here on earth truly understood whom they had met. 

Did the teachers in the temple who were astonished at His knowledge when He was twelve years old have any idea they were talking to the Son of God? (Luke 2:46 and 47) Probably not. 

Did King Herod Antipas know that the Man who refused to speak to him was indeed his King? (Luke 23:8 through 11) Probably not. 

Or when Pontius Pilate asked Jesus “What is truth?”, did he realize that the Prisoner he was about to condemn embodied the whole Truth for all mankind? (John 18:37 and 38) Probably not. 

Your Brother in Christ — Jim Crooks

Weekly Thought

(For our Spanish speaking Brothers and Sisters)

"CRUZ DE CAMINOS"

De vez en cuando en nuestro viaje por la vida podemos cruzarnos con alguien que más tarde se vuelve algo famoso debido a sus logros.

Al igual que muchos de nosotros, he visto a varios de nuestros presidentes en persona; por ejemplo, cuando trabajaba en el centro de Los Angeles, una vez vi a Lyndon B. Johnson mientras navegaba por la ciudad.

Lo que no sabía fue que mucho antes de que se convirtiera en una figura nacional mi padre había escoltado a Johnson a un mitin de campaña demócrata en nuestra ciudad natal en Texas cuando se postulaba para el Senado de los Estados Unidos.

La parte inusual de esto es que mi papá era uno de los pocos republicanos en el condado en ese momento.

Luego estaba el domingo cuando asistí a un sermón dado por Guy N. Woods, el predicador que se había hecho bien conocido en la iglesia debido a su entrega fuerte, conmovedora y fascinante.

Pero lo que no sabía era que en la década de 1930, antes de que Woods fuera ampliamente conocido, mi abuelo le ayudó a anunciar una reunión del Evangelio en la iglesia en Wellington, Texas.

Mi abuelo adjuntó dos altavoces al techo del Ford Modelo A Ford de Woods y los conectó a la batería y a un micrófono para que pudiera conducir por la ciudad e invitar a la población a la reunión.

Y luego llegó el momento en que mi mamá hizo un trabajo de secretariado para Batsell Barrett Baxter antes de que se hiciera prominente en toda nuestra hermandad como ministro y autor.

En una línea algo similar, me pregunto cuántas de las personas que se encontraron con Jesucristo durante Su vida aquí en la tierra realmente entendieron a quién habían conocido.

¿Tenían alguna idea de que estaban hablando con el Hijo de Dios los maestros que estaban asombrados de Su conocimiento cuando tenía doce años? (Lucas 2:46 y 47) Probablemente no.

¿Sabía el rey Herodes Antipas que el hombre que se negó a hablar con él era de hecho su rey? (Lucas 23:8 a 11) Probablemente no.

O cuando Poncio Pilato le preguntó a Jesús "¿Qué es la verdad?", ¿se dio cuenta de que el Prisionero que estaba a punto de condenar encarnaba toda la Verdad para toda la humanidad? (Juan 18:37 y 38) Probablemente no.

Tu hermano en Cristo — Jim Crooks