September 8, 2019
The number of people being fed by the Community Table have increased from the previous month. Anyone wishing to volunteer is most welcome because there are plenty of chores to do at the fellowship hall. Also, someone could bring friends or neighbors who are receiving a delivery and take that duty off of our drivers.
Pastor Ken and I thoroughly enjoyed the recent Dublin Kitchen Sink Music Festival. Julia Broussard did a great job getting it organized. Many members of our congregation attended and some participated. Several members of Hico First United Methodist came to watch and participate. This may be because their pastor came to sing and play the guitar.
We are thankful things are better for Wayne and Jean Pittman. They have been on our prayer list and we received some positive news.
Neva Smith is having trouble seeing and we hope and pray her new glasses help her vision.
The former residents of Golden Age Home are most certainly in our prayers. It is extremely stressful to make major changes in an elderly person’s life.
Elizabeth Young has moved to the Hico nursing home and Debra Hammonds is at Senior Care in Stephenville.
I served as Worship Leader and Cole More was our acolyte.
Our sanctuary now has eight hearing devices that are tuned to our sound system. Some people quit going to church because they are unable to hear what the message is, and we believe these devices will solve that. We have had 4 for some time now and the ones that use them say they are the best of all that they have ever used.
The scripture was Luke 14:25-36. In this lesson Jesus tells a large crowd that is traveling with Him that they must be completely committed to Him to be His disciple. He says they must give up all of their possessions to become His disciple.
Rev. Ken Lunsford’s sermon was about the cost of discipleship. Jesus spoke of the necessity of total commitment, even to the point of death. He said, “You must take up your cross and follow me.”
Why was He so harsh? He knew what lay ahead for them: Andrew died on a cross, Simon was crucified, Bartholomew was flayed to death, James the son of Zebedee was beheaded, Thomas was run through with a lance, Matthias was stoned, then beheaded, Matthew was killed by a sword, Peter was crucified upside down, the other James (son of Alphaeus) was beaten to death, Thaddeus was shot with arrows, and Philip was hanged. Only John lived to old age and that was in exile on an island.
We may have good intentions but the priorities we know are vital to a good and happy life never get carried out in our day to day living.
Nothing can stand in the way to our commitment to the Kingdom of God! We must establish our priorities and then count the cost. Do we have the stamina to go the distance?
What if every member of the church attended church, gave to the church, loved the church, shared the church, worked and served the church? What kind of church would there be?