First Christian Church

They say “April showers bring May flowers,” let’s hope they’re not all dandelions! At least we live in Missouri where if you don’t like the weather, just wait a short while and it’ll change.
May is a month packed full of changes. With graduation coming up and the fresh scent of freedom for countless 18 year olds, changes are aplenty. Not only do the graduates go through a period of transition, so do their parents. We are one family reluctantly facing the empty nest syndrome, we want our children to move ahead with their lives, we just hate to see them leave home to do it. We will however, wish them well and in time, with a few too many tears shed, adjust.
May is also a time to honor our dearly beloved mothers. A good mother (and yes I did underline good) has been facing change since the first time she felt the baby move inside of her womb. Once that baby is born, a good mother is never more the same. Her life is no longer her own, for her heart will always be with her children. She listens for their breathing as firstborns, alert for any change or alteration. As she teaches her children to walk and talk she also is teaching them the most valuable tools of love, sharing, caring, and don’t forget to flush. The good mother swells with pride on her child’s first day of school and cries as she sees them growing up too quickly. Through all the growing and developing years, she worries for her offspring. Are they eating a good diet, getting enough sleep, learning and applying themselves as they should? She cuddles them and nurses them back from a cold or flu, scraped knee, broken heart, as well as any and every ailment they might encounter. Once they graduate and leave the nest, the good mother does not rest from her worry and concern. Now she must adjust to caring for her children without being physically present. She still has the same concerns she had since birth, her love never fades. Tough love is practiced on rare occasions, but only in extreme circumstances. Never doubt the sincerity of a mother’s love. God may have given to men strength and power, but to woman He gave the embodiment of His love through motherhood.
How do I know these things? Let me introduce you to my mother and my wife. May God truly bless our graduates and mother’s this month.
Bro. Gary

Generally, I like to write my newsletter based on the special occasions to be taking place in the upcoming month. However, spring has already sprung, Easter came early this year, and we have already messed with our clocks much like Hezekiah did in 2Kings 20:1-11. So, what is left for April? Unless, you are an atheist there really isn’t a central theme for the month this year. If you are an atheist, it is unlikely you are getting this newsletter, but your national holiday is here! April 1st, April Fools Day! Celebrate your ignorance by doing something else really stupid, not that you can top this bonehead idea of unbelief. How anyone could ever believe there is no god is beyond me. Even Country music which is known for it’s drinking songs about divorce, mama, prison (usually where mama is) and pickup trucks has been testifying about there own belief in God. Just a few examples: Josh Gracen – “Long Black Train” Brooks & Dunn – “Red Dirt Road” – where we learned about Jesus, “I Believe” – reading the words in red in the Bible, Carrie Underwood – Jesus Take the Wheel” and my favorite is by an artist I’m not sure who it is ( I think George Strait) “I Saw God Today” about a father witnessing the birth of his firstborn daughter. More and more, songs are including lyrics pertaining to Jesus and church all in a positive sense. What happened to being “politically correct?” You can straddle the center line if you want to, but doing so puts you in danger of getting run over by traffic going in either direction. Maybe the common sense philosophy of rednecks and country musicians has already figured that out. At least a few of them have anyway. If country music keeps on at this rate Jesus will one day rank right up there with pick-up trucks. If this happens it will have to change it’s name to “Redneck Gospel” Point being how can anyone in their right mind (may be the disqualifying factor) not see God’s hand at work all around us. Christianity is the moral basis on which this country was founded on. Unfortunately we forget our roots to much of the time. Simply believing in God without living for God may not make you an atheist but it does allow you to share in their national holiday. Remember, the Christ we celebrated at Easter is still alive and still interested in you, forget the calendar and celebrate Him all year long. Blessings in Christ
Gary

By the time you read this Easter will only be 3 weeks away. Are you prepared for it? No, I’m not asking if you have your Easter decorations out or your candy purchased. But, are you ready to celebrate the greatest event to mankind, and the basis of all Christian faith?
The disciples weren’t ready for the first Easter even though Jesus had foretold of His death and resurrection on numerous occasions. They simply could not understand how any of this could happen, but it did. They weren’t ready and waiting at the tomb come Sunday morning. They went fishing. Amongst the disappointment and confusion of witnessing the horrible crucifixion and ultimate death of Christ, they were most likely in a state of shock and depression. How could anything good come out of such a horrible series of events? All their hopes were shattered as Christ never fought back as the cat of nine tails ripped the flesh from his back and sides. The blood gushing from His face and body washed away any measure of faith they might have had left. He could raise the dead, heal the sick, break bread and feed a multitude. They knew, they say it with their own eyes. So why wouldn’t He fight back? They would have fought for Him if He would have just said the word, but He remained silent. Broken and abandoned, to get away from their despair, they went fishing. They heard with their ears what Christ had said, but not with their hearts.
I would have to admit I would have been just like them. They had an excuse, nothing like this had ever happened before. Today, however, we don’t. The story of a risen Savior, it’s true, we know that. The reason for the crucifixion: To pay for our sins by becoming the perfect sacrifice. The reason for His death: To demonstrate that the Son of God has power over death. The reason for His resurrection from the dead: To obtain the keys of life and death and to offer eternal life to whosoever will believe in Him. Now the only thing that doesn’t make sense is, how could He love us that much? Now, back to the original question: Are you ready for Easter? If not, spend some much needed time considering the price of your salvation. For all that has been done for us shouldn’t we honor the risen Savior with a heartfelt celebration of gratitude all year long, and especially this Easter Season?
Blessings of the Savior to you,
Bro. Gary

Valentine’s Day! A special day apparently created by women, for women, with children as a decoy. Men wouldn’t have created a special day every year to send heart shaped boxes of candy, roses, and jewelry to the one they love. After all, Christmas wasn’t that long ago, and for all the trouble we went through to find “just the right gift,” why would we put ourselves through this agony again, so soon? You see, women are the sentimental type, they like the little things that just don’t make sense to men. For example: women like candle lit dinners with soft music playing in the background. Men like meat & potatoes in front of the big screen TV with a football game turned up loud enough to hear over all the noise going on in the kitchen. Women like for you to mess with their hair, men are just happy to have hair, so leave it alone! You get the point! Children have been thrown into the scene (by women, of course) for training purposes for later adult years, buy them candy and gifts when they are young and they will expect it when they get older. Oh, what tangled webs we weave.
If men would have invented Valentine’s Day, useful gifts would have been involved like big screen TV’s, insulated coveralls, camouflage, hunting gear, car stuff, and (you guessed it) power tools. Think about this for just a moment. If Christ would have been born 2000 years later, being a carpenter, He would have used power tools. Instead of healing the lame man, he might have healed the guy who cut his finger off in the miter saw. Like me! Or, when He overturned the tables in the Temple He might have went ahead and cut them into pieces with a cordless reciprocating saw. The possibilities are endless, talk about “more power.”
No doubt the gifts for Valentine’s Day would be different. But, they’re not, so let’s deal with what we have to work with. If flowers, chocolates, and jewelry make’s your sweetheart know you love her, by all means get them for her. But if you really want her to know, surprise her by showing her without gifts and use actions instead. Even if it means running your fingers through her hairspray infested hair, for some strange reason, they like that sort of thing. Go figure! After all, if women thought like men, what man in his right mind would want one?
Happy Valentine’s Day to my Sweetheart! You’re a keeper!
Blessings,
Bro. Gary

Mark your calendars for the annual Soup supper and auction to be held in the church basement on Wednesday evening, Feb. 27th beginning at 6:00 PM. The proceeds from the auction will be used, as in years past, for various maintenance and church improvements. In years past we have bought the bells system, remodeled SS classrooms, and helped pay for the window coverings. Get your items ready and invite a friend to enjoy this fun filled event.

Happy New Year 2008! It’s time to take down the stockings that were hung by the fireplace with care, along with the genuine artificial tree and all of the other assorted ornaments, garland and Christmas decorations. That’s why I have chosen to use this time to write the newsletter, as Cherie takes down and stores all of the countless boxes of decorations, I have found it to be a good time to find somewhere to hide. Er… I mean to find something else to do. Therefore, I will write and re-write this portion of the newsletter until I hear the vacuum shut off and realize the coast is clear. Besides, the MU game doesn’t start for another hour and a half anyway. I sure hope she’s done by then.
With each passing year, we re-evaluate the year just past and set goals for the coming year. Perhaps, getting out of debt, losing weight, quitting a bad habit, starting a new good habit, walk more, eat less, listen more, react less, reaching out more to others, taking on a new role in the church, improving attendance, the list can go on and on, so long as we are striving to improve our life and our walk with the Lord we can rest assured we are headed in the right direction. Forward. What leads to unhappiness and lack of satisfaction is when we settle for where we are at, making no attempt to improve our own situation. Happiness is not always about reaching a goal as it is making strides in the right direction. As you set goals for yourself this year, break it up into fractions of the main goal. For example, if your goal is get out of debt; break it into quarterly goals, and re-evaluate if necessary to make the big goal attainable but not over consuming. The same applies to our giving of tithes and offerings, assess where you are at, set a goal of where you want to be, and begin taking small steps of reaching that goal. And be consistent. The key to attaining a goal is not how high you aim, but how consistent you work at it. If this seems to be overwhelming, then just work on reaching your goal on days that end in “Y”, such as today, and forget about tomorrow, until it becomes today.
It’s getting close to game time so I better come out of hiding and help haul the decorations out to the garage so mama can vacuum, and I can get in the couch potato position to watch the game. Happy New Year,
Bro. Gary

The Christmas Eve Candlelight Service: 7 p.m. on Monday, December 24, 2007. Bring your family and friends. We invite you to make this a part of your spiritual journey.

We are gearing up for the 18th annual Cookie & Candy Walk to be held in the Fellowship Room on Friday, December 14, 2007 from 7 a.m. to noon. It’s a terrific way to get in the holiday spirit and get you started with your holiday baking.
We are advertising all over town. Any cookies or homemade candy you feel you could provide would be appreciated. Please keep in mind that the pretty holiday cookies sell the best and are in the greatest demand on the day of the sale. We ask that you bake pretty, dainty or decorated cookies. Your help is always appreciated. The church will be open Thursday afternoon until 7 pm. We will be there to help you get your baked goods in the church and ready for the sale.
Do you have someone you would like to have cookies delivered to as a surprise? How about a secret pal, a kindly neighbor, your hairdresser, your co-workers, a secret admirer? We will have helpers to deliver the treats when orders come in. The orders can be delivered anonymously or with a gift card that we will provide. Give us a call at 748-4273. Bring a friend and once they taste our samples they won’t be able to hold back!!!
If you are unable to provide cookies or candies, a monetary donation will be greatly appreciated. All proceeds from the cookie walk benefit local outreach.
Merry Christmas

Tis’ the season to celebrate our Savior’s birth! It’s Christmas! For many it is the holiday season, but not for me. Checking out a few calendars to see what other occasions are recognized during the month of December I found such commemorations as: Hanukkah - Dec. 5th – 12th, Virgin of Guadalupe – Dec. 12th, (Eid) of Adha – Dec. 20th, Boxing Day – Dec. 26th, and Kwanza begins on Dec. 26th. Oh, I almost forgot, Christmas – Dec. 25th! Quite honestly I don’t have a clue what most of these occasions even celebrate, and quite frankly, I don’t care. Simply because the entire reason for the season is Christ. No religion other than Christianity recognizes Christ as the Messiah, Savior, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Prince of Peace, Son of God, Immanuel, Mighty Counselor, or as the only avenue to salvation. Therefore, what can you celebrate for the holidays’, absent of the birth of Christ? Christ is not one of many ways to find salvation, He is the only way! By celebrating any religious occasions that compete with Christmas, it removes the Deity, or the supreme holiness, from Jesus Christ.
With all of this said, I wish you a Merry Christmas, and not Happy Holidays. We all face too many things that compete with our time of worship and service to our Lord, we don’t need more “special occasions” we need to make the occasion of Christmas special.
Blessing to you this Christmas Season,
Bro. Gary