Church guide

This Sunday, March 3 we will begin a new Sunday School Class for the Young Adults. Bro. Bill Viser will be teaching. Sunday School begins at 9:45. You will be blessed.

All School age children are invited.

"When you walk through a storm, hold your head up high And don't be afraid of the dark At the end of the storm, there's a golden sky And the sweet silver song of a lark Walk on through the wind Walk on through the rain Though your dreams be tossed and torn Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart And you'll never walk alone You'll never walk alone" This song was not originally written as a Christian song, but that day the Lord used that song to speak to my heart. I was driving with tears streaming down my face, feeling all alone with a heart full of aches and cares. This was 40 years ago and I still remember where I was when this song came to me and as I sang the words in my mind, I felt the peace of God come over me. The Lord was speaking to me what I Peter 5:7, Hebrews 13:5, and Matthew 28:20b says, "Cast all your cares upon him; for he careth for you, ...for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake the. ...And, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." God ministered peace to me through that song and let me know he was with me in what I was going through. The song was originally written in 1945 for the musical Carousel. God knows how to speak to each of us through things we love and enjoy and I hadn't though of this song in years, until that moment. God knew what would speak to my heart.

Just a reminder about the baby shower tomorrow!

There will be a baby shower for Heather and Matt Hinton's baby boy, this Sunday afternoon, January 28th from 2:00-3:30 pm. You are invited to attend! Colors for the nursery are gray, navy and green. If you have questions call 722-4533.

"When hatred grows deeper, love gets choked and diminished. Goodness and righteousness vanish, and faith loses its focus. But in the midst of a world desperate and longing for love, God stepped down from His throne on high, from wealth to poverty to humility. WHY? Because God so loved. Because God is love. And because Jesus was the embodiment of that divine love--so extravagant that we can't understand it, so great that we can't explain it, so unconditional that we can't earn it, and so costly that we cannot buy it. Heaven's perfect love gift of Jesus cast out fear, darkness, and hate, offering all mankind the choice of faith in the only ONE who could save us and give us real life. That gift was not just a Christmas offering, but a gift to all who would receive--for all eternity." Rebecca Barlow Jordan WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THIS LOVE GIFT?

Each year can bring new beginnings. Just as Christ can make all things new when you become a Christian, he will do the same when we come to Him for rededicating our lives and renewing our minds. A fresh start! "Therefore if any man be in Christ, He is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (II Cor. 5:17) Let this new year, 2018, bring a fresh start for you in doing God's work. If we don't tell people about the love of Jesus, how will they know?

Where Jesus is, the multitude will come. Where is the church today? Are we asking and allowing the Holy Spirit to be a part of our church service or are we grieving the Holy Spirit? When we leave a worship service we should be able to say, "Jesus was in our midst today". This was our message from God's servant this past Sunday. Do you sense love, friendliness and joy in your church body? Is there worship and praise in your church? These are a few of the traits that are present in a church that is endeavoring to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith they are called. Let Jesus use what you have. God is not a small God! He can take even the smallest gift and make it great. As long as we keep our eyes on Jesus, we can do what God calls us to do. We as the body of Christ need to get out of our safe boat and move as the Holy Spirit directs us. God is moving in our midst, come and join in!

Sowing and Reaping, when we hear this phrase we many times think of money. And yes, it does apply to money or our tithe, but it also applies to other things and situations in our lives. A few examples of the law of sowing and reaping are; those who sow love, reap love, those who sow discord, reap discord, and the best example that gives us a good understanding of this law comes from our gardens. The carrot seeds we plant determine that carrots will grow, not corn, peas or tomatoes. The same principals apply in our lives with just about any situation. II Corinthians 9:6 "But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully." Galations 6:7 "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." Are you sowing to the flesh (shall reap corruption) or to the Spirit (shall reap life everlasting)? 9. "And let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." If you are reading this and have experienced a good example of the law of sowing and reaping in your life, please share so others may learn from your experience.

Sowing and Reaping, when we hear this phrase we many times think of money. And yes, it does apply to money or our tithe, but it also applies to other things and situations in our lives. A few examples of the law of sowing and reaping are; those who sow love, reap love, those who sow discord, reap discord, and the best example that gives us a good understanding of this law comes from our gardens. The carrot seeds we plant determine that carrots will grow, not corn, peas or tomatoes. The same principals apply in our lives with just about any situation. II Corinthians 9:6 "But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully." Galations 6:7 "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." Are you sowing to the flesh (shall reap corruption) or to the Spirit (shall reap life everlasting)? 9. "And let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." If you are reading this and have experienced a good example of the law of sowing and reaping in your life, please share so others will may learn from your experience.

Happy Thanksgiving! "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." (James 1:17) This is our source of blessings! So we need to "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him and bless His name." (Psalms 100:4 We are a blessed people, thank Him!

Marlbrook is packing boxes for "Operation Christmas Child" sponsored by Samaritians Purse Ministries. If anyone in the community wants to pack a box or several, we will pick them up. They are due November 13th. Just message Jamie Steed or Freda Stone and we can let you know how to pack the box and what can go in it. These boxes go to children in other countries, during the Christmas season and is a wonderful witness!

Matthew 25:14-30 (Parable of the Talents) We all have talents. Are you like the servant that the master gave 10 talents, 5 talents or 1 talent? Both the servants with 10 and 5 talents invested their talents, the one with 1 talent, hid it? Are you using your talents for the Lord or are you hiding them? Read what the Lord says about hiding it.

We are commanded to love one another, as Christ has loved us! Do we? If we truly love our neighbor, we will do all we can to see that they know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. We cannot do this on our own. Jesus said He is the vine and we are the branches. We need to rely or abide in Him to bring forth much fruit. John 15:1-12

We all have our problems, each unique. We worry and many times become obsessed with the problems. Through scripture, I have found a way to deal with the problems so that they don't become an obsession. Read II Corinthians 10:4-5 4.(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5.Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; Now read Philippians 4:6-8 6.Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be known unto God. 7.And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Verse 8 says to think on the good things: Whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtue, and praise, think on these things. Bring every thought into captivity, your worries or problems and speak it aloud to God. And out loud to God, say it all (be careful for nothing) and through prayer and praise say God I give this to you. God I give this to you! Each time the thought of worry comes to you speak it again out loud and say God I've given this to you and I'm not taking it back upon me. Remember to think on the good things! As a friend once shared, "You are not the fixer, God is the fixer".