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Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist Church October 10, 2004 Bro. Randy Johnson, Pastor Ronnie Henderson, Song Director Pastor E-Mail: sgmbcpastor@countrybaptist.org Web Site: www.countrybaptist.org/sgmbc |
| Please Pray For:
Ronnie & Sarah Henderson, Sister Wall, Wendell & Hazel Henderson, Joe Henderson, Eddie & Lorain Murray, Larry & Linda Mollette, Donna Johnson, Virgil Hoskins, Vinson Hoskins, Elder & Mrs. Harace Hammond, Rosa Graves, Shawn Brenda Tubbs, Justin & Holly Bookout, Gina & Bryan Thompson, Danny Hammond, Bobby Thompson and Family, Eld. Davis, Raymond Hammond, Fay Johnson, Brad Hensley, Sovereign Grace Baptist Church Mansfield, Ohio, Bro. Curtis & Sister Janet Pugh, And All of Our Military, Their Family’s & All the Civilian Workers in The Middle East. |
| A Thought For The Week: The Best Is Yet To Come ! The sound of Martha's voice on the other end of the telephone always brought a smile to Brother Jim's face. She was not only one of the oldest members of the congregation, but one of the most faithful. Aunt Martie, as all of the children called her, just seemed to ooze faith, hope, and love wherever she went. This time, however, there seemed to be an unusual tone to her words. "Preacher, could you stop by this afternoon? I need to talk with you." "Of course, I'll be there around three. Is that ok?" It didn't take long for Jim to discover the reason for what he had only sensed in her voice before. As they sat facing each other in the quiet of her small living room. Martha shared the news that her doctor had just discovered a previously undetected tumor. "He says I probably have six months to live." Martha's words were naturally serious, yet there was a definite calm about her. "I'm so sorry to ..." but before Jim could finish, Martha interrupted. "Don't be. The Lord has been good. I have lived a long life. I'm ready to go. You know that." "I know," Jim whispered with a reassuring nod. "But I do want to talk with you about my funeral. I have been thinking about it, and there are things that I know I want." The two talked quietly for a long time. They talked about Martha's favorite hymns, the passages of Scripture that had meant so much to her through the years, and the many memories they shared from the five years Jim had with Central Baptist Church. When it seemed that they had covered just about everything, Aunt Martie paused, looked up at Jim with a twinkle in her eye, and then added, "One more thing, preacher. When they bury me, I want my old Bible in one hand and a fork in the other." "A fork?" Jim was sure he had heard everything, but this caught him by surprise. "Why do you want to be buried with a fork?" "I have been thinking about all of the church dinners and banquets that I attended through the years," she explained. "I couldn't begin to count them all, but one thing sticks in my mind. At those really nice get-togethers, when the meal was almost finished, a server or maybe the hostess would come by to collect the dirty dishes. I can hear the words now. Sometimes, at the best ones, somebody would lean over my shoulder and whisper, 'You can keep your fork.' And do you know what that meant? Dessert was coming! It didn't mean a cup of Jell-O or pudding or even a dish of ice cream. You don't need a fork for that. It meant the good stuff, like chocolate cake or cherry pie! When they told me I could keep my fork, I knew the best was yet to come! "That's exactly what I want people to talk about at my funeral. Oh, they can talk about all the good times we had together.
That would be nice. But when they walk by my casket and look at my
pretty blue dress, I want them to turn to one another and say, 'Why the
fork?' "That's when I want you to tell them that I
kept my fork because THE BEST IS YET TO COME!" |
| News
For The Week: ...A pro-family activist says NASCAR, unlike the Federal Communications Commission, did the right thing when one of its star drivers uttered an obscenity on live television. Last Sunday on NBC, during a live interview following his victory at the Talladega Superspeedway, racing celebrity Dale Earnhardt, Jr. blurted out a profanity that cost him dearly. NASCAR responded by fining the racer $10,000 and also taking away 25 points from him in the vital race standings, which knocked Earnhardt out of first place and lost him potential millions in endorsement, sponsorship, and prize money for the racing season. A representative of the American Family Association, special projects sirector Randy Sharp, says NASCAR's officials took the correct action. "They penalized driver points," the AFA spokesman says, "and that amounts to tremendous amounts of money. You can be assured that in the future, any driver who appears on national television will be watching his P's and Q's very, very closely because the price for not adhering to the rules is too heavy for them to pay." Sharp says the FCC could learn a thing or two from NASCAR about holding people accountable for what they say or do on television when children are watching. [Rusty Pugh] Source: Agape News Press |
| Our Church News:
We have 2 Church members that need you utmost prayer attention this
week. Sister Linda Mollette will go into the hospital Monday to have
surgery on her neck for a vessel that is 80% blocked. Brother Virgil
Hoskins is in the hospital with a blood clot in his leg, maybe one in
his lung, and fluid around his heart. Brother Curtis Pugh our Missionary
to Romania has a rare bone marrow disease that must be treated
immediately. They cannot treat him in Hungary due to his age. They have
advised him to go to the States for treatment. If left untreated, he
will have cancer/leukemia. And last but not least we would like to
welcome home Brother Justin Bookout who has returned from Iraq. Justin
has been gone for the last 4 months and we are glad to have him back
home. |
| Quotations For The Week: Teach us, good Lord, to serve Thee as Thou deservest: |