Prayer Request

Don and Dimp Gilliam's daughter, Holly, was driving home (Virginia) from here after the holidays and they were at Memphis when she started rubbing her head and looked at her husband and said, I love you and take care of the girls and started having seizures.She has been air flighted to Knoxville and is in a comma not doing very well. Don and Dimp and the girls attented Independence MBC in Pleasant Plains for years and was the music director. He is now up around Russellville somewhere. Please put her on the prayer chain.

ThanksTeresa

Light At The End Of The Tunnel

Have you ever wanted to give up? I think everyone has been there at some point. I met a lady at the hospital today that had that look in her eyes. After talking with her I thought about all the people that believe God is behind life's difficult circumstances. I don't have a detailed explanation as to why bad things happen to good people, but I do know that God is not the initiator for most of what He is blamed for.

If you or someone you know is going through a difficult time remember the following.

1. Sin's Curse Will Run Its Course- Death, pain, sickness, and sorrow all came as a result of man's disobedience to God. If you must have someone to blame, his name is Adam. Genesis chapter (3) three unfolds the beginning of hard times. These hard times will come until this age we are living in comes to an end.

2. God Choses Not To Heal- If God healed all sickness, took away all the sorrowful times, and made pain disappear, Heaven and the presence of God wouldn't be as glorious and longed for. Contrary to what most TV preachers claim, God in most cases allows sin to run its course. Statistics say that most people find a relationship with Jesus as a result of difficult circumstances. We might not always agree with God, but He has a way of turning hard times into life changing blessings.

3. God Promises To Be Near- In my mind the greatest comfort during difficult circumstances is knowing that God is holding me all the way. If you are child of God He promises never to leave you or forsake you. Embrace that promise and peace will rest in your heart during life's most trying times.

The Family

The kids are growing fast so we took a picture to remember what they looked like Thanksgiving 2006!

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope everyone has a great THANKSGIVING! Drive careful and make sure you have a good time with your families.

Prayer Request

Please say a special prayer for Phillis Piereson. She is sick and unable to attend our thanksgiving service this evening.

Don't Forget Your Wheaties Today!

"...man shall not live by bread alone; but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord." Deuteronomy 8:3

If you have a Bible that's falling apart, you'll have a life that's not!

Justin Did You Forget?

I thought since Tennesee is your team you needed a little reminder about what happened last week.

A Growing Church

There are lots of ideas about how to build a church. Some are good while others are just ideas. There is no doubt that many aspects and ministries are required to maintain a growing church, but I believe in short there are three important factors that cannot be missed.

1.) Visit the church family – If the people in the church are encouraged and excited they will bring friends and family to church! When we visit church members at home, it means we went out of our way thinking about them.

2.) Follow-up on the prospects – We must get a “friendly foot” in the door as soon as possible. Not everyone who attends a worship service is going to join the church (nor should they), but many will if they know they are going to be cared for.

3.) Take time to meet new people – If we are not meeting new people regularly we are abbreviating our growth opportunities. We must exhaust every effort to reach new people for Christ!

Statistics say that most people come to church because a friend invited them. If we organize a good balance between all of the above, something must happen as God blesses our obedience to His commands!

Daniel Driving Mommy & Anna

Our van broke down so Daniel had to drive everyone to the store!

Thankfulness

"in everything give thanks"

The above phrase taken from I Thessalonians 5:18 seems to be impossible if not understood. Does everything really mean everything? Absolutely! However, that verse does not say, "give thanks FOR everything." Its says "IN everything." It is not possible to give thanks for the horrifiic hard times that come and go. God doesn't command us to be thankful for unexpected events that couldn't have been initiated in Heaven. God simply wants us to be thankful for who He is as we walk through life and its struggles. In everything give thanks to God for His constant presence!