I saw this in Nashville at the doctor’s office and wanted to share it with you.

Be Encouraged
The most destructive habit…..Worry

The greatest joy…Giving

The greatest loss……Loss of Self Respect

The most satisfying work……Helping others

The ugliest personality trait…..Selfishness

The most endangered species…..Dedicated leaders

The greatest “shot in the arm”…..Encouragement

The greatest problem to overcome…..Fear

The most effective sleeping pill…..Peace of Mind

The most crippling failure disease…..Excuses

The most powerful force in life…..Love

The most dangerous Pariah…..A gossiper

The World’s most incredible Computer…..The Brain

The worst thing to be without…..Hope

The deadliest Weapon…..The tongue

The two most power-filled words…..I can

The greatest asset…..Faith

The most worthless emotion…..Self Pity

The most powerful attire…..SMILE

The most powerful channel of communication…..Prayer

The most contagious spirit…..Enthusiasm

The most important thing in life…..GOD

BANK  ACCOUNT!!!    

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each    morning by eight o’clock, with his hair fashionably combed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today.   His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.     After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready.   As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual  description of  his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.   I  love it,’ he stated with the enthusiasm of an  eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.  Mr. Jones, you haven’t seen the room; just wait.  That doesn’t have anything to do with it,’ he replied.   Happiness is something you decide on ahead of  time.    

Whether  I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is      arranged  … it’s how I arrange my mind.  I already decided to love it.    ‘ It’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.  Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I’ll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I’ve stored away.  Just for this time in my life.  Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you’ve put in.    So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories!    

 Thank you for your part in filling my Memory Bank.    I am still depositing.    

Remember  the five simple rules to be happy:    

   1.   Free your heart from hatred.    

   2.   Free your mind from worries.    

   3.   Live simply.    

   4.   Give more.    

   5.   Expect less.    

Have a nice day, unless you already have other plans.  

Good reading:  Philippians 4:11, Psalm 144:15, Proverbs 16:20;            I TIMOTHY 6:6-8; Galatians 5:22

There is a cry to pull the plug today by some in the church.  “Changes are needed” seems to be the modern battle cry and if we don’t change we have pulled the plug on the church.  But there is a question that must be asked, what needs to be changed?

Is it doctrine?  John 6:45—It is written in the prophets, And they shall all be taught of God. Every one that hath heard from the Father, and hath learned, cometh unto me.

How about baptism?  Mark 16:16—He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned  Acts 8:38—And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.

Is it worship?  John 4:24—God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth.

Check out this scripture   II Tim 3:10—But thou didst follow my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, patience which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them.

Jane Tipton                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 I was so excited when Jane Tipton obeyed the Lord in Baptism two weeks ago.  Welcome Jane to the family of God and to our church family.  Jane, May God bless you as you serve him.

Church Fish Fry                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   June 5^th is the date for this wonderful fellowship.  It will be at 1:00PM in the afternoon.  By the way, Paula Hendrix informed me that she also contributed to catching fish.  Yes, she did.  Thank you so much Paula.   We are still excepting donations to cover the peanut oil, the fries, ingredients for the slaw and hush puppies as well as other items needed. 

Friends and Family Day                                                                                                                                                                                                               June 13^th.  This is a day that I look forward to each year.  It is a time when you can invite your family and friends to visit with us so that they can get to know the members of your church family.  It will be a great day.  Let’s pack the house.

Vacation Bible School                                                                                                                                                                                                                     We will have our VBS June 21^st – June 24^th.  The classes will be for Pre K -6^th grades.  Our topic will be “Training Superheroes for God.”  We need volunteers to make this the best VBS in the history of the Hampton Cove Church of Christ.  Children, it will be a time to learn, have fun, and meet new friends

We have several activities scheduled for the summer and I want to recap them so that you and your family can plan on participating in as many as possible

Redstone Village Nursing Home    Service this afternoon at 3:00 PM. I am still looking for someone to speak and someone to lead singing.  We would love to have about 15 folks go and participate in this event.  Many of the residents need our support.  Won’t you please join us?

Church Fish Fry    No date set but this will be during the month of June.  John Paseur, Tim Hendrix, Wayne Hobbs, and I are working extremely hard to catch enough fish.  This is the part of the minister’s job that is really hard.  But I am doing my best along with the others to provide the fish. 

Friends and Family Day      June 13^th.  This is a day that I look forward to each year.  It is a time when you can invite your family and friends to visit with us so that they can get to know the members of your church family.  It will be a great day.  Let’s pack the house.

Vacation Bible School      We will have our VBS June 21^st – June 24^th.  The classes will be for Pre K -               6^th grades.  Our topic will be “Training Superheroes for God.”  We need volunteers to make this the best VBS in the history of the Hampton Cove Church of Christ.

Indian Creek Youth Camp     July 11^th-July 16^th.  Ages 7 through 18 are allowed at Camp.  I know the director for this camp and you will not have to worry about what is being taught your children.  It will be a time to learn, have fun, and meet new friends.  Cost is $110.00 for the week and includes all meals, lodging, and activities.

Ococc Whitewater Rafting Trip  Fun, Fun, Fun is the way to describe this activity.  Ages 12+ meaning that even adults can ride the rafts.  Expect to get wet and expect the rapids to be tough.  It is the experience of a life time.  I have been three times.

SEC Youth Conference     August 13^th – 15^th.  More details to follow.

JOB WELL DONE, HAMPTON COVE

Ron Williams, Minister, Lincoln to all the minister in the area                                                                                                                         Hey folks,
Congrats to the Hampton Cove congregation for a great area program yesterday with some 18 present;  Wayne Harvell did a masterful job with his ppt  presentation on stress management (we are agreed  that such is a big issue with ministers and elders) and   hopefully the remaining of his presentation on burnout will be done sometime soon as well. Thanks to the HC folks for a great meal together; we thank the ladies and the Chicken man for a great meal.  The next meeting will be at Farley on July 12. Remember John and Jean Denney and kids with a card to them and John’s parents as well; John’s dad, Elvis, has cancer and hospice has been called in.   Elvis is a minister of the gospel for many years; let’s remember this  family in prayer. John’s address-12005 Rockcliff  Drive, Hsv, AL  35810.  His parents:  Mr. and Mrs. Elvis Denney, 3354 South  Jefferson, Springfield,  Missouri, 65807

Ben Renegar, Minister, Fayetteville, TN                                                                                                                                                                           Dear Steve,
The area preachers luncheon on Monday was great. Thank you to you and to the congregation for hosting it..
Wayne Harvell did a marvelous job in his presentation. It helped me realize how stress affects us, and I know it has detrimental effects on me and my wife. I look forward to his presentation on how to avoid burnout,  Again, thanks for the warm welcome everyone gave us on Monday.
Godspeed,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Ben Renegar                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  36 Old Huntsville Road                                                                                                                                                                                                                Fayetteville, TN 37334 USA

I am so thankful to be a part of the Hampton Cove Church of Christ.  Your efforts were noticed by the folks who attended the preachers meeting and Luncheon.  I am also thankful that we had Wayne Harvell present to give the presentation on stress management.  Yes, ministers do have stress.                                                                                                                                                                                    I would like to personally thank the folks who contributed to our successful meeting:  Shirley, Harry, Amanda, Denise, Nina,           Pat Lamica, Pat Hall, and Tim

FRIENDS AND FAMILY DAY                                                                                                                                                                                               Scheduled for June 9^th                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Invite your friends and family to this wonderful day.  I would like to see 150 present, wouldn’t you?   We will have a fellowship meal and an afternoon service.

HAPPY  MOTHERS  DAY

Thank God for our mothers.  Mine taught me the importance of the scriptures and obedience to God.  In fact, my mother is responsible for my having a desire to preach.  Many years ago when I was a young boy she would actually write out my sermons in long hand.   I would memorize the lesson and then preach it whenever I had an opportunity.  She would make us study our Bible lessons on Saturday night and bed was out of the question unless you could prove to her by answering the questions that you were prepared.  Attending Bible class without a prepared lesson was not a choice.  Times were hard at our house on those Saturday nights.  But over the years I have been thankful that she instilled in us the desire to study the word and to know what God expects of those who serve him.  May God continue to bless faithful, loving, God-fearing mothers.  Thanks, Momma.

PREACHERS LUNCHEON

The Bi monthly preachers meeting and luncheon will be held at Hampton Cove on Monday, May 11^th.  We will begin at 10:00 AM and conclude about 11:30.  The ladies of our congregation are preparing dishes and Tim’s (smoked chicken) will be the lunch for those in attendance.  I am looking forward to this event because I enjoy meeting with those who preach Christ in and around Huntsville and Madison County.  I am extremely pleased that we will provide lunch because many congregations take us to a restaurant and we have to pay for our own meal.  Wayne Harvell will speak about stress management.

VBS  

Our VBS this year will be June 21^st – June 24^th.  The time will be 6:30 PM to 8:45 PM each night.  The VBS this year will only be for four nights. This is the tentative date.  Our topics are as follows:

Monday                      Courage from God                           David and Goliath

Tuesday                     Strength from God                           Story of Samson

Wednesday               God wants us to be selfless           Esther before the King

Thursday                   Faith in God                                      Story of Noah

The teenagers will be assisting with the VBS this year and will not have class.  Classes will only be for Pre K – 6^th Grades.  We will have an adult class.

Please see Andrew or myself if you are willing to help with this important event.  We are planning to canvass the neighborhood inviting kids to come and be with us.  Other efforts will be made to advertise in and around our community.

DON’T FORGET, WE NEED VOLUNTEERS.

 

LADIES NIGHT OUT

Plans for the next ladies night out have been made for May 17^th in the fellowship hall with Jimmie Lou hosting.  Please sign up on the board in the hallway if you are attending.  There will be a sign up sheet for items to bring.

Wiley and Patsy Sexton are great friends.  It seems like yesterday that Debbie and I spent most of our time with them.  Patsy says we were just kids.  And we were.  Debbie and I had been married for a short time and Wiley and Patsy were folks that we loved hanging with.  Since we had no money Wiley and Patsy always took us to lunch/dinner after worship or Wednesday Bible study.  Our favorite place was El Palacio of Mexican Food.  (El Palacio means eating place)  Many wonderful hours were spent in this restaurant.  On many occasions we would leave the restaurant and go to the movies which cost Debbie and I nothing.  Again Wiley and Patsy paid.  I still remember all of the times we spent together with the teen agers at camp, the times we spent together in Metter, GA. doing campaign work for the Mastin Lake Church of Christ.  Metter was a place where the church focused their missionary effort.  There were many parties at their home and at the church.  They owned a florist and we would help them on special occasions like Valentine’s Day and Mothers Day.  Wiley was a very generous individual who gave and gave and gave to help people in need and who assisted many others by providing them jobs when others would not.  I own two Stetson cowboy hats because Wiley gave them to me for Christmas.  They had four sons, one who was killed in an accident on a job site.  Wiley was a master plumber and it was on one of his jobs that the accident happened.  Since Patsy did not have any daughters they decided that our daughter would be their daughter.  So for several years they clothed Natasha.  We still have photos of many of the things they purchased for her.  During these times Debbie and I were so blessed to have them as friends and enjoyed their generosity.  That is not why I loved being with them.  These folks loved the Lord  and loved to have fun and fun is what we had.  There is no way that we could ever repay them for the kindness they showed us.  We love Patsy and Wiley Sexton.

On Sunday, April 18^th, Debbie and I received a phone call that Wiley was in the hospital in Franklin, TN. and was not doing very well.  When talking to Betty, Patsy’s sister, she said that Patsy wanted me to do Wiley’s funeral.  I was so honored but was upset that Wiley was in such a bad way.  I told Betty that we would be up there on Monday or Tuesday but she said to call first because it might be too late.  Debbie insisted we go up on that Sunday afternoon.  So she and I left for Franklin and arrived at 5:15 in the afternoon.  After talking with Patsy and the boys we were taken back to see Wiley.  I had so much that I wanted to tell him and driving to Franklin I thought of all the good times we had and the things I wanted to say.  We entered the room at 5:30 and the doctor was finishing up and exam.  He told the family that he thought Wiley would not live through the night.  At about 5:35 I finally had an opportunity to walk up to the bed and hold his hand.  Five minutes later I watched him take his last breath, my first time to see a person leave this life for eternity.  And I never had a chance to tell Wiley how I felt about him and his family.  For this I felt so sad.

Life is so short.  It seems to me that it was a few days ago when Wiley and I met but over thirty years have passed.  Where did the time go?  How did my friend who lacked 12 days being 72 pass from this life so quickly?  WOW!  A lifetime was over in a blink of an eye.  This makes me realize that in a short time I am going to march off the stage; my life will be over.  And at that very moment there will not be any more battles to fight. .

This helps me to understand brother James who said in his book, chapter 4, verse 14—For what is your life?  It is even a vapor, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away. 

No wonder David cried out when thinking about his life, O Lord, my hope is in thee.

Sermons for May 2nd

Sunday AM  Responsibility                Privilege and Responsibility    Corporate and Individual

Sunday PM  Responsibility                 Family, Church, Community, Hampton Cove

Did you notice in The Huntsville Times on Sunday, April 11, 2010, the article which stated that the Madison county area is growing.  Estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau projected that the Metropolitan area (Madison and Limestone County) of North Alabama grew by almost 64,000 people since the last census in 2000.   I imagine that you already knew this by the crowded highways, stores, and restaurants in our area.  In fact, it appears for the first time in the history of our area we will have over 400,000 people.  This is expected to be confirmed with the 2010 census.

Did you realize that Huntsville’s metro population is closing in on Mobile and with BRAC transfers, will soon become the second largest metro area in the state.  Dr. Don Bogie, calls the area’s growth “eye popping.”  The experts say that the rapid growth may cause problems with infrastructure and a greater demand for food and services.  (Example:  I visited the Kentucky Fried Chicken on Friday and they were out of three different selections.  The response was that so many people has purchased the food that they did not have enough)

Most of the new growth is happening right here in Madison county where our population is estimated to be over 327,744 folks.  Bogie further stated that the cause for the population explosion is a result of “hefty net migration into the area.”  More births than deaths are occurring so that means that we have younger families with kids in our area.

Take a look at our neighborhood at the structures that are being built.   While driving down highway 431 I noticed that the following new businesses are being built—a new car wash, a doc in the box (walk in Dr. office), and yes, a new school is under construction with plans to open soon.  It seems that sub-divisions are being built in areas that once housed cotton fields, or land for cattle and horses. I anxiously await the arrival of restaurants that I enjoy visiting. 

But of more importance is the growing opportunity for the church, particularly the Hampton Cove Church of Christ.  Now is the time to

1.  Prepare—to reach the lost
2.  Plan—to deliver the message
3.  Execute—take it to the community

The people that live in our community and also those who are moving or will be moving to the area must hear the story of Jesus and we are responsible to deliver it.

Jesus said, “Lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvests.              (John 4:35)

The Bible statement, “for such a time as this” applies to us now.

Pray you, to the “Lord of Harvest” that we will be successful

Then do it.

There once was a lady who had some time to kill while waiting at an airport. She brought a cup of coffee and a package of cookies. She sits at a table where another man is sitting. The stranger reached and took one of her cookies and ate it. The woman couldn’t believe what this stranger was doing. Without causing a scene she takes a cookie. A minute or so passes and the stranger takes another cookie. The woman then reaches and takes the two remaining cookies and eats them. The stranger then leaves the table.

The woman hears the call to load her plane and as she reaches for her ticket in her purse she finds an unopened pack of cookies. The very one she has just purchased and failed to open.

Everyone makes mistakes, so let’s be careful that we examine ourselves first before pointing the finger.

Mt 7:3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

 Mt 7:4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

 Mt 7:5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

Sermons

Sunday Morning 4/18          “In Heaven”

Sunday Evening 4:18      “That Open Door”

Is there anyone in America who has not discussed the health care legislation in the past few weeks?  What about you?  I have noticed that those who have health care are against it and those who do not have health insurance are for it.  There is one thing we know for sure, health care is a topic which everyone has an interest and wants to give their opinion.   Now that the bill has passed the attention has turned to how does it affect me?  Those who have Medicare seem to believe the benefits will go down.  Others believe doctors will quit practicing.  Still others believe that the healthcare will drive up the cost of everything from gas to medicine.  Someone told me this past week that gas would be going to between $6.00 and $8.00 a gallon.  I certainly hope not for the sake of our country.  It certainly appears that everyone is concerned about the future of health care.

I wish that America in general, and the church in particular, would become as excited about health care for the soul as much as health care for America.  I have often heard it said that people talk about things which interest us.  We can talk about sports, politics, the economy, and now health care.  When do we talk about the spiritual?

What I want is for you to have great spiritual health care.  While physical health care is important to me, it is not as important as my spiritual being.  Is it well, or does it have diseases?  The Bible is very plain in Matthew 10:28—  “And be not afraid of them that kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul:  but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

I am not asking you to quit talking about health care.  I am not going to have insurance after August so I am as concerned as anyone about what the future holds.  However, I do not want those of us who are Christians to forget that the world is full of sin sick souls.  We have the cure and it is the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  The gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone (Romans 1:16).

Evaluate your priorities because if we are not careful Satan will help us misplace the important things in our lives.

 

 

 

SUNDAY NIGHT SERMON

“Easter” will be the title of the sermon for Sunday Night.  We will examine this subject from a different view than you have ever seen or had presented.  I pray that you will join us in this study from the word of God.