Prayer List
Greg Counts is recovering
from surgery and is to begin therapy soon.
AC & Shirley are not
feeling well. Both need our prayers.
Dan Tucker is also not
feeling well.
Jordan Wallace and family
had a fire at their house last week. Their daughter had smoke
inhalation and was in Parkland hospital for awhile on a ventilator
but is home now.
Ross Grier had surgery on
his throat last week.
Remember
in Daily Prayer:
Leta
Embry, Nell Hall, Jerry & Betty Harris, James & Florene
Griffin, Eddie Griffin, Ben Harrington, Don Hickerson, Andy Ledane,
Lester & Billie Phillips, Jack & Diane Arnold, Betty Clark,
Christel Bathrop, Steven Courtney, Jerry Foster, Debbie Kluge, Beryl
Miller, Dean & Della Price and Sonny & Doris James, Wanda
Peterson, Terry Turner.
Our
prayers go out to the families of those lost in last week’s
tornadoes.
Serving
Our Country:
Travis
Counts Cody Blumstead Dakota Smitherman
“The
effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much…”
Business
Meeting:
Jan 10th,
after evening services.
Pantry
Item:
Paper Towels
Men
Serving Next Week
Prayers:
Morning: Jack Cawthon-Robert Embry
Evening: Jerry
Harris-Charlie Counts
Are
There Any Old Mules We Ain’t Talkin’ To?
By
Mike Riley
One day, a visitor leaned on a
farmer’s fence, and observed the farmer plowing with his mule.
After a while, the visitor spoke up and said, “I don’t mean to
tell you how to run your business, friend, but you wouldn’t have to
work so hard if you would just say, ‘Gee’ and ‘Haw’ to that
mule instead of just tugging on those reins.” The old farmer
stopped, pulled a big handkerchief from his pocket, wiped his face
and said, “Reckon you’re right son, but this old mule kicked me
five years ago, and I ain’t spoke to him since.”
Some folks hold a grudge for a
long, long, long time. Perhaps we can remember distinctly the exact
words that were spoken to us, or the way we were mistreated by
someone, and we’re determined to “never forgive, and never
forget.” Unfortunately, grudges do not hurt others nearly as much
as they hurt us. But no matter how hard it may be, we’ll tug on
those reins until the day we die, rather than seek reconciliation
(Matthew 18:15; Matthew 18:21-22; Luke 17:3; cf. Leviticus 19:17-18).
The apostle Paul has a better
solution than the farmer: “Let
all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking,
be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another,
tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s
sake hath forgiven you”
(Ephesians 4:31-32; cf. Genesis 50:15-21).
Brethren, are there any old mules
we ain’t talkin’ to?