A new
experience this week was leaving Sulphur Springs, driving through West Texas,
southern New Mexico and ending up in a town called Casa Grande, Arizona. If you have never been this southern route,
you have missed a part of the country that was only made for people who have
never seen the beauty and green of East Texas.
Even in drought laden East Texas, it looks greater and better than what
some people would say that God forgot in the creation of southern I-10. It is a L-O-N-G, boring route once you leave
Ft. Worth, but if one has grown up in an area like southern New Mexico, you
probably get used to it. For me, East
Texas is the best. The people along the
way are nice, friendly and helpful, but they do not know what they miss by not
living in East Texas. Some people might
not agree with this paragraph.
Saturday
night, December 24, at 5:00 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. is a beautiful time of worship
and church family fellowship. It is the
Christmas Eve Candlelight and Lord’s Supper Service. Many families and friends will come for this
specific time of worship. It emphasizes
the real meaning of Christmas and is a highlight of the church year. There is a place reserved for you in one of
these services.
On
Sunday, Christmas Day, there will be one worship service at 10:00 a.m. Pastor Mark will be preaching. Don’t stay at home and say, “We have family
or guests”. Bring them to worship and
celebrate the real reason of the season--Jesus.
Without Christmas, there would be no Easter. Without Easter, there would be no hope or
real meaning of Christmas. Make a point
to worship Jesus on Christmas Day.
A great Christmas
present for an adult is a new book by Billy Graham called, NEARING HOME. A few
quotes: “Our culture is not defined by
the old or the new—but by the latest.”
“Our attitudes play a major role in the closing scene on life’s
stage.” The number one killer in 2011
was death. Unless Jesus comes, we will
all experience this number one killer.
Jesus came to teach us how to live and live eternally. Learning to live now will help us to live
eternally with Jesus Christ.
We hope
you and your family have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year. We are blessed to have you and your family at
First Baptist Church. Always know that
you, your family, your friends are always welcome at First Baptist Church. The New Year offers hope and new
opportunities as we begin new ministries to reach out to others. Don’t forget to share your beautiful smile
with others.
God bless you
Fred W. Lewis
