September 4th - Love Thy Neighbor

Today is Communion Sunday!  Upcoming Events:  The Ladies Guild will have a meeting on Tuesday at 1:00.  September 17th from 5 - 8 Still Magnolias will be doing a Benefit Concert to help raise money for Brother Franks trip to the Holy Lands.  The ladies of the church will be sponsoring a bake sale and there will be a free hotdog dinner.  Hope you will come and enjoy a good time of fellowship and music.  Brother Frank's sermon was called "Love Thy Neighbor"

Youth Hamburger and Hotdog Sale

August 27th the youth of RMUMC had a hamburger and hotdog plate sale to begin their fundraising for Winter Extreme 2011.  They all arrived between 9 - 9:30 and began prepping for the plates.  Bro. Frank got the grill hot and the meat was on by 10.  People began arriving promptly at 11 and we worked steadily until 2:45.  Everyone helped with cleanup and we were through.  Thanks guys for your hard work.  The initial reservation has been made and there were 12 slots reserved.  Interested in going?  We still have a few slots left!  Contact Mrs. Karen at kskorb@gmail.com or Mr. Frank at fekorb@gmail.com.  The next money is due by October 15th - a 50.00 deposit.  Youth will begin again the Wednesday after Labor Day.  Hope to see you there.

Graduation Sunday

Today was graduation Sunday and Frank did a great job on his sermon.  I thought those of you who missed the service might like to read it .  We had two graduating from high school; Lindsey and Taylor and we had two graduating from 8th grade; Libby and P.J.  We had two graduating from kindergarten; Colin and Billy.

"We come here this morning to recognize the hard work and effort of these young men and women who are seated among us. They are about to make a major transition in their lives. Graduation is a sign of achievement and success – and we congratulate them. As a gift from our church, at the end of this service we will be presenting you each with a copy of the Bible. The Bible itself makes this claim:  God’s Word – The Bible is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalms 119:105 (NKJV). Also remember that the Bible will keep you from sin, but sin will keep you from the bible. We hope that you will take this gift and read it – for the Bible can provide guidance as you travel through life. But now you’re older and wiser…Kyle walked up to his teacher’s desk, holding a report card with a big red F. He said, "If I were you I would change this while you still can." "Why is that?" asked the teacher. "Because my dad told me that if I brought home one more failing report card, someone was going to get a beating." You’ve become role models for many of the younger ones here who look up to you…you’ve become a teacher yourself! You should recognize the power of your influence and step up to the place of leadership, by always being a learner and continuing to look for wisdom. There was  a school teacher injured his back in the summertime and had to wear a plaster cast around the upper part of his body for weeks. It fit under his shirt and was not noticeable at all. He transferred to a new inner-city school on top of that. On the first day of school, still with the cast under his shirt, he found himself assigned to the toughest students in that rowdy school. Walking confidently into the rowdy classroom, he opened the window as wide as possible and then busied himself with desk work. When a strong breeze made his tie flap, he took the desk stapler and stapled the tie to his chest. From that time on he had no trouble with discipline in his class. You’ve earned some respect…you’ve sharpened your edge…but don’t “fly off the handle” in the pride”, rather, whet the edge and keep your edge in life! Many adults lose their cutting edge by not remaining learners, growing complacent and ceasing to go forward.  Did you know?

• You have been in school now for 2160 days.

• You have spent 12,960 hours in classes.

• That translates into 777,600 minutes.

• So far you’ve lived approximately 18 years.

• You’ve been around 216 months.

• You have been breathing 936 weeks.

• You’ve been going through the motions for 6,552 days

• You’ve been here 157,248 hours.

• You’ve been taking up space 9,434,880 minutes.

• You’ve slept 52,500 hours.

• You’ve watched T.V. 12,173 hours.

• You’ve spent 7,488 hours eating. (Mostly pizza!)

• MOST OF YOU WERE BORN in the early 90’s

YOU WERE WRINKLED, RED, BALD, TOOTHLESS, COULDN’T HARDLY SEE, CRYING, COMPLAINING, AND HAD NO CLOTHES ON.  Well, you’ve come a long way! You’ve reached a milestone. But this is not the end…it’s really just the beginning! You’ve come to the end of a big episode, but just before the credits roll, across the screen flashes the words: “To be continued!” John Adams once said, “There are two types of education: One should teach us how to make a living, and the other how to live.” THERE ARE TWO KINDS OF COURSES IN LIFE:

I. REQUIRED COURSES.

  1. LIFE - YOU GOT NO CHOICE - WHERE - WHEN - WHO

  2. DEATH - “IN ADAM ALL DIE” (I Cor.15:22)

     22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

• “YOU MUST ALL WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY OF SHADOW”

• “IT IS APPOINTED UNTO MAN ONCE TO DIE” (Hebrews)

3. JUDGMENT - “AFTER THIS THE JUDGMENT.”

   A. JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST. (II Cor.5:17)

       17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The           old has gone, the new is here!

   B. GREAT WHITE THRONE. (Rev. 20:14, 15) 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 All whose names were not found written in the book of life were thrown into the lake of fire.

II. ELECTIVE COURSES.

1. TO BE SAVED OR TO BE LOST.

“Nature forms us. Sin deforms us. School informs us, but only Christ transforms us.”

2. TO BE SPIRITUAL OR CARNAL.

    Be with God or the world. Your choice.

3. TO BE SCRIPTUAL OR LOGICAL. (HUMANISM)

Believe what the bible says or what man says. Again, your choice.

4. TO BE SAFE IN GOD’S WILL OR YOUR OWN WILL.

Hear a few words of wisdom I have found for you:

 1 Do one thing every day that scares you.

 2 Sing.

 3 Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

 4Floss.

 5 Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.

 6 Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.

 7 Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.

 8 Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

 9 Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.

 10 Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel.

 11 Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble, and children respected their elders.

 12 Respect your elders.

 13 Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.

 14 Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.

 15 Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.

But no matter what always remember:

Continue thou in the things thou hast learned! Go the distance…stay the course, fight a good fight, and finish the course!"

Honoring Our MOthers

Today is a special day. A day we honor our loving mothers.So my message today will be a little different than it normally is.Now, as far as the length of the sermon, well, that remains to be seen! But today, we set aside our normal routine of doing things to honor our moms. Of course we should always honor our moms every day of the year. You know, mothers do a lot for us. When we were kids our mothers prepared food for us to eat, they turned a house into a home, they mended our wounds, they consoled us when we faced disappointments, they cheered us on when we did something well, and perhaps the greatest contribution of all is that they instructed us about life. Proverbs 6:20 says, “My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother.” Mothers taught us a lot about life itself!  Here are a few things mama taught us: (Do not know the source)  Mothers teach us about foresight: "Make sure you wear clean underwear in case you’re in an accident."
• Mothers teach us about logic: "If you fall out of that tree and break your neck, don’t come crying to me."
• Mothers teach us about maturity: "Eat your vegetables or you’ll never grow up."
• Mothers teach us about religion: "You better pray that comes out of the carpet."
• Mothers teach us about time travel: "If you don’t straighten up, I’m going to knock you into the middle of next week!"
• Mothers teach us about contradictions: "Shut your mouth and eat your dinner!"
• Mothers teach us about contortionism: "Will you look at the dirt on the back of your neck?"
• Mothers teach us about perseverance: "You are going to sit here until you eat every last piece of that broccoli."
• Mothers teach us about genetics: "You’re just like your father."
• Mothers teach us about the weather: "It looks like a tornado swept through your room."
• Mothers teach us about the circle of life: "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."
Mothers! What a blessing to have a loving mother, one who takes her role very seriously. I read an article the other day that said, “By the time a child reaches 18, a mother has had to handle some extra 18,000 hours of child-generated work. In fact, women who never had children enjoy the equivalent of an extra three months a year in leisure time!  You girls need to think about that for a very long time!!!  It takes work to be a good mother!  I’m reminded of a father going over his wedding pictures with his 4 year old daughter.
He explained the whole wedding service to her, then, asked if she had any questions.  She pointed to a picture of the wedding party and asked, “Daddy is that when mommy came to work for us?”  Mothers, what a blessing!  I heard an old quote that goes like this; “If daddy ain’t happy, who cares? If momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy!”  I realize this morning that Mother’s day is a difficult time for some of you.  Maybe you want to be a mother but you can’t be for some reason.   Perhaps some of you have not had the best mother in the world.   Some of you have had a mother who has died.  Some of you mothers have a child that has passed away. Some of you mothers feel the pain of a wayward child, this morning.  Some of you are flying solo as you work hard to nurture your child’s faith. I pray that God will give you comfort and grace today. I want to introduce you to a woman named Eunice, found in our text this morning. She was raised in a God-fearing home and was greatly impacted by her mother Lois. As she approached her teenage years, she was still focused on spiritual matters, but she became attracted to a young man who was not into religion at all. He was a Greek, and was no doubt a part of the heathen Idol worshipping society. It is not known why she married outside her Christian faith, but it is evident she did not forsake her walk with God.
They gave birth to a son named Timothy. In this particular scripture text Paul mentions the mother and grandmother but does not mention the father, which indicated that either he remained in an unconverted state, or had passed away already. So the emphasis here is that Timothy’s mother and grandmother trained him in the Christian faith by themselves. No doubt they told him the old stories of the Old Testament as well as the stories about the miracles of Jesus, and how He died on the cross for their sins. Paul greatly emphasized the impact they had upon Timothy’s young life. I believe Timothy’s mother and grandmother taught him the Holy Scriptures from the time he was an infant. Instilling in him the Word of God, doing everything they could to provide him the opportunity to learn the principles of God’s Word.
Deuteronomy 6:4-7   “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.  Mothers, it is never too early to start instilling God’s Word into the hearts of your children. God wants to use you to instill into your children respect for God’s Word, for the House of God, for the Pastor and teachers of the church. If you yourself do not respect these things don’t expect your children to love God or the church when they grow up. Mothers, what kind of bible are your child reading when he or she observes your life? Remember, you can make a major impact on your children with or without the help of a father. If you want to instill authentic faith in your children then you should take your own faith seriously. If you are just going thru the motions, you can rest assured your children will see it and tragically, may do the same thing when they grow up. A pastor was talking to a man who wanted to join the church. He asked him, “What did I say that convinced you to join the church?” The man said, “It was nothing I ever heard you say. It was the way my mother lived.”  I think about how fortunate Timothy was for having a mother and grandmother who were more interested in him knowing the bible than becoming a great statesman of his day. How wonderful is a mother today who is more concerned about her children’s souls than about their future careers. How wonderful is a mother today who is more concerned about her children’s eternal life than their success in life.  A mother who is more concerned about their relationship with Jesus than their popularity in the world.  A mother who is more concerned about their standing before God than their standing in social status.  A mother who is more concerned about their spirituality than their intellectual, musical, or athletic accomplishments.  I had a friend in church one time that had two girls. He placed them in sports. They were good at it. He began to take them to sports events on Sundays. It wasn’t very long until the whole family was away from God.  Both girls turned from God and began to live a life completely away from God and the church.My friend the price is high when you don’t set a good example before your children. Timothy went down in history as a man of faith. I think it was largely because of a praying mother and grandmother who were devoted to God. Thank God for mothers today who will set a good example for their children. Even if the father doesn’t set a good example, the mother should stand firm in her faith teaching the children the way of life and following the example of Jesus Christ.  If you are here today and have had the privilege of having a godly mother, you are fortunate indeed. I want to close this morning by reading a poem entitled, “My Mother.” I apologize for not knowing the source of this poem.

My Mother

Your love, I know—I’ve seen your tears;

You’ve given to me my life.

You’ve walked through hours and days and years

Of heartache, toil and strife.

To see that I could have the best

That you could give to me,

You gave up needs and often rest—

You viewed eternity.

To do His will my highest call

And by your special care

I stood and walked and did not fall,

You held me up in prayer.

Though strands of gray may brush your hair,

And miles divide our way,

I know that by your quiet prayer

You’ve helped me day by day.

You’ve shown me how to give, to share

To put my own needs last.

You’ve helped me see and be aware

That life is so soon past.

To spite your love I would not dare,

For there’s not another

Who spreads her gentle love and care

Like you—My Loving Mother.

Thank you all for your generous hearts.  Last Sunday’s donation was amazing.  It is so wonderful to be a part of such a loving group of Christians who respond with open arms when there is a need.  What a blessing you all are.  Want another chance to do something?  Here are some upcoming events:

 

UMCOR Emergency Response Team Training in the Southeast District
Gain the training needed to serve as a team leader or to effectively respond to the disaster. Place: Dadeville UMC, Date: Tuesday, May 10th. Time: 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM

 

You Can Help: Donate to UMCOR – U.S. Spring Storms 2011; Donate Supplies – Current Supply Needs; Contribute health kits: Health Kit Instructions – Southeast District, please deliver kits and supplies to Ava UMC, 1767 Old Highway 431, Wedowee, AL 36278 or Dadeville UMC, 140 W. Lafayette St. Dadeville, AL 36853 or Churches serving as staging areas near you. You can also become a member of a Disaster Response Team. ERT Team training in the Southeast District is May 10th.  

 

Donations Being Taken Locally -

1.  Faith Christian Academy – They are taking food, water, baby needs, cleaning supplies, paper products.  They are trying to fill a semi. 

2.  May 6th – 7th – 10:00 – 6:00 – Rock Mills Volunteer Fire Department collection point for supplies, chain saw pre-mix oil, paper products, food, etc.  Call Bro. Frank if you have a problem getting your donation there.

Homecoming at Rock Mills

May 1st was Homecoming at Rock Mills UMC, the church was bursting at the seams, and Ijust have to share all about it.  We had 119 people in attendance and it was so awesome to hear all those voices raised and singing praises to God!  What a rush it was!  Our service started with the choir singing Halle Halle Halle Luah…and I love this song it is so much fun to sing.  When I sing it I want to laugh!  Then Beth played a beautiful piano prelude.  I love to hear her tinkle those ivories.  Our church piano is an old one…and needs replacing….(we have a piano fund started)….and even with it’s age, and sticky keys…Beth makes it sound like a Steinway.  Time for Children was done by Brother Frank and he used the Homecoming story of the Prodigal Son.  The kids seemed very responsive today and I loved it!  We have some of the absolutely cutest kids in our church.  Once the Pastoral prayer had been given the music portion of our service kicked off.  One of our youth, Libby Towler sang a Francesca Battistelli song, Angel By Your Side and it was so lovely.  The two of us discovered this song when we went to Gatlinburg back in December and it finally came out on sheet music so she sang and Beth played for her.  Then it was my turn to sing a special.  My friend Deborah gave me a CD on my birthday called, “God Saw A Cross.”  It was a song done by the Kingsmen quartet and the first time I listened to it I knew it was going to be my Homecoming song….it was and it was powerful!  Deborah would have been proud.  I wish she could have heard me sing it.  When I finished our special singers, Cedar Creek Quartet sang and they were so good.  They have a bass singer that is awesome!…heck…they were all awesome.  Bobby, one of the singers, goes to our church and his last song was called Show Me the Cross….and it was so moving that I sat there and cried.  He told me later that it was an old Gold City Quartet song.  Rev. Stoney Halsey was our guest preacher.  He used to be a member of Rock Mills UMC and as a matter of fact accepted the call to preach during a service there.  He has a church down the road.  His text was:  Revelation 21:23-25 (New International Version, ©2011).  “23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.”  He talked about the big Homecoming we will all have one day with our loved ones in heaven.  His sermon was very moving.  He ended it by telling us….if he got there before we do…he would be waiting for us.  Then he asked us if we got there first to wait on him.  We had a dismissal prayer, took up a special offering for the American Red Cross and the victims of the April 27th tornadoes.  Everyone then adjourned to the Fellowship Hall where a great table was set and we feasted.  What a glorious day it was.  Can I get an Amen?

“Easter Baskets and Empty Tombs”

I was working on the bulletin for Easter Sunday and found this wonderful devotion….the only problem was that it did not fit.  I just did not want to waste a good devotion so I thought I would share it with you here.  It is by Martha Noebel from the Destiny Revival Life Church and called, “Easter Baskets or Empty Tombs” “I was living up North several years ago when I first heard the phrase, “He Is Risen; He Is Risen Indeed!” The pastor loved to say the first part, He Is Risen, and wait with a big smile on his face for the congregation to finish the statement. (He Is Risen Indeed.) This was a favorite ritual every Easter Sunday morning. Why did the pastor like saying it? I guess He knew it would fit with the sermon that day. He was sort of priming the pump, so to speak, for what was to come. Then a wonderfully, well organized, properly prepared sermon on the death and resurrection of Christ would soon follow. Previous to this were three or four songs from the hymnal such as He Lives, He Arose, At Calvary, and At The Cross. It was the only Sunday we would sing these songs, so sing we did. We sang loudly and with a lot of heart. I remember as a child that everyone wore fancy clothes on that day. It was the only Sunday that all the kids had new white shoes and pretty hats. Some of the girls even wore white gloves. Several of the moms and dads had a flower on their suits or dresses. An excitement was in the atmosphere. We knew an Easter egg hunt for all the children would begin after the service. There would be lots of beautifully colored hard boiled eggs, jelly beans inside plastic eggs, hard candy coated marshmallow eggs, and a very special large chocolate covered candy egg. At home I had a wonderful Easter basket filled with lots of candy and gum waiting for me too. It marked the coming of spring. Pastel colors were everywhere. Flowers were blooming and the air was much warmer than a few weeks ago. It was such a happy time. Now, I am older and I know Easter Sunday in a much different way. I now realize Easter is about death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus the Son of God was born so that one day He would die. He chose to become the sacrifice for your sins and mine.  It’s so wonderful. By faith we simply believe in the great price that was paid for us. We sinned, Jesus died on a cross to pay for our sins, and on the third day rose from the grave. He is seated at the right hand of God making intercession for us. He paid a very high price. He gave His life. He suffered so that we can live forever with God. If we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, we are saved. There is no condemnation for the things we have done. And with each mistake we now make, forgiveness is still ours to receive. So you see, Easter isn’t at all about Easter baskets full of candy, pretty clothes, or spring flowers. It’s about an empty tomb. He is Risen, He is Risen Indeed!”