Author: janicevance

            What a wonderful spiritual feast we enjoyed last weekend at the feet of Bryan McAlister! If you missed any of these lessons, please go to www.youtube.com and search for “Walter Hill church of Christ”. There you will find the sermons for our gospel meeting. Bryan presented lessons we all need to hear – positive, encouraging messages. You will be blessed by them and him!

            As we seek to return to some level of congregational normalcy, we need your help. Really, we need your presence for our Bible classes on Sunday and Wednesday evenings. The attendance has slowly been improving, but like Uncle Sam, we need you! I know the COVID threat is still out there and, if you feel uncomfortable in crowds, please wear your mask.

            We all need encouragement from time to time because our lives have so many ups and downs. But one of the best forms of self-encouragement comes when we help others. We have so many who are struggling, and we may the one who can make their load a little lighter. Consider the words of Romans 15:1 from the NASB: “Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves.” Or these from Hebrews 12:12 in the NKJV: “Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees.”

            These words from an old hymn (#497 in our books) surely bring these scriptures home:

            Have you lifted a stone from your brother’s way,

            As he struggled along life’s road?

            Have you lovingly touched some frail, toilworn hand,

            Shared with someone his heavy load?

            Have you spoken a word full of hope and cheer?

            Have you walked with a slower pace,

            Till the weary of heart who were stumbling on, 

           Took new courage to run the race?

            There are many lessons we can learn from the life and words of David – both positive and negative. But one of my favorite lessons from the man after the Lord’s own heart is found in 2 Samuel 24:18-25 after King David disobeyed the Lord by taking a census of Israel and Judah. As a result of his sin, David had to choose the punishment to be inflicted on the people: seven years of famine; three months of fleeing from his enemies; or a plague for three days. The guilty king chose the plague and 70,000 men died from Dan to Beersheba. The Lord was about to destroy Jerusalem but restrained the hand of His angel who was destroying the people. Notice David’s reaction in verse 17: Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, “Surely I have sinned, and I have done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, be against me and against my father’s house.”

            David was then told to build an altar where he had seen the angel – on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. While Araunah tried to give David everything he needed for the altar and sacrifice, the king refused. Notice verse 24: Then the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

            It cost David a little bit of pride to admit his sin plus 50 shekels of silver to obey the Lord. What is it costing us to serve our Lord and Master?

Last Sunday was an emotional day for me, my family, and our congregation as it was announced that my work with the Walter Hill church would end at the close of August.  It has been such a blessing for us to be members of this great congregation.  Thank you for loving us and encouraging us.  We pray that God continues to bless the Walter Hill family that has been so good to us.

I love preaching and have loved it since I started as a pre-teen.  I left preaching weekly when we came to Walter Hill; and while I have grown in other aspects of ministry in my time here, I have grown to miss preaching more and more.  In a meeting with our elders in 2019, they expressed I would not fill the pulpit here in the future, and after a meeting in November 2020  I had to begin a diligent search for a preaching role.  To date, I’ve interviewed with eight congregations in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Alabama and have not yet secured a new position.  I ask that you pray alongside us that God will soon place us with a new work where we can work in the Kingdom for His glory.

As announced last week, at the end of August, we will be moving outside Muscle Shoals, AL, where we will live until we find a new work.  I cannot express how deeply we have loved this church family and will miss you all.  Thank you for taking us in as family and allowing us to work with you and share in your lives.  It’s been a great honor for us.

Summer has been in full swing for over a month now.  We have had a successful VBS, a great week for the children at Bible Camp, and good participation for the teens at MYM.  Since returning to one worship assembly on Sundays, our attendance has been encouraging.  Our Sunday evening Bible classes have been well-received.

Still to come is our annual gospel meeting July 23-25!  This year, Bryan McAlister from the Walnut Street congregation in Dickson, will be our guest speaker.  Many of us remember Bryan from when he was our 5^th Sunday speaker in March 2019.  The elders want to encourage you to make plans to attend this time of worship and fellowship.

How astounding it must have been for those disciples who followed Jesus day after day around Palestine, listening to the words he spoke, observing the miracles he performed, and witnessing the life he lived!

Even with all they saw and heard, many of Jesus’ disciples did not grasp who it was walking before them.  They obviously knew they were in the presence of someone special, even someone sent from God, but they did not fully understand the mission and purpose of Jesus.

After Jesus was crucified and was resurrected, the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles, and they began to preach the whole gospel of Jesus.  Men inspired by the Holy Spirit wrote books and letters about the life of Jesus and His church.  These books and letters became the New Testament as we have it today.

Because we have access to the New Testament, we can know who Jesus is, what He has done for us, and what His plan is for us.  The whole counsel of God has been given to us, let each of us be diligent in reading and studying that precious book.