Volume XLVI Number 45 November 24, 2013

“The Generosity of God”

Worship Leader Robert Smith

# 15 Step By Step

Call to Worship Robert Smith

# 810 Listen to Our Hearts

Scripture Reading Corey Boucher

II Corinthians 9:6-10

Prayer

# 63 I Will Call Upon the Lord

# 54 We Bring the Sacrifice of Praise

Communion Joe Crisp

Offering/Body Life Jim Payne

# 23 Our God, He is Alive

Prayer Time

# Recorded Song

# Recorded Song

Dismiss Bible Hour

# 27 Blessed Be Your Name

Sermon—”Heart Surgery” Randy Brown

Blessing Randy Brown

We Christians tend to love our

metaphors. We have the single coal

outside the fire, the lion and the lamb and

the bruised rose. Each of these probably

evokes clear images and strong memories

of growing up in a tradition that needs

pictures in order to connect us to

something we can’t see. Personally, my

cynical, doubtful heart has always

connected to the metaphor of the potter.

He takes dull, worthless clay from the

ground and makes it into something both

lovely and useful. But even as I write

these words, my soul rebels a little bit at

calling myself worthless. In the absence of

God, is my existence truly without worth

and meaning? I honestly don’t know the

answer to that question, but this week I had

an experience that might shed a bit more

light on a God who shapes. I’m a

co-sponsor of the Glee Club at my school,

and this week we had the great honor of

hosting a master vocal teacher for an entire

day at our campus. This man had PhD’s

coming out of his ears, and has trained with

some of the great musicians of our day.

Students, faculty, and community members

were invited to sign up for 15 minute slots

to be trained by him, and the rest of us sat

in the audience and watched.

continued on page 2

Please keep the following in your prayers this week:

Bernice Nelson, Sylvia Rodriguez, Elroyce Metting,

Roxi McCutchan, Belle Turner, Ann Wasicek, Diane

Montgomery, Dorothy Swearingen’s daughters Anna &

Delores & Betty Fudge’s daughter Diane and Jo

Martin’s son. Cynthia Tom is home from the hospital

but she is suffering from neuropathy in her feet and is

unable to walk very well at this time. Janie Tom fell on

Monday evening and she spent a couple of days in the

hospital. Ray Shannon continues to have pain from

back surgery. Harrison Wilborn was taken back to the

hospital in San Antonio on Wednesday. The infection

has returned. Please keep Harrison in your daily

prayers as he continues to battle this infection.

We will not have a meal this coming Wednesday

due to the Thanksgiving holiday nor will we have

classes. Dan Spaeth will conduct a devotional in the

annex.

Tom and Jennifer Davidson are the proud parents of

a baby boy. Logan Thomas was born this past Sunday.

He weighed 7 and half pounds and was 20 1/2 inches

long. The very proud grandparents are James and Juli

Coburn.

It is time to sign up for communion preparation for

the coming year. If you are looking for a ministry to

be involved in, this might be a good place to start. This

is a ministry the whole family could be involved in.

There is a sign up sheet on the information center.

We will be providing Christmas cookies for the

Ladies only at the jail this year.

Looking ahead. We will have our annual New

Year’s Eve party in the annex on Tuesday, December

31st. Please bring finger foods for your family and

games of your choice. The evening will begin around 6

or 7pm and end whenever.

Thursday, December 5th there will be a Ladies

Christmas Luncheon at 10:30am at the home of Cathy

Murphy, 408 Auburn Hill. Ham will be served and you

are asked to bring side dishes of your choice. If you

would like to participate, you may bring a wrapped

ornament to exchange. You are also asked to bring an

item for Mid-Coast Family Services. A list of items

needed can be found on the information center. Please

RSVP to the church office by Monday, December 2.

In 15 minutes (and often more, he never cut anyone off

or made them feel as if they were wasting time) he

managed to take whatever was offered, regardless of

lack of experience or talent, and make it sound

beautiful. The sincerity, kindness, and infinite patience

he practiced was utterly humbling. This master of

vocal music was physically intimate with everyone

who came onto his stage, inviting them into his genius

and sending them off better. Dad has been telling me

for years that when I come into the presence of God, I

better leave changed, or something is wrong. After

watching this process of what can happen when genius

and inexperience mix, I think I know what that means.

God is perfect, and when the perfect and imperfect

meet, something should rub off. As you come into

worship this morning, I’d invite you to tweak your

metaphor. Instead of thinking of God fixing you, think

instead of God gently, lovingly pulling out the best you

have and accepting it as the most perfect sacrifice.

Welcome to worship. ——Heather Brown

Continued from page 1

Listed below are the

names of the men to lead in

public worship in December.

Please mark your calendar

at home so that you will be

ready to serve on the date

indicated below. If you are

unable to serve, call the

church office at 573-9133.

Everyone please meet with

Randy behind the baptistry

on Sunday morning at 9:50

to pray.

MEN TO SERVE

IN DECEMBER

Larry Winters

Daniel Barrientos

Kelly Black

Breene Cantwell

Nick Cantwell

Glenn Dorries

Kirk Feuerbacher

Brandon Fojt

Cooper Franks

Grant Henry

Seth Long

Vincent Lopez

Kevin Lovel

Don Lowrie

Fred Lynch

MORNING

Dec. 1

Prayer/Scripture

Felix Hinojosa

Communion Thought

Randy Brown

EVENING

Dec. 1

Opening Prayer

Dan Spaeth

Song Leader

Tim Sawey

Communion Server

Glen Dorries

Closing Prayer

Tony Hatcher

MORNING

Dec. 8

Prayer/Scripture

Ken Callarman

Communion Thought

Bobby Fojt

EVENING

Dec. 8

Opening Prayer

Dan Marshall

Song Leader

Robert Smith

Communion Server

Gary Underwood

Closing Prayer

Mark Spaeth

MORNING

Dec. 15

Prayer/Scripture

Ken Mass

Communion Thought

Jeff Neaves

EVENING

Dec. 15

Opening Prayer

Allen Abraham

Song Leader

Tim Sawey

Communion Server

Dan Marshall

Closing Prayer

Mark Spaeth

MORNING

Dec. 22

Prayer/Scripture

Sid Brown

Communion Thought

Tony Hatcher

EVENING

Dec. 22

Opening Prayer

Dale Harper

Song Leader

Tim Sawey

Communion Server

Larry Tom

Closing Prayer

Vincent Lopez

MORNING

Dec. 29

Prayer/Scripture

Corey Boucher

Communion Thought

Joe Crisp

EVENING

Dec. 29

Opening Prayer

Dan Spaeth

Song Leader

Tim Sawey

Communion Server

Glenn Dorries

WEDNESDAY

Nov. 13, 2013 126

SUNDAY

Nov. 17, 2013

Bible Class 147

AM Worship 229

Evening Service 27

Small Groups 40

CONTRIBUTION $4678.80

WEEKLY BUDGET $10,864.50

YEAR-TO-DATE $55,123.70

Fiscal Year October to October

FILL IN THE BLANKS

____________ is foreign to _____________.

God gives a _______ because of his own _______. Not for ____ but for ___________.

When others see the _________ of a new heart God is ____________

A new _______ is most often recognized by our _________ toward our former

attitudes and actions (32b)

DISCUSSION

Tell your group about a time God gave you a new heart. What emotions did you

experience? How difficult was the process. When did you realize God had done heart

surgery on you?

What is it about a new heart that brings glory to God? In your experience how has a

change in your heart effected people around you?

How can we as God's people not fall prey to the idea of meritocracy? How do we

give God the credit for all the things we achieve and possess? How do we teach this

idea of God making us who we are and giving us all we have to our children and to the

world at large?

Too often we don't realize we need a new heart until God starts the surgical process?

How can we help each other keep a check on our hearts?

On a scale of one to ten with one being stone and ten being flesh what condition is

your heart in today? What will you do about your heart today?