Morning Vocabulary Lesson

I read a new word last night.  Well the word is not new, and not necessarily new to me, but one that I do not read or hear often.  This wonderful word applies to some great concepts.  The way the book I was reading used this word, it applied more to me the first ten years of our marriage than it did to my wife, and now for the last 10+ years this word applies more to her. This usage of this word may not apply to many in our nation today, unless of course you live in a rural area.  Then again this word, as used last night, may not always apply there either.  Jesus' life on earth fit this word, and this word applies to Him now as He is at the right hand of the Father.

What is the word?  Propinquity!  I like that word.  I am going to make it one of my favorites.  I plan to find excuses to us this word.  The way my reading last night used "propinquity" gave it the meaning of "being near to the place of your birth."  Look at Jesus' life on earth you realize as you study maps that He never really lived too far from his home.  If you look at Jesus as God's Son, He is near God now.

As I think a little deeper, Jesus was never far from His Father, even while on earth.  Propinquity also means: "nearness of kin" or "nearness of place and time - proximity."  Hmm.

James 4:8 encourages our propinquity to our heavenly Father, "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you" (ESV).  The more I think, the more I realize that propinquity is exactly what God wants with us.  Everything He did throughout history has the goal of bringing His wayward creation back to close propinquity to Him.

Have a great day with the Lord!
Scott

You're Invited

I think I am similar to everyone else in our community in that I like to be invited to something special, weddings, birthdays, graduations, and celebrations of a variety of events. I think you probably like invitations as well.

Consider this your invitation. Specifically, this is your invitation to our Series of Lessons on the Family,  February 5-7. Ted Burleson will be with us and will speak on the following topics:
Friday, Feb 5 at 7:00 - - - Family Development
Saturday, Feb 6 at 7:00 - - - The Stages of Family Life
Sunday, Feb 7 at 9:00 a.m. - - - Preparing for Marriage and Dealing with Family Problems.
Sunday at 10:00 a.m. - - - How Can the Church Help the Family
Sunday after Lunch - - - The Church Leader and His Family

When you visit with us, we want you to know that you truly honor us with your presence. You will find us to be a loving, family oriented congregation of people trying to serve the Lord in our public worship and in our daily lives. As an assembled group we are trying to be the church for which our Lord Jesus Christ died – nothing more, nothing less. Toward that effort, we follow the Bible as our only rule. We consider ourselves and call our selves Christians and nothing else. We seek to teach our community, state, nation, and world the simple gospel message that is the good news of the reign of Jesus as King of kings and Lord of lords. Our plea is that our efforts will lead you to obediently submit your life to Him.

Again, we offer you an invitation to join us during this series as well as any of our regular assembly times. If ever we can assist you or help you find Bible answers for your life, please let us know when you are here or by contacting us through our website HERE.

What I Like About the Holidays

In this picture - Sister-in-Law (Tammy), Mom (Anna), and my lovely wife (Amy) model their "Santa" aprons while making deviled eggs.

While there are many more reasons to like the holidays than I have room to list, here are a few of my favorite reasons.

1. FAMILY. During the holiday season, both of my brothers, our wives, and children gather at our parents house. Although my one brother lives 10 minutes away, we all spend few nights at Mom and Dad's.

2. FAITH. All of my family are active in their faith, we pray together, and we are usually there at least one Wednesday and get to go back to the congregation where we grew up as children. We always enjoy catching up with old friends there and joining them in praise to God.

3. CHILDREN. Doug (my older brother) has two daughters the oldest is almost 20 and is engaged to be married this summer. His youngest is 16 and full of life. Charles (my younger brother) has two preschool girls. The oldest will be in Kindergarten next year. The youngest is 2 years old. They are a lot of fun. I have one son (Andrew) who is 12. He and his cousins have a lot of fun.

4. GAMES. Usually we play Mexican Train or some other table game, but this year we had Wii Bowling, Wii Golf, and Wii Tennis Tournaments. Mom pushed us to our limits in Bowling!

5. FOOD. We have the usual turkey (Cajun fried), ham, dressing, deviled eggs, and various deserts. Then we have a traditional dish for my families Christmas; my great-grandmother's (and possibly her mother's) seafood gumbo.

And that is just my side of the family. I get to Amy's side later . . .

Scott

Raising Great Kids!

(At left: My son Andrew and his cousin Katy explore a drainage ditch in Grayson, KY)

Paul tells parents, " . . . do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." Eph 6:4 (English Standard Version)

HOW can we do this?
I find a method in the imagery of the words of the Psalmist “Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.” Psalm 127:3-5.
Bow season begins this weekend in Alabama, so shooting skills are on my mind. When using a bow, there are four principles to a successful shot. These principles apply to raising great kids:

1. The Direction of the arrow is pointed is important. Where am I pointing my children? Toward the things of the world or toward the things of God (2 Cor 4:16ff)
2. The Strength of the pull on the bow-string is important. How much influence do I have on my children? Am I using the opportunities given me to give them strength to follow through with faith?
3. The Timing of release is important. Sometimes we push our children to grow up too fast. When children are "dating" at when they are barely out of diapers, we create problems for the future. Allow them to be kids. Do not release them to the temptations of the world before they are ready
4. The Accuracy of Aim is important. Know where you are pointing. Aim high. Point them to God and release when they are ready.

Have a great day!
Scott

Where Do You Come From?

Last week, we took a vacation as a family. We traveled to different parts of Kentucky and Tennessee but took an excursion into Southern Ohio to show my wife and son where my dad's family is from. The grave stone above is my great-grandfather Sylvester McCown. We also took a picture of his father's stone. I think the house below belonged to one set of my great-grandparents. My son (age 12) and my cousin's daughter (age 11) thought this trip to see cemeteries was "boring." Both of them kept asking why we wanted to see all these "dead people's graves." We tried to explain the importance of knowing who your ancestors were. Yet, I remember feeling the same way my son did when I was his age and we took vacations in Ohio. I wanted to explore the mountains, hills, old barns, the Ohio River banks, etc. Riding for an hour or so going from graveyard to graveyard was not fun then.

Now that I am in my 40's there is a desire to know more about these people. Seeing their tombstones, and some of their former homes brought up the following questions in my mind: What were they like? What did they do? How did they survive? When the first of them ventured into Ohio and West Virginia that area was frontier land. Some literally had to push back the wilderness so they could settle.

There was also a great reminder in viewing homes and graves. I began to consider my own humanity and my own "appointment" with death (Heb 9:27). The last of my great-grandparents died in 1967 the year I was born. I am fortunate to have one grandparent still living. People who live eventually die. Am I ready? Are you ready? When I am no longer here, and my descendants visit my grave, what will they know about me? What legacy will I leave them? Sylvester was a hard-working timber man, his son (my grandfather) Herbert worked the locks and barges on the Ohio River. Will my grandchildren, great-grandchildren know me as an honest worker, will they know my passion for the Lord?

I think I will take a moment today and pray for the generations that will follow me, starting with my son (and your children / grandchildren). I ask you to do the same.

Scott

The Family that Fishes Together . . .

I am grateful to be back home after a quick trip to Destin, FL (The Destin Log pic) for a long overdue deep sea fishing trip. My son (Andrew - almost 12) and I took off Sunday evening after worship and drove about five hours to my brother's house in Niceville, FL. There we tried to settle down to sleep so we could get up before the sun to go fishing in the Gulf of Mexico aboard the charter boat, "Perfect Shot." At 6:00am Captain Brady and First Mate Chris welcomed us aboard and we began our adventure. From the photo you can see the fruits of our labor - 21 Red Snapper (one under the "bag limit"), one Grouper, and one Cobia (a.k.a Ling). Obviously the fishing was fun.

For me one of the best parts of the whole three days was traveling with Andrew. His assignment from Amy was to keep me awake, and he did. We talked, laughed, listened to Classic Rock on the Radio, and enjoyed each other's company. He told me things about my Sunday night sermon that he saw in people he knew. My sermon was on the negative effects of divorce; he talked about his friends at school and their struggles with divorced and single parents. I think I heard a "thank you" for the relationship his Mom and I have. He is becoming quite the young man. I pray that I am a good example to him about what a father, husband, preacher, Christian, and man should be.