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BulletinGold
#133
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January
2012
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Vol. 11
Num. 11
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Editors:
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David
Bragg
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Edward
Thomason
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| BulletinGold |
BulletinGold
is published the first Sunday of each
month to help Church of Christ bulletin
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In This Issue:
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Articles
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Nuggets
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Poems
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Quotes
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- Faith Brings Optimism,
Ken Stegall
- A Million Dollar Mistake
- Are You Living Your
Faith?, By Ron Thomas
- The Real Purpose of
Elders, Hardie Logan
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- Let Us Consider
- Hidden Treasure,
Charlie Gamble
- Faith Acrostic, Edd
Sterchi
- The Correct Attitude
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- When?, Dale Jenkins
- Endurance
- In The Twinkling Of An
Eye, H. L. Gradowith
- There’s No Pocket In A
Shroud
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quotes & sayings for
bulletins and signs
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| Editorial by David Bragg |
Welcome to 2012!
Each month
BulletinGold strives to offer quality
content for your church bulletin. As
always, articles, poems, and bulletin
"fillers" are welcome and appreciated.
Due to the facts that Yahoo Groups
imposes size limitations to use their
services and that we receive more
items then can be used, check out our
blog, BulletinGold
Extra. Each week a number of
items either cut from that month's
issue due to size restrictions, or
items from our reserve, will be posted
on that blog.
May God richly
bless your work in His kingdom in
2012! Thank you for your support of
BulletinGold.
David
Bragg
http://davebragg.blog.com/
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| Panning
for Gold Feature Articles: |
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Faith Brings Optimism
By Ken Stegall
The interesting
thing about a pessimist and an optimist
is that they are both right. Just ask
them. They will be more than happy to
share their evidence.
We all tend to
find what we are looking for in life.
It’s the old adage “Is the glass half
full or half empty?” The answer is “Yes,
“ Happiness, peace and success in life
are determined, not by circumstances,
but by your attitude.
If you look for
problems, you’ll find them. If you look
for solutions, you may or may not find
them, but you will find the strength to
endure through your problems. And
endurance quite often brings the
solution.
The difference
between a pessimist and an optimist is
that an optimist focuses on the future
and a pessimist focuses on the immediate
circumstances. If that’s true, then we
as Christians have every reason to be
optimistic. Our God has promised us an
incredibly bright future. And we trust
Him. That’s what the Bible calls faith.
Every pessimist
considers himself to be a “realist.” The
implication being-”If you are
optimistic, you are ignoring the facts!”
But one can be optimistic even in dire
circumstances. . . IF he believes that
someone who 1) loves him and 2) is
powerful enough to control every
situation IS, in fact, IN CONTROL.
However, if you believe that things are
truly out of control, and/or that God
doesn’t truly love you, there is no
basis for optimism. So when we find
ourselves becoming pessimistic, we need
to focus on those two things.
I’m an
optimist. And, I like to believe that
I’m also a realist. That means that when
it looks like things are out of control
in my life, or in the world, I need to
remind myself that what I’m really
feeling is that things are out of MY
control. And I pray for faith to remind
me to be at peace knowing that my loving
Father is in control.
I don’t always
understand His ways. That’s because He’s
bigger than I am. I’m thankful for that.
He can see all the way to the end of my
life and He certainly knows that I need
some struggles to give me reason to
trust Him.
- Ken Stegall; via The
Encourager, the weekly bulletin
for the Calvert City church of Christ,
Calvert City, KY. Lance Cordle
preaches for the congregation. He
may be contacted through the
congregation's website: http://www.calvertchurchofchrist.com
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A Million Dollar Mistake
There is a
story told about a man driving away from
a bank drive-thru window in wonderment.
The teller had not greeted him or
expressed thanks as he completed his
transaction. He says that even though he
did not deposit much money, he was still
from the old school that believes you
give the customer special attention.
It reminds me
of John Barrier who pulled his old
pickup truck into the U.S. Bank of
Washington parking lot one day in
Spokane, Washington. Dressed in his
usual shabby clothes, he paid a quick
visit to his broker, which was located
in the building, and went back outside
to drive away. The parking lot attendant
informed Barrier that a new 60 cent
parking fee has just been instituted,
but that the parking was free if he
could get his ticket validated from
someone in the bank. Now, Barrier had
been a customer there for several years,
so he ran back inside, in his usual
shabby clothes, to get his ticket
stamped. Inside, the teller took one
look at Barrier's grubby clothes, made
an assumption, and refused to stamp his
ticket. She said the bank could only
validate tickets when customers made a
transaction. After being directed to a
fairly new vice-president, Barrier was
basically told the same thing.
"Fine," Barrier
said. "I'll make a transaction!" He then
proceeded to withdraw all his money –
slightly more than a million dollars –
and took it to a bank a block away. That
is, after he got his parking ticket
stamped!
The Hebrew
writer says, "Do not forget to entertain
strangers, for by so doing some have
unwittingly entertained angels. "(Heb.
13:2) Nearly every time the church
assembles visitors are present.
How do we
receive them? How do we show respect for
some and not for others? Remember, "What
shall it profit a man if he gains the
whole world and loses his own soul?"
- Selected; via the weekly bulletin for
the Linville Forest church of Christ,
Kernersville, NC. Tim Lively
preaches for the congregation. He
may be contacted through the
congregation's website: http://www.linvilleforest.org/
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Are You Living Your Faith?
By Ron Thomas
What is faith? Faith is the
assurance of things hoped for and the
conviction of things not seen. The
conviction of things not seen—how can
that be? It can be this way because
those things unseen are in the eternal
realm. Those things in the eternal
realm we can have conviction about are
those things God has revealed (cf.
Deuteronomy 29:29).
When I think about this, I
am encouraged. The other day I
heard a young lady say that she wanted
to have more purpose in life than just
being dropped here—as if it might have
been by a stork. More people than
you realize might make the same
remark. God’s word has revealed
man’s purpose (cf. Ecclesiastes
12). Man’s purpose is not
exclusively singular. He also has
a purpose in trying to make the lives of
those around him better (cf. Colossians
3:5-6). He does this by living the
gospel message and trying to teach it to
others, thus giving them hope, an anchor
in a tempestuous sea of despair (cf.
Romans
12:1-2).
- Ron Thomas serves as preacher and an
elder for the Highway church of Christ,
Sullivan, IL He may be contacted
through the congregation's website: http://www.highwaycofc.com
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The Real Purpose of Elders
By Hardie Logan
When you ask
any Christian the question, “What is the
purpose of elders, in the church of our
Lord?” they generally answer, “to
(shepherd, tend, feed, etc.) the flock”.
No doubt one of the focuses of elders is
to do that. But is that the main purpose
of elders?
Why is it, that
good, God fearing, elders will work many
years in the church doing just that, and
then something happens where they move,
die or otherwise leave the congregation
only to see it be taken over by
“liberals, progressives, etc”? Can they
say they are not responsible for what
happens when they leave? Isn’t this kind
of thinking only self centered on behalf
of the man who thinks that way?
Let’s change
the focus now and look at this
differently. Let’s say the main purpose
of elders is to preserve the church that
Jesus built and died for. This kind of
thinking now demands of elders to train
other men to take their place when they
are no longer an elder. They must do the
training while they are still elders and
not after they are gone. Isn’t that part
of tending the flock? If not, why not?
Hebrews 13:17 says
elders will give an account. Normally we
use that passage to say they will give
an account of the souls of the flock.
But is not part of that accounting how
well the elders have trained the men to
take care of and preserve the Lord’s
teachings, after they are gone?
Could it be
that we have put the emphasis on
“tending” so much that elders have
become nothing more than “baby sitters”
and have forgotten they are responsible
for the leadership of the church, even
when they are no longer elders. Elders
are responsible to get everyone in their
flock to heaven if the people submit to
them. They are also responsible to
prepare the church so that it continues
in the ways of Jesus, after they are no
longer elders.
If we do what
God wants, the way God wants it done;
surely God will bless the church with
growth the way He wants it to grow.
- Hardie Logan preaches for the
Marshfield church of Christ, in
Marshfield, WI. He may be
contacted at xnman01@gmail.com
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| Nuggets
& Quick Riches - misc. goodies |
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Let Us Consider
“And let us consider
how to stimulate one another to love and
good deeds, not forsaking our own
assembling together, as the habit of
some, but encouraging one another; and
all the more as you see the day drawing
near.” (Hebrews 10:24-25)
I heard a
conversation the other day with some
people who used to be very active in the
church. Now they do not attend at
all. They miss giving that
stimulation and getting it. They
said they missed it at first, but now
they’re used to it. Bingo.
That is the way the devil and sin works
in our lives. It seems bad at
first, but now we are used to it.
That is how the deceitfulness of sin
works. We need to check all of our
activities with His Word, not by how we
feel. Let’s check in with Him
today.
- Grace
for Your Spirit, via THE SOWER,
a weekly publication of the Arthur
church of Christ, Arthur, IL. Ron
Bartanen, who serves as minister and
editor, may be contacted through the
congregation's website: http://www.arthurchurchofchrist.com
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Hidden Treasure
By Charlie Gamble
Do you remember the account of a
man with a metal detector finding an
amazing trove of Saxon gold and silver
in England? That would be every treasure
hunters dream.
Have you ever gone treasure
hunting in the Bible? It is full of
precious gems of another sort. In
Matt.13:45-46 there is a lesson about a
merchant who found a valuable pearl. He
sold all that he had in order to have
it. In this parable the pearl represents
salvation and the blessings of God in
the church.
One big
difference between the treasure in
England and the treasure of the Bible is
that a value can be put on one, while
the other is priceless. Are you seeking
the former or the latter?
- Charlie Gamble preaches for the Fort
Recovery church of Christ in Ft.
Recovery, OH. He may be contacted at cgamble64@gmail.com
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Faith Acrosti
By Edd Sterchi
Forsaking
All
I
Trust
Him
Do you have faith?
- Edd Sterchi preaches for the Jackson
church of Christ in Jackson, MO.
He may be contacted through the
congregation's website: http://www.jacksonchurchofchrist.com
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The
Correct Attitude
The church that I attend is composed of
people like me. We make it what it is.
It will be friendly
--- if I am. Its pews will be filled
--- if I help fill them. It will do a
great work
--- if I work. It will make generous
gifts to many causes
--- if I am a generous giver. It will
bring other people into its worship and
fellowship
--- if I bring them. It will be a church
of loyalty and love, of fearlessness and
faith, and a church with a noble spirit
if I, who make it what it is, am filled
with these. Therefore, with the help of
God, I shall dedicate myself to the task
of being all the things that I want the
church that I attend to be.
- Author unknown; via the weekly
bulletin of the Lebanon Road church of
Christ in Nashville, TN. Adam Faughn
serves as the pulpit minister for the
congregation, and he may be contacted
through the congregation’s website at: http://www.lebanonroadchurchofchrist.org
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| Hearts of
Gold
- poetry |
When?
By Dale Jenkins
When I get big ~ When I grow up
When I get baptized ~ When I turn ten
When I’m a teenager ~ When I can drive
When I get a car ~ When I get a better
car
When I graduate ~ When I get married
When I get a job ~ When I have kids
When I get a raise ~When I get a house
When I get a promotion ~ When I get it
figured out
When they are gone ~ When they get here
When this problem is solved ~ When I
have more money
When I get it paid off ~ When I get a
better boss
When we get new elders ~ When we get a
new preacher
When my kids get bigger ~ When I get
well
When my kids are gone ~ When I have more
time
When I have less stress ~When I retire
When are you going to do what you know
you need to do?
If not now – When?
“So teach us to number our days, That we
may present to You a
heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12 NASV).
When? Really?
- Dale Jenkins; via The
Encourager, the weekly bulletin
for the Calvert City church of Christ,
Calvert City, KY. Lance Cordle
preaches for the congregation. He
may be contacted through the
congregation's website: http://www.calvertchurchofchrist.com
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Endurance
A mighty wind blew night and day;
It stole the oak tree’s leaves away,
Then snapped its boughs and pulled its
bark,
Until the oak was tired and stark.
But still the oak tree held its ground
While other trees fell all around.
The weary wind gave up and spoke,
“How can you still be standing, Oak?”
The oak tree said, “I know that you
Can break each branch of mine in two,
Carry every leaf away,
Shake my limbs, and make me sway,
But I have roots stretched in the earth,
Growing stronger since my birth.
You’ll never touch them, for you see,
They are the deepest part of me.
Until today I wasn’t sure
Of just how much I could endure.
But now I’ve found, with thanks to you,
I’m stronger than I ever knew.”
- Author unknown; via THE SOWER,
a weekly publication of the Arthur
church of Christ, Arthur, IL. Ron
Bartanen, who serves as minister and
editor, may be contacted through the
congregation's website: http://www.arthurchurchofchrist.com
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In The
Twinkling Of An Eye
By H. L. Gradowith
CHORUS:
In the twinkling of an eye time will end
here,
In the twinkling of an eye no more sin
here...
In the twinkling of an eye to Him we'll
fly:
In that precious, longed for twinkling
of an eye!
He'll appear before us on that final
morn,
When He comes into a new world we'll be
born;
On that morning He'll open the eastern
sky:
In that precious, longed for twinkling
of an eye! Chorus
He'll remove the mem'ries of troubles
then past,
His Arms will shelter us from all harm
at last;
We'll enter the Wonderful Sweet By and
By...
In that precious, longed for twinkling
of an eye! Chorus
We'll behold that Wonderful City
Foursquare,
How beautiful ev'rything will be up
there;
No more tribulations and no more to die:
In that precious, longed for twinkling
of an eye! Chorus
- H. L. Gradowith For more
information on H. L. Gradowith and GRADOWITH
POEMS e-mail group visit http://www.geocities.com/fp5699/
- the website of Tim Smith, minister of
the Enon church of Christ in Webb, AL.
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There’s No
Pocket In A Shroud
Use your money while you’re living
Do not hoard it to be proud
You can never take it with you
There’s no pocket in a shroud.
Gold can help you no farther.
Than the graveyard where you lie
And though rich while you’re living
You’re a pauper when you die.
Use it then some life to brighten
As through life you weary trod
Place you’re bank account in heaven.
And grow richer toward thy God.
Use it freely, use it gladly
Do not hoard it to be proud
You can never take it with you
There’s no pocket in a shroud.
- Author Unknown; delivered by Edd
Sterchi in sermon: Our
Attitude Toward Money; Jackson
church of Christ in Jackson, MO.
He may be contacted through the
congregation's website: http://www.jacksonchurchofchrist.com
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| Gold Mines ---- quotes, sayings & sign
messages |
Cowboy
Wisdom: The best way to double your
money is to fold it over and put it back
in your pocket
The body is the shell of the soul, and
dress the husk of that shell; but the
husk often tells what the kernel
is.
There are not enough hours in the day to
get everything done, but have I gotten
even one thing done? Tomorrow I will
work on getting one thing done and that
is being a better Christian than I was
today.
Change of self is needed more often than
a change of scene.
Conscience is that still small voice
inside that makes you feel smaller.
- via The Encourager, the
weekly bulletin for the Dongola church
of Christ, Dongola, IL. Gerald
Cowan serves the congregation as
minister. He may be contacted at
Geraldcowan1931@aol.com
When you were born, you were crying and
everyone around you was smiling. Live
your life so at the end, you're the one
who is smiling and everyone around you
is crying.
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| BulletinGold Extra ---- recent postings on our
Blogsite |
- Giving
Thanks, By David A. Sargent
- A
“Can Do” Attitude, Jason Hart
- If
You Can
- Whether
Yes or No or More or Less –
Give Thanks to God
- Things
The Church Is Not To Do, James W.
Boyd
- Riches
Within Reach, Dan
Chambers
- The
Importance of Reputation, Jonathan B.
Jones II
- “AND
DEAR GOD, PLEASE HELP ME TO GROW...”, Lynn Parker
- Can
You Count the Apples in a Seed? By Mark
Adams
- God
Knows and Meets Our Greatest Needs, Gerald
Cowan
- Families
Need Teamwork, Mike Haynes
- I
Will See Him, H. L.
Gradowith
- “My
Help Comes From the Lord,” Bryan
McAlister
- Be
Of Good Cheer! By R. W.
McAlister
- Instant
vs. Delayed (or Denied) Gratification, Lance
Cordle
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