Christ Fellowship of Wise County

This coming Sunday at Christ Fellowship should be interesting! We are ending our sermon series on “What We Believe” with a look at stewardship. And I hear ya. “Well, there he goes again, Ethel! Preaching on giving money to the church!” Well, I bet there’s a pretty good chance that you’ve never heard a stewardship sermon put quite like this. I have a little different take on it than most other guys and it’s radically different from most of the preachers you might see on TV.  So, don’t use this as an excuse not to come. It’ll be fun Sunday morning and evening!

Also, there is an important VBS meeting coming up after church, especially for the crafts and games teachers. VBS will be here in no time. It’s the 30th of this month and I can’t wait to teach these little munchkins about becoming fishers of men. I would probably have better luck with that than trying to teach them to be fishers of fish, that’s for sure.

Lastly, there will be an important announcement made after church that will require all of us to spend some important time in prayer. I hope you will be here in person for that since it won’t be on Facebook or the website.

It’s gonna be a good day! I can’t wait to see you. I love you all! — Todd

Good morning, dear ones! It’s hotter’n July in Texas around here so I’m trying to get an early start. And I’m so looking forward to the next meeting of our HeMan Woman Haters Club (as Spanky and Alfalfa used to say) or better known as our men’s breakfast. That’s going to be tomorrow morning (Saturday) at 7 am and will include biscuits and gravy, eggs and bacon and sausage and bacon, orange juice, milk, coffee and bacon and more. It’s open to men of any age. There will be nothing but food and fellowship and lots of both. You don’t have to bring anything. Just show up.

VBS is just around the corner (July 30th) and there will be a short VBS workers meeting right after church Sunday. I’ll see y’all there! I love you! — Todd 

Some of y’all that have been in church for years and years have heard that Jesus is coming back soon. And you keep waiting and waiting and you are beginning to wonder if it’s not similar to the boy who cried wolf. So, are we really in the end times or not? Well, it’s a great question. And I’ll tell you this much and the rest you will have to hear this Sunday when we talk about it more. 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” And God has promised He is coming back soon and I believe Him. 

I’ll explain why I am more sure of it now than ever before and it makes me excited. 

I’m also excited about seeing you at Christ Fellowship this Sunday morning at 10 and Sunday evening at 6. I’m always glad to see you here and miss you when you aren’t. I love you all! — Todd

Ecclesiastes 3 says, “He (God) has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. ¹² I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. ¹³ That each of them may eat and drink and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.”

When I read that this morning, I thought how appropriate for our celebration of life this Sunday for our dear Janet Hart who went to be with the Lord a few weeks ago. Janet said she wanted food, music and fellowship and so that’s what we will do. So, bring your favorite dish with you this Sunday morning the 26^th, and we will have our “typically unusual” morning time of worship and then we will all go over to the Fellowship Hall and have lunch and enjoy some music. And if you would like to share something about what Janet meant to you, you will have that opportunity.

It won’t be as good if you aren’t there so make plans now to be at Christ Fellowship this Sunday. There will be no evening service. I love you all! — Todd

Good morning my dear family! I woke up thinking about y’all this morning. Just wishing it was Sunday already. But I have some information you need about Janet Hart’s celebration of life service. It will be Sunday, the 26th, right after the morning service and, as per Janet’s wishes, it will consist of music, food and fellowship. There will be no formal eulogy, just her family and friends recalling special times and fond memories of Janet. So come with your favorite potluck meal and your favorite story of Janet to share both with everybody.

I love you all! — Todd

This Sunday we will continue our look at what we believe as we go over to the book of Acts to see what the first church looked like…and sounded like…and even smelled like. 🙂 What do we really believe the church is supposed to be? Why do we do what we do? Are we supposed to look, sound and smell just like the first church did after Jesus ascended back to Heaven? Are we all doing what we are supposed to be doing? And how do we know? Those are just some of the questions I need to get answered Sunday morning at 10 and Sunday evening at 6. I can’t wait to see you here at Christ Fellowship because I love you all! — Todd

Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:1-3)

What a great comfort that is! And in Colossians 3, we are told to think about the things of Heaven, the reality of it and the glory of it. Be heavenly-minded. If you have a little time to day-dream, day-dream about what Heaven is going to be like. We don’t know everything about what Heaven will be like but we know it will be a party. It will be fun and colorful and loud at times. There will be worship. There will be music and eating and the sights, smells and people will be amazing! I can’t wait!

I’m even more anxious today than I was yesterday, partly because this world is even nastier than it was yesterday, but also because Heaven is a little nicer today, if that’s possible. Most of you know that Janet Hart has struggled for several years with all kinds of physical issues and has been in the hospital for the past nine months or so. Well, yesterday she got released from not only the hospital but from this nasty old earth for good. And I say, “Good for her!”

Paul said, “To live is Christ and to die IS GAIN!” Well, Janet has gained Heaven and we are glad for her. David, who has been by her side the whole time, and the rest of the family are grieving as are we as their church family. There may be opportunities for you to help them with food or finances and we will let you know more as we see those opportunities so be mindful of that. In fact, if you would like to be part of providing food at some time, please contact Lois Hoover.

No information about a memorial is yet available but we will let you know about that as soon as possible. For now, be heavenly-minded because none of us are guaranteed another breath! I love you all! — Todd

This is a long Memorial Day weekend for some folks. I hope you save a few minutes to consider something. What do you think it means to be made in the image of God? Genesis 1 says that God made us in His image. But what does that mean to you? Come prepared to talk about this Sunday morning and evening at Christ Fellowship, 10am and 6pm. I can’t wait to see you and if you aren’t here, you will be missed! I love you all! — Todd

Ephesians 6 says, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” 

Make no mistake. What happened in Uvalde yesterday was committed by a flesh and blood person but was the scheme of Satan and his demons. I don’t know if that person was demon-possessed necessarily but he was definitely influenced by him. He was also not a sane person. Sane people don’t kill innocent children.

Like you, I am mad. I am heartbroken. I can’t comprehend what those parents are going through and neither I nor does anybody else have all the answers to why God would allow such a thing. Add it to the list of things in this world that don’t make sense. But I will go to my grave knowing that God sees, cares and cries with us.

The question that everyone is now asking is, “How do we keep it from happening again?” And, again, I don’t have all the answers. Some people want more guns. Some want fewer. Some want better mental health resources or more police or fewer police. Some people will put a “Pray for Uvalde” post on their social media and go about their day. But somehow none of those “answers” seems to feel very satisfying.

Most of you know I like dogs. I like dogs a lot! If I had the resources, I’d have a bunch of ‘em. And I see dogs in the shelter and I see neighborhood dogs chained up and I see people who don’t take care of their dogs and my heart goes out to those and I want to help every single one of them. But I can’t. But, do you know what I can do? I can take care of mine.

It’s the same with your kids and your grandkids. I don’t know where the Uvalde shooter’s parents were but it’s too late for him now. It’s not too late for your loved ones. We can’t help him not be evil but we can tell our kids and our grandkids and the neighbor boys and girls about Jesus because, do you know what all mass shooters have in common? None of them have a personal relationship with God through His Son Jesus.

Your job, your hobbies, your friends, your comfort – none of that is worth seeing your loved one being led into a horrible scheme of the evil one. You can’t help all the kids. But you can make sure yours knows they are loved and cherished by you and by God. Hug them a little tighter today and pray for those in Uvalde who can’t. — Todd

Don’t forget, Christ Fellowship is having a picnic right after the service Sunday. Bring whatever you want to eat plus a little more for those who might not bring anything. I can’t wait! I love you all! — Todd