Pastor’s Ponderings

 “Suffer the Little Children” 

The disciples of Jesus Christ might be the greatest “before and after” story in history. While our Lord walked the earth, the Twelve were obtuse, ignorant, foolish, and sometimes just plain mean. While something good occasionally happened with them, for the most part they just did not get it. Our recent journey in Mark evidenced this.

Parents were bringing their children to Jesus so He could touch and bless them. Unfortunately the disciples had other plans and actually rebuked the parents. Jesus, of course, intervened and ended up taking the children into his arms and blessing them.

The disciples missed a vital truth: We are to bring people TO Christ not keep them FROM Christ. We could hinder people from coming to Christ in a myriad of ways. Perhaps er are not walking worthy of the Lord, and people see our poor example and are turned away from Christ. Maybe our witness has simply dried up. We go to church, wave to friends and neighbors, live among others in Cleburne, but we never open our mouths about God.

What a great example to us is Andrew. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, “We have found the  Messiah!” (John 1:41). The shepherds on the night of Jesus’ birth, made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child (Luke 2:17). The woman at the well left her waterpot, ran into the city, and said, “Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?” (John 4:29).

I pray that we will never hinder people from coming to the Lord. I also pray we will be more bold in telling others of our Savior.

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Thank you for your continued prayers for me wife and me. Her article concerns her ongoing battle with multiple myeloma. We continue to get positive news from her oncologist, but we also realize this is a long process. Again, your kindness shown through your prayers, cards, calls, and texts is much appreciated.

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As we enter November we will are reminded again of the need to be thankful. The remainder of this article I will mention some people and things for which I am thankful, beginning with my Savior.

2021 was a special year for me. It marked my 35th year in full-time ministry, my 25th year pastoring, and my 50th year of being a believer in Jesus Christ. I am so grateful for the three churches of which I have been a member.

The First Baptist Church of Richland Hills was my church home for over 30 years. I have many fond memories there. On August 8, 1971, I was saved in the morning service. I was baptized shortly thereafter. I still remember many of my Sunday School and Training Union teachers. I met my wife there and was married there. My pastor asked me to come on the staff and my first Sunday serving was May 25, 1986. Ironically, I served there for ten years and one day. My final service was May 26, 1996, and I moved to Jacksonville, Florida.

Northview Baptist Church called me as pastor, and I began serving there on June 2, 1996. Again, I think of so many who had an incredible impact on my life. I had great victories like seeing an entire family of Mormons come to Christ. I saw lives changed and people challenged. I was also hurt deeply in ministry, but looking back, it seems the good days far outweighed the bad days. I stepped down as pastor at Northview, thinking I was done with ministry. I served 16 1/2 years and became an online teacher. But my wife kept saying, “God has invested too much in you for you to be done with ministry.” She was very prophetic, for one day I received a call from . . .

Calvary Baptist Church in Cleburne. Somehow God worked it out for me to serve as pastor of this great church. It has been a delight and pleasure to be a member here. Again, I have seen great victories, but we have also suffered many losses as so many dear Calvary members have graduated to heaven. To my current church family I say, “Thank you!” You have blessed me and Betty beyond measure, and “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you”

(Philippians 1:3).

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I have asked from the beginning for you to pray for me and my family in five areas. Thank you for doing so, and please continue to plead with God that I would have:

1) Courage

2) Wisdom

3) Strength

4) Victory

5) Vision

 Pastor’s Ponderings

“Building Christ Church”

The Gospel of Mark is heating up. In the last few weeks we have seen Jesus tell His disciples that He will go to Jerusalem, be delivered to the religious leaders, suffer, and die. He also told them he will rise again.

But a very key feature of the book is the ministry Jesus chooses in the final months leading up to His crucifixion and resurrection. He now avoids crowds, performs few miracles, and spends extra time with his followers. Why? He’s preparing the disciples to lead His church after He is gone, by teaching and discipling them.

It is interesting to look in Scripture at the terms “disciple” and “Christian.” The words “disciple” and “disciples” occur almost 260 in the New Testament, while the word “Christian” occurs but 3 times.

John Piper said, “People need to become Christians, and people need to be taught how to think and feel and act as a Christian. That is a disciple.”

Our hymns often reflect this thought. We sing of nearness to Christ in “I Am Thine, O Lord” and “Nearer, My God, to Thee.” We sing of being like Christ in the hymns “O to Be like Thee!” and “I Want to Be like Jesus.”

But how does this come about? I believe the most effective way to make disciples is the way Jesus did it: by teaching Biblical truths and expanding personal relationships. At the end of His ministry, Jesus called the disciples “friends.”

We will accomplish this at Calvary by launching a new ministry in 2022, Relational Discipleship. It will be very small at first, but every time a few go through the process, they can turn around and teach it to others, who will do the same (2 Timothy 2:2). We will announce more as we get closer to the new year.

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We are excited about the lineup for guest preachers during October. Make ever effort to attend Sunday nights in October, as these men open God Word for us!

October 3 our own Dr. Carl Baugh will bless us with a sermon. Dr. Baugh is the founder of the Creation Evidence Museum in Glen Rose and a longtime defender of the faith. He has a grasp of the Bible and science as very few do. He has been on television and was featured in the 2016 documentary Finding Noah.

Evangelist J. C. House will be our speaker on October 10. He has been in the ministry over 50 years and is faithfully serving God. He speaks regularly at Faith Promise Mission meetings and has preached all over the country.

Jonathan Stewart is the President of Norris Bible Baptist Seminary in Fort Worth. He served as a pastor for many years and now heads up the seminary which is in its 38th year. He will preach on the 17th.

Our final speaker will be Evangelist Alan Harris. He has been traveling full-time since 1982. He is also a gifted vocalist who has toured with many of the Gaither Homecoming Friends. His sermon on the 24th will conclude the preaching.

But the evening service on the 31st will also be special. It will be singing from start to finish! We hope you will make a special effort to be here every Sunday night in October.

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For the past couple of months we have not livestreamed our services. We have recorded and posted them later on our Facebook and YouTube pages. Bro. Matthew has been working on the internet signal, and beginning Oct 3, we will again be streaming our Sunday morning and evening services live. So tune in at 10:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. for our LIVE services!

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A couple of weeks ago Bro. Andrew Lawrence sat down with me and said he believed God was moving him out of his current ministry position at Calvary. It is always tough when this happens. Please keep him and his family in your prayers as well as Calvary!

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I am so grateful for the faithful volunteers at Calvary Baptist Church. So many ministries would die were it not for the faithful men and women who bless us in so many ways.

To those of you who faithfully serve, often unnoticed, thank you for your faithfulness to our Lord Jesus Christ. We love you!

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I have asked from the beginning for you to pray for me and my family in five areas. Thank you for doing so, and please continue to plead with God that I would have:

1) Courage

2) Wisdom

3) Strength

4) Victory

5) Vision

 Pastor’s Ponderings

“Serious Considerations”

The last few weeks in the Gospel of Mark have been very heavy. We saw Peter give one of the greatest testimonies when he answered that Jesus was “the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Our Lord followed that proclamation with the first announcement that He would suffer and die. This did not set well with Peter, and he rebuked Jesus, only to be rebuked himself by the Lord.

Our Savior followed this with the solemn cost of discipleship: We must deny self, take up our cross, and follow Him. Saving our life means losing it, but losing our life for the sake of the gospel and the Lord means saving it.

He also spoke of the cost of the soul. Imagine gaining everything possible during your earthly existence but losing your very soul. What can we give in exchange for our soul? Jesus concluded by saying the evil and adulterous generation in which he lived would be ashamed of Him, and He, in turn, would be ashamed of them

Just typing those last four paragraphs was difficult. The last few verses of Mark 8 contain some of the greatest challenges in all of Scripture. It is easy to become a Christian, but it is difficult to become a true disciple of Jesus.

Yet Christ has called all of us to be His disciples. Have we forgotten the descriptions of the Christian life in 2 Timothy 2? Paul compares our lives to: 1) A parent and a child; 2) A teacher and a student; 3) A soldier and a commanding officer; 4) An athlete, and; 5) A farmer.

All of these “occupations” take time, discipline, and effort, and our Christian lives should, too! The solemn warnings of Christ can also be seen as precious promises as our lives become conformed to His, and, in turn, we live the abundant life He has planned for us all!

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Just a reminder that our morning and evening services (and our Wednesday services over the summer) are on our Facebook and YouTube pages @ Calvary Baptist Cleburne. The internet in our Family Life Center was spotty, so we stopped livestreaming our services, but we still record them and post them. I hope you will watch them, especially if you are unable to attend our services at this time. We certainly miss you when you can’t make it, but you can still be blessed by tuning in. It is not the same as being with us in person, but we hope to see you soon.

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We have been blessed over the past few months with some families and individuals becoming a part of Calvary Baptist Church. It is always good to see fresh faces, and it is wonderful when they partner with us.

But good people joining our fellowship are never a substitute for  souls being saved. As one man noted, “We are to be fishers of men not keepers of the aquarium.”

How has our witness been lately? Have we lost our evangelistic fervor? Do we really believe in a place called heaven? Let’s remember that we are witnesses who are empowered by God to take His message to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).

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Thank you again for the prayers offered for my wife as she battles multiple myeloma. Please read her article as she gives further updates concerning her progress.

It has been interesting as roles have changed. For the most part I have done the dishes and washed the clothes for the last several weeks. I have straightened the house (I’m not sure you call what I do “cleaning”), picked up laundry, and prepared many meals. Men, if you have a special person in your life who does this for you, treat them right!

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I reached a great milestone recently when I celebrated my 50th spiritual birthday on August 8. It brought some time of reflection as I asked, “Am I the person I should be after 50 years as a Christian?”

Reviewing my life was a difficult thing. While I am thrilled to pastor Calvary Baptist Church and thankful to be a part of such a wonderful group of people, I am disappointed in many areas of my life.

But I also know that God can take anyone, no matter where they are, and use them in His service. Therefore, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling!”

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I have asked from the beginning for you to pray for me and my family in five areas. Thank you for doing so, and please continue to plead with God that I would have:

1) Courage

2) Wisdom

3) Strength

4) Victory

5) Vision

 Pastor’s Ponderings

“The Real Jesus”

The game show “What’s My Line?” ran for over 18 years, and celebrity panelists would question contestants to determine their line of work (thus, the title of the show). Before revealing the correct contestant, the host often said, “Would the real (fill-in-the blank) please stand up?”

As we study through Mark, we see the “real Jesus” standing up time and again. This gospel has touched me like no other book of the Bible. I am amazed as I see the ministry of Jesus in a whole new light.

Our Lord was blunt and to-the-point with the religious leaders. He was kind and friendly to “sinners.” And He was patient though, often frustrated, with His own disciples.

In some movies about His life, Jesus is portrayed as a timid man who speaks only in monotone. The reality is that He spoke loudly to cast out demons and tame the storms. He spoke harshly to the religious leaders who were looking for their version of the Messiah rather than the Biblical redeemer.

I don’t want to be a religious person like the scribes and Pharisees. I want to be a genuine, authentic follower of Jesus Christ. I want to love as He loved, live as He lived, forgive as He forgave, teach as He taught, minister as He ministered, and even rebuke as He rebuked. As the last line of the old hymn “O to Be Like Thee!” states, “Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart!”

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We are trying something different with the filming of services. We are not livestreaming throughout the summer (and maybe beyond), but we are filming the services and posting them on our Facebook and YouTube pages.

For a livestream to be effective, the internet connection must be perfect the entire service. Unfortunately, if the internet goes out for only a moment, the livestream is interrupted, and a “new” livestream begins. This has caused several of our services to be cut into two or three segments.

To avoid this we decided to record all services but post them at a later time to our public Facebook and YouTube pages. Usually Sunday morning’s service is uploaded by that evening, and Sunday night’s service is usually uploaded Monday morning. Thanks for understanding why we aren’t live, and KEEP WATCHING!

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August is shaping up to be a fabulous month! It began with Bro. Payne’s birthday on the 1st! If you were not able to, drop him a card in the mail. In May we will celebrate his 45th anniversary service at Calvary. We are grateful for the work God has done through this choice servant and his family.

On Saturday, August 7, Erin Yancey is getting married to Joshua Crawford. This is a fine couple, and we need to support them with our prayers and gifts. The venue is limited in size, and no more seating is available. But the service will be live-streamed.

Tuesday the 10th is our monthly Outreach, and we will meet at 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Bring a side dish for the evening meal, and we will go out at 7:00 p.m.

Monday, August 16th, sees our Faith Bible Institute beginning a new semester. This is a three-year course of learning in which you are taught the entire Bible including every major doctrine. Please see Matthew Sisk if interested.

Golden Agers on the 17th will be a special Homecoming Reunion. Our music guests include Earl Sides and Chuck Willoughby, along with other gospel music family members. There is even a rumor that Bubba might show up.

Our Sr. Ladies WINGS ministry meets Thursday the 19th, and Miles Pike will present a gospel concert for us Sunday night the 22nd.

Wednesday the 25th will be registration for our Wednesday On-Track ministry. You may also register online at calvarycleburne.com. Throughout the school year our children and teens learn truths from God’s Word.

We finish the month with our Men’s Prayer Breakfast on Saturday the 28th and missionary Al Reichmann on Sunday night the 29th.

Let’s be in our place every opportunity possible.

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I have asked from the beginning for you to pray for me and my family in five areas. Thank you for doing so, and please continue to plead with God that I would have:

1) Courage

2) Wisdom

3) Strength

4) Victory

5) Vision

 Pastor’s Ponderings

“Look at the Bright Side”

With every storm cloud there is a silver lining.” “Is the glass half full or half empty?” “Look on the bright side.” We have heard these phrases all our lives. They all encourage us to see the good that is happening rather than focus on the bad. Sometimes that is very difficult.

It can be difficult while looking at the state of our nation to see anything good. Crime is rising, especially murder, while foolish politicians speak of defunding the police (which is the desire of every criminal). On the bright side, the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor is a former police officer who will fight against defunding the police.

Some of you saw the third place finisher in the hammer throw for the U.S. Olympic Trials turn sideways during the national anthem. On the bright side, the first place finisher proudly waved the Stars and Stripes. In fact many of the U.S. Olympians have publicly stated their faith in Jesus Christ.

We live in perilous times with fewer and fewer Americans going to church or believing in God. On the bright side, Paul said that times would get worse as we draw near to the return of Christ. I will leave you with this thought. Rather than look around, “look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”

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We apologize for the lateness of this issue. A “perfect storm” occurred that prevented this newsletter from getting to you by July 1.

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I want to thank all of you, again, for the continued prayers for my wife and me. Her entire article concerns her multiple myeloma and the treatments that begin July 8. It is a blessing to be part of this great fellowship and experience the love and kindness directed toward us.

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Have I mentioned that I love the Gospel of Mark? The book is filled with marvelous stories, messages, and people. It also has some recurring themes, including the opposition of the religious leaders. We see again and again that the very ones who should be welcoming the Messiah instead reject Him and eventually have a major role in His crucifixion.

In a recent message we saw the tragedy of these leaders as they held their own beliefs on a higher plane than even the Word of God. The progression is frightening.

It began with distant hearts, as Christ proclaimed, “This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” (7:6). We DO need to honor God with our lips, but we must make sure our hearts are part of our worship.

In fact, empty worship is the next downward step as they worshipped God in vain (7:7). Is our worship empty? Do we mean it when we sing praises to God in church or is it all empty words and meaningless gestures?

Since their hearts were distant and their worship empty, they began substituting their own doctrine for Biblical doctrine. Jesus said they were “teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” (7:7) While we need some man-made rules, and while we have many books explaining Scripture, these should never be substituted for the actual Word of God.

These religious leaders then began to lay aside Scripture. “For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men.” (7:8) Scripture, which to the scribes and Pharisees was sacred, was actually pushed out the door so they could teach and preach their own traditions.

Amazingly this led to the outright rejection of Scripture in verse 9 and the destruction of Scripture in verse 13. God’s Word had no effect on the people because of the traditions substituted for the Law.

While none of us would purposely harm God’s Word, it is frightening to think that it all started with distant hearts during worship. The next Sunday you worship in person, come with an expectant attitude, ready to worship in Spirit and truth, and ready to receive God’s Word in your heart.

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I am overwhelmed with the generosity of Calvary members. We surpassed our Building Fund goal by almost $10,000, and many graciously gave for camp. Thanks!

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I have asked from the beginning for you to pray for me and my family in five areas. Thank you for doing so, and please continue to plead with God that I would have:

1) Courage

2) Wisdom

3) Strength

4) Victory

5) Vision

 “Pastor’s Ponderings”

 “Betty’s Update” 

I gave the church an update on my wife after the May 30 a.m. service. My article is from a Facebook post I made that afternoon.

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This is a lengthy post. I was originally going to post Betty’s entire ordeal dating back to March 9, but I am going to pick up with her admission to Harris Downtown on Saturday, May 22. She was, again, having a lot of back pain, and we assumed it was still problems with her surgery on her gall bladder which was removed on March 31. The doctors said all her numbers were looking good and that this pain had nothing to do with the gall bladder surgery.

An MRI was ordered, the results were studied, and an oncologist visited my wife on May 23. He made an “incidental” finding (when doctors find something they were not looking for) including what he called “abnormalities”, compression fractures in the spine, and innumerable lesions in the bone marrow. The oncologist immediately suspected multiple myeloma (a blood cancer). He ordered several specific blood tests, and they all confirmed that diagnosis.

We travelled to his office Thursday, May 27, and felt dread as we sat down with him. His first words were, “This would be a terrible diagnosis ten years ago.” He spent the next 20 minutes speaking in a clear, firm tone, and we left his office hopeful. He ordered a bone marrow biopsy to confirm the diagnosis and prepare for a course of action.

The biopsy was to take place Wednesday, June 2, but we had a health insurance glitch and have put in a request as a new patient at Texas Oncology Southwest because our insurance works with them. We received a call from a Texas Oncology representative about 4:00 p.m. Saturday afternoon, and she said Betty’s case would be seen by a physician as soon as they walk in the office Tuesday morning. I commend Texas Oncology for the swift action in this matter, especially since it is Memorial Day weekend.

Going back to our first oncologist, here is the timeline he gave us. Once confirmed, treatment begins immediately. This will include 2-3 months of chemo in the form of pills, injections, and steroids. If results are favorable (and he fully expected them to be), Betty will have a stem cell transplant using her own bone marrow. He believed this would put the multiple myeloma into remission.

She would be monitored with maintenance for several years, and he fully expected her to live a normal life. There are still a lot of “ifs” in this picture painted by the oncologist.

The advances in the last 5-6 years with multiple myeloma have completely changed the treatments and life expectancy. Online you might see that about 50% live past the five-year mark. These statistics are based on studies before 2015 when two new drugs were introduced that completely changed the survival rate.

We enter this with confidence in the ability of the medicines and treatments to heal Betty’s body and in the ability of our God to see us through any difficulties we will face. I have faith in my God. But faith is NOT belief without proof, it is trust without reservation, and I trust my God without reservation.

I appreciate any prayers you may lift on behalf of my wife and me. Please do not think that I am emotionless in this post, but we had our cry on May 23, with a slight follow up on the 27. But when we stopped, we said, “Let’s get up now and take this head on.” We will have many ups and downs, but we are truly upbeat about this situation, and I am thankful we have a great group of Facebook friends who truly cares for us.

Thank you for reading this lengthy post, and let’s get up now and take this head on!

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As you know, a large part of this newsletter is completed by Betty. She continues to work from home when she can and has even come to the office a couple of times.

If you see something left out of this newsletter, whether that be an announcement or an acknowledgement, please call the office so we can include it next month. Thanks for your understanding!

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I have asked from the beginning for you to pray for me and my family in five areas. Thank you for doing so, and please continue to plead with God that I would have:

1) Courage

2) Wisdom

3) Strength

4) Victory

5) Vision

 Pastor’s Ponderings

“Thank You”

⁴Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. ⁵For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations” (Psalm 100:4-5).

I realize I just quoted November verses in May, but it’s okay to be thankful more than one month in the year. And I am thankful.

At the end of my April article, I mentioned that we were about to take up our annual Mission Cards, and you responded in spectacular fashion. 2020 was a rough year, and we took in less money for missions. But the challenge to support more missionaries was met, and you have already promised to give over $10,000 more this year than was given last year. In addition, the love offerings for the missionaries in January-March and for Evangelist Tim Lee were phenomenal. I always love to call one of our guest missionaries and tell them a love offering is on the way, and most are astounded at the amounts given by Calvary. Please don’t think of this as boasting. I’m just excited that our church loves missionaries.

I am also thankful for the great Building Fund offering. We still do not have final totals as of the writing of this article, but so many gave to see our auditorium remodeled, and I am thankful. Again, I ask that we all be patient through the process!

I am thankful for the love and prayers lifted up by my church family during this time of crisis in the Monk family. My wife has a lengthy article giving a play-by-play account of her ordeal, and I am grateful for a church family that practices 1 Samuel 12:23. “God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you.”

I am thankful to have our choir singing again in the morning services. We went over 12 months without those voices, and I am glad to see (and hear) them back.

I am thankful for so many who have taken up the slack while my wife and I have missed many services. So many preached for me, others worked with guest missionaries, the office staff held the fort while we’ve been gone, and I am appreciative for all who have stepped up. I’ll include my sister-in-law here who has been a great help at home

Lastly, I am thankful for the peace of God during this time. Betty and I had some tough discussions this past month. Betty asked me, “What if I never get better?” With the doctor using the word “fatal”, we even briefly discussed the possible mortality in this situation. But I can honestly tell you we never felt the need to panic because we were certain God’s will would be done. Whatever would happen, we were convinced of Jesus’ words in John 18:11 when he said, “The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?” Perhaps the most courageous words in the Bible were spoken by Job after he lost everything. “The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” I AM THANKFUL!

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May is always one of the busiest months at Calvary (in some ways busier even than December).

• May 5th: the final week of On Track with our Awards Ceremony in the auditorium.
• May 9th: Mother’s Day with a ladies’ breakfast during Sunday School and a gift for all mothers (no evening service).
• May 11th: Outreach at 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. (bring a side dish).
• May 18th: Golden Agers returns at 10:30 a.m. and the West Coast Baptist College singers minister at 7:00 p.m. (this takes the place of our Wednesday service).
• May 20th: WINGS Ladies’ meeting at 11:30 a.m.
• May 21st: Youth Activity at 6:00 p.m.
• May 23rd: Graduation Day where we honor our high school and college graduates.
• May 29th: Men’s Prayer Breakfast at 8:00 a.m.

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I did have one other concern during my wife’s illness: I thought the Amazon delivery drivers might forget where we lived. Betty has been home two days as of this writing, and I can assure you, they did not forget!

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I have asked from the beginning for you to pray for me and my family in five areas. Thank you for doing so, and please continue to plead with God that I would have:

1) Courage

2) Wisdom

3) Strength

4) Victory

5) Vision

 Pastor’s Ponderings

“The Music of Easter”

I love the music of Easter. As a child I remember singing the great old hymns like Christ Arose, Christ the Lord Is Risen Today, and He Lives. In 1971 Bill and Gloria Gaither wrote what is probably their most famous hymn, Because He Lives. What a stirring message as verse one tells the story of Jesus coming to live, die, and most important, rise again. When they wrote verse two, they had a newborn in the house, and started the verse, How sweet to hold a newborn baby . . .

But the last verse takes us to the end of this life and the entrance into heaven.

And then one day I’ll cross the river;

I’ll fight life’s final war with pain.

And then, as death gives way to vict’ry,

I’ll see the lights of glory and I’ll know He reigns.

Because He lives I can face tomorrow;

Because He lives, all fear is gone.

Because I know He holds the future,

And life is worth the living just because He lives.

Just writing those words is exciting! Singing them in an auditorium full of people is even better. I hope you will join us at Calvary Baptist Church on Easter Sunday morning, April 4, at 8:30 or 10:30. In the 10:30 service our choir will sing for the first time in over a year. We will worship the risen Savior. Don’t miss it!

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We will do something different the evening of Easter. While not having an in-person service, we will have a video begin at 6:00 p.m. on our Facebook and YouTube pages. Many of our singers and musicians will record great songs of the faith before Easter and we will present the video concert that evening.

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The church recently voted to remodel our auditorium building. We encourage you to pray for this endeavor, as it will be a long process that requires much patience. In fact, the word patience is the key word in the project.

Before the remodeling even begins, the 20-year-old air conditioners in the gym will be replaced. This will take several weeks. In the meantime we have people deciding where Sunday school classes will move and how we operate the services minus the auditorium building.

First, the workers will perform an asbestos abatement. Then they will tear out a huge section of the hallway and begin work on the brand new bathrooms. The College & Career classroom will be demolished to make way for our new foyer/vestibule (different churches call it different names). New doors, ceiling, lighting will enhance the building, and the parking lot will be restriped. A new sound system will be installed, a new platform built, and we will rejoice when we move back into the building!

We will receive a building fund offering on April 25 as we attempt to raise $75,000 in one service. Not only do I believe this will happen, I think God is going to provide far more than that, and we will be truly amazed at the work He does through His children.

PRAY, PRAY, PRAY, and PRAY, and remember the key word: Patience!

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We had a fabulous Missions Month. Some of the best mission presentations I have ever heard were made by our guest missionaries. We heard about the fields of Peru, Papua New Guinea, the Middle East, and the Philippines. We heard missionaries with deep passion for the fields where God is leading them. We were blessed as we heard Oliver & Gloria Williams, Reese & Stacy Parfitt, Nathan & Alicia Lee, and  JB & Marie Tarwater.

Sunday, March 28, we will receive our Faith Promise Mission cards and we encourage you to be very generous in your mission giving this coming year. Last year the pandemic struck in the middle of Missions Month and we never filled out our Mission Cards. As a result our missions giving was down last year (even as all of our other accounts increased).

Pray about what God would have you give. Then be faithful in that giving, and God promises that you will be blessed and have fruit abounding to your account (Philippians 4:17).

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I have asked from the beginning for you to pray for me and my family in five areas. Thank you for doing so, and please continue to plead with God that I would have:

1) Courage

2) Wisdom

3) Strength

4) Victory

5) Vision

 Pastor’s Ponderings

 “Jesus”

We started the book of Mark on Sunday morning, October 25, 2020. Based on my sermon calendar, we will finish the book in the summer of 2022.That seems like a long time to be in one book until we realize that, for the next year-and-a-half, the subject of every single Sunday morning sermon will be Jesus Christ.

As I study this Gospel I see how much it challenges my views of the Son of God. As a child, I pictured Jesus as a very quiet man who spoke softly, had his hands folded, and was always looking heavenward. Now I see Him confronting demons, feuding with Pharisees, and wrangling with His disciples.

He purposefully clashed with the religious leaders to demonstrate the folly of their traditions. He NEVER broke God’s laws, but He repeatedly broke the man-made rules and traditions of the religious. As someone said, “If you ask, ‘What would Jesus do?’ be prepared to take a whip to church and turn over a bunch of tables.”

The reality about our Savior is that He acted nothing like a Messiah (at least in the mind of first-century Jews) was supposed to act. They wanted a conquering King who would heal everyone, whip the Romans into submission, and establish God’s Kingdom on earth with Jerusalem as the capital. Ironically, all of this will happen eventually, but He first came to pay the price for our sins and establish His church. As others have phrased it: “He didn’t come as a Conquering King but as a Suffering Servant.”

As we move further in the Gospel, we will continue to see that Jesus deals with three groups of people, the religious, the disciples, and the people. With the religious, He is stern because He sees the bad influence they have over the people. With the disciples He is often exasperated as they miss clues that are right in front of them. With the people, especially the “repentant sinner”, He is gentle and kind and forgiving. If anything comes out of this study, I hope that we will be more like Jesus.

Thomas O. Chisholm was born the year after the Civil War ended and died the year Kennedy was elected president. He was a prolific songwriter, with his most famous hymn being “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.” He also wrote two hymns about striving to be like Christ, “I Want to Be Like Jesus” and “O to Be like Thee!” Here’s the first verse from the former.

I have one deep, supreme desire,

That I may be like Jesus.

To this I fervently aspire,

That I may be like Jesus.

I want my heart His throne to be,

So that a watching world may see

His likeness shining forth in me.

I want to be like Jesus

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We will vote on new Air Conditioners/Heaters for the Family Life Center and for the Church Remodel on Sunday, March 7. If you are homebound and would like to vote remotely, please send an email with your name and phone number to cbccleburne@gmail.com before March 7. We will confirm who sent the email, and you will be ready to vote.

We are also making one small change to the presentation that was done on Sunday night, February 21. We mentioned the cost for “chairs” but we are changing that word to “seating.” We originally did not think we could keep the pews and would have to go to chairs in the sanctuary, but it looks now like we can keep our pews, but we want to reupholster them rather than purchasing chairs.

We will also baptize the next two Sundays. We have at least six candidates for baptism, and we are excited to be baptizing again. Hope to see you the next couple of weeks, either in person or online.

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Not wishing to have an accident, I recently drove VERY slowly on Westhill with the streets still iced over. I glanced down at my speedometer and realized I was driving the speed limit, which then made we wonder, “How fast do I normally drive down this street?”

I also read that a man was attributing the weather to climate change because it was so cold one day and a few days later it was so hot. My first thought: “He doesn’t live in Texas.”

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I have asked from the beginning for you to pray for me and my family in five areas. Thank you for doing so, and please continue to plead with God that I would have:

1) Courage

2) Wisdom

3) Strength

4) Victory

5) Vision

 Pastor’s Ponderings

 “The Mulligrubs” 

I sometimes get the mulligrubs. I looked the word up before typing it, and that IS the correct spelling (I thought it was “mollygrubs”). It’s original meaning was a severe headache (thankfully I rarely get those), but it came to mean “low spirits, despondent, or even depression.”

The Bible is filled with characters who had the mulligrubs. Elijah asked God to take his life. Jeremiah accused God of deception and said he would never mention His name again. Peter wept bitterly after betraying the Lord. Paul said he and his companions “despaired even of life” (1 Corinthians 1:8). And we didn’t even mention that one out of every three Psalms has the author crying out in despair.

Yet we have hope even in the midst of difficulty. Psalm 77 best explains the move from sadness to satisfaction, from bitterness to bliss, from despair to delight!

It begins with the author crying out to God but getting no relief. He finds no comfort, he’s troubled and he’s overwhelmed. In the night, he can’t sleep or speak, but he remembers the good old days.

He then begins questioning God. Has God cast us off? Will we ever see His favor? Has His mercy and promises ceased? Has God forgotten how to be gracious?

But right in the middle of the Psalm things change. He starts remembering God’s works and wonders. He meditates on God’s works and begins speaking of them. The final eight verses, all he does is praise God’s power and creation.

But what brought on the change? First, he quit thinking about his own past and started recalling God’s greatness. Second, he starts using the name “Jehovah.” Then he begins praising God. But most important, he stops talking about himself and only speaks of God.

In the first six verses of Psalm 77, Asaph refers to himself (“I, me, my, mine”) twenty times. In the final eight verses, those four words are not found.

These are the most difficult days I have experienced, and most would say the same unless you lived through the Depression or World War II. Yet we can still rejoice in God’s goodness. Meditate on God’s great works, and get rid of those mulligrubs!

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In the last newsletter I wrote of some business meetings and votes coming up. With the recent cancellation of three weeks of service, the dates have all changed.

This will sound strange, but we will conduct a business meeting every Sunday night in February. On the 7th we will discuss the need for new air conditioners/heaters for the gym. On the 14th we will vote of that. The 21st will be our annual business meeting and we will look at the proposal to remodel the entire auditorium building. Then on the 28th we will vote on the remodeling project.

All of these meetings should be brief except for the annual meeting which should take up the entire service. We will mention some creative ways to vote where we follow our by-laws yet allow our faithful members to cast votes even if they are not able to attend.

Due to the fact that our Facebook  and YouTube pages are public, we will NOT live stream any of the business meetings. We believe our church business needs to stay within the church. But we will make available both proposals in detail so any church member can read them through.

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This February newsletter should arrive in January. If it is possible, please attend the January 31st service with Evangelist Tim Lee. He is one of the most dynamic speakers in the country.

While serving in Vietnam he stepped on a landmine and lost both his legs. After a lengthy recovery he returned home where his father was a pastor. He fully surrendered to God and has been a faithful servant ever since.

He is usually booked at least two years in advance, but because of the pandemic I was able to call just a few weeks ago and get him to come.

Please give generously to this great evangelist as well as to last Sunday night’s missionary, Stephen Carrier. Both of them are in our online giving, and your gifts will be a blessing to them.

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I have asked from the beginning for you to pray for me and my family in five areas. Thank you for doing so, and please continue to plead with God that I would have:

1) Courage

2) Wisdom

3) Strength

4) Victory

5) Vision