Estes Echo

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Setting the Table

Tables. They aren’t complicated items like smart phones and plasma, flat-screen televisions. They aren’t the piece of furniture we spend the most time using. But some of my fondest memories have been made while sitting at tables. Tables are a gathering place, where people come together to be nourished…yes, physically, but for me, the social nourishment around the table is just as important as the food. Growing up, our family dinner table was the setting for prayers, sharing stories about the day’s events, lots of laughter, and of course, lessons about good manners. And, although the process was repeated day after day, I would definitely have missed the absence of a single meal. Today, I continue to look forward to the times I spend with my family around our table. I arrive at the table hungry, but always leave full.

We have the opportunity every Sunday to come together at a different table, the Lord’s Table. Like our dinner table, the Lord’s Table isn’t fancy. But its purpose is profound. We arrive at the table hungry. Hungry for purpose, hungry for forgiveness, hungry for time to reflect on our gratitude for God’s grace, hungry to bond with those of like faith. When we join our Christian family at this table, we arrive hungry, but leave full…full of purpose, full of forgiveness, full of gratitude for God’s grace, and full of love for our Christian family.

At times, I have found myself leaving the Lord’s Table unsatisfied. Those are the times that I came to the table, but failed to take advantage of the spiritual nourishment provided by experiencing the body and blood of Jesus. I allowed my mind to wander to worldly concerns, rather than focusing on the purpose of the commemoration. Let this message encourage each of us to reexamine our mindset, and renew our focus as we participate in the Lord’s Supper.

–Lee Hibbett

 

Large crowd expected

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A large crowd is expected on Sunday morning as we welcome our FHU students back to Henderson. Please arrive early and park in the back to allow space for our visitors.

Estes Echo

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A Melting Pot

This expression has been used for a number of years to describe the United States. The term actually comes from title of 1914 play by that name which suggested that ours was becoming a superior society due to blending all of the best of other cultures which were finding their way to America at that time. Debate continues as to whether this is really happening at all and whether we should embrace it or try to limit it. Of course, the New Testament was written a long time before North America was “discovered,” yet it seems to describe a “melting pot.” Paul wrote these words to the Galatians:

“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (3:27-28).

This passage describes a true “melting pot.” As we are connected with Christ in baptism, we are also connected with each other in a way that should erase distinctions and bring out the best in us all. God is no “respecter of persons,” and neither should we be. He has called us together without regard to age, race, nationality, gender, socioeconomic status, or religious background. Jesus prayed that we might “be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:21).

It is easy for us to become comfortable with certain relationships within the church without opening ourselves up to greater sense of community. What new opportunities might there be to “be one?” Here are some possibilities:

  • Adopt a college student (there doesn’t have to be a formal program!).
  • Speak to a stranger at church (almost all your friends were once strangers!).
  • Invite a family you don’t know well to join yours for a meal.
  • Ask someone to tell you his or her “spiritual story” and share yours.

“Melting” distinctions and coming together is something God wants for us. Let’s look for ways to create a community of oneness.

–Mark Blackwelder

Estes Echo

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Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity (I Timothy 4:12).

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Colossians 3:17).

B0070513

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Estes Echo

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GROWING HURTS!

B0070513 (Part 2)

Two young men that I know recently made a poor decision to dabble in alcohol. They quickly learned it was a mistake that will have very negative consequences on their present and future lives. Many of us have experienced similar events with negative results that altered our outlooks either on life or on faith. We conveniently call these events “learning experiences.” Read more

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A nice post

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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Donec quam felis, ultricies nec, pellentesque eu, pretium quis, sem.

Nulla consequat massa quis enim. Donec pede justo, fringilla vel, aliquet nec, vulputate eget, arcu. In enim justo, rhoncus ut, imperdiet a, venenatis vitae, justo. Nullam dictum felis eu pede mollis pretium. Integer tincidunt. Cras dapibus. Vivamus elementum semper nisi. Aenean vulputate eleifend tellus. Aenean leo ligula, porttitor eu, consequat vitae, eleifend ac, enim.

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