Estes Echo

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A Mindset of Thankfulness

It is such a blessing that we are able to experience the thanksgiving season. We cherish the time spent with family and friends, and we focus on the things in life that we should be thankful for. What a great practice it is to count your blessings as it is said, but what about a thankful mindset as a daily practice?

More often than not we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of our busy lives, and we forget the good. We are so surrounded by a world that does not have the same Godlike viewpoint. Our thoughts turn to sadness or heartache, and we are most often faced with an ever-popular media output of constant news that outlines the horrors of humanity. It is no wonder that we need to set aside a day like Thanksgiving to be thankful. However, the Bible speaks of our need to be set apart from the world, a peculiar people. A thankful attitude is one way that we can separate ourselves from our world. First Corinthians chapter 1 verses 4-5 say, “ I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way, in all your speaking and in all your knowledge.” Paul here is telling the Corinthians, who had their fair share of challenges, that even amidst all the strife and trial he was still mindful that because of the gift that Jesus gave to the world he could still be thankful. Paul was not only thankful for the gift of the cross, but also thankful for his Corinthian brethren. Too often we get wrapped up in what someone might have done, or their past, and we forget they are God’s children just like we are.

In this season of thankfulness, I challenge us to be the kind of thankful that sets us apart from the world. “Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]” (I Thessalonians 5: 18). We have an opportunity on a daily basis as God’s people to show the world that we are the light of the world, given a holy mission to seek and save the lost. Our spirit must always remain thankful even in the times we think we cannot, because it is through our thanksgiving that we glorify God.

Psalm 118: 1 “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” Let us remember that as Christians, we don’t need a season to be thankful. We have the opportunity through Jesus to thank God each and every day. The question that we should be asking ourselves this season is, “How thankful to God am I daily?” I think once we can answer that question with sincerity we will really be able to grow in spirit and in truth.

–Steven Marise

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What exactly is Trunk or Treat? A safe, fun environment for kids to trick or treat – but instead of going door-to-door, the kids go trunk-to-trunk. Estes members decorate car trunks as spooky as they wish, don costumes, and provide candy and games for the kids as they come by. There’s also the very popular four-wheeler hayride, the “haunted hallway,” carnival games, photo opportunities, and refreshments for thirsty goblins.

Trunk or Treat brings many people from our community to us. It is a great outreach effort but will only be a success with your help – you don’t have to have kids to help!

We need people to decorate car trunks and hand out candy, provide carnival games, provide snacks, act as greeters/guides, decorate, work the registration tables, and set up and clean up. If you can help in any way, sign up on the Activities Board. If you have questions, contact Suzanne Scott.

Estes Echo

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Ready Access to the Most Important Words

You probably have a Bible that you have read, reread, and loved. It might be falling apart with passages underlined, notes in the margins, and wrinkled pages from being transported from place to place with you. If you are too young to have already had this experience with a specific Bible, maybe you have a parent or grandparent or maybe even a beloved brother or sister in Christ who has one of these cherished artifacts. Whether you pick up a family heirloom or log onto one of the many online ways to access the Bible–or even turn to multiple versions that you have downloaded to your mobile device, surely you have a list of favorite verses that you go to when you need them. One of the wonderful features of our connected world is that we can easily access the Lord’s Word, even when we can’t get our hands on our favorite Bible. Another exciting thing about access to the Word online is that you can connect to the many other people who love the same words that you do, that people all around the world who are accessing these words of hope, inspiration, and salvation!

Biblegateway.com uses its digital records to track the verses that people look up on its site. Here is a countdown of the top 10 accessed verses:

10. Matt 28:19: Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

9. Phil 4:6: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

8. Rom 12:2: Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

7. Prov 3:6: in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

6. Prov 3:5: Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.

5. Gen 1:1: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

4. Phil 4:13: I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

3. Rom 8:28: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

2. Jer 29:11: For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

1. John 3:16: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Did your favorite verse make the list? Tell us in the comments.

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Encourage Someone Today

The Visitation Program will be reorganized this month. New teams begin meeting next month. If you are a current participant and want to continue or if you would like to join the program as a new member, sign up at the display in the lobby.

The program’s purpose is to encourage those who are shut in or sick (and our missionaries and military) through personal visits or sending cards or emails. Participants in the program are divided into teams, and each group meets once a month to eat together and to make assignments. Some groups are larger and meet in the fellowship room. Some groups are smaller and meet in homes. You can indicate your preference on the sign-up sheet. We also encourage you to indicate that you will be a group leader (the main responsibility is to organize the monthly meetings). If you have questions, see John McLaughlin.

Associated with the Visitation Program is the Estes Connections Team. The Connections team also meets once a month but does good works and service projects as a group. If you’d like more information about Connections, see the lobby display or contact the Rudders.

We always need more Estes Greeters. If you’d be willing to work with this program and greet our members and visitors each Sunday morning, there’s a sign-up sheet at the lobby display.

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We recently went on vacation and had a twelve hour drive there and back. Since I can’t watch the kid’s videos while I drive, I had a lot of time to think, and I came to realize why I like vacations and Lads to Leaders so much. While it makes me sound old, I figured out that my favorite part of vacation is having everyone together without having to run children all over the place.

There isn’t a day of the week we aren’t hauling a child somewhere for something. Madeline is in Jackson four evenings of the week and most Saturdays. Benjamin and Jackson are both playing soccer with one or two practices a week (depending on which kid) and games another day a week. One of us is always taking a child somewhere and doing something.

The drive also gave me time to think about the lessons my kids learn from all those activities. There are the positive lessons learned: sportsmanship, determination, teamwork, the value of hard work. There are also potentially negative things they learn. They learn that where you spend your time is what you value most. They learn another aspect of our culture as well: an obsession to win.

Our lives are full of earthly things. While I am sure the life lessons my kids learn from their activities are important, they are earthly lessons and not heavenly lessons.

What does all this have to do with Lads to Leaders? My vacation conversation with myself reinforced what I love about Lads to Leaders.

  • I love that my kids can learn the same positive things they learn playing sports in heavenly pursuits.
  • I love that my kids see that the things we hold dear about our worship are worth spending time learning how to do.
  • I love that my kids learn how to lead in our worship services.
  • I love that I can spend time with my kids in a structured way learning to love God and His word.
  • I love that the competition aspects of our culture can be focused in a way to improve our service to God.
  • I love that my kids get to spend time in God’s word learning.
  • Above all, I love that we are reinforcing our most cherished beliefs. I love that, as a family, we spend time on the things that matter most.

If this sounds appealing to you, we are having our Lads to Leaders kick-off Sunday night, Sept. 22, after worship. We would love to have you join us in teaching our kids what matters most.

Estes Echo

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As the Estes congregation has grown from a group of neighbors meeting under a brush arbor to a family of over four hundred souls, many from other parts of the country (and world), her programs have grown along with her. Organized programs of ministry are created in order to help us meet needs that might be overlooked in the ever-expanding body. The need for organization and assignments is at least as old as Acts chapter 6, when complaints about neglected widows resulted in the designating certain men to take responsibility for the ministry. At Estes today we have a wide assortment of ministries based on this same model.

Over the next few weeks, several of our ministries will be showcased in our Ministry Fair in order to help you find an area of involvement. Displays in the lobby will provide basic information. Ministry leaders will be there to answer your questions. Sign-up sheets will be right there for you to put yourself into the work. If you have a heart for widows, elderly folks, and shut-ins, check out our visitation program. If you want to help lead in worship services, or assist in our Bible classes, there are opportunities just waiting. If you are interested in evangelism, missions, local outreach, or participating behind the scenes in the work of the church, Estes has a place for you. Ministries highlighted this first week will include those involving missions and our Lads to Leaders program.

Our theme is “Love, Connect, Serve, Grow.” There is a pulsing energy at Estes with many people seeking ways to genuinely show love and really serve others. While we hope everyone will continue to commit “random acts of kindness,” our organized ministries are designed to meet the needs of the church and community more systematically. If you have been waiting for God to give you a sign or open a door in order for you to fulfill his mission for your life, remember that Jesus modeled simple service to local people every day. Then check out the Ministry Fair and see if there are not some simple ways there for the body of Christ today to continue that fundamental mission.
–Jesse Robertson

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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

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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).