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By Nell Dobbs
Guest Columnist

“Without Him, I’d surely fail
Without Him, I would be drifting
Like a ship without a sail.”

Sung as our new Hymn of Commitment
How blessed we were for a delightful morning service as the Awana Cubbies under Gina Rutherford, Patsy Davis, Leigh McNutt, Lori Newman, and Stacey Newsome sang and acted out three songs, including their Cubbie song, “This Little Light of Mine” and “I’m in the King’s Army.”

for Jim able to be back leading music after knee surgery, and for their thanks for prayers, food, cards, love and for Mark filling in for him
for all the songs we sing,
for Deacon Doug Finney saying the offertory prayer,
for beautiful flowers by Bill Brown in honor of Cindy’s and Mary Alicc’s birthdays on April 26 and April 29,
for the Worship Choir special “I Must Tell Jesus,” which was our mother’s favorite song (I think), though she never sang. On May 5, 1989, 10 days before she would have been 88, she died at Hilda’s and Jimmy’s in Decatur, Ga. Some years earlier, Marjell had written this poem for her, saying it well:
Little Angels’ Britches

I pray when called that I’ll be led
And may in glory stand;
A crown of thorns upon my head
A needle in my hand.
I never learned to sing or play
So let no harp be mine;
Through life until my dying day
Plain sewing is my line.
And so accustomed to the end
Of applying useful stitches
I’ll be content if asked to mend
The Little Angel’s Britches

Marjell Dobbs for Nell’s Mother, 1974
Preacher Law’s message was about “The Lord’s Supper.” Jesus’ last week was very busy as He preached and taught. The time of Passover came and Jesus told Peter and John to prepare it. They did. At the right time, He sat down with the Twelve and said, “With desire, I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” and He took bread, broke it, gave it to them and also the cup and said, “As oft as you do this, do it in remembrance of me.”

As believers, we have Open Communion which means any believe is welcome to partake. This belief had not always been held.
As believers, we are to live as Jesus commanded us, to love Him with our whole heart, mind, body, soul and our neighbor as ourselves and use our gift or gifts we’ve been given to help the poor and needy and tell of His great love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness as long as we live.

We’re praying for and preparing for Work Day on May 19 at the pastorium for our new preacher.
We’re praying for Kristen Parks and her group as they share the love of God with people in Haiti and appreciate her big “Thank You” for all support received.

SAM had as their guest speaker on May 2, Joe Boyles, who is very active in the community and for 10 years has written the “National Security” column in The Madison County Carrier.

Pray for all sad ones – Dr. Patacxil and his family in the sudden death of his wife – and all others I don’t know about. Also, we pray for all the ill ones, the very ill ones and ask Your Will to be done in their lives. Amen!

By Nell Dobbs
Guest Columnist

Walk by Faith. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen,” Hebrews 11:1 and we pray for run with patience the race that is set before us.

Love God and love our neighbor. In our lesson Sunday we studied about a certain lawyer who was trying to trick Jesus as others did. “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Not until I was studying this lesson did I ever think of how the Jews thought about what they should do. A song says, “Nothing good have I done to deserve even one.” Nothing can we do to be saved except by accepting His free gift of salvation! And that fact makes us know that “He loves me. He loves you.”

The word certain from Luke 10:
a certain lawyer
a certain man
a certain priest not mentioned as such but a Levite
a certain Samaritan

Another thought…The priest passed on the other side. The Levite passed by on the other side. Did the two of them pass by on the same side? The important fact is that someone helped the man in need. It is a certain fact we cannot help everyone in need, but we can help those we can!

What a wonderful response to the Sunday breakfast for Kristen Parks as the goal was met for her Mission Trip to Haiti. We are thankful God touches our hearts for His Commission is to “Go and Tell” and/or to send someone to tell. Thus far our Annie Armstrong collection is $1,695. Bless all in our town going on mission trips. The fields are white unto harvest – there and here.

It is so very good to have Pearl Raines back home and better after being ill with family in Alabama.

We welcome all visitors and were happy to see David and Donna Townsend, now living in Tennessee and Evelyn and Sam Lamb’s visitor from Kansas and all others.

Our Music Man Jim is recovering from knee surgery and we are thankful, but Sunday Mark Branham filled in for him and we appreciate that they both are great.

Deacon of the Week Bill Brown prayed the offertory prayer. Lynne played “How Firm a Foundation,” but I had to ask her the title though certain phrases came to mind. We are so blessed she’s with us. Choir sang “Because We Believe.”

Preacher Law gave thanks doctors say he’s cancer free and the whole church rejoiced!!! His message was from II Timothy 3:16-17 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that we all may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” The Bible is the Book of Books. “What Do We as Baptists Believe” will be his message. “We are to study to show ourselves approved unto God…rightly dividing the word of Truth.”

There was a Vacation Bible School Clinic Monday night at Hopewell Baptist. The theme is “Amazing Wonders Aviation.” Judy Phillips is the director.

SAM Group visited the Rose Festival in Thomasville, Ga. Wednesday.

We ask God to help us give thanks for His great love and mercy and for the beauty of the Earth! Amen!

By Nell Dobbs
Guest Columnist

How blessed we are for Preacher Law, his message, his sayings and the experiences of his life. He spoke of “saints and ain’ts” He gives us things to think about. His message was “Saved and Sure – Safe and Secure” from Romans 10:9-10. We can be sure we are saved and saved forevermore. He was the youngest of eight – five girls and three boys – and when one of them would chase him for his nickel, he’d run to his dad who would ask him where it was. “In my hand.” “Put your hand in mine,” his father said, and he knew it was secure. We likewise know we are secure in the Father’s Hand.

How good to see a full choir. Their special was from the cantata, “Behold He Comes.”

Bless Jim as he’s to have had knee surgery Thursday and bless all the many other ill ones, including Peggy Drummond.

Marjell’s mother always worried about him being on the sea – in the Navy on LST 1027, during World War II and then 25 years sailing on the Sun Oil tanker around the world. She would also tell him when she needed him he couldn’t be there – but we were – only because his 15-year-old nephew was accidentally killed in Starke March 31. We came home from Pennsylvania and were still here when she had a massive heart attack on April 18 and died at 62. That night, he wrote this poem:

Soft rain in our life has now fallen and left our home so lonely and drear,
A gentle voice in Heaven was calling, “Welcome Home,”
Sad was your leaving, Mama.
A link in the family chain is now broken,
We’ll think of soft words and sweet phrases left forever unspoken.
Please, burn a beacon or light a candle for me
In a window of your cabin built
By the Carpenter from Galilee.

Not till a few days ago did it come to me to wish we had used the words when he died Aug. 12, 2008, for his “mother to burn a candle for him in a window of her cabin built by the Carpenter from Galilee.”

Perhaps getting older, perhaps so many deaths have caused me to think of dying plus the certainty of death because it is appointed unto a man once to die.

There are many opportunities to obey God:
to feed the poor
to tell the Good News
to be good soldiers
to visit those in prison though there are stipulations
to meet all the needs we can
to visit the widows and the orphans (a special thanks to Archie and Patsy Davis as they gave me a ride to church Sunday)
to pray for doctors and nurses in all medical fields
to help all school children and all involved in educating them.
to give to the Lottie Moon Easter offering to reach our goal of $2,800
to pray for and support a special fundraiser breakfast for Kristen Parks this Sunday at 8:30 a.m. for her mission trip to Haiti
to pray for sad ones for any reason, for all reasons.

Think about Jesus feeding 5,000 men plus women and children because one little boy shared his lunch of five loaves of bread and two fish with 12 baskets left over. Truly a miracle.

Lord, help us do what we can, please. Amen!

By Nell Dobbs
Guest Columnist

Thinking about “More Than Enough!”
Songs: “More About Jesus”
“More Love, O Christ, to Thee”

About “Growing good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, for with the same measure we mete it will be measured to us again.” Luke 6:38

Reports are that every Holy Week Service was timely. The Good Friday service at our church was great with Danielle Fries singing and our Director of Missions, Mike Miller, giving the message.

Beautiful flowers were placed in church Sunday by Mark and Jennifer Browning in honor of their 50th wedding anniversary on April 5. Special blessings upon them and all their family as we rejoice with them and give thanks for their love and their lives and being in our church.

Again how blessed we were for Martha Beggs’ and Martha Register’s Sunday School class and 18 members as they sang two songs. Thanks also to Amy Kendrick for her help.

Easter music was special as the choir only sang half the songs of the cantata. We were all so blessed. Preacher Law gave such good words to Jim and for him in appreciation for him and all he has done to shoulder so much responsibility when needed.

His message was from Matthew 28: 11-15 entitled “The Lies that Prove the Resurrection.”

Easter has come and gone! Jesus rose as He said He would! Peter and another disciple went into the tomb but left when they didn’t see Jesus. Mary was outside crying and looking inside and she saw two angels who asked why she was crying. She answered them and then saw Jesus but didn’t know Him until He called her name. As I say, over and over, how special it is that Jesus knows our name, calls us by name, and one day, He’ll give us a new name! His message to Mary was to all His brothers what He told her to tell them. This is His message to us from John: “Go tell it everywhere till none can say of the children of man: “Nobody ever the story has told! Tell it again and again!”

How blessed I was after church when Ray Pike asked what I was doing and then said his mother, who worshipped with him, asked him to ask me to come share the meal with them, a lot of them, such a good meal and wonderful fellowship. Special thanks and blessings.

From American Profile in the article “Where the Lilies Grow,” we read about Easter lilies and how they are raised in parts of Oregon and California by four families. On Easter Sunday, sitting in church, one of the growers thinks of the “white lilies symbolizing purity and new life through the resurrection of Jesus Christ – the central belief of the Christian faith.”

On Sunday, April 15, the unsinkable Titanic sank at 2:20 a.m. Marjell’s dad heard Billy Sunday preached in Jacksonville against the statement she couldn’t be sunk. Our dad used to sing about it: “It was on a Sunday morning just about 2 that the great Titanic began to roll and rock…: A preacher seaman on one of Marjell’s Sun Oil tankers made a tape about people’s reaction to then and today and the urgency to make the right choice of being ready.

Many are sick and sad today and we pray for them: for baby Noah Ray Andrews, 12 weeks old, son of Matthew and Cassey Andrews.

May God continue blessing us one and all and help us find anyone in need we can help! Amen!