THE POUND
PROCLAIMER
Volume I
October 2006
Number 12
Sing
to the Lord, bless His name; proclaim the good news of His salvation from day
to day. Psalms 96:2
LEGACY
Who among us has not indulged themselves
in the fantasy of personal greatness? It is at these moments we take on the
role of president, statesman, general, and such; as we lead nations, armies,
and the masses to victory.
When we think of greatness as being
reserved exclusively for those in high places, our thoughts reveal a worldly
mind. Leaving a legacy of being a world leader is not the only legacy worth
leaving. Those who rule well should be given credit for their accomplishments.
However, history is recorded by those in power. Therefore, the greatness of
public figures is judged by the whims of people.
The only legacy worth leaving is the one
that points the following generations to Jesus Christ. Of all people, we who
are Christians should acknowledge this fact. There are many great legacies
recorded for us in the Scriptures. The eleventh chapter of Hebrews is filled
with those who pointed the way for the generations to come. The Hebrew writer
begins chapter twelve by saying; “Therefore,
since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside
every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance
the race that is set before us,” Hebrews 12:1.
Great legacies are not all confined to
scripture. Recently, I took a journey into the Hall of Memories. As I meandered
through the many sections, I came upon one called Great Men In The Church. In
this section, I found a cabinet marked Personal Acquaintances. My eyes fell
upon a drawer labeled LEGACY. I pulled it open. Out of the drawer came precious
memories.
The names of men who had touched my life
and had left me a legacy were there. There was Leon Parker, he taught me true
humility. A great man who didn’t know he was great. After my sermons, he would
quietly say, “you done good.” Then came Joseph Shane, Sr., he taught me
character. I never heard him make a derogatory remark about anyone.
The names came faster and faster. “And what more shall I say? For time would
fail me to tell of …” (Hebrews 11:32) Harvey Collier &
Bill Sword, they taught me to never give up on small churches; Manuel Belcher,
he taught me leadership [every job needs a boss]; John McLeod, in the face of a
terrible disease, he taught me death with dignity; Joe Icano, with his late
entry into God’s family, he taught me it is never too late to become a
Christian. Pouring from the Legacy drawer were names, unknown to most, yet
precious to me, for they left a legacy [a great cloud of witnesses] to help
this preacher run his race.
What kind of legacy will we leave behind?
Will it be a witness to the Christian life? Will it be one that will encourage
and strengthen future generations to serve Christ? When our earthly journey
ends and those who are left behind think of us, will they find a draw marked
Legacy from which they may gain strength for the Christian race? The truly
great are those whose legacy is forged in the crucible of life and tempered
with the Faith (Jude 3).
Precious memories how they linger, how
they ever flood my soul, in the stillness of the
The Editor’s Page
Today we begin our Fall gospel meeting.
We are blessed to have Allen Shepherd join us in this effort. We all know Allen
that he is a dedicated Christian who lives what he preaches. We are confident
that he will be prepared to do his part in this meeting.
As is true with life in general, a gospel
meeting is what you make of it. We have gospel meetings to preach the gospel to
those who will hear. We also understand that this is a time of edifying the
local church. It is our hope that these things will be accomplished.
As we said, a gospel meeting is what you
make of it. It goes without saying, but if a person is not here, they cannot
hear the gospel preached. It falls upon us to get the word out so that all will
have opportunity to come. Although, more will reject our invitation than will
receive it, we must still make the effort.
Then there is the matter of our own
personal attendance. The absence of local members is disheartening, because it
shows a lack of interest in the work of the local church. It says to the
community that the membership does not care about “their” church so why should
we.
Another matter that should be addressed
is the attitude we bring with us to the service. We all have “bad” days, things
happen, that is life, and we must not bring them with us to services. We need
to come with a smile on our face and joy in our heart that God has granted us
an opportunity to be with other saints to sing, pray, and be taught God’s word.
If our attitude is as it should be, we
will not be overly concerned about little annoyances. We will be genuinely
happy to see our brethren and to greet any visitors who come. We will accept
the responsibility of being an enthusiastic audience. Just as the preacher must
be prepared to preach, the audience must be prepared to hear.
A week’s meeting is a concentrated effort
that needs our best and most diligent labors. If we give any less, we should
not complain that the meeting was just not as successful as we would have
liked.
It is up to us, but isn’t it always!
PLEASE
MOMMY PLEASE
By
Allen Shepherd
Recently,
I stumbled upon a bluegrass song [Please Mommy Please, Stay Home With Me],
which reflects (for to many people) the broken hearts, shattered dreams, and
lessons learned to late. I submit it to
you for your consideration and to plead with you to fulfill your role as: 1) Husbands (fathers) ... (Ephesians
A
mother went out to a party
She
left at home her baby son
He
cried and begged her not to leave him
But
she would not give up her fun
She
kissed his cheek and tried to soothe him
But
would not heed his childish plea
She
heard him call as she was leavin’
“Please
mommy please stay home with me.”
The
mother joined the merrymakers
And
soon was lost in trifling joy
The
mellow tunes and flirting shadows
Made
her forget her baby boy
She
danced and laughed and did some drinkin’
The
world for her was full of glee
But
now and then these words would haunt her
“Please
mommy please stay home with me.”
She
left the party feeling dizzy
The
smell of drink was on her breath
She
hurried home to find the baby
In
raging pain and nearing death
The
doctor came and looked so sadly
The
case was hopeless he could see
The
baby died these words repeating
“Please
mommy please stay home with me.”
Now
mothers (parents) don’t neglect your children
This
story should a lesson be
Do
not ignore your baby’s pleading
“Please
mommy please stay home with me.”
The Last Word
FAMILY MATTERS
APPOLOGY:
I
could blame it on old age. However, the truth of the matter is that I messed
up. I apologize to Allen for misspelling his name on the meeting announcements.
GOSPEL
MEETING:
We
are glad to have Allen Shepherd join us today for our Fall gospel meeting. The
meeting will be as good as we make it. Be present each evening, on time, and
prepared to study. Continue to invite friends, neighbors, and co-workers as
long as there is one service left for them to attend. Give our visitors a warm
welcome and show ourselves friendly. Pray without ceasing that God’s will be
done in our efforts to spread the gospel.
HOME
BIBLE STUDY:
The
next Bible study at Glen & Nila’s home will be Tuesday, October 31. See ya
there.
####################
WHAT MUST
I DO
Hear: Rom
Believe: Heb 11:6
Repent: Lk 13:5; Ac
17:30
Confess: Matt
Be Baptized: Ac
TO BE
SAVED?
###################
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The Pound Proclaimer is published monthly by the Pound
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Editor: Glen Young
Phone: 276-796-5767=Office
276-796-7401=Home
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E-mail: gyoung47@ntelos.net or gyoung47@poundchurchofchrist.org
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