And God will exalt you in due time, if you humble yourselves under his mighty hand by casting all your cares on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5.6-7

People enjoy receiving recognition and praise. Humbling ourselves is not something that we do willingly. We like to feel that we are in control of our lives.

God cares about you. He wants what is best for you. He also knows how to achieve that. Peter wrote that you must humble yourself, something that many find hard to do. Many people find the thought of having to depend on someone else difficult.

Peter wrote that the way to humility is to acknowledge that you are not in control. You must cast all of your cares and worries on God. He has the solution to your problems and your heartaches. He cares for you.

When you submit to him in humility, recognizing that he is the one who sustains your life and not you, you will be exalted at the right time. You will have the recognition, praise and acceptance. It will not come from man, but from God. Jesus will call you to enter in to your eternal reward.

Vicki Matheny

My husband and I have been trying to take advantage of the warm days by going for walks. We’ve enjoyed the breeze and the beautiful scenery around us!

There are several places in the New Testament where writers use walk/walking as a metaphor. It paints a clear picture of what our Christian lives should be like, which I find very helpful as a visual learner. We are told to walk in the light and to walk in love. Paul even describes life as a race (2 Timothy 4:7).

In the book of John, we see that Jesus is the Light: “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it … The true light which gives light to everyone was coming into the world” (John 1:4-9).

Jesus was there in the beginning, He created everything, and He is the light. Jesus lowered Himself to become human. He came to earth so He could give all humanity for the rest of time the choice to walk with Him.

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’” (John 8:12).

In 1 John 1:5-7, we see that God is light and there is no darkness in Him. We have to walk in the light as He is in the light if we’re going to be saved. If we choose to walk with Him, it’s a lifestyle change. It is a continuous walk. If you are trying to walk in the light, God’s got you covered. I love the walk metaphor because it reminds me that some days I just have to take it a step at a time. It can get really hard and you might not want to walk anymore, but God is with you every step of the way. Our Creator loves us and He wants us to succeed.

Ephesians 5:2 shows us that we need to walk in love, just like Jesus loves us and gave himself for us. This means we need to live a life filled with love. After all, we’re meant to be like Jesus. We need to reflect Him in our lives so we can bring other people to know Him. God is love, so that’s what we need to be.

In Romans 6, Paul tells us that once we’ve been immersed, we’ve died to sin. We have grace, but we need to be actively walking in the light to have that grace. Verse four says, “Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.” All throughout Romans is an interesting contrast between life and death. We see death/sin on one side, and life with God on the other. Verse 11 says, “So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”

We have the chance to live a new life! So, let’s go for a walk.

By Chelsea Pollard

My mom was born in the Delta of Mississippi on March 19, 1945, to H.E., Sr., and Isabelle Mitchell. She grew up working hard on the farm near Leland. Christ and the Bible were always at the center of the home, which she shared with two older brothers and two younger sisters. In 1962, she met my dad, a freshman Bible major from Freed-Hardeman College who came home with his buddy, her brother Larry, to Mississippi. Dad preached his second-ever sermon at Leland that Sunday, and dad and mom met. There was a spark between them strong enough that mom decided to attend FHC in 1963. They married in 1964, and mom has lived life as a preacher’s wife since then, setting up house in various places in Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, West Virginia, North Carolina, but mostly Georgia. She raised three children to adulthood as well as caring for three foster-children. She’s the master of cooking and living frugally, but we never felt deprived. She has been a master with a sewing machine, making many articles of clothing for my older sister, younger brother, and me. Yet, above all, she put Christ in our hearts from an early age. Though dad is retired from full-time work a few years ago, the church and Christian service are still at the heart of who they are.

Below is a poem I wrote for her on Mother’s Day, 2014. It still seems appropriate today on her 77th birthday. I could not be more proud of my mom, usually quiet and in the background, but one of the biggest-hearted, servant-minded people you will ever know.

Not a day goes by but that I remember something you said
Or did or showed me. I often play it out in my head
From when you read story books or sang to me
Or made breakfast for supper or tended a scraped knee
Peanut butter and chocolate sandwiches made me smile
Or strolls in the woods, identifying trees or flowers by the mile
When you helped me plant potatoes and saw me throw the cat
Or told me riddles and old sayings, cut my hair while I squirmingly sat
You made much of little but it felt like we had an abundant plenty
And you knew how to treat me when I was five, twelve and twenty
Homemade clothes I was proud of, and your gentle kind way
Mom, you’ve blessed me and shaped me. God bless you this day!

N. Pollard

Bonus post on life of Christ (THE PURPOSE OF JOHN AND THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS)

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There is a beautiful little church building in a small West Tennessee community that sits back from the road all by itself. There are no houses close by, no barns, no fields, just this simple little white church building sitting all alone. There are no cars on Sunday mornings, Sunday evenings, or Wednesday evenings as there used to be years ago. There are no people standing at the entrance and no tables gracing the front yard for the long-ago after-service picnics and potlucks. It stands simply as a reminder of what was.

For many years two sisters and their families worshiped every service in this building. They were joined by friends and members of this community, and they welcomed visitors with open arms.

These precious Christians welcomed a young minister and his bride as they began their first work. They opened their hearts and their homes to make this couple feel welcome and appreciated.

Inside there was wonderful singing; prayers were lifted for the sick, the needy, and the lost. Offerings were taken to support the work of the church. The Lord’s death was remembered every first day of the week. The gospel was preached, and souls were saved.

Like so many other small congregations all over the country, the doors of this church building are now closed for lack of interest, or due to the death of the older members. Younger members moved on to bigger congregations, and some just left the faith.

How sad it is to see the place where my husband and I began our married lives deserted and closed to a community that still needs the gospel.

The writer of Hebrews speaks about the assurance of our faith. He gives us confidence that we have that assurance because of the blood of Jesus, our great high priest. He assures us that promises have been made by the Lord, and He that made those promises is faithful to fulfill them. Then the writer says this, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24-25 ESV).

Assembling together as the church of our Lord was important to this writer. Being inspired by the Holy Spirit, he wrote these words for our benefit. He says that assembling together is important for us to be able to stir each other up to love and to stir each other up for good works. In other words, we are to be an encouragement to one another when we come together to worship. In worshiping together, we share our love for God and for one another.

Worship is not merely something to do when it is convenient. It is not the place to go when there are no weekend ballgames or practices, when there are no visitors in our homes, when we have nothing better to do. Worship is the place to be when the saints meet. It is the place to recharge our batteries so we can make it through the week with all its trials and temptations. It is the place where we offer honor and respect to God. It is where we find joy in assembling together as Christians.

Though I am grateful for the opportunity to worship online when there was no other way, I know the Lord is not pleased when we fail to assemble together to stir one another to love and good works. He is not pleased when we fail to honor Him in collective song, prayer, and taking the Lord’s Supper. Failing to assemble is sending the wrong message to our friends, family, and the community. It is most assuredly sending the wrong message to God.

The natural process of “moving on” is the reason many church buildings stand empty and forgotten. The same might be said of your seat and mine in our local congregation. Have you moved on? Have you forgotten the command to assemble with the saints? We need the encouragement of our brothers and sisters, especially in the difficult times we are facing.

Remember after 9-11? After this terrible tragedy, people were driven to attend houses of worship. Why? It was the need to be together with people they cared about and people that cared about them. The Lord knew that need lives inside all of us, and collectively we share those feelings and honor Him when we join together in worship. Fear of Covid drove many from the assembling of the saints. For a while, it drove them from Walmart, the grocery store, and even social activities. We have returned to Walmart, the grocery store, social events, school events, and to a more normal way of life. Why not return to worship? We need it. The Lord commands it.

Sandra Oliver

What we pursue makes a difference! What is important to you? Do you work to have nice clothes? Perhaps you work to be able to eat whatever you want. You can fill in the following sentence with any number of things: I work to ____.

We chase after what is important to us. We give it our time and energy. Often the things that we chase after or worry about are not really important. There is only one thing that is important, our eternal destiny.

Jesus said to make his kingdom a priority putting it above everything else. His followers are to pursue his kingdom and righteousness, Matthew 6.33. That is what is important. That is what will make a difference in the lives of others and in our own life.

What are you putting first? Are you pursuing the kingdom of God?

Vicki Matheny

Colossians 3:13 & 15a “Don’t be angry with each other, but forgive each other. If you feel someone has wronged you, forgive them. Forgive others because the Lord forgave you… Let the peace that Christ gives control your thinking…”

Early childhood memories recall the years my father, a white minister of the Gospel, worked with Marshall Keeble, an elderly black minister of the Gospel. This was an unorthodox partnership due to the time frame being the turbulent 60’s, a decade of segregation even in the church.

Escorting Pop (as dad called Marshall Keeble) to and from his speaking engagements and finding accommodations always presented complications. Dad would drive late into the night, park far from the motel office, leave Pop in the car, and go alone to secure a room for the night. Then, he and Pop would be able to slip into the “white only” motel unnoticed. Most of these trips were uneventful- until one time, it wasn’t.

In the middle of the night, a loud knock at the door awakened them. They had been spotted entering the motel and were being evicted. As my father argued his case with the young white manager, Pop quietly dressed and was tying his shoes when he spoke up. “It’s ok son.  The good Lord brought us this far. The good Lord will take us safely on down the road.”

Dad and Marshall Keeble left in the darkness of night toward their destination. In indignation, my father drove miles in silence. It was Pop who spoke first. “Son, you know you need to forgive him, right?”

Of all the emotions available to mankind, forgiveness was not on my father’s radar at that moment.

Anger? Yes.

Humiliation? Absolutely.

A desire for retaliation? Most likely!

But forgiveness, he admitted, had not yet found its way into his heart.

Years after Pop’s death, my father cherished Pop’s priceless display of forgiveness. Dad lived to realize Brother Keeble had extended forgiveness while tying his shoes that dreadful night. My father had not. Brother Keeble continued that journey with no ill-will. My father could not. Brother Keeble found peace in forgiveness. My father found none – until he forgave.

Forgiveness is a sweet, common theme found woven throughout scripture. Consider the parable of The Prodigal Son. (Luke 15: 11-32) No amount of hurt, anger, or rejection could deter the forgiveness extended by a loving father. Great rejoicing erupted upon the son’s return and the father’s heart was certainly filled with a peace that had evaded him for so very long. It was the older brother who found no peace in the festivities, harboring anger and hostility in the same way my father did long ago.

Fast forward many years and, amazingly, the final chapter of this story was written decades after Marshal Keeble’s and dad’s death. A minister traveled to Nashville in search of my father and located my sister instead. He brought an offer of forgiveness from an elderly man in a Texas nursing home. This man, many years prior, managed a motel where, due to racial prejudice, he had evicted Marshall Keeble and dad. For years, this man had anguished and longed for peace from his offense. In his last days, he prevailed upon this minister to settle his final earthly request and seek forgiveness from my father. My sister eagerly extended grace on dad’s behalf and the minister returned to Texas to deliver the peace that only forgiveness can offer.

How can we, too, find such peace? “If you feel someone has wronged you, forgive them.”

Blessings,
Rita Cochrane

My mother-in-law and my mom both have the greenest of thumbs. It seems they can look at any plant and tell me what it is, when and how it grows best, and its favorite places to shop. I, on the other hand, do not have this talent. However, I have always found nature documentaries fascinating.

While all plants are truly incredible in their own way, one plant that is especially interesting is the Pitcher plant. This sly specimen has a way of attracting insects to its sugary sweet upper rim. The insect, while enjoying this tasty treat, has just unknowingly become a victim of a cleverly designed trap that will lead to its own demise. Once the insect has landed on the upper rim, it will become stuck, unable to fly away. Eventually, it will fall deeper into the “pitcher” area of the plant and will ultimately drown in the plant’s digestive fluids.

While the circle of life can seem sad at times, it also offers us an important lesson, if we are willing to listen and learn from it. Just like the insect, we as humans can be enticed by certain things in life. Some of these things may be sinful and some may not be. However, if we let them take over our lives, they can lead to sin and death.

I don’t know how much forethought the average insect has, but I doubt that before flying onto the upper rim of a pitcher plant, it knew it would be its final flight. But once it landed, the sticky sweetness had taken hold and it was too late to for the insect to change its mind. Sometimes, we think we are in control and if we do something we shouldn’t “just once,” it won’t become a problem.

It doesn’t seem like someone stuggling with alcoholism or drug addiction made their first choice to partake while also thinking, “if I play my cards right, soon I’ll be a full-blown addict!” I don’t think anyone who develops a sin problem, whatever sin it may be, started out by thinking that one day it would become what it has. That’s the trap of sin.

Something may seem harmless at first, but once we start, our brain has developed new pathways and soon, we will be enticed more and more. We would all be wise to learn from the trap of the pitcher plant. If there is something we aren’t sure, or even know we shouldn’t do, we should be more wise and insightful that the victims of the pitcher plant and fly far far away!

“But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”
(James 1:14-15)

By Janelle Pollard

BONUS POST:  The first two years of Jesus’ life (Sandra Oliver)

In the fall, Bob and I travelled to West Virginia to be a part of the West Virginia School of Preaching Lectureship. It was a rewarding week of study in the book of Psalms. Each day the ladies of the Hillview Terrace church of Christ prepared lunch for us. These kind ladies cooked, served, and cleaned up with such joy that it made you look forward to seeing them each day.

I didn’t notice the first day or two, but there was a little girl about eight years old that helped the ladies in the kitchen. One day she poured drinks, and the other days she picked up plates. She happily went about her tasks with a smile on her face, eager to be of service.

On the last day, I went up to her to thank her for being such a good hostess. She seemed to not know how to take the compliment. She was so engrossed in her tasks that it never occurred to her that she would be thanked. After I talked with her, one of the ladies complimented her on the cookies she had made for lunch that day. She said, “thank you” and went on about her chores. I mentioned to one of the ladies how helpful this little girl had been, and she told me she had been doing that since she was very small.

What a joy this sweet little girl was to all of us that week. I told her that being a servant is something she would be doing the rest of her life. She seemed to not understand that, and I told her that is one of the blessings of being a Christian woman. How I hope she will continue in her service.

Though I know Martha often gets a lot of criticism for her “much serving” and little listening, she was trying to be a good hostess. She just needed a little priority adjustment. We could use more women who understand the joy of serving over leading.

We need to think about this little girl the next time we are preparing a fellowship meal or having guests in our homes. We need to include our children and let them learn the valuable lesson of hospitality.

I often think of the women who followed Jesus and the disciples and cared for their needs. That would have been a tremendous job to feed the disciples and Jesus, keep their clothes clean, and maybe prepare food for their travels. Though they did not see and hear everything, they served in the way they could.

–Sandra Oliver

BALANCE– an even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain upright and steady; a condition in which different elements are equal or in the correct proportions

As I consider the various areas of my life as a Christian woman, I know I need to keep growing in all aspects (Eph. 4:15).  I need to nurture my relationship with God.  I need to take care of myself physically.  I need to work at being a better wife and mother.  I need to look for ways to reach the lost, help the needy, and encourage others.

Sometimes it’s a real challenge for me to feel “upright and steady” and to keep everything “in the correct proportions.”  I’ll do great at exercising and eating right but find myself neglecting personal Bible study.  I’ll put more concerted effort into my marriage, and then realize it’s been way too long since I’ve had someone in my home or invited someone to worship.   It’s like I forget certain areas while I’m focusing on other ones.

It could be that’s just how my mind works.  I have to write things down to remind myself to do them.  When it comes to finding balance in my Christian walk, I finally came up with the kind of list that actually works for me.  It’s all on one sheet, it’s easy, and it reminds me to “grow in all aspects.”

I’ve hesitated to share this list because I don’t want to give the impression that Christianity is a checklist of good deeds, and as long as I can check everything off my list, I can feel good about myself.  Truly, that’s not what this is about.  Christianity is putting God’s will first and allowing it to affect every area of my life.  But we are commanded to be soul-winners (Mark 16:15), to be benevolent (Matt. 25:34-46), to show hospitality (Rom. 12:13), and to encourage others (Heb. 10:24,25).  It just helps me personally to have a visual reminder of those areas so I can think about ways to live them out each day.

About the list:

• The first half focuses on daily communication with the Father (Bible study and prayer).
• The next section focuses on physical health.  I put tally marks down for each glass of water I drink and list the type of exercise I did.  At first I tried to include a space for a food journal, but a.) it took too long to record everything I ate (ha!), and b.) I find that if I’m exercising and drinking plenty of water each day, I end up eating better anyway.
• Then there’s a place to list the three most prioritized things that need accomplished that day.
• The final section is really what makes this list work for me.  It simply lists benevolence, hospitality, soul-winning, and encouragement.  It reminds me to do something that falls under one of those categories, and then I’ll write down next to it what I did (like sending a card, making a call or visit, having a family over, putting tracts in the car for distribution opportunities, etc.).  Because one of those areas comes more naturally to me than the others, this section also allows me to see when I’ve been neglecting the ones that push me out of my comfort zone.

To make it a little more fun and feminine, I printed the list off on a variety of pretty papers.  I can choose whichever print strikes my fancy each day.

You might find this list helpful, too (see below).  It’s plain and simple, mainly because I don’t know how to make it look cool and modern.  But you’re more than welcome to use it, and if you know how to make it more appealing, more efficient, or more practical, then please share!

Kathy Pollard