What does it mean when the Bible says that Jesus is able to “empathize” or “sympathize” with our weaknesses? Years ago, a man put up a sign in his yard that read: “Puppies for Sale.”  Among those who came to inquire was a young boy. “Please, Mister,” he said, “I’d like to buy one of your puppies if they don’t cost too much.” “Well, son, they’re $25.”

The boy looked crushed. “I’ve only got two dollars and five cents. Could I see them anyway?” “Of course. Maybe we can work something out,” said the man. The boy’s eyes danced at the sight of those five little balls of fur.“I heard that one has a bad leg,” he said.“Yes,” said the salesman,“I’m afraid she’ll be crippled for life.” “Well, that’s the puppy I want. Could I pay for her a little at a time?”

The man responded, “But she’ll always have a limp.” Smiling bravely, the boy pulled up one pant leg, revealing a brace. “I don’t walk too good either.”     Then, looking at the puppy sympathetically, he continued, “I guess she’ll need a lot of love and help. I sure did.  It’s not so easy being crippled.” “Here, take her,” said the man. “I know you’ll give her a good home. And just forget about the money.”

Hebrews 4:15 tells us that, like the boy with that puppy, our Lord Jesus can empathize and sympathize with us because He experienced every kind of difficulty which we oursleves experience, yet He never sinned! He experienced every kind of tempation and tribulation, every kind of hardship and heartache, every kind of sadness and sorrow, yet He never sinned! What a wonderful and compassionate Savior we have!

      October has been a good month with 349 in Bible Study. Hope Night to benefit the ministry of Little Children of the World was an inspirational night for us all.  Our kick-off for Operation Christmas Child gave us much to look forward to as we prepare for National Collection Week. We took 150 backpacks for children in South Georgia to the Fall Meeting of Centennial Baptist Association. The first gathering of The Summit was a great event with lots of help from lots of people, and Hutch Matteson did a great job as our speaker. We ended the month of September with a total of $788,084 given toward our GENERATIONS FOLLOWING campaign!

November has some very special emphases:

November is going to be a great month!  COME EXPECTANTLY!

   November 2019 Witness                                                             

Persecution is always Satan’s attempt to silence the truth. That great American hero, editor, schoolteacher, and Presbyterian minister Elijah Lovejoy left the pulpit in Alton, Illinois, and returned to the press in order to be sure his words reached more people. The Civil War might have been averted and a peaceful emancipation of slaves achieved had there been more people like him. After observing one lynching, Lovejoy was committed forever to fighting uncompromisingly the sin of slavery.

Mob action was brought against him time after time; neither this nor many threats and attempts on his life deterred him. Repeated destruction of his presses did not stop him. “If by compromise is meant that I should cease from my duty, I cannot make it. I fear God more that I fear man. Crush me if you will, but I shall die at my post…”

 And die he did, four days later, at the hands of another mob. Not one of the ruffians was prosecuted or indicted or punished in any way for his murder. Some of Lovejoy’s defenders were prosecuted! One of the mob assassins was later elected mayor of Alton!  

However, note this: Lovejoy’s convictions about slavery were never silenced, for one young man was around who was deeply moved by Lovejoy’s martyrdom. He had just been elected to the Illinois legislature. His name was Abraham Lincoln, and as our sixteenth President he would one day set the slaves free through The Emancipation Proclamation. The truth cannot be silenced! Therefore, do not fear those who would attempt to silence you!

September has been a good month with 359 in Bible Study. Speaking’ with My Deacon was well attended once again this year, and the ordination of Mark Smith to Deacon Ministry was an especially meaningful part of it. Our Preacher Swappin’, People Hoppin’ Revival with Antioch Baptist Church and FBC Thomaston was a great event this year. Both the physical food and the spiritual food that we enjoyed was wonderful! Our Buggy Days Homecoming Lunch was delicious, thanks to Tom Speziale and crew, and thanks to all those that served in the Photo Booth at Buggy Days! And our Student/Young Adult Building Fund ended the month of August at  $757,000!

October has some very special emphases:

HOPE NIGHT to benefit the ministry of Little Children of the World takes place on Saturday evening, September 28^th at the Lamar Fine Arts Building. The Silent Auction begins at 5:30 with the concert following. Tickets are on sale for $15 and will be available at the door.

THE HOPE TREE MINISTRY CHICKEN Q that was postponed from Buggy Days weekend will take place on Saturday, October 5^th, at the corner of Elm and Warsaw streets beginning at 1:00 P.M.

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD KICK-OFF will be on Sunday evening, October 13^th, beginning at 6:30 in our gym. Remember that CHRISTMAS BACKPACKS for lower income families in South Georgia are due back by October 20^th.

THE SUMMIT is our new men’s ministry worship event that launches on Tuesday evening, October 15^th. Tailgate begins at 6:00, with doors opening at 6:30 and, worship beginning at 7:00.

Our FALL FESTIVAL will take place on Sunday evening, October 27^th, from 6:00 to 8:00 on our west side parking lot.

October is going to be a great month!   COME EXPECTANTLY!

I Love You, Garth

During a Monday Night Football game between the Chicago Bears and the New York Giants, one of the commentators observed that Walter Payton, the Bear’s running back and the NFL’s leading rusher at the time, had accumulated over nine miles – almost 16,000 yards – in career rushing yardage.   The other announcer remarked, “Yeah, and that’s with someone knocking him down every 4.6 yards!” We all get knocked down in life.  We all have our losses.   We all have our disappointments.  The key to success in both life and football is getting up again after you have been knocked down by the opposition. A story is told that Andrew Jackson’s boyhood friends just couldn’t understand how he became a famous general and then the President of the United States.   They knew of others who had greater talent but who never succeeded.   One of Jackson’s friends commented, “Why, Jim Brown, who lived right down the pike from Jackson, was not only smarter but he could throw Andy three times out of four in a wrestling match. But look where Andy is now.” Another friend responded, “How did there happen to be a fourth time? Didn’t they usually say three times and out?”   “Sure, they were supposed to, but not Andy. He would never admit he was beat — he would never stay ‘throwed.’ Jim Brown would get tired, and on the fourth try Andy Jackson would throw him and be the winner.” When life knocks you down, will you stay “throwed” or will you rise again asking God to give you the endurance to win the fight?   James 1:12 says, “Blessed is the one who endures under the load of trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.” August  has been a good month with 360 in Bible Study.  Our Back to School Splash on August 4^th was a great time for Pre-K through fifth grade.    That night we also had a good crowd for the Lamar County Schools Prayer Walk.     Our  Missions Fest has become an annual celebration that encourages a missions mindset.     The Canopy, our community women’s worship event, takes place this coming Thursday.    And our Student/Young Adult Building Fund  ended the month of July at  $688,653.41! September has some very special emphases:

As I recently preached on Hannah, the wife who prayed for a son and miraculously gave birth to a boy who would become the great Old Testament Prophet Samuel, I ran across an illustration I had never heard before.  E.V. (Ed) Hill, who pastored Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles for 42 years, tells the story of how the love and prayers of his adopted “Mama” changed his life. Mama believed in two things: Prayer and Ed.  She saw to it that he graduated from high school and even insisted that he go to college.  As he boarded the bus to leave for college, Mama said to him, “Remember, Mama is praying for you.” When he arrived at Prairie View College in his native Texas, he stood in the registration line and soon learned that the $1.90 he had left from his bus trip would not pay for his tuition, room and board. He started to get out of line, but then remembered his Mama’s words. She was praying for him. As it came his turn to register, Dr. J.M. Drew approached him and asked if he was Ed Hill from Sweet Home, Texas. Ed told him he was, then Dr. Drew said, “We have a four-year scholarship that will pay your room and board, your tuition, and give you thirty dollars a month to spend.” And Ed says he heard his Mama say, “I will be praying for you!” Indeed, there is great power in a mama’s prayers! July has been a good month with 314 in Bible Study.  I am so proud of you for meeting and exceeding our Annie Armstrong North American Missions Offering goal of $15,000 with a total of $15,4412.26. We also did well in the month of June and had, at month’s end, a total of $653,175.62 toward our new Student/Young Adult Building! As I write this, Vacation Bible School is taking place. Thanks to our Director, Rene Hubbard, and all who worked with her and Maria Brannen to make this one of the best V.B.S.’s we have ever had! We also look forward to our Youth Choir Dinner Theater on the evenings of July 27^th and 28^th.   August has some very special emphases:

August is going to be a great month!   COME EXPECTANTLY!

For Father’s Day this summer, I shared a message called “Proverbs for Fathers.” The Old Testament Book of Proverbs offers short, pithy statements of practical, godly wisdom. There is good, biblical advice on marriage, parenting, discipline, money management and a host of other areas of life. An alcoholic husband went to the doctor and was told that he had a serious drinking problem. He didn’t want to admit that to his wife so he told her the doctor had said he had “syncopation,” a word he thought he made up figuring his wife would just think it was a big medical word and not investigate it. But he was wrong. His wife looked up the word in a dictionary and it’s a word from the world of music that means “erratic wandering from bar to bar.” Yep, he had syncopation! Now, there is nothing that is more difficult for a child than to live in a community where one of his parents, especially his father, is held in disrespect because of some illegal or immoral act he has committed. The disrespect that the father has brought upon himself spills over into how other children treat his child.          But, thankfully, it also works the other way around. Proverbs 20:7 says, “The righteous lead blameless lives; blessed are their children after them.”  Don’t be put off by the word “blameless” in that verse. It doesn’t mean perfect. Rather, it refers to  a life lived with integrity, honesty and goodness.  When a father lives such a life, the whole community treats him and his family with respect. In other words, his family is blessed by his behavior! June has been a good month with 320 in Bible Study. We enjoyed Father’s Day on the 16^th with a couple of Baby Celebrations. We kicked off our Annie Armstrong North American Missions Offering on June 23^rd with an attractive envelope board created by Joe and Judy Andrews, along with an excellent video that explained its use by Cara Grobbelaar and Carrianna Simmons, all to help us reach our $15,000 goal.  We had a couple of Work Days at Hope Tree Food Bank on the 21^st and 22^nd.  We had a Family Movie Night on the 28^th and we’ll celebrate God & Country Day on the final Sunday, June 30^th. July has some very special emphases: