Preacher's Page

Praise the Lord

2008-06-28T08:26:00.001-05:00

The Spirit of God is moving on the people of Northside. We have had three baptisms and several responses in the past two weeks. Three precious souls obeyed the gospel and started their walk with the Lord to eternity. We pray that we can be an encouragement to them. Several Christian’s responded to the invitation asking for prayers. We hope and encourage them in their walk with the Lord. We all have areas in our lives that we can improve and we admire these who had the courage and conviction to lay their burdens at the Lord’s feet.
This past Thursday one of our ladies wanted to be baptized into Christ, however we were in the process of remodeling the front of our auditorium and had torn the old baptistery out to make way for a new one. So we met a one of the deacon’s homes who had a swimming pool and baptized her their. It was my first baptism in a swimming pool. I understand that this is the way they do it at youth camp.
Tonight we are going to have a fellowship get together at the church building, grill out, and watch a movie together. Everyone is encouraged to attend.

You're invited to attend

2008-03-04T07:06:00.000-06:00

Sunday was a good day at Northside. We had a good attendance for morning worship with several visitors. Still there are folks out sick and we pray that they will have a speedy recovery and we will all be back together again soon. Wasn't it a beautiful weather day also. In adult Bible Class we are watching the DVD lessons entitled "Faith For Life" "7 Reasons were losing our children and how to save them" by Brad Harrub, PhD. We will finish up the lesson and hopefully have some good discussion on the subject next Sunday. Remember Ladies Class Tuesday night at 6:30 and Bible Classes for all at 7:00 on Wednesday night. The Ladies are on a knitting project and will get together for it on Friday night. Pray for our sick......Larry

It's Been Awhile

2008-02-02T07:20:00.000-06:00

I haven't posted anything since September. Reason being I was totally involved in restoring the church's rental house. The church purchased the house and adjoining land several years ago thinking we could use it for expansion in the future since it adjoined the church building property. We decided to rent it out for awhile since a church member wanted to live in it. It came available in September so we decided since it needed a lot of work done on the house we would do it. My wife and I decided we would just rent it since we had sold our house. We set in to remodeling it meanwhile we moved in with my wife's mother. (Thanks Granny!) The remodel consumed my every spare moment until we finally moved in the Sat. before Christmas. Not only was I consumed with work but several church members worked tirelessly to get it done. We rented a dumpster and started filling it up over and over again as we demoed and threw away years of accumulation. We concentrated on the inside, the outside will come later when the weather warms up again. Some of the things we did were: repaired and repainted all the ceilings and walls in the entire house, tore out all the carpet and refinished the hardwood floors and installed new laminate flooring in other rooms with all new quarter round throughout, completely tore out upstairs bath and re did it from the studs (all new fixtures), tore out the ductwork upstairs and had new ductwork put in the attic, replaced window panes in windows, sheetrocked up a door in the kitchen, deomed the kitchen and completely replaced all appliances, countertops, sink and refinished the cabinets, installed two new cabinets in the kitchen. In the downstairs bathroom we tore it out except for the bathtub which we had refinished (it looks new) and all new fixtures (I just got fininshed tearing out the old ductwork in the bathroom closet and putting in a new ceiling and floor and made shelves. We had all new plumbing run in the house, replaced countless plugs and switches, door locks and handles. The most difficult project was in the back part of the house. There was a laundry room with access to the basement and a closet, and beyond that there was a carport that had been made into a room. One of our men completely gutted these two rooms down to the studs tearing down the walls between the rooms. He filled in the basement access level with the floor, raised the floor in the carport room to be level with the laundry room floor. Thus the floor in this big area was level. We decided to make one big room so he put in five new windows, re sheet rocked the walls, closed up the door from the outer room, moved the electrical and drains, and installed new drop ceiling and lighting. We painted the walls and carpeted the floor. This room definitely had the greatest change you wouldn't know it from the old. We also installed new lighting and ceiling fans throughout most of the house. Beautiful new floorcovering was installed in the kitchen and bathrooms. Many other things were done (basement cleaning and repair, storm windows repaired, etc.) I am glad it has settled down now. There are still things to do but we will get to them. Don't ask me if I would do it again! Seriously it was the best thing for the church that it be done and restored to marketable value. I want to extend my sincerest thanks to those who have helped on this project. I won't try to name everyone but you know who you are and may God bless you for your service.

Sometime things just don't work out like we plan

2007-09-28T18:31:00.000-05:00

The stomach bug is taking it's toll around the church family this week. Last Sunday I was only able to be at the morning worship service due to the bug. I missed lunch with the church which was tragic. Thanks to Jon Creel who so ably filled in for me, I really appreciate his willingness to help me. This Sunday morning (Lord willing) we will ask the question, "Are you Born Again?" Many folks will ask themselves this very question and others need to ask it. Hopefully we will explore the answer. Sunday night we will try an "Everyday Religion" again rescheduled from last Sunday. Give the Bible Class a try at 10 AM. our subject is Jesus' teaching on Adultery in His "Sermon on the Mount". Ladies don't forget the ladies Bible Class on Tuesday nights at 6:30 and the Wednesday night Bible Study for all at 7:00PM. Stay well and have a great week. Larry

What's coming up Sunday?

2007-09-22T08:29:00.000-05:00

If you've ever read the sermon on the mount in Matthew 5, you've probably asked yourself the question, Was Jesus changing the Law? In our Bible study this morning we will address this question. Come and join us in this discussion at 10 AM.
For our morning sermon we will study the idea of an "Everyday Religion". We know how to act in church but can we translate that into our daily living. We need to be able to live 24/7 for Christ and this is what we will attempt to carry with us from this mornings sermon. We have services at 2 PM. at the Hanceville Nursing Home and we will explore "Living like a Beggar" in the afternoon lesson. Tonight at 6 PM., Jon Creel will deliver the sermon. Jon has been filling in at Jones Chapel off and on for many months now and we wanted to give him the opportunity to share with us some of his lessons he has preached there. The Ladies Class on Tuesday nights at 6:30 is going well, my wife reports they have some good discussions, so ladies keep this opportunity in mind. On Wednesday night at 7 PM. we will worship God in song so be with us this week for these wonderful opportunities for Bible Study and Worship.
Larry

Poor Old Pharaoh

2007-09-08T08:45:00.000-05:00

Sunday morning's lesson will be about Pharaoh. The Bible says in many places that God hardened Pharaoh's heart. Our text will be Romans 9:14-24 and we will explore this subject of the hardening of Pharaoh's heart. It will be an interesting study indeed, we hope you will be here. Tonight we will study the idea of God's predestination of man to salvation with some thoughts on this most complex subject. These lessons stem from our Wednesday night class. Joe Mitchell is teaching the class ans we get into some interesting and informative discussions. Be with us this Wednesday night and help us discuss these subjects, you can put you two cents worth in. We will also have a period of fellowship following our Wednesday night services and you are cordially invited to join with us at 7 PM.

Larry

What Does the Evidence Say?

2007-09-01T09:57:00.000-05:00

This Sunday we will study the evidence for Christianity. We will present

two lessons on evidence, "What Does the Evidence Show" and "The Evidence in the Bible". As the old saying goes we will be able to only touch the hem of the garment concerning this subject but hopefully we will be able to prompt you to study this subject thoroughly as you strive for the faith of the gospel. Below is the AM outline. You are invited to be with us this Sunday at 10 AM. & 6 PM. for our services. Larry

What Does the Evidence Show?

Introduction
I. Evidences that a crime has been Committed.
A. Hearsay evidence
B. Psychic evidence
C. Unreliable evidence
D. Actual evidence.
II. Evidences of God
A. A prima facie case for the existence of God.
B. The religious nature of man.
C. Cause and Effect. Hebrews 3:4
D. Design demands a designer.
III. Evidences that Jesus is the Christ.
A. Historical evidence.
B. The testimony of documents.
C. Prophetic evidence.
D. Eyewitness testimony.
IV. Evidence: an Example. "The Rich, Young, Ruler"
A. Mark 10:17-23 "rich"
B. Matthew 19:16-22 "young"
C. Luke 18:18-23 "ruler"
Conclusion: Evidences of Salvation

Back to the Farm

2007-08-25T08:02:00.000-05:00

Hope you can join us tonight at 6 PM. for our evening service. We are going back to the farm and find "Sermons in the Hayfield". Many in the church grew up on a farm and "hauling hay" was about the only paying job a young man could get. Can you imagine loading hay in the heat we have had lately? Come and be with us as we explore sermons in the hay.
This morning we will look at the subject of "Meaningful Membership". We all want to be members of something, why not the church? We will look at the benefits and making our membership in the church as fulfilling as possible while we are here on this earth.
Stay with us for our monthly fellowship meal. there will be plenty for all. We anticipate one of the largest crowds of the year Sunday so come at 10 and get a good "back row seat". We have talked about remodeling the auditorium to provide some more room and extra seating. Join us and make it a necessity this Sunday.
One of our men, Jon Creel and his family will be at Jones Chapel this Sunday as Jon will be preaching for them. We wish them well in his efforts to preach the gospel of Christ.
Larry

What a week!

2007-08-18T08:30:00.000-05:00

What a week we have had, the temperature reached 100+ everyday didn't it? We finally got some rain last night at our house. The grass was so dead looking and brown. it chrunched we you would walk on it, but the rain brought it back nice and green. It reminds me of Christians, sometimes we get run down during the week with all our activities but when we get together on Sunday for worship and fellowship we are renewed again. How important it is for us to be renewed and refreshed in the Lord. Come and be with us this Sunday at 10 AM and again at 6 PM. All are invited. Christ died for all. The lesson in the morning will be about the priests in the Old Testament how they were to keep the people safe from the plagues (Numbers 8) and how we can apply this to ourselves, Christ being our "High Priest" and keeping us from the plague of sin. It is entitled, "Plagues among the People". Sunday night's lesson will be a surprise so be there for that at six tomorrow evening. Hope to see you there, pray for us and we will pray for you. Remember, Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. Larry

Sermon Selections

2007-08-11T06:44:00.000-05:00

With the temperatures reaching the 100 degree mark this week the heat has been on everyone’s mind. This is especially true in our case when the air conditioning went out at home, temps reached 95 in our upstairs. So this week’s AM sermon on “Hell” is more appropriate than it might be in the dead of winter. Recently, a local TV station interviewed a man that rescued a sleeping family from a burning house. He was riding by the house, saw the raging fire and at the danger of his own life, ran inside the flaming house, screaming and yelling for the family to wake up and get out! The newscaster asked him, "How does it feel to be a hero?" His reply was simply, "I'm no hero; I just did what any decent human being would have done."." Any decent preacher tries to rescue souls from the dangers of Hell so join us on Sunday morning as we seek to escape from that eternal place of heat.
Sunday night we will talk about our “Trust in God”. I have to admit that this is a sermon I felt I needed for myself. I don’t normally select a sermon topic based on my own needs but this is an exception as we study from Proverbs 3. Please join us this Sunday and start you week off right giving praise and honor to God. Larry

Back to School Sunday

2007-08-04T06:30:00.003-05:00

As our young people are going back to their studies this week and we have had a week of "Back to School" activities, I will present to the young people a lesson entitled, "You Can Soar with the Eagles or Run with the Dogs". Hopefully this can help us deal with the temptations that we all face in the world. God's word can be the updraft that keeps up soaring in a world that is trying to ground us. Come and worship with us at 10 AM on Sunday morning and see what's available to God's people. On Sunday night I will reach back into the sermon archives of the church and present the lesson entitled, "The Identifying Marks of the New Testament Church". I don't know who came up with this lesson originally but it is a timeless message to those who profess to follow "New Testament Christianity". Come and be with us this Sunday at Northside. Larry

Card signing groups same as food groups

2007-08-03T14:10:00.000-05:00

Just a note to say that it was requested and agreed to by the Elders that the card signing groups be changed to the same people as the food groups. So look on the food groups to see which card group you are on. Men, if your wife is on the food list, that puts you on the card group. If you are not on the list in the foyer, let us know and we will put you on a group.

Youth Rally

2007-07-31T19:32:00.000-05:00

What a great youth rally we had last night. We commend those who helped make this a great success. As you can see from the picture Stan did a good job, he put everything he had into it. (He got to going so fast he looks like he doesn't have any arms.) Great lesson Stan. The singing got better and better as the evening went on. Not all our young people were able to be here but we had several visitors to come and we appreciated them. Thanks again to all our helpers.

See you'all on Wednesday night.

Monday July 30

2007-07-30T09:40:00.000-05:00

We had good attendance on Sunday morning even though I counted a least a dozen folks who were not there for one reason or another. Sunday night was not so well attended as usual but we had a good service anyway. We encourage our members to be at every service you can.

Tonight at 6:30 we will have a Youth Rally with Stan Freeman. Everyone is invited the food groups are going to bring snacks for all when we get finished. I received a message from Stan and he is planning to be there.

The elders met last night. It was requested that the food groups be the same as the card groups so look on the bulletin board at the food groups, they will also become the card groups. If you aren't on the list contact Wanda Creel and she will see that you get on the list. Also ringing cell phones have become a problem in worship services (I'm ashamed to say I'm guilty also). The elders suggest you leave them at home or in your car. That's a good idea, if anyone needs to contact us we have a land line 352-4454, they can reach us there. We all need to have a quiet environment in which we can worship God so let's do our best to make it just that.

Have you found the answer to the trivia question yet? What book and chapter in the Bible (OT) repeats the same verse four times? (I never would have know this but I just stumbled over it in my studies)

Thanks for being such a great congregation. Hope to see you'all there tonight. Lord willing.

Later, Larry

Todays Lesson's

2007-07-28T08:44:00.000-05:00

The two lessons I have selected for today are: "The Offering of Isaac" and "Greatness in the Menial". In studying for the lessons I read many interesting things concerning man's obedience to God. Abraham was willing to sacrifice his only son to obey God which was a sacrifice that could be considered an ultimate sacrifice to give up his only son. Especially in the case of Abraham who was 100 years old when the son of promise was born. An interesting study was in the disobedience of Uzzah in 2 Sam 6 when he touched the ark as it was falling. I asked myself the question, "Why did the ark fall? Was it the surface that it was being carried over, or the construction of the cart or maybe the ark itself was not made to be transported in a cart? A picture of the ark reveals it could have been top heavy. Do you agree? Maybe a cart with a lower center of gravity could have been constructed? I know this isn't the point of the story but it shows how we can get involved in Bible study and try and put it into our practical mind and imagination. Also it prompted me to study the construction of the ark and it's many intricacies.

Moses striking the rock rather than speaking to the rock as instructed by the Lord.

Jeroboam building two calves of gold so the people wouldn't have to go to Jerusalem to worship as God had instructed. 1 Kings 12. Very interesting.

The Eunuch traveling 1000 miles to Jerusalem to worship God in Acts 8. How did Phillip get to the exact spot to help him study the scriptures?

It seems that the Lord's requirements on us pale in comparison to what he had others do and to what they were willing to do to obey God. We can all do better than we do can't we? Let's repent and do better this week than we did last.

Sometimes we look towards the things that get all the "press" so to speak in the church the preaching, leading in worship and being a leader in planning church activities. While these thing are needed and appreciated, the little things that get no recognition are great in the eyes of the Lord. Hence "Greatness in the Menial" is presented to show us the value of the "thankless" tasks that are done in the church. Several interesting Bible examples are used to show how Jesus felt about the "little things" done in His name. Hopefully we will learn to appreciate those who do these things and be willing ourselves to do whatever is needed in the church to help out and to further the kingdom.

I hope these two lessons will be a blessing to us all.

In the Bible class we will decide in our study on the "life of Christ" if we need to study in depth the beatitudes or just give them a cursory study and move on. We studied the beatitudes in our study of Matthew a few years ago and I have preached on them extensively. I will let the class decide.

If you are in Hanceville today please come and join us at Northside. We are located just South of Wallace College on Hwy. 31. We begin at 10 AM.

Hope to see you all there.

Later, Larry

Still thinking about what to post to a blog.

2007-07-27T13:33:00.000-05:00

This is my first attempt at a blog and I am still deciding what I need to post and what I need to keep to myself. In this age of "security risks" does one need to publish his personal info? If so to what extent? I think some personal info is needed but I think my main focus will be as my role as a preacher. Hopefully someone will read this and the Northside web site associated with it and it will lead them to commit to a relationship with Jesus that will save their soul. That is our purpose for being here isn't it? I think I communicate better in writing and public teaching than in a face to face way because of my personality. Maybe others feel better communicating by the written word? After all isn't that how God communicates His will towards us?
Later, Larry