Newsletter  June 14th

GREETINGS FROM BARBEE’S GROVE BAPTIST CHURCH

When my Mom and Dad were first married, they lived with my Grandmother Lowder in her house on the Old Charlotte Road. I was born in that house. Before I was 2 years old, my Grandfather Smith gave them a plot of land on Monroe Street. Even though Dad was only about 18, he built them a house that is still in use. My brothers and I grew up in that house. As far back as I can remember, there was a huge “mudhole” beside the south end of the driveway. No matter what the weather was, the mudhole never disappeared. That mudhole was a trouble spot. A vehicle could get stuck. Playing around the edge was a wonderful way for 4 little boys to get really muddy. As I think of it now, I wonder, was it the site of a spring, or a “wet weather” spring?

At that time, Dad had a huge dump truck that he used for hauling things. I remember going with him to the train station, getting a load of coal, and taking it to Pfeiffer College. I remember a trip to a rock quarry near Concord. Can’t remember where we dumped that load of rock. When Dad got home, any left-over rock or dirt was dumped into that mudhole. Year-after-year, Dad dumped rock and dirt into that hole. It never completely disappeared. As a little boy who loved the old Tarzan movies, I wondered if the hole was quicksand and reached the center of the earth. We sold the house after Dad died and Mom entered a nursing facility, so I don’t know the present situation of the hole. Maybe by now enough has been dumped there for it to finally be filled.

The “mudhole” that would not be filled. Reminds me of an idea that has been around since the early days of Christianity. Augustine, one of the Early Church Fathers [AD 354-430], wrote, “God is the end of our desires”. He prayed, “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You”.  There is a quotation that is attributed to Blaize Pascal [about 1670] that goes like this, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God the Creator, made known in Jesus Christ”.

Throughout the ages of time, the devil has tried to convince people that they can fill that God-shaped hole in their hearts with something other than God. Men have tried alcohol, drugs, sex [normal and abnormal], violence, brutality, political power, fame, accumulating a fortune in money, travel to far-off exotic places, and even various religions—-including a version of Christianity that has people who are religious, but who have no saving relationship with Jesus. Nothing ever works. Many people have tried almost everything mentioned above. They still feel empty and unfulfilled. 

In a jigsaw puzzle, the last piece must be the correct one, or it will not fit. In the heart of man, only one thing will fit. And it is not a “thing”, it is a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ. When we truly know Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, when we are totally surrendered to  Him, life is complete. The puzzle has the last perfect piece in place.

Listen to this beautiful invitation:
“Come unto Me all you who are burdened and heavy-ladened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon  you for I am meek and lowly in heart and you shall find rest for your souls. “. Matthew 11:28, 29 

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS

1. Sunday School is at 9:00 am
2. Morning Worship and Children’s Church are at 10:00 am. Also available in the parking lot at 10 on 99.1 FM and on the website after 12:30 pm
3. Prayer and Bible Study are Wednesday at 6:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall
4. VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL—-June 26,27

A real relationship with Jesus—-the key to a satisfied heart

Pastor Ed and Deacons of Barbee’s Grove Baptist Church