Thank you for the ways you have helped me this past month in the Lord’s work. The past few weeks have been very busy ones, and I believe good has been done in several areas.
I was with the Franklin Drive congregation in Texarkana, Arkansas for a gospel meeting September 9-12. During the meeting we had several visitors from surrounding congregations, and we had one restoration, a college-age young woman who had been unfaithful for a while but indicated her desire to return to the Lord. Bryan Garlock, who works as an evangelist with this congregation, has been busy teaching the gospel to the lost, and at my meal appointments during the week, I enjoyed getting to spend time with four individuals who have been baptized during the last year. It was a treat to get to know Bryan and talk with him about his evangelistic efforts there.
When I left Texarkana, I drove to Greenwood, Arkansas to visit Jim & Myra Burgess. Jim serves as one of the elders at Greenwood and has been struggling with some serious health issues over the past few months. It was wonderful to see him doing a little better. Also I was able to have lunch with Todd Hales, the evangelist at Greenwood and a longtime friend. To top it off, I got to eat in the home of Glenn McDaniels, another one of the elders, and his wife, Beth, who happens to be one of the best cooks I have ever encountered anywhere in my travels. My relationship with the church in Greenwood has been a special one for many years, and I was refreshed by this visit with them.
Back home, one of the things I have enjoyed about the last year at Douglass Hills in Louisville is my friendship with Steve & Joann Noble. They have organized a “Teens & Twenties” study each month, and I had the privilege of speaking to that group last Sunday night after services. We talked about the importance of Bible study, and I tried to offer some suggestions about attitudes and methods for better Bible study.
I have begun a weekly study in James with Wyatt Stout, a young man who recently placed membership with us at Douglass Hills. Sean Reisch, our new preaching intern, will be joining me in this study and will teach it when I am out of town. I look forward to working in tandem with Sean, as we teach the book of James to our new brother.
Just yesterday, I had the happy privilege of being with my brethren once again in Meridian, Mississippi. I preach for them every month that has a fifth Sunday, and it was a joy to be in their assembly. Since I was there the last time, Noot Cochran, the oldest member of the congregation passed away. She and her husband were close friends of my parents long ago. Noot was 104 years old when she died.
On the way back home from Meridian, I had a chance to worship with the congregation in Helena, Alabama. Ken Craig is one of the elders there, and Joe Hickman and Brian Moody work together in evangelism. This church has been supportive and encouraging to me for a very long time. It was a delight to worship in their midst.
This coming month, I will finish out my meeting schedule in 2018 with a meeting in Columbus, Mississippi. I will also push to get to the halfway point in writing Obeying the Gospel by the end of the year. It has been a productive year in many ways. I thank our Lord for His grace — and I thank you for the help that you give me so generously.
Gary Henry – WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com
