This article discusses the importance of focusing one's thoughts in the right direction. It encourages thinking about God and his word, thinking about others, and thinking about one's eternal future. The document provides biblical references to support focusing one's thoughts on things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and praiseworthy. It also discusses how Jesus and Paul exemplified thinking of others. The overall message is that Christians must work to direct their thoughts to spiritual things rather than worldly or negative thoughts.

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Vol. 46 February 2, 2021 Number 5
THINKING ABOUT...
Barry Kennedy
“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he. . .” (Proverbs 23:7). I am sure that
if one were to do a little searching, he could find a study on how many thoughts the
average person has in a day. I can’t imagine how one could come to an accurate total,
considering how many thoughts we have on a daily basis. This seems to be
innumerable! That being said, what takes up the majority of our thoughts? How many
of us have taken the time to try and inventory our thoughts? Does it really matter
what one thinks? What takes precedence in our thought process? What should we do
to think as God would have us to think?
Start thinking about God’s Word! With so much pulling at us from every
direction it takes determination to set aside time to think on God’s Word. Paul
discussed the importance of thinking in his letter to the church in Philippi. “Finally,
brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever
things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever
things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on
these things” (Philippians 4:8). All the things about which Paul said one should think
can only be truly derived from God’s Word. After all, “He hath given unto us all
things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who hath
called us to glory and virtue:” (2 Peter 1:3). God’s Word is the lamp to our feet and
light to our paths (Psalm 119:105), but only if we are willing to think on the things
written therein. How much time have we spent in the past thinking on God’s Word?
Better yet, how much time are we going to spend from now on thinking about God’s
Word?
Start thinking about others! Many people come and go throughout our
lives. Some of them consume large portions of our thought time, others, not so much.
God expects His people to be concerned about others. Jesus left His disciples with
these last words: “Go ye therefore and teach all nations. . .” (Matthew 28:19). How
can one ever hope to bring others to Christ without taking some time to think about
them? Even the worship of the Almighty requires taking time to “consider one
another” (Hebrews 10:24). Paul gave us a great example of Christian consideration
in his letter to Philemon. “I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my
prayers, Hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and
toward all saints;” (Philemon 1:4-5). Not only does this passage point out Paul’s
thoughtfulness, it also mentions Philemon’s consideration for God first and “all
saints” second. Of course, Jesus gave the greatest example of thinking about others.
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ELDERS
Mike Childers ............. 397-6453
Dennis Hallmark......... 255-5557
Mark Hitt .................... 322-0917
Bobby Lindley ............ 260-9193
DEACONS
Wade Bryan ................ 419-5552
William Harris ............ 416-8149
Ricky Lindsey............. 255-8136
Jeff Mansel.................. 871-0357
Jimmy Spearman ........ 840-8957
Michael Wilson........... 891-0891
MINISTERS
Barry Kennedy....(931)787-7108
Alex Blackwelder (731)879-9196
SECRETARY
Renee Childers
Office.......................... 842-6116
Fax .............................. 842-7091
E-MAIL
eastmaincoc38804@gmail.com
WEB PAGE
eastmaincoc.com
SUNDAY SERVICES
Early worship...............8:30 a.m.
Bible class................9:30 a.m.
Main worship.............10:00 a.m.
Bible class.............11:15 a.m.
Singing or Devotional
Last Sunday of the Month
MID-WEEK
SERVICES
Wednesday Classes......7:00 p.m.
1606 East Main Street
P. O. Box 1761
Tupelo, Mississippi 38802
“Thou shalt observe to do all that they inform thee”
(Deut. 17:10)

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“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our
faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured
the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the
right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).
Jesus put His own needs behind and made His desire
the needs of all mankind (Hebrews 2:8-9).
Start thinking about our future! Many
people take their financial future very seriously. We
save, invest, and spend much time making sure we are
cared for in the golden years. Having said that, how
much time do we spend preparing for the eternal
future? Solomon spent many years and great amounts
of wealth trying to find contentment and happiness in
this life. His conclusion started with a call to the youth
to begin early thinking about their future (Ecclesiastes
12:1). He concluded with the admonition to “Fear
God and keep his commandments: for this is the
whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work
into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be
good, or whether it be evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).
Judgment is coming, and we had better start thinking
seriously about it!
If we are ever going to be the thoughtful
people God would want us to be, we must start
thinking about our future, while thinking of others,
and focusing more of our thoughts upon God’s Word.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sr. Youth
The senior youth
are invited to the
building this Fri-
day night, Feb. 5
for another TGIF
from 9:00 p.m.
until midnight.
Don’t forget that part of the time we will be going to
Event Zona to play laser tag. Please bring $10 to
play. Invite your friends! (Wear your masks please!)
Sympathy
Our sympathy is extended to the family of Cody
Long who was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident
on Jan. 31 in Colombia. Cody was the grandson of
Betty Long, great-grandson of Bob Smith, nephew of
Larry Long & related to several others.
Also, we extend our condolences to Barry Kennedy
in the loss of his uncle, Hayden Kennedy, on Jan. 26
from Covid complications. Funeral services were held
Jan. 29 at Kesler Funeral Home in Baldwyn.
Our condolences to Susan Reed in the loss of her
aunt, Shirley Gillentine, on Jan. 31. Funeral services will
be held at Lee Memorial in Verona Feb. 4
No Neutrality
Pilate could wash his hands, but he could not wash
Jesus’ blood off his conscience.
We cannot be neutral about Christ. We are either
for or against Him. There is no middle ground. Jesus
said: “He who is not with Me is against Me” (Matt.
12:30).
Jesus is God’s spokesman to man today: God has
“in these last days spoken to us by His Son” (Heb.
1:1-2).
He is the only mediator between God and man (1
Tim. 2:5).
He is our perfect example. Christ left “us an
example, that you should follow His steps: ‘Who
committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His
mouth’” (1 Pet. 2:21-22).
He is man’s only Savior (Matt. 1:21).
When a man like that stands before you, you do not
just pass Him off with a shrug of the shoulders. You
have to make a decision—a decision that affects the
soul, judgment, and eternity. Jesus said: “He who
rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that
which judges him—the word that I have spoken will
judge him in the last day” (John 12:48).
Someday this will be reversed. Jesus now stands
before us, and we have the right to decide what we
will do with Him. The day will come when we will
stand before Him, and He will decide what to do with
us: “We must all appear before the judgment seat of
Christ, that each one may receive the things done in
the body, according to what he has done, whether
good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10).
Do unto Christ today as you would have Him do
unto you in the last great day. —Anonymous
“Choose for yourselves this day”
Joshua 24:15
--via House to House Heart to Heart , Archive 2697
John Duke stationed in Gulfport, MS
Caleb Williams stationed in Quantico, VA
Rob Cross & family stationed in South Korea
Ty Nichols stationed in Germany

3. Daily Bible Reading
February 3.............................................. Leviticus 8-10
February 4............................................ Leviticus 11-13
February 5............................................ Leviticus 14-15
February 6............................................ Leviticus 16-17
February 7............................................ Leviticus 18-20
February 8............................................ Leviticus 21-23
February 9............................................ Leviticus 24-27
Birthdays &
Anniversaries
Birthdays: Wesley Funderburk (Feb. 3), Mary
Lou Walden (Feb. 3), Carmen Perkins (Feb. 4),
Clayton Long (Feb. 4), Jimmy Spearman (Feb.
4), Grady Vines (Feb. 4), David Ramseyer (Feb. 5),
Harold Roby (Feb. 6), Jackson Voyles (Feb. 6),
William Harris (Feb. 7), Jacie Dickinson (Feb. 9),
Janie McCaskill (Feb. 9). Anniversaries: Bill &
Annie Martin (Feb. 3).
Our Sick
James Simmons underwent a biopsy last week and
is awaiting the results. Ashley Davis will begin chemo
this Friday. Jean Mounce is home from the hospital
and doing a lot better. Lauren Lindley is home
recuperating from sinus surgery. Ricky Johnson was
able to be here Sunday following knee surgery. Lynn
Sanderson’s mother, Caroline Willis, is having some
health issues. Amy Hughes’ friend, David Smith, is in
the St. Dominic Hospital in Jackson, MS with a brain
bleed. Dan Winkler has been diagnosed with colon
cancer. Several are sick at home with Covid: Mike
Ratliff’s brother (Phil), Dean/Kristie Webb’s brother-
in-law (Randy Groover), & Rodney Voyles’ parents.
On-Going Illnesses
Mary Lou Walden, Steve Kelly, Bettye Davis,
Frankie Estes, Sean Koehn, Donny Dulaney, Adam
McCurley, James Goddard, Bill Goff, Tommy Goff,
Mitch Maclean, Mary Starz, Sheba Tuggers, Carol
Hood
Nursing Homes
Nancy Haywood, Randy Attaway, Veona Harris,
Shirley McCarthy, Bob & Clara McClure, Brenda
Dawson
EMYG News
A Greater Faithfulness
No matter what your age is, you understand
even at a basic level what faithfulness is. I fear that we
also see more often what it is not. Many children
today suffer from the lack of one or more parents.
This is an incredible sorrow children face. On the flip
side, I’ve seen children who were submissive to their
parents when they were younger and when they grew
up, they were calloused toward them. What changed
between spouses who once loved each other and
children who once loved their parents? I would argue
it is a mixture of a lack of love and faithfulness.
In Matthew chapter 4, Jesus calls His first
disciples and Peter was one of them. Verse 20 says
that they, “Immediately they left their nets and
followed him.” From that moment on, Peter had a
choice to start his journey of faithfulness towards
Jesus. In Matthew 16, Peter has a victorious moment
where his words pronouncing Christ to be the Son of
God validated His faithfulness. In this moment,
Peter’s faith was full. However, there were many
moments that Jesus saw Peter’s faith as weak.
Faithfulness is a continuous verb and sometimes, we
get lazy.
As Matthew 26 comes to a close, Peter allows
his fear to consume his faithfulness. He denies that he
knows and was even a follower of Jesus. In verse 75,
Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the
rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And
Peter went out and wept bitterly. Sometimes the
greatest lessons we have learn spiritually, yields a
greater response to faithfulness. I believe this was the
case for our brother, Peter. In Acts 2, Peter preaches
the first recorded Gospel sermon and from that
moment on, Peter had a greater faithfulness towards
Christ.
As you consider your own spiritual condition,
could it be that you’re the one in Matthew 14:31,
where Jesus asks you, “O you of little faith, why did
you doubt?” Sometimes, we lose our focus in life and
from that, we start to lose our faithfulness. Sometimes
diseases will infect us or those we love and without
thinking, we prioritize the fear rather than the
faithfulness. A greater faithfulness doesn’t come
“prepackaged.” A greater faithfulness is developed
and strengthened when we, “seek first the kingdom of
God and his righteousness…” (Matthew 6:33). God
loves you and is rooting for you. And so are Cassie
and I. Alex

4. Men to Serve Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021 a.m.
Announcements...........................Bobby Joe Lindley
Bible Reading.......................................Britton Smith
Opening Prayer .........................................Tim Davis
Lord’s Supper
Roger Sanderson
Lead Singing.................................Alex Blackwelder
Closing Prayer................................Jonathan Nichols
Ushers ..................... Mike Childers & Dale Dulaney
The elders kindly request that men leading in public
worship wear the best dress clothes they have.
Contact the church office (842-6116) if unable to
serve.
Bible Classes (streamed each week)
Adult class................Jeff Mansel (Facebook/YouTube)
Adult class.......... Barry Kennedy (Facebook/YouTube)
College class.....Roger Sanderson/Tim Davis (Facebook)
Attendance & Contribution
Mid-Week, 1-27-21 .................................................. 101*
Sunday 1st
Worship, 1-31-21 ........................................ 24
Sunday Bible Class..................................................... 88*
Sunday 2nd
Worship.................................................. 119*
Contribution (budget $7,900) .............................. $12,654
*This does not include the livestreamed views.
Pantry item....................................... Instant potatoes
Services will be livestreamed this Sunday at 10:00 a.m. if you
do not feel comfortable attending in person.
However, if you do feel comfortable meeting in person, we will
have our 8:30 a.m. worship, our 10:00 a.m. worship and our
11:15 a.m. Bible class this Sunday, Feb. 7.
(Also, in person Bible classes will be held this Wed., Feb. 3.)