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Are we confident that our light is bright
Vol. 47 August 16, 2022 Number 32
WHO ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
Author Unknown
Bitter food is one thing; but a bitter spirit that eats at the soul and spews
forth cutting, hateful words is another matter entirely.
When you think about something tasting bitter, what comes to mind? An
unpleasant taste? No doubt. A cutting feeling on the tongue? Most likely. A bitter-
tasting object can cause a person’s tongue, mouth, face, and even entire body to
twist, shake, and recoil in response to it. It is sometimes comical to watch such a
reaction when unsuspecting souls bite into a food item from which they did not
anticipate a bitter taste. Small children can be a riot to watch do so. There is
nothing comical, however, about a scene in which children of God demonstrate a
bitter spirit towards God or their fellow man. Bitter food is one thing; but a bitter
spirit that eats at the soul and spews forth cutting, hateful words is another matter
entirely. Since Jesus said, “Ye shall know them by their fruits” (Matt. 7:16), we
would do well to consider some of the consequences or fallouts that come about
due to bitterness. They are not pretty. Hopefully, the ugliness of them will catch
our attention and cause us to be determined to work diligently to keep bitterness
from taking root in our hearts.
What does bitterness do? Bitterness troubles. That is what Hebrews 12:14
teaches. “Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of
bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.” Bitterness stirs
up trouble. If Satan cannot get us to fall for false teaching or give in to the pull of
immoral conduct, he will take a crack at bringing us down with a bitter spirit.
Marriages, friendships, and elderships have crashed due to bitterness robbing
people of their joy, rational thinking, and peaceful demeanor. Let’s face it: some
people have “bitter breath.” I do not mean they have a foul odor, but rather the
words that spring forth from their mouth are full of bitterness. James asked, “Doth
a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter” (James 3:11)? The
answer is obvious. Just before that, James had made these two declarations: “Out
of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things
ought not so to be” (3:10).
The point? Christians need to remove bitter speech from their vocabulary.
That means, of course, that we must first remove any bitter spirit from our hearts.
Make no mistake about it: a heart filled with bitterness causes big trouble, some of
which is undoable. Bitterness defiles. We see this truth in the latter part of
Hebrews 12:15: “...lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby
many be defiled.” Many would be quick to point out how horrific murder,
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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
Ricky Lindsey............. 255-8136
Jeff Mansel.................. 871-0357
Jimmy Spearman ........ 840-8957
Michael Wilson........... 891-0891
MINISTERS
Barry Kennedy....(931)787-7108
Alex Blackwelder ....... 706-1888
SECRETARY
Renee Childers
Office.......................... 842-6116
Fax .............................. 842-7091
E-MAIL
eastmaincoc38804@gmail.com
WEB PAGE
eastmaincoc.com
SUNDAY SERVICES
Worship........................9:00 a.m.
Bible class..................10:15 a.m.
Worship......................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)
2. --article continued from page 1--
adultery, and idolatry are. Yet, a bitter disposition is
sometimes passed off as, “That’s just the way
he/she is.” If “the way he/she is” means that he/she
is a bitter grump, then he/she needs to have a
serious change of heart and repent! The same Lord
that tells us to avoid murder, adultery, and idolatry
also charges us, “Let all bitterness...be put away
from you...” (Eph. 4:32). God knows what you and I
need to understand and admit: bitterness defiles the
soul.
Bitterness divides. A bitter spirit gets in the
way of obeying the Lord’s instruction to “follow
peace with all men” (Heb. 12:14). There surely was
a good reason for God saying, “Husbands, love your
wives, and be not bitter against them” (Col. 3:19),
don’t you think? Bitterness can turn the best of
friends into permanent enemies, drive happily
married couples to divorce court, and spark a civil
war within what was once a stable, solid, and
contented congregation. Satan must watch with glee
as bitterness leads to turmoil within families and
God’s church. Bitterness damns. Quite simply, if
God tells me to put away bitterness, and yet I do not
do it (Eph. 4:32), then my sin of bitterness will keep
me separated from Him and thereby keep me in a
lost state. Back again to Hebrews 12:15, we see that
the bitterness which troubles and defiles a person
causes him/her to fail or fall short of the grace of
God. No wonder the Holy Spirit exhorts Christians
to look diligently lest bitterness spring up in our
hearts (Heb. 12:15)!
A bitter disposition and bitter tongue do not
jive with being a child of the living God. As we
have seen, bitterness troubles, defiles, divides, and
damns. Those truths get my attention. Do they get
yours? Because “the heart knoweth his own
bitterness” (Prov. 14:10), let each one of us look
into his/her own heart, do some self-analyzing, and
if bitterness be found, get rid of it.
Sympathy
Our deepest sympathy is extended to the family of
our dear sweet Annie Martin who passed from this life
on Aug. 12. Funeral services were held on Aug. 14 at
Pegues. Please keep Bill, Rachel, Mona and the rest of
the family in your prayers as they go through this
difficult time. Mrs. Annie will be sorely missed here
at East Main.
All Youth/Parent Meeting
This Sunday, Aug. 21 ALL
youth AND their parents are asked
to please meet after services at noon
in the multipurpose room for lunch
and an informational meeting. Each
family is asked to bring some
potluck dishes and plan to stay.
Thanks so much!
Tuesday Mornings with
the Master
Don’t forget Tuesday Mornings with the
Master every Tuesday in the multipurpose
room from 10-11 am. Anyone who can
come, and help is welcomed.
Response
Brenda Beckner responded to heaven’s invitation
Sunday desiring spiritual assurance due to some
health concerns. Please keep Brenda in your prayers.
Thank You Note
To our East Main family,
Thanks for the prayers, texts, phone calls, cards,
food, and money during my recent surgery and
recovery. We are happy to be part of such a loving
church family. In Christian love,
Greg & Tammy Hughes
Our Family Retreat
East Main’s family retreat has been
planned for September 2-3 at Maywood
Christian Camp. Michael Bates will be
speaking on the theme “Unplugged.
Plug into the Power of Prayer.” We
hope everyone will be able to attend!
Our Fall Gospel Meeting
Our fall Gospel Meeting will be held
October 2-5 with Allen Webster speaking.
Mark your calendars and plan to attend
every service!
3. Daily Bible Reading
August 17 ................................................. Ezekiel 7-11
August 18 ............................................... Ezekiel 12-15
August 19 ............................................... Ezekiel 16-19
August 20 ............................................... Ezekiel 20-21
August 21 ............................................... Ezekiel 22-23
August 22 ............................................... Ezekiel 24-28
August 23 ............................................... Ezekiel 29-32
Birthdays &
Anniversaries
Birthdays: Hannah Bland (Aug. 17), Kade
Gilliland (Aug. 18), Kathryn McKee (Aug. 19),
Joe Smith (Aug. 19). Anniversaries: Robert &
Linda Parker (Aug. 21).
Our Sick
Debbie Duke underwent another chemo treatment
on Monday. Betty Long completed her therapy at
Cedars and is home now. Russell Deaton’s great-
niece, Jacy Raburn, is at St. Jude with a rare bone
cancer. It’s localized in her leg, and they feel
confident they can remove it all. Brian Carver is home
following surgery last week to remove a cancerous
tumor. Natalie Mansel was home sick Sunday. Mark
Hitt and Lori Sheffield’s aunt, Mary Ann Hitt, is in
NMMC following surgery to remove a cancerous
tumor from her spine. Earline Dickerson, Diane
Dickerson’s mother-in-law and Pat Putt’s sister, has
been moved to Sanctuary Hospice House. Also,
prayers have been requested for Callie Smith, an 8th
grade student at Mooreville who will be having heart
surgery next week at LeBonheur. She is related to the
Kingsleys.
On-Going Illnesses
Mary Lou Walden, Evelyn Thompson, Steve Kelly,
Barbara Bishop, Bob Smith, Doug Wallace, Frankie
Estes, Shirley Lyons, Stella Pittman, Caroline Willis,
Carol Hood, Bill Goff, Sheba Tuggers, Michelle
Maclean, Ricky Britt, Nathan Hale, Dawn Brown,
Terry Blackmarr, Freida Gardner, Willie Bob Gates
Nursing Homes
Randy Attaway, Shirley McCarthy, Bob McClure
EMYG News
Hello East Main Family,
I hope you are doing well. Don’t forget to look
at the youth calendar to know what will be
going on. We have brain freeze this
Wednesday night after Bible class so be sure to
attend that. We have a T.G.I.F. this Friday from
9:00-12:00. We had 58 people at our last T.G.I.F.
WE HAD A BLAST at our Back-to-school bash
last Saturday. Thank you to everyone who
made the night a success.
We had a great time at the area wide this past
Sunday. There were nearly 30 East Main
people represented Sunday so that was a
blessing. We have our yearly Youth and Parent
Meeting this Sunday after worship services in
the multipurpose room. Bring a potluck dish
and let’s enjoy a time of fellowship. Below are
some pictures of recent events we’ve had.
Alex
Don’t forget to check your mailbox
in the foyer!
4. Men to Serve Sunday, Aug. 21, 2022 a.m.
Announcements..............................Dennis Hallmark
Bible Reading............................... Rommie Dilworth
Opening Prayer ...........................Bobby Joe Lindley
Lord’s Supper
Eddie Simmons
Lead Singing..............................................Mark Hitt
Closing Prayer........................................Mike Ratliff
Ushers ..............................Dale Dulaney & Ian Reed
Please meet in the library by 8:45 a.m.
Sunday 11:15 a.m. service
Opening Prayer ................................Michael Wilson
Closing Prayer......................................... Larry Long
Lead Singing........................................ Kent Nichols
Wednesday, August 17, 2022
Opening Prayer .............................Alex Blackwelder
Lead Singing........................................ Greg Hughes
The elders kindly request that men leading in public
worship wear the best dress clothes they have.
Contact Jimmy Spearman (840-8957) if unable to serve.
Attendance & Contribution
Mid-Week, 8-10-22 .................................................... 131
Sunday 1st
Worship, 8-14-22 ...................................... 165
Sunday Bible Class..................................................... 149
Sunday 2nd
Worship.................................................... 112
Contribution (budget $9,334) ................................ $7,945
*This does not include the livestreamed views.
Pantry item........................................... Peanut butter
