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HOW DID I SPEND
MY 75 YEARS?
Statisticians tell us that the average life span is now around 75
years. If you are under 30 than you think that is a long time. If
you are around my age, you are beginning to realize that is not
really very long at all.
A few years ago, someone went to the trouble to research what people
do with their time. If we live to be 75, most of us will have spent:
3 years, 24 hours a day, acquiring an education (grade school, high
school, and college).
7 years eating, 24 hours a day — some more, some less, obviously.
14 years, day and night, working.
5 years riding in automobiles or airplanes.
5 years talking with each other — again some more and some
less.
1 year sick or recovering from sickness.
24 years of our life sleeping!
3 years reading books, magazines, and newspapers.
12 years amusing ourselves — watching TV and movies, fishing,
etc.
That totals to 75 years. As I looked at these statistics I began
thinking. Let us suppose that you spent every Sunday of your life,
for 75 years - through infancy, childhood, adulthood, old age —
worshipping during two church services each Lord’s day. Now
if you did, how much time would you have spent worshipping God?
Figure it out - the answer is less than 11 months. Let’s double
it because you have always attended two Bible classes a week. If
you have ever missed a Bible class in all your life, that still
just totals 11 months.
Think about that — 5 years in an automobile and just 22 months
in church services! Twelve years amusing ourselves in front of a
TV, and just 22 months in worship and Bible study. And that is if
you have always attended and never missed. That tells us a little
bit about the brevity of time and our priorities in life.
“Set you affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”
Col. 3:2
Adapted — Original author & source:
Melvin Newland; The Sandusky Sower
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Doctrine
Curtis L. E. Graves
Does it matter what a person believes? Does it matter what a
person does in religious matters? We hear from many different
religious teachers that the only thing that counts is living a
clean, upright life. Is this true? Can a person really be saved
no matter what he believes? To answer “yes,” would
be to say that doctrine is not necessary! If someone says that
doctrine does not matter, then has he not set up his own doctrine?
If someone says that all you have to do is live a good life, is
that not a doctrine? Perhaps the reason that some want to do away
with doctrine is because man has set up so many of them. However,
the fact that man has tried to make his own way, his own doctrine,
does not change the fact that the Bible is our authority and should
be our only doctrine.
“One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of
all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all”
(Eph. 4:5-6). To be pleasing to God it is true that I must live
a good, moral life. There is no doubt of that. However, there
is more that I must do. I must keep the commandments of the New
Testament. “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John
14:15). The rich young ruler lived a good moral life, but he was
not saved because he did not obey the commandments that were given
to him. Cornelius was a good moral man, but he was not saved until
he was baptized as he was commanded. “And he commanded them
to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to
tarry certain days” (Acts 10:48). For one to be pleasing
to God, he must live a good, moral life, and also keep the commandments
of God! — Copied
Source: Orange Street, Auburndale’s bulletin.
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The Fleeting Years
John W. Goodwin
It seems just yesterday when whistles blew,
And sirens shrieked a mighty cheer
When merry makers jammed the midnight streets
To welcome in the glad New Year
But now the year has swiftly fled away,
And we are left with little done.
The many tasks that we had planned to do,
It seems that we have just begun.
We cannot stop the passing of the hours,
to our heart hold back the day.
Just as it came, so it must soon depart,
And leave us on our weary way.
But one thing there is left for every man
Within the harvest field to do,
And grace is giv'n to carry out God's plan,
Before the old year changes to the new.
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"I have
remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day"
2 Timothy 1:3
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Building
Fund
Next Week!
Youth Meeting
Tomorrow evening the Steele's will be hosting the first youth
meeting for this year at their house at 7 p.m. Bring a snack
to share.
Tuesday Bible Class
Begins This Week!
Tuesday, January 8th, will be the first session of our annual
Tuesday Bible class. Everyone is invited to come and share
in this study. For more details, please read Chris’
Corner on the opposite page.
Lunch Bunch
Our regular luncheon has been changed for this month only.
This will work out well with the first day of our Tuesday
Bible class. We will meet at our usual place, the Golden Coral,
on Tuesday, January 8th at 11:30 a.m. Everyone is welcomed
to join us! Beginning in February we will return to our regular
“lunch bunch” time on the first Tuesday of each
month.
Name Change
When you go to visit Nome West at her new place
at Atria Baypoint Village, you will be looking for Lee
West. She has decided to use her middle name.
 Paula
Pozzi would like to thank the congregation for the
wonderful gift.
Website News
We are having some problems with the site. Please be patient.
Upcoming Events
Northwest Tampa
23rd Annual Youth Rally
January 11-12
Lake Tarpon
Annual Ladies Day Retreat
February 2nd
Northside St. Pete
“Fourth Annual Ladies
Prayer-Breakfast”
March 1, 2008
20th Annual
Senior Citizen’s Banquet
March 2008
More information on the board.
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If our greatest need
had been information,
God would have sent
an educator.
If our greatest need
had been technology,
God would have sent
an engineer.
If our greatest need
had been money,
God would have sent
an economist.
But since our greatest need
was forgiveness,
God sent us
a Savior.
Author Unknown
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