Faith

by Debbie Wallis

immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.…” Matthew 13:2021 That is were discipleship and accountability is needed so the born again Christian can learn to understand the Bible

The Bible is not written in chronological order so as a baby Christian I would not start in Genesis and read through Revelations….you’ll be confused. Begin by reading one or all four of the gospels and then I would recommend Genesis Genesis reveals God’s dealings with the nation of Israel and shows the origins of the people of God, deals with the fall of mankind and the consequences of disobedience or the spiritual parent may have a hard time letting go. Discipleship is age appropriate as the new Christian matures A toddler has to eat real food with the nourishment that’s necessary to develop correctly and grow. A toddler has to gain the strength to stand alone to be able to walk There are Christians who have been saved many years, but spiritually they are still babies living on milk or someone else to feed them. They can’t understand the deeper truths of the Word of God choices.

"Like newborn babies, you crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good" Peter 2:2-3.

The moment you receive Christ as your Savior, you were born again spiritually into God's family Last week I wrote about the process of becoming a new believer in Jesus Christ; being born again spiritually Just like a newborn baby requires the nourishment of milk for good development, a newborn Christian requires spiritual milk Milk is used as a comparison in scripture because we all can relate to this one truth about a baby, they cannot chew real food and they need milk to develop God designed a new born not ready for anything other than milk They have to drink their nourishment drop by drop. Have you noticed the effort it takes a baby nursing or drinking a bottle? Sometimes they tire out and you have to wake them up to finish eating A human baby and a spiritual baby’s maturity are similar Human babies are fed by their parents and growth is natural A baby Christian will grow as they read, obey and apply the Word of God to their life. But, just as a human baby cannot survive alone, born again Christians need a spiritually mature believer to help them; a spiritual parent in a since. If you leave an infant alone it will not survive The survival of a new born Christian is comparable to that “The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and

The New Testament is focused on Jesus Christ; it makes good sense for a new Christian to start reading the Bible with any of the four gospels I love the Gospel of John He emphasizes the love of God as found in Jesus If you read the first chapter and first few verses of John, you’ll discover that it starts God’s plan for man even before the creation in Genesis One The book of Mark is a great introduction to Jesus Christ, also. The gospel of Matthew is slightly more technical in the beginning and emphasizes the Jewish lineage of Jesus Luke was a physician so he writes a little different than….say I do. Any of the four gospels would be a great place to start because they all point toward Jesus being the sole means of redemption and salvation That’s the milk of the Bible. You have to believe and understand that first

As a baby grows into a toddler its diet needs to change to solid foods. If a toddler is still drinking a lot of milk, it’s appetite for the nourishment in food will be too small for the needs of its age Our twin granddaughters were like that. They loved milk. Their parents had to withhold the milk until they would eat their solid food Sometimes toddlers still want to be fed At times it’s because they have been fed to long by their parent. Sometimes it’s more convenient or less of a mess for a parent just to hand feed their toddler On occasions a toddler doesn’t like the feel of the food on their hands and wants the parent to hand feed them Sometimes it’s the parent having a hard time allowing the baby to grow up Yet, sometimes the toddler may not have the self-control to feed itself yet, it’s developing a little slower A new born Christian can have the same issues They may be depending on their spiritual parent

Don’t be in a hurry when you’re reading your Bible. Stop and think on the words and pray for the Holy Spirit to open up the meanings and understanding of the Bible It is God the Father that reveals spiritual knowledge through the Holy Spirit and He reveals these truths to those who He has called to salvation I suggest that you repeat the four gospels at this point because you can never go wrong with the very teaching of Jesus Christ Himself. Then as a toddler venture out The Bible is composed of 66 books written by 40 authors and it all leads you to the Truth that saved you Jesus Christ is Lord. I pray you make Him Lord over your everyday

If you are a new believer in Jesus Christ please get connected in a Bible teaching church. But…you cannot eat just once a week. Get connected with a regular Bible Read and study the bible everyday Find a spiritually mature Christian who can answer questions and encourage you. There are many good apps for your phone or books on reading the Bible in a year Stay in the Truth of the Bible so you will grow and mature healthy spiritually.

Last week was part one of a series on Spiritual growth Step by step we will learn the comparisons of being Born Again to growing in Wisdom. Next week it’s all about the teen years If you do not have a bible, please contact me at sfadebbie@yahoo com and I will provide you one.

Smith continued from Page #1

"I was very surprised to make it last year" said Smith "I had messed up a lot and wasn't expecting it at all."

Now that Smith has been once again selected for the All-State Band, she will now re-audition for ranking and seating for the band Last year, she finished with a ranking of 12th overall But the experience gained from have already been through the process gives her more confidence

"I know the nerves " said Smith "I didn't expect it to be as bad as it was, but everybody was nervous They had two-year all-staters there and even they were nervous So knowing what I'm going in to will help me compete."

Smith, now one of those two-year all-staters feels now that she possibly could have had more but fell sick her sophomore year during the area final rounds

A year ago, Smith said that people would tell her that she was a talented trumpet player, but that she was lacking in confidence to push her to the next level The process of going to the state round may have given her the extra mental edge

"Going to state last year and performing in front of so many people helped me understand that I could play and I could compete " said Smith. "Before, I thought maybe I was good enough to get there, but now I feel like I can actually compete with these people. Maybe I will care a little bit more than them because it is my senior year."

The daughter of Bradley and Jennifer Smith will be attending the University of Oklahoma in the fall where she will be majoring in music "I'm finding my place with music " said Smith "Instead of being scared of graduation, I'm ready to do this "

Smith will be spending her 18th birthday (Feb. 10) in Austin competing and doing what she loves. The concert is on the 13th.

Learn about antiques and collectibles away

Howe Ag Boosters planning dinner and auction on Feb. 13

Q I inherited an old coffee grinder. I am interested in selling it and would appreciate an estimate of value This coffee grinder was made by the Enterprise Co of Philadelphia, model number 750 The wheel is 19 inches in diameter and is dark grayish-blue in color It is apparently made of all cast metal since it is very heavy

A Coffee beans, have been roasted, ground, and brewed for centuries However, the golden age of coffee grinders was the late 19th century Most were large cast iron countertop models that were used in country stores In the 1870s, preroasted and pre-packaged beans became widely available The store clerk, not the consumer, did the grinding

Early models were made of iron, copper, and brass and were decorated with red paint, gilt trim, and stenciled decals Some had eagle finials. In the 1870s, replacement part eagles were offered at 25 cents for smaller eagles up to 60 cents for larger ones. The eagles were different too: flying eagles with wings spread wide and curved; flying wings way out; standing with wings way out or tucked in partway; heads left, or heads right

By the late 1880s, a new process made aluminum inexpensive, and it was widely used in grinders Some models were electrified, but handoperated mills continued to be

930s They were eas that had no could find in rence books had a a finial, wooden ooden pull out double flywheels, d painted cast iron Some examples of these 2-wheeled beauties are Enterprise Mfg Co, grinder #7, $468; Enterprise table model with eagle and flag stencil (excellent condition) $853; Enterprise #3, original red paint and decals, $600; Enterprise #12 with double wheel, funnel opening to lower compartment instead of drawer, eagle, painted and stenciled cast iron $600-1,000

Your #750 is a single-wheel with six-petal flower. It has some condition problems; namely the wooden portion is missing from the crank handle and since most of these grinders were painted red, I think yours has been repainted somewhere along the way I also believe that there may have been a lid over the bean hopper. A singlewheel model, in perfect condition, would be worth $250-300 It gives me the jitters to have to spill the beans and tell you that your grinder would probably be discounted 2550% Life can be a grind

Dr. Georgia Caraway, former director of the Denton County Museums for 14 years, and her friends opened the Howe Mercantile at 107 East Haning

Store hours are Thursday through Saturday noon until 8 p m She has written four Denton history books and has finished a 5th history about the North Texas State Fair and Rodeo that will be published in August She hopes her next book will be the history of Howe PLEASE SHOP LOCALLY. We can show you Howe!

The Howe Ag Boosters will hold a dinner and auction on Feb. 13 at the Howe High School Cafetorium. The boosters are offering tickets for $25 which will get you dinner for two and one entry into the door prize drawing including the change to win $500 or $1,000

Ferguson

Industries

continued from Page #6

Charles R Thompson, superintendent of Howe Public Schools during that time, allowed Bledsoe to take a backstop that was not being used on the property the present elementary school playground area. Blesdoe hooked it up to truck and drug it from Duke Street to Hughes and set it in place.

"I dug some holes and put four inch iron posts in the ground and strapped them to that backstop " said Bledoe "I got Cliff Hestand, the Precinct 1 County Commissioner, to bring us some sand "

Bledsoe said that while digging the holes for the backstop, he would run into problems as he kept hitting the old grain elevator bricks beneath the soil

They then held a dedication ceremony and handed the keys to the newly named A M Ferguson Park over to the City of Howe Mayor Lloyd Butts accepted the honor at a ceremony between the first ever two games played on the new field in Howe.

"I said, here you go Mayor Butts. This is for the City of Howe and it didn't cost you a dime " Bledsoe recalled of his words during the dedication

As mentioned, the night didn't happen without the mourning of a young man who lost his life working on the lights for the field

TP&L removed some light poles from James Davis' farm and Bledsoe convinced his neighbor, J W Jones who worked for the company, to put the poles up at Ferguson continued on Page #13

Peggy's Porch to have donation box at baseball signups

Hartsfield finishes first in powerlifting meet

Someone is having a birthday on Wednesday

The Howe Youth Baseball organization has set the first signup date as Jan 30 from 10 am to 2 pm at Charles R Thompson Gymnasium at Howe Middle School. The sign-ups will also take place the following weeks at the same time and same place.

Peggy's Porch will have some baseball pants and cleats available for free to those in need or want to swap Parents are encouraged to bring their items from years past that are still in good shape, but may be a little too small for their player

Rodney Hough was elected as the new commissioner for the next two years He can be reached at rhough@verizon net for more information about the upcoming season

Howe powerlifters showed well in the Anna powerlifting meet this weekend Tanner Hartsfield took first place, Tristan "Stump" Matthews took third and Jacob Taylor finished fourth in their events

Overall Howe finishers were:

Zach Braswell, 132 pound class, second, 675 total

Tyler Nicholson, 148 pound class, sixth,815 total

Dawson McDonald, 148 pound class, seventh, 780 total

Tanner Hartsfield, 181 pound class, seventh,725 total

Joel Menjivar, 242 pound class, eighth, 835 total

The Howe girls showed well also with the following totals:

Jamie Patterson, 123 pound class, fifth, 475 total

London Loftice, 123 pound class, seventh, 410 total

Brea Barnett, 132 pound class, eighth, 370 total

Alicia Oviedo, 148 pound class, ninth, 385 total

Special thanks to Jack Walker of the Van Alstyne Leader for his steady work of giving great coverage of Howe athletes The Leader has been just that in overall sports coverage of the two small schools in South Grayson County

"I just want to say Happy Birthday to my BFF. 58 years of friendship and still counting. Love ya to the moon and back"

We love you! Darrell, Monte, Michelle, Jake & Mahlon