Grant County church of Christ

June 17, 2007

THANK YOU!

The Door Knocking Campaign Was A Great Success!

We would like to thank the members of the Grant County church of Christ for a successful campaign. With help from about 60 members of the Mount Juliet, Tennessee church of Christ, practically every household in the county was visited the week of June 9-13.

The goal of this effort was to tell people about Jesus and encourage people to study their Bibles for the answers to life’s complex questions. We also wanted to spread the news about the Grant County church of Christ.

One notable thing about this effort was that none of the literature nor any  person ever asked any of our neighbors for any money! The whole effort was fully funded by the churches of Christ!

Over 4,000 households were visited in five days. Also a mass mailing of house to house /heart to heart magazine went out to every household in the county! The people of Grant County were very kind, friendly and receptive to the gospel. Nine people were baptized and three precious souls rededicated their lives!

The gospel meeting with David Shannon of Mount Juliet, TN was equally great. Attendance was above expectations with around 80 each night. Many responded to the invitation to obey the Gospel! David explained many Bible truths in a simple and easily understood way. We appreciate his willingness to come and aid in this effort.

The Grant County church of Christ would like to thank all of our members for your help and the people of Grant County for being so gracious in allowing us to visit your homes. The most important possession one has is his soul. Jesus said it was worth more than all the world (Matthew 16:26).

Let us continue to appeal to our neighbors to join us for "Worship the way it used to be!"

Jerry Carmichael

CHILD-REARING IS NOT A DEMOCRACY

Susan Reimer

The Baltimore Sun

I am engaged in an exhaustive and exhausting, debate on the best way to raise children, but unfortunately it is not with Penelope Leach, Dr. Phil, my husband or even my mother. It is with my children.

I am not exactly sure when this happened, and indeed it might have been just a slow loosening of my grip on the reins of power, but my children have come to believe that they should be equal partners in the business of bringing them up.

And for a while I have indulged them. For the sake of those precious lines of communication we keep hearing about, for the sake of their self-esteem, I have listened to their complaints and criticism and their cries of unfairness.

During each argument, I have carefully restated their concerns in a nonjudgmental way to let them know that I accept them for who they are.

As part of this child-rearing debate with my children, I have been unfavorably compared with every other mother on the planet - and with their father, who brings home candy from his office and presents from business trips - but I have been patient.

No more! I have had it!

When my son said, "Bill Clinton said children should be able to divorce their parents," something like a grenade went off inside my head, and I have been barking at my children like an angry dog since.

When my 11 year- old son demanded, yet again, to be allowed to rent violent video games and R-rated movies like absolutely everyone else he knows, I dispensed with my usual speech- the one about his being a beautiful flower and my need to protect him from an early frost.

 Instead, I said: "Forget it. This is not a discussion. There is no debate. I don't want to hear your side of this because I don't care what you think.

These are the facts: I'm the one with the driver's license and the video card. And until you have your own apartment with your own television, you're trapped inside my value system.

End of discussion." 

When both children whined - yet again - that they did not want to go to Sunday school, that it is boring and their lives are already too busy and why couldn't they watch cartoons on Sunday morning, I dispensed with my usual speech about how an hour of their time is not too much for God to ask considering all that He has done for them, especially in the worldly possessions category.

Instead, I said: "Forget it. You skip school, they only keep you back for a year. You skip Sunday school, you go to Hell. Now get your books and get in the car."

When the bickering between them reached a crescendo and I heard a sharp slap followed by the wailing of my 9 year-old daughter, I dispensed with my usual speeches.

The one to my daughter about how when her father and I are gone, she and her brother will have only each other and she needs to find a way to be friends with him. And the one to my son about how if he continues to bully his sister, she will grow up to expect such abuse from a man and marry badly.

Instead, I told my daughter to stop being the Wimp of the Western world and to bite her brother if she could think of no other way to drive him away.

My son howled at the unfairness of my suggestion, said it was child abuse and threatened to call 911. (Have you noticed? Children are always threatening to call 911.)

"Go ahead," I said smugly. "What do you think will happen? Do you think they will take me away in cuffs? That's not the way it works pal. They remove the child from the dangerous domestic environment.

"That means you'll be hauled off to a foster home, where you will sleep in a room with nine other boys, eight of whom will wet the bed.

"And me? I'll be at the movies."

As you can see, the waters have crested at my house. I am done listening to the demands of children on how they would like to beraised.

This child-rearing by committee is not working, especially when two members of the committee are children.

I keep my own counsel now, and my children are baffled by the new me.

VISITORS

We would like to thank all of our visitors who are with us today, you are our honored guests.   Please complete one of the visitor cards in the back of the pew and place it in the contribution basket at the appropriate time. We welcome you back at anytime.

PRAYER LIST – Please continue to pray for following

Ì     Clint Benson responded to the invitation last week asking for prayers of the church.

Ì     Granville and Charlotte Mollett responded to the invitation last week rededicating their lives to Christ.

Ì     Joyce Fehrman is slowly recovering at home, from her fall on April 22 which resulted in a brain injury.

SPECIAL THANKS

Thanks so much to the group of sixty members and minister, David Shannon from the Mt. Juliet, TN church who conducted the Door Knocking campaign last week resulting in 9 baptisms and 3 restorations.  Bible studies are ongoing as a result of their efforts.

NEW MEMBERS

We want to welcome the following new members to the Grant County church of Christ:

If you haven’t already done so, please complete a member contact sheet located the lobby of the church building and forward to Sandy Mills or Jerry Carmichael.  Again Welcome!