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GOD LEADS A PRETTY SHELTERED LIFE Billions of people were scattered on a great plain before God's throne.  Some of the groups near the front talked heatedly -- not with cringing shame, but with belligerence.  "How can God judge us?" said one.  "What does He know about suffering?" snapped a brunette.  She jerked back a sleeve to reveal a tattooed number from a Nazi concentration camp.  "We endured terror, beatings, torture, death!"  In another group a black man lowered his collar.  "What about this?" he demanded, showing an ugly rope burn.  "Lynched for…

I love Christmas stories.  Stories that highlight The Christmas Story of the birth of Jesus the Christ. So I will be sharing with you some of my favorite Christmas stories I have collected over the years.  You can use them in sermons or just enjoy them for the joy and peace they bring to this season.  The first one is a story I would hear every year in elementary school when a lady would come to Apison Elementary School and tell this story to us.  It had a great impact…

On our first Christmas after we were married, I wanted to give Barbara something special, something she would never forget. So, I asked her, “What special gift can I get you that you will remember this Christmas?” She thought for a minute and said, “Surprise me.” I can do that. Christmas morning dawned with our expectations of giving and receiving special gifts. She gave me a very nice briefcase. She asked me what I had for her. I told her it was a surprise and…

What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.  1 Corinthians 14:26 I was visiting a small church with maybe 25 people attending.  The worship service started with a man from the church getting up and welcoming everyone.  A lady got up to lead a song with no music but just her clear, wonderful voice.  The…

The Members of Twelfth Avenue Church of God are delighted to invite you to join us as we celebrate the Installation of our new Pastor, Megan Cloninger.  We will celebrate this blessed occasion through worship and with God's Word.  Your presence will make this event a memorable experience for Pastor Megan and our congregation. Pastor Megan Cloninger Sunday, August 21st, 2022, 4:00 p.m. Twelfth Avenue Church of God 100 12th Avenue NE Arab, Alabama Reception will be held immediately following the service. RSVP to 256-506-2314…

I have just returned from a mission trip with a group from Fairview - The Grace Place to Ministerios Buena Vista in Guatemala.  Danny and Kim went to Guatemala 11 years ago in obedience to a call from God not sure what they would be doing or how long they would be staying there.  Now they have have approximately 170 children in the sponsorship program and feed approximately 200 children every day. They build houses for homeless, distribute food and medicine and serve their community in countless ways. We put in a swing…

We are excited to announce the date and plans for this years Unity Banquet.  We are following the theme for this years camp meeting, titled "We Have Hope".  So our banquet will be themed "Hope".  We need to make this the biggest banquet yet, so please make plans to attend with your spouse and all of your leaders and their spouse.  This year we had to make it on a Saturday Night, so we will try to start a little earlier and get out earlier.…

Congratulations to Meredith for completing Leadership Focus to fulfill her calling to be an ordained minister in the Church of God.  Cooper was licensed and will complete Leadership Focus in one year.  They serve as New Generation pastor and Student pastor at Fairview - The Grace Place.  Fairview and Alabama are fortunate to have this dedicated and gifted couple serving with us. To learn more about Leadership Focus, go to... https://www.jesusisthesubject.org/welcome-to-student-leadership-focus/

Nathan and Todd knocked it out of the park at camp meeting. The worship was inspiring and the preaching relevant and engaging.  Thanks to Jeremy Bozle for the shrimp boil Friday night.  I came away from camp meeting refreshed and inspired.  Thanks to camp meeting team for putting together one of the best camp meetings.