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Are we confident that our light is bright
Vol. 46 November 16, 2021 Number 44
THANK YOU, LORD, FOR
BLESSING ME
Barry Kennedy
It is that time of year when people begin to focus more on the
attitude of gratitude. It is a time set aside to inventory the blessings God
has given to us throughout our lives, and though some may be thinking
that they do not have anything for which they can be thankful, an honest
reflection would prove otherwise. That being said, we should say:
“Thank you, Lord, for blessing me with a SAVIOR. “There is
only one thing on a drowning person’s mind, and that is salvation. Sadly,
far too many people will never realize the fact that they are drowning
spiritually. The truth of this disaster for many of those sad souls will only
be realized in the end. Another sad fact is that all mankind, who are of an
accountable understanding have suffered this spiritual drowning
(Romans 3:23; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Galatians 3:22). Though it is true that all
people will not be saved (Matthew 7:13-14), Jesus has made salvation
available to all. “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to
all men” (Titus 2:11). When John saw Jesus coming his way he said,
“Behold the Lamb (i.e. sacrifice) of God, which taketh away the sin of the
world.” The only way one could not be thankful to the Lord for the Savior
was if they have not been saved.
“Thank you, Lord, for blessing me with a FAMILY.” The first
institution God ordained was the family. We must face the facts that
some families are not that strong and that some family relationships seem
to be more of a curse than a comfort. There is a reason for that; it is called
sin. The family functioning the way God would have it to function
cannot help but be a blessing. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from
above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness,
neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17). God placed in the Law of Moses
the command to “honor thy father and thy mother” (Exodus 20:12). Those
who have been given the blessing of great and godly families should give
the Lord thanks for their awesome blessing.
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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
William Harris ............ 416-8149
Ricky Lindsey............. 255-8136
Jeff Mansel.................. 871-0357
Jimmy Spearman ........ 840-8957
Michael Wilson........... 891-0891
MINISTERS
Barry Kennedy....(931)787-7108
Alex Blackwelder (731)879-9196
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)

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“Thank you, Lord, for blessing me
with a HOME.” Some may be thinking, “Why
mention home after family?” “Are these not
the same thing?” Home and family could be
used interchangeably, but they can also be
somewhat different. Home can be a reference
to the house in which one lives. Clearly, we
should be grateful for our houses, but also our
support group that surrounds those houses,
making them a home. The community
surrounding our houses and our brothers and
sisters in Christ with whom we worship every
week help make our houses a home. However,
we should want to express to the Lord our
gratitude for the blessing of the heavenly home
that Jesus promised to His disciples (John 14:1-
6). There is no greater place one could hope to
live than in one of the mansions He promised
to build. Not only will that heavenly home be a
masterpiece, but we will also have the
blessings of a godly community with which to
share this wonderful eternity (Hebrews 11).
THANK YOU, LORD,
Gary L Mabry
Thank You, Lord, for loving me. Thank You,
Lord, for blessing me. Thank You, Lord, for
making me whole. And saving my soul.
Chorus: Thank You, Lord, for loving me.
Thank You, Lord, for saving my soul.
~~~~~~~~
Community Outreach Program
Cancer Center Project
The Community Outreach Program
collected 53 bags of groceries! They
were delivered to the Cancer Center on
Nov. 15. Thanks so much to everyone
who helped. They were overjoyed with
our response to their need and will be
able to provide many of their patients who are in
need with food. Thank you again for your help!
Sr. Youth Devotional
The monthly Senior
Youth Devotional will be
held at Kent & Missy
Nichols’ home on
Sunday, Nov. 28 at 5:00
p.m. Please see Missy for what to bring.
Tuesday Mornings with
the Master
Don’t forget “Tuesday Mornings
with the Master” every Tuesday in the
multipurpose room from 10:00-11:00
a.m. Please come if you are able. We
will be signing cards and having
prayer for those in need.
Brain Freeze
Don’t forget that this Wednesday,
Nov. 17 following Bible class we will
have Brain Freeze in the multipurpose
room for anyone who would like to enjoy an extra
time of fellowship and ice cream.
Lectureship
The North Hillcrest congregation in
Aberdeen will host a lectureship this
Saturday, Nov. 20 from 9:00 a.m. until
12:30 p.m. with various speakers. A
flyer is posted on the bulletin board
across from the library with a list of speakers.
Thank You Note
Dear East Main.
Thank you so much for the beautiful flowers that
were sent to my mom’s service. I’m at a loss of
words to describe how thoughtful each of you have
been during this time of loss. Please continue to
remember us in the days and weeks to come.
Carrying on without my mom is one of the hardest
things I’ve done. Love,
Staci, Derik, Eli & Emily Rushing

Daily Bible Reading
November 17 ...............................................Acts 19-20
November 18 ...............................................Acts 21-23
November 19 ...............................................Acts 24-26
November 20 ...............................................Acts 27-28
November 21 .............................................Romans 1-3
November 22 .............................................Romans 4-6
November 23 .............................................Romans 7-8
Birthdays &
Anniversaries
Birthdays: Bobby Joe Lindley (Nov. 17),
Melvin Duke (Nov. 18), Kirk Sheffield (Nov.
18), Tony Donald (Nov. 19), Rachel Scribner
(Nov. 19), Shirley Lyons (Nov. 21), Lee DuBois
(Nov. 23), Debbie Hallmark (Nov. 23). Anniversaries:
Jimmy & Brenda Spearman (Nov. 20), Howard &
Robin Tindall (Nov. 20), Dean & Kristie Webb (Nov.
20), Jeff & Natalie Mansel (Nov. 22), Kyle &
Summer Smith (Nov. 22).
Our Sick
Twinette Wallace is home recuperating from
surgery at UAB last week. Nancy Haywood is in ICU
at NMMC. Christina Lindley, all 4 children, her mom
& dad and Lynn Sanderson, her dad, daughter, son-in-
law, and grandson all have Covid. Patsy Nichols’s
sister-in-law, Jeanette Nichols, is recuperating from a
car accident. Lori Blansett’s father, Larry Cobb,
continues hospice. Prayers have been requested for
Brent Norris, a co-worker of David Bates, who has
been diagnosed with cancer.
On-Going Illnesses
Mary Lou Walden, Evelyn Thompson, Annie
Martin, Steve Kelly, Bettye Davis, Frankie Estes,
Shirley Lyons, Barbara Bishop, Caroline Willis, Carol
Hood, Bill Goff, Donny Dulaney, Adam McCurley,
Mitch Maclean, Mary Starz, Sheba Tuggers, Steve
Higginbotham, Stella Pittman, April & Olivia
Pounders, Glenda Barnette, Debbie McCoy, Michelle
Bellew, Larry Kennedy, Brian Carver, Duke Loden,
Mary Puckett, Marvin Chamblee
Nursing Homes
Randy Attaway, Shirley McCarthy, Bob McClure
EMYG News
Rearview Mirror of Life
Alex Blackwelder
Have there been mistakes in your life that you really
regret? Maybe mistakes that you feel defined by? We
want our friends and family to see the best sides of us. But
if someone were to ask you how you view yourself, you
might think of something you regret, but then say
something positive. What do we do with those emotions
and how can we view ourselves in a healthy way?
In Philippians 3, Paul is writing to a group of people in
Philippi to whom he has this affection for. By this point,
Paul is getting up there in years and Timothy is with Paul
in prison. Chances are that Timothy is writing these
things while Paul is dictating. You think Paul ever made
mistakes that he was ashamed of? Remember in Acts 8,
how Saul (who’s now Paul), approved of Stephen’s
execution for preaching Christ. Saul aided in killing the
first Christian martyr. Even in Philippians 3:3-6, Paul lists
his characteristics and in those he brings up the fact that
he was a persecutor of the church. And now has devoted
nearly halfofhislife by this point,to bringing the message
of Christ and him crucified to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15).
In Philippians 3:12, Paul says, “Not that I have already
obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make
it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.”
What is Paul trying to make his own? A few verses prior
to this, he speaks of his righteousness from God that
depends on faith and that by any means possible he may
attain the resurrection from the dead. Even though Paul
says he hasn’t reached that, but one thing he does:
“forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to
what lies ahead” (Phil 3:13). It’s hard to forget past
struggles or sin. But if we allow ourselves to be consumed
by our past, it will hinder how we function in the present
and how will we grow and develop in the future.
If I drive my truck by only looking out of my rearview
mirror, I’m going to struggle and possibly go off course.
Why would we look through the “rearview mirror of life”
and keep walking forward? From the Holy Spirit (who is
God) to the pen of the Apostle Paul, they urge us to do our
very best to healthy handle our past, but to not say in it.
So, what direction should we as Christians be looking to?
“The prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus”
(Phil. 3:14). Heaven! God wants us in to be with Him
more than we want to be with Him.
I challenge us to aim for two things this week. The first
is more immediate and requires some work on your part.
It is doing what you can to divorce the emotion from the
memory of a past sin that haunts you. It may be spending
more time in prayer to God or in His Word for Him to
help you mentally and emotionally work through your
past sin. It might be that you need to seek professional
help or simply just speaking to a brother or sister. I’d
argue, you need to remember that sin and how it alienated
you from God, but to not live in that guilt. I believe that
God gave us guilt as a means to come to repentance. But
you don’t need to live in that quilt.
The second is more of an ultimate goal. Keep your
eyes upward. Find ways to love God more intimately and
praise Him for being Him, not just what He has done for
you. By living faithfully to the upward call of God in
Christ Jesus, we too can achieve something most people
won’t get to experience. That is, living in the presence of
our almighty God Himself. That’s how you turn your
pasts regrets into something righteous.
Asalways,ifIcanhelpyou,pleaseletme know.Iloveyou.

Men to Serve Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021 a.m.
Announcements................................. William Harris
Bible Reading.....................................Ricky Lindsey
Opening Prayer .........................................Tim Davis
Lord’s Supper
Rommie Dilworth
Lead Singing..............................................Mark Hitt
Closing Prayer........................................ Chad Willis
Ushers ..........................Joe Minor & Terry Kingsley
Please meet in the library by 8:45 a.m.
Sunday 11:15 a.m. service
Opening Prayer ..................................Ricky Johnson
Closing Prayer............................................Ian Willis
Lead Singing........................................ Kent Nichols
Wednesday, November 24, 2021
Opening Prayer ........... Thanksgiving Prayer Service
Lead Singing...............Thanksgiving Prayer Service
The elders kindly request that men leading in public
worship wear the best dress clothes they have.
Contact Jeff Mansel (871-0357) if unable to serve.
Attendance & Contribution
Mid-Week, 11-10-21 .................................................. 134
Sunday 1st
Worship, 11-14-21 .................................. 183*
Sunday Bible Class..................................................... 172
Sunday 2nd
Worship.................................................... 104
Contribution (budget $7,900) ................................ $9,205
*This does not include the livestreamed views.
Pantry item........................................... Peanut butter
The youth of East Main invite our
Senior Saints
(age 65 and above)
to a holiday luncheon prepared in your honor
Sunday, Dec. 5th
Immediately following worship services at noon in
the multipurpose room.
Please sign the list posted on the bulletin board across from the
library if you plan to attend.