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Vol. 43 August 21, 2018 Number 33
Strength in Weakness
By Barry Kennedy
Strength and weakness are polar opposites by definition, but they do
have something in common spiritually speaking. You may be thinking, “how
is that possible?” God has often transformed the weak into the mighty. He has
taken that which seems to be impossible and made it possible. It does not take
much reading in the Bible to see that God often blessed the “underdog.”
Consider the very first book of the Bible, Genesis. Noah was only one man
against the whole of mankind (Genesis 6-8). He, his wife, and their three sons,
along with their wives, accomplished what might seem to the world as an
unnecessary feat and thus, saved mankind. God took what seemed weak (one
family) and made them strong. Would we have allowed God to do so with us
if we were in Noah’s place? The answer to that question is based upon what
we are willing to allow God to do with us now.
A close study of the judges shows a great example of strength in
weakness. Take for example the judge Gideon (Judges 7). Gideon had the
awesome task ahead of him of defeating the Midianite army. Israel had in
place a large army of thirty-two thousand; however, God did not want their
victory to be based upon military strength, but rather, upon the power and
strength of God (Judges 7:2, 4). The end result, Gideon had to face the
Midianites with an army of three hundred. This would seem impossible to any
military strategist. Sadly, what many strategists fail to realize is that with God
we can find strength in weakness.
Another example of strength in weakness is a young shepherd named
David. David was a very diligent shepherd for his father Jesse. David put his
trust in the God of Heaven over his trust in himself (1 Samuel 17). Very few
people have not heard the account of David and Goliath, but what about the
acknowledgment of David’s strength in weakness? David was no match for the
battle-hardened giant Goliath, but when David came forth with God on his
side, Goliath was the underdog. “With men this is impossible; but with God all
things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).
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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
PREACHER
Barry Kennedy ... (931)787-7108
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 Classes............. 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.
EAST MAIN CHURCH OF CHRIST
1606 East Main Street
P. O. Box 1761
Tupelo, Mississippi 38802
“Thou shalt observe to do all that they inform thee”
(Deut. 17:10)

Community Outreach
Item: Bath Soap
--article continued from page 1—
The apostle Paul is one who came to know
first-hand that there can be strength in weakness (2
Corinthians12:1ff). Paul is without a doubt one of the
most influential preachers this world has ever known.
It would be impossible to calculate the number of
souls won to Christ through the personal and public
preaching, as well as, the writings of Paul the apostle
that we all study on a regular basis. Paul, though
strong in faith, still had to deal with the pains and
pressures this world has to offer. Paul made mention
of a thorn in his flesh that plagued him. He referred to
it as a “messenger of Satan,” that buffeted him and
kept him humble (2 Corinthians 12:7). We do not
know, nor could we prove, what that “thorn” was, but
we can know that it was painful enough that Paul
prayed three times for it to be taken away (2
Corinthians 12:8). Jesus responded to Paul’s request
by simply saying, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for
My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2
Corinthians 12:9). Paul would continue, adding,
“Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my
infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon
me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
We must come to see things through the eyes
of the spiritual man, who walks by faith and not by
sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Sight says, “Noah you are
wasting your time, you will never get that boat built
and if you do you will never get all the animals to get
on board.” Faith says, “God said to, therefore I will
follow.” Sight says, “Gideon you cannot defeat the
Midianites with only three hundred.” Faith says, “If
God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans
8:31). Sight says, “David you are just a child, there is
no way you can defeat this giant!” Faith says, “The
LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion,
and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out
of the hand of this Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:37). Sight
says, “God I need this thorn removed, please!” Faith
says, “I will endure since the cause is greater than
me.”
How much strength do we have today? “For
though he was crucified through weakness, yet he
liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in
him, but we shall live with him by the power of God
toward you” (2 Cor. 13:4). Maybe we need to look
more so at our weakness?
Gospel Meetings
The Hillcrest congregation in Baldwyn will host a
Gospel Meeting August 26-29 with B. J. Clarke
speaking at 7:00 p.m. Sunday-Wednesday.
Also, the Sherman congregation will host a Gospel
Meeting Aug. 26-29 with Doug Burleson speaking at
12:45 p.m. Sunday and at 7:00 p.m. Monday-
Wednesday.
Sr. Adult Rally
The Booneville congregation will be hosting a Sr.
Adult Rally this Saturday, Aug. 25 from 9:30 a.m. until
1:00 p.m. Ted Burleson will be the speaker. A flyer is
posted on the bulletin board across from the library.
Weekend Seminar
The Plainview congregation in Fulton is hosting a
weekend seminar, Aug. 24-26 on “America’s Most
Pressing Concern.” Services Friday & Saturday are at
7:00 p.m. and Sunday at 9:30 and 10:30 a.m.
Ladies’ Days
The Verona congregation will host a Ladies’ Day
Sat., Sept. 8 with Cindy Rodgers speaking on “There’s
Sunshine in My Soul.” Registration begins at 9 a.m.
Also, the Antioch congregation in Ramer, TN will
host a Ladies’ Day Sat., Sept. 8 with Courtney Vines
speaking on “Fearless Women.” Registration begins at 9
a.m.
Thank You Notes
Dear church family,
Thank you so much for the many visits, prayers, and
the ample amount of food in honor of Bro. Woodson’s
passing. Thank you also for the beautiful flowers that
were sent. Thank you for all that you do.
In Christian love,
The Woodson Wilson Family
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To our brothers and sisters in Christ,
Thank you for the prayers during the time of my
Dad’s two years of sickness. Thank you for all the
prayers & comforting words of support during the death
of my Dad. The flowers sent to his funeral were
beautiful. It’s great to belong in a strong, Christian
church family. Love in Christ,
The Laneys (Crafton, Marla, Nicholas, Micah & Jordan)

Daily Bible Reading
August 22............................................ Ezekiel 24-28
August 23............................................ Ezekiel 29-32
August 24............................................ Ezekiel 33-36
August 25............................................ Ezekiel 37-39
August 26............................................ Ezekiel 40-43
August 27............................................ Ezekiel 44-48
August 28..................................................Daniel 1-3
Birthdays & Anniversaries
Birthdays: Zach Dulaney (Aug. 26), Zac
Tucker (Aug. 26), Easton DuBois (Aug.
27), J. J. Reed (Aug. 27). Anniversaries:
None this week.
Our Sick
Jean Mounce is home from the hospital doing
some better. Barbara Roberts, Brenda Lindley’s
sister, is in room 379 at NMMC. Audit Hitt, Mark
Hitt & Lori Sheffield’s grandfather, is home now.
Twinette Wallace’s brother’s, Donny Dulaney,
recent biopsy showed new malignant tumors.
On-Going Illnesses
Laverne Raper, Frankie Estes, Adam McCurley,
Bretta Robinson, Mary Jordan, James Goddard, Ray
Scribner, Bill Goff, Linda Bryan, Mitch Maclean,
Jadon Parish, James Nichols, Sheba Tuggers, Sherry
Gregory, Shirley Owens, Mickey Bailey, Mike Scott,
Tracey Wilburn, Sammy Carson, Nathan Hale, Leroy
Brown, Mike Stroup, Betty Harrell
Nursing Homes/Assisted
Living
Clara Simmons, Nancy Haywood, Hilda Roberts,
Shirley McCarthy, Mary Southern, Veona Harris
Visitation Team #4
Visitation Team #4, Mike Ratliff’s team, will NOT
meet this Sunday. Please turn in your cards.
Community Outreach
We were able to deliver 85 “blessing
bags” to our area schools this past
Thursday. These are lunch bags filled with
food that the counselors at various schools
will give to needy children so that they
will have food to eat over the weekend.
Thanks so much to all the ladies that came to help.
Home Devotional
In what chapter of the Bible do you find?
Flood..........................................................Genesis 6, 7
Abimelech ...................................................Genesis 20
Plagues...................................................... Exodus 7-12
Naaman’s leprosy..........................................2 Kings 5
Name the 15 judges in the Old Testament:
Othniel Abimelech Elon
Ehud Tola Abdon
Shamgar Jair Samson
Deborah Jephthah Eli
Gideon Ibzan Samuel
Name the divisions of the Old Testament:
Law (5)
History (12)
Poetry (5)
Major Prophets (5)
Minor Prophets (12)
Name the divisions of the New Testament:
Gospels, History, Letters, Prophecy
Can you tell a Bible story from the
following picture?
John Duke is stationed in Long Beach, MS.
Matt Duke is stationed in Ft. Carson, CO.
Caleb Williams is stationed in Jacksonville, NC.
Dylan Kelly, Steve Kelly’s grandson, is serving in
Kuwait.

Men to Serve Sunday, Aug. 26, 2018 a.m.
Announcements..................................... Wade Bryan
Bible Reading...........................................Will Davis
Opening Prayer ..............................Dennis Hallmark
Lord’s Supper
Dale Dulaney & Mike Ratliff
Serve Congregation, East Side:
Greg Lyle, Greg Hughes, Larry Long
Serve Congregation, West Side:
Robert Parker, Roger Sanderson, Lee DuBois
Lead Singing....................................James Simmons
Closing Prayer...........................................Tim Davis
Ushers ......................... Grady Vines & Harold Roby
Please meet in the library by 8:45 a.m.
Sunday Afternoon
Opening Prayer .................................... Greg Hughes
Closing Prayer.............................Hunter Underwood
Lead Singing......................................Hugh Scribner
Wednesday, August 29, 2018
Prayer ..................................................Josh Kennedy
Lead Singing...............................Bobby Joe Lindley
Contact Jimmy Spearman (840-8957) if unable to serve.
The elders kindly request that men leading in public
worship wear the best dress clothes they have.
Greeters ..................................Dean & Kristie Webb
................................William & Marla Harris
Prepare Lord’s Supper—August...............Bobby Joe
& Brenda Lindley
Nursery.....................Sarah Mounce & Amy Hughes
Pantry.......................................... Canned vegetables
Attendance & Contribution
Mid-Week, 8-15-18..............................................201
Sunday 1st
Worship, 8-19-18 ...............................182
Sunday Bible Class ..............................................193
Sunday 2nd
Worship.............................................175
Contribution (budget $7,900)..........................$7,479
Summer Series
Our Summer Series entitled “Geography & the Bible” will be ending
this Sunday! All Sunday morning adult classes & the high school class
will meet one last time in the auditorium for the summer quarter.
Date Topic Person
26-Aug-18 Sea of Galilee Dennis Hallmark