I had meant to post Bill Hall's meeting topics here in the bulletin, but I kept forgetting to do it. Now the week of the meeting is upon us, and I can't do it. My system took a major crash and I lost everything not backed up. The bulletins were fine, but the email I had from Mr. Mo is gone forever. And now I find myself out of time!

My dad sends me bulletins from around the country, from his travels here and there. Most of them are full of dry, boring, humorless preacher-script, but there is a gem in there on occasion. Here is a blurb from one, written by W.R. Jones of Conroe, Texas. Apparently Mr. Jones is a much older person than me!

In younger days I looked forward to hearing a husband and wife comedy team on the radio. Some years later I was able to view the very entertaining couple on black and white T.V. This delightful duo was the famous George Burns and his wife Gracie Allen. Their clean, but somewhat stupid, exchanges brought enjoyment to many people.

I always thought Gracie was the sharper of the two, even though she played the part of the naive, somewhat off-the-wall personality. She was sweetly simple in her approach to life and in no way harmful. In one of the episodes Gracie was very upset over the new electric clock she had purchased.

The problem was the clock kept losing time, that is, a lot of time each day. Gracie finally called the repairman who promptly came. Upon examination he told her that there was nothing wrong with the clock and the problem was it was not plugged into the wall socket. Gracie's response was: "Well, I know that! I didn't want to waste electricity, so I only plugged it in when I wanted to know what time it was!"

Some people worship God like that. They "plug in" via prayer when they need him, and leave Grod unplugged from their lives for the rest of the time. Small wonder they never know what hour it is! How overcooked would a Sunday roast be if you plugged in your clock every few minutes just to see what time it is? That goose would be cooked, surely. Your goose will be cooked, too, if you try to worship God this way!

God is more powerful, more potent, more necessary than the air we breathe. Which one of us would neglect breathing for more than a few minutes? So should it be with God!

I liked this guy's bulletin a lot. He had a few other choice things to say, too. From the quote book: "Some preachers ought to put more fire into their sermons or more sermons in the fire." Another quote: "Soft-soaping in the pulpit will not cleanse the sinner in the pew." A third quote sums it all up: Preach the word, be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine." You've probably heard that last one before. They are all preacher quotes, about preachers for preachers. And for us!

Yes, no doubt Mr. Jones is much older than me. You learn a lot of value from an older righteous man. At least you should. Kieran is older than me, which I like to remind him about, but I have a lot of respect for him, too. He does a great job here, and he has always been at the ready when I've needed him. Kind of like that clock, plugged in and running *all* the time as he should be, so he can rightly tell me the time when I look. Now the only question left is, are we looking?

Proverbs 16:31 The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness.

Luke 12:54-56 And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightaway ye say, There cometh a shower, and so it is. And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass. Ye hypocites, ye can discern the face of the sky and the earth; but how is it that ye discern not this time?

Ephesians 5:14-16 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Colossians 4:2-5 Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving: Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.

2 Timothy 4:1-4 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. Fot the time is coming when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.