Clifton Inman

It seems to me that a bed of roses is an appropriate description of life. Some have a hard time with life because they can never see its flowers. These are so conscious of the thorns that they never appreciate the flowers. A bed of roses is a mixture of thorns and flowers, so is life.

Jesus told one man who wished to follow Him that he did not have the comforts to offer him that a fox or a bird had - He had no place to lay His head. He told the apostles as He sent them on the limited commission that those in their own household would be their enemies.

The Holy Spirit guided Peter to say, "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you" (1 Peter 4:12). Again, he guided him to say, "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perisheth,..." (1 Peter 1:7).

Most people who work with roses wear gloves. They can work among petunias, marigolds, and most other flowers without the gloves; but if they take care of roses without the gloves, their hands suffer many scratches. Anyone who has worked with roses however, finds them most rewarding. Those who grapple with life find many a painful scratch along the way, but the flowers which bloom as a reward of their work are worth every effort and every painful scratch. The trials become precious.

As you live life, let it be to you a bed of roses. Expect to receive the thorn pricks, but take time to smell the roses and appreciate the beautiful flowers. He who would smell the roses must endure the thorns.

Our hearts go out in deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Bob Hodgdon who passed away yesterday (Saturday) in Athens, AL. The Hodgdons were winter members here for several years.

Youth Devotional
The regular monthly Youth Devo and fellowship is scheduled for this evening after the evening services. See Matt Faneuf for more details.

Ladies’ Luncheon
The ladies of Orange Street are scheduled to meet tomorrow (Monday) at 11:30am in the annex for their regular monthly devotional and luncheon. All of our ladies are invited to attend. The study will be on Proverbs 17:3; 20:27; 21:2; 23:7

Baby Showers
There are two baby showers planned for the coming weeks here at Orange Street.
     Next Sunday, September 14, at 3:00 p.m. there will be a baby shower for Tracy Mathis in the annex.
     On the following Sunday, September 21, at 3:00 p.m. there will be a baby shower for Katrina Stearsman in the annex.

Home Devo Notice!
Due to extenuating circumstances, the Home Bible Study and Devotional scheduled for the third Saturday evening will held this coming Saturday evening (Sept.13th) at the home of Greg and Julie Littleton. There is a sign-up sheet and map in the foyer for those who plan to attend.

New Member
We are pleased to announce that Heidi Gilbert has expressed a desire to place membership with the number of saints who worship here at Orange Street. Heidi is the fiancé of Darin West. Welcome Heidi!

Electronic Bible Study Course
Gaylon West has been working on a series of Electronic Bible Study Correspondence Courses that are available online, linked on the front-page of this web-site. He has also produced several free disks (CDs) for anyone who has Windows and IE but are limited in their use of the internet and/or would just like take the studies off-line. See Gaylon if you would like one of these disks.