Author: Bryan Gibson

Weekly Bulletin
August 20, 2017

The 5 Best Decisions I/We Ever Made
by Bryan Gibson
I’ve made some poor decisions in my life, some I deeply regret. But, with God’s help, and later my wife’s help, I’ve made a few good ones too, and these are the five best.
#1 I decided to become a Christian. “O Happy Day”—that’s what we sang the night I was baptized into Christ almost 42 years ago (Galatians 3:27), and I’m even happier today than I was then. There’s no better place to be than “in Christ,” where “every spiritual blessing” is found (Ephesians 1:3), not the least of which is the hope of eternal life (2 Timothy 1:10). I have experienced the truth taught in Proverbs 4:18, that “the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.” In other words, the experience of being a Christian just gets better and better every day.
#2 I decided to preach the gospel full time. That was about 32 years ago, and I still remember how I felt at the time: “woe is me if I do not preach the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:16). I had reached the point where I felt like this was what I had to do, that the Lord had given me sufficient ability to preach the gospel, and that I needed to use this ability to His glory (Matthew 24:14-30; 1 Peter 4:10-11). It’s a big responsibility, and it’s hard work—if you do it right, but it’s also the most rewarding work in the world—not financially, of course, but in all the ways that matter most.
#3 I decided to marry a faithful Christian. I popped the question 33 years ago, and as excited as I was then, I feel even better about that decision today. “Marry someone stronger than you”—that’s what I heard, and that’s exactly what I did. If evil companions corrupt (1 Corinthians 15:33), then good companions purify (Proverbs 13:20), and that’s what she’s done for me. She’s made me very happy, but more importantly, she’s made me better. She’s helped get me ready for heaven, and a man can’t ask for more than that.
#4 We decided to have children. “Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward” (Psalms 127:3). We knew what that passage said—before we had children; now we know what it means. We rejoiced and gave thanks when each of our four children was born (John 16:21), and that joy and gratitude has only increased through the years.
#5 We decided to raise our children in the training and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). We’ve made plenty of mistakes along the way, but we did at least set very clear goals for our children. We wanted them to become faithful Christians, marry faithful Christians, and raise faithful Christians themselves. And so we prayed for them; we set the best example we could; we taught them the Scriptures; we took them regularly to church services; we taught them reverence in worship; we put them in the company of faithful Christians, as often as we could; we firmly used the rod of correction; we praised them when they did right; we protected their minds and hearts from the filth of the world, as best we could; and a number of other things we learned from the Lord. Again, we made our share of mistakes along the way, but we will forever be grateful for God’s perfect plan.

Contact Information
	P.O. Box 680872 / Prattville, AL 36067
	(334) 365-5887 / (334) 868-0801
	prattmont@knology.net / prattmontchurchofchrist.org

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The Prattmont Church of Christ is just what the name suggests, a church that belongs to Christ. We are not a denomination; we are simply a group of Christians trying very hard to practice the teachings of our Head, Jesus Christ. The New Testament offers a complete pattern for what each local church should be like—its organization, its worship, its work, etc. We are committed to following that pattern. We cordially invite you to attend our services. We would also welcome any comments or questions about this bulletin.

TIMES OF SERVICES:
Sunday
Bible Study 9:00 A.M.
Worship 10:00 A.M.
Training Class 5:00 P.M.
Worship 6:00 P.M.
Wednesday:
Bible Study 7:00 P.M.