September, 2005 Here's My Heart... Someone once observed, "You can never really 'GO HOME' again, because things will never be the way they once were!" In a sense, there is probably some truth to that statement. Not many weeks ago, Anita and I, our boys and their families, made a trip back to my "homeplace", to the place of my upbringing. It was so different than how I remembered it as a boy. The farm where we once raised cattle has now been almost completely sold for homesites. The barn I played in has long-since been torn down. The pond I fished in is now dried-up. And the woods where I would hunt almost every afternoon after school, are now cleared out, and the trees are no longer there. In a way, I was sad. It seemed that all I had was "memories" of how it once was. Now, everything, it seemed, had changed. And, of course, my precious grandmother, the "love of my life" growing up, was no longer there, and that made all the difference. But, how different it is in the family of God, because there, you "CAN 'GO HOME' AGAIN"! And maybe, just maybe, that's what some of us need to do...just "Come Back Home". Have you been away from "HOME" too long? Have you been trying to "LIVE" somewhere else, and it just isn't working? Well, have I got good news for you! Today, right now, you can "COME BACK HOME". We take the "slogan" of our church very seriously. Dixie Lee Baptist Church really does want to be "YOUR PLACE TO CALL HOME". So, if you are looking for a "home", a place to "settle down", come be our guest. And, if you are already a part of the Dixie Lee family, but you've been away too long, let September be the month you "come back home". "You can never really 'GO HOME' again!" Hmmmm....well, I believe you can, and we'll be looking for you soon! God bless you. Jim Clayton, Senior Pastor