Month: September 2011

Sunday

“Call to Me, and I will answer you,

and show you great and mighty things,

which you do not know.”

~Jeremiah 33:3

I think Momma has an infection again.  Pray for my family as we try to get this verified and something done to help Momma feel better.

Pray for my son-in-law, Boyd, as he speaks in Virginia today.  My his words be the words God has for the church there.  May the church be receptive to the words God has for them.

Thought for the Day: The Value of Experience

“Sir, What is the secret of your success?” a reporter asked a bank president.

“Two words.”

“And, sir, what are they?”

“Right decisions.”

“And how do you make right decisions?”

“One word.”

“And, sir, what is that?”

“Experience.”

“And how do you get experience?”

“Two words.”

“And, sir, what are they?”

“Wrong decisions.”

There’s a measure of truth in that. Though we can (and should) learn from the mistakes of others, experience truly does seem to be “the best teacher.” The experience of making wrong decisions in the past should help us to learn so that we make better decisions in the future. But are we willing to learn?

“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man….” (I Timothy 1:12-13)

Paul is a great example of someone who learned from his past mistakes and, as a result of that experience, made better decisions in his effort to serve God.

Father, once again I come asking forgiveness for the many times I’ve let you down. As I confess to you my transgressions, I pray that you will help me to learn from my mistakes — to recognize the consequences of following my stubborn will, to realize the heartache you feel when I turn a deaf ear to you, to learn from my error the need to follow your word more closely. I have made wrong decisions, but I pray that the experience of doing so will help me to develop the wisdom necessary to make better decisions in the future, as I strive to draw closer to you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Have a great day!

Alan Smith
White House Church of Christ
White House, Tennessee

Have a great Lord’s Day!

Anna Lee

Saturday – Posted Early

“Let the little children come to Me,

and don’t stop them,

because the kingdom of God belongs to such as these,”

~Luke 18:16b~

Pray for the Russ Guzzardo family in Amite.  . Thank God for this family of strong faith.

Please lift my entire family up in prayers!!! Yesterday was was pink or blue day,it turned out to be BLACK. It is the little brother Bethainee has been praying for but the baby has anencephaly,a condition that the skull and brain do not fully develop. I know that God has a plan and I pray that I have the wisdom to make this situation Glorify my GOD. I know my God is an Awesome God. Let me thank everone for their thoughts and prayers for now and the days ahead.

Randy Relan of Amite may get to return home as early as Monday.  Thank God for Randy’s transplant and for his body’s acceptance of the liver.

Jadon’s Story: After a year and a half, we FINALLY know why I’m having seizures.

We spent alot of time with the neurologist today. (By the way he is absolutely fabulous. He knew everything about me. It was very impressive.) We FINALLY know why I’m having seizures. I have something called cortical dysplasia. We have always assumed this is what I have but now we know. It has shown up on images of my brain. So what does this mean. I have 4 spots on the left side of my brain that didn’t form correctly. There is no reason why but it happened very early on in the womb. There was a spot on my right side that was questionable but once the doctor examined me he was not worried about it at all. He said I’m considered one of the high functioning children with seizures considering how many seizures I have and that most of the left side of my brain is not working. The reason I’m doing so well is because everything is transferring to my right side. This is great news but what it means is my right side of my brain is working at least 3 times harder than your brain is suppose to work. Plus on top of that my left side is giving it all kinds of problems because I have so many seizures. The problem with this is that my right side can not continue to work this hard. Eventually it will say enough I can’t do all this. The doctor said it is usually around the age of 4 or 5 but he can’t give us an exact timing. So what is the plan. He wants us to try a medicine called vigabatrin. You have heard me talk about this medicine. It’s the one that can effect my vision. We will try it for 1 month. The doctor said that there is very little chance that it will effect my vision in 1 month. He has never seen it and doesn’t know any neurologist that has. The problem comes when you have to be on it for a long time. So we are going to give it a try. If the seizure stop then we will be extremely happy. If they do not stop then he said I’m ready for surgery. He has everything he needs to remove the parts of my brain that are not working. Yes this is very scary but if it could fix it and give me seizure freedom it will be worth it. The doctor said today that if we can stop these seizure then I have the ability to do really well and live a normal life. So we will see how I do with the new medicine. I start it tomorrow. Please pray for me and my family. We have so many feelings going through us right now. We are happy that we may can get rid of these seizures, worried about brain surgery, and scared about the decisions we will have to make. We believe that God sent us here for a reason and we know that he will show us what we need to do. I love you all very much and thanks for all you do for me and my family.
Mr. Frank Erwin is in North Oaks.  Pray for him as he battles pneumonia.
The Philip Harrel family continues to deal with their health issues.  Their love for others and their awesome God is still strong.  Pray for them and smile.
Mrs. Shirley Frazier continues to deal with her same health problem.  She will see her doctor again this week.  Pray for a diagnosis and for her spirit to not grow weary.
Andy Taylor is making good progress in his recovery from the accident.  Betty is taking good care of him.  Thank God for sparing Andy to sing and play again and to share his sweet words and prayers for others.
Thought for the Day: Be Courageous
At the zoo, a man watched as an attendant entered a wildcat cage through a door on the opposite side. He had nothing in his hands but a broom. Carefully closing the door, he proceeded to sweep the floor of the cage. The onlooker observed that the worker had no weapon to ward off an attack by the beast. In fact, when he got to the corner of the cage where the wildcat was lying, he poked the animal with the broom. The wildcat hissed at him and then lay down in another corner of the enclosure.

He remarked to the attendant, “You certainly are a brave man.”

“No I ain’t brave,” he replied as he continued to sweep.

“Well, then, that cat must be tame.”

“No,” came the reply, “he ain’t tame.”

“If you aren’t brave and the wildcat isn’t tame, then I can’t understand why he doesn’t attack you.”

The man chuckled, then replied with an air of confidence, “Mister, he’s old — and he ain’t got no teeth.”

Some situations don’t require much courage. Others, however, require a great deal of courage. Take, for example, the choice Daniel was given — stop praying to God or face the hungry lions (which weren’t toothless!). Or Moses — live a life of luxury in the king’s palace, or align himself with God’s people. Or Esther — keep quiet and not cause a commotion, or stand up against evildoers at the risk of losing her life.

How we need such courage in our own lives! Courage to stand for the truth regardless of the consequences. Courage to live a life where Christ comes first regardless of what others might think. Courage to confess the name of God to a world which regards us as fools.

“Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the LORD.” (Psa. 31:24)

Have a great day!

Alan Smith
Boone Church of Christ
Boone, North Carolina

“Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the LORD.” (Psa. 31:24)
God won’t put more on us than He is willing to lead us through!
Anna Lee

Friday

Let’s pray for little ones today.  I know it touches our hearts when we hear of their pain and their successes.

 

Trip Roth

http://randycourtneytripproth.blogspot.com/2011/09/im-just-little-bit.html?spref=fb

Larkin Dorris

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/larkindorris

Jadon’s Story: I’m standing and Detroit



Sorry I’ve been slacking on the updates. Just been a little busy. First I want to start by saying I’m standing up. I can only stand there for about 10 seconds but its a start. I also started saying no no no. I’ve been very talkative this past week. My favorite word right now is ma ma. You know she is my favorite person. LOL I love my daddy and brother too. Well on to my trip. We made it to Detroit yesterday around 3:30. I was wonderful on the flight. I slept most of the time and when I was awake I was smiling at people and trying to get all the attention. The best part of the plane ride was landing. I screamed really loud like I was on a roller coaster. I’m not sure if the people on the plane liked this but oh well I was having fun. Once we got here we took a taxi to the Ronald McDonald House. The house is awesome. We even have our own private bathroom. The people here are very friendly. Tonight the local electric company came and cooked supper for us. It was very delicious. One of the guys that cooked for us had his son with him who had epilepsy too. We talked to them for a while. He actually sees the same doctor as we are going to see Friday. They said he is wonderful. Another great thing about the house is it is only $10 a night. We will not be able to stay here Friday night but that’s ok. We are very thankful to get to stay here the other days. The hospital is right next door to the house. I had my AMT PET scan done today. It went alot smoother than I expected. We got to the hospital around 8:00 this morning. We had to wait for the medicine to be made. You have to be at the hospital before it is made. We waited until about 9:30. They took me back and started my IV’s. Yes that’s right I had to have two IV’s. One to put medicine in and the other to draw blood out of during the test. The two have to come out of separate veins, they can not cross. The nurses did a great job putting them in. I was kicking and screaming and giving them a hard time. It’s amazing they got them in so quickly. I went into the PET scan around 10:15 and I was done by 11:30. The doctor wanted me to use the new scanner. That scanner is faster and was able to do the test in a little over an hour. We originally were told it would be over two hours. So this was a blessing that we were able to use the new scanner. Once the test was over, they woke me up and we were back at the house by 12:00. We took a long nap once we got there. When I woke up we walked to the market and bought some groceries to keep at the house. So thank you so much for your prayers. Today was much easier than expected. We do not have to go back for any testing tomorrow. We are going to try to go do something in the city. Just so you know, this is not the best city we have been to. It’s a little scary. So glad my daddy is here with us. In fact we walked to a place to eat yesterday afternoon and turned around. We did find a better area to go today. I will keep you all posted. We see the neurologist Friday and we should have some results. Thanks again for praying for me and please continue to pray for good results Friday. I love you all very much!!!!

Heart to Heart with Holley: Three Simple Ways to Help Anyone in Your Life

As a life coach and counselor I’m often asked, “How do I help this person in my life?” There’s a simple strategy you can use when someone shares with you–whether it’s a coworker having a bad day, a relative facing a sudden crisis, or someone at church who’s confiding a struggle.

Think of these three steps as your trump card. They let you always play an ACE that helps those in your life win.

A – Affirm the emotion 

God gave us a part of our brains called the amygdala that takes care of our flight or fight response. It lets us take action quickly (like when a bear is running after us). While we don’t face many physical dangers in our lives, emotional stress causes this system to kick in as well.

When you’re dealing with a stressed out person you’re talking to their amygdala. This is not about rational thought. Express a message that says, “Hey, I recognize your emotion and validate it.” That calms the flight/fight response and lets the decision-making part of our brains (the prefrontal cortex) kick in and start doing its job.

{Example: “Wow, you sound really frustrated. What happened?”}

C – Call out the best in the person 

In our most stressful moments, we all have a tendency to feel overwhelmed by guilt and a feeling that we’re not living up to our own or others’ expectations. Or we simply forget who we are in the heat of the moment and act in ways uncharacteristic of us.

What we often need most is someone who can see through to our hearts and remind us of who we really are–the best of us–at the worst of times. That can help us refocus on what matters most and move forward in positive ways.

{Example: “I’ve seen you deal with situations like this before. Your strength and love for others always shines through in the end. I know it will this time too.”

 

E – Encourage the next step

Here’s a secret: life coaches and counselors don’t have the solutions. In all of my training, what’s been emphasized most is not magic-bullet cure-all approaches. Instead it’s being a partner on that person’s journey with God to finding their own answers.

Usually, they’ve already got what they need–it’s just a matter of providing a safe space for it to come out. Resist the urge to give advice or tell others what to do. It’s one of the greatest gifts you can offer (and much harder than it seems).

{Example: “I care about you and I wish you weren’t going through this. Now that we’ve talked about it for a few minutes, what do you think you’ll do next”?}

At this point, the person may respond with another emotion. For example, she might say, “I don’t know. I’m just really hurt.” If so, start back with A and go through the process again.

We often try to make helping others more complicated than it really needs to be. Practice this approach and then make it your own. You are often the best gift you can offer someone who is hurting and you truly do make a difference.

 

Have a blessed day!

Anna Lee

Thursday

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart,

as though you were working for the Lord

and not for people. 

~Colossians 3:23 TEV~

The Landon Estay family is thankful to have two children who have successfully completed surgery and are both doing well.

is scheduled to leave ICU today.  Thank God for the progress he has made since liver transplant surgery.

Timothy Schwartz was able to being his mother, Ruby, home yesterday afternoon.  Pray that Jimmy and Ruby are well enough to stay at home for a while.

Mr. Frank Erwin went to North Oaks yesterday because of pneumonia.  Pray for a swift recovery for Mr. Frank.

Lloyd Hayden is not feeling his best.  He is at home.  Prayers for him would be very appropriate.

Pray for Caroline Cutrer and her family as they continue the battle before them.

Continue to pray for Chloe Neyland as she faces hospitalization Monday and surgery Wednesday at Children’s Hospital in New Orleans.

Sherry Day and Adrian Phillips are both doing well and are back to normal schedules.  Thank God for their progress.

You are invited to participate in the Tangipahoa Crusade for Christ which will be Sunday night through Wednesday night at the Florida Parish Arena in Amite.  Services begin at 6:45 each night.  The pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church and Vice-President of the Southern Baptist Convention, Dr. Fred Luter, Jr. will be preaching.  Local Gospel groups will lead the singing.

AWANA as started for the new year.  It is now under the direction of Stephanie McKenzie.  FBC, Kentwood is glad to be able to provide this opportunity to our children again this year.

Thought for the Day: Planning Ahead

The story is told of Morris, a Russian man, who saves his rubles for twenty years to buy a new car. After choosing the model and options he wants, he’s not the least bit surprised or even concerned to learn that it will take two years for the new car to be delivered. He thanks the salesman and starts to leave, but as he reaches the door he pauses and turns back to the salesman. “Do you know which week two years from now the new car will arrive?”

The salesman checks his notes and tells the man that it will be two years to the exact week. The man thanks the salesman and starts out again, but upon reaching the door, he turns back again.

“Could you possibly tell me what day of the week two years from now the car will arrive?”

The salesman, mildly annoyed, checks his notes again and says that it will be exactly two years from this week, on Thursday.

Morris thanks the salesman and once again starts to leave. Halfway though the door, he hesitates, turns back, and walks up to the salesman.

“I’m sorry to be so much trouble, but do you know if that will be two years from now on Thursday in the morning, or in the afternoon?”

Visibly irritated, the salesman flips through his papers yet another time and says sharply that it will be in the afternoon, two years from now on Thursday.

“That’s a relief !” says Morris. “The plumber is coming that morning!”

We often have to make plans far in advance so as to avoid any conflicts. Before making any commitments — you know the routine — we have to pull out the date book. “The kids have got a soccer game that night at 7:00, but the next night is free.” Planning ahead isn’t wrong; in fact, it’s a scriptural principle. What makes it wrong, though, is planning ahead without any thought of God.

“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit’; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.’ ” (James 4:13-15).

Go ahead! Make your plans! Fill in that date book! Just make sure that God hasn’t been left out.

Have a great day!

Alan Smith
Boone Church of Christ
Boone, NC

Stand in the storm.  When it gets rough, make adjustments, but keep standing.

Anna Lee

Wednesday Afternoon

 

 

Two requests from Ashley Raborn

  • Please keep Webster McGehee in your prayers as he recovers from hand surgery due to a saw accident.
  • Please keep Sammy Ott in your prayers as he continues chemo.
Remember Landon Estays family today as both of the children have adenoids removed and tubes put in their ears.
Jesse Dean looks well.  He gives lots of credit to his drill sargent, Majel.  It was good to hear Jesse plans to make it to church Sunday.
Jimmy Schwarts also looks well.  He is waiting for test results and for Ruby.  She was scheduled to come home today.  Pray for Jimmy and Ruby as they both deal with illnesses.  Thanks to all those who have ministered to this family through food deliveries to the home.
Momma ‘walked’ a good bit for the PT yesterday.  Bruce Neal can get more from Momma than anyone else.  Thanks, Bruce.  Keep it up, Momma.
Two death notices

Wednesday

“And this I pray,

that your love may abound still more and more

in knowledge and all discernment.”

~Philippians 1:9~

Dennis Travis is now out of ICU and in a regular room.  I know the family is most appreciative of your prayers.

Caring Bridge: Larkin Dorris

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/larkindorris

 

Charles B.W. Palmer, II

Charles B.W. Palmer, II
(June 10, 1928 – September 20, 2011)

1st Lieutenant Charles B.W. Palmer, II a loving husband, father and brother went peacefully in the early hours of the morning on Tuesday, the 20th day of September, 2011 at the St Tammany Parish Hospital having reached the age of 83 on June 10, 2011. He was born on Amite, LA to Major Charles B.W. Palmer and Maud Ellis Palmer and both of his parents preceded him in death.

He went to grammar school in La Lima Honduras and in Amite, LA, attended high school in Amite, the teacher’s training school at Southeastern LA College and Sewanee Military Academy. He then earned an LLB law degree from LSU Law School.

Charles B. W. then enlisted in the Air Force where he served with honor for four years during which he married his surviving devoted wife and welcomed his beloved son to their home. After this, he returned to live in Amite, LA and practiced law for over fifty years.

He is survived by his devoted wife, Rina Marshall Palmer, Amite; son, Charles B.W. Palmer, III, Amite; 2 brother, Robert E. Palmer, Ponchatoula and Everard Digby Palmer and wife Lois, Fernwood, MS; numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and extended family.

Lieutenant Palmer was a devout communicant at the Church of the Incarnation of the Episcopal Diocese of Easter LA to which Church gifts in Memory of Charles B.W. Palmer are requested by the family.

Visitation at the Church of the Incarnation Episcopal Church of Amite on Thursday, September 22, 2011 from 12:00 Noon until Celebration of Life Services at 2:00 p.m. at the Church. Interment in the Ellis Cemetery, Amite. An on-line guestbook is available atwww.mckneelyvaughnfh.com

McKneely & Vaughn Funeral Home, Amite, in charge of arrangements.

 

Thought for the Day: Rules for Stray Cats (and Sin)

The following is a list of STRICT UNBENDING RULES for dealing with stray cats:

1. Stray cats will not be fed.

2. Stray cats will not be fed anything except dry cat food.

3. Stray cats will not be fed anything except dry cat food moistened with a little milk.

4. Stray cats will not be fed anything except dry cat food moistened with warm milk, yummy treats and leftover fish scraps.

5. Stray cats will not be encouraged to make this house their permanent residence.

6. Stray cats will not be petted, played with or picked up and cuddled unnecessarily.

7. Stray cats that are petted, played with, picked up and cuddled will absolutely not be given a name.

8. Stray cats with or without a name will not be allowed inside the house at any time.

9. Stray cats will not be allowed inside the house except at certain times.

10. Stray cats will not be allowed inside the house except on days ending in “y.”

11. Stray cats allowed inside will not be permitted to jump up on or sharpen their claws on the furniture.

12. Stray cats will not be permitted to jump up on, or sharpen claws on the really good furniture.

13. Stray cats will be permitted on all furniture but must sharpen their claws on the new $114.99 sisal-rope cat-scratching post with three perches.

It’s a humorous progression, but it reminds me of what happens spiritually (which is not at all humorous). We don’t want to sin, so we establish boundaries. “I’m not going to go here, look there, think about that.” But, before long, we’ve crossed the line. We think, “That’s all right. I still haven’t done anything wrong. I’ll just re-establish my boundaries and not be quite so strict.” And slowly but surely, sin works its way further and further into our lives until we find that we’re no longer in control of the situation.

“But each one is tempted

when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.

Then, when desire has conceived,

it gives birth to sin;

and sin, when it is full-grown,

brings forth death.”

~James 1:14-15~

Father, far too often I have allowed sin to slowly work its way into my life. I didn’t want it to. I didn’t mean for it to happen. But it did, and I’m sorry. Please help me to keep my eyes focused on you as I strive to keep it from happening again. Give me strength as I resolve not to allow impure thoughts and motives to find a home in my heart. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Have a great day!

Alan Smith

A pray you recognize the blessings of this day.

Anna Lee

Tuesday

 

“A woman, when she is in labor,

has sorrow because her hour has come;

but as soon as she has given birth to the child,

she no longer remembers the anguish,

for joy that a human being has been born into the world.


Therefore you now have sorrow;

but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice,

and your joy no one will take from you.”

~John 16:21-22~

 

Baptist Press: http://www.bpnews.net/

 

 

Thought for the Day: In God We Trust

Having served as a police chaplain and knowing many police officers, I
especially enjoyed reading these (reportedly) actual police quotes, though
I do not know the source:

“The handcuffs are tight because they’re new. They’ll stretch out after
you wear them awhile.”

“If you run, you’ll only go to jail tired.”

“So, you don’t know how fast you were going. I guess that means I can
write anything I want on the ticket, huh?”

“Yes sir, you can talk to the shift supervisor, but I don’t think it will
help. Oh, did I mention that I am the shift supervisor?”

“Warning! You want a warning? O.K., I’m warning you not to do that again
or I’ll give you another ticket.”

“The answer to this last question will determine whether you are drunk or
not. Was Mickey Mouse a cat or dog?”

“Yeah, we have a quota. Two more tickets and my wife gets a toaster oven.”

“Life’s tough, it’s tougher if you’re stupid.”

“No sir, we don’t have quotas anymore. We used to have quotas, but now
we’re allowed to write as many tickets as we want.”

“In God we trust, all others are suspects.”

Having associated with a lot of police officers, I know that there is some
degree of truth in that last statement. As a whole, police officers tend
to be a rather suspicious group of people and it takes quite a while to
build up a level of trust with them. It’s the very nature of their job.
They are constantly lied to, and as a result they end up not trusting
anyone.

We’ve all experienced the same thing, to some degree. Someone we looked up
to let us down. They promised something but failed to deliver. They
weren’t there when we really needed them. And, as a result, we find it
difficult to trust anyone else ever again.

Fortunately, when we feel there is no one who can be trusted, we still have
God. When others let us down, God will always keep his word. When others
fail to keep their promises, God will always keep his promises. When
others have left us, God will always be there. His faithfulness stands out
as one of his essential qualities.

“If we are faithless, He remains faithful…” (2 Tim. 2:13a)

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” (Heb. 10:23, NIV)

The faithfulness of God is what makes us certain that we can trust our
lives to him. Praise be to the God on whom we can always count!

Have a great day!

Alan Smith
Boone church of Christ
Boone, NC

 

Stand in the storm.  When it gets rough, make adjustments, but keep standing.

Today, I’m thankful for the prayer warrior who said they were  standing beside  me in the storm.

 

Still standing!

Anna Lee

Late Monday Afternoon

Two Good Reports

  • Randy Relan is doing well following his liver transplant.
  • The neurosurgeon said my tumor seems to not be malignant, but will need to be watched in future MRIs.  Surgery is not a good option for me, but one-time radiation may be a possibility.  My next appointment is Dec. 5th.
Thanks for the prayers for Randy and me.  We both have a lot for which to be thankful and appreciate all the prayers on our behalf.

Monday

I pray that out of his glorious riches He may strengthen you

with power through his Spirit in your inner being,

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. 

~Ephesians 3:16–17 NIV~

I pray that out of his glorious riches He may strengthen ME

with power through his Spirit in MY inner being,

so that Christ may dwell in MY HEART through faith. 

~Ephesians 3:16–17 NIV~

Today, I’m feeling selfish and have altered that verse (which I normally don’t do) to suit the way I feel about the need for God to dwell in me and work through me in regard to our family as we work with Momma and as I see a neurosurgeon at 11:15 today.  I ask your prayers for there two big issues in my life today.

I know many of you have been praying for these two requests already because you have told me so and because I (we) have been able to let God deal with us through the circumstances we have found ourselves in lately.  Thanks so very much for each and every prayer.

“Stand in the storm.  When it gets rough, make adjustments, but keep standing.”                                             Anonymous, but suitable to me
Anna Lee