Tuesday

“As for me, I will call upon God,

and the Lord shall save me.

Evening and morning and at noon I will pray,

and cry aloud,

and He shall hear my voice.”

~Psalm 55:16-17~

 

 

Please pray for Frann Clark as she sees a doctor today about possible cataract surgery. Pray for her husband, Riley, as he requires more and more help on a daily basis.

Joan Hagan was able to get out of her house and about town for a while yesterday. She is recovering from her falls and her surgery at the same time. Please continue to pray for her.

Jesse Dean was able to be at church again Sunday. He is improving on a daily basis now. Please pray for continued improvement.

 

 

 

Melinda Russell shares an email from a relative.

 

Here is a note from M. Thank you for continuing to pray for her as she
prepares to begin treatment.
Melinda

Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 2008 3:04 AM

Well, my dear friends we got some good news and some not so good news.
The good news is that the tumor is contained in the cervix and has not
spread to the surrounding tissue and there are no tumors anywhere else in
my body and the tumor is a stage 1. (PRAISE!!!)However, the tumor is a
neuro-endocrine tumor which is extremely aggressive and very rare. It is
so rare that less than 1% of all cervical cancers are of this type. So
the doctor wants to attack aggressively and radically…and so do I!!! He
believes that, most likely, cancer cells have already broken off from the
tumor and are running around in my body so he wants to start both
radiation and chemo at the same time. I am going to have 4-6 weeks of
daily radiation and for the chemo I will go into the hospital overnight
one night a week for the duration of the radiation. Then I will have the
same overnight chemo treatments every 21 days (at a much higher dose) for
3-4 months. I have an appointment with the doctor that does the radiation
next Monday, May 12 so I assume this will all start next week.

And then there is of course the great news that my God is bigger than
this tumor!!! I know that the next six months are going to be rough but
I am tough and I am going to get through this. I have a lot of living
left to do and I am not near done yet!!! I have all of you to love me,
support me, encourage me and pray for me so I know that I am not going
into this battle alone. Please remember me in all of your prayers!

My God is able!
Love you all,
M

 

GERMAN-BRAZILIANS OF BRAZIL. I. was 19 and known as a troublemaker in Herval when he became one of the first to accept believer’s baptism. He had lived there for only a few years before he earned the nickname of a renowned terrorist after an unsuccessful attempt to burn down the local high school when he received failing grades. As a high school dropout, I. did not have many opportunities to get ahead. He began working in the local shoe factory, but his reputation did not improve, as he continued to run with the wrong crowd, which was heavily involved in drugs. He returned to school and improved, passing in all subjects. Lately he has been struggling, and he finally shared with M. that he would not be coming to the meetings any longer. In three years, he had missed only two or three times. He shared that he was in the world again, doing drugs, and that he just could not keep coming while he was doing these things. He said, “I refuse to be a hypocrite. One day I plan on coming back to God, but right now I don’t have any way of stopping.” That night at the meeting, the story of the Prodigal Son was told and M. made an impassioned plea for I. not to do this. Both wept, and R. prayed over them as everyone sang “Agnus Dei” quietly. Please pray for I. to leave the things of this world and return to the Lord. http://www.onmissionwithgod.org/

 

 

HUNGARIANS OF WESTERN HUNGARY. Pray along with Baptist representatives Larry and Melinda Ewing in Gyor, Hungary, for Z, who said yes to Jesus five years ago and is a very dynamic believer in western Hungary. He wants to be bold for Jesus in sharing his faith on his university campus. Pray that he will be able to move on to a new level of faith and commitment in this area of his walk and bring many of his countrymen to faith in Christ. http://www.hope4hungary.com/

ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA. In the southwestern corner of the county, believers are experiencing a renewed energy and vision for sharing the gospel of God’s grace. Thank you for your prayers for those who attended the church-planting conference on the Gulf of Finland. God is answering. Please continue to pray for them, as they are a bold witness.

PARIS, FRANCE. The Ile de France Team writes: “This month, we will say goodbye to two short-term couples. Please pray for them as they start the next chapter of their lives. Pray as they seek housing, jobs, cars and other things they will need. Intercede for them also as they re-adjust to life back in the United States after two years in France. Pray for safe, uneventful travel for their final trip home. We are thankful for their service and look forward to seeing how God will use them in the future.”

KARACHI, PAKISTAN (kah-RAH-chee). In a city of 16-18 million people, there are government and private hospitals, community medical clinics, medical colleges and a university hospital servicing the people. Doctors and nurses work hard and often put themselves at great risk to care for patients. Often the best doctors and nurses leave the city for work in Diaspora communities worldwide. Please pray for the medical community in the city. Lift up the followers of Jesus within the medical community who are teaching, training, servicing, caring and praying for the sick. Pray for the colleagues, students and teachers with whom they work and the patients they care for who may have a different set of beliefs. May God bring healing into lives that have never known the true healing of the inner heart. http://www.go2southasia.org/

LAST FRONTIER. Please pray that Christian business owners and leaders will gain understanding in using their skills to gain access with integrity into restricted-access countries. Pray that they will gain access, as well, to large numbers of people who would not otherwise hear or see a Christian witness. Pray that they will seek and respond to God’s leading as they partner with those on the field who serve God and work to expand His kingdom

AIDS. Situated on the other side of the mountain near the Managa Academy in the northeast section of Swaziland is a community of displaced people due to the taking of land by a sugar company. Although these people have been relocated, they have made an effort to live productive lives. Unfortunately, in this community lives a 16-year-old boy who is caring for his brothers and sisters because both parents died of AIDS. Neighbors try to help as much as they can, but so many are caring for extended family members as well. Because of AIDS, there are many homes with children and youth caring for children. Pray that the many orphans in Swaziland will have someone to care for them. Pray for an intense awareness by the Swazis to the cause and problems of AIDS and the responsibility of protecting friends and family members. http://www.imb.org/AIDS/

MISSIONARY PERSONAL NEEDS. Missionaries Vivian and Ralph Boyle, who serve in Tanzania, ask: “Please pray for our adult daughter and her family, who are involved in a faith ministry in Montreal, Canada. They are struggling, yet see God working in the community and in an IMB church start that they pastor. Pray that our grandkids will enjoy their first time overseas (the family is involved in a ministry opportunity in Tanzania for three weeks in May) and that our fourth grandchild will be protected from any broken bones. He has osteogenesis imperfecta, a brittle-bones disease caused by a lack of collagen.”

KneEmail

 

“At the name of Jesus every knee should bow…” (Philippians 2:10).
Mike Benson, Editor

Robbed

 

I’VE OFTEN HEARD the title of this article spoken by a losing team following a ballgame with poor officiating…

However, yesterday this phrase took on a whole new meaning for me. Allow me to explain.

I was invited to present a seminar on Internet Safety at the Memorial Parkway church of Christ in Huntsville, Alabama. My good friend and former co-worker, Reed Swindle is one of the preacher’s there. I left Glasgow immediately following Sunday worship service and arrived in Huntsville, Alabama at 3:30 p.m. I arrived at the building as the doors were unlocked and I entered and went to Reed’s office. I sat and talked with Reed for approximately 5 minutes when a wide-eyed man suddenly appeared in Reed’s doorway. He had on a hooded sweat jacket, a cap, and a bandana covering his face like in the old Western movies. He pointed a gun at both of us and demanded all our money! Reed and I both laughed at him at first. I thought it was one of the kids in his youth group and he thought I had brought someone with me who was playing a joke. As he pointed the gun at our heads, it eventually dawned on both of us that this wasn’t a joke, and that he was serious. We gave him all the money we had and as he kept the gun trained on us, he said as he was about to leave, “I’m sorry I have to do this.” At that point, I didn’t know whether he was sorry for having robbed us, or if he was telling us he was sorry for what he was about to do. Fortunately, it was the former. The young man then fled the building and Reed called the police. Fifteen minutes later I had to begin presenting four lessons on Internet Safety. Actually, I don’t remember much of what I said. I probably owe the good brethren at Memorial Park a do-over (but good luck getting me back down there! Ha!). (By way of side note, when the detective asked me what kind of pistol the man had, I said, “Pistol? From what I could see, it looked more like a bazooka!)

It is amazing how many thoughts flash through your mind while an event like this happens to you. I can’t begin to share all of them with you, but I’ll share a couple thoughts that occurred to me immediately followed this incident.
I was reminded of how quickly and unexpectedly life can be taken from you. I can certainly tell you that when I woke up Sunday morning, I didn’t think I’d have someone pointing a gun at me before the day was over, but I did. It caused me to reflect on how many people awaken every morning, having no idea that this day will be their last day on earth. Some day we will all awaken to our last sunrise. Will we be prepared when the day arrives?
Also, moments after this man ran from the building, I recalled the words written by the Bible commentator, Matthew Henry. On one occasion in his life, he was robbed. That very evening, he recorded the following words in his journal as he gave thanks to God. “I thank Thee first because I was never robbed before; second, because although they took my purse they did not take my life; third, because although they took my all, it was not much; and fourth because it was I who was robbed, and not I who robbed.” As bad as things may be, there are plenty of reasons to give thanks if one chooses to do so.

Well, I’m certainly thankful that things worked out as they did. Reed and I are both fine. I’m back safely in Glasgow with a renewed appreciation for a lot of blessings I take for granted. (Steve Higginbotham)

“In everything give thanks;

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

~1 Thess. 5:18; cf. Jas. 4:16~