Tuesday

“Hear me when I call,

O God of my righteousness!

You have relieved me in my distress;

have mercy on me,

and hear my prayer.”

~Psalm 4:1~

Carl Wayne Stevens, formerly of this area, has been diagnosed with lung cancer. Please pray as decisions are being made for his care.

We’ve been praying for Mr. I.W. Simmons. Now, let’s add Mr. Benny Simmons to our prayer list.

At the WMU meeting yesterday, Mrs. Glory Wheat Thompson shared about her mission work in Canada. It was very interesting and very informative.

Frank and Mary Alice Fox attended the funeral for Riley Clark:

….It was one of the nicest funerals I have ever attended – a real tribute to Riley. The last report I got was Sat. evening. At that point she (Frann) was improving though she still had a long way to go. They had reduced the oxygen they were giving her to 50% – down from 100%. They have not told her about Riley. As soon as the doctors think she is well enough to hear it, Kerry will tell her. She is still in ICU. They did video the funeral so that she could see it when she is able….

Update on Don Denton:

We continue to be amazed and thankful for this journey we are on. Today we met with the Neurosurgeon expecting to have to have surgery as soon as possible. WE were told by our neurologist this would happen.

Today the neurosurgeon said No surgery. Surgery is not needed at this point. He had several very good reasons as to why he would not perform surgery on Don at this time. If a shunt should be put in at this time and there is just one bacteria left if could be a problem. He also said that Don’s hydrocephalus is mild. He did not see that it is high/severe. He feels that Don’s body is absorbing the fluids for the most part. The neurosurgeon also gave us symptoms to look for.

The downside to this is that Don still has severe dizziness, to the point that it is debilitating. He struggles to walk and function. The neurologist indicates that dizziness is not a symptom of Hydrocephalus. The neurosurgeon believes that although Don’s dizziness has worsened, that it still is from having menningittis. He tells us that he does not believe Don is free from it as of yet.

The neurologist wants to continue gathering data through lumbar punctures, MRI and CAT Scans.

He is saying that it is taking longer for Don to recover because of the severity of the disease.

The neurosurgeon has excellent credentials and he is more than willing to work with our Infectious Disease doctor. The outcome from today only confirms what all the other doctors are saying. We will have to wait to see how Don does as he tapers off of the steroids.

So we continue to wait and hope and pray for complete healing. We believe it will happen and so do the doctors, it is just taking longer.

Things to pray for:

• Don’s dizziness begins to subside.
• He does not get sicker as he tapers off of steroids.
• That we can find strength we need from day to day to continue to look outside of our circumstances and live as normal as possible.
• Pray for my sister in law, Lynn. Her doctor appt. is on Thursday on what they can do for her, with her cancer.

Don sees opthamoligist tomorrow hopefully they can help him with vision changes.

Blessings to your our friends and family

Diane

ADD-ON OPTIONS

A local farmer had come to the conclusion that the local car dealer had profited greatly by all the add-on options that increased the price of cars sold to the hapless farmer. Then one day the car dealer informed the farmer that he was coming around to buy a cow. In the spirit of justice, the farmer attached the following price information to the cow:

Basic cow $500
Two-tone exterior $45
Extra stomach $75
Product storing compartment $60
Straw chopper $120
Four spigots at $10 each, $40
Cowhide upholstery $125
Dual horns $15
Automatic fly swatter $38
Fertilizer attachment $185

TOTAL: $1,233.00

Aren’t you glad God doesn’t charge us for all the extras He provides us in life? You know what I mean — the beautiful sunrise and sunset, the changing color of the leaves in fall, the glory of the stars at night, the beautiful scenery ranging from the majestic mountains to the pounding surf of the ocean. How blessed we are! And not a single penny extra!

“Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
Oh, give thanks to the God of gods!
For His mercy endures forever.
Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords!
For His mercy endures forever:
Him who alone does great wonders,
For His mercy endures forever;
To Him who by wisdom made the heavens,
For His mercy endures forever;
To Him who laid out the earth above the waters,
For His mercy endures forever;
To Him who made great lights,
For His mercy endures forever —
The sun to rule by day,
For His mercy endures forever;
The moon and stars to rule by night,
For His mercy endures forever.” (Psalm 139:1-9)

As you go through this day, try to be mindful of each and every blessing you enjoy from the hand of God. It is so easy to take everything for granted. But, how richly God has blessed us! Praise and thanksgiving be to our Lord!

Have a great day!

Alan Smith
Helen Street Church of Christ
Fayetteville, North Carolina

Today is an important day for our nation. Let’s pray for our nation to work together and be a shining light to the rest of the world. Let’s pray for the president-elect as he takes over and for the president as he begins a new phase of his life in Texas.

Let’s pray for Christians in our nation live the life they profess so others will want to follow Jesus. God reigns over all of us! He is the same today as He was yesterday and will be tomorrow!

Anna Lee