Thursday

“We should consider the good of our neighbor

and build up his character.”

~Romans 15:2~

Robbie Lynn is having surgery at St. Dominicks in Jackson,Ms. in the morning. Please add her to the prayer link. This is her second back surgery and she has been in a lot of pain. Linda is with her and their home is only about 10 min from the hospital. Pray that the surgeon will do a great job and the results will be what they are hoping for. Thanks/Robert (Callihan)

(The surgery is at 8:30.)


Lauree Titus continues to have health issues. These problems have kept her from being able to work regularly for some time now. Please keep her in your prayers.


Ora Lee Wilson continues to heal from her pacemaker surgery. Please continue to pray for her.


Mrs. Annie Bell Harrell continues to have medical tests. Please pray for “Miss” Annie Bell and her family.


Mrs. Ruby Dillon expects results of her biopsy tomorrow. Pray for her as she waits.



Orin Davidson, father of Naomi Tolar, is in North Oaks. Please pray for him and her family as they help care for him.


Don Denton

(Letter from Diane, his wife)

Anna
. . . My husband Don Denton is a Theology Professor at Southwest Baptist University. Don has degrees from New Orleans Seminary and Fuller Seminary in Pasadena California. We have been married seventeen years. Our son Joshua is 4 1/2 years old. Our son is a miracle from God in our life.
We now live in Bolivar Missouri. My husband is also a writer. He has written one book and contributed to another book coming out this year.
On a Monday morning back in September of last year, Don, woke up with a headache. It did not go away for more than 2 months. He was in Cox South hospital for 25 days and almost died. He then was transferred to Mayo in Rochester and was there for 47 days. My son and I lived in a boarding house in Rochester for those 47 days as well.
Since our return from Mayo on December 5th, my husband has been back in the hospital twice. One of those times a relapse of his disease. Which doctors are not sure of the cause. He had meningitis, encephalitis, deconditioned body, lost 30 plus pounds, dissection in his carotid artery, double vision and is having to learn how to walk again. He was also just diagnosed with hydrocephalus mild. His illness is still ongoing at many levels. During this time we have had many, many obstacles. A house fire, insurance company not paying what they indicated they would for health insurance, our dog had surgery, loss of my job, and our son just broke his nose. WE are hoping to see a specialist in St. Louis soon as my husband has debilitating dizziness all the time. His illness has lasted 6 months with improvements in some areas.
He is unable to teach at this time as well. Our journey is on caringbridge.org and enter: dondenton.

. . . Thank you for praying for us. We really need it. We are so grateful for God’s mercy to us and for God’s people reaching out to us is so humbling and touches us deeply.
Thank you for your email and bless you.

Diane Denton

Don Denton

(Latest post on Caring Bridge)

First thing this morning we all headed down to Springfield. Don’s appointment was first with the ID doctor and then Joshua’s appointment was after that. Joshua got sick, so I ended up dropping Don off to his appt and then bringing Joshua to his appointment.

Joshua will see a ENT first thing Friday. He will determine if there is damage to sinus, etc. and if need for surgery.

Don’s doctor ordered blood work to look for reasons with the onset of increased fatigue. Don has had increase in headache pain, not high level, but increase.

He will taper to the 20mg one week from this Saturday.

Today we received a call from a specialist in the area of CNS- central nervous system diseases. She is at Washington University in St. Louis. I wrote to her a week ago. I had been doing some research and found her area of specialty to be close to what Don has. She has been gracious enough to talk with us. Today was a fruitful conversation. She asked allot of questions and she wants to talk with her colleagues further about Don’s disease. She will get back with us by Monday to discuss the possibility of us coming up there to further explore his symptoms. She at this point feels as we do. He should not have this level of dizziness. There is an under lying cause. It should be mostly resolved by now.

It was good to have her expertise. She is suggesting an area that is somewhat scary for us, but we are willing to go down this path to get answers. If her colleagues are in agreement, it looks like we will see a neuro otologist and possibly a neruo oncologist to further explore these unresolved issues Don is having.

Anne A. we may take you up on the offer when we come up to St. Louis. Thank you for the offer.

Joshua’s little nose is bruised and swollen, but he is a resilient little guy. He was so brave having to have a CAT Scan. He was wondering where is the Cat?

WE feel we are getting closer to more answers. It is a direction we have been wanting for sometime now.

Thank you for your postings, and emails, they mean so much! I read each one and sometimes over and over again. They are most helpful to me.

Bless you our family and friends

Diane







Annie Armstrong Easter Offering®

The first collection of funds by WMU for either of the Boards was for home missions and took place at WMU’s organizational meeting in May of 1888. WMU accepted a request from Home Mission Board corresponding secretary Dr. Isaac Taylor Tichenor to aid in building a church and enlarging a Christian cemetery in Havana, Cuba. Offerings for home missions continued to be taken each year, usually to aid missionaries on the frontier and the work in Cuba. In 1895 Dr. Tichenor asked WMU to contribute $5,000 to help alleviate the agency’s $25,000 debt and prevent the withdrawal of missionaries from their missions fields. In response, WMU instituted the Week of Self-Denial as a time of praying for and giving to home missions and raised more than the $5,000 requested. Since 1895, a week of prayer and a home missions offering have continued. In 1903 the official name of this event was the Week of Prayer and Special Effort for Home Missions; in 1922 the name was changed to the Thank Offering. In honor of WMU’s first corresponding secretary and crusader for home missions, the offering was named the Annie Armstrong Offering in 1934. In 1969 the name was changed to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering®, directly connecting the offering with the Christian observance. Woman’s Missionary Union continues to promote this offering and set the goals for giving to North American missions.


Victor Myles “Vic” Trahan
A pipe fitter and resident of St. Amant, he died Saturday, March 7, 2009, at his home. He was 47, born in Houma and a native of Amite. Survived by his wife of 26 years, Robin Jones Trahan; daughter, Kaitlin Rae Trahan; two sons, Jesse Jay and Taylor James Trahan; parents, Norris J. Jr. and Juanita J. Pace Trahan, all of St. Amant; sister, Robin Trahan and husband Milton Phillips Sr., Osyka, Miss.; numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Preceded in death by his daughter, Jodi Marie Trahan; maternal grandmother, Mary Jane Pauline Walker, who was of Amite; and paternal grandfather, Norris J. Trahan Sr., who was of Houma. Visitation at Ourso Funeral Home, Gonzales, on Friday, March 13, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Visitation at First Baptist Church of Donaldsonville on Saturday from 8:30 a.m. until religious service at 10:30 a.m. Interment in Ascension Cemetery, Donaldsonville.



SHOULD I FORGIVE THAT PERSON?

The following story comes from Glenn E. Schaeffer via Christian Reader (“Kids of the Kingdom;” September/October 1997):

During a childrens sermon one Sunday morning, I held up an ugly-looking summer shirt that I wore occasionally around the house. I explained to the children that someone said the shirt was ugly and should be thrown away.

“This really hurt me,” I explained. “I’m having trouble forgiving the person who said those mean things. Do you think I should forgive that person?” I asked the children.

Immediately, my six-year-old daughter, Alicia, raised her hand. “Yes, you should,” she said without hesitation. “But why? The person hurt my feelings,” I responded.

To which Alicia wisely answered, “Because you’re married to her.”

We live in a society that doesn’t care much at all about forgiveness. Our culture exalts those TV and movie heroes who take vengeance on others. Those who are willing to forgive are portrayed as weak, and those who refuse to forgive are strong. The result is a society filled with bitterness, vengeance, anger, hate and hostility. Marriages suffer because grudges are held and nobody’s willing to forgive. Crimes of retaliation and ridiculously excessive lawsuits are rampantly common as people seek vengeance both inside or outside the law.

But Jesus emphasized the importance of forgiving others. In fact, he doesn’t give us any other option, if we are to be his disciples. He said, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matthew 6:14-15). That’s strong language!

Again in Mark 11:25-26, Jesus said, “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”

When Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” (Matthew 18:21), Jesus responds by telling a parable about a master who forgave a servant’s huge debt, but that servant refused to forgive another servant who owed him a small amount. The story ends with an angry master turning over the unforgiving servant to the jailers for torture and torment. And then Jesus made the application in one of the harshest statements in all the gospels: “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.” (Matthew 18:35).

Jesus makes it painfully clear that forgiving others is directly related to our being forgiven by God, and our unwillingness to forgive destroys the bridge over which God’s forgiveness comes to us. Before you ask for God to forgive you, is there someone who needs your forgiveness today?

Have a great day!

Alan Smith
Helen Street Church of Christ
Fayetteville, North Carolina

May God use you to bless someone today!

Anna Lee

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