Thanksgiving

“So we, being many, are one body in Christ,

and individually members of one another.”

~Romans 12:5, NKJV~

Today is Thanksgiving.  I have so much to be thankful for.  I’ll not list my blessing here, but you can think through some of your many blessings and thank God for each one.

Dr. Earl Council is home now, but will be admitted to a hospital soon for additional treatment.  Please be in pray for Dr. Council, the doctors, and his family.

Larry Bankston got a good report at his post-op appointment.  Thank God for the progress Larry has made.

Theresa Flores is doing well following her kidney transplant.  She no longer needs dialysis.  Thank God for the progress Theresa has made.

Robert Ricks, the Arcola one, has completed four weeks of treatment at M.D. Anderson.  Some days the treatment has been hard, but Robert is “hanging in there”.  Doctors are planning on about three more weeks of treatment before Robert comes home.  Thank God for the quality treatment Robert has been receiving and his progress so far.

Mrs. Rena Cutrer continues to recover from a hip problem.  Thank God for her improvement.

Frances Hughes

Frances Eugenia Hughes, 65, born September 24, 1944 to Johnny and Floy Brumfield Hughes. She was a native of Roseland, Louisiana and lived in Denham Springs, Louisiana. She left this world on Monday, November 23, 2009.

She is survived by her brother, Wilton and wife, Sandra Hughes, Bolick, North Carolina; 4 sisters: Evelyn and husband, Steve Stevens, Athens, Texas; Viola and husband, Gene Cody, Watson; Isabel Eldridge, Baton Rouge; and Wanda Davis, Baton Rouge. Also 12 nieces and nephews, numerous great and great-great nieces and nephews, family and friends.

Preceded in death by parents, Johnny Elmer and Floy Brumfield Hughes and brother, Alton Glenn Hughes.

Visitation will be at Seale Funeral Home in Denham Springs Friday from 6 P.M. to 9 P.M. with services at 11 A.M. Saturday followed by burial in Arcola.

FALLING ASLEEP

I heard recently about a college professor who had the mysterious habit of walking into the lecture hall each morning, removing a tennis ball from his jacket pocket. He would set it on the corner of the podium. After giving the lecture for the day, he would once again pick up the tennis ball, place it into his jacket pocket, and leave the room. No one ever understood why he did this, until one day. . . .

A student fell asleep during the lecture. The professor never missed a word of his lecture while he walked over to the podium, picked up the tennis ball and threw it, hitting the sleeping student squarely on the top of the head.

The next day, the professor walked into the room, reached into his jacket, removed a baseball. . . No one ever fell asleep in his class the rest of the semester!

I would imagine that many of us have had the experience of falling asleep at a time when we should have stayed awake — perhaps in a classroom or during a sermon.  In the scriptures, poor Eutychus will forever be known for only one thing — falling asleep during a sermon and falling out the window!

For those of you who aren’t familiar with this Bible story (found in Acts 20:7-12), there was a young man by the name of Eutychus (a side note:  ironically, his name means “fortunate”) who attended a worship service where the apostle Paul was speaking.  No doubt, Eutychus was tired and perhaps his stomach was full.  He found a spot near a window where he could get some fresh air because oil lamps lighted the room and the air would have been a bit stuffy.  We’re told that Paul talked on and on until after midnight. Luke tells us that the young man fought sleep and gradually lost the battle.  When he nodded off, he fell out of the third-story window.  Fortunately, the story has a happy ending as he was raised back to life by Paul.

Those of us who are preachers are inclined to say that the moral of this story is that you should never fall asleep during a sermon (though I suspect others may say that the moral is that preachers shouldn’t preach so long — it can be dangerous!).  But of even greater concern than falling asleep in our worship is the fact that we sometimes fall asleep in our walk with Christ.  We grow weary, we lose our concentration, our mind drifts off to other things, and the result can be deadly!

The apostle Paul warns us:  “Therefore, let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.” (I Thess. 5:6).

Is your mind focused on God?  Are you listening carefully to Him, submitting to His Spirit?  If you’re growing weary, it’s time to wake up!

Have a great day!

Alan Smith
Helen Street Church of Christ
Fayetteville, North Carolina

“Count your blessings.

Name them one by one,

Count your many blessings.

See what God has done.”

Anna Lee