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

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