Month: December 2011

“But make sure that you don’t get so absorbed and exhausted

in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations

that you lose track of the time and doze off,

oblivious to God.”

~Romans 13:11 MSG~

Susan Rimes continues to improve.  Please keep her in your prayers.

Mrs. Iris Cunningham from Roseland fell because of dizziness and now has a number of bruises and even broken bones in her face.  Pray for her as she deals with the dizziness.

Mrs. Anne Hurst has been sick for a while with all the coughing and other symtoms that didn’t want to go away.  She has been admitted to the hospital in Greensburg.

Mrs. Mickey Cade’s surgery recovery is doing well.  It’s time for recovery at a rehab in Hattisburg now.  Please keep her in your prayers.

Carol New’s surgery for a new knee replacement went well yesterday.  She will be moved to rehab again soon.

Mrs. Jimmie Shaw is in ICU at North Oaks.  Pray for her and her family.

Mr. Kenneth Felker is doing a little better, but “Miss” Grace Helen still is having problems.  She will be going back to the doctor today.  Pray she will soon stop falling.

Mr. and Mrs. Cete Dillon are still improving, but the progress is slow.

Mrs. Mary Miller now has been diagnosed with bronchitis and is staying close to home.

Renee Deck is improving from her shoulder surgery.  Keep her in your prayers.

Thought for the Day: Revenge or Kindness?

Way down upon the Mississippi River, two tugboat captains who had been friends for years, would always cry “Aye!” and blow their whistles whenever they passed each other.

A new crewman asked his boat’s mate, “What do they do that for?”

The mate looked surprised and replied, “You mean that you’ve never heard of… an aye for an aye and a toot for a toot?”

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I suspect that few of us would admit to living by the motto, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” (Matthew 5:38), but let’s be honest — there is something instead us that enjoys the idea of getting revenge. Some of the more popular movies throughout the past years have been those that opened with someone being mistreated. We’ll spend the rest of the movie anxiously waiting for the hero to get the opportunity to exact his revenge — and then we cheer!

It’s not much different on a personal level. I suspect that whenever somebody does you wrong, the temptation is there to immediately start thinking of what you can do to get them back. But, if you find yourself tempted to take revenge, may I suggest two things:

(1) Resist the temptation to exchange evil for evil. That temptation will always be strong and we need realize that it will be there. But we also need to remember the emptiness and hollowness of revenge and resentment.

(2) Show your enemy kindness. Abraham Lincoln was once accused of being too nice to his enemy. He was told to be firmer; he must destroy his enemies. He replied, “I do destroy them when they become my friends.”

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” (Matt. 5:43-44)

Have a great day!

Alan Smith
White House Church of Christ
White House, Tennessee

Way down upon the Mississippi River, two tugboat captains who had been

friends for years, would always cry "Aye!" and blow their whistles 

whenever they passed each other. 

A new crewman asked his boat's mate, "What do they do that for?"

The mate looked surprised and replied, "You mean that you've never 

heard of... an aye for an aye and a toot for a toot?"

I suspect that few of us would admit to living by the motto, "An eye 

for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" (Matthew 5:38), but let’s be honest

 -- there is something instead us that enjoys the idea of getting revenge. 

Some of the more popular movies throughout the past years have been 

those that opened with someone being mistreated. We'll spend the rest of 

the movie anxiously waiting for the hero to get the opportunity to exact

 his revenge -- and then we cheer!

It's not much different on a personal level. I suspect that whenever 

somebody does you wrong, the temptation is there to immediately start 

thinking of what you can do to get them back. But, if you find yourself 

tempted to take revenge, may I suggest two things:

(1) Resist the temptation to exchange evil for evil. That temptation 

will always be strong and we need realize that it will be there. But 

we also need to remember the emptiness and hollowness of revenge and 

resentment.

(2) Show your enemy kindness. Abraham Lincoln was once accused of being 

too nice to his enemy. He was told to be firmer; he must destroy his 

enemies. He replied, "I do destroy them when they become my friends." 

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate 

your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you." (Matt. 5:43-44)

Have a great day!

Alan Smith
White House Church of Christ
White House, Tennessee

Have a blessed day! Be a blessing to someone today!

Anna Lee

“I bring you good news

that will cause great joy

for all the people.”

~Luke 2:10b NIV~

 

 

Mrs. Pauline Strickland is still undiagnosed, but will be moved from Baton Rouge General to a rehab.  Please continue to pray for her, her family, and the medical staff caring for her.

 

From Carol New

Well, people tomorrow (Wednesday) is my big day…hopefully I will be able to walk again,,,,,Please keep me and Dr. Linscheon in your prayers.

Thought for the Day: Loving the unlovely

The following story has been around for quite a while, but continues to touch hearts. The author is unknown to me:

The little church building’s aisles swelled with the unusually large gathering until there were no more pews to squeeze into. A few more latecomers shuffled down the aisle and leaned against the wall.

Then I noticed Andy’s entrance. His smile beamed with a special joy until he saw that “his” spot on the back row was filled. Regular attendees usually left the seat empty, knowing that Andy would arrive late from the home for the mentally handicapped. Confusion masked his face as the opening song ended and he had found no place to sit. With characteristic simplicity Andy made his way up the center aisle to the large clearing just below the podium. He lowered his huge body to the floor, crossing his legs Indian style.

As the rest of us sat down, another man, a leader in the church for many years, left his place in the pew and started up the center aisle toward Andy. It took a long time for Marvin to reach the front. Respect for this eighty-year-old servant, much loved by all of us, or perhaps sheer curiosity, brought a hush over the whole church. Even the minister gripped the sides of the podium and watched. Slowly Marvin shifted his lean frame onto his cane and lowered his aged body to the floor beside Andy.

With tears in his eyes, the minister closed his Bible over his sermon notes. “Our sermon has just been preached,” he said.

“Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” (Matthew 25:40)

Know someone with a special need — someone mentally handicapped, someone sick, someone who seems to have no friend? Why not make a special effort this weekend to touch their life in a special way? You won’t regret it!

Have a great day!

Alan Smith
White House Church of Christ
White House, Tennessee

 

Have a wonderful day!

Anna Lee

“Glory to God in the highest,

And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

~Luke 2:14, NKJV~

From Wall McKneely concerning grandson, Jadon

Thought you might like this: http://www.actionnews17.com/News/tabid/59/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/10250/Deputies-community-reach-out-to-help-2-year-old-facing-brain-surgery.aspx

This is just one of many acts of kindness  that so many people of this area have done for my Daughter, Monica, and her husband, Adam, and their family. Please continue to pray for them as they go to Detroit, MI for Jadon’s surgery in January. Thank you all so much for your Prayers. May God Bless each of you.

Wall & Rosilyn

Jadon’s Story: One week and so very nervous

Well alot has happened since my last post. I actually ended up in the ER the day after my post. I caught a stomach virus which by the way effected 32 of my family members including my mommy, daddy, and brother. Unbelievable. Anyway I could not hold anything down including my seizure medicines. We called my neurologist in New Orleans and she called me in some medicine but it didnt’ work. After 4 hours in the ER I was finally able to hold my medicine down and go home. The good new is I was much better by Christmas and we all had a great Christmas. I got lots of new toys to play with. My favorite toy was the ball that I got. Other than that I loved playing with the wrapping paper..LOL It was a very fun and much needed time. We got to visit everyone in my immediate family. It was a great day. One thing that Christmas makes me think of is Jesus’s birthday. It makes me think of Jesus’s momther Mary. I can’t imagine what she went through watching her baby being hit, nailed to a cross, and left to die. My mom said she will always remember this and no matter how hard it is to watch me suffer throught these seizures it doesn’t compare to what Mary had to watch her son go through. I’m very thankful for her strength and so very thankful that Jesus came and saved us so that we may live with Him forever.

We leave in 1 week for Detroit. We are going to be busy getting everything ready this week. We are going to get my very 1st haircut. We don’t want my surgery to be the first time I get my haircut. We also have to get everything packed. We still need to buy a few small things for the trip. We also have to finish my prayer blanket. So I’m sure I will not have time to update my blog until right before we leave or we might be in Detroit before you hear from me again. Please continue to pray for me and my family. We are very anxious, scared, and nervous. We know that God has sent us to Detroit and we will continue to trust his plan. Thank you all for your prayers. I will try keep you updated daily in Detroit with specific prayer request. Right now I need you to pray that this will stop these seizures and that I can continue to develop. Also pray that I will not have any complications and that my recovery will not be to hard on me. This is the best thing you can do for me right now. Love ya, Jadon