Monday

“LORD my God, You have done many things–

Your wonderful works and Your plans for us;

none can compare with You.

If I were to report and speak [of them],

they are more than can be told.”

~Psalm 40:5, HCSB~

Joey Messina, a former student from Independence, requests prayer for his wife who will have her 8th brain surgery in 5 years.  The surgery is today.  Please begin praying and keep praying.

There is no obituary for Mrs. Jimmie Shaw yet.  I’ll post one when it is available.

Prepare for a cold night.  You may know someone who needs assistance staying warm.  If so, do what you can.

Pray for travelers as many families will be returning home today.

Don’t forget the 2 P.M. prayer time to Jadon Pailet tomorrow in the parking lot of House on the Rock.  Be there to support this family as they take Jadon for brain surgery in Detroit.

Thought for the Day: Adding water to the mudhole

A husband and wife were driving down a country lane on their way to visit some friends. They came to a muddy patch in the road and the car became bogged. After a few minutes of trying to get the car out by themselves, they saw a young farmer coming down the lane, driving a tractor. He stopped when he saw the couple in trouble and offered to pull the car out of the mud for $50.

The couple accepted and minutes later the car was free. The farmer turned to the husband and said, “You know, you’re the tenth car I’ve helped out of the mud today.” The husband looks around at the fields incredulously and asks the farmer, “When do you have time to plow your land? At night?”

“No,” the young farmer replied seriously, “Night is when I put the water in the hole.”

There are some people who are always available to help solve problems, and there are others who spend their time making life more difficult for others (and sometimes the same person can do both!). The New Testament is filled with warnings, though, about being a “stumbling block” to others, especially to children and young Christians.

“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!” (Matthew 18:6-7)

May your day be filled with opportunities to help others in need. But don’t be adding any water to the mud hole!

Have a great day!

Alan Smith

We all know it would be a good deed to clear up a problem, but shouldn’t we confess that sometimes we have been guilty of “adding water to the mudhole”?  Let’s try to be better.

Anna Lee