Monday

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think,

according to the power that works in us,

to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations,

forever and ever.”

~Ephesians 3:20-21~

 

From Lisa Westmoreland

Please pray for my cousin Danny, who is in a Baton Rouge hospital fighting to hang on to his life. Danny is 31. Last night a drunken driver ran over he and friend while they were on their bicycles. Danny’s friend died. Danny’s bones are crushed – his pelvis, three parts of his spine, and his ankle. Doctors have opened him up twice in less than 18 hours since the accident trying to repair broken bones. The internal bleeding from the pelvic area is the most immediate threat to his continued life. Your prayers are appreciated.

http://theadvocate.com/home/1870379-82/bicyclist-killed-saturday-night.html

Mr. Raymond Anthony

Mr. Raymond has an appointment with a cardiologist this week and one with an oncologist the following week.  Pray for “Miss” Velma as she travels with him to these appointments.

Billy Carl Strickland

Billy Carl Strickland’s procedure this week indicated he is not ready for chemo and radiation yet.  Pray for healing so these treatments can begin.

Mrs. Pauline Strickland

Mrs. Pauline Strickland is doing better and should be coming back to Kentwood soon.  Pray for her and her caregivers as they make this adjustment.

Glem Magee, Sr.

Glen Magee’s procedure Thursday was successful in stopping the bleeding from his nose.  Glen was at church yesterday.  Pray for him as he has follow-up appointments.

Frances M. Gay

Frances has a routine follow-up this week.  Pray she continues to have good reports.

Lea Smith

Lea was able to be in church yesterday following his surgery of a week or so.  Pray for him as he continues to improve and get back to his normal activities.

Callie Cole

As we pray for Callie, let’s say special prayers for her mother, Callie’s main caregiver.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/calliecole

Bontrager Family

Pray for this Ohio family of ten as they sing and play blue-grass gospel music at Terry’s Creek next Sunday.

Hello All!  I want to invite each of you to come join us this next Sunday night at Terry’s Creek Baptist Church for a bluegrass gospel concert.  Come see this amazing family and be blessed!  Visit their website to get a taste of what’s to come and be sure to invite your friends.  The Bontrager’s are traveling all the way from Ohio and will be doing concerts in different places while down south.  We will bless them with a love offering from anyone who feels led to give. Afterwards we’ll have a “finger food fellowship”, so come have some good fellowship and food as well.  Check it out and mark it on your calendar!  Hope to see you this coming Sunday night!  God bless~ Jeanne Tate

I checked the schedule on the computer and learned they will be at Mt. Nebo, east of Roseland, the following night.  That gives you two opportunities to hear this family.

http://bontragerfamilysingers.com/

Pray for the McKean/Prine family as they have more visitation and the funeral service for Jason today.  Pray especially for the parents who have lost two sons.  May God use the large number of people who visited last night to be an encouragement to them as they grieve Jason’s loss.

Pray for the Dunn/Sofge family as they grieve here and in Florida.  Pray for the distance between family members not to be a problem in facing Kelly’s loss.

Thought for the Day: The best is yet to come

I first used the following story (author unknown) in a Thought For The Day message several years ago, and have since used it in a funeral service. It remains one of my readers’ all-time favorites. I hope you enjoy seeing it again.

The sound of Martha’s voice on the other end of the telephone always brought a smile to Brother Jim’s face. She was not only one of the oldest members of the congregation, but one of the most faithful. Aunt Martie, as all of the children called her, just seemed to ooze faith, hope, and love wherever she went. This time, however, there seemed to be an unusual tone to her words. “Preacher, could you stop by this afternoon? I need to talk with you.” “Of course, I’ll be there around three. Is that ok?”

It didn’t take long for Jim to discover the reason for what he had only sensed in her voice before. As they sat facing each other in the quiet of her small living room. Martha shared the news that her doctor had just discovered a previously undetected tumor. “He says I probably have six months to live”. Martha’s words were naturally serious, yet there was a definite calm about her. “I’m so sorry to….” but before Jim could finish, Martha interrupted. “Don’t be. The Lord has been good. I have lived a long life. I’m ready to go. You know that.” “I know,” Jim whispered with a reassuring nod.

“But I do want to talk with you about my funeral. I have been thinking about it, and there are things that I know I want.” The two talked quietly for a long time. They talked about Martha’s favorite hymns, the passages of Scripture that had meant so much to her through the years, and the many memories they shared from the five years Jim had been with Central Church.

When it seemed that they had covered just about everything, Aunt Martie paused, looked up at Jim with a twinkle in her eye, and then added, “One more thing, preacher. When they bury me, I want my old Bible in one hand and a fork in the other”. “A fork?” Jim was sure he had heard everything, but this caught him by surprise. “Why do you want to be buried with a fork?”

“I have been thinking about all of the church dinners and banquets that I attended through the years,” she explained, “I couldn’t begin to count them all. But one thing sticks in my mind — At those really nice get-togethers, when the meal was almost finished, a server or maybe the hostess would come by to collect the dirty dishes. I can hear the words now. Sometimes, at the best ones, somebody would lean over my shoulder and whisper, ‘You can keep your fork.’ And do you know what that meant? Dessert was coming! “It didn’t mean a cup of Jell-O or pudding or even a dish of ice cream. You don’t need a fork for that. It meant the good stuff, like chocolate cake or cherry pie! When they told me I could keep my fork, I knew the best was yet to come!

“That’s exactly what I want people to talk about at my funeral. Oh, they can talk about all the good times we had together. That would be nice. But when they walk by my casket and look at my pretty blue dress, I want them to turn to one another and say, ‘Why the fork’? That’s what I want you to say, I want you to tell them, that I kept my fork because the best is yet to come!”

Truly, for a child of God, the best is yet to come.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.” (I Peter 1:3-4)

Have a great day!

Alan Smith
White House Church of Christ
White House, Tennessee

Make a difference in the world today by being a positive influence on at least one person!

Anna Lee