Please pray for Linda Guy Phillips. She is in Ochsner in New Orleans. Kim, her daughter, is by her side.
Obituary
Judy Ann Sims Jones
January 26, 1960 – January 4, 2024
A lifelong resident of Kentwood, LA, passed away on Thursday, January 4, 2024 at her residence. She was born January 26, 1960 in Brookhaven, MS and was 63 years of age. She was co-owner of a local trucking company, Simco Industries, Inc. from 1982 until closing to retire in 2016. She is survived by her 3 daughters, Ashley Marie Bridges, Angel Bridges Newman (Matthew), and Amber Lane Bridges; 3 grandchildren, Aniston Newman, Alstyn Newman, and Emmitt Newman; sister-in-law, Ann Smith; nephew, Jonathan Sims; niece, Sherry Smith Sassone (Chris); great-nieces, Logan Slaven, Jasie Sims, and Lanna Sims. Preceded in death by her parents, Jimmy and Marie Sims; husband, Jimmy Jones; brothers, Curtis Kent Sims and LaRue Smith; nephews, Jason Sims and Greg Smith; great-nephew, Michael “Boc” Sims. Visitation at Tangipahoa Baptist Church from 10:00AM until religious services at 12:00Noon on Saturday, January 6, 2024. Services conducted by Rev. Greg Stewart. Interment Woodland Cemetery, Kentwood, LA. McKneely Funeral Home, Kentwood, in charge of arrangements. For an online guestbook, visit http://www.mckneelys.com.
Tomorrow’s Sunday School Lesson
We will study about Noah and his family.
Operation Christmas Child
We shopped after Christmas and did not find the sales we were expecting. Yesterday, we bought a number of items at Dollar Tree and a few at Dirt Cheap.
I have been wanting to work in the OCC room, but the weather has been too cold for that. I hope to get in the room this week. I have some reorganizing to do from our packing parties. Hopefully, today.
Prayer Focus
Pray for those who are struggling to pay their bills due to the recent inflation. We can all notice the price increases. They are more difficult for some people than others. Pray for those who struggle the most.
Read the Bible
The Future
Week 50 – Second Coming of Christ
1-6-24
Matthew 24: 35-44
Luke 12: 35-40
“I can be ready for Christ’s return by . . . .”
Everyday With Jesus Bible Reading
January 6
Genesis 11:1 – 12: 20
Psalm 4: 1-6
Proverbs 1: 15-16
Matthew 5: 13-32
I’m enjoying these readings. They don’t take long to do, but give me plenty to think about and discuss with David.
Thankfulness Jar Find
While shopping in Dollar General, I found some small notebooks with colored paper. I bought two to cut up for my thankfulness jar. I think I will cut one today and save one for later. The paper is perfect for this project. I also saw some jars that would work well, but I had some that are doing fine for now. I will keep the others in mind.
Saturday means it is time to prepare for Sunday.
There are always tasks to prepare for attendance at church and some to prepare for the weekend at home.
Have a wonderful weekend! Thanks for spending some time here and for praying.
*Mrs. Mildred Birch is home. Please continue to pray for her.
*Dan’l Johnson continues to work for improvements. He is getting lots of attention and good care.
*Both Ronnie and Elaine Cutrer are better. Please continue to pray for them.
New Concerns
*Linda Guy Phillips had a stroke yesterday and is now in Ochsner of New Orleans for care. Pray for her and for Kim and other family members.
Death
Judy Bridges Jones passed away. Please be in prayer for her three daughters and other family members.
Surgery
Jackie Babin will be having surgery Tuesday in Hammond. Please add her to your prayer list.
Read the Bible
(3 weeks remaining from last year)
January 5, 2024
Week 50: Second Coming of Christ
Matthew 24:35-44
Luke 12: 35-40
“I can be ready for Christ’s return by . . . .”
Read the Bible in 2024
I hope you are keeping up each day. You’ll be so glad if you do!
Two suggestions: Get an accountability partner and leave your Bible in a prominent place.
January 5, 2024
Genesis 9:8 – 10-32
Psalm 4: 1-8
Proverbs 1: 10-14
Matthew 4: 21 – 5:12
I’m your partner!
I’m reading each day too.
I’m also writing a small note with a thankfulness for the day or some other positive thought of the day, such as an answered prayer. My jar looks mostly empty now, but in a short period of time will be filling up. It’s not too late to begin either one of these tasks. If you do, you’ll be thankful.
Prayer Focus
Pray for the teachers and students who have already returned to school and those who will do so Monday. As a teacher, I found this to be a difficult day because students did not want to return to school and work, second only to the first day of each year.
Thank-you for reading and praying today. Thanks, too, for telling others about The Prayer Link.
Mrs. Mildred Birch, 93, who had a recurrence of her original problems, will probably not be going home today. Now it seems like it might possibly be tomorrow. She’s at the St. Helena Hospital.
Pray for those who get cold in this kind of weather. It takes a while to warm up again. Pray they don’t get sick from being cold for a long period of time.
Read the Bible (three more weeks)
January 4, 2024
II Corinthians 5: 1-8
Phiippians 1: 20-25
“I know Heaven is my reward because . . . .”
Daily Bible Readings for 2024
January 4, 2024 – almost 3 pages
Genesis 7:1 – 9:7
Psalm 3: 1-8
Proverbs 1: 8-9
Matthew 4: 1-20
I’m reading and enjoying this plan again.
Cold Weather
Please pray for people not to get unnecessarily cold, and then sick, in this weather.
Update
I do not have updates on Ronnie and Elaine Cutrer.
Mr. Emmett Watson is ill. Your prayers are greatly appreciated.
Hospital
Mrs. Mildred Birch is in the Greensburg Hospital. Please add her to your prayer list.
Prayer Concern
Please pray for all the people, especially the elderly ones, who live in homes not well-equipped for cold weather. This includes heating, pipes, food supplies, etc.
Take a few minutes to pray for them or to “take needed actions” to help.
Read the Bible (continued from 2023)
Luke 16: 19-31
Proverbs 11: 7
Proverbs 13:9
Proverbs 24: 19-20
“The person I need to prepare for death is . . . .”
Real the Bible 2024
Genesis 5:1 – 6:22
Psalm 2: 7-12
Proverbs 1:7
Matthew 3: 1-17
I am reading the Bible with this plan in 2024. It’s not too late to go back to the beginning and read with me.
OCC
Please continue to pray for those who received our Shoeboxes in Ghana and “A Hard to Reach Area”. May they hear and receive the message of Jesus.
Death
Sudie Louise Palmer
November 19, 1945 – December 19, 2023
A resident of Amite, LA, passed away on Tuesday, December 19, 2023 at her home. She was born November 19, 1945 in Bogalusa, LA and was 78 years of age. She is survived by her children, Phildon Keith Miller and Connie Sue Miller Harrison; grandchildren, Darryl Blaine Miller, wife, Ashley, Morgan Bryonna Blades, Daniel Blake Miller, Savanna Kaye Miller, and Tadd Miller; great-grandchildren, Taylar, Case, Clay, Adlai, and Lucas; brother, Bill Adams; sister, Dianne Parker; numerous nieces and nephews; special friend, Larry Byrd. Preceded in death by her father, William Adams; mother, Alma Corley Adams; 6 brothers, TC Adams, Willis Adams, Richard Adams, William Adams, Jr., Roy Adams, and Phildon Adams; 6 sisters, Ophelia Hodge, Ines Woodard, Liza Thomas, Elsie Adams, and 2 infant Adams; son, Darryl Thomas Miller; husband, Tilman Palmer; former spouse, Thomas Miller; grandchildren, Breanna Sue Miller and Keith Paul Harrison; daughter-in-law, LaBreeska Lewis. Visitation at Hillsdale Baptist Church from 10:00AM until religious services at 12:00 Noon on Friday, December 22, 2023. Services conducted by Bro. Darryl Miller. Interment Hillsdale Cemetery, Hillsdale, LA. McKneely Funeral Home, Amite, in charge of arrangements. For an online guestbook, visit http://www.mckneelys.com.
“This reminds me that my physical body is . . . .”
Read the Bible in 2024
January 2, 2024
Genesis 3:1 – 4:26
Psalm 2: 1-6
Proverbs 1: 5-6
Matthew 2: 1-23
Prayer Focus
Pray for those who will be having medical appointments soon because they needed to wait for their insurance coverage for the new year. This will focus on some elective surgeries such as knee surgery.
Pray & Act
Pray for those facing these surgeries in the coming days. Think about what you can do to to make their time before or after surgery more comfortable.
World Situations
Pray for those affected by war, weather, earthquake, limited fuel, etc.
Local Churches
Pray for our local churches as they move into the plans they made for 2024. May each church see God’s plans for training all age groups and for growth in all age groups.
The Prayer Link
I often hear that a person reads and enjoys The Prayer Link. They even tell me who suggested they read The Prayer Link. Sometimes that person even finds TPL on the other (often older) person and sets the phone up so TPL shows up on the home page for them. If you have the desire to help and the skills to set TPL up that way you can truly be a blessing to others.
The Bible teaches us to use our skills wisely. It has only been a few years that that included computer skills. While you are at it, set them up for FBC, Kentwood’s Facebook so they can see the online services. You can even set them up to hear other online pastors who preach God’s Word. What a blessing you have been!!!
Contact Me
Several people have asked this week ablout how they can sent me a prayer request. It’s not hard. Look for the CONTACT BUTTON on this page. When you click it, you can send me an email. Type in your message and SEND. I will read my messages before I type TPL the next morning.
Have a blessed day today. Be a blessing to someone today.
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
Revelation 21:5
A Plan for the New Year
I did this a few years ago and plan to do it again in 2024. I shared with my Sunday School class yesterday and one lady immediately said she was doing this. I call it the THANKFULNESS JAR. You need three things. Little pieces of (Colored) paper about 1/8 of a full page, a pen(s), and a big jar which can can decorate if you choose.. (You can even start with a smaller jar and increase the size as needed.).
Each day you write on a piece of paper what you are thankful for at that moment. Each day you add what you are thankful for that day. Fold the paper a couple of times and add it to the jar. You will be amazed with how you feel when you write your Thankfulness each day.
Be sure to keep the jar and the strips of paper in a prominent place so you won’t forget. I hope you have a great year of remembering your blessings!
Today’s Prayer
We need to remember and pray for those whose memory (and choices) are not good like they were in earlier years. I especially want to pray for Bryan Tate and his caregiver wife, Rita, as they daily face his health issues. Add other names that fit in this category.
Read the Bible (ending soon)
January 1, 2024
Psalm 23
Psalm 49: 9-15
Psalm 116: 15
“The believer does not fear death because . . . .”
This series will be over in a few weeks.
Everyday with Jesus in 2024
(This is three pages long in my Bible. Surely we can make time today to read that much!)
Genesis 1: 1-2:25
Psalm 1:1-6
Proverbs 1: 1-4
Matthew 1: 1-25
I’m counting on you to read the Bible with me in 2024. I try to read the Bible from cover to cover about every other year. Let’s read together.
Have a wonderful day as you write your thankfulness, and read God’s Word.
Pray for all those who will celebrate the new year to be safe as they do so. This includes all those who will be handling fireworks and those who will be driving.
Read the Bible
Death: Heading Home
II Kings 2: 1-11
Ecclesiastes 12: 1-7
Hebrews 9:27
I Timothy 9:7
“Death ceased to be my enemy when . . . .”
Sunday School Lesson
The First Murder - Cain and Able
Studying in Genesis
Please let me know if you need help choosing a Sunday School class at FBC, Kentwood
Sunday School begins at 9:15.
Health
Mrs. Theople Hurst’s foot is improving. Keep praying.
OCC – Be Thinking
I’m going to begin asking about talents you have that can be useful to OCC. Are you able to sew, crochet, embroidery, cut wood, sand wood, paint, count, etc. Think carefully about how you can be meaningful to our next 600 shoeboxes.
OCC - Where did our boxes go?
I checked a few of our receipts yesterday. We had boxes to travel to Ghana on 11-30-23 and others to go to a Hard to Reach Country on 12-19-23. I looked for a way to tell you what that means and found this.
A HARD TO REACH AREA
Your shoebox gift is a critical link to sharing God’s love in a tough place! Whether you built a shoebox online or whether your traditional shoebox gift was selected for this special purpose, it is headed to bring Good News and great joy to a boy or girl in a hard-to-reach area. Customs and cultural or religious reasons can make access difficult, but these gift-filled shoeboxes give local believers a sensitive way to initiate ongoing relationships with those who may not know Christ. The gift you provided helps equip Christian brothers and sisters to take great risks to advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and they are deeply grateful for your partnership. Through your generosity, you are calling out “His praise from the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 42:10)!
Since 1993, Samaritan’s Purse has delivered shoebox gifts to more than 70 hard-to-reach countries, and shoebox gifts built online account for 1.1 million of the over 198 million gifts distributed worldwide.
(This came from the Samaritan’s Purse Web Page.)
LOTTIE MOON CHRISTMAS OFFERING
Our church will continue receiving gifts to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering a little longer. Thanks to all the very generous members of our church who not only send Shoeboxes with God’s Word, but also missionaries with God’s Word. You can impact people around the world for eternity through these two opportunities. I thank each one of you who cares about salvation for those who live in Kentwood and in places so far from Kentwood.
Elaine Cutrer is in St Tammany Hospital possibly with pneumonia. Ronnie is sick at home waiting for the doctor to call and give him his diagnosis. (Upper respiratory).
Please pray for these two friends of many of us.
Obituary
Angie Nielsen’s mother passed away.
Ms. Clayton Tay A. Mercer Cotton
Moms funeral arrangements:
Saturday, January 6,2024
Greenoaks Funeral Home and Cemetery, Baton Rouge, LA
Visitation – 10am- 12 pm ; Service at 12:00pm
Burial service afterward
Read the Bible
Week 49 – Death: Heading Home
Genesis 27: 2
I Samuel 20: 1-3
Job 7
“The very thought of dying makes me . . . .”
Encouragement
Holidays can be wonderful, but they can be very difficult for those who live alone. Be an encourager at the end of this holiday week.
Today, I would like to mention some people to you, but you can also pray for those on your prayer list.
Dan’l Johnson continues to improve. Thankfully his family is on a long holiday vacation from school.
Roy and Diane Turner – at home
Andy and Betty Taylor – at home
Rondi Booty and Tiffany Lee who are both expecting babies in the next three weeks.
Dwayne Creel – Outpatient surgery yesterday, but home now.
Diane Buckley – Waiting for final diagnosis and treatment
Bro. Darryl – In a waiting period, but all is going well so far.
Older, Homebound Friends - Lots of people who would appreciate some of your time and concern.
Read the Bible Daily
Afflictions: Roses and Thorns
Psalm 107
Revelation 7: 13-17
“God delivered me from trouble when . . . .”
Health Focus
It seems many folks have bad colds, coughs, flu, Covid, etc. Pray for each one to recover well and quickly.
Sunday School
We will be studying about Cain and Abel and their families. Even though you have heard this story for years, there is always more to learn. Attend Sunday School and learn what God has in store for you this week. If you need help choosing and locating a class, David and I will help. Give us a call so we can meet you at your car. Also, Luther Terrell who is located just inside the front door of the fellowship hall is available. Usually, Bro. Darryll is on the sidewalk somewhere and would be glad to help you. Come and let us get you involved in a class.
Lottie Moon Christmas Offering
David and I can see/feel the need for us to give to this offering because of our family members who served so long as overseas missionaries. If we all do our part, many unsaved people can learn about Jesus and have the opportunity to accept Him as their Lord and Savior. The missionaries are in place. Let’s make sure adequate funding is too. One hundred percent of your gift will go to meet the needs of out missionaries as they serve around the world.
New Readers Praying with Us
Every week some of you pass the word about reading The Prayer Link to others, many of whom who attend other churches. God finds a way to use these thoughts to help them in their own churches.
If you attend FBC, Kentwood with me and know of some new members who could be introduced to TPL or older folks who would appreciate you setting their phones so they can read TPL easily, you would be greatly appreciated. Thank-you ahead of time for these ways we can be be encouraging and informative.
Prayer is the key. We can all pray on our schedule, but hopefully this guide can be helpful.
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