Author: Anna Lee

Monday

You need to persevere

so that when you have done the will of God,

you will receive what he has promised.

For in just a very little while,

“He who is coming will come and will not delay.”

Hebrews 10:36-37 (NIV)

CaringBridge – Macy Gueldner

Both Smiley Conerly and Andy Taylor have recovered from pneumonia and were able to be back in church yesterday.  Andy’s special music was beautiful, showing no indication of the recent pneumonia.

Margie Williams is recovering well from her surgery.  She should be back at work soon.  Thank-you for praying for her.

Bonnie Blue Broussard is having much better days than she did after her surgery last week.  Thank God for her progress.

Micah Tolleson, my 22 year old Texas cousin, will have surgery Thursday to remove the tumor that has quickly regrown in his brain.  Please continue to pray for Micah and his family.

Mrs. Annie Belle Harrell continues to need our prayers.  She continues to battler health issues.  She certainly would appreciate prayers on her behalf.

Pray for Jimmy Dykes.  He is in ICU at North Oaks.  His family will be most appreciative of your prayers.

This is the day!  They are crossing the Atlantic now.  Pray for no problems with customs and a good connection with the next flight.  Jennie and the children arrive at New Orleans tonight.  It’s been a long two and a half years since they were stateside!

Have a great day!  Make it count for something good!

Anna Lee

Sunday

So don’t get tired of doing what is good.

Don’t get discouraged and give up,

for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time.

~Galatians 6:9 (NLT)~

WASTED

boswell.jpg

IT IS SAID of James Boswell, the famous biographer of Samuel Johnson, that he often referred to a special day in his childhood when his father took him fishing…

The day was fixed in his adult mind, and he often reflected upon many of the things his father had taught him in the course of their fishing experiences together. After having heard of that particular expression so often, it occurred to someone much later to check the journal that Boswell’s father kept and determine what had been said about the fishing trip from the parental persepctive. Turning to that date, the reader found only one sentence entered: “Gone fishing today with my son; a day wasted.”

Few have ever heard of Boswell’s father; many have heard of Boswell. But in spite of his relative obscurity, he must have managed to set a pace in his son’s life which lasted for a lifetime and beyond. On one day alone he inlaid along the grain of his son’s life ideas that would mark him long into his adulthood. What he did not only touched a boy’s life, but it set in motion certain benefits that would affect the world of classical literature. Too bad that Boswell’s father couldn’t appreciate the significance of a fishing trip and the pacesetting that was going on even while worms were being squeezed on to hooks. No day is ever wasted in the life of an effective father. Gordon MacDonald, “No Day is Ever Wasted,” The Effective Father, 79-80

“And you, fathers,

do not provoke your children to wrath,

but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.”

Ephesians 6:4

Posted by Mike Benson at June 14, 2010 9:57 AM

Have a meaningful Lord’s Day!

Anna Lee

Saturday

“You must make allowance for each other’s faults

and forgive the person who offends you.

Remember, the Lord forgave you,

so you must forgive others.”

~Colossians 3:13 NLT~

Pray for the children who have mede professions of faith at the various Vacation Bible Schools this summer.  Pray they will receive good counsel from family and church leadership and be wisely guided in their young Christian life.

Pray for Jennie as she packs for her trip to Kentwood.  She and the children will begin the long journey tomorrow and arrive in New Orleans Monday night.  Pray the trip is safe and uneventful for them.

KneEmail

SUPPOSE A GROCER takes inventory of his store…

Buried in the bottom of his meat section he finds five packages of overripe hamburger. They have somehow sat there for two weeks, turning green.

What should the grocer do with this rotting meat? No one could argue the answer. He should get rid of it immediately! Furthermore, he should make certain that he never again neglects his meat section. He may have a beautiful store stocked with gorgeous produce, but rotten meat will spoil his business. Any customer who spots that greening goop will want to walk out of the store and never return.

It’s the same with talk. Less than one percent of a person’s word inventory can ruin the effect of all the rest. I’ve known people whose words could charm a snake out of its hole, people who are gracious in ninety-nine percent of what they say. But there is a toxic streak in their words that spoils the rest.

…Almost everybody can recall words that stung, words that crushed the spirit, words that left them feeling hopeless and desolate for days. How many people remember being told as children that they were stupid? How many people remember being told as adults that they were overweight? That it is their fault their children have problems?

It’s amazing how often people remember having such words said to them, and yet how seldom people remember saying such words to others. We usually don’t mean to hurt people. The words just pop out without our planning. We forget them. But those who hear them don’t.

Sometimes words have to hurt. When you confront real problems, you must face painful realities. That’s far different, however, from toxic talk. Toxic talk doesn’t lead to dialogue–it stops it. Toxic talk is usually spoken in haste or in anger. The poison lingers on long after the emotions are gone.

The first task is to identify the toxic words in your speech and get rid of them. Tim Stafford, “Toxic Talk: Harsh Words and Lies,” That’s Not What I Meant!, 40-41

KneEmail: “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Proverbs 15:1

Posted by Mike Benson at June 25, 2010 10:29 AM

Have a great day of preparation for the Lord’s Day!

Anna Lee

Friday Afternoon

Beware of another afternoon of extremely high temperatures.  Take care of yourself and others.

Bonnie Blue Broussard came home yesterday afternoon.  She uncomfortable, but has started the healing process.  Continue to pray for her.

Randal W. Miller
(August 14, 1942 – June 25, 2010)

A resident of Independence, he died at 7:05 a.m. on Friday, June 25, 2010 at Tulane University Hospital and Clinic in New Orleans. He was born August 14, 1942 in Independence and was 67 years of age. He was a U. S. Navy veteran of Viet Nam and a driver for Winn Dixie Distribution Center in Hammond. Visitation at McKneely Funeral Home, Amite, from 9 a.m. on Monday until religious services at 1 p.m. Monday. Interment Montpelier Cemetery, Montpelier. He is survived by wife, Linda Miller, Independence, daughter, Whitney Hebert, Denham Springs, 2 sons, Brent Miller, Watson, and Pete Miller, Albany, 2 brothers, Ken Miller, Amite, and Roger Miller, Pine Grove, 6 grandchildren, Cooper Miller, Linden Miller, Austin Miller, Lane Hebert, Brenna Miller, and Kylee Babin. Preceded in death by parents, Ernest and Lela Mae Durbin Miller, sister, Carolyn Sue Miller.

Friday

God knew what he was doing from the very beginning.

He decided from the outset to shape the lives

of those who love him

along the same lines as the life of his Son. . . .

We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him.

~Romans 8:29 (MSG)~

CaringBridge – Callie Cole

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/calliecole/journal?jid=5701322

TODAY’S PRAYER
IMB
JUNE 25, 2010

“Hear my cry, O God;

attend to my prayer.

From the end of the earth I will cry to You.”

~Psalm 61:1-2a~


WORLD LEADERS. “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence” (1 Timothy 2:1-2). Please pray today for Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic of Serbia (southeastern Europe, between Macedonia and Hungary).

CHURCH PLANTING IN ZIMBABWE. Excited shouts and laughter could be heard as people from four villages in South-Central Zimbabwe walked swiftly toward the baptismal site. The drizzling rain and temperatures in the upper 60s could not dampen the enthusiasm of the 97 new Christians awaiting baptism in a ditch filled with runoff rainwater. Two pastors entered the water and then led the new believers in a hymn, a Scripture reading, and prayer. Among those who were baptized were young children and teenagers, as well as young, middle-aged and seemingly ancient adults. In African culture, baptism is very significant. It publicly demonstrates a person’s willingness to break with his traditional religious beliefs and practices. “Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature, the old things passed away, behold new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NASB). Pray that these “new creatures” will truly leave their old ways and ancestral spirits behind and learn to walk in the Spirit of the Living God!

PERSIANS OF IRAN (PURR-zhuns). In Acts 2:9, we read of Parthians, Medes and Elamites from the Persian Empire. They heard the Gospel message at Pentecost. Some returned to the Iranian region as believers in Jesus; there are ancient churches still in Iran with links to these groups found in Acts. The Christian presence in Iran is much older than Islam. Sadly, it has dwindled to a very small minority of the population. A small number of these ethnic Christians are evangelical, but most are not. During and after the 1979 revolution, more than 2 million Iranians left Iran for the West. Among them was a disproportionately large number of Christians, thus further reducing the relative proportion of Christians in the total population of Iran. Despite the small number of church buildings in the country, God’s church in Iran is growing. Thousands of people are coming to faith in Christ. There is a need for solid biblical teaching and well-grounded church leadership in Iran. Pray that ethnic Christians who attend ancient churches will realize their need for a personal relationship with Christ. Ask God to bring true revival to these churches, and ask that they will reach out boldly to the Muslims around them. Also pray that new believers from a Muslim background will be well grounded in their faith. Ask God to give them a deep hunger and thirst for His Word. Pray that they will be able to meet together in safety for Bible study and worship. http://centralasia.imb.org/
OUR TEACHER AND HIS TEXT

As those of you who are college students know, at the end of each semester you are asked to fill out a form evaluating the teacher and the text.  The following comments were taken from MIT forms in the fall of 1991:

“Have you ever fell asleep in class and awoke in another? That’s the way I felt all term.”

“The recitation instructor would make a good parking lot attendant.  Tries to tell you where to go, but you can never understand him.”

“Text is useless. I use it to kill roaches in my room.”

“In this class, the syllabus is more important than you are.”

“Text makes a satisfying `thud’ when dropped on the floor.”

“Textbook is confusing… Someone with a knowledge of English should proofread it.”

“Help!  I’ve fallen asleep and I can’t wake up!”

“Recitation was great. It was so confusing that I forgot who I was, where I was, and what I was doing — it’s a great stress reliever.”

“He teaches like Speedy Gonzalez on a caffeine high.”

“Information was presented like a ruptured fire hose — spraying in all directions, no way to stop it.”

“What’s the quality of the text, you ask? `Text is printed on high quality paper.'”

I can remember that it was easier to say nice things about some of my teachers in college than it was some of the others.  However, when it comes to evaluating my spiritual “Teacher” and his text, I can’t begin to say enough good things.  How would I evaluate the text?

“All Scripture is given by God and is useful for teaching, for showing people what is wrong in their lives, for correcting faults, and for teaching how to live right.  Using the Scriptures, the person who serves God will be capable, having all that is needed to do every good work.”  (2 Tim. 3:16-17, NCV)

And the teacher?

“LORD, teach me what you want me to do, and I will live by your truth.  Teach me to respect you completely.  Lord, my God, I will praise you with all my heart, and I will honor your name forever.  You have great love for me….” (Psa. 86:11-13a).

Praise to Him who is the greatest teacher we have ever known!  May our ears always be attentive to his instruction!

Have a great day!

Alan Smith
Helen Street Church of Christ
Fayetteville, North Carolina

Have a great day!

Anna Lee

Obituaries

George Dees

George L. “Brother” Dees a loving husband, father, brother and grandfather was born February 17, 1937 and passed away at 6:35 p.m., Wednesday, June 23, 2010 at his residence surrounded by his loving family. Mr. George was 73, a native of New Orleans and a resident of the Mt. Nebo Community. He was US Army Veteran and retired from the finance business after 32 years of service.

Mr. George is survived by his devoted wife of 50 years, Evelyn Jean Simmons Dees, Mt. Nebo Community; daughter, Lynn D. Frazier and husband, Chris, Kentwood; 2 sons, Chris Dees, Kentwood and Brad Dees, Gillsburg, MS; 2 grandsons, Colton Frazier and Paxton Dees; 3 sisters, Gayle Owens, Mt. Nebo Community, Susie St. Alexandre, Mt. Nebo Community and Sylvia Jackson, Amite.

Preceded in death by a daughter, Ann Dees; parents, Perry and Lena Mae Lawrence Dees; brother, John Perry Dees, Jr.

Visitation at McKneely & Vaughn Funeral Home, Amite, on Friday, June 25, 2010 from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. and on Saturday, June 26, 2010 from 8:00 a.m. until Religious Services at 11:00 a.m. in the Funeral Home Chapel with Bro. John Fulda officiating. Interment in Dees Cemetery, Mt. Nebo Community.

An on-line Guestbook and to view a Video Tribute is available at http://www.mckneelyvaughnfh.com

McKneely & Vaughn Funeral Home, Amite, is located at I-55N & Hwy 16W (Exit 46) next to Bill Hood Automotive and behind Mr. Tom’s Car Wash and Holiday Inn Express.

Tom Brister

Thomas Mitchell Brister, 88, of Jackson, MS passed away Tuesday, June 22, 2010.
Visitation will be at 9:30 AM on Friday, June 25, 2010, with the funeral service at 11:00 AM at Wright & Ferguson Funeral Home on High Street, in Jackson, MS.
Tom (Mitch or Mitchell to his family) was born on October 26, 1921, in Memphis, TN to Majure Moses Brister and Ada Belle Thomas Brister, the fourth child among seven, the third of five boys. He grew up in Isola, MS on a large working farm. One of his earliest memories was of his mother calling in the night to “Get up! Everyone UP!” When he stood up, his feet were in rising water. It was the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927.
As an older teen his family moved to Terry, MS, where he met and married the love of his life, Evelyn Mae Myers, whom he called “Coot”. After high school Tom began a forty-two year career with the Illinois Central Railroad.
He served as Trainmaster of New Orleans during the late 1950’s and early 1960’s.
Tom was an ordained deacon of the Baptist Church and a long time member of Woodville Heights Baptist Church and First Baptist Church of Jackson.
After his retirement, Tom stayed busy for twenty years volunteering at First Baptist Church of Jackson; he particularly enjoyed being the bus driver for the International Missions group. He kept a huge vegetable garden in his back yard, sharing his harvest with friends and family. He began a second career in woodworking, making furniture, baskets and dollhouses. The Clarion-Ledger published an article about Tom and the thousands of Christmas reindeer baskets he sold all over Jackson for years. Tom and Coot also enjoyed trips to Branson, the Smokies, and to see the Braves in Atlanta.
Tom was preceded in death by his wife of sixty-five years, Evelyn Mae Brister; his mother and father; his brothers, Hillary, Marvin, Freddie, and J.W.; and his sister, Zelma Keeler.
He is survived by three sons, Thomas Mitchell Brister, Jr. and wife, Gail of Kentwood, LA, Majure Steven Brister and wife, Barbara of Yazoo City, MS, Michael Everett Brister and wife, Rosemary of Brandon, MS, sister Ouida Holt of Crystal Springs, MS; sister-in-law, Willie Dean Brister of Terry, MS; nine grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren.
The family wishes to express a special “thank you” to the staff at Building 69 of Jaquith Nursing Home for their kindness, patience, and loving care of our Papa. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to First Baptist Church, P. O. Box 250, Jackson, MS 39205.

Thursday Addition & Updates

I forgot to mention Mr. Billy Brabham this morning, but I have new information that is different so it is just as well.  Yesterday, I was told Mr. Billy was coming home in the afternoon,  but he didn’t get to come home.  He’s still in a regular room at North Oaks.  Please continue to pray for him and his family.

Pray for Mrs. Catherine Yarborough as she has a MRI today.

Arrangements for George Dees

Wake Friday night; funeral Saturday.

Thursday

“Therefore let it be known to you

that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles,

and they will hear it!”

~Acts 28:28~

Joey Baugh is returning to his family this week after serving in the Middle East with the military.  Kirk Wales has just deployed.  Thank God for Joey’s safe return.  Pray for Kirk as he serves.  Thank God for all the others who are in the military serving to protect the people of our great country.

Pray for Bonnie Blue Broussard as she has surgery this morning at nine in Baton Rouge.  Pray for her family as they wait during surgery and then care for Bonnie Blue as she recovers.

Pray for Debbie Bales.  She’s hospitalized in McComb.

Continue to pray for Wendell Simmons as he has surgeries to help him recover from his motobike accident.  Wendell is still in Jackson,MS.

Smiley Conerly is better.  Thank you for praying for him.

Donald Ray Cutrer

Donald Ray got to come home and he is doing well. He will still have to take the IV medications for another 6 weeks, but the doctors and nurses showed hin how to administer that. They placed a shunt or whatever it is called in his arm and he gives the drip to himself twice daily. The drip takes about one hour to administer and then he is through for the next twelve hours and he starts all over again.
Thanks to all for your prayers, but still pray for him as he goes through the next six weeks. He feels so much better now that he is at home.
His sugar level now is from 100 to 156 and if it stays that way he can take the meds by mouth instead of the Insulin shots. I sure hope the pills work. Well thanks again my Christian friends for your prayers…..
In Christian Love,
Mary Ann Cutrer

George Dees passes away last night.  Please be in prayer for the extended Dees family.

George Dees
(February 17, 1937 – June 23, 2010)

http://www.meaningfulfunerals.net/fh/obituaries/obituary.cfm?o_id=652488&fh_id=11426&s_id=DB6C70BBA6BAD5B24CFE954267F61920

I’ll report this obituary when it is updated.

Tom Brister’s dad passed away night before last.  Please be in prayer for the Brister family as they deal with his loss.

KneEmail

“At the name of Jesus every knee should bow…” Philippians 2:10

Mike Benson, Editor

ONE DAY, MY husband and I took up racquetball…

Knowing I needed the exercise, I also ventured into the little box that was the court.  It seemed a trifle small for the two of us, but it was fun.  Having played tennis years ago, in the days of my youth, I managed quite well.  However, being thoroughly out of shape, I found myself running furiously in every direction for about twenty minutes and then suddenly collapsing in a whimpering heap in a corner of the court.

My experience reminded me of many Christians.  Starting off with great enthusiasm, they leap frantically around, chasing the ball and running themselves into the ground, ending up beaten in a short span of time.  This is not the way to play the game.  Watch an expert racquetball player, and you see he paces himself well, knowing just where to put his feet.  He even finishes a vigorous game with steps left over.  The idea is to plod with God, rather than to race through space.  Jill Briscoe, “The Other Side of Redemption,” Here Am I, Lord…Send Somebody Else!,79-80

“But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings like eagles,

they shall run and not be weary,

they shall walk and not faint.”

Isaiah 40:31

Thank God for another day He has gifted us with.  Use it to honor Him!

Anna Lee