Category: Bible Reading Plan

Christmas Eve, 2019

“Joseph went from Nazareth, a city in Galilee, to a Judean city called Bethlehem . . .

Joseph went there to register with Mary.

She had been promised to him in marriage and was pregnant.

While they were in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to have her child.” 

~Luke 2:4-6 GW~

 

 

 

 

David’s brother, Donald, has been released from the hospital for Christmas.  He will be seeing an oncologist soon to learn the plan for treatment. David’s blood level was 9.8 yesterday.  He got a procrit injection yesterday and will have his blood level checked again next week.  We have appreciated the many prayers for David and his brother, Jimmy in 2019.  Now, I ask that you keep David and Donald in your prayers.

 

 

 

Lora Tolar Blades

April 18, 1952 – December 22, 2019

A resident of Greensburg, LA, passed away on Sunday, December 22, 2019 in Greensburg, LA. She was born April 18, 1952 in Jonesboro, LA and was 67 years of age. She is survived by daughter Stacy Wilkins and husband, Rich; son, Quincy Hodges, III and wife, Deanna; stepdaughter, Marissa Triolo and husband, Greg; son-in-law, Mark Miller; grandchildren, Quincy “PJ” Hodges IV and wife, Danielle, Kristina Wilkins, Heather Hodges, Shelby Miller, Cameron Miller, McKenna Wilkins, Alex Triolo, Jaylee Hodges, Ryan Triolo, Owen Triolo, and Riley Hodges; brothers and sisters, Linda Anderson and husband, Ben, Chris Hill and husband, Kenny, PD Tolar and wife, Donna, and Jimmie Billiot. Preceded in death by husband, Cade Blades; daughter, Dana Miller; mother, Nell Barrios; father, James Tolar; granddaughter, Jade Hodges; cousin, Becka Trosclair. Pallbearers will be Ashton Blades, Zach Johnston, Jake Johnston, Brody Johnston, Patrick Tolar and Dane Tolar. Visitation at New Zion Baptist Church from 5:00PM until 8:00PM on Thursday, and from 9:00AM until religious services at 10:00AM on Friday, December 27, 2019. Services conducted by Rev. Larry Blades. Interment Needham Cemetery, Kentwood, LA . McKneely Funeral Home, Kentwood, in charge of arrangements. For an online guestbook, visit http://www.mckneelys.com.

 

 

 

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering Projects – https://www.imb.org/give/projects/

 

 

 

Scripture Writing for December 25th – Luke 2: 17-20

 

 

 

Christmas Eve services will abound tonight.  If you do not already have plans to attend a service, I invite you to FBC, Kentwood at 6:00 P.M. to join us in thanking God for Jesus.

 

 

 

Luke 24

1 Very early on the first day of the week, they went to the place where Joseph had buried Jesus. They took with them the spices that they had prepared. 2 They arrived there. They found that someone had rolled the big stone away from the hole. 3 They went inside the hole in the rock, but they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus there. 4 They did not understand this at all. But while they were thinking about it, two men appeared. Their clothes shone brightly like lightning. These men came and stood beside them. 5 So the women became very afraid and they went down low with their faces on the ground.

The men said to the women, ‘This is a place to bury dead people. You should not be looking here for someone who is alive. 6 Jesus is not here. He has become alive again! Remember what he said to you, while he was still with you in Galilee. 7 He said, “It is necessary that someone should give the Son of Man into the power of bad men. They will kill him on a cross. But 3 days later he will become alive again.” ’

8 Then the women remembered the words that Jesus had said in Galilee. 9 They left the hole where Jesus’ body had been. They went to the 11 apostles. They told them what had happened. They also told all the other people who were there. 10 It was Mary from Magdala, Joanna, James’ mother Mary, and other women who were with them that told the news about Jesus to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe what the women said. They thought that it was just a silly story. 12 But Peter got up and he ran to the hole in the rock. He bent down and he looked inside. He saw only the long cloth that they had put round Jesus’ body. There was nothing else. So he went home again. He could not understand what might have happened.

Jesus shows himself to two disciples

13 Later on that same day, two of Jesus’ disciples were going to a village. The village was called Emmaus. It was about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking to each other about all the things that had happened. 15 While they were talking like this, Jesus himself came near to them. He started to walk along with them. 16 They saw him, but for some reason they did not recognize him. 17 Jesus asked them, ‘What are you talking about while you walk along the road?’

They stood still and they seemed sad. 18 One of them, called Cleopas, answered him, ‘Many things have happened in Jerusalem in the last few days. Are you the only visitor here that does not know about it?’ 19 Jesus asked them, ‘What things have happened?’

They replied, ‘The things that happened to Jesus who was from Nazareth. He was a prophet from God. He did many great things and he spoke powerful messages. God showed that his message was true. All the people believed him. 20 Then the leaders of the priests and our rulers took hold of him. They gave him to the Roman ruler. They said that he had done bad things and that he ought to die. So they killed him by fixing him to a cross. 21 But before that we had hoped that he would save the people of Israel. We hoped that he would make us free again.

There are other things too. Today is the third day since Jesus died. 22 After all this happened, some women in our group surprised us. Early this morning, they went to the place where Joseph had buried him. 23 But they did not find his body there. So they returned to us and said, “Some angels appeared to us. They have told us that Jesus is alive.” 24 So some people from our group went to the place where his body had been. They found everything just the same as the women had said. But they did not see Jesus.’

25 Jesus then said to them, ‘How silly you are! You are very slow to believe everything that God’s prophets said long ago 26 You should have known that the Messiah had to die. Only then would he return to heaven and show how great and powerful he is.’ 27 Jesus then began to explain to them what Moses and all God’s prophets had taught. He showed them what they wrote in the Bible about himself.

28 Then they came near to the village that the disciples were going to. It seemed that Jesus would continue his journey. 29 But they wanted him to stop there. They said to him, ‘Please stay in our home with us. It is getting late, and it will soon be night.’

So Jesus went into their house to stay with them. 30 He sat down to eat with them. He took the bread and he thanked God for it. He broke it into pieces and he gave some to them. 31 Then their eyes became clear and they recognized him. Immediately after that they could no longer see him. 32 They said to each other, ‘When he talked to us, it was like a fire that was burning inside us. We felt it while we were walking along the road. We also felt it when he was explaining God’s message in the Bible.’

33 They immediately got up and they returned to Jerusalem. There they found the 11 apostles and other people who were with them. 34 The people there gave the two disciples the news, ‘It is true! The Lord Jesus is alive again. He has appeared to Simon!’

35 Then the two disciples spoke to the whole group. They told what had happened to them on the road to their village. They told how they recognized Jesus when he broke the bread into pieces in their home.

Jesus appears to the group

36 While they were still speaking like that, Jesus himself stood among them. He said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’

37 But the whole group was very surprised and afraid. They thought that they were seeing a spirit. 38 Jesus said to them, ‘You should not be so afraid. You seem to have trouble in your minds about what you are seeing. 39 Now look at my hands and my feet. It is really me! Touch me. Then you will know that I am not a spirit. A spirit does not have a body with skin and bones. You can see that I have a real body.’

40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 This was such good news, they were very happy. But they could still not really believe it. So he asked them, ‘Do you have anything that I could eat?’ 42 They gave him a piece of fish that they had cooked. 43 While they were watching, he took it and he ate it.

44 Then he said to them, ‘I told you about these things while I was still with you. Everything that God’s servants wrote about me in the Bible had to happen. Moses wrote about me in his book of God’s Law. The prophets also wrote about me. The book called Psalms also tells about me. And now it has become true.’

45 Then he helped them to understand God’s message in the Bible. 46 He told them, ‘This is what it says there: The Messiah had to die. Then, after three days, he had to rise up and become alive again. 47 People in every country of the world must hear God’s message. They must stop doing wrong things and change how they live. When they do this, God will forgive them. He will forgive all the bad things that they have done. People need to tell this message about the Messiah in Jerusalem first, then tell people in other countries. 48 You are the people who have seen what has happened here. You must tell other people about it. 49 Now listen! I will send to you the gift that God my Father has promised to give to you. You must stay here in the city until this happens. Then the power of God will come from heaven and it will cover you.’

Jesus goes up to God in heaven

50 Then Jesus led the group of his disciples out of the city. They all went to a place near the village called Bethany. He held up his hands towards them all. He asked God to be good to them. 51 While he was praying for them like that, he went up away from them. God lifted him up to heaven. 52 The disciples praised Jesus for his great power. Then they returned to Jerusalem and they were all very happy. 53 All the time they were in God’s Great House and they were praising God.

 

 

 

I hope you have enjoyed and learned from reading the book of Luke this month.

Anna Lee

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monday

4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 

5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.

                                                               Galatians 4:4-5

 

 

 

Last night’s Christmas program was good.  Thanks for all the time dedicated to practice that make last night look and sound so easy.

David and I were surprised when one of the people who greeted us after church last night.  It was Robert and Linda Callihan’s daughter, Robbie Lynn.  She said she is feeling better and has been able to discontinue some of her medications.

 

 

 

Our niece, Julia Sumrall, wrote these special words about her dad, Donald “Red” Alford.  She has a way with words.  Better than that, she and her family know God, who is in control of everything!

Psalms 29:11
The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace.

Our dad is 78 and does not take ANY medication nor has he ever been in the hospital for anything.
However, we believe that God is in FULL control all the time!!
Daddy got sick, diagnosed with pneumonia and was admitted Sun the 15, he was smothering from the fluid build up around a lungs. Because of this we were able to find the underlying illness. He has a mass in his Left lung that has come back positive for Cancer. It is 100% treatable and he is in GREAT spirits.

We have some of the best friends and family around and we are So GRATEFUL for all they have done and continue to do.

We covet your prayers while we fight this battle.
My daddy’s view on it is God has a Plan!!!
“Philippians 4:13, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth the me.”

While he has had Amazing doctors we KNOW who the Great Physician is.

 

 

 

Sunday is the date for the blood drive for Kristen Alford.  It will be at East Fork Baptist Church from noon to 5:00 P.M.  All who donate will receive a shirt.

 

 

 

Scripture Writing – December 23 – Luke 2: 8-12

 

 

 

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering –

Since 1845, the IMB has partnered with churches to send missionaries to live and work among those around the world with little to no access to the gospel.

 

 

Luke 23

Pilate asks Jesus questions

1 All the people at the meeting stood up to leave. They took Jesus to stand in front of Pilate. 2 Then they all started to tell Pilate that Jesus had done bad things. They said, ‘We found this man when he was telling our people wrong things. He said that we must not pay taxes to the Roman government. He also said that he himself is the Messiah, that is, a king.’

3 Pilate asked Jesus, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ Jesus replied, ‘You have said it.’

4 Pilate then said to the leaders of the priests and to all the crowd of people, ‘I cannot find anything that this man has done which is wrong.’ 5 But they continued to speak strongly to him. They said, ‘He makes the people angry and ready to fight against the government. He has taught these bad things everywhere in Judea. He started in Galilee and now he has come to Jerusalem.’

6 When Pilate heard them say this, he asked if Jesus came from Galilee. 7 He discovered that he was from the country where Herod ruled. So Pilate sent Jesus to stand in front of Herod. Herod was also in Jerusalem at that time.

Herod asks Jesus questions

8 Herod was very happy to see Jesus. He had heard about him and he had wanted to meet him for a long time. He wanted to see Jesus do something to show God’s power. 9 He asked Jesus many questions, but Jesus did not answer any of them. 10 The leaders of the priests and the teachers of God’s Law stood there. They were shouting out that Jesus had done many bad things. 11 Then Herod and his soldiers started to laugh at Jesus. They were saying things to make him feel bad. They put a beautiful coat on him. Then they sent him back to Pilate. 12 That same day, Herod and Pilate became friends. Until then, they had not liked each other.

Pilate and the Jewish leaders argue about Jesus

13 Pilate then told the leaders of the priests, the leaders of the Jews and the people to come back to him. 14 He said to them, ‘You brought this man to me. You said that he was causing the people to fight against their rulers. Listen! I have asked him some questions in front of you. But I have not found that he has done anything wrong. 15 Herod also did not find that he had done anything wrong. That is why he has sent him back to me. You can see this. He has not done anything bad that means he ought to die. 16 So I will just punish him. I will order a soldier to hit him with whips. Then I will let him go.’

[ 17 Pilate usually let one person go free out of the prison at Passover time.]

18 But the crowd all shouted together, ‘Take this man away and kill him! We want Barabbas to go free.’

19 Barabbas had fought against the Roman rulers in Jerusalem. He had also killed somebody. That is why the rulers had put him in prison. 20 But Pilate still wanted to let Jesus go. So, he spoke to the crowd again. 21 But they continued to shout. They were shouting, ‘Kill him on a cross, kill him on a cross.’

22 Pilate asked them the same question for the third time. ‘Why should I kill him? What wrong things has he done? You want me to say that he should die. But I have not found anything wrong that would cause me to say that. So, I will punish him. I will order my soldiers to hit him with a whip. Then I will let him go.’

23 But they continued to shout at Pilate, ‘Kill him on a cross.’ They continued to shout very much. So, in the end, 24 Pilate did what they wanted. 25 They had asked Pilate to let Barabbas go free out of the prison. He was the man that had caused the Jewish people to fight against the Roman rulers. He had also killed somebody. He was the man that Pilate let go free. As for Jesus, Pilate ordered the soldiers to take him away. He let the people do to him what they wanted.

They kill Jesus on a cross

26 So the soldiers took Jesus away, to go to the place where they would kill him. On the way, they took hold of a man called Simon. This man was from the town called Cyrene. He was coming in from outside the city. The soldiers took the cross that Jesus was carrying on his shoulders. They made Simon carry it instead as he walked behind Jesus.

27 A very large crowd of people were following Jesus. There were many women among them. They were crying with loud voices. They were weeping and crying because they were very sad. 28 So Jesus turned round and he said to them, ‘You women that live in Jerusalem, do not weep for me. Instead, cry for yourselves and for your children. 29 Listen! Days will come when people will say, “It is better for those women that could not have babies. Those women that never had babies to feed are the happy ones!” 30 People will begin to say, “It would be better if we were dead.” They will ask the mountains to fall on top of them. They will ask the hills to cover them up. 31 There is much trouble and pain now. But much worse things will happen! Now the fire burns slowly. But soon it will be like a fire that quickly burns dry wood!’

32 The soldiers also took two other men out of the prison. These men had done bad things. The soldiers were going to kill them and Jesus together. 33 They took them to the place that is called ‘The Skull’. There they fixed Jesus to a cross to die. They also fixed the two bad men to crosses. One of these men was on the right side of Jesus. The other was on his left side.

34 Jesus said, ‘Father, these people do not know what they are doing. So please forgive them.’

The soldiers then picked up Jesus’ clothes for themselves. They played a game to decide who would receive each piece of his clothes. 35 The people stood there and they were watching. The Jewish leaders were laughing at Jesus. They said, ‘He saved other people, did he? Then he should save his own life! Then we will know that he is really the Messiah, the man that God has chosen.’

36 The soldiers also laughed at him. They came up to him and they offered him cheap wine to drink. 37 They said, ‘If you are really the King of the Jews, save your own life.’

38 There was also a notice fixed at the top of the cross. It said, ‘This is the King of the Jews.’

39 One of the bad men on a cross at the side of Jesus started to say bad things against him. He shouted, ‘You say that you are the Messiah, don’t you? Then save your own life and save our lives too!’

40 But the bad man on the other cross told him that he should be quiet. He said, ‘You should be more afraid of God. We will die here, as well as him. 41 We two men have done very bad things. So, it is right that we should die. But this man has not done anything wrong.’ 42 Then the man said to Jesus, ‘Remember me, Jesus, when you start to rule in your kingdom.’ 43 Jesus replied, ‘I promise you, today you will be with me in paradise.’

Jesus dies

44 It was now about midday. The whole country became dark for three hours. 45 The sun did not give any light. Then the curtain inside God’s Great House tore into two parts. 46 Then Jesus shouted loudly, ‘Father, I give my spirit to you.’ After he shouted this, he died.

47 There was a captain of the soldiers there. When he saw what had happened, he praised God. He said. ‘I am sure that this man had not done anything wrong.’

48 A very big crowd had come together to watch the men die. They saw what had happened. Then they began to go home. They were very sad, and they were hitting their own bodies with their hands. 49 The friends of Jesus were there. The women that had come with him from Galilee were also there. They were all standing a long way away. They also saw what happened to him.

Joseph buries Jesus

50 A man called Joseph was also there. He was one of a special group of important Jewish leaders. He was a good man that wanted to do right things. 51 He was from the Jewish town called Arimathea. He had not agreed with the other leaders that Jesus should die. He was waiting for God to begin to rule his people in his kingdom.

52 So Joseph went to see Pilate. He asked to have the dead body of Jesus. Pilate agreed to this. 53 Joseph then went to the place where Jesus died. He took the dead body down from the cross. He covered it in a piece of soft cloth. Then he put the body into a large hole in the rock. People had cut this hole in the rock for him. It was a place to bury dead bodies but it was the first time that anyone had used it.

54 This all happened on the day before the Jewish day for rest. It was nearly time for the Jewish day for rest to begin.

Jesus becomes alive again

55 The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph. They saw the place where the hole in the rock was. They also saw Joseph put Jesus’ body into the empty hole. 56 Then they returned to the house where they were staying in Jerusalem. They prepared spices and oil that had a beautiful smell. On the Jewish day for rest they obeyed God’s Law and they did not work.

 

 

 

Thanks for praying and for sharing the Good News of Luke!

Anna Lee

 

 

Sunday

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them.

~Luke 1:68~

 

 

 

Wanda Smith went to visit with her daughter and await the arrival of a grandson.  Knox was due Monday and arrived Saturday.  Mother, baby, daddy, and grandmother are all fine and sharing lots of smiles.

 

 

 

Donald Alford will be in St. Tammany a little longer.  He’s in room 380.  He has a great attitude!

 

 

 

Barbara Elizabeth Sharp

July 07, 1943 – December 21, 2019

Barbara Elizabeth Sharp entered into eternal rest lovingly surrounded by her family on December 21, 2019.  Barbara was born in McComb, MS and was 76 years old. She was preceded in death by her parents, Clinton H. Sharp, Jr. M.D. and Lucille Guwang Sharp. She is survived by her two children, Charles “Chuck” Goodwin Schibler II and Becky Schibler Cooper, her brother, Clinton H. Sharp, III M.D. and her sister, Sally Sharp Schneider.

Friends and family are invited to attend the graveside service on Monday, December 23, 2019 at 2:00 pm at Amite Cemetery.
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Scripture Writing – Luke 2: 4-7

 

 

 

Luke 22

Judas agrees to catch Jesus

1 The Passover festival when the Jews eat flat bread was coming soon.

2 The leaders of the priests and the teachers of God’s Law wanted to kill Jesus. They were talking together about how they could do this. It was difficult because they were afraid of the people.

3 Then Satan began to live inside Judas Iscariot. Judas was one of Jesus’ 12 apostles. 4 He went to the leaders of the priests and he talked with them. The police that worked at God’s Great House were also there. Judas told them how he could give Jesus to them secretly. 5 They were very happy and they promised to give him money for this. 6 So Judas said that he would do it. Then he waited for the right moment to help them to take hold of Jesus. He wanted to do it when the crowd was not there with Jesus.

Jesus eats his last meal with his apostles

7 The day came for Jewish people to eat the meal of flat bread which has no yeast in it. They had to kill a young sheep for the Passover meal on that day. 8 So Jesus said to Peter and John, ‘Go and prepare the Passover meal for us to eat. Then we can all come and eat it.’ 9 They asked him, ‘Where do you want us to prepare the meal?’

10 Jesus replied, ‘Listen. When you go into the city, a man will meet you. He will be carrying a jar of water. Follow him until he goes into a house. 11 You must then say to the master of that house, “Our Teacher sends this message to you: ‘Where is the room for visitors? I will eat the Passover meal there with my disciples.’ ” 12 The man will then show you a large room upstairs. It will have all that you need in it. Prepare the Passover meal there for us all.’

13 So Peter and John went into the city. They found everything that Jesus had told them about. So, they prepared the Passover meal.

14 When it was time to eat the meal, Jesus arrived. He sat down with his apostles to eat it. 15 He said to them, ‘I have wanted very much to eat this Passover meal with you. It has to happen before I die. 16 I tell you this: I will not eat another Passover meal in this world. Now it is a picture. But when God begins to rule in his kingdom, then this meal will become completely real. I will eat it again then.’

17 Then Jesus took a cup and he thanked God for the wine. ‘Take this cup,’ he said to them. ‘Each of you drink some wine from it. 18 I tell you this. I will not drink wine again until God begins to rule in his kingdom.’

19 Then he took a loaf of bread and he thanked God for it. He broke the bread into pieces and he gave some of it to each of them. He said, ‘This is my body. I am giving it to save you. When you eat this meal from now on, remember me.’

20 Then after supper, Jesus took a cup of wine and did the same thing. He said to the disciples, ‘This cup shows the new promise that God makes because of my death. When I die, my blood will pour out of my body. I will do that for you. 21 But look! The person who will give me to the rulers is sitting at the table with me. His hand is eating the same food as I am. 22 The Son of Man must die in the way that God says. But it will be bad for the man who gives me to my enemies.’

23 The 12 apostles asked each other, ‘Who is the man that would do this thing?’

Jesus tells who is most important

24 Then the apostles began to argue among themselves. They were arguing about which of them seemed to be the most important. 25 Jesus said to them, ‘Kings of other countries use great authority over their people. Leaders of those countries want people to say good things about them. 26 You must not be like that. The most important person among you must become like the least important person. The person who is your leader must become like your servant. 27 Tell me, which person is the more important one? Is it the person who sits at the table to eat? Or is it the servant that puts out the meal for him? Yes, it is the person who sits at the table. But I am here to be your servant.

28 You have never left me. You have been by my side when trouble came to me. 29 So now I tell you that you will rule with me. My Father has said that I will rule with him in his kingdom. I also say to you that you will rule with me. 30 In my kingdom you will sit at my table. You will eat and drink with me. You will sit like kings on rulers’ chairs. You will judge the people of the 12 families of Israel.’

Jesus tells Peter what will happen

31 Jesus went on to say, ‘Simon, Simon, be careful to listen to me! Satan has asked to have authority over you all. He will shake you as a farmer shakes seeds. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that you will continue to believe in me. And this is what you must do: When you have turned back to me, you must help your brothers to be strong again.’

33 But Simon replied, ‘Master, I am ready to go to prison with you. I am even ready to die with you!’ 34 Jesus said to him, ‘I tell you this, Peter. Very soon, you will say that you do not know me. You will say that three times before the cockerel sings early tomorrow morning.’

35 Jesus then asked the disciples, ‘When I sent you out without a purse, a bag or shoes, did you need anything?’ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘nothing.’

36 ‘Now it is different,’ he said. ‘If you have a purse or bag, you should take it with you. If you do not have a sword, sell your coat. Use the money to buy a knife. 37 Let me tell you why. Long ago people wrote in the Bible what must happen to me. It says, “People will think he is one of the bad people.” And this must happen to me soon, so that it becomes true.’

38 The disciples said, ‘Look, Master, we have two long sharp knives here.’ Jesus replied, ‘That is enough.’

Jesus prays on the Mount of Olives

39 Jesus left the city. He went to the hill called the Mount of Olives. This is what he usually did. His disciples went with him. 40 When they arrived there he said to them, ‘Ask God to help you, so that you do not want to do wrong things.’

41 Then he went away from them about as far as you can throw a stone. He went down on his knees and he prayed, 42 ‘Father, if you want, you can save me from this time of great pain. But I do not ask you to do what I want. Do what you want for me.’

[ 43 Then an angel came to him from heaven. The angel made him stronger. 44 Jesus began to have troubles in his mind. He prayed again even more strongly. His sweat became like blood and it fell to the ground.]

45 Then Jesus finished praying and he stood up again. He returned to the disciples. He saw that they were sleeping. They were very weak and tired because they were so sad. 46 ‘You should not be sleeping,’ he said. ‘Get up and pray! Ask God to help you, so that you do not want to do wrong things.’

The soldiers catch Jesus

47 While Jesus was still speaking, a crowd of people came towards him. Judas led the crowd to that place. He was one of the 12 apostles. He came near to Jesus to kiss him. 48 Jesus said to him, ‘Judas, why do you want to kiss me, the Son of Man? You are helping my enemies to take hold of me!’

49 The people near to Jesus saw what was happening. They asked him, ‘Lord, should we use our weapons to fight?’ 50 One of them hit the servant of the leader of the priests. He cut off the servant’s right ear. 51 ‘That is enough!’ Jesus said. He then touched the man’s ear and made him well again.

52 Then Jesus spoke to the people that had come to take hold of him. They were the leaders of the priests, and the leaders of the police in God’s Great House. Other important Jews were also there. He said to them, ‘You have come here with long sharp knives and heavy sticks. Do you really think that I am leading people to fight against our country’s rulers? 53 No! But I was with you every day in the yard of God’s Great House. You did not try to take hold of me then. But now really is the time and the place for you to work. Now it is a bad dark time, when the Devil has authority.’

Peter says that he does not know Jesus

54 Then they took hold of Jesus. They took him away and they brought him to the house of the leader of the priests. Peter was following them, but he did not go near Jesus. 55 People lit a fire in the yard of the house and they sat round it. Peter went and he sat with them. 56 A girl who worked there then saw Peter in the light from the fire. She looked carefully at him and she said, ‘This man also was a friend of Jesus.’ 57 Peter replied, ‘Woman, that is not true! I do not even know him.’

58 After a short time, someone else looked at him. ‘You also are one of their group,’ he said. Peter replied, ‘Man, I am not one of them.’

59 After about an hour, another man said, ‘I am sure that this man was a friend of Jesus. He also is from Galilee.’ 60 Peter replied, ‘Man, I do not know what you are talking about.’ While Peter was still speaking, a cockerel sang loudly. 61 Then the Lord Jesus turned round and he looked at Peter. Peter remembered what Jesus had said to him: ‘You will say tonight that you do not know me. You will say it three times before the cockerel sings in the morning.’

62 Then Peter went outside away from the house and he cried a lot.

The soldiers laugh at Jesus and they hit him

63 The men that were holding Jesus were laughing at him. They hit him many times. 64 They covered his eyes with a cloth and they said to him, ‘Show us that you are a prophet. Tell us who hit you!’ 65 And they said many other bad things against him.

The Jewish leaders ask Jesus questions

66 When it became day, the Jewish leaders met together. The leaders of the priests and the teachers of God’s Law were at the meeting. Then other men brought Jesus to stand in front of them. 67 They asked him, ‘Are you the Messiah? If you are, tell us.’ Jesus replied, ‘If I do tell you, you will not believe me. 68 I could also ask you a question. But if I do that, you will not answer me. 69 But from now on, the Son of Man will be sitting in the most important place. He will be sitting at the right side of the Most Powerful God.’

70 ‘So, are you the Son of God?’ they all said. Jesus replied, ‘You say that I am.’

71 Then they said, ‘We do not need anyone else to speak against this man. We ourselves have heard what he has said about himself.’

 

 

 

Pine Ridge United Methodist Church will be serving breakfast this morning at 8 A.M.  Join them as they again help a family with a need.

 

 

 

Don’t forget “The Greatest Story Ever Told” presented by the adult choir of FBC, Kentwood tonight at 6 P.M.

Anna Lee

 

 

 

 

Saturday

32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 

33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

                                                                              ~Luke 1:32-33~

 

 

 

Angie Lamb (Recent hunting accident/Friend of Rachel and Trey Buckley in Missouri)

12/19/19.
Angie had a follow up with my surgeon in Springfield today. Didn’t get the news we had hoped for. I will be having surgery in the morning to revise my incision and to shave more of my tibia bone down. It’s a minor setback to being able to start the process of getting my prosthesis. My leg has to be completely healed before I can even begin to think about walking again. I’m frustrated, but it is what it is. Just want to get it over with so I can move on to more important things. John is upset and wanting a second and third and probably a fourth and fifth opinion 😂😂. He’s just worried about me having to go through another surgery. John and I continue to be amazed at the support we have received from not only our community, but from places we have never visited. We are still receiving well wishes and cards via mail. Many of them are from people we haven’t even met. If you watch the news, it makes you question the goodness left in the world. This accident has made me realize how lucky i am to be surrounded by so much love and kindness. Thank you all for making me feel so supported and loved. I appreciate every single one of you.

I know you will want to continue to pray for Angie and her family.

 

 

 

Ricky Mapes has been dealing with the flu and dehydration.  Please pray for him and others who are sick.

 

 

 

Nikki Rhodus’ mother, who lives in Texas, had surgery earlier this week.  All went well.  Continue to pray for her as she recovers.

 

 

 

David’s brother, Donald, was diagnosed yesterday with lung cancer.  They are still running tests.  Keep Donald and his family in your prayers.  He is in St. Tammany.

 

 

 

Scripture Writing for December 21 – Luke 1: 51-56

 

 

 

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering –

Lottie Moon’s Home Church Reinvigorated for Missions

http://bpnews.net/54068/lottie-moons-home-church-reinvigorated-for-missions

 

 

 

 

Luke 21

Jesus talks about people who give things to God

1 Then Jesus looked up and saw something that was happening in God’s Great House. There was a box for money there. Many rich people were putting their gifts of money into the box.

2 Then he saw a woman coming there. Her husband had died and she was very poor. She put two small coins that had only a little value into the box. 3 ‘Let me tell you this,’ Jesus said. ‘This poor woman has put a better gift into the box than all the other people have put in there. 4 All those rich people have plenty of money. They only gave a small part of that. But this woman has almost nothing. She put everything that she had into the box. That money was what she needed to live.’

Jesus talks about things that will happen

5 Some of Jesus’ disciples were talking about God’s Great House. They spoke about the many beautiful stones in the walls. They also spoke about the many gifts to God that people had put there. 6 Jesus said to them, ‘You can see all these beautiful things now. But a day is coming when enemies will completely destroy it all. Not even one stone will remain on top of another stone.’

7 ‘Teacher,’ they asked, ‘When will all these things happen? What will show us that they are soon going to happen?’

8 Jesus replied. ‘Be careful! Some people will tell you things that are not true. Do not believe them. Many people will say that they have come on my behalf. They will say, “I am the Messiah.” They will say, “Now is the time!” Do not agree with those people. 9 You will hear about wars and people fighting each other. Do not be afraid. Those things must happen first, but the end of everything will not happen immediately.’

10 Jesus went on to say to them, ‘People from one country will attack the people from another country. Kings and their armies will fight against other kings and their armies. 11 The ground will move about strongly, so that people will be afraid. In many different places, people will be hungry, with no food. Illnesses will go from one person to another. Many people will die. Things will also happen in the sky that will frighten people. 12 But before all those things happen, people will take hold of you. They will do bad things to you and give you pain. They will take you to the leaders in their meeting places and they will keep you in prisons. They will make you stand in front of kings and rulers. All this will happen because you are my disciples. 13 This will be the time to tell them the good news about me. 14 So prepare your minds. You must decide not to think about how to answer the questions of kings and rulers. Wait until that time comes. 15 I will give you the right words to speak at that time. I will help you to be wise. The people who are against you will not be able to argue with you. They will just be quiet. 16 Even your parents and other people in your family will take hold of you. They will make you stand in front of kings and rulers. They will even kill some of you. 17 Everybody will hate you because you are my disciples. 18 But your life will be safe with me. You will not lose even one hair from your head. 19 Yes, you will have true life, if you remain strong.

20 One day you will see Jerusalem with armies all round it. Then you will know that enemies will soon destroy that city. 21 People in Judea must then run away to the hills to hide. People that are inside the city must leave it. People that are outside in the fields must not go back into the city. 22 This is when God will punish Israel’s people. Then all the things will happen that his servants wrote about in the Bible. 23 That will be a very bad time for women who are soon to have a baby! It will also be a bad time for those women who have little babies! Yes, very bad things will happen to all the people of this country. God will be very angry with the people who live here. 24 At that time, enemies will fight God’s people and kill many of them in war. They will take some of them away to live in other countries. They will not be free to return home. People that are not Jews will destroy Jerusalem. They will rule here until it is time for them to stop.’

25 ‘You will see strange things happen to the sun and to the moon and to the stars. Down on earth, things that happen will make people in many countries very afraid. The sea will move up and down and make a lot of noise. There will be great storms. 26 These things will frighten people because they do not understand them. The great things in the sky will move from their usual places. People will be very afraid about what will happen next in the world. They will become very weak and fall to the ground. 27 Then they will see the Son of Man. He will come in a cloud. He will be very powerful and very beautiful. 28 When these things begin to happen, stand up. And look up, because God will then save you very soon.’

29 Then Jesus told them a story to explain this future time. He said, ‘Think about fig trees and other trees as well. 30 When you see new leaves on a tree, you know that summer will come soon. Nobody needs to tell you that. 31 In the same way, you will see these strange things happening. Then you will know that God will soon begin to rule in his kingdom.

32 Let me tell you this. The people who are alive now will not all die until all these things happen. 33 One day, the earth and the sky will have an end. But my words will be there for ever.

34 But be careful, and watch how you live. Do not eat or drink too much. Do not waste your time like that. Do not waste time by having troubles in your mind about your life. If you do, that day will surprise you. It will come when you are not looking. 35 It will surprise everyone who lives on all the earth. 36 So watch all the time! Continue to pray that you will be strong. Then you will be safe through all these things! You will stand in front of the Son of Man and you will not be afraid.’

37 Every day Jesus was teaching people in God’s Great House. Each night he went out of the city and he stayed on the hill that is called the Mount of Olives. 38 Each morning he returned to God’s Great House. All the people were going there early in the morning to hear him.

 

 

 

FBC, Kentwood will be having their adult Christmas program Sunday evening at 6 P.M. and their Christmas Eve service Tuesday at 6 P.M.  You are invited to join us for both of these services.  Other churches are also having special services during the holidays.  Check with them for their Christmas schedule.

 

 

If this Christmas is especially difficult for you, turn your focus to God and to others.

Anna Lee

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday

But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 

You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.

 

 

 

 

Amy Renae LaBruzza Lewis Lobre

April 01, 1973 – December 12, 2019

Amy Renae LaBruzza Lewis Lobre crossed into eternal peace December 12, 2019. Amy was born April 1, 1973, in Hammond. She was 46. Her family and loved ones will always remember her infectious laughter that filled every room she entered. Her positive outlook persevered through a lifelong illness which she never stopped fighting to overcome. She maintained a healthy and active lifestyle, loved traveling, and she became a successful and dedicated nurse. Amy loved her family deeply, sharing a special bond with her nieces Mallory Lewis and Brooke Stilley. Amy is preceded in death by her “Paw Paw”, Ralph E. Lewis, Sr. of Kentwood; and paternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Louis LaBruzza of Amite. Amy is survived by her husband, Richard “MY Ricky” Lobre of Mereaux, Louisiana; her mother, Rebecca Raborn Davidson and stepfather, Paul D. Davidson, Sr. of Tickfaw; her father, Larry LaBruzza of Amite; her “Stepdaddy”, Gene Lewis of Kentwood; and little sister, Amanda Lewis of Tickfaw. Amy was also survived by two children: son, William Aaron Chambliss of Kentwood and his sons,  Laythen and Zayne; and daughter, Megan Sydney Stephens of Channelview, Texas and her son, Mason. She is also survived by her maternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Bobby Raborn of Kentwood; and Mrs. Ralph Eugene Lewis, Sr. of Kentwood. Friends and family are invited to attend the memorial service on Friday, December 20, from 4-6 pm at McKneely Funeral Home in Amite.

 

 

 

Nettie Jean Russell

March 11, 1947 – December 15, 2019

A resident of Hammond, LA, passed away on Sunday, December 15, 2019 at North Oaks Medical Center in Hammond, LA. She was born March 11, 1947 in Independence, LA and was 72 years of age. She is survived by her daughter, Dawn Raiford and husband, Chris; her children, Halie, Sayer and Sammy Raiford; son, Karl Warner, III; his children, Larissa and Brodie Warner; son, Joshua Warner and wife, Jennifer; his children, Jayden and Jayce Warner; 1 brother, Charles “Sonny” Russell and wife, Ann; 2 sister, Becky Davis and husband, Charles and Bonnie Hardy and husband, Bill; 1 aunt, Jerry King. Preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Nettie Russell; twin sister, June Graves; sister, Jackie Ricks. Visitation at McKneely Funeral Home, Amite, from 11:00AM until services at 2:00PM on Friday, December 20, 2019. Following services a Celebration of Life gathering will be held at Chris and Dawn Raiford’s Home, 295 Pinecrest Dr., Hammond, LA 70401. For an online guestbook, visit http://www.mckneelys.com.

 

 

 

Scripture Writing for Dec. 20 – Luke 1: 46-50

 

 

 

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering –

Clean Water for Rural Villages

https://www.imb.org/give/project/clean-water-for-rural-villages/

Most of us have had to boil our water periodically, but have never had the awful water conditions some people in other places face on a daily basis.  Do you or your group need a new project?  Here is a great opportunity for you.

 

 

 

Opportunities in the coming week:

Sunday morning – 8 A.M. – Breakfast benefit at Pine Ridge

Sunday – Christmas programs in many churches (FBC, Kentwood – 6 P.M.)

Tuesday – Christmas Eve services in many churches (FBC, Kentwood – 6 P.M.)

Check your local church schedule carefully.

 

 

 

 

Luke 20

Jesus talks about his authority

1 One day, Jesus was teaching people in the yard of God’s Great House. He was telling people the good news about God. Then the leaders of the priests and the teachers of God’s Law came to him. With them were some other important Jews. 2 They asked him, ‘Tell us what authority you have to do these things? Who gave you the authority to do them?’

3 Jesus replied, ‘I also will ask you a question. Tell me the answer. 4 John baptized people. Did God give him the authority to do this? Or did men tell him to do it?’

5 The Jewish leaders talked to each other about Jesus’ question. ‘We could say that God gave John his authority. But if we say that, Jesus will say to us, “Then you should have believed John.” 6 But we do not want to say that only men gave John his authority. Then all the people would throw stones at us to kill us. They are sure that John really was a prophet from God.’ 7 So the Jewish leaders answered Jesus, ‘We do not know who gave John his authority.’

8 Jesus said to them, ‘You will not answer my question. So I will not tell you what authority I have to do these things.’

Jesus tells a story about farmers

9 Then Jesus began to tell this story to the people. He said, ‘A man planted vines in his garden to grow grapes there. He found some farmers to work in the garden for him. Then he went away to another country and he stayed there for a long time.

10 The time to cut the grapes arrived. The man sent a servant to speak to the farmers. He wanted them to give him some fruit from the garden.

But the farmers hit the servant with sticks and they sent him away with nothing.

11 The master sent another servant to go to the farmers. They hit him with sticks too, and they did other bad things to him. They also sent him away with nothing. 12 The master then sent a third servant to the farmers. They hurt him badly too, and they threw him out of the garden.

13 Then the master of the garden said to himself, “I know what I will do. I will send my own son to go to them. I love him very much. Perhaps they will respect him.” 14 But the farmers saw him coming. They said to each other, “This is the son of our master. When our master dies, his son will receive the garden. So, we should kill the son and then the garden will be ours.”

15 So they threw the son out of the garden and they killed him.’

Jesus went on to ask, ‘Then what will the master of the garden do to those farmers? 16 I tell you, he will come to those farmers and he will kill them. Then he will give the garden to other people to work in.’

When the people heard this, they replied, ‘That must never happen!’

17 Jesus then looked at the people and he said, ‘You say that this must not happen. But you have read this in the Bible and you should know what it means:

“The builders refused to use a certain stone.

They thought that it had no value.

But now that stone has become the most important stone at the corner of the building.

18 When a person falls on to that stone, it will break his body into pieces. When that stone falls on top of someone, it will destroy him completely.” ’

The leaders ask Jesus a question

19 The teachers of God’s Law and the leaders of the priests knew that Jesus had told this story about them. They were the bad farmers in the story. So they wanted to take hold of Jesus immediately. But they did not do it, because they were afraid of the people.

20 So this is what they did to catch Jesus. They gave money to people to ask him difficult questions. These people seemed to be good, but really they were not honest. Instead, they wanted to make Jesus say something wrong. Then they would take him to the ruler of the city to punish him. 21 So these people went and said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, everything that you say and everything that you teach is right. We know that. You do not say something different to an important person to make him happy. Instead, you teach everyone the same true message. You really teach us what God wants us to do. 22 So, tell us your answer to this question: Should we pay our taxes to the Roman ruler, Caesar? Is it right to give that money to him, or not?’

23 Jesus knew that those men were not really honest. They wanted to make him say the wrong thing. 24 So he said to them, ‘Show me a coin. Tell me, whose picture is on this coin? Whose name is on it?’ 25 The men replied, ‘It is Caesar’s picture and Caesar’s name.’ Jesus then said to them, ‘So you should give to Caesar the things that are for him. And give to God the things that are for God.’

26 So the Jewish leaders could not make Jesus say anything wrong. They were very surprised at his answer to their question. They could not say anything more against him. All the people who were there saw this.

The Sadducees ask Jesus a question

27 Then some of the Sadducees came to see Jesus. The Sadducees do not believe that anyone becomes alive again after they die.

28 They wanted to ask Jesus a question. ‘Teacher,’ they said to him, ‘Moses wrote this in the Bible for us: “A man may die and leave a wife but no children. Then that man’s brother must marry the woman. Then their children will be called the children of the brother who died.” 29 But once there were seven brothers. The oldest brother married a wife. Then he died before they had any children. 30 So the second brother married this woman. But he also died without children. 31 Then the third brother married the woman. The same thing happened to all seven brothers. They all died but they had no children. 32 After all this, the woman also died. 33 You teach that one day dead people will become alive again. So, on that day, whose wife will the woman be? She had married all seven of those brothers.’

34 Jesus answered them, ‘Men and women who are alive on earth are the ones who get married. 35 But God has chosen some people to live again with him. He will raise them up after they have died. Those people will not marry. They will not have husbands or wives, 36 and they cannot die any more. This is because they will live as the angels live in heaven. They are children of God. He has made them alive again to live with him. 37 It is true that God makes dead people become alive again. Moses showed us this in his report about the bush in the wilderness. He told us that our Lord God is the God of Abraham. He is the God of Isaac. And he is the God of Jacob. 38 But God is not the God of people who are dead. He is the God of people who are alive. For God, all people continue to be alive.’

39 Some of the teachers of God’s Law agreed with Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ they said, ‘that was a very good answer.’ 40 After that, they were all afraid to ask Jesus any more questions.

The Messiah is someone that King David calls his Lord

41 Jesus said to them, ‘Why do people say that the Messiah will be King David’s son? 42 David himself said this in the book called Psalms:

“The Lord God said to my Lord,

Sit at my right side until I beat your enemies completely.

43 You will even be able to put your feet on them.”

44 You see here that David calls the Messiah his Lord. So can you really say that he is just David’s son?’

Jesus speaks against the teachers of God’s Law

45 All the people were listening to Jesus. Jesus then said to his disciples, 46 ‘Be careful not to do the same as the teachers of God’s Law. They want people to think that they are important. So they walk about in beautiful long clothes. They like people to praise them in the market place. They choose to sit in the best seats in the meeting place. They like to sit in the most important places at special meals. 47 They take things away from women after their husbands have died, even their houses. Then they pray for a long time so that other people will praise them. Because they do these things, God will punish those men much more than other people.’

 

 

 

Spread some love in God’s name today.

Anna Lee

Thursday

“The vision will still happen at the appointed time.

It hurries toward its goal.

It won’t be a lie.

If it’s delayed, wait for it.

It will certainly happen.

It won’t be late” 

~Habakkuk 2:3 GW~

God is always right on time!

 

 

 

Eli Neyland‘s ear surgery has been postponed because the doctor had a family emergency on the day he was scheduled to do Eli’s surgery.  Eli is now scheduled for December 26h.

 

 

 

Smiley Conerly will be going back to learn more from his doctor on the 27th.  Keep Smiley in your prayers.

 

 

 

Buddy Morris had his nuclear stress test yesterday and is waiting gor the results to be read and shared.

 

 

 

Donald Alford is waiting for lung biopsy results at St. Tammany.  He and his family will appreciate your prayers.

 

 

 

Reese Birch who grew up in the New Zion area needs our continued prayers.

 

 

 

Amanda shared Amy’s obituary.

I’ve dreaded writing these words for a week now… my beautiful sister, Amy Lewis Lobre, passed away on Thursday, December 12, 2019. this has been the hardest week of my entire life. thank you to everyone who has called, messaged me and reached out to me to offer their condolences and sympathy. i appreciate each and every one of you and i’m sorry i haven’t responded to any messages but I just haven’t been able to talk, please understand. the stories you all have shared with me about Amy have given me the strength and courage I’ve needed to get through this past week. please keep them coming, we’ve still got a long road ahead of us. i’m asking each and every one of you to keep my family in your prayers, especially our sweet Mama, Becky Raborn Davidson.

Amy’s services will be held at McKneely Funeral Home in Amite, Louisiana on Friday, December 20th from 4pm until 6pm. I welcome everyone to come celebrate my sister’s life with us and remember all the amazing things about “Nurse Amy”! she was one of a kind and to know her was to love her and to love her was nothing shy of a wild and crazy rollercoaster ride… that’s my big seesterrr. ♥️ #rollonrollercoaster #NurseAmy 😇

 

 

 

Scripture Writing – Luke 1: 35-38

 

 

 

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering – For those who choose to give via using a card, here is a link.

https://www.imb.org/give-now/?projectid=f9lmco

 

 

 

Luke 19

Zacchaeus meets Jesus

1 Jesus went into Jericho and he was walking through the city. 2 There was a man there called Zacchaeus. He was a leader of the men who took taxes on behalf of the government. He had become very rich. 3 He was trying to see who Jesus was. There was a big crowd there and he was a small man. So he could not see Jesus. 4 He ran on in front of the crowd and he climbed up a tree. He could see Jesus more easily from the tree, because Jesus would walk along that way. 5 When Jesus came to the tree, he looked up at Zacchaeus. He said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down quickly. Today I must stay in your home.’

6 So Zacchaeus came down immediately and took Jesus into his home. He was very happy about this. 7 The people saw what had happened. They were not happy, and they were saying, ‘Jesus has gone to stay in the home of a man that does bad things.’

8 Later, Zacchaeus stood up in front of everyone. He said to the Lord Jesus, ‘Listen, Master! I will give half of all the things that I have to poor people. I may have taken too much money from some people. I will give back to them four times as much as I took from them wrongly.’

9 Jesus said to him, ‘Today God has saved people in this home. Now Zacchaeus also belongs to the family of Abraham. 10 I, the Son of Man, came to look for people who are far away from God. They are in danger and I have come to save them.’

Jesus tells a story about 10 servants

11 While the people were still listening, Jesus told them a story. He did this because the people had wrong thoughts. He was now getting near to Jerusalem. So the people with him were thinking that God would begin to rule his people immediately.

12 Jesus said to them, ‘An important man left his home and he travelled a long way to another country. There he would receive authority to rule his own country. After that, he would return home and he would be king. 13 Before he left, he asked 10 of his servants to come to him. He gave each of them 10 pounds of silver. “Use this money to get more money for me while I am away,” he said.

14 But the people who were living in his country did not like the man. So, they sent some of their people to the foreign country with a message. They said, “We do not want this man to rule over us.”

15 Then the man returned home and he was now their king. He asked those 10 servants to come to him. He had given them each some money. Now he wanted to know how much more money they had now. They should have bought things with it and then they should have sold those things again for more money.

16 The first servant came to him and said, “Master, your money has made 10 more pounds for you.” 17 The king was happy and said to his servant, “You have done well. You are a good servant that I can trust. You have used a small amount of money well. So now you will rule over 10 cities.”

18 The second servant came and said, “Master, your money has made five more pounds.” 19 The king replied, “You will rule over five cities.”

20 Then another servant came. He said, “Master, here is your money. I put it away in a piece of cloth to keep it safe. 21 I did this because I was afraid of you. You tell people what they should do all the time. You take things that you did not work for. You take food from fields where you did not plant any seed.”

22 The king replied, “You are a very bad servant! I will use your own words to show you that you have done the wrong thing. You say that I tell people what they should do all the time. That I take things that I did not work for. That I take food from fields where I did not plant any seed. Did you know all that about me? 23 Then you should have put my money into the bank. When I came home, I would have received my money back, with extra money.”

24 Some other servants were standing near to their master. He said to them, “Take the money from this bad servant. Give it to the servant that has 10 pounds.” 25 “But, master,” they replied, “that servant has 10 pounds already.”

26 “Let me tell you this,” the king said. “Some people have received good things. They will all receive more. Some other people have nothing. Those people will lose even the little bit that they do have. 27 Now I must punish these other people that did not want me to rule over them. Bring them here and kill them in front of me.” ’

Jesus goes into Jerusalem

28 When Jesus had said all this, he went on in front of them. He was going towards Jerusalem. 29 He was getting near to two villages called Bethphage and Bethany. They were on the hill called the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus sent two of his disciples to go on. 30 He told them, ‘Go into the village that is in front of you. When you arrive there, you will find a young donkey. Someone has tied it there. Nobody has yet ridden on it. Undo the rope and bring the donkey here to me. 31 Someone may ask you, “Why are you taking the donkey?” If they do, tell them, “The Master needs it.” ’

32 The two men went into the village. They saw everything there that Jesus had told them about. 33 While they were taking the young donkey, some men spoke to them. It was their own donkey. They asked, ‘Why are you taking the donkey?’ 34 ‘The Master needs it,’ the disciples replied.

35 They brought the donkey to Jesus. They put their coats on its back. Then they helped Jesus to sit on it. 36 While he was riding along, the people were putting their coats down on the road in front of him.

37 Jesus got near to the lowest part of the hill called the Mount of Olives. The whole crowd of his disciples were very happy. They began to praise God with loud voices. They thanked him for all the great things that they had seen. 38 They said:

‘Great is the king that comes with the authority of the Lord God!

We want all to be well in heaven. We praise our powerful God above!’

39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, stop your disciples from saying these things.’

40 ‘Let me tell you this,’ Jesus replied. ‘If these people were quiet, the stones of the city would shout out instead!’

41 When Jesus got near to the city, he looked at it. He cried because he felt very sorry for the people in it. 42 He said, ‘You need to know what would really help you. Then you could have lived without trouble. But now, you are unable to understand properly. 43 As a result, days of trouble will come to you. Your enemies will build a wall round you. They will shut you in completely, and they will not let you leave. 44 So your enemies will kill you without pity. They will completely destroy your city and all the people who live in it. They will not leave even one stone on top of another stone. You did not understand that God had come to save you at this time. That is why these bad things will happen to you.’

Jesus teaches in God’s Great House

45 Jesus went into the yard of God’s Great House. Some people were selling things there. He began to make them all leave that place. 46 He said to them, ‘The Bible says, “God’s house will be a place where people come to pray.” But you have changed it into a place where robbers meet.’

47 Jesus was teaching every day in God’s Great House. The leaders of the priests and teachers of God’s Law wanted to kill him. Some other important people also wanted to kill him. 48 But all the people were listening to him very well. They wanted to hear everything that he was saying. So, those leaders did not know how they could kill him.

 

 

 

Spread some Christmas cheer today.  Help someone to learn about the reason we are celebrating Christmas.

Anna Lee

Wednesday

“Mary was engaged to Joseph, but before they were married, she found out that she was going to have a baby by the Holy Spirit.

Joseph was a man who always did what was right, but he did not want to disgrace Mary publicly; so he made plans to break the engagement quietly.” 

~Matthew 1:18-19 GNT~

 

 

 

The bad weather that can through earlier this week left a lot of damage in some areas.  I thankful for all the people who survived the devastation.  The clean-up process has already begun.  Thank-you to the Baptist Disaster Relief that will provide physical clean up and other help, especially spiritual help for people in a time of great need.  Please pray for them as they reach out to help others.  Your financial help is also appreciated.

https://louisianabaptists.org/disasterrelief

 

 

Macy Lee‘s gall bladder surgery went well.  She is home and resting.  Thank-you for praying for her.  Please continue to do so.

 

 

 

Donald Alford will be having a lung biopsy today in Covington.  Please pray.

 

 

 

David and I were blessed with Christmas carolers last night.  They came last year.  It was with great joy I shared that David was much better than he was when they sang for him last year.  Thanks, New Zion!  Prayers have made such a difference for him!

 

 

 

Scripture Writing – December 18 – Luke 1: 30-34

 

 

 

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering – Missionary Kids are provided with $75/year to help with fees for international school when that is the best option for the MK’s.  Thanks for helping to provide that for four of my grandchildren at one time or another.  The opportunity to attend there has greatly enriched the lives of my grandchildren.  I’m thankful.

 

 

 

Luke 18

Jesus talks about how to pray

1 Then Jesus told his disciples a story. He wanted to teach them that they must go on praying always. They must not get tired. 2 He said to them, ‘In a certain city, there was a judge. He was not afraid of God. He did not respect people.

3 A woman lived in that same city. Her husband had died. She came to the judge many times with a problem. “Somebody is doing bad things against me. Please keep me safe from that person,” she was saying. 4 For a long time, the judge would not do anything to help her. Later, he thought, “I am not afraid of God. Nor do I respect people. 5 But this woman causes me trouble. If I do not do anything for her, she will continue to come to me again and again. She will make me ill. So, I will help her to be safe. I will say that she is right.” ’

6 Jesus went on to say, ‘This judge was not a good man. But you should think about what he said. He helped the woman because she caused him trouble. 7 But as for God, he always helps those that he has chosen to be his children. When they continue to ask him for help, in the day and in the night, he will answer them. He will not wait. 8 I tell you this. He will show that they are right. He will help them quickly. I, the Son of Man, will return to earth. But will I find many people that still believe in me then, or not?’

Jesus tells a story about two men who were praying

9 Jesus told a story to teach other people. These people thought that they were very good in front of God. They thought that they were much better than other people.

10 Jesus said, ‘One day, two men went into God’s Great House to pray. One man was a Pharisee. The other man took taxes on behalf of the government. 11 The Pharisee stood there by himself. He prayed like this: “Thank you, God, that I am different from all these other people. They are bad people. They rob other people. They have sex with women that are not their wife. Thank you, God, that I am not like this man who takes taxes on behalf of the government. 12 I stop eating on two days of each week. I give to you one tenth of all the things and money that I receive.”

13 But the other man stood far away. He would not even look up towards heaven. He was hitting his body with his hands to show how sorry he was. He prayed like this: “Please, God, be kind to me. I have done many bad things.” ’

14 Jesus went on to say, ‘Let me tell you about these men when they left there. The man that took taxes on behalf of the government was now right with God. But the Pharisee had not made anything right with God. Some people lift themselves up to be important. They say that they are better than other people. But God will bring all of them down low. Other people know that they are not better than others. God will lift those people up to a good place.’

Little children come to Jesus

15 People were also bringing babies to Jesus. They wanted him to put his hands on each child’s head. But Jesus’ disciples did not like this. They told the people that they should not do it.

16 Then Jesus told the children to come to him. He said to his disciples, ‘Let the children come to me. Do not try to stop them. People must become like these children so that God can rule their lives. That is what the kingdom of God is like. 17 What I say is true. A person must become like a little child for God to rule in his life. If he does not become like a child, he will not come into the kingdom of God.’

Jesus meets a rich ruler

18 A Jewish ruler came to Jesus and asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do so that I can live with God for ever?’

19 Jesus asked him, ‘Why do you say that I am good? Only God is good. Nobody else. 20 You know God’s rules: “Do not have sex with anyone who is not your wife. Do not kill anyone. Do not rob anyone. Do not say things that are not true about people. Love your father and your mother, and obey them.” ’

21 The man replied, ‘I have obeyed all these laws since I was a young man.’

22 Jesus heard what he said and he replied, ‘There is still just one thing that you must do. You must sell everything that you have. Then give the money to poor people. If you do that, you will have many valuable things in heaven. Then come back and be my disciple.’

23 When the ruler heard this, he became very sad. This was because he was a very rich man.

24 Jesus saw that the ruler had become sad. He said, ‘It is very difficult for rich people to let God rule in their lives. 25 The hole in a needle is very small. A big animal cannot go through it! But it is even more difficult than that for a rich person to let God rule in their life.’

26 The people who were listening to Jesus said, ‘So perhaps God will not save anyone!’ 27 Jesus replied, ‘God can do things that are impossible for people to do.’

28 Peter then said to Jesus, ‘Look! We have left everything that we had. Now we are your disciples.’

29 Jesus said to them, ‘What I say is true. Some people have left their home. Or they may have left their wife or their brothers. Or they may have left their parents or their children. They have done this to work for the kingdom of God. 30 Now, in this world, God will give these people many more things than they have left behind. And in the future world they will live for ever with God.’

31 Jesus took the 12 disciples away from the other people. ‘Listen!’ he said to them. ‘We are going to Jerusalem. There, many bad things will happen to me. All the things that God’s prophets wrote down long ago about the Son of Man will now happen to me. 32 The Jewish leaders will deliver me to people that are not Jews. They will laugh at me. They will say bad things against me. They will spit at me. 33 They will hit me with whips and then they will kill me. But after three days, I will become alive again.’

34 The 12 disciples did not understand any of these things. What Jesus said did not mean anything to them. So they did not know what Jesus was talking about.

Jesus makes a blind man well

35 When Jesus was getting near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the side of the road. He was asking people to give him money. 36 Then he heard a large crowd of people as they went along the road. So, he asked the people near him what was happening. 37 They told him, ‘Jesus from Nazareth is walking past.’

38 The man began to shout out. ‘Jesus! Son of David! Please be kind to me and help me.’ 39 The people who were walking at the front of the crowd were angry with him. They told him that he should be quiet. But he started to shout even louder, ‘Son of David! Please help me!’

40 Then Jesus stopped. He said to the people, ‘Bring that man to me.’ When the man came near, Jesus asked him, 41 ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ ‘Sir,’ the blind man replied, ‘I want to see again.’

42 Jesus said to him, ‘See again! You are well now because you believed in me.’ 43 Immediately, the man could see again. He started to follow Jesus along the road. He was praising God.

Many people saw what had happened. They also praised God.

 

 

 

I hope you are enjoying these readings from Luke.

Anna Lee

Tuesday

“Let us not get tired of doing what is right, for after a while we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t get discouraged and give up.”

~Galatians 6:9 TLB~

 

 

 

Please pray for my friend Elaine Smith who was admitted to OLOL yesterday.  It seems she needs a heart procedure.  Please for for the medical staff caring for her and for her family as they await final results.

 

 

Please pray for David’s brother, Donald “Red” Alford.  He was admitted to the hospital Saturday night and had two liters of fluid drained from around his heart.  He is now undergoing tests to see what caused his problem.  Donald is in St. Tammany Hospital in Covington.

 

 

 

David was blessed with another blood level of 10 yesterday.  He did not need/get procrit.  He will return next week for another blood test to determine the need for procrit.

 

 

 

Macy Lee, daughter of Tim and Becky, will be having gall bladder surgery at North Oaks at 9:30 this morning.  Macy has lost 50 pounds in the last few months without trying to lose weight.  She has been a sick young lady.  Pray for her to feel much better soon.  Doctors have found some other issues which are also being addressed.  May they discover all the answers and have Macy feeling better soon.

 

 

 

Rev. David Luce is one of the many people who had to deal with a tornado yesterday in Mississippi.  He was home alone at the time.  His wife is fine.  The house is standing, but heavily damaged.  The last report I had from his daughter, Debbie Clark, is that he was in the emergency room. (I’m assuming that to be in McComb.) . They lived in Amite County.

 

 

 

The Dallas Operation Christmas Child processing center has processed 1,004,788 shoeboxes!  Yeah!  Praise the Lord!  Thank-you to all the packers!

 

 

 

Today I want to share three obituaries.

GLENDA BATTLES BOOTH

2nd Timothy 4: 7-9

7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; 8 in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award me on that day; and not only to me but also to all who have loved His appearing. Personal Concerns 9 Make every effort to come to me soon;

On December 15, 2019, Glenda Battles Booth passed at her home in Pumpkin Center. Glenda was surrounded by her loves- George Booth; Matthew, Samantha and Kaydance. Glenda knew it was time to go to her eternal home with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Glenda was born on March 9, 1957 in Magnolia, Mississippi, along with her sister Linda. As twins, they had a special bond throughout their life. Glenda graduated from Amite High School and SLU. She retired from the Department of Health and Hospitals.

She married her love George Booth on October 26, 1985. They shared love and passion throughout their married life. Glenda often said there was never a dull moment with George. He even kept her laughing throughout the many treatments! George was her Rock! They were blessed with children Matthew Booth and Samantha B. Verneuil, and granddaughter Kaydance Grace Verneuil.

Glenda is survived by her husband George Booth; children, Matthew Booth and Samantha B. Verneuil; granddaughter, Kaydance Grace; siblings, Judy Smith (Larry), June Doughty (Jerry), Robert Battles (Mary), Margie Davis (Gerald) and Linda Reynolds (Jerry); and brother in law and sister in law, Olen Booth and Kathryn Booth.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Clifford and Geraldine Battles; grandparents Nathan and Lucile Battles and Merritt and Berta Allen; and her father in law and mother in law, George Sr. and Bobbie Booth.

The family gives special thanks to Dr. Greg Allen and UAMS Myeloma Institute, Little Rock Arkansas.

Visitation for Family and Friends will be on Wednesday, December 18, 2019 from 5:00 pm until 8:00 pm at Harry McKneely and Son Funeral Home, 2000 N. Morrison Blvd, Hammond, Louisiana, 70401. Visitation will resume on Thursday, December 19, 2019 from 12:00 pm until the Funeral Service begins at 1:30 pm, at Harry McKneely and Son Funeral Home, 2000 N. Morrison Blvd., Hammond, Louisiana, 70401.

Interment will follow at Fendelson Cemetery in Folsom, Louisiana.

(Glenda was one of my students when I did student teaching many years ago.)

 

 

 

Daniel Hardy “DH” Goldsby Jr.

Friday, December 13th, 2019
Daniel Hardy Goldsby, Jr. “DH”, 79, a resident of Jackson, LA, died on Friday, December 13, 2019. He was a barber for almost 60 years in Jackson, Louisiana.  He sincerely enjoyed visiting with each of his customers, and on occasion would sit outside of the barbershop waving to those passing by on the street. He also served in the U.S. Army Reserve. D.H.,as he was known by everyone, was an avid outdoorsman and loved dancing and cooking. There will be a visitation at the Jackson United Methodist Church on Thursday, December 19, 2019, from 10am until funeral services at 1pm, conducted by Rev. Chris Curry and Pastor Mike Clark. There will be a 3pm graveside service at the Amite Memorial Gardens. He is survived by his son, Daniel Hugh Goldsby and his wife Mary Ann Goldsby, of Amite, LA; sister, Barbara Labatut of Gretna, LA; brother Noel Goldsby and wife Lena of Baton Rouge, LA; two grandchildren, Hardy Goldsby and Mallory Crouch. Also survived by stepchildren Patrick Herring and wife Kristi, Stephen Herring, and Dana Dileo. He was preceded in death by his wife of 19 years, Adele Goldsby, granddaughter Caroline Crouch, and parents, Daniel Hardy Goldsby Sr. and Eunice Goldsby. Pallbearers will be William Sherman, Jr., Jeffrey Boudreaux, Charles Wall, Jr., Jason Johnston, C. Kenneth Sherman, Patrick Herring, Keith Cox, and honorary pallbearer Billy Allen. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Tunica Methodist Church or the Jackson Methodist Church.

Joseph Anthony Pepitone

Hammond, Louisiana

Feb 7, 1938 – Dec 15, 2019 (Age 81)

Joseph Anthony Pepitone, age 81 of Hammond, Louisiana, passed away on Sunday, December 15, 2019, at his residence. He was born on Monday, February 7, 1938, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Joseph is survived by his daughter & son-in-law, Jackie Pepitone Mitchell and Randy Mitchell, daughter & son-in-law, Stacey Pepitone Schroeder and Mike Schroeder, daughter & son-in-law, Dawn Pepitone Ekker and Curtis Ekker, daughter & son-in-law, Keli Pepitone Pisciotta and Greg Pisciotta, son & daughter-in-law, Terry Michael Pepitone and Diane Pepitone, grandchildren, Stephen, Brent, Shanna, Ashley, Chad, Sara, Shelby, Zachary, Christopher, Nicholas, Stephanie, Jeremy, Ryan, Jake and Rahael, great-grandchildren, Jude, Harvey, Harper, Manning, Hudson, Logan, Landry, Wesley, Anna, Alexis, Lily, Grayson and Mayson. Siblings,
Albert Pepitone, Rita Charbonnet, Danny Pepitone, Brenda Lipscomb, Wayne Pepitone, and Cathy Dugas.

He was preceded in death by parents, Joseph and Josephine Nuccio Pepitone, brother, William “Buck” Pepitone, his sisters Eugenia “Sis” Ritter and Dot Lemoine; nieces Danita Pepitone and Kim Robillard; his nephews, Ronny and Billy Pepitone.

Family and friends will be received at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 255 North 8th Street Ponchatoula, Louisiana 70454, on Thursday, December 19, 2019 from 9:00 am until 11:00 am.

Services will be held at St. Joseph Catholic Church, on Thursday, at 11:00 am, with Fr. Cayet Mangriacina officiating.

Interment will follow at Wetmore Cemetery.

The family request donations be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, https://www.stjude.org/

(His son’s family members are special friends to us from our “Ponchatoula shop” days.)
Lottie Moon – Giving $350 is enough for a translation of one Bible story into sign language
Scripture writing for today – Like 1: 25-29
Luke 17 

1 Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Some bad things in this world will make other people do wrong things. You can be sure about that. But God will punish anyone who makes these bad things happen. 2 These other people may not seem to be important. But you must not make them do wrong things. Do not do that! It would be better if someone tied a big stone round your neck, and then he threw you into the sea.

3 Be careful how you live. If your Christian brother does something wrong, speak to him. Tell him that he has done a bad thing. He may say, “I am sorry for what I did. I will not do it again.” If he says that, you must forgive him. 4 Your brother may do a bad thing to you seven times in one day. He may turn to you each time and say, “I am sorry for what I did. I will not do it again.” If he does that, you must forgive him every time.’

5 The apostles said to the Lord Jesus, ‘Help us to believe more and more in God.’

6 The Lord replied, ‘You may believe in God only a very little bit, like a very small seed. Even if you only believe that little bit, you could say to this tree, “Pull yourself out of the ground and plant yourself in the sea.” Then the tree would obey you.

7 Think about this. You may have a servant that is ploughing your land. Or you may have a servant that is taking care of your sheep. When he comes in from his work in the evening, you would not say to him, “Sit down and eat.” 8 No, you would not say that. You would say to your servant, “Prepare my meal for me. Dress yourself properly and bring the food to me. I will eat and drink first. You can eat when I have finished.” 9 Servants should do what their masters tell them to do. When they do that, their masters do not need to thank them. 10 It is the same with you. The Master tells you what you should do. So when you have done all of it, you should say, “We are not special servants. We have only done what we should do.” ’

Ten men that had a bad illness of the skin

11 On his journey to Jerusalem, Jesus was travelling along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 When he was going into a village, 10 men came towards him. These men had a bad illness of the skin. They stopped and stood a long way away from Jesus. 13 They shouted, ‘Jesus, Master, please be kind to us.’

14 Jesus saw them and said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’

While they were going on their way, they became well again. 15 One of these 10 men saw that Jesus had made him well. He turned back and he praised God in a loud voice. 16 He went down on his knees in front of Jesus and thanked him. This man was from Samaria.

17 Then Jesus said, ‘I made 10 men well again, didn’t I? There should be another nine men somewhere! 18 But only this one man came back to thank God. And he is a foreign man from Samaria!’

19 Then Jesus spoke to the man. ‘Stand up and go on your way. You believed in me, so now you are really well.’

Jesus talks about the time when God will rule

20 Then some Pharisees asked Jesus a question. ‘When will the kingdom of God begin here?’

Jesus replied, ‘When God begins to rule here, people will not see it with their eyes. 21 Nobody will say, “Look everyone! God is ruling here,” or “Look! God is ruling over there.” No, it is not like that. God is already ruling in the lives of his people.’

22 Jesus said to his disciples, ‘The time will come when you will very much want to see me, the Son of Man, return to the earth. But you will not see that day. 23 People may say to you, “Look, there he is!” or “Here he is!” But do not go out with them to look. 24 When lightning shines, it quickly makes the whole of the sky light from one side to the other. It will be like that on the day when the Son of Man returns. 25 But before this happens, the people of today will refuse to accept me. And I will feel much pain.

26 Remember what happened when Noah was alive. It will be like that at the time when the Son of Man returns to the earth. 27 In Noah’s time, people were eating their meals every day. Men and women continued to marry. They continued to do all this until the day when Noah went into his boat. Then it rained for a long time and there was deep water everywhere. The water killed all the people.

28 The same kind of thing happened when Lot was alive. People in the city called Sodom were eating their meals every day. They were buying and selling things. They were planting their seeds and they were building their houses. 29 But one day Lot went away from Sodom. On that same day, God caused it to rain fire and burning stones from the sky. This killed all the people in Sodom.

30 It will happen quickly like that, on the day when I, the Son of Man, show myself clearly. 31 On that day, a person who is up on the roof of his house must not go back down into the house. He must not get his things that are inside the house to take with him. In the same way, people that are working outside in their fields must not go back to their homes. 32 Remember what happened to Lot’s wife.

33 Whoever wants to keep his own life safe will lose it. But whoever gives his life to serve me will have true life. 34 I tell you this. At that time, two men will be sleeping in one bed. God will take one of them away but he will leave the other man behind. 35-36 Two women will be preparing food together in the same place. God will take one of them away but he will leave the other one behind.’

37 Jesus’ disciples asked him, ‘Where will this happen?’ Jesus replied, ‘If a dead body is lying somewhere, vultures will come together in that place.’

 

 

 

Today, the is the “Young” Ladies Birthday Party at The Cafe at 11:00 A.M.

 

 

 

Remember the reason for the holiday we are celebrating this month.

Anna Lee

Monday

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

~Isaiah 9:6~

 

 

 

Please continue to pray for Macy Lee.  She’s seeing more doctors to learn more before having the gall bladder surgery.

 

 

 

Buddy Morris‘ cardiologist did not give an okay for surgery, so he will be having a nuclear stress test this week.  Keep praying for him and his family.

 

 

 

Amy Raborn Davidson, granddaughter of Mr. Bobby and “Miss” Fay Raborn passed away as a result of a traffic accident.  Please be in prayer for her family.

 

 

 

Baptist Press – http://www.bpnews.net/

 

 

 

Lottie Moon – $55 given to the offering can provide two weeks’ training for one house church leader!  What a great opportunity for an investment with eternal rewards!

 

 

 

Scripture Reading for December 16 – Matthew 2: 7-12

 

 

 

Luke 16

A story about a man who thought carefully

1 Jesus told another story to his disciples: ‘A rich man had a servant who worked for him. The servant took care of the money and things that belonged to the man. Then some people told the rich man that his servant was wasting his master’s things. 2 So the master sent someone to bring his servant to him. He said to his servant, “I am hearing bad stories about you. So write down everything that you have done with my money and my things. Then you must stop working for me.”

3 “I must think about what I can do,” the servant said to himself. “My master will not let me work for him any longer. I am not strong enough to dig in the ground. I would be ashamed to ask other people for money. 4 I must stop working for my master. But I know what I can do so that people will then accept me into their homes.”

5 Many people had a debt that they had not paid back to the master. So the servant told those people to come to him. He asked the first man, “How big is your debt to my master?” 6 The man replied, “I have to give him 100 barrels of oil.” The servant said to him, “Here is the paper with your debt written down on it. Take the paper. Sit down now and write 50 barrels there.”

7 He asked the next man, “How big is your debt to my master?” The man replied, “I have to give him 100 baskets of wheat.” The servant replied, “Here is the paper with your debt written down on it. Take the paper and write 80 baskets.” ’

8 Jesus went on to say, ‘The servant in the story was not honest. But his master spoke well about what he had done. It would help the servant later in his life. People that do not obey God think carefully. They know how to do well with people who are like themselves. But people who live in God’s light often think less carefully. 9 So I tell you this. People may get money in wrong ways. But you should use it to do good to those who need help. Then they will be your friends. You will die, one day. Then those people will be happy to see you in that place where people live for all time.

10 If you can trust a person with a very small thing, you can also trust him with bigger things. And if you cannot trust a person with a very small thing, you cannot trust him with big things. 11 So if people cannot trust you with money in this world, nobody will trust you with really valuable things. 12 And if people cannot trust you with other people’s things, nobody will give you things for yourself.

13 A slave cannot work for two masters at the same time. Maybe he will hate one of the masters, but he will love the other one. Or he will work well for one master, but he will think bad things about the other one. God and money are like different masters. You cannot work for both of them.’

14 The Pharisees heard all this. They loved money very much, so they laughed at Jesus. They said to him, ‘You are wrong.’ 15 Jesus replied, ‘You are happy when people like you. You want them to think that you are good people. But God sees inside you. He knows what you are thinking. The things that many people think are valuable are not valuable to God. He hates those things’

16 Jesus went on to say, ‘The books of God’s Law and God’s prophets spoke God’s message until John the Baptist came. Since then, God’s servants tell people the good news about the kingdom of God. Everyone is now trying very much to get into that kingdom. 17 But this does not mean that anyone can destroy God’s Law. One day, the earth and the sky will finish. But until that time, nobody can remove even a small thing from God’s Law.

18 A man must not send away his wife and then marry another woman. If he does this, he has done something wrong. It is the same as if he had sex with another man’s wife. Also, if a woman has left her husband, another man must not marry her. That is the same as if he had sex with another man’s wife.’

Jesus tells a story about a rich man and a poor man

19 Jesus then said, ‘At one time, there was a rich man who had very expensive clothes. Some of the clothes were purple, and some of them were soft and white. This rich man ate big meals every day. 20 There was also a poor man called Lazarus. He had sores all over his body. He lay outside the gate of the rich man. 21 He was very hungry. He even wanted to eat the bits of food that the rich man threw away. Even the dogs came and they tasted the sores on his body. 22 Then Lazarus died and God’s angels carried him away. They put him at the side of Abraham in heaven. The rich man then also died and his family buried him in the ground. 23 He went to the dead people’s place called Hades. He was in a lot of pain there. He saw Abraham far away in heaven. He also saw Lazarus at Abraham’s side. 24 So he shouted out, “Father Abraham, please be kind to me. Please send Lazarus here to help me. I am in great pain because I am in a fire that burns me. Let him put his finger into some water. Then he can use the water to make my mouth cool.”

25 Abraham replied, “My child, remember the time when you were alive on earth. Remember what happened then. You had many good things, and Lazarus had many bad things. Now I am taking care of Lazarus, and you are in pain. 26 But that is not everything. Between you and us, there is a big hole. It is wide and long and deep. There is a reason why that hole is there. Nobody can cross from here to where you are. And nobody can cross from where you are to come here.”

27 The rich man said, “If that is true, father Abraham, please send Lazarus to my family. 28 I have five brothers that are still alive. He can tell them not to do the same things as I did. Then they will not also come here when they die. They will not be in great pain, as I am.”

29 Abraham replied, “They have the books that Moses and God’s prophets wrote. Your family should read them and do what they say.”

30 The rich man said, “That is not enough, father Abraham. But if someone goes to them from among the dead people, they will listen. Then they will turn away from the wrong things that they do.”

31 But Abraham said to him, “They do not listen to what Moses and God’s prophets have said. So they will not believe God’s message even if someone comes back from among the dead people.” ’

 

 

 

“As you go” today, tell someone why we have the Christmas season each year.

Anna Lee

 

 

 

The Lord’s Day

“And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation.” 

~1 Peter 1:5 NLT~

 

 

 

 

Smiley Conerly is at home and quickly improving.  Please continue to pray for Smiley and Carol Jean.

 

 

 

Bryan Tate is at home again.  Please keep him and his family in your prayers.

 

 

 

 

New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary had graduation yesterday.  Rev. Don Meadows and Rev. Brock Burch both got their master’s degree.  Thanks to all who encouraged and supported them, especially their families and their churches.

 

 

 

Matt Williams got his PhD yesterday.   I’m thankful for him and his growing family.  His life has impacted my family is a positive way!

 

 

 

Scripture Writing – December 15 – Matthew 2: 1-6

 

 

 

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering – Support the 3,656 missionaries serving internationally for us.  They GO, we SUPPORT!

 

 

 

The Operation Christmas Child room at FBC has been totally rearranged and reorganized.  We now have three sets of storage shelving in there.  Soon there will be opportunities in 2020 to help with projects and prepare for packing later in the year.  Stay tuned.  Let me know if you would like to see the newly organized room and/or to volunteer to help in 2020.  I think we will have smaller packing sessions next year, not one big one.  Join in and be blessed!

 

 

 

Luke 15

1 One day, many bad people and men who took taxes on behalf of the government were coming round Jesus. They all wanted to hear what Jesus was saying. 2 The Pharisees and teachers of God’s Law did not like this. ‘This man is friendly with people that do not obey God,’ they said. ‘He even eats with them in their homes.’

A story about a sheep that a man has lost

3 So Jesus told them this story: 4 ‘Think about a man who has 100 sheep. He may lose one of them. What does he do then? He leaves all his other sheep in the fields. Then he goes. He looks for the sheep that he has lost. He looks until he finds it. 5 When he finds the sheep, he is very happy. He lifts it up and he puts it across his shoulders. 6 Then he carries it back home. He speaks to all his friends and to the people that live near him. He says, “I have found the sheep that I lost. So come to my house and we can all be happy together.” 7 When one person stops doing wrong things, it is like that. It makes those that live with God in heaven very happy. They will be happier about that one person, than about 99 people who already obey God.’

A story about a coin that a woman has lost

8 Jesus told them another story: ‘Now think about a woman who has ten valuable coins. She may lose one of them. What does she do then? She lights a lamp and she sweeps inside her house. She looks carefully until she finds the coin. 9 Then she speaks to all her friends and to those that live near to her. She says to them, “I have found the coin that I lost. So come to my house and we can all be happy together.”

10 When one person stops doing wrong things, it is like that. It makes God’s angels and everyone in heaven very happy.’

A story about two sons

11 Jesus then told another story: ‘There was a man that had two sons. 12 The younger son went to his father and said to him, “Father, please give me now my part of your things.” So, the father gave both sons the part of his things that each of them should have. 13 After a few days, the younger son sold what his father had given to him. Then he took all the money and left home. He went on a long journey to a country far away. There, he did whatever he wanted to do and wasted all his money. 14 After he had spent everything, there was no rain in that country. There was almost no food anywhere. So the young man had nothing to eat. 15 He went to a man who lived in that country. He asked to work for him. So the man sent him into his fields to give food to his pigs. 16 Nobody gave him anything to eat. He even wanted to eat the food that the pigs were eating. But he had nothing.

17 Then the son began to think about what he had done. He said to himself, “My father has many servants, and they have plenty of food to eat. They even have more food than they need. But I will die here because I do not have any food. 18 So I will go to my father and tell him, ‘I have done bad things against God, and I have done bad things against you. 19 So I am not good enough for you to call me your son any longer. Instead, please accept me as one of your servants.’ ”

20 So he went off to return to his father. But he was still a long way from the house when his father saw him. He felt very sorry for his son and he ran towards him. Then he put his arms round his son and he kissed him. 21 “Father,” the son said, “I have done bad things against God and against you. So I am not good enough for you to call me your son.” 22 But the father shouted to his servants. “Hurry!” he said. “Fetch the most beautiful coat that we have. Put it on him and also put a ring on his finger. Put shoes on his feet. 23 Fetch the young cow that we keep ready to eat on a special day. It is already fat. Kill it and prepare it. We will eat a big meal and we will be happy together. 24 I thought that my son here was dead. But now he has returned to me and he is alive! I thought that he had left me for all time. But now he has come home.” Then they all began to be happy together.

25 While these things were happening, the older son was working in the field. On his way back to the house, he heard music. People were dancing. 26 So he asked one of the servants, “What is happening?” 27 The servant replied, “Your brother has returned home. Your father has killed the fat young cow for him. He did this because your brother is alive and he is well.” 28 When the older brother heard this, he was very angry. He would not go into the house. So his father came out. “Please come in to be happy with us,” he said. 29 “Listen,” the older son replied, “I have worked a lot for you for many years. I have always obeyed you. But you never even killed a young goat for me so that I could be happy with my friends. We could have had a meal together. 30 But now this other son of yours has returned. He has wasted all the money that you gave to him. He has spent it on prostitutes. But you have even killed the fat young cow for him.” 31 “My son,” his father said, “you are always with me. All the things that I have are yours. 32 We thought that your brother was dead. But now he has returned to us alive. We thought that he had left us for all time. But now he has come home. So we must all be happy together.” ’

 

 

 

I hope you are reading along in Luke this month.  If not, it is not too late to get started.

Anna Lee