Category: Bible Reading Plan

Saturday

“Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.”

~Peter 1:3-4 NLT~

 

 

 

Bryan Tate is better and has been moved to the oncology unit at St. Tammany.  Please continue to pray for Bryan and Rita.

 

 

 

Kathy Smith knee replacement is doing well.  She has been released to go home.  Keep her in your prayers as she continue to heal and improves in using her new knee.

 

 

 

Scripture Writing for December 14 – Matthew 1: 21-25

 

 

 

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering – Pure Water, Pure Love – http://wmu.com/?q=article/support/national-wmu/pure-water-pure-love

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

Luke 14

Jesus goes to the house of a Pharisee

1 One Jewish day for rest, Jesus went into the house of a leader of the Pharisees. This man had asked him to come and to eat a meal with him. The people there were all watching him carefully. 2 A sick man came up to Jesus. His arms and legs had grown fat, because they were full of water. 3 So Jesus spoke to the Pharisees and to the teachers of God’s Law. He asked them, ‘Is it right for us to make someone well on our day for rest, or not?’ 4 But they would not say anything. So Jesus took the sick man and he made him well again. Then he let him go away.

5 Then Jesus asked the people, ‘Maybe one of you has a son or an animal that falls into a well on our day for rest. What will you do? You will pull the child or the animal out of the well immediately.’ 6 When Jesus said this, they could not say anything else.

7 Jesus watched how people chose the best places to sit at the meal. So he told this story to those who were sitting there:

8 ‘When someone asks you to come to a special meal, do not sit in the best place. A man that is more important than you may come later. 9 Then the man that asked you to the meal might say to you, “Give the best place to this man.” Then you will feel ashamed that you sat there. You will have to move to the lowest place and sit there. 10 Instead, when someone asks you to a meal, you should do this. Go and sit in the least important place. Then the man that asked you to the meal will see you there. And he may say to you, “My friend, move up here to a better place.” Everyone who is there at the meal will see this. So they will know that you are an important person. 11 It will be the same in the kingdom of God. Some people lift themselves up to be important. They say that they are better than other people. God will bring all of them down low. Other people know that they are not better than other people. God will lift those people up to a good place.’

12 Then Jesus said to the man who had asked him to the meal, ‘When you give a meal at midday or in the evening, do not ask your friends to come. Do not ask your brothers or your family. And do not ask the rich people that live near you to come. If you do, they will later ask you to eat at their house. This will pay you for the meal that you gave to them. 13 Instead, when you prepare a big meal, you should ask the poor people to come. Ask people that have lost an arm or a leg. Ask people that cannot walk very well, and people that cannot see. 14 Then God will make you happy. Those people cannot pay you for the meal you have given to them. Instead, God will pay you, on the day when he makes good people become alive again.’

A story about a big meal

15 The people who were sitting at the meal heard what Jesus said. One of them said to Jesus, ‘One day, there will be a big meal in the kingdom of God. How happy are those people who will eat together at that big meal.’

16 Jesus told this story to him: ‘One day an important man prepared a big meal. He asked many people to come to eat in his house. 17 When the meal was ready, he sent his servant out to tell those people, “Come now, the meal is ready for you.” 18 But then each person gave a reason why he could not come to the meal. The first man said, “I have bought a field, so I must go out and see it. Please say that I am sorry. Tell your master that I cannot come to his meal.” 19 The next man said, “I have bought five pairs of oxen. So I am just going out to see if they work well together. Please say that I am sorry. Tell your master that I cannot come to his meal.” 20 The third man said, “I have just married a wife. That is why I cannot come to the meal.” ’

21 ‘The servant went back to his master. He told him what everyone had said. Then the master of the house was very angry. “Go out quickly to every street in the town,” he said to his servant. “Bring the poor people here. Bring those that have lost an arm or a leg. And bring those that cannot walk well, and those that cannot see.” 22 The servant did that. Then he came back to his master. “Sir,” he said, “I have asked all those people to come to your meal. But there are still some places at the table.” 23 The master spoke to his servant again. “Go to the roads and fields outside the town, and look for people there. Order them all to come here, so that my house will be full. 24 But I tell you this. None of the people that I asked at the beginning will eat any of my food.” ’

What it will be like to obey Jesus

25 Crowds of many people were travelling with Jesus on his journey. So he turned and said to them, 26 ‘If someone wants to obey me, he must live like this: He must love me more than he loves his own father and mother. He must love me more than he loves his wife and his children. He must love me more than he loves his brothers and his sisters. He must even love me more than he loves himself. If he does not do that, he cannot be one of my disciples. 27 He must live like a person that carries his own cross to go and die. If he is not ready to die for me, he cannot be one of my disciples.

28 Here is an example. Perhaps one of you wants to build a tall building. Before you start to build, you will sit down. You will decide how much it will cost. Then you need to know if you have enough money to finish the work. 29 If you do not do this, you may not have enough money. You may put the first stones in the ground, but then you cannot finish the building. If you have to stop, other people will laugh at you. They will say to each other, 30 “That man is a fool. He started to build, but he could not finish the work.” ’

31 Then Jesus gave them another example. ‘Perhaps a king wants to fight a war against another king. But before he goes to fight, he sits down. He thinks to himself. “Can I win this war? My army is large, with 10,000 men. But the other king has twice as many soldiers in his army. 32 No, I cannot do it. I know I cannot beat the other king.” So, while the stronger king is far away, he will send a man to him with a message. He will tell the other king that he does not want to fight. He will ask him what he can do so that they become friends together.’

33 Jesus then said, ‘It is like that for all of you, if you want to be my disciples. You must leave everything that you have behind you.

34 Remember this. Salt is good. But if it is not salty any more, it is no longer any good. You cannot make it salty again. 35 You would not even put it on your field. It cannot make the soil good. You would just throw it away.

You have ears. So, listen well to what I say.’

 

 

 

Have a great day of preparation for the Lord’s Day.  Worship with other believers, even if you have to do it using your television, computer, or phone.  Of course, worshiping in person with other believers is the best option.

Anna Lee

Friday

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign:

The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

                                                                                ~Isaiah 7:14~

 

 

 

 

Eli Neyland will be having ear surgery on the 20th.  Please begin praying for him.

 

 

 

Bryan Tate is in St. Tammany hospital with pneumonia and dehydration.  Say some special prayers for him.

 

 

 

Scripture Writing – December 12 – Matthew 1: 18-20

 

 

 

2019 LOTTIE MOON CHRISTMAS OFFERING GOAL

The goal for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for 2019 is $165,000,000.

LOTTIE MOON CHRISTMAS OFFERING THEME

I saw a great multitude from every nation and all tribes and peoples and languages standing before the throne. Revelation 7:9

Generous giving to the 2019 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering® makes a difference among the multitudes. Men, women, children, and entire communities are transformed as a result of this offering. Your gifts enable thousands of missionaries to live among, serve, and share the gospel with people who have never heard it until now.

Every December since 1888, the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering has empowered Southern Baptist’s international missions work. At the beginning of this giving season, we start with a week of prayer dedicated to international missions, taking place December 1-8.

 

 

 

Luke 13

Stop doing wrong things or die

1 At that time, some people were with Jesus. They told him what happened to some people from Galilee. They had been burning animals as a gift for God. Pilate sent some soldiers to kill them.

2 Jesus replied, ‘Think about those people from Galilee. Perhaps you think that they had done more bad things than other people from Galilee. Do you think that is why they had to die? 3 No! But I tell you this. All of you have done many bad things. So you must change how you live and you must turn to God. If you do not, you will also die as they did.

4 And you remember what happened to those 18 people in Siloam. A high building fell down and it killed them. Perhaps you think that they had done more bad things than the other people in Jerusalem. 5 But I tell you, no, they had not. All of you have also done many bad things. So you must change how you live and you must turn to God. If you do not, you will also die as they did.’

A story about a fig tree

6 Then Jesus told this story. ‘A man had a garden where he grew fruit. He had planted a fig tree there. But when he came to look for fruit on it, he could not find any. 7 So he said to his gardener, “Look, for three years, I have come to look for fruit on this tree. But I have never found any. So cut the tree down! I do not think that it should be here. It is wasting the ground.”

8 “Master,” the gardener replied, “please leave the tree in the ground for one more year. Let me dig round it and let me put some good soil there. 9 If I do that, next year, the fig tree may have some fruit on it. If it does not, I will cut it down for you.” ’

Jesus makes a sick woman well again

10 One day, Jesus was teaching in a Jewish meeting place. It was the Jewish day for rest.

11 There was a woman there that had a bad spirit inside her. It had lived in her for 18 years and it had made her ill. Her back was bent. She could not stand up straight. 12 Jesus saw her and he called her to come to him. He said, ‘Woman, you are now better from your illness.’ 13 He put his hands on her and immediately she could stand up straight. She praised God.

14 But the leader of the meeting place was angry because Jesus had made a sick person well on their day for rest. He said to the people there, ‘There are six days each week when we should work. Come on any of those days and get well. But you should not come on our rest day to get well.’

15 ‘You are wrong,’ the Lord Jesus said to him. ‘You teach one thing but you do something different yourselves. On the day for rest you will undo the rope on your ox or your donkey and take it outside. You then give it water to drink. Is that not true? 16 Now look at this woman. She belongs to the family of Abraham. But a bad spirit from the Devil has made her ill for 18 years. It is like he has tied her up. So it must be right to make her free on our day for rest.’

17 These words made the leaders of the meeting place feel ashamed. But the other people there were very happy. They were happy because they had seen Jesus do many good and powerful things.

Jesus tells stories about seeds and yeast

18 Then Jesus said to them, ‘I will tell you a story about the kingdom of God and what it is like. 19 It is like a very small seed of the plant called mustard. A man took this seed and he planted it in his garden. The seed grew and it became a tree. It was so big that birds came and made their homes among its branches.’

20 Jesus went on to say, ‘Here is another example of what the kingdom of God is like. 21 It is like how yeast works. A woman took some of it and she mixed it into three large bowls of flour. Then the yeast went through all the flour so that it grew big.’

A story about a narrow door

22 Jesus was continuing his journey towards Jerusalem. On the way, he went through towns and villages. In each one, he taught the people. 23 One day, somebody asked him, ‘Sir, will God only save a small number of people?’

24 Jesus said to the people there, ‘Do your best to go in through the narrow door. I tell you that many people will want to get in there. But they will not be able to go through it. 25 Soon the master of the house will get up and he will shut the door. And then you may still be standing outside the door. You will knock and you will say, “Master, please open the door for us to come in.”

But the master will reply, “I do not know you. I do not know where you come from.” 26 Then you will begin to say, “But Master, we had meals with you. You taught us in the streets of our villages.”

27 But he will tell you, “No! I really do not know you. I do not know where you come from. You have done very bad things, so go away from me, all of you!”

28 Then you will cry very much because you are standing outside. You will bite your teeth together. You will see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the place where God rules. You will also see all God’s prophets there. But God will shut you outside. 29 At that time, people will come from everywhere in the world, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. They will all come to take their place in the kingdom of God. There they will sit down together to eat a great meal. 30 Listen! At that time, some people that are not important now will become the most important. And some people that are now the most important will not be important then.’

31 At that moment, some Pharisees came to Jesus. ‘Go away from here,’ they said to him. ‘Go somewhere else, because Herod wants to kill you.’

32 ‘Herod is a bad man,’ Jesus replied. ‘Tell him this: “I am still causing bad spirits to come out of people. I am still making sick people well again. I will continue to do all these things for some more days. On the third day I will have finished my work.” 33 Anyway, I need to continue my journey for some more days. If they are going to kill a prophet from God, it has to be in Jerusalem.

34 Jerusalem, Jerusalem! Your people have killed God’s prophets. And they have thrown stones to kill other people that God has sent to you. Many times, I have wanted to bring all of your people near to me. A female bird covers her babies with her body to make them safe. But you would not let me keep you from danger like that. 35 So listen! Your great house will now become like a wilderness with nobody in it. I tell you this. You will not see me again until the day when you say, “Great is the man who comes with the authority of the Lord God.” ’

 

 

 

“Shoeboxes” are being shipped from all the processing stations to places all around the world now.  I’m so thankful to have had a part in this great effort to tell others about Jesus again.

Anna Lee

Thursday

“You were chosen according to the purpose of God the Father and were made a holy people by his Spirit.”

 ~1 Peter 1:2 GNT~

 

 

 

Smiley Conerly continued to progress well yesterday,  There is a possibility the pathology report will be ready today.  Please continue to pray for Smiley and Carol Jean.

 

 

 

Beverly Blackwell is now living close to her son, John.  Her sister, Debbie said this was a good change for Beverly.

 

 

 

Buddy Morris will be having surgery on his carotid artery Tuesday in Hammond.  Please begin to pray for Buddy and Eleanor as he faces this surgery.

 

 

 

Ferrie Gene Blackmon will also be having surgery.  Hers is scheduled for January 6th.

 

 

 

Scripture writing for December 12 – Malachi 3: 1–3

 

 

 

The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering always brings to mind the tea cakes she made and served in China.  You may want to use this recipe at home or at church.

PLAIN TEA CAKE

(As made by Lottie Moon)

3 teacups of sugar
1 teacup of butter
1 teacup of sour milk
4 pints of flour
3 eggs, well beaten
1/2 teaspoon of soda

Flavor to taste. Roll thin.
Bake in a quick oven.

PLAIN TEA CAKE

(Adapted recipe for today’s cooks)

2 cups of flour
1/2 cup butter
1 heaping cup of sugar
1 well-beaten egg
1 tablespoon cream

Cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg and mix well. Add the flour and cream. Dust a board with flour. Roll the dough very thin. Cut cookies with a round cookie cutter. Place on a buttered or nonstick cookie sheet. Bake at 475 degrees for about 5 minutes.

 

 

Luke 12

Jesus tells the people to be careful how they live

1 While all this was happening, many thousands of people had come together near that place. The crowd was so big that people were almost walking over each other. Jesus began to talk first to his disciples. He said, ‘Be careful! Do not let the yeast of the Pharisees spoil you. Do not be hypocrites like they are.

2 Some people hide the things that they do. But there will be a time when other people will see those things clearly. Everyone will know all their secrets. 3 You may have said things secretly, in the dark of the night. But one day people will hear those things in the light of day. You may have said things quietly into someone’s ear, behind a door that you have shut. But one day people will shout out those secrets loudly from the tops of the houses.

4 You are my friends, so I tell you this. Do not be afraid of those people who can kill only your body. After that, they can do nothing worse to you. 5 But I tell you, it is God that you should be afraid of. He has the power to kill people and then to throw them into hell. Yes, I am telling you, be very afraid of him.

6 Think about this. People sell five birds for two small coins, don’t they? But each little bird is valuable to God. He knows about them all and takes care of them. 7 God even knows how many hairs there are on your head. So, do not be afraid of those people who are against you. You are more valuable to God than many little birds.

8 I tell you this. You should say clearly to other people, “I believe in Jesus.” If you do this, I, the Son of Man, will say to the angels of God, “This is someone who is my disciple.” 9 But if you say to other people, “I do not believe in Jesus,” I will say to the angels of God, “I do not know this person. He is not one of my disciples.”

10 Somebody may speak against me, the Son of Man, and God will forgive him. But if somebody says bad things against the Holy Spirit, God will not forgive that person.

11 People will take you into their meeting places. They will make you stand in front of rulers and other people that have authority. They will want to show that you have done bad things. But do not be afraid of them. Do not be troubled about what you should say. 12 At that time, the Holy Spirit will teach you. He will tell you what words you should say.’

A story about a rich fool

13 Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, I have a problem with my brother. Our father has died. Tell my brother to give me my part of the things that our father left us.’

14 Jesus replied, ‘It is not my job to say which of you is right or wrong. And it is not my job to say how much each of you should have.’ 15 Then he said to all the people, ‘Be very careful! Do not want more things than you really need. The life of a person is worth more than just the things that he has. Even if he is very rich, that is still true.’

16 Jesus then told them a story: ‘A man had some very good ground, where he planted seeds. The plants grew very well. When they became ripe, he had much more than he planted. 17 He thought about how much he would soon have. “I have nowhere to store all the food from my plants,” he said to himself. 18 But then he decided what to do. He thought, “I will pull down the building where I now store my food. Then I will build a bigger place to store it all, as well as everything else that is mine. 19 Then I will say to myself, ‘You have plenty of things stored safely. These will be enough for you for many years. Now you can live an easy life. Eat and drink as much as you want. Enjoy yourself.’ ”

20 But then God said to the man, “You are a fool. Tonight you will die. You will have to leave everything behind. Think about all your things that you have stored. Think about what will happen to them. Think about who will have them after you die.” ’

21 Jesus went on to say, ‘Some people think only about having many things for themselves. That story shows how those people live. But God says about them, “They have nothing of value at all.” ’

Do not have troubles in your mind

22 Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘I tell you this. You should not be thinking all the time about how to stay alive. Do not be always thinking about the food that you need to stay alive. Do not be always thinking about the clothes that you need to wear. 23 Your life is more important than the food that you eat. Your body is more important than your clothes.

24 Think about the birds. They do not plant seeds in the ground. They do not cut down plants to eat. They have no buildings to store food. But God gives them food to eat. You are much more valuable than the birds. 25 Even if you are always thinking about your life, you cannot make it go on any longer, not even by one hour! 26 No, you cannot even do a small thing like that. So, if you are always thinking about the things that you need, will that really help you?

27 Think about how the wild flowers grow. They do not do work or make clothes for themselves. But I tell you this about them. Even one wild flower is more beautiful than King Solomon was. And King Solomon wore the most beautiful clothes. 28 It is God that gives beautiful clothes even to the grass. One day the grass is growing in the field, but the next day people will cut it and burn it. God will certainly take care of you, much more than he takes care of the grass. You should trust him more than you do!

29 Do not always be thinking about the food and drink that you need. Do not have trouble in your mind about them. 30 People that do not know God are always thinking about these things. But as for you, your Father God knows that you need them. 31 Instead, always think about the things that are important in the kingdom of God. Then he will also give you the things that you need each day.

32 You are only a small group of people, but do not be afraid. Your Father God has given his kingdom to you. He is happy to do that. 33 So, sell what you have and give the money to poor people. Then you will have valuable things in heaven. That is like keeping your money in a bag that will never have a hole in it. There, the value of your things will never decrease. Nobody can take them from you. Insects can not destroy them there. 34 Then you will be thinking a lot about heaven, because that is where you keep your valuable things.’

Be ready for Jesus to return

35 Jesus said, ‘Always be ready for my return. Be like people that are ready to start work at any time. They have put on their clothes so that they are ready for work. And they have lit their lamps. 36 You must be like servants that are waiting for their master to arrive. When he returns home from the marriage party, he will knock on the door. His servants should be ready to open it for him immediately. 37 Those servants will be very happy if their master finds them awake. Then the master will dress himself to give them food. He will say to them, “Sit at the table. I will come to serve you.”

38 The master may arrive in the middle of the night. He may even arrive just before the sun rises. But, if the master finds them awake and ready, the servants will be happy.

39 You can be sure about this. The master of a house does not know when a man might come to rob him. If he knew the time, he would keep awake. He would not let the robber come into his house and take away his things.

40 You also must be ready. The Son of Man will come at a time when you are not thinking about it.’

Be a good servant

41 Peter asked Jesus, ‘Master, are you only telling this story to us, your disciples? Or is this story for everyone to hear?’

42 Jesus replied, ‘Be a wise servant. Be someone that the master can trust. The master will choose a man like that. He will say to him, “I want you to rule my house and the other servants. Give them the food that they need at the right time.” 43 That servant will be very happy when his master comes home. His master will see that he has done everything well. 44 Let me tell you what will happen. The master will give that servant authority to rule over everything in his house. 45 But another servant might say to himself, “My master is very late. He will not come yet.” Then he begins to hit the other servants, both the men and the women. He eats too much, and he drinks too much. He even becomes drunk. 46 Then the master of that servant will come home and he will surprise the servant. He did not think that his master would come home on that day or at that time. Then the master will punish that servant a lot. He will put the servant with those people that do not obey him.

47 A servant may know what his master wants him to do. Then he should prepare himself and do that. If he does not, his master will punish him very much. He will hit him a lot. 48 But another servant perhaps does not know what his master wants him to do. So he does wrong things. The master will punish him because he did those wrong things. But he will not hit him as much. If God gives a lot to somebody, he will want a lot back in return. And God will want much more from the person to whom he has given authority over much more.

49 I came to start a fire on earth. I would be happy if that fire were already burning. 50 I have a baptism of pain to receive. I cannot rest until this has happened.

51 I did not come into the world so that everyone will agree with each other. No, I tell you. I came to put people against one another. 52 From now on, because of me, five people in a family will be against each other. Two people will be against the other three. Three of them will be against the other two. 53 They will not agree together. The father will be against his son and the son will be against his father. The mother will be against her daughter and the daughter will be against her mother. The mother will be against her son’s wife. And the son’s wife will be against her husband’s mother.’

54 Then Jesus said to the crowd, ‘If you see a cloud that is rising in the west, immediately you say, “It will rain.” And the rain does come. 55 Sometimes you see that the south wind is blowing. So you say, “It will be very hot weather.” And the hot weather does come. 56 You are hypocrites! You look at the earth and the sky, and you know what weather will come. So look at the special things that are happening near you now. They show you what will soon happen. But you do not understand what they are showing you. Why not?

57 You should know what is right. And you should do it. 58 This may happen to you: Someone says, “You have done something wrong against me.” So he takes hold of you to go to the judge. Before you arrive at the office of the judge, try to agree with this man how to make things right again. If you do not agree together about the problem, it may be bad for you. The judge will give you to his officer. The officer will put you in prison. 59 I tell you. You will remain in prison until you have paid all the money, even the last small coin.’

 

 

Thanks for reading TPL today.  Please take time now to pray for the needs I have listed here and other needs you may be aware of.  If you want me so share a need, please send it to me by using the “contact” link on this page.  Thanks!

Anna Lee

 

Wednesday

“It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger.

He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible” 

~Hebrews 11:27 NLT~

 

 

 

Smiley Conerly called yesterday morning from the hospital.  He was doing well and looking forward to a regular room and possibly coming home tomorrow.  Keep praying for him.

 

 

 

Kathy Smith, Bro. Danny’s wife, had knee surgery yesterday.  Pray for a good recovery for her.

 

 

 

Hudson Hobgood, the baby we have been praying for and who recently had heart surgery, got to go home yesterday after 96 days in the hospital.  This family needs more prayers as the family makes adjustments to changes for him.

 

 

 

Scripture Writing – December 11 – Psalm 95: 1-7

 

 

 

The SBC reported these statistics.

MISSION BOARD REPORTS

The International Mission Board (IMB) and North American Mission Board (NAMB) assist churches in evangelizing, discipling, and planting reproducing churches in our nation and around the world in fulllment of the Great Commission.

Overseas missionaries
reported by IMB, 8/30/2019		 3,714
Unengaged Unreached People Groups
reported by IMB, 9/4/2019		 3,176
Domestic missionaries
reported by NAMB in the 2019 Book of Reports		 5,097
New churches planted
reported by NAMB in the 2019 Book of Reports		 624
Existing churches joining with the SBC
reported by NAMB in the 2019 Book of Reports		 254
These numbers help us to realize the importance of the Lottie Moon offering to support the IMB missionaries.

Luke 11

Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray

1 One day, Jesus was praying in a certain place. He finished praying. Then, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Master, John taught his disciples how to pray. Please teach us as he did.’

2 Jesus replied, ‘When you pray, you should say this:

“God, our Father, you are great. We want people to praise your name.

We want the day when you rule everyone to come soon.

3 Please give to us the food that we need each day.

4 Forgive us for our sins,

because we also forgive everyone who has done wrong things against us.

And do not let us agree to do wrong things.” ’

5 Jesus then told a story to teach them how to pray. He said, ‘Let me tell you about someone who goes to a friend’s home at midnight. “My friend,” he says, “please give me three loaves of bread. 6 A friend of mine is on a journey and he has arrived at my house. But I have no food to give him.” 7 But his friend answers from inside his house. He says, “Do not cause problems for me! I have locked my door. My children and I have gone to bed. So I cannot get up and give you any bread.” ’

8 Jesus went on to say, ‘I will tell you what will happen. Perhaps your friend will not give you anything just because you are good friends. But if you continue to knock and ask for bread, your friend will get up. He will give you bread, as much as you need.

9 So I tell you this. Continue to ask God for what you need. Then God will give it to you. Continue to look for what you need. Then you will find it. Continue to knock at the door and God will open it for you. 10 Everyone that asks for something will receive it. Everyone that looks for something will find it. God will open the door for everyone that knocks on it. 11 Some of you are fathers. If your son asks you for a fish, you would not give him a snake instead. 12 If he asks you for an egg, you would not give him something dangerous. 13 You are bad. But even you know how to give good things to your children. Your Father in heaven knows much better than you do how to give good things to his children. So he will give the Holy Spirit to everyone who asks him.’

Jesus teaches about the Devil

14 One day, Jesus was telling a bad spirit to go out of a man. Because of the bad spirit, the man could not speak. But after it had gone out of him, the man could speak again. All the people that were watching were surprised at this. 15 But some people in the crowd were not happy with Jesus and they said, ‘This man can send bad spirits out of people because Beelzebul gives him authority. That is Satan, the one who rules all the bad spirits.’

16 Some other people wanted to see if God had really sent Jesus. So they asked him, ‘Do something powerful for us to see. Then we will know that God has really sent you.’

17 But Jesus knew what those people were thinking. He said to them, ‘If armies in a country start to fight each other, they will destroy their own country. If people in one family fight against each other, they will destroy their own family. 18 So Satan would not fight against himself. If he did that, it would be the end of his kingdom. But you say that Satan helps me to destroy bad spirits. 19 If that is true, what do you say about your own disciples? They also send bad spirits out of people. You would not say that it is Satan’s power that helps them. So your own people show that you are wrong about this. 20 When I send bad spirits out of people, I use the power of God. This shows that God has come to rule among you.

21 When a strong man has all the weapons he needs to fight with, he can take care of his own house. Nobody will be able to rob him of the things inside his house. 22 But someone may come who is stronger than he is. The stronger man will attack him and beat him. The strong man believed his weapons would keep him safe. But the stronger man will take his weapons away. He will take the strong man’s things and give them to other people.

23 If someone does not agree to help me, he is really against me. You should work with me to bring people to me for help. If you do not do that, you are really making people run away from me.’

24 Jesus went on to say, ‘When a bad spirit goes out of a person, it travels through dry places. It looks for a new place to live. But maybe it does not find anywhere. So, it says to itself, “I will return to the place where I lived before.” 25 It goes back to that person. It finds that the place is empty. Everything there is now good and clean. 26 So the bad spirit goes out and it brings back seven other spirits. They are even worse than itself. They all go into the person and they live there. Now the person’s life is even worse than it was before.’

27 While Jesus was saying this, a woman in the crowd shouted out. ‘How happy is the woman that gave birth to you! How happy is the woman that fed you from her breasts!’

28 Jesus replied, ‘How happy, rather, are the people that hear the message from God. That is if they obey it.’

Jesus talks about Jonah

29 The crowd round Jesus was growing very large, so he began to speak to them. ‘The people that are alive today are very bad,’ he said. ‘They want God to show them something powerful. But God will not do this for them. They will only see the same powerful thing that God did for Jonah. 30 Jonah showed God’s power to the people who lived in Nineveh. They knew that God had sent him. In the same way the Son of Man will show God’s power to the people that are living today. Then they will know that God has sent me.

31 Also, the queen of Sheba travelled a long way to see King Solomon. She wanted to hear his wise words. When God judges everyone, she will stand up. She will speak against you who are alive today. She will show that you are bad people. She listened to King Solomon. But look! There is someone here now who is greater than Solomon was.

32 When God judges everyone, the people who lived in Nineveh will be there. They will stand up and they will speak against you. They will show that the people who are alive today are bad. When Jonah spoke to the people in Nineveh long ago, they stopped doing bad things. But look! There is someone here now who is greater than Jonah was.’

Jesus talks about being full of light

33 Jesus went on to say, ‘When someone lights a lamp, he does not hide it. Nor does he put it under a pot. Instead, he puts it in a high place. Then other people who come into the room can see the light from the lamp. 34 Your eyes are like lamps, and your body is like a room. Make sure that your eyes are like a clean lamp, then your whole body will have light. But if your eyes are dirty, your whole body will be completely in the dark. 35 So, you must be careful. Be sure that you really have light in you. Be sure that you are not still in the dark. 36 Your whole body needs to have lots of light. Nothing dark should be there. It will be as if a lamp is shining its bright light on you.’

37 While Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to eat a meal with him. So, Jesus went to the Pharisee’s house and he sat down at the table. 38 Jesus did not wash his hands before he ate the meal. This surprised the Pharisee. 39 So the Lord Jesus said to him, ‘You Pharisees are like someone who only cleans the outside of his cup and his plate. You only clean the part that people can see. But inside, your mind is full of bad thoughts. You like to take things from other people. 40 What fools you are! God made the inside of you as well as the outside. He knows all about you. 41 So be ready to give things to poor people. Then you will be really clean, on the inside as well as the outside.

42 It will be bad for you Pharisees! When you grow little plants to cook with food, you give a part to God. One tenth belongs to God. You are right to obey this rule. But you do not do the most important things. You do not help people in a good way. You do not really love God. You should have done the important things as well as the other little things.

43 Yes, it will be bad for you Pharisees! You like to sit in the best seats in the meeting place. And you like people to praise you in the market place like an important person.

44 It will be very bad for you. You want to seem good to other people, but you are bad on the inside. You are like a place where they have buried a dead person. People walk on that place because they do not know that there is a dead person there.’

45 Then a teacher of God’s Law spoke out. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘when you say these things, you are also saying bad things about us.’

46 Jesus replied, ‘It will be bad for you teachers of God’s Law as well. You give rules to people to obey. Those rules are like things that are too heavy for people to carry. You do not even help people to carry them. Not even with one finger do you help them!

47 Yes, it will be bad for you! A long time ago, your ancestors killed God’s prophets. Now, you build up beautiful stones to show the place where they buried them. 48 You know that your ancestors killed the prophets. Now you build up the places where they buried them. So you show that you agree with your ancestors. You agree with what they did. 49 God is wise. Because you do not obey what is true, he said, “I will send my prophets and apostles to go to them. But they will kill some of my servants. They will hurt others of them.” 50 Since the beginning of the world, people have killed God’s prophets. But God will punish the people who are alive today for all those murders. 51 Abel was the first to die like this and Zechariah was the last. They even killed Zechariah in the yard of God’s Great House, near the altar. Yes, God will punish the people who are alive today for all those murders.

52 It will be bad for you teachers of God’s Law! You have studied God’s message. But you do not then accept it. You have also stopped people who really wanted to know God’s message. Then they could not go on to accept it and go into God’s kingdom.’

53 Then Jesus left that place. The Pharisees and the teachers of God’s Law were angry against Jesus. They were asking him many difficult questions. 54 They wanted to make him say something wrong. Then they could take hold of him.

 

 

 

I hope you are keeping up with the readings from Luke.  If not, it is never too late to go to Luke 1 and to begin reading.

Anna Lee

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monday

4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared,

5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,

6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior,

7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

                                                                                       Titus 3:4-7

 

 

 

 

Smiley Conerly will be having surgery first thing this morning at Hattisburg.  Please pray for Smiley, the medical staff working with him, and for his family.

 

 

 

Scripture Writing – December 9 – Psalm 72: 8-14

 

 

 

Lottie Moon

Charlotte Digges “Lottie” Moon
Lottie Moon-1.jpg

Missionary to China
Born December 12, 1840

Albemarle County, Virginia
Died December 24, 1912 (aged 72)

Kobe Harbor, Japan
Religion Southern Baptist

 

Luke 9

Jesus sends out the 12 apostles

1 Jesus asked his 12 disciples to come to him. He gave them power to make sick people well. He also gave them authority to send bad spirits out of people. 2 Then he sent them out to tell people about the kingdom of God. He told them that they should also make sick people well again. 3 He said to them, ‘Do not take anything for your journey. Do not take a stick, or a bag, or food. Do not take any money. Do not take extra clothes. 4 In each town, continue to stay at the first house that you go into. Stay there until you leave that town. 5 In some towns, the people will not accept you. You should leave that place. Clean that town’s dirt from your feet. Then it will be clear that they have done something wrong.’

6 Then the apostles started out. They were going from one village to another. In every place they told people the good news about Jesus and they made sick people well.

A ruler hears about Jesus

7 People told the ruler, Herod, about all the things that were happening. His mind was confused because people were saying lots of different things about Jesus. Some people were saying, ‘John the Baptist died but now he has become alive again.’ 8 Other people were saying, ‘It is Elijah that has come back.’ Some other people were saying, ‘This is one of God’s prophets who lived a long time ago. Now he has become alive again.’

9 Herod said, ‘I sent a soldier to cut off John’s head. So who is this man? I hear many things about him.’ After that, Herod was trying to meet Jesus.

Jesus feeds 5,000 men and their families

10 The 12 apostles that Jesus had sent out returned. They told him what they had done. Then he took them away from the crowd, so that he could be alone with them. They went to a town called Bethsaida. 11 But the crowds found out about this. So they went to find Jesus. When he saw the crowds coming, he received them well. He taught them about the kingdom of God. Some sick people were there and he made them well again.

12 When it was nearly evening, the 12 apostles came to Jesus. ‘There are no houses in this place,’ they said. ‘Send the crowd away now. Tell them to go to the villages and farms near here. Then they can get food to eat and they can find a place to sleep.’

13 Jesus said to them, ‘You should give them some food to eat.’

But the disciples said, ‘We only have five loaves of bread and two fish. Do you want us to go and buy food for all these people?’ 14 There were about 5,000 men in the crowd.

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Tell the people that they should sit down on the ground in groups. There should be about 50 people in each group.’

15 So they did this. When the people had sat down, 16 Jesus took the five loaves of bread and the two fish. Then he looked up towards heaven and he thanked God for the food. He broke the bread into pieces. He gave the pieces of bread to the disciples, and they gave the bread to the crowd. 17 Everybody ate and they all had enough food. They were not hungry any more. Then the disciples picked up all the bits of food that people had not eaten. They filled 12 baskets with little bits of food.

Peter says who Jesus is

18 One day, Jesus was alone and he was praying. The disciples came up to him. Jesus asked them, ‘When the crowds talk about me, who do they say that I am?’

19 They replied, ‘Some people say that you are John the Baptist. Other people say that you are Elijah. And some other people say that you are one of God’s prophets from long ago. They think that this prophet has become alive again.’

20 ‘But what do you think?’ Jesus then asked them. ‘Who do you say that I am?’

Peter replied, ‘You are the Messiah. God has sent you.’

21 Jesus spoke very strongly to them. He told them that they must not tell anyone about this.

22 He went on to say, ‘They will cause the Son of Man to have great pain. The important Jews, the leaders of the priests and the teachers of God’s Law will be against him. People will kill him, but three days later God will cause him to become alive again.’

23 Then Jesus said to all the people that were there, ‘A person who wants to be my disciple must not think about himself. He must decide that his own life is not important. Every day he must be like someone who carries his own cross to go and die. Then he may come with me and be my disciple.

24 Whoever wants to keep his own life safe will lose it. But whoever gives his life to serve me will have true life. 25 A person could get everything in the whole world for himself. But if he loses his life, this would not be any good for him. He will have destroyed himself in the end. 26 You must not be ashamed of me and of my words. If you are, then the Son of Man will be ashamed of you. One day he will return and everyone will see his power. He will come with God’s holy angels and will have the beautiful power of his Father God. He will be ashamed of you on that day, if you are ashamed of him now.’

God shows who Jesus really is

27 Jesus went on to say, ‘What I tell you is true. Some people who are standing here will see clearly how God rules. They will see that before they die.’

28 About 8 days after Jesus had said these things, he went up a mountain to pray. He took Peter, John and James with him. 29 While Jesus was praying, his face became different to look at. His clothes also became very white; they were shining brightly. 30 Then two men appeared and they were talking with him. They were Moses and Elijah.

31 They were very great and beautiful to look at. They talked with Jesus about how he would soon die in Jerusalem. This was how God wanted him to leave this world.

32 While this was happening, Peter and his friends were sleeping. Then they really woke up and they saw that Jesus was very great and beautiful. They also saw the two men that were standing near to him. 33 Then the two men began to leave. So, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, it is good that we are here. Please, let us build three huts. One hut will be for you. One hut will be for Moses and one hut will be for Elijah.’ But Peter did not really know what he was saying.

34 While Peter was speaking, a cloud appeared. It covered them all. When the cloud came over them, the three disciples were afraid. 35 Then a voice spoke from the cloud and it said, ‘This is my Son. He is the one that I have chosen. Listen to him.’

36 The voice stopped speaking. Then the three disciples saw that only Jesus was there with them now.

They did not tell anyone at this time about what they had seen.

Jesus makes a boy well

37 The next day Jesus came down from the mountain with the three disciples. A large crowd met him. 38 A man from the crowd shouted to him. ‘Teacher, please, I ask you to help my son. He is my only child. 39 Sometimes a bad spirit takes hold of him and then he screams. The spirit throws his body first one way then another and water comes out of his mouth. The spirit gives him a lot of pain and it does not leave him alone very much. 40 I asked your disciples to send the bad spirit out of him. But they could not do it.’

41 Jesus said, ‘You people today still do not believe in God. You have turned away from him. It is very difficult for me to be with you all this time. It is difficult for me to be patient with you.’ Then Jesus said to the man, ‘Bring your son here.’

42 While the boy was coming, the bad spirit threw him to the ground. It threw the boy first one way and then the other. ‘Stop!’ Jesus said to it. He then made the boy well and he gave him back to his father.

43 Everybody was very surprised at what they saw. They knew that God was very powerful.

Jesus speaks again about his death

The people were still thinking with surprise about everything that Jesus was doing. Then he began to talk to his disciples. 44 He said to them, ‘Do not forget what I am telling you now. Soon they will deliver the Son of Man to powerful people to kill him.’ 45 But they did not understand what Jesus had said. It was still a secret, so they could not understand what he meant. But they were afraid to ask him, ‘What do you mean?’

Who will be the most important?

46 Then the disciples began to argue with each other. They argued about which of them was the most important. 47 Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he took a child and he made him stand there at his side. 48 Jesus said, ‘If someone accepts this child because of me, then he also accepts me. And anyone who accepts me also accepts my Father God, who sent me. The person who makes himself the least important among you is really the greatest.’

49 John then said, ‘Teacher, we saw a man who was speaking to people that had bad spirits in them. He was saying, “Jesus says that you must come out.” We told the man that he must not do this. We said that because he is not in our group.’

50 ‘Do not try to stop him,’ Jesus said, ‘If someone is not against you, he is really working with you.’

People in a village in Samaria do not accept Jesus

51 Time was passing and soon God would take Jesus up to heaven. Jesus knew this, so he began to go towards Jerusalem. 52 He arrived near a village in the country of Samaria. He sent some people into the village with a message. They went to ask for a place to stay for the night. 53 But the people in the village would not let him stay there. This was because he was going to Jerusalem.

54 Then James and John heard about what had happened. They asked Jesus, ‘Master, do you want us to ask God to send fire down from the sky? Do you want us to kill these people?’

55 Jesus turned round. ‘No!’ he said, ‘Do not do that. That would be wrong.’ 56 Then they all went on to another village.

What it costs to obey Jesus

57 They continued on their journey. A man came and spoke to Jesus. He said, ‘I will go with you. And I will go with you everywhere that you go.’

58 Jesus replied, ‘Wild animals and birds have their own places to live. But I, the Son of Man, have no place of my own to lie down and rest.’

59 Then Jesus said to another man, ‘Come with me!’ The man replied, ‘First let me go home and bury my father. Then I will come with you.’

60 ‘No!’ Jesus said, ‘Let people who are dead themselves bury their own dead people. You should go and tell people about the kingdom of God.’

61 Another man said, ‘Sir, I will come with you. But please let me first go home to say “Goodbye” to my family.’

62 Jesus replied, ‘A man that ploughs a field must continue to look straight in front of him. If he looks behind him, he cannot plough well. People that look back behind them cannot work well for the kingdom of God.’

 

 

Have a wonderful Monday!  God made this day for us.  Use it wisely!

Anna Lee

Sunday

But God is wise and good. 

Wise people understand

and they show that God is right.’

~Luke 7:35~

 

 

 

Macy Lee, daughter of Tim and Beth G. Lee, will be having her gall bladder removed on December 17th.  Please be in prayer for Macy and her family as they look ahead to this procedure.

 

 

 

Smiley Conerly will be having his surgery first thing in the morning.  Please cover him with your prayers.

 

 

 

The Lottie Moon Tea program yesterday involved lots of people.  The tables were beautiful!  My favorite part was the Lottie Moon Story by my friend and co-teacher of many years ago, Mrs. Irene Lascaro.  A surprise was a father/son singing group  who sang some Christmas songs.  Many of us met the Blounts for the first time yesterday.  I think we’ll be seeing more of them.  Thanks to all you participated in the program and in preparations.  Thanks to others who just came.  It’s hard to cover every minute of the event, but let me end by saying, all together, it was a beautiful event.

 

 

 

Scripture Writing – December 8 – Psalm 72: 1-7

 

 

 

Tonight at 6 P.M., the children of FBC, Kentwood will present their annual Christmas program.  You are invited to come.  May lives be touched by this experience, especially young lives of those involved.

 

 

 

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering – Day 8 – https://montgomeryfbc.org/2019-lottie-moon-christmas-offering-week-of-prayer-day-8/

 

 

 

Today, we will read Luke 8.

Luke 8

The women that helped Jesus

1 After this, Jesus went to visit many towns and villages. He told people the good news about the kingdom of God. The 12 disciples were going round with him. 2 Some women were also travelling with them. These women had been ill, but Jesus had made them well again. One of the women was Mary from Magdala. Jesus had sent seven bad spirits away from her. 3 Another of the women was Joanna, the wife of Chuza. Chuza had authority over all the people that worked in the house of King Herod. Another of the women was Susanna. There were also many others. These women were using their own money to help Jesus and his disciples.

A story about a farmer that planted seeds

4 Lots of people were coming to Jesus from many towns. A large crowd had already come together when Jesus told this story:

5 ‘A farmer went out to plant seeds in his field. While he was throwing the seeds, some of them fell on the path. Then people walked on them. Birds came down and they ate those seeds. 6 Some seeds fell on ground with rocks in it. They started to grow. But the young plants died because the ground was not wet enough in that place. 7 Some seeds fell among thorn bushes. Those bushes grew up with the young plants. They stopped the seeds from growing into strong plants. 8 But some seeds fell on good soil. Strong plants grew from those seeds. Each of these plants made 100 seeds.’

When Jesus finished the story, he said, ‘You have ears, so listen well to what I say!’

Jesus explains why he tells stories

9 Jesus’ disciples asked him about this story. They asked him what it meant. 10 Jesus replied, ‘God has let you know what these stories mean. You understand how God rules in the lives of his people. But other people only listen to my stories. They look, but they do not really see clearly. They hear the words, but they do not really understand.’

Jesus explains the story about the seeds

11 Jesus went on to say, ‘This is what the story means: The seeds are like the message from God. 12 Some seeds fell on the path. That is like some people who hear the message, but they do not think about it. The Devil comes and he takes the message away from their minds. He takes it away so that they cannot believe it. Because they do not believe the message, God does not save them.

13 Some seeds fell on ground with rocks in it. This is like people who hear the message from God and they are very happy for a time. But they are like plants that have not grown down well into the soil. They believe in God for a short time. But when they have any problems, they stop believing.

14 Some seeds fell among thorn bushes. This is like some other people who hear the message from God. But they start to have many troubles in their minds about how they will live. They want to get more money and more things. They think that this will make them happy. So they do not let God’s message change them. They are like plants that do not grow into strong plants.

15 But some seed fell on good soil. This is like other people that hear the message from God. They understand the message and they keep it in their minds. They are good and honest. They continue to believe and do not go back. These people are like a good plant that grows well and makes lots of new seeds.’

16 Jesus went on to say, ‘People do not light a lamp and then cover it. They do not put the lamp under a pot or under a bed. Instead, they put it in a high place. Then other people that come into the room can see the light from the lamp.

17 God hides some things now. But there will be a time when people will see them. God keeps some things secret now. But there will be a time when people will understand those things clearly.

18 So you should think carefully about what you hear. The person who has received some things will receive more. But some other people have nothing. They think that they have a little bit. But they will lose even that.’

The mother and brothers of Jesus come to see him

19 Then Jesus’ mother and his brothers came to see him. But they could not reach him because of the large crowd of people who were there. 20 Someone told Jesus, ‘Your mother and brothers are standing outside. They want to see you.’

21 Jesus replied, ‘I will tell you who my mother and brothers really are. My mother and my brothers are those people who hear God’s message and do what he wants.’

Jesus stops a storm

22 One day, Jesus got into a boat with his disciples. He said to them, ‘We should go across to the other side of the lake.’ So they started to cross the lake. 23 While they sailed in the boat, Jesus began to sleep. Then a strong wind started to blow across the lake. Water began to fill the boat and they were in danger. 24 So the disciples went to Jesus and they woke him. ‘Master, master, we are going to die here in the water!’ they said.

Then Jesus got up and he spoke strongly to the wind and to the water. ‘Stop!’ he said. The wind stopped immediately and the water became flat. 25 Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Why do you not believe in me?’

All this frightened the disciples and they were very surprised. They asked each other, ‘Who is this man? He even tells the wind and the water what to do. He speaks and they obey him!’

Jesus makes a man well

26 Jesus and his disciples went to the place where the Gerasene people lived. This place is across the lake from Galilee. 27 When Jesus got out of the boat there, a man from the town came towards him. Bad spirits were living inside him. He had not worn any clothes for a long time. He did not live in a house. Instead, he lived in a place where they buried dead people. 28 When he saw Jesus, he screamed. Then he went down on his knees in front of Jesus and said in a loud voice, ‘Jesus, you are the Son of the powerful God above! We have nothing in common! Please do not hurt me.’ 29 He said that because Jesus had already said to the bad spirit, ‘Come out of this man.’

The bad spirit had often taken hold of the man and people watched him carefully. They held his feet with metal chains. But when the bad spirit took hold of him, he often broke the chains. The bad spirit then caused him to go into the wilderness.

30 Jesus asked the man, ‘What is your name?’ The man replied, ‘My name is Army.’ He said this because very many bad spirits had gone into him. 31 These bad spirits asked Jesus not to send them away to the world below.

32 There was a large group of pigs there and they were eating on the hill. The bad spirits asked Jesus, ‘Let us go into the pigs.’ Jesus replied, ‘You can go into them.’ 33 So the bad spirits came out of the man and they went into the pigs. All the pigs rushed together down the hill into the lake. They all died there in the water.

34 The men who were taking care of the pigs saw this happen. They ran away. They told the people in the town and in the villages what had happened. 35 So the people went out from these places to see what had happened. They came to Jesus. The man that the bad spirits had come out of was sitting there, beside Jesus’ feet. Now he was wearing clothes and his mind was well again. When the people saw this, they were afraid. 36 Some people had seen Jesus make the man well. They told the other people how he had done this. 37 Then all the Gerasene people who lived in that place said to Jesus, ‘Please go away and leave us.’ They said this because they were very afraid. So, Jesus got back into the boat so that they could leave that place. 38 Then the man that the bad spirits had gone out from said to Jesus, ‘Please let me come with you.’ But Jesus replied, ‘No. 39 You must return to your home. Tell everyone about all that God has done for you.’

So the man went away. He went everywhere in the town and told all the people, ‘Jesus has done very good things for me.’

Jesus makes a young girl well

40 When Jesus returned to the other side of the lake, the crowd was very happy to see him. They were all waiting for him to come back. 41 Then a man called Jairus came to see him. He was a leader at the Jewish meeting place. He went down on his knees at the feet of Jesus and said, ‘Please come to my house. 42 I have one daughter. She is 12 years old and she is very ill. She will die very soon.’

So Jesus went along. A crowd of people went with him and they were pushing against him. 43 There was a sick woman in the crowd who had lost blood for 12 years. She had paid all her money to doctors and she had no money left. But nobody could help her to become well again. 44 She came in the crowd behind Jesus and she touched the edge of his coat. Immediately she stopped bleeding. 45 Jesus asked, ‘Who touched me?’

Everyone round him said, ‘It was not me. I did not touch you.’ Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, there is a big crowd round you. Many people are pushing against you.’

46 Jesus said, ‘Someone did touch me. I felt it when something powerful went out from me.’ 47 The woman knew that she could not hide herself. So she was very afraid. She came to Jesus and she went down on the ground in front of him. She spoke so that all the people could hear her. She said, ‘I wanted to be well again, so I touched him. When I did that, I became well immediately.’ 48 Jesus said to her, ‘Young woman, you are well again because you believed in me. Do not have any more troubles in your mind.’

49 While Jesus was still speaking, someone arrived from Jairus’ house. ‘Your daughter is dead,’ he told Jairus. ‘Do not ask the teacher to come now.’

50 Jesus heard what the man said. So he said to Jairus, ‘Do not be afraid. Just believe in me. Then she will become well again.’

51 When they arrived at the house, Jesus would not let everyone go in. He took only Peter, John and James. He also let the mother and father of the girl go into the house. 52 All the people there were crying loudly because they were very sad. ‘Do not cry,’ Jesus told them. ‘The child is not dead. She is only asleep.’

53 But the people knew that she had died. So they laughed at him. 54 But Jesus went and held the child’s hand. He said to her, ‘My child, get up.’ 55 Then she became alive again. Immediately she stood up. Jesus said to her parents, ‘Give her something to eat.’ 56 They were very surprised. Jesus said to them very strongly, ‘You must not tell anyone about what has happened.’

 

 

 

Jesus is the reason for this great Christmas season!

Anna Lee

Saturday

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

~Matthew 25:40~

 

 

Charles Howell McGregor

December 24, 1939 – December 06, 2019

A resident of Greensburg, LA, passed away on Friday, December 6, 2019 at St. Helena Parish Hospital in Greensburg, LA. He was born December 24, 1939 in Clarksdale, MS and was 79 years of age. He is survived by his wife, Joyce Brecheen McGregor; daughter, Dawn McGregor Bridges and husband, Oscar; son, Jay Michael McGregor and wife, Lisa; step-sons, Gary Conleay and wife, Emily, Randy Conleay and wife, Debra, and Justin Lehmann and wife, Courtney; numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren; sister, Peggy McGregor Bourgeois; former son in law, Clayton Blades. Preceded in death by his parents, Prentiss and Thelma McGregor; son, Mark Howell McGregor; step-daughter, Audrey Conleay Lehmann; grandsons, Hunter McGregor and Aaron Cole Lehmann; sister, Marteen McGregor Ainsworth; and a special niece, Kim Brun. Special thanks to Diontrinise “Mooky” Westbias and the staff at St. Helena Parish Hospital. Visitation at McKneely Funeral Home, Amite, from 5:00PM until 9:00PM on Thursday and from 8:00AM until religious services at 11:00AM on Friday, December 13, 2019. Services conducted by Rev. Burdette Thomas. Interment Greensburg Cemetery, Greensburg, LA. Pallbearers will be Warren Hovis, Josh Conleay, Cody Waller, Quincy Hodges, III, Evan Lynn and Robert Strickland. Honorary Pallbearers will be Logan McGregor and Ryan McGregor. For an online guestbook, visit http://www.mckneelys.com.

 

 

 

The annual Lottie Moon Tea is TODAY!  

  1. Spring Creek Baptist Church
  2. 2:00 P.M.
  3. Be inspired by the life of a great missionary lady in China.
  4. Get in the Christmas spirit with carols.
  5. Enjoy sitting at a beautifully decorated table.
  6. See wonderful friends from throughout our association.

 

 

Scripture Writing – December 7 – Jeremiah 33: 14-16

 

 

 

LMCO – Day 7 – https://montgomeryfbc.org/2019-lottie-moon-christmas-offering-week-of-prayer-day-7/

 

 

 

Special December Bible Reading – Luke 7

A Roman officer believes that Jesus can help him

1 After Jesus had finished speaking to the people, he went to Capernaum. 2 A Roman officer there had a servant that he liked very much. The servant was very ill and he was dying.

3 The officer heard about Jesus, so he sent some important Jews to speak to him. ‘Please go to Jesus,’ he said to them. ‘I would like him to make my servant well. Ask him if he would come to do that.’ 4 The Jewish leaders went to Jesus. They asked him, ‘Please would you do something to help this Roman officer. 5 He loves the Jewish people. He himself built a meeting place for us.’

6 So, Jesus went with them. When he was not very far away from the house, the officer sent some friends to talk to him. He told them to say to Jesus, ‘Sir, I do not want to be a trouble to you. I am not good enough for you to come into my house. 7 That is why I did not come to talk to you myself. Instead, just say that my servant will get better. I know that he will then be well again. 8 In my work, someone has authority over me. I also have authority over other soldiers. I say to one soldier, “Go!” and he goes. I say to another one, “Come!” and he comes. I say to my servant, “Do this!” and he does it.’

9 When Jesus heard this message from the officer, he was very surprised. He turned towards the crowd that was following him. He said to them, ‘I tell you, I have not found anyone like this man in all of Israel. Nobody else believes in me as well as he does.’

10 The friends of the officer then returned to his house. When they arrived there, they saw that the servant was well again.

Jesus makes a dead man alive again

11 The next day, Jesus went to a town called Nain. His disciples and a large group of other people went with him. 12 When he had almost reached the gate of the town, lots of people were coming out. They were carrying a dead man on a mat. They were going to bury him. His mother had no other sons and her husband was also dead. A large crowd of people from the town were going with her.

13 When the Lord Jesus saw her, he felt very sorry for her. He said to her, ‘Do not cry.’ 14 He went to the box and he touched it. The people who were carrying the box stopped. Jesus said, ‘Young man, I am telling you, get up!’ 15 Immediately, the dead man sat up and he began to talk. Jesus then gave him back to his mother.

16 Everyone there was very afraid. They praised God and said, ‘A great prophet of God has appeared among us. God has come to save his people!’

17 This news about Jesus went all through Judea. The people in the places that were near there also heard about it.

Jesus talks about John the Baptist

18 Then some disciples of John the Baptist went to visit him in prison. They told him about all the things that Jesus was doing. So John chose two of them to go to the Lord Jesus for him. 19 He said to them, ‘I want you to ask Jesus, “Are you the special person that God is sending to us? If not, should we still look for someone else?” ’

20 So the two men came to Jesus. They said to him, ‘John the Baptist has sent us to you. He wants us to ask you, “Are you the special person that God is sending to us? If not, should we still look for someone else?” ’

21 At that time, Jesus was making many people well. They had many different illnesses. Some had bad spirits in them. Jesus also caused many blind people to see again. 22 Then he said to the two men that John had sent, ‘Go back to John. Tell him what you have seen. Tell him what you have heard. Blind people can now see again. People that could not walk can now walk again. People who had a bad illness of the skin are now well again. Deaf people can now hear again. People who had died now live again. Poor people are hearing God’s good news. 23 If anyone believes in me and does not turn away, he will be really happy.’

24 The two disciples of John then left. Jesus spoke to the crowd about John. He said to them, ‘You went out to the wilderness. What did you go there to see? Was it a tall piece of grass which the wind was blowing this way and that? No, you did not go to see that. 25 So, did you go to see a man who was wearing expensive clothes? No! People like that do not live in the wilderness. They have many beautiful things and they live in great houses. 26 So, what did you go to see? Did you go to see a prophet sent by God? Yes! But I tell you, John was even more important than a prophet. 27 This is what they wrote about him a long time ago in the Bible, when God said:

“Listen! I will send someone to go in front of you.

He will speak my message.

He will prepare a way for you.” ’

28 Jesus also said to the people, ‘I tell you, John is greater than any person who has ever lived up to now. But now anyone who belongs in the kingdom of God is greater than John, even the least important of them.’

29 Many people heard what Jesus said. Even the men who took taxes on behalf of the government agreed with his message. They had asked John to baptize them. They all said, ‘What God says about us is right.’ 30 But the Pharisees and the men that studied God’s Law did not want John to baptize them. They did not believe the message that God was giving to them.

31 Jesus continued to teach. He said, ‘I will talk to you about the people that are alive today. I will tell you what they are like. 32 They are like children who are sitting in the market place. They are playing games. They shout to other children,

“We made happy music on a flute for you,

but you did not dance.

Then we sang a sad song but you did not cry.”

33 You are like those children. When John the Baptist came, he often did not eat food for a time. He never drank wine. So you say that John has a bad spirit in him. 34 Then I, the Son of Man, came. I both eat and I drink. So you say about me, “Look at this man! He eats too much and he drinks too much. He is a friend of bad people and men who take taxes on behalf of the government.” 35 But God is wise and good. Wise people understand and they show that God is right.’

A woman pours expensive oil on Jesus

36 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat a meal with him. So Jesus went to the Pharisee’s house and sat down to eat. 37 In that town was a woman who had done many wrong things. She heard that Jesus was eating a meal at the house of the Pharisee. So she took a small stone jar with oil in it, and she went there. The oil had a very nice smell. 38 She went into the house and she stood behind Jesus. She was crying and she made his feet wet with her tears. Then she made his feet dry again with her hair and she kissed them. She then poured the oil out of the jar on to his feet. 39 When the Pharisee saw this, he said to himself, ‘This man cannot be a prophet from God. If he were, he would know all about this woman. He would know that she is a very bad person. He would not let her touch him.’

40 Jesus said to him, ‘Simon, I want to tell you something.’ Simon replied, ‘Yes, Teacher, tell me.’ So Jesus told him a story about two men:

41 ‘Someone had lent two men some money. He had lent one of them 500 silver coins. He had lent the other one 50 coins. 42 Neither of the men had enough money to pay him back. Then the man that had lent them the money forgave them. “You do not need to pay back my money,” he said to them both.’

Jesus then asked Simon, ‘Which of these two men will love that man most?’ 43 Simon replied, ‘I think that it is the man that needed to pay back the most money.’

‘You are right,’ Jesus said. 44 Then he turned towards the woman. ‘You see this woman,’ he said to Simon. ‘When I came into your house, you did not give me water for my feet. But she has washed my feet with her tears and she has dried them with her hair. 45 You did not say “Hello” to me with a kiss. But this woman began to kiss my feet when she came in. And she has not stopped. 46 You did not put oil on my head. But she has brought oil with a nice smell and put it on my feet. 47 So I tell you, this woman has done many bad things. But I have forgiven them. She loves me a lot, because I have forgiven her a lot. If I only forgive someone a little, that person only loves me a little.’

48 Then Jesus said to the woman, ‘Woman, I forgive you for all the bad things that you have done.’

49 The other people at the meal talked among themselves. They said, ‘Who is this man? Can he really forgive the bad things that people have done?’

50 Jesus said to the woman, ‘You have believed in me, so God has saved you. You may go now, and be happy.’

 

 

 

Don’t forget the Lottie Moon Tea!

Anna Lee

Thursday

“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance,

obeyed and went,

even though he did not know where he was going.”

 ~Hebrews 11:8 NIV~

 

 

 

Josiah Huckaby (written by his mom)

This boy was quite the little character last night! I was able to get a couple of videos of him “talking”. Shaking his head NO is definitely a favorite activity. He’s getting better at 1 syllable sounds (mostly yeah but he has started making some consonant sounds) & I even got “da” out of him last night.

Since his vent pressures are still a bit too high for him to start working with a speak valve (which changes the airflow so that air can pass over his vocal cords allowing him to talk with a trach), we have an evaluation next week to see if he qualifies for an AAC device to help him communicate his wants & needs with us while he is technically non-verbal. It will most likely be some type of tablet with special software that allows him to pick from several options on a grid. We are really excited about this opportunity!!!

 

 

 

Willie Hebert is my cousin Fran’s husband.  He has been having some health issues lately and will be having some important tests on the 12th and 13th.  Please pray for Willie and Fran.

 

 

 

Floyd Fowler continues to have issues with pneumonia.  Pray for him and his doctor as he works for a solution.

 

 

 

John Truman Causey

December 31, 1930 – December 03, 2019

A resident of Kentwood, LA, passed away on Tuesday, December 3, 2019 at The Carpenter House in Baton Rouge, LA. He was born December 31, 1930 in Kentwood, LA and was 88 years of age. He was a U.S. Army Veteran during Korea. He was a dairy farmer, worked for the State of Louisiana in the Office of Motor Vehicles, and served as a bailiff for Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office. He was a mason in the Spring Creek Masonic Lodge and a member and former Deacon for East Fork Baptist Church. He is survived by 3 nieces, Laurie G. Speed, Rae Lynn G. Simeon and Leslie G. Colvin; sister-in-laws, May Hoppe, Patty McDaniel and Nita McDaniel; and numerous nieces and nephews. Preceded in death by his wife of 63 years, Margie McDaniel Causey; parents, Derrick and Carrie Adams Causey; 2 sisters, Ruby May Gill and Ada Causey. Visitation at East Fork Baptist Church from 5:00PM until 9:00PM on Friday and from 9:00AM until religious services at 10:30AM on Saturday, December 7, 2019. Services conducted by Rev. Ernest Graham. Interment Woodland Cemetery, Kentwood, LA. McKneely Funeral Home, Kentwood, in charge of arrangements. For an online guestbook, visit http://www.mckneelys.com.

Mr John and “Miss” Margie were camping friends with my parents for many years.  We called momma, “Momma Dot”.  Since my momma passed away, Mr. John has called me “Momma Dot”.  He wasn’t confused, just letting me know seeing me reminded him of my momma.  By the way, I don’t look like her.

 

 

 

The Lottie Moon Christmas Tea will be Saturday at Spring Creek Baptist Church at 2 P.M.  Ladies, young to old, are invited to join in the special day.

 

 

 

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering 

https://montgomeryfbc.org/2019-lottie-moon-christmas-offering-week-of-prayer-day-5/

 

 

 

 

Luke 5

Jesus asks some men to go with him

1 One day, Jesus was standing on the shore of Lake Gennesaret. A crowd was pushing to get near to him. They were listening to him. He was speaking God’s message to them.

2 Jesus saw two fishing boats at the edge of the lake. The fishermen had left the boats there and they were now washing their nets.

3 One of the boats belonged to Simon. Jesus climbed into it. He asked Simon to push it away from the shore. Jesus sat in the boat and he started to teach the people.

4 When Jesus finished teaching, he said to Simon, ‘Now take the boat out into deep water. Then put the nets into the water to catch some fish.’

5 Simon replied, ‘Teacher, we worked all last night and we did not catch anything. But because you say it, I will put the nets into the water again.’ 6 So they went and they put the nets down into the water. When they did that, they caught many fish. There were so many fish that the nets began to break. 7 So Simon shouted to the other fishermen that worked with him. ‘Come here!’ he said, ‘We need you.’ When they saw that, the men came in their boat. They filled both boats with the fish. There were so many fish that the boats began to go down under the water. 8 When Simon saw all the fish, he went down on his knees in front of Jesus. ‘Sir,’ he said, ‘I am a bad man. So please go away from me.’

9 Simon said this because he was very surprised. He was surprised because they had caught so many fish. His friends in the other boat were also very surprised. 10 James and John were very surprised too. They were Zebedee’s sons and they worked with Simon. Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid. You have been catching fish. From now on you will catch people!’

11 After that, they went and they pulled their boats up on the shore. Then they left everything behind and they went with Jesus.

A man with a bad illness of his skin

12 One day, Jesus was in a certain town. A man with a bad illness of the skin was there.

When the man saw Jesus, he threw himself down on the ground in front of him. He said, ‘Sir, if you want, you can make me well again. Please do it.’

13 Jesus put out his hand towards the man and he touched him. He said, ‘I do want to help you. Be clean again!’ Immediately, the illness left the man. 14 ‘Do not tell anyone about this,’ Jesus said to him. ‘Instead, go and show yourself to the priest. Take a gift to him for God. Moses taught the people what gift to take to God when they are clean again after this kind of illness. This will show everyone that you are now well again.’

15 After this, more and more people started to hear the news about Jesus. Crowds were coming to hear him teach. Sick people also wanted him to make them well. 16 But Jesus would often go away from the crowd to pray in quiet places.

Jesus makes well a man that cannot walk

17 One day, while Jesus was teaching in someone’s house, many people were sitting there. Some of them were Pharisees. Other people were teachers of God’s Law. They had come from many villages in Galilee, and from Judea and Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was there with Jesus to make sick people well.

18 Then some men arrived. They were carrying a man on a mat. The man could not walk or move his legs. They tried to get into the house, because they wanted to bring the man to Jesus. 19 But the house was full of people, and they could not get in. So, they carried the man on to the flat roof of the house. Then they made a hole in the roof. After that, they put the mat down through the hole. The man was still lying on it. He came down in the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus. 20 Jesus saw them. He knew that they believed in him. So he said to the sick man, ‘My friend, I forgive you for the wrong things that you have done.’

21 The Pharisees and the teachers of God’s Law were there. They heard what Jesus said. So they began to think among themselves, ‘Who is this man? He is speaking as if he is God. Only God can forgive people for the wrong things that they have done.’ 22 Jesus knew what these men were thinking. He told them, ‘You should not be thinking these things. 23 I said to this man, “I forgive you for the wrong things that you have done.” Instead, I could have said to him, “Stand up and walk.” Which one is easier for me to say? 24 But I want you to know this. I, the Son of Man, have authority here on earth. I can forgive people for the wrong things that they have done.’

Then he said to the man who could not walk, ‘I am saying to you, “Stand up. Pick up your mat and go home!” ’

25 Immediately, the man stood up in front of them all. He picked up the mat that he had been lying on. He went home. He was praising God as he went. 26 What had happened surprised everyone. They said, ‘God is great and powerful! We have seen very strange and special things happen today.’

Jesus asks Levi to come with him

27 After this happened, Jesus went away from that house. He saw a man that took taxes from people on behalf of the government. He was working in his office. His name was Levi. Jesus said to him, ‘Come with me and be my disciple.’ 28 So Levi got up and he went with Jesus. He left everything behind.

29 Soon after this, Levi made a large meal for Jesus at his house. Many people also came and they were eating with them there. Many of these people also took taxes on behalf of the government. 30 Some Pharisees and teachers of God’s Law saw them there. So they said to Jesus’ disciples, ‘You eat and drink with these bad people and men who take taxes on behalf of the government. That is not right.’

31 Jesus answered them, ‘People who are well do not need a doctor. It is people who are ill that need a doctor. 32 Some people think that they always obey God. I have not come to help people like that. Some people know that they have done wrong things. I am asking those people to come to me for help. I want them to change how they live.’

33 Then the Jewish leaders said to Jesus: ‘The disciples of John the Baptist often stop eating food for a time. Then they can pray to God a lot. The disciples of the Pharisees also do that. But your disciples never do that. They continue to eat and drink every day.’

34 Jesus answered them, ‘When a man marries a wife, his friends cannot refuse to eat food at that time. Nobody can stop them from eating while he is with them. 35 But there will be a time when people will take that man away from his friends. Then they will stop eating food.’

36 Jesus told them this story: ‘Nobody tears a piece of cloth from a new coat to mend an old coat. If he does that, he will have torn the new coat. Also, the piece of cloth from the new coat will not look the same as the old coat.

37 And nobody pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does that, the new wine will tear the old wineskins. He will lose the wine and the wineskins will also spoil. 38 Instead, you must put new wine into new wineskins.

39 Also, nobody wants to drink new wine after he has drunk old wine. He will say, “The old wine is much better.” ’

 

 

 

Jesus is the reason for the season!

Anna Lee

 

 

 

 

Wednesday

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” 

~Galatians 6:9 NIV~

 

 

 

Carl Wayne Stevens, 76, beloved husband and father, left this world peacefully to be with Jesus surrounded by his beloved wife and children on December 2, 2019. He entered this world on August 3, 1943 in Magnolia, MS, born to Amy Belle and Wayne Stevens.

He is survived by his wife Nora Hodges Stevens; his children, Carl W. “Rusty” Stevens II, M.D. (wife Cherilon) of Laurel, MS, Julee Stevens Pousson (husband Mitch) of Nashville, TN, Micah Stevens (wife Mica) of Laurel, MS, Matthew Stevens, M.D. (wife Lindsey) of Tupelo, MS; his grandchildren, Ben Stevens, M.D. (wife LeighAnn), Sara Beth Stevens, Mitchell Pousson II, Madeline Pousson, Christian Pousson, Preston Stevens, AmyBelle Stevens, Eli Stevens, Parker Stevens, Sawyer Stevens, Addison Kate Stevens; his sister, Denise Stevens of Houston, TX.

He is preceded in death by his parents Amy Belle and Wayne Stevens and his brother Preston David Stevens of Kentwood, LA.

Carl owned and operated a dairy farm for 29 years while also working as a rural mail carrier for 22 of those years. After retiring and moving to Laurel, MS he began a new career as owner and operator of Daylight Donuts. Carl was an absolute joy to everyone who knew him. He was known for his wit, kindness, sincere love for and acceptance of all. He put special emphasis on his relationship with his sister, children, and each of his grandchildren. He deeply loved and cherished Nora, his one true love of over 55 years and the life they built together. He loved well and was loved well.

Friends are invited to share their memories of Carl with his family during visitation at Colonial Chapel Funeral Home, 4593 Indian Springs Rd, Laurel, MS, on Friday, December 6th from 12:00 – 2:30 pm. Services will begin at 2:30 pm with interment to follow at Lake Park Hills Cemetery, Laurel, MS.

Pall Bearers will be; Ben Stevens, M.D., Mitch Pousson, Mitchell Pousson II, Christian Pousson, Preston Stevens, Mike Moise, Terry Bridges, Larry Sanders.

In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations be made in his name to: The American Heart Association and The American Lung Association.

1 Cor 13:13 – And now these three remain – faith, hope, love. But the greatest of these is love.

 

 

 

Operation Christmas Child – Our shoeboxes were sent to Dallas for processing.  Boxes from there appear to be going to Central America, as usual, because that area is closer to Dallas than other processing centers.

 

 

 

Scripture Writing – December 4 – Isaiah 11: 6-10

 

 

 

Bible chapter to read today – Luke 4

Luke 4

The Devil tries to make Jesus do wrong things

1 Then Jesus returned from the river Jordan. He was full of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit led him into the wilderness. 2 He stayed there for 40 days and he did not eat anything. During this time the Devil tried to cause Jesus to do wrong things. At the end of 40 days, Jesus was very hungry.

3 The Devil said to Jesus, ‘If you are the Son of God, speak to this stone. Tell it to become bread.’

4 ‘No!’ Jesus replied, ‘The Bible says that food alone cannot cause people to live.’

5 After that, the Devil led Jesus up to a high place. In one moment, he showed Jesus all the countries in the whole world. 6 He said to Jesus, ‘I will let you rule the whole world. I will give you power over all these things. That power all belongs to me. So, I can give it to anyone that I choose. 7 Just go down on your knees and worship me. Then I will give you power over the whole world.’

8 ‘No!’ Jesus replied, ‘The Bible says,

“Only worship your Lord God.

He is the only one that you should obey.” ’

9 The Devil now took Jesus to Jerusalem. He took him to stand on the highest part of God’s Great House. Then he said to Jesus, ‘If you are the Son of God, jump down from here to the ground. 10 You know that the Bible says:

“God will tell his angels to keep you safe.”

11 “They will hold you safely in their hands.

They will not let you hurt your foot on a stone.” ’

12 ‘No!’ Jesus replied. ‘The Bible says,

“Do not do a foolish thing to see if your Lord God will save you.” ’

13 The Devil tried to make Jesus do many wrong things like that. When he had finished this, he left Jesus alone for a time.

Jesus goes to Nazareth

14 Then Jesus returned to Galilee. The Holy Spirit continued to give him power. Everyone who lived near there heard the news about him. 15 He taught people in the Jewish meeting places. Everyone said good things about him.

16 Jesus went to Nazareth, the town where he had grown up. On the Jewish day for rest, he went to their meeting place. This was what he usually did. He stood up to read aloud from the Bible.

17 They gave him the book of messages that God had given to his prophet Isaiah. Jesus opened the book. He found the place where Isaiah wrote:

18 ‘The Spirit from the Lord God is on me.

He has chosen me to tell good news to poor people.

He has sent me to tell people who are in prison, “You can go free!”

I must say to people that cannot see, “See again!”

I must cause people that are like slaves to become free.

19 I must tell everyone, “This is the year when God will be kind to his people.” ’

20 When Jesus had read this to the people, he closed the book. He gave it back to an officer of the meeting place. Then he sat down to teach the people. Everyone in the meeting place was looking carefully at him.

21 Jesus said to them, ‘Today this message has become true. It has happened while you were listening.’

22 Everyone was talking about Jesus. They were surprised at the good way in which he spoke. They said to each other, ‘He is really only the son of Joseph. Isn’t that true?’

23 Jesus then said to them, ‘Now you will tell me the proverb, “Doctor, make yourself well!” You will also say, “We have heard that you did many surprising things in Capernaum. This is your home town, so do the same things here!” 24 I tell you this, people do not accept a prophet of God who comes from their own town.

25 What I tell you is true. There were many widows in the country of Israel when Elijah was alive. At that time, it did not rain for three and a half years. So people were very hungry in all the country. 26 But God did not send Elijah to help a widow in Israel. Instead, God sent Elijah to the country called Sidon. There he helped a widow in a place called Zarephath.

27 Here is another example: When God’s prophet Elisha was alive, there were many people in Israel with a bad illness of the skin. But God did not make any of them well. Instead, he made a man well who was from the country called Syria. That man was called Naaman.’

28 The people in the meeting place heard what Jesus said. They became very angry. 29 They stood up and they made him leave the town. They took him to the top of the hill where the town was. They wanted to throw him over the edge to the bottom. 30 But Jesus walked through the middle of the crowd and he went away.

Jesus causes a bad spirit to leave a man

31 Jesus went to a town in Galilee called Capernaum. On the Jewish day for rest, he taught the people there. 32 The people were very surprised at the things that Jesus taught them. He spoke with authority. 33 In the meeting place was a sick man. He had a spirit of a bad demon that was living inside him. The spirit caused the man to shout loudly. 34 He said, ‘Jesus from Nazareth, leave us alone! Do not destroy us! I know who you are. You are God’s Holy One!’

35 Jesus said to the spirit, ‘Be quiet! Come out of the man!’ Then the bad spirit caused the man to fall to the ground in front of the people. It came out of the man but it did not hurt him.

36 All the people were very surprised and they said to each other, ‘Listen to what this man says! He has power and authority. He tells bad spirits to come out of people, and they come out.’ 37 So, they began to tell everyone about Jesus. Because of this, people in all the places near Capernaum heard the news about Jesus.

Jesus makes many people well

38 Jesus then left the meeting place and he went to Simon’s home. The mother of Simon’s wife was ill and her body was very hot. So, they asked Jesus to make her well. 39 Jesus came and he stood near her. He told the illness to go away and immediately she was well again. She got up and she prepared food for her visitors.

40 When the sun was going down, people in the town brought to Jesus all those people who were ill. They had many different kinds of illness. Jesus put his hands on each ill person and they became well again.

41 Also, bad spirits came out of many people. They were shouting, ‘You are the Son of God.’ The spirits knew that Jesus was the Messiah. Because of this, Jesus stopped them. He would not let them speak.

42 Early the next morning, Jesus went to a place where he could be alone. The people went to look for him. When they found him they said, ‘Do not leave us! Please stay here with us.’ 43 Jesus replied, ‘I must go to other towns to tell everyone the good news. I will tell them how God rules in the lives of his people. That is what God sent me to do.’

44 Then he travelled to many towns in the country called Judea. He went into the Jewish meeting places and taught people there.

 

 

 

Special Christmas related activities involving FBC, Kentwood this week:

  • Christmas lunch at the church this morning at 11 for senior adults
  • Lottie Moon Tea – Saturday at Spring Creek Baptist Church at 2 P.M.

 

 

 

Yesterday was assigned a title. “Giving Tuesday”.  Please don’t limit your giving to one day a year!  Give of yourself regularly and without needing a special designation.

Anna Lee

 

 

 

Tuesday

Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him.

As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.”

~Hosea 6:3~

 

 

 

Lottie Moon Week of Prayer for International Missions – Day 3 – Gospel on the Move = https://www.imb.org/lottie-moon-christmas-offering-resources

 

 

 

Emilie McKenzie‘s second arm surgery went well.  Emilie was able to return to Kentwood without a cast!

 

 

 

Carl Wayne Stevens passed away late yesterday.  His funeral services will be in Laurel.  I’ll post an obituary when one becomes available.

 

 

 

Katelyn Brooke Marcotte

April 16, 1996 – December 01, 2019

Katelyn Brooke Marcotte, a resident of Livingston Parish, passed away Sunday, December 1st, 2019. She was 23 years young, born April 16th, 1996. Katelyn had a heart of gold and full of life. She had a personality that could brighten any room. She loved to make life fun and creating memories that will last a lifetime, especially with her children and her mama. Katelyn was always happiest when she was surrounded by her family. She will forever be loved in our lives and we will cherish the memories she helped create. Katelyn will be joining her brother, Dustin Corey McDaniel in heaven. She was survived by many loved ones, including her mother and father, Julie and James Holton. She leaves behind her 3 beloved children, Bradley Scott, Ryan James, & Brooklyn Grace. She also leaves her older brother, Raymond Dakota Gill and fiancé Linda Bugg and 4 nieces and nephews, Danica, Riley, Charleigh, and Corey Gill; her older sister Kelly Holton and 4 nieces and nephews, Jason and Kalisa Andrews and Jehovah and Johanas Dillon; and older sister, Nikki Holton with a niece and nephew, Savannah Holton and Brayden Thorton; Aunt Brandi Hilbun, Kyler and Brittany Rayborn, Kristin Sincard, & Raquel McDaniel. Katelyn had numerous additional cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends who will miss her tremendously. Visitation at McKneely Funeral Home, Amite, from 9:00AM until religious services at 11:00AM on Friday, December 6, 2019. Services conducted by Rev. Larry Blades. Interment Hyde Cemetery, Chesbrough, LA. For an online guestbook, visit http://www.mckneelys.com.

 

 

 

 

 Scripture Writing – December 3 – Isaiah 11: 1-5

 

 

 

Luke 3

John the Baptist prepares people to meet Jesus

1 This report is about John, the son of Zechariah. It happened when Tiberius Caesar was ruling the Roman world. He had ruled for about 15 years. Pontius Pilate was ruling the country called Judea. And Herod was ruling the land called Galilee. Herod’s brother Philip was ruling the countries called Iturea and Trachonitis. Lysanias was ruling Abilene. 2 At this time, the leaders of the priests were Annas and Caiaphas. John was living in the wilderness. While he was there, God spoke to him.

3 John went to many places near the river Jordan and spoke a message from God. ‘You have done many wrong things,’ he taught everybody. ‘You must turn away from them and change how you live. Then God will forgive you and I will baptize you.’

4 The prophet Isaiah wrote this message from God in his book:

‘Somebody’s voice is shouting in the wilderness,

“The Lord will come soon, so prepare a way for him to follow.

Make the paths straight for him.

5 Fill in every valley and make every mountain and hill flat.

Take away every curve so that the road is straight.

Take away all the rocks so that the road is flat.

6 Then everyone will see how God can save them.” ’

7 Crowds of people were going out into the wilderness. They wanted John to baptize them. He told them, ‘You are like dangerous snakes! God is angry. You are trying to run away from him. But he will soon punish people like you. 8 You have to show that you are sorry. Change how you live. Stop doing things that God does not like. Do not begin to say to yourselves, “We are in the family of Abraham. God will surely not punish us.” Listen! God can take these stones and make children for Abraham out of them! 9 You are like trees that have bad fruit. God has an axe ready to use. He will cut down every tree that does not make good fruit. He will throw those trees into the fire.’

10 ‘So, what should we do?’ the crowd asked.

11 John answered, ‘If you have two shirts, give one away. Give it to someone who does not have even one shirt. If you have some food, give some of it away. Give some to someone who has no food.’

12 In the crowd, there were people that took taxes on behalf of the government. These men also wanted John to baptize them. They asked him, ‘Teacher, what should we do?’ 13 John told them, ‘You must take the right amount of money from people. You must not take more money than the rules say you should take.’

14 Then some soldiers asked John, ‘What about us? What should we do?’

‘Do not rob people of their money,’ John replied. ‘Do not say that a person has done something wrong, if he has not. It is wrong to get money by doing that. You should be happy with the money that you receive for your work.’

15 At this time people were thinking, ‘Is John the Messiah that God has promised?’ They were all hoping that he might be. 16 John knew what they were thinking. He said to them, ‘I baptize you with water. But someone else is coming soon. He is much greater than I am. I am not good enough even to undo his shoes for him. This other person will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 17 He is like a farmer that brings the wheat home from his field. He uses a special tool to throw the wheat up in the air. He does this to make the wheat seeds separate from what remains. Then he cleans his yard. He carefully stores all the seeds to keep them safe. But he burns everything else in a great fire that nobody can put out.’

18 John said many more things to the people. He was telling them the good news about how God could change their lives. 19 One day John told the ruler Herod that it was wrong for him to marry Herodias. Before that, she had been the wife of Herod’s brother. John also told Herod that he had done many other bad things. 20 So then Herod did an even worse thing; he locked John up in prison.

John baptizes Jesus

21 While John was still baptizing all the people, he also baptized Jesus. When he did that, Jesus was praying. Then the sky opened. 22 The Holy Spirit came down on to Jesus. When he came down like that, he looked like a dove. Then a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son and I love you. You make me very happy.’

The ancestors of Jesus

23 Jesus was about 30 years old when he began his work. People thought that he was the son of Joseph.

Joseph was from the family of Heli.

24 Heli was from the family of Matthat.

Matthat was from the family of Levi.

Levi was from the family of Melchi.

Melchi was from the family of Jannai.

Jannai was from the family of Joseph.

25 Joseph was from the family of Mattathias.

Mattathias was from the family of Amos.

Amos was from the family of Nahum.

Nahum was from the family of Esli.

Esli was from the family of Naggai.

26 Naggai was from the family of Maath.

Maath was from the family of Mattathias.

Mattathias was from the family of Semein.

Semein was from the family of Josech.

Josech was from the family of Joda.

27 Joda was from the family of Joanan.

Joanan was from the family of Rhesa.

Rhesa was from the family of Zerubbabel.

Zerubbabel was from the family of Shealtiel.

Shealtiel was from the family of Neri.

28 Neri was from the family of Melchi.

Melchi was from the family of Addi.

Addi was from the family of Cosam.

Cosam was from the family of Elmadam.

Elmadam was from the family of Er.

29 Er was from the family of Joshua.

Joshua was from the family of Eliezer.

Eliezer was from the family of Jorim.

Jorim was from the family of Matthat.

Matthat was from the family of Levi.

30 Levi was from the family of Simeon.

Simeon was from the family of Judah.

Judah was from the family of Joseph.

Joseph was from the family of Jonam.

Jonam was from the family of Eliakim.

31 Eliakim was from the family of Melea.

Melea was from the family of Menna.

Menna was from the family of Mattatha.

Mattatha was from the family of Nathan.

Nathan was from the family of David.

32 David was from the family of Jesse.

Jesse was from the family of Obed.

Obed was from the family of Boaz.

Boaz was from the family of Salmon.

Salmon was from the family of Nahshon.

33 Nahshon was from the family of Amminadab.

Amminadab was from the family of Ram.

Ram was from the family of Hezron.

Hezron was from the family of Perez.

Perez was from the family of Judah.

34 Judah was from the family of Jacob.

Jacob was from the family of Isaac.

Isaac was from the family of Abraham.

Abraham was from the family of Terah.

Terah was from the family of Nahor.

35 Nahor was from the family of Serug.

Serug was from the family of Reu.

Reu was from the family of Peleg.

Peleg was from the family of Eber.

Eber was from the family of Shelah.

36 Shelah was from the family of Cainan.

Cainan was from the family of Arphaxad.

Arphaxad was from the family of Shem.

Shem was from the family of Noah.

Noah was from the family of Lamech.

37 Lamech was from the family of Methuselah.

Methuselah was from the family of Enoch.

Enoch was from the family of Jared.

Jared was from the family of Mahalalel.

Mahalalel was from the family of Cainan.

38 Cainan was from the family of Enosh.

Enosh was from the family of Seth.

Seth was from the family of Adam.

Adam was from God.

I trust you are enjoying reading Luke.  This prepares us for Christmas.
Anna Lee