Category: Devotional

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;

and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem,

and in all Judea and Samaria,

and to the end of the earth.”

~Acts 1:8~

Lloyd Hayden called to request prayer for Chris McCulough who is very ill.

Owen Brouillette was still in ICU last night be doing well.  He as able to eat a little – the first since he was injured.  Keep praying for the Brouillettes.

Pray for Linda B. Williams as she has surgery this morning at 8:30.

Boyd Hatchel is seeing a doctor in Prague this week.  Pray for continued improvement with his health issue.

Momma seemed to be at her best yesterday when Daddy was there.  He’s doing well, but is tired.  Walking long distances has been hard on him, so we have started to get him a wheelchair while at the hospital.  Keep praying for all the family.

Henry A. Capdeboscq
(May 25, 1936 – July 6, 2011)

Henry A. Capdeboscq a devoted husband, father, grandfather and brother was born Monday, May 25, 1936 and passed away at 11:50 a.m., Wednesday, July 6, 2011 at his residence surrounded by his loving family. He was 75, a native of New Orleans and a resident of Husser. Mr. Henry was a lifetime dairy farmer in Husser.

Mr. Henry is survived by his wife of 55 years, Suzanne Miller Capdeboscq, Husser; daughter, Marylyn Capdeboscq Bevil and husband John, Mary Esther, FL; 2 sons, Henry A. Capdeboscq, Jr. and wife Stanan, Husser and Michael A. Capdeboscq and wife Hycy, Husser; sister, Gloria C. St. Pe’. Dallas, TX; 3 brothers, Camille Capdeboscq and wife Conjetta, Tickfaw, James “Jimmy” Capdeboscq and wife Cheryl, Hammond & Richard Capdeboscq and wife Wanda, Husser; 6 grandchildren, Carter Capdeboscq, Stephanie Bevil, Sean Bevil, Matthew Bevil , Alex Capdeboscq & Nick Capdeboscq; also numerous nieces, nephews & extended family.

Preceded in death by parents, Camille and Rosalie Ranatza Capedboscq.

Visitation at McKneely & Vaughn Funeral Home, Amite, Sunday, July 10, 2011 from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. and on Monday, July 11, 2011 at St. Dominic Catholic Church, Husser, from 9:00 a.m. until Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 a.m. at the church with Fr. Howard Adkins officiating. Interment in St. Dominic Mausoleum, Husser.

Pallbearers will be grandsons.

Family would like thank North Oaks Hospice and Staff especially, Gail, Elaine, Bert, Carolyn & Sister June for all their kindness and outstanding care shown to Mr. Henry.

Family request Memorial Donations be made in Mr. Henry’s Memory to North Oaks Hospice, 15790 Paul Vega MD Dr., Hammond LA.

An on-line Guestbook is available at http://www.mckneelyvaughnfh.com

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

An opinion by Jason C. Dukes

http://jasoncdukes.wordpress.com/2011/07/07/ranting-and-raving-–%C2%A0about-casey-anthony-a-few-thoughts-from-a-lawyer-friend-of-mine/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+asilivesentdaily+%28as+i+live+sent+daily%29

DENTISTS AND THE GOSPEL MESSAGE

“Open wider,” requested the dentist, as he began his examination of the patient.

“Oh, no!”  he said.  “You’ve got the biggest cavity I’ve ever seen — the biggest cavity I’ve ever seen.”

“OK Doc!” replied the patient. “I’m scared enough without you saying something like that twice.”

“I didn’t!” said the dentist. “That was the echo.”

I did something this past week that I never look forward to doing – I went to the dentist.  Fortunately, it wasn’t anything traumatic, just a routine cleaning of the teeth.  But it reminded me of something I have long believed – that going to the dentist relates to what we’re doing as a church (and specifically, what I’m doing as a preacher).  Allow me to explain.

Like many people, I don’t enjoy going to the dentist and I tend to put it off a lot longer than I ought to.  It’s not primarily because of the cost (although that’s certainly a factor).  And while some people are afraid to go to the dentist, fearing possible pain, that’s never been a problem for me.  I don’t mind the sound of the drill, or the poking and the prodding in my mouth.  No, the reason I dread going to the dentist has to do with guilt.

You see, I don’t floss as often as I ought to.  I know it’s important, but I have always found flossing to be a difficult habit for me to keep up.  And whenever I go to the dentist, I know what he’s going to say – “You’re not flossing.  Don’t you know how important flossing is?  You need to floss!”  And I want to say (but don’t), “Yes, I know.  I’m guilty!  I knew I was guilty before I walked in here.  I don’t need you telling what a terrible person I am!”

I understand the position the dentist is in.  He wants what is best for my health.  If I’m doing something that is not beneficial to my teeth, he has a responsibility to tell me.  I don’t want him to stop caring about me.  But because of my guilt, I don’t want to hear it, so my response is to simply avoid going to see him.

I wonder how many people there are who approach the church in the same way.  They know they’re not living right and when they go to worship, they know what they’re going to hear from the preacher — “You’re not living right.  You need to change your life!  This is the way you ought to live!”  Their response is to say (or to think), “Yes, I know.  I’m guilty!  I knew I was guilty before I walked in here.  I don’t need you telling what a terrible person I am!”

I’m in a situation similar to that of my dentist.  I have a responsibility to talk about sin because I care about the spiritual well-being of others.  We can’t ignore sin just because talking about it makes people uncomfortable.  But if people already feel a burden of guilt and they don’t want to hear about it, they simply stop coming to worship.

As I was considering the awkward position my dentist was in (“Do I say something and make my patient feel more guilty or not say something and show that I don’t care?”), his dental assistant found the perfect words.  She said to me, “As you know, you need to floss more.  I understand, I have a hard time with it myself.”

Suddenly, I felt at ease.  Here was someone who cared enough to tell me what I needed to hear, but who wasn’t looking down at me, criticizing me, and “beating me up”.  Instead, we were on the same level, facing the same problem together.  All it took was her saying, “I understand what you’re going through.  I struggle with that, too.”

What a difference it would make if we could all simply acknowledge to one another, “You’re not doing what’s right, but I understand because I struggle, too.”  What a difference it would make if the world could see us, not as a bunch of people looking down on them, criticizing them and “beating them up”, but as  a group of people who share in their struggles and who truly desire to help one another to live holier lives.

“Brethren, if a man is overtaken in a trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness…” (Galatians 6:1)

(and in case you’re wondering, yes, I did floss this morning!)

Have a great day!

Alan Smith
Helen Street Church of Christ
Fayetteville, North Carolina

Thanks for praying for those listed here each day.  Your prayers make a difference!

Anna Lee

“Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus,

on whom our faith depends from beginning to end.”

~Hebrews 12:2 (GNT)~

From Boyd Hatchel

Thank you for your prayers and kindness for me and my family during the last two days. Thank you to my wife and many others who sacrificed and served me during this crisis. Thank you for good medical care, rest, and the gift of life – every day is a gift.

For those of you who don’t know, I blacked out while driving our van with a IWC student leadership team on Thursday. I was out for about two minutes. Before the event, I felt disoriented and had a thumping headache. Thankfully, the car died at a place close to our home, where my wife was, and with adults in the car. I was taken to a local hospital and stayed overnight. The medical staff ran ALOT of tests and found nothing conclusive except possible severe migraines. We’ll be discussing this week about follow-up and maybe even a early departure to the US. Thank you for your prayers and support of our family. Thank you to Joe Silby, Terri McInnis, Jason Hale, and Sheila Balthaser, who stepped up to take full responsibility of an on-field student team. Resting at home…

Jimmy Schwartz

Yesterday’s test showed two blockages, the same two that he previously had surgery on.  Additional surgery cannot be done, so Jimmy’s problem will be treated with medication.  Pray the doctors can find the most effective one soon.  Pray for the family as you pray for Jimmy.

Dot Smith

Momma is still in ICU at North Oaks.  The doctors think she will be able to have surgery in a few days.  Nothing is definite yet.  For the family, it is a waiting exercise.  Please continue to pray for us.

Jadon’s Story: Test Results

Test Results Posted: 01 Jul 2011 05:26 PM PDT We got my test results back this morning. My MRI is not normal anymore. When we did it in October, they said it was normal but questionable in one area. Well like they expected my left hemisphere is were the problem is located. My right hemisphere is normal. My left hemisphere is significantly delayed with more water than I’m suppose to have and less fat. This means possible dysplasia but we can’t see on MRI due to the excessive water blocking the white matter. So we are going to come home and get a PET scan done as well as a 24 hour video EEG to see if I qualify for surgery. The neurologist didn’t give us much hope that medicine will ever help me. I have already had 2 rounds of ACTH, 2 rounds of prednisolone, IV steroids, topamax, keppra, clobazam, clonazepam, trileptal, vimpat, banzel,lamictal, and the ketogenic diet. Of those therapies 5 have increased seizures, others have done nothing, and one helped but then stopped after a while. So based on my history of anticonvulsant medicines, it is not likely that we will find one to control my seizures. We will continue to try though. With God all things are possible. He basically told us today that surgery would probably be my best option if the PET and 24 hour EEG reflect the MRI. We don’t really know what to think about this. Yes it would be awesome if they could go in and remove the part of my brain that is causing all this but it is very scary. We know that God will continue to direct our path as I continue on my journey.

Jadon’s Story: A day to get our minds off things A day to get our minds off things. Posted: 30 Jun 2011 07:47 PM PDT We decided to have a little fun today while we wait to see the doctor tomorrow. We needed to get out to get our minds off of everything. We went to the New England Aquarium this morning. We had a great time. We saw lots of fish, penguins, and seals. I slept through the seal show. I liked trying to catch the fish the best. After the aquarium, we came back to the room and took a nap. After our nap we went to Mission Hill Park. I loved being at the park. I even found some dirt to dig in while my brother played in the spash park. I’m leaving a few pics of our adventure today. My appointment with the neurologist is at 9:00 am tomorrow that’s 8:00 our time. I will update as soon as I can. Thanks for praying.

Joseph Peter “Joe” Giardina
(September 23, 1928 – July 1, 2011)