Category: Devotional

Mother's Day

Happy Mother’s Day!

  • Spend time with your mother if you can.
  • Call your mother if you can’t be with her.
  • Pray for mothers who cannot be with their children.
  • Pray for children who cannot be with their mother.
  • Pray for mothers who have lost children this year.
  • Pray for children who have lost their mother this year.
  • Thank God for motherhood.

National Day of Prayer

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=32878CaringBridge

CaringBridge

LEGACY

HER WRITING CAREER spanned three decades, from the mid-1960’s through the mid-1990’s…

She wrote 12 books and received 16 honorary doctorate degrees. But 3 years before she died of cancer in 1996, popular humorist Erma Bombeck told an ABC TV interviewer that no matter how many columns she had written, her legacy would be her three children. “If I did a bad job with them,” she said, “then everything else [I] do isn’t very important.”

Bombeck had riches and fame and the goodwill of millions of readers, but she realized that her top priority was taking care of her children.

Although no parent can be guaranteed that his or her child will turn out to be a godly model citizen, those of us who are parents must start with Erma’s attitude. Our motivation is to provide spiritually, physically, and emotionally for our children. They will be our legacy. This means introducing them to the Savior, providing spiritual guidance, praying for them, and encouraging them to find mentors who can guide them in godly living. Sometimes it’s a battle. Often it’s expensive in time and toil. But the value of a child overshadows it all (Dave Branon).

“Train up a child in the way he should go,

and when he is old he will not depart from it”

(Prov. 22:6; cf. Psm. 34:11-22; 3 John 1:4).

Posted by Mike Benson

Have a great Lord’s Day!

Anna Lee

Saturday

“Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
You have relieved me in my distress;
have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.”
~Psalm 4:1~
Daddy is home!  It will still take weeks to kill the bacteria in his bloodstream.  Please continue to pray for him and for our family.
Mrs. Catherine Yatborough’s sister and sister-in-law
Alma McNabb Ashford passed away Thursday, May 6, 2010, at Baton Rouge General Medical Center. She was 89, a native of St. Helena Parish and a resident of Baton Rouge. She retired from Baton Rouge Credit Bureau and was a member of Zoar Baptist Church. She is survived by two daughters, Margaret Bordelon, and Nola Burleson and husband Robert Burleson; three grandchildren, Debra Bordelon, Kelli Jumper and husband David, and Jody Burleson and wife Jan; and three great-grandchildren, Troy and Trey Burleson, and Matthew Jumper. She is also survived by two sisters, Marry Kelley, of Baton Rouge, and Catherine Yarbrough, of Kentwood; numerous nieces and nephews; many friends and neighbors. She was preceded in death by her husband, Leon S. Ashford; son-in-law, Ronald Bordelon; parents, George and Ethel McNabb; brothers, Claude McNabb, Frank McNabb and Fred McNabb; sisters, Emma Gardner, Sally Nettles, Mamie Allen, Moute Edwards, Joyce Travis, Alline McNabb and Allie McNabb. Visitation at Rabenhorst Funeral Home, 11000 Florida Blvd., on Monday, May 10, from 9 a.m. until chapel funeral service at 11 a.m. Interment in Resthaven Gardens of Memory. Pallbearers will be Bob Burleson, Jody Burleson, Troy Burleson, Trey Burleson, David Jumper and John Perdue. Honorary pallbearer is Matthew Jumper. The family thanks the many friends and family who have made her life so special. Also many thanks to the staff and friends at St. Claire Manor who have been so kind and caring. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Zoar Young At Heart or Baptist Children’s Home.
Published in The Advocate on May 8, 2010
Louise Violet Tate McNabb
A former homemaker and a retired LPN with Baton Rouge General Medical Center and LSU Earl K. Long Medical Center (labor and delivery), she died Tuesday, May 4, 2010, at her home in Baton Rouge after a long battle with lupus and Sjorensen’s syndrome. She was 81, a native of Tickfaw and a resident of Baton Rouge since 1953. Visitation at Rabenhorst Funeral Home, 825 Government St., on Saturday, May 8, from 9 a.m. until service at 11 a.m., conducted by the Rev. Glen Miers, of Zoar Baptist Church. Graveside service at Tangipahoa Cemetery at 1:30 p.m. She is survived by two daughters, Linda McNabb Shaffer, of Baton Rouge and St. Francisville, and Phylis McNabb Richmond, of Amite; a son-in-law, Harrison Shaffer Jr.; six grandsons, Charley and wife Michelle Richmond, of Denham Springs, Randall Richmond, of Hammond, Shawn and wife Kristie Shaffer, of Covington, and Franklin, Stirling-Alexander and Christopher Shaffer; great-granddaughter, Savannah Richmond, of Denham Springs; an expected great-grandson, Jackson Richmond, scheduled to be born May 10; stepgreat-granddaughter, Victoria Richmond, of Dothan, Ala.; sister, Irene Stewart, of Albany; and brother, the Rev. Jesse Tate, of Hammond. She was preceded in death by her husband of 55 years, Frank McNabb; parents, William Thomas Tate and Sarah Jane Blount Tate; and siblings, Julia Tate, Ouida Bankston, Ella Carrol, Johnnie Hutchinson, Eula Nails and Nancy Bankston. Pallbearers will be her six grandsons. She was a member of Zoar Baptist Church.
Published in The Advocate from May 7 to May 8, 2010

I spoke with Jesse Dean.  He sound great!  Pray for him as he continues to improve.

Continue to pray for Larry Bankston of Arcola as he recovers from heart surgery.

Join the George “Porgy” and Joanie Scarle family in praying for their daughter, Stacey, who has cancer.  Your prayers will be greatly appreciated.

Please continue to pray for those who share God’s love to others, those who serve to make our world a better place, and for those who have experienced tragedies lately.

I invite you to this website to read a devotional that may help you see others in a better way.

http://www.forthright.net/kneemail/2010/05/eyes.html

Have a great day as you prepare for the Lord’s Day!

Anna Lee

Friday

God is working in you,

giving you the desire to obey him

and the power to do what pleases him.

~Philippians 2:13 (NLT)~

CaringBridge

BEFORE I WAS A MOM. . .
(author unknown)

Before I was a Mom,
I made and ate hot meals.
I had unstained clothing.
I had quiet conversations on the phone.

Before I was a Mom,
I slept as late as I wanted.
I never worried about how late I got into bed.
I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.

Before I was a Mom,
I cleaned my house each day.
I never tripped over toys.
I never forgot words to lullabies.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn’t worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been . . .
puked on
pooped on
spit on
chewed on
peed on
or pinched by tiny fingers.

Before I was a Mom,
I had complete control of my mind, thoughts and body.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn’t want to put it down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn’t stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn’t know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn’t know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn’t know that bond between a Mother and her child.
I didn’t know that something so small could make me feel so important.
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never known . . .
the warmth
the joy
the love
the heartache
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn’t know I was capable of feeling so much . . . before I was a Mom.

“She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness.  Her children rise up and call her blessed.” (Proverbs 31:27-28a).

May God’s richest blessings be with each of you mothers.

Have a great day!

Alan Smith
Helen Street Church of Christ
Fayetteville, North Carolina

Tuesday

“Those who are living by their natural inclinations

have their minds on the things human nature desires;

those who live in the Spirit have their minds on spiritual things.”

~Romans 8:5 NJB~

CaringBridge

Pray for the many families that have lost loved ones recently.

Pray for those undergoing important medical tests today.  That includes several people I know.

Pray for those who are lost to find Jesus.

KneEmail

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

Mike Benson, Editor

Christians are to look at others through caring eyes.  Traits first perceived as negative may be positive when examined in the light of love.  Without being naive, encouragers should make it a habit to put the best possible construction on any situation.  The discourager sees John as stubborn, but the encourager considers him persistent and determined.  The critic sees Jane as bossy, but the consoler sees her as an assertive person who gets results.  The faultfinder says Bob talks too much, but the the positive person says he is outgoing and friendly, a real people person.

Christians are to look at others through caring eyes.  Traits first perceived as negative may be positive when examined in the light of love.  Without being naive, encouragers should make it a habit to put the best possible construction on any situation.  The discourager sees John as stubborn, but the encourager considers him persistent and determined.  The critic sees Jane as bossy, but the consoler sees her as an assertive person who gets results.  The faultfinder says Bob talks too much, bu the the positive person says he is outgoing and friendly, a real people person.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;

old things have passed away;

behold, all things have become new.”

2 Corinthians 5:17

Have a great day!

Anna Lee

Monday

INTERNATIONAL MISSIONS PRAYERLINE
IMB
Monday, May 3, 2010

“Let them give glory to the LORD

And declare His praise in the coastlands.”

~Isaiah 42:12, NASB~

Dear Intercessors, this is Eleanor Witcher of the Office of Global Prayer Strategy, interceding with you for followers of folk Islam.

The Highland Singers of Central Asia blend Ismailism with folk beliefs. There are some new Christians, but no churches exist in their homeland. Religion is woven throughout their lives. They revere the Agha Khan; they look upon him as a living prophet. His word is law, and he may countermand the Quran. Some look upon him as god.

The Non-Turkic Settlers of the Caspian coastlands also practice folk Islam. Special spiritual significance is often placed upon certain trees or locations, and people regularly practice rituals for protection against evil spirits and curses. Rural communities are usually closed, and marriage outside of the clan is discouraged or prohibited. There are very few Settler believers.

Folk religious beliefs and practices have developed as West African women who believe that God doesn’t intervene in their problems have tried to deal with the felt needs and concerns of daily living. It is a major step in faith for a woman to abandon her folk practices and trust that God will protect her. Some of these practices include: using the evil eye as a curse, practicing sorcery, wearing amulets, going to a medium, visiting a saint’s tomb and praying there, trying to divine the future through the use of certain objects or rituals, and the use of special charms or actions to provide personal protection from evil spirits. Discipleship for these women when they become believers includes choosing Bible stories that the Holy Spirit can use to help the new believer see what God’s Word says about these practices.

* Please pray for believers who have left folk Islam to receive the spiritual nourishment and training they need from God’s Word.

* Intercede for those who are resisting salvation and ask God to continue knocking at their hearts’ door.

*Ask the Lord to reveal any false practices in your own life and repent as He leads.

Continue to pray for Jesse and Majel Dean.  Jesse continues to have complications requiring a return to the hospital.

Daddy seems to be getting better.  Thank-you for your prayers for my parents.

Continue to pray for grieving families.  Our area has had a number of deaths in recent weeks.

Devotional: “Death”

http://www.forthright.net/kneemail/2009/02/death.html

Now that May is here, the number of school days for the 2009-2010 school year is coming to a close.  Pray for a good ending and a long, happy summer vacation before 2010-2011 begins.

Have a great day!

Anna Lee

Sunday

We are not our own bosses to live or die

as we ourselves might choose.

Living or dying we follow the Lord.

Either way we are his.

~Romans 14:7-8 (LB)~

Please continue to pray for Jesse and Majel Dean and Mr. Phillip and “Miss” Annie Bell Harrell.

Pray for those working to stop the oil from coming ashore on the Gulf Coast.

Pray for our nation to unite in prayer Thursday, the National Day of Prayer.  Many of the local cities are having special activities for prayer.  Spring Creek Baptist Church will host a lunch and First Baptist Church, Kentwood will host a service Thursday night.  Everyone is invited to participate.







BLESSING OR BAD LUCK?

 The story is told of a man who was walking across the road when he was 
hit by a car.  The impact knocked him on his head which caused him to be 
in a coma for two days before he finally regained consciousness.  When he 
opened his eyes, his loving wife was there beside his bed.  He held her hand 
and said to her:

 "You know, Judy, you've always been right by my side.  When I was a 
struggling college student, I failed again and again.  But you were always 
there with me, encouraging me to go on trying."

 She squeezed his hands as he continued:  "And when I got out of school 
and went for all of my interviews and failed to get any of the jobs, you stayed 
right there with me, cutting out more classifieds for me to check on..."

 "Then I started work at this little firm and finally got the chance to handle a 
big contract.  But I blew it because of one little mistake, and yet you were 
there beside me all the way.  Then I finally got another job after being laid 
off for sometime.  But I never seemed to be promoted and my hard work 
was never recognized.  And so, I remained in the same position from the 
day I joined the company until now... And, through it all, you were right 
there by my side."

 Her eyes brimmed with tears as she listened to her husband:  "And now 
I've been in this accident and when I woke up, you're the first person I see. 
There's something I'd really like to say to you...."

 She flung herself on the bed to hug her husband, sobbing with emotion.

 He said, "Judy, I think you're just plain bad luck!"

 Our attitude makes a big difference in how we see things, doesn't it?  As 
the saying goes, we can either see the glass as half full or half empty.  We 
can either appreciate the good during our times of adversity (the faithfulness 
of God, greater opportunities to develop our faith, the blessing of good 
friends to see us through it) or we can moan and complain about our "bad 
luck."

 The apostle Paul is a great example of someone with a marvelous attitude. 
Through all of his trials, God had been right there by his side.  But never 
once did he blame God for his misfortune.  Instead, listen to the positive 
attitude in Paul's words as he sat imprisoned for preaching the gospel:

 "But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me 
have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel." (Philippians 1:12)

 No moaning, no complaining.  Just a marvelous attitude that brought joy to
 his life.  May it serve as an example to you today.

Have a great day!

Alan Smith
Helen Street Church of Christ
Fayetteville, North Carolina


Have a great Lord's Day!
Anna Lee

Saturday

“Father, everything is possible for you.

Please take this cup of suffering away from me.

Yet I want your will, not mine.”

~Mark 14:36 NLT~

Jesse Dean is improving.  Continue to pray for him.

Walter Green Harper

Visitation from 9:00 until the 11:00 service at McKneely Funeral Home in Amite.

Donald Lloyd Thompson
(February 8, 1957 – April 29, 2010)

A resident of Amite, died at 10:55 a.m. on Thursday, April 29, 2010 at his residence. He was born February 8, 1957 in Canton, OH and was 53 years of age.

McKneely Funeral Home, Amite, entrusted with arrangements.

KneEmail

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

Mike Benson, Editor

I WAKE UP, grab my iPhone, turn off the alarm, and update my Facebook status…

On the way to school I scroll through my friends’ status updates, updating mine with the song on my iPod.

At lunch, I take a picture of me and my friends and upload it to Facebook.

Now, I am chatting with my best friend in Tennessee. Status update: “Good night all. I’ll text you in the morning.” Such is the day of a typical American young person.

Facebook has taken the cyber world by storm and our social lives forever in a different direction. Compete.com ranked Facebook as the most used social network in the world

According to Facebook’s own stats page, there are currently more than 350 million active users, and 65 million people are accessing Facebook through their phones/mobile devices. They say that the average user has 130 Facebook friends and spends more than 55 minutes a day on their site.

What if Jesus were on Facebook and he sent you a friend request. We know that such is not possible, but for the sake of illustration pretend.

Would you have to stop and think before you accepted it? Would you have to look through your pictures to be sure that you don’t have any immodest pictures or anything tasteless?

Maybe make sure that you don’t have any pictures taken in inappropriate places? Would you go back over your postings to be sure that you haven’t said anything crude or inappropriate?

Would you scan through your list of favorite movies and music, perhaps deleting a few before you let Jesus on your site? What about the games you play? Quizzes you take?

Is there anything that would make you stop and say to yourself, “I think I’ll delete that before I let Jesus on my site?” If the answer is “Yes,” then why not go ahead and take it off? The fact of the matter is the Lord does look at our Facebook pages!

Proverbs 15:3 says, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place keeping watch on the evil and the good.”

Not only God is watching me on Facebook, but other people are watching. What they see on my Facebook site affects what they think about me, and the church, and Christianity.

What if I have my “religious preference” listed as “church of Christ,” and then I have pictures posted of me at a nightclub, or dancing, or at the beach immodestly dressed, or with an alcoholic beverage?

Or what if my status update has immoral lyrics? Or maybe I’m venting, and running someone else down. We ask, “What effect is it going to have on my non-Christian friend who looks at my site?”

He might say to himself, “I do better than that, and I don’t even pretend to be a Christian!” Or he might think, “What a hypocrite!”

Imagine that you are surfing Facebook, and you see that Jesus has his own site. You are excited, so you send him a friend request. Would he accept it?

Most of us when we receive a friend request have some sort of criteria before we indiscriminately accept someone as our friend.

We want to know if we know the person. We glance at his information, his friend list, where he lives, etc. Does Jesus have criteria for friend requests? Sure he does!

He said, “You are my friends if you do whatever I command you” (John 15:14). Therefore, to be a friend of Jesus, you have to obey him. In light of this,

Christian friend, ask yourself “Would Jesus accept my friend request?”

Before you answer, consider your faithfulness in attending worship, your Bible study habits, your efforts to teach others, your giving, the way you treat other people, etc. Now, with your answers in mind, “Would Jesus accept your friend request?”  Don Blackwell

“You are my friends if you do whatever I command you” (John 15:14).

I may not be a young person, but I enjoy Facebook.  I hope this devotional helps us evaluate how we use it.

Anna Lee

Friday

“You cannot serve both God and money,”

~Matthew 6:24 NIV~

“Wherever your treasure is, your heart will be also.”

~Matthew 6:21 NIV~

CaringBridge

Ashley Sue Miller

(September 27, 1988 – April 28, 2010)

A resident of Kentwood, died at 6:02 p.m. on Wednesday, April 28, 2010 at her residence. She was born September 27, 1988 and was 21 years of age. She is remembered as being bubbly and full of life and is known for lighting up any room with her big beautiful smile and magical presence. She is now in heaven with all the other angels. She will be missed terribly by all who knew her and loved her. Visitation at McKneely Funeral Home, Amite, from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. on Sunday and from 8 a.m. until religious services at 10 a.m. Monday. Services conducted by Bro. Bob Simpson . Interment Hyde Cemetery, Roseland, LA. Survived by mother, Deborah Wall Miller, father, Perry Miller, her only child, Preston William Wright, brother, Ben Miller, sister, Brandi Miller, grandparents, Sandra and Ivy Wall, Jr., and Myrtle Miller, father of her child, Matthew Wright, uncles, Greg Wall, Huck Wall, and Steve Miller, aunts, Sgt. Major Carolyn Miller, Pat Miller Harn, and Dorothy “Dottie” Winters, many cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends. Preceded in death by great-grandparents, Ivy Wall, Sr. and Zula Wall, grandpa Doyle Dude Miller, aunt, Pauline Miller White, and cousin, Brian Saxon.

BOTH BORN AND ADOPTED

The following was reported by WESTERN MORNING NEWS in 1994:

Ian Lewis, 43, of Standish, Lancashire, England, was interested in finding out about his family.  He spent 30 years tracing his family tree back to the seventeenth century.  He traveled all over Britain, talked to 2,000 relatives and planned to write a book about how his great-grandfather left to seek his fortune in Russia and how his grandfather was expelled after the Revolution.  Then he found out he had been adopted when he was a month old and his real name was David Thornton.  He resolved to start his family research all over again.

How frustrating!  However, it reminds me that, for a Christian, it makes no difference whether we trace our spiritual lineage by way of birth or adoption because both images are used to express our relationship to God our Father.

“Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.’ ” (John 3:5)

“…having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will…” (Ephesians 1:5)

God is our Father by (re)birth and by adoption (we are chosen!).  What a privilege to be a part of His family!

Have a great day!

Alan Smith
Helen Street Church of Christ
Fayetteville, North Carolina

Continue to pray for all those we have been praying for lately.

Anna Lee

Thursday

It is not that we think we are qualified

to do anything on our own.

Our qualification comes from God.

~2 Corinthians 3:5 (NLT)~

CaringBridge

Walter Green Harper

(July 13, 1928 – April 27, 2010)

A resident of Roseland, died at 2:05 p.m. on Tuesday, April 27, 2010 at Hood Memorial Hospital in Amite. He was born July 13, 1928 in Gatesville, MS and was 81 years of age. Visitation at McKneely Funeral Home, Amite, from 9 a.m. until Masonic and Religious Services at 11 a.m. Saturday. Services conducted by Rev. Tommy Hicks. Interment Arcola-Roseland Cemetery, Arcola. He is survived by his wife, Maxine Primes Harper, Roseland; a daughter, Keri Wickham and husband, David, Amite; 2 sons, Darell “Pete” Harper, Charleston, SC and Walter “Bo” Harper and wife, Linda, Amite; 8 grandchildren, Kimberly Parent and husband, David, Pumpkin Center, Gwendolyn Pedelahore and husband, Kenny, Livingston, Justin Barrilleaux and wife, Amanda, Holden, Blake Barrilleaux and wife, Traci, Lugoff, SC, Clay Barrilleaux and wife, Marjorie, Walker, Kevin Harper, Amite, Brian Harper, Charleston, SC and Caroline Harper, Charleston, SC; 8 great-grandchildren; a sister, Bettye Jo Hughes and husband, Earl, Roseland.

James Albert Davis

(August 12, 1941 – April 27, 2010)

James Albert Davis was born August 12, 1941 and passed away on Tuesday, April 27, 2010 at Ochsner Medical Center, New Orleans after a brief illness. Mr. James was 68, a native of Magnolia, MS, a former resident of St. Helena Parish and a resident of Destrehan, LA.

Mr. James was a graduate of Woodland High School and Southeastern Louisiana University where he was a member of Sigma Tau Gama Fraternity. He served in the US Army, Civil Air Patrol, a member of the Jefferson Amateur Radio Club and a retired employee of Tulane Medical School.

Mr. James is survived by his wife of 41 years, JoAnn P. Davis, Destrehan; daughter, Jeanne D. Peres and husband, Tony, Metairie; son, Jevin A. Davis, Pearl, MS; grandchildren, Megan, Mason, Morgan & Logan Peres, Metairie; 2 brothers, A. Thomas Davis, Montpelier and David M. Davis, Alvin, TX.

He is preceded in death by parents, John Albert and Myrth Bornes Davis; brother, Joel A. Davis.

Visitation at St. Helena Catholic Church on Saturday, May 1, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. until Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 a.m. with Fr. Joe Camilleri officiating. Interment in Amite Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers the family request donations in his memory to the American Cancer Society.

McKneely & Vaughn Funeral Home, Amite, in charge in arrangements.

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

Devotional

http://www.devotions.net/devotions/04april/29.htm

Have a great day!

Anna Lee

Tuesday

“Give yourselves to God …

surrender your whole being to him

to be used for righteous purposes.”

~Romans 6:13 (TEV)~

Pray for Jesse and Majel Dean.  Jesse is home, but is not well yet.  He continues to receive medical attention at home.

Continue to pray for my parents.  Daddy’s recovery has been too slow for them.  I’m sure that describes Jesse and Majel’s situation as well as that of many others.

Continue to pray for all who were in the path of the tornadoes that struck the Southeast at the end of last week.  Their needs are many.

Continue to pray for those touched by the oil rig explosion last week.

Pray for out country and our leaders.

Pray for our military serving around the world and for their families.

CaringBridge

Baptist Press News has some very interesting articles today.

Devotional

Enjoy this beautiful day the Lord has provided.  Remember to take your “stir-stick”.

Anna Lee