Category: Devotional

Tuesday

“For my eyes have seen your salvation,

which you have prepared in the sight of all people,

a light for revelation to the Gentiles

and for glory to your people Israel.”

~Luke 2:30-32~

Will you please add my brother Keith’s wife Donna on the prayer link. She will have foot surgery in Hammond tomorrow.
Thank you,
Lawana (Carter)

Pray for the shut-ins today.  Pray someone, maybe you, will remember them and take some time to visit this week.

Lottie Moon information that will inform you and others:

http://www.imb.org/main/give/lmw/Story.asp?StoryID=8016&LanguageID=1709

Carole Kemp Stevens
(July 2, 1943 – December 20, 2009)

Carole Kemp Stevens passed away on December 20, 2009 at Baton Rouge General Medical Center. Graveside services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, December 22, 2009 at Amite Memorial Gardens in Amite. She was born July 2, 1943 in Amite where she grew up. She graduated from Amite High School. She is survived by three sisters, Katherine Cockrell and Deanie Kemp of Baton Rouge and Nell Clement of Denham Springs, two brothers, Bill Kemp of Baton Rouge and Hillery Kemp of Many, eleven nieces and nephews, several great nieces and great nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Willie and Thelma Kemp of Hillsdale and Blairstown respectively and a brother, Roland Kemp. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the American Heart Association.

Sheep

NEAR THE VILLAGE of Gevas in eastern Turkey, while shepherds ate their breakfast, one of their sheep jumped off a 45-foot cliff to its death…

Then, as the stunned shepherds looked on, the rest of the flock followed. In all, 1,500 sheep mindlessly stumbled off the cliff. The only good news was that the last 1,000 were cushioned in their fall by the growing woolly pile of those who jumped first. According to The Washington Post, 450 sheep died.
The Bible often refers to human beings as sheep (Ps. 100:3; Isa. 53:6; Matt. 9:36). Easily distracted and susceptible to group influence, we would rather follow the crowd than the wisdom of the Shepherd.

Whom are we following? One another? Or the voice and direction of the Good Shepherd? Our challenge is to avoid the mistake of the sheep who blindly followed one another over a cliff. We must make it our daily purpose to ask ourselves: Am I listening for the voice of the Good Shepherd? Am I following Him? (Mart De Haan)

Savior, like a shepherd lead us,
Much we need Thy tender care;
In Thy pleasant pastures feed us,
For our use Thy folds prepare. (Thrupp)

“I am the Good Shepherd . . . . My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” ( John 10:14,27).

Posted by Mike Benson

Jesus is the reason for the season!  Merry CHRISTmas!

Anna Lee

Sunday


“But the Lord stood at my side ….” 2 Timothy 4:17 (NIV)

CaringbBridge

Juanita Jenkins “Maw Jody” Martin
(June 28, 1923 – December 17, 2009)

Juanita Jenkins

Mrs. Juanita J. “Maw Jody” Martin was born June 28, 1923 and passed away at 12:15 p.m., Thursday, December 17, 2009 at her residence in Independence. She was 86 and a native of Hillsdale. “Maw Jody” was a retired nurse from East Feliciana State Hospital, Jackson, LA.

“Maw Jody” is survived by 4 sons, Royce Martin and wife Eunice, Holden, Dennis Martin and wife Pennie, Hebron, IN, Colonel James Martin and wife Sky, Vienna, VA, and Reggie Martin and wife Cindy, Independence; 15 grandchildren, 41 great-grandchildren, 3 great- great-grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews.

She is preceded in death by parents, James Wesley and Isabell Kirby Jenkins; husband, Jessie Lee Martin, Sr.; 3 sisters, Lucille Bennett, Marie Morgan, and Annie Henry; 10 brothers, James, Edgar, Leon, Davis, Elmer, Wilford, Roger, Hulon, Roy Lee, and JD Jenkins.

Visitation will be at McKneely & Vaughn Funeral Home, Amite, on Monday December 21, 2009 from 8:30 a.m. until Religious Services at 11:30 a.m. in the Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Mitch Williams and Deacon Roger Navarra officiating. Interment in the Colonial Mausoleum, Independence.

In lieu of flowers the family request memorial donations be made to the Independence First Baptist Church,372 Pine Street, Independence, LA 70443.

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

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

Poor

poverty3.jpgONE DAY, THE father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live…
They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, “How was the trip?”

“It was great, Dad.”

“Did you see how poor people live?” the father asked.

“Oh yeah,” said the son.

“So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?” asked the father.

The son answered: “I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them.”

The boy’s father was speechless.

Then his son added, “Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are.”

“Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction, and makes their families like a flock.” Psalm 107:41

Posted by Mike Benson

Thursday

But the angel said to them,

“… I bring you good news of great joy

that will be for all the people.”

~Luke 2:10 (NIV)~

Robert Callihan has been undergoing some tests.  He will get results on January 4th.  Pray for him as he waits.

Ideas for Generosity
By Chuck Bentley
Baptist Press

The holiday season is here, offering an almost continual opportunity to celebrate with our loved ones. Blessings are counted, gifts are given and large meals are devoured. But many people in our communities and in our own church congregations have little means with which to celebrate. This presents a great opportunity for us to model generosity and to bless those who are in need, showing them the love of Christ and the true meaning of the season.

In the familiar story of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), Jesus showed us two lives. One was filled with plenty, luxury, and excess, while the other was filled with poverty, want and pain. The Bible does not teach that it is a sin to be wealthy, nor was the rich man condemned simply because he had much. The rich man was punished because he put his faith in his possessions, not in God. He is an example of someone living in man’s economy, where wealth, power and possessions are the goals for which to strive. He missed a great opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life, to serve God, and to live in God’s Economy, where peace, joy andd eternal blessings are given. We can learn a great lesson from the rich man.

— See the need. The need was right outside the rich man’s door. Every day, the rich man had to pass by Lazarus, who was literally laid at the rich man’s gate (Luke 16:20). Yet, the Scripture does not say that the rich man ever offered to help Lazarus. Many times, we don’t need to look any further than our own churches and communities to find a need. Take a close look around you. Once you recognize the need, you can think of ways to help fill that need. What are the needs in your sphere of influence?

— Share your resources. The rich man had plenty to eat, while Lazarus longed for merely the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table (Luke 16:21). We may not think we have much to offer, but God can use whatever He has given us to fill the needs around us. Giving of our time and talents are just as important as monetary gifts. Take inventory of your resources and talents. What has God given you that you can use for His glory?

— Sow seeds in the next generation. Both the rich man and Lazarus died and went into eternity — Lazarus to eternal peace in the presence of God, and the rich man to eternal torment and separation from God. When the rich man realized his fate, he begged for someone to warn his five brothers, who were still alive (Luke 16:27-28). He realized that because of the example he had lived before them, his five brothers would most certainly end up in the same place. What kind of legacy are we leaving for the younger generations? Make sure to include your children in your plans to give. Let them see firsthand how powerful it is to help those in need. Teach them to bless others by being generous. What can you do as a family to be generous to someone this year?

Here are a few ideas for generosity:

1. The next time you go to the grocery store, buy a bag of canned goods to drop off at your local food pantry.

2. “Adopt” a local family and provide Christmas gifts, clothing and food. Check with your neighborhood school resource counselor for a list of needy families.

3. Offer a day of free babysitting for a single parent to do some Christmas shopping.

4. Have the whole family do some yard and household chores for an elderly neighbor.

5. Have your children create homemade cards for a local children’s hospital, orphanage or nursing home, then deliver the cards as a family.

6. Take homemade cookies and notes of thanks to your local firehouse or police station to thank them for their service this year.

7. Send cards and care packages to soldiers serving overseas. Check with a military official for what can be sent in the care packages.

8. Go Christmas caroling in your neighborhood or to elderly neighbors.

9. Have the whole family clean out clothing or toys that they no longer need (in good condition!) and donate them to a shelter.

10. Spend part of your Christmas budget to give a donation to your favorite charity.

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering®

Every penny given to Lottie Moon is used to support Southern Baptist missionaries as they share the Gospel overseas. The offering represents 54 percent of the International Mission Board’s total income.
.

Cooperative Program

Thirty-five percent of the IMB’s income is received from the Southern Baptist Convention’s Cooperative Program. Each state convention gives between 14 percent and 57 percent of its CP collection to the SBC. The SBC gives 50 percent of that amount to the IMB and 50 percent to other SBC entities, including the North American Mission Board.

Other income

Southern Baptists’ gifts to the IMB’s World Hunger and General Relief ministries comprise 3 percent of the IMB’s income. Field-generated funds, investment returns and other income constitute the remaining 8 percent.

How much does it cost to support a missionary?

• $40,931.64 a year
• $3,410.97  a month
• $787.15 a week
• $112.14 a day
• $4.67 an hour
• $.08 a minute

Reported June 2009. Support includes housing, food, children’s education, medical expenses, retirement and more.

Roy Douglas Frazier

//
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7. Roy Douglas Frazier, a loving and devoted husband, father and PawPaw, passed away peacefully in his home at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2009, in Baton Rouge. He was 65, a native of Kentwood and a U.S. Navy veteran. He retired from Ethyl Corp. Roy was a longtime member of Parkview Baptist Church where he was an active deacon. Visitation at Parkview Baptist Church, 11795 Jefferson Highway, on Thursday, Dec. 17, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Visitation resumes at the church on Friday, Dec. 18, from 12:30 p.m. until funeral services at 2 p.m., conducted by the Rev. Rick Edmonds, the Rev. Bob Anderson, the Rev. Ron Tyndall and the Rev. Collin Wimberly. Burial will be at Resthaven Gardens of Memory. He will be sadly missed by his wife of 41 years, Julee Sharkey Frazier; and three daughters and two sons-in-law, Bridgette and Dale Denicola, Chantel Houston, and Carmen and Kirk Evans. He was blessed and loved by his five grandchildren, Morgan Blanchard, Paige and Grant Denicola, Will Houston and Hayden Evans; and two stepgrandchildren, Daniel and Anne-Marie Evans. He is survived by his dearly loved sisters, Margo Danos and Thelma Laboyteaux; and brothers, Clifton and James Frazier. He was preceded in death by his mother, Irma Hilburn; father, Claude Frazier; sister, Emma Brewer; and two brothers, Hulon and Vernon Frazier. Pallbearers will be Harrell Sharkey, Leonard Crawford, Kenneth Bueche, Lamar Frazier, Donald Danos, Phillip Brocato, Richie Edmonds and Bobby Sharkey. Honorary pallbearers are Parkview Baptist Church deacons and his Sunday School class. He will always be remembered for his boundless love and compassion for his family and friends. A special thanks to his sitter, Janice Williams, Dr. David Rice and the staff at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, or St. Joseph Hospice.
THEME SONGS FOR BIBLE CHARACTERS

Someone has suggested the following theme songs for Bible characters (Warning: some of these are real oldies!):

Noah:  “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head”

Adam and Eve:  “Strangers in Paradise”

Lazarus:  “The Second Time Around”

Esther:  “I Feel Pretty”

Job:  “I’ve Got a Right to Sing the Blues”

Moses:  “The Wanderer”

Jezebel:  “The Lady is a Tramp”

Samson:  “Hair”

Salome:  “I Could Have Danced All Night”

Daniel:  “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”

Joshua:  “Good Vibrations”

Peter:  “I’m Sorry”

Esau:  “Born To Be Wild”

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego:  “Great Balls of Fire!”

The Wise Men:  “When You Wish Upon a Star”

Elijah:  “Up, Up, and Away”

Methuselah:  “Stayin’ Alive”

Nebuchadnezzar:  “Crazy”

There was no theme song suggested for Jesus Christ.  May I suggest the following song, entitled “A New Song,” first sung by those two famous groups, “The Four Living Creatures” and “The Twenty-Four Elders”:

“You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; For you were slain, and have redeemed us to God by your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth…..Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!” (Rev. 5:9-10,12)

I don’t know about you, but I look forward to joining them someday in this great song of praise. Worthy is the Lamb!

Have a great day!

Alan Smith
Helen Street Church of Christ
Fayetteville, North Carolina

Have a great day!
Anna Lee

Wednesday

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid.”

~Luke 2:10 (NIV)~

Maggie Lee for Good

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/maggieleehenson

Pray for this family as they face the first Christmas without Maggie Lee.

CaringBridge

Baptist Press

December 14, 2009

WASHINGTON–Land, others urge sanctions on Iran. http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31874

WASHINGTON–Egyptian Christian women forced to marry, convert, reports say. http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31875

WASHINGTON–Senate OKs abortion funds for D.C. http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31876

GEORGIA–Hunt prostate surgery set for Jan. 7. http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31877

LOUISIANA–Anabaptist kinship or English dissent? Panel examines Baptist origins. http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31878

LOUISIANA–Apologetics ‘no longer an option.’ http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31879

KENTUCKY–FIRST-PERSON (R. Albert Mohler Jr.): Tiger Woods saga far from over. http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31880

Mature

laughing.jpgTOP TEN SIGNS YOU’RE GROWING MORE “MATURE”

10. Your teeth spend the night in a jar.

9. You have an executive “lift” chair.

8. It takes you longer to go to sleep than it did to get tired.

7. You and the pharmacist are on a first-name basis.

6. It takes you twice as long to look half as nice.

5. The pressing question of your life is, “Where did I park the car?”

4. You get winded playing Bible Trivia.

3. You know all of the answers, but nobody asks you the questions.

2. You walk with your head held high…to see through your bifocals.

1. Shuffleboard doesn’t sound too bad.

“The silver-haired head is a crown of glory, if it is found in the way of righteousness.” Proverbs 16:31

Posted by Mike Benson

Jesus is the reason for the season!  Merry CHRISTmas!

Anna Lee

Tuesday

“I will bless you …

and you will be a blessing.”

Genesis 12:2 (NIV)

Kathy Wales’ surgery went well.  She should be able to come home this afternoon.  Pray for her as she goes through a long healing process.

Caleb Estay will be going to the hospital and probably will need a stent today.  Keep his family in your prayers.

Join us at the cabin Thursday night at 6:30 for food, fellowship, and a devotional.  Call if you need more information.

KneEmail
“At the name of Jesus every knee should bow…” Philippians 2:10
Mike Benson, Editor
WILLIAM MANCHESTER IN his memoir about the Pacific conflict of World War II wrote of how “abruptly the poker of memory stirs the ashes of recollection and uncovers a forgotten ember, still smoldering down there, still hot, still glowing, still red as red…”

Remembering Israel’s experience in Egypt, the disciples and Jesus celebrated the Passover, one of God’s many memory devices.  The Passover lamb reminded Jews of the animal blood poured out to protect their lives in Egypt.  Because Jesus was the true Passover Lamb, He chose new symbols, the fruit of the vine and unleavened bread, for his tortured body and shed blood.

God knows we have short memory spans; that’s why He creates unforgettable memory aids.  Yet sometimes we become indifferent to them or deliberately ignore them, allowing spiritual senility to set in.

Those concerned about forgetfulness fight it with attentive minds that meditate on who God is and what He has done.  Graduates of God’s memory school think about Jesus each Lord’s Day during communion.  They see red as red.

“And as they were eating,
Jesus took bread, blessed it and broke it,
and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘
Take, eat; this is my body.’
Then He took the cup, and gave thanks,
and gave it to them saying, ‘
Drink from it, all of you.
For this is My blood of the new covenant
which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”
Matthew 26:26-28
Don’t let the rain spoil your day!
Anna Lee

Monday

Always be full of joy in the Lord.

I say it again—rejoice!

~Philippians 4:4 (NLT)~

Lawana Carter asks us to prayfor her younger son, Adam.  Please be in prayer for Adam Carter.  He’s been running a temperature for severa days and will be seeing a doctor today.

Pray for the members of the military as they serve to protect us.  Say a special prayer for those who are far from their loved ones.  Pray for family members as they are back at home while their loved ones are serving in a different place.

Pray for those who are lonely at this time of the year. Pray they will not have a more difficult time during the holidays.

Pray for those who have lost loved ones this year and are facing the holidays without their loved one for the first time.

Testing

apressure5.jpgWHENEVER YOU FIND yourself going through times of testing, there is always a reason…a very good reason…

In fact, there are several reasons. Testing times are to:

UNCOVER something: When God allows pressures and trials, it is so that you might uncover something in your life He wants to deal with. Hardships reveal areas of weakness and vulnerability. God wants to strengthen us in those very areas, and better equip us not only to stand strong in the storms ourselves, but also to be a shelter for others.

RECOVER something: God allows us to be tested so that we might recover something we’ve lost over the months and years. Perhaps it is our delight in the Word of God, a habit of daily prayer, or the delight of regular fellowship with those of like-precious faith. Trials may force us back to that “first love” walk with the Lord that has slipped away from us.

DISCOVER something: Even though it’s a test you may not like or enjoy, you discover that He’s your God, you’re His child, and that He loves you. He’ll care for you and see you through.

I hear people talk about this trial and that trial, this test and that test. People will say, “Pray for me, I’m going through a trial in my marriage (or in my job or in my finances or in my relationships at home).” But in reality, those aren’t the things being tested at all. What’s being tested is our faith, whether we will really trust Him to work in and through our circumstances.

That’s what’s really at stake. When the heat’s on…when the shadows fall…when disappointment rips through my heart…am I going to trust Him? Am I going to wait on Him, worship Him, and give my anxieties to Him? Or am I going to turn away from Him in my doubt and discouragement? (Ron Mehl)

“And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations,

knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;

and perseverance, character;

and character, hope.

Now hope does not disappoint,

because the love of God

has been poured out in our hearts

by the Holy Spirit who was given to us”
Romans 5:3-5

Posted by Mike Benson

Have a blessed day!  Jesus is the reason for the season!   Merry CHRISTmas!

Anna Lee






Sunday

If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ,

if his love has made any difference in your life,

if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you …

agree with each other,

love each other,

be deep-spirited friends.

~Philip. 2:1-2, Msg~

Please continue to pray for the following people and their families.

  • Mrs. Faye Price
  • Mrs. Margurite Vernon
  • Mrs. Della McDaniel
  • Rev. Butch Reviere
  • Chuck Pittman
  • Mrs. Kathryn Sanders
  • Dr. Earl Council
  • Mrs. Ann Chapman
  • Tiffany B. Currier
  • Kathy Wales
  • Caleb Estay
  • Mrs. Jeanette McGehee
  • Mrs. Avis Sullivan
  • Bert and Vivian Newton
  • Mr. “Cete” Dillon
  • Bobby Simpson
  • Mr. Joe and “Miss” Othell Williams
  • David Allen
  • Curt Allen
  • Robbie Lynn C. Kirby
  • Mrs. Betty Bethel
  • Mr. Orin Davidson
  • Jimmy Schwartz
  • G.G. McElveen
  • Robert Ricks

CaringBridge Sites

Nichole Renee’ Minor
(January 17, 1979 – December 10, 2009)

Nichole Renee’ Minor was born January 17, 1979 and passed away December 10, 2009 at her residence in Natalbany. She was 30 and a native of Baton Rouge.

Arrangements are incomplete at this time.

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

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

Alvin Beaujeaux

(September 6, 1950 – December 11, 2009)

Mr. Alvin Beaujeaux was born on September 6, 1950 to Alvin and Lucille Keating Beaujeaux and passed away on December 11, 2009 at 10:28 P.M. at LSU Health Systems-Bogalusa Medical Center in Bogalusa, LA. He was 59, a native and resident of Bogalusa, LA

Funeral arrangements are incomplete at this time.

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

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

Flick

FLICK “THAT’S TONIGHT at 8 on ABC…”

Flick. “A high pressure system is moving in.” Flick. “He kicked the ball wide of the goal!” Flick. “I’ll take ‘World History’ for $600, Alex.” Flick. “In the news today…” Flick.

What’s happening? It’s a TV viewer giving the thumb a good workout with the remote control, looking for something to watch, filtering through the maze of choices.

Each time we stop on a channel, we’re made a choice. We’re making a decision to allow that program to influence us in some way. But are we being discerning? Are we using our time wisely and beneficially? Will what we watch build us up or tear us down? Sometimes we need to simply click the TV off. (Dave Branon)

“For you were once darkness,

but now you are light in the LORD.

Walk as children of light…

proving what is acceptable to the LORD”

~Eph. 5:8, 10~

Associational Lottie Moon Christmas Tea

First Baptist Church, Amite

Saturday, December 19,2009

2:00 P.M.

Sign a list at your church or let me know by Wednesday.  All girls and ladies are invited to attend and celebrate the life of one of the pioneer missionaries to China.  Attend and be blessed.

Have a wonderful Lord’s Day!

Anna Lee

Posted by Mike Benson

Friday

Dear friends,

let us continue to love one another,

for love comes from God.

Anyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

1 John 4:7 (NLT)

CaringBridge

Baptist Press

December 10, 2009

GEORGIA–Missions: the ultimate road trip. http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31847

GEORGIA–5 basics for planning a mission trip. http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31848

ALABAMA–Volunteers stretch their comfort zones. http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31849

MISSOURI–Chapel construction relies on volunteers. http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31850

LOUISIANA–Missions urgency sounded at seminary http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31851

TENNESSEE–China pastor gets 15 years in prison for media interviews. http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31852

NEW JERSEY–Lacking support, N.J. ‘gay marriage’ vote is delayed. http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31853

WASHINGTON–High court takes Christian student group case. http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31854

LOUISIANA–Baptist pioneer Helen Driscoll dies at 93. http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31855

VERMONT–FIRST-PERSON (Terry Dorsett): The church, getting its ‘hands dirty.’ http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31856

This is a repeat, but a devotional that reminds us of God’s forgiveness.

REMEMBER THE DUCK?

In his book, “Will Daylight Come?”  Robert Heffler pens this moving illustration:

There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm.  He was given a slingshot to play with, out in the woods.  He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit the target.  Getting discouraged, he headed back to dinner.

As he was walking back, he saw Grandma’s pet duck. Just out of impulse, he let fly, hit the duck square in the head and killed it. He was shocked and grieved.  In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the woodpile, only to see his sister watching.  Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing.

After lunch that day Grandma said, “Sally, let’s wash the dishes.”

But Sally said, “Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen today, didn’t you Johnny?”  And then she whispered to him, “Remember the duck?”  So Johnny did the dishes.

Later Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing, and Grandma said, “I’m sorry, but I need Sally to help me make supper.”

But Sally smiled and said, “Well, that’s all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help.”  And she whispered again, “Remember the duck?” Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed.

After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally’s, he finally couldn’t stand it any longer.  He came to Grandma and confessed that he killed the duck.  She knelt down, gave him a hug, and said, “Sweetheart, I know.  You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing.  But because I love you, I forgave you. But, I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of you.”

********
You would think that once we receive forgiveness from God, Satan would leave us alone, but he doesn’t.  He continues to accuse us and tries to make us feel guilty.  That’s what he does best — he’s an accuser.  Sometimes we make the mistake of listening to him and thus remain a slave.  Forgiveness offers freedom — freedom from guilt as well as freedom from sin.

“Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, ‘Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.’ ” (Rev. 12:10)

May you seek to know God’s forgiveness, and the freedom that goes with it.

Have a great day!

Alan Smith
Helen Street Church of Christ
Fayetteville, North Carolina

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering

What is the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering®?

Southern Baptist churches collect the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for the sole purpose of supporting international missions. Every penny of the offering goes to the International Mission Board’s overseas budget, thus supporting our missionaries and their work.

What is the goal for this year’s offering?

The goal for the 2009 offering is $175 million.

What is the 2009 theme?

The 2009 theme is “Who’s Missing? Whose Mission?” More than 1.5 billion people are missing out on the opportunity to hear the Gospel. They are living in pockets of lostness, hidden behind cultural, physical, political and language barriers to a Gospel witness. Yet God calls every church and every believer to be on mission with Him to break down the barriers.

What part of the world is being spotlighted this year?

For the first time in several years, IMB is not focusing on a particular region but instead on heavy concentrations of lostness across the globe. Many of the world’s people missing from God’s family live in these pockets of lostness where barriers to the Gospel keep them from hearing. More information on the pockets and barriers is available on our “Who’s Missing? Whose Mission?” Web site.

Jesus is the reason for the season!  Merry CHRISTmas!

Anna Lee

Thursday


“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,

baptizing them in the name of the Father

and of the Son

and of the Holy Spirit.”

~Matthew 28:19a~

Continue to pray for Mr. “Cete” Dillon.  He’s not well yet.

Pray for Rev. Butch Reviere as he has a MRI today and meets with his doctor tomorrow.

Mrs. Margurite Vernon of Arcola is in ICU at North Oaks.  Pray for her and for her family as they continue to help care for her.

Tiffany B. Currier

The second try to open a valve did not work.  Pray for Tiffany as she takes blood thinners and waits to see if her body will solve this problem on its own.  Pray for Tiffany as she lives daily with this health concern.

CaringBridge Sites

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

THE BIBLE ACKNOWLEDGES the problem of anxiety…

An awful lot of people’s answer to anxiety is medication.  I certainly don’t want to make light of the very serious issues of anxiety with which many people must cope in their lives.  Often, medication must be a part of the response.  Peter shows us something important, though.  He calls on us to cast our anxieties on Christ because He cares for us.  There is an answer for our anxiety and it’s found in Christ.  But notice what else we learn from this context.

Starting in 4:12, Peter begins mentioning the suffering Christians must endure.  It begins here with the “fiery ordeal” and goes on to talk about suffering as a Christian in verses 14, 16, and 19.  Then, in chapter 5, he picks up the theme again in verses 9 and 10.  This discussion in chapter 5, though, is also where Peter talks about Satan as a “roaring lion” prowling about, seeking someone to devour (v. 8).  It is just prior to this that Peter says we should cast our anxieties on Jesus because Satan is looking for victims and immediately following encourages us to resist him, knowing the “same experiences of suffering” is common to Christians throughout the world (v. 9).
Anxiety is a weapon in Satan’s arsenal.  Often it does come from the suffering we must endure as Christians.  If we think we’re going to be able to reach a state of zero anxeity we’re mistaken.  Paul does tell us to be anxious “for nothing” (Philippians 4:8).  But, he goes on to tell us to do the same thing Peter does.  Paul says pray about it, Peter says give it to Jesus: same thing.  We have responsibility here.  We must resist Satan.  We must look to others who are also suffering.
We mustn’t give up and give in to anxiety.  It is a real, everyday issue to be faced by Christians because Satan will use it to devour us.  (David Deffenbaugh, Bill McFarland)
“Casting all your care upon Him,
for He cares for you.”
1 Peter 5:7

LOTTIE MOON (Part 3)

Lottie extended her work into the interior, especially P’ingtu and Hwangshien, until additional missionaries arrived to carry on the work. Only then did she allow herself to take a much-needed furlough, the first in 1892, and the second in 1902. Lottie was very concerned that her fellow missionaries were burning out from lack of rest and renewal and going to early graves. The mindset back home was “go to the mission field, die on the mission field.” Many never expected to see their friends and families again. Lottie argued that regular furloughs every ten years would literally extend the lives and effectiveness of seasoned missionaries. (Today missionaries get a furlough roughly every four years.) She also took a month of rest during the year.

The War with Japan (1894), the Boxer Rebellion (1900), and the Nationalist uprising (that overthrew the Qing Dynasty in 1911) all profoundly affected mission work. Famine and disease took their toll, as well. When Lottie returned from her second furlough in 1904, she agonized over the suffering of the people who were literally starving to death all around her. She pled for more money and more resources, but the mission board was heavily in debt and could send nothing. Mission salaries were voluntarily cut. Unknown to her fellow missionaries, Lottie Moon—the Southern belle who was once described as “overindulged and under-disciplined”—shared her own meager money and food with any and everyone around her, severely affecting both her physical and mental health. In 1912, she only weighed fifty pounds. Alarmed, fellow missionaries arranged for her to be sent back home to the United States with a missionary companion, but she died on Christmas Eve on board ship in Kobe Harbor, Japan. Her body was cremated and the remains returned to loved ones in Virginia for burial.

Since her sacrificial death at the age of seventy-two, Lottie Moon has come to personify the missionary spirit for Southern Baptists and many other Christians, as well. The annual Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for Missions has raised a total of $1.5 billion for missions since 1888 and finances half the entire Southern Baptist missions budget every year.

http://www.trailblazerbooks.com/books/Moon/Moon-bio.html

Mrs. Willie Mae Page Lee
(December 29, 1922 – December 9, 2009)

Mrs. Willie Mae Page Lee was born on December 29, 1922 and passed away at 4:55 a.m. on Wednesday, December 9, 2009 at Golden Age Nursing Home in Denham Springs. She was 86, a native of Mer Rouge, LA and a resident of Denham Springs.

Mrs. Willie Mae is survived by 5 daughters, Margaret Ann Lee, Albany, Barbara E. Collier, Ponchatoula; Sue L. Glass and husband, Bobby, Denham Springs, Pattie Page Lee, Sharon, TN, and Cara W. Fonrouge and husband, Pete, Albany; 3 sons, Percy Truman Lee and wife, Jackie, Healey Field, MS; Mickey Lee and wife, Sandy, Kentwood, and Billy Lee and wife, Annette, Independence; numerous grandchildren, great grandchildren, great great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

Preceded in death by her parents, Bunyan and Dora Thompson Page; previous husbands, Percy T. Lee and Lonnie E. Williams; 3 sisters, Evelyn Hudson, Fannie Lee Allen, Lois Carrier; 4 brothers, Hirm Page, Edwin Buck Page, Robert C. Page and Harold Page.

Visitation will be at McKneely & Vaughn Funeral Home, Amite, on Saturday, December 12, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. until Religious Services in the Funeral Home Chapel at 1:00 p.m. with Bro. Jessie Tate officiating. Interment in the Loranger Cemetery.

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

McKneely & Vaughn Funeral Home, Amite, is located at I-55N & Hwy 16W behind Mr. Tom’s Car Wash and Bill Hood Chevrolet.

Pray for the Wilkinson family as they have final services for Billy Wilkinson today.

Merry CHRISTmas!

Jesus is the reason for the season!

Anna Lee

Wednesday

“Then the angel said to them,

“Do not be afraid, for behold,

I bring you good tidings of great joy0

which will be to all people,”

~Luke 2:10, NKJV~

Dr. Earl Council is home and feeling better.  Continue to pray for him.

Mrs. Della McDaniel is in North Oaks.  Please keep her in your prayers.

Pray for Kathy Wales.

Kathy Wales is having toe surgery Monday, December 14 to repair damage from a previous surgery. She will be totally non-weight bearing for two months in a cast. Please keep her in your prayers.

LOTTIE MOON (Part 2)

Edmonia didn’t last as a missionary, but Lottie did. She was a petite woman, only four foot three, but she had stamina, a lively spirit, vision, and a passion to win souls for God. Mission policies of the time limited what ministry women could do. But Lottie waged a slow, respectful, but relentless campaign to give women missionaries the freedom to minister and have an equal voice in mission proceedings. A prolific writer, she corresponded frequently with H. A. Tupper, head of the Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board, informing him of the realities of mission work and the desperate need for more workers—women and men. She encouraged Southern Baptist women to organize mission societies in the local churches to help support additional missionary candidates—and to consider coming themselves. Many of her letters appeared as articles in denominational publications. Catching her vision, Southern Baptist women organized Women’s Missionary Unions (WMU) and even Sunbeam Bands for children to promote missions and collect funds to support missions. The first “Christmas offering for missions” in 1888 collected over $3,000, enough to send three new missionaries to China.

Raised in a family “of culture and means,” Lottie at first thought of the Chinese as an inferior people, and insisted on wearing American clothes to maintain a degree of distance from these “heathen” people. But gradually she came to realize that the more she shed her westernized trappings and identified with the Chinese people, the more their simple curiosity about foreigners (and sometimes rejection) turned into genuine interest in the Gospel. She began wearing Chinese clothes, adopted Chinese customs, learned to be sensitive to Chinese culture, and came to respect and admire Chinese culture and learning. In turn she was deeply loved and revered by the Chinese people.

Lottie began her tenure as a missionary by teaching in a girls school—but while accompanying some of the seasoned married women on “country visits” from village to village outside the bigger cities, she discovered her passion: direct evangelism. But there were so many hungry, lost souls, and so few missionaries! For forty years she kept up her not-so-gentle pressure for the Southern Baptists to become giving, sending, missions-minded people.

Lottie’s home base as a missionary was Tengchow (today Penglai) in Shantung Province in North China. T. P. Crawford was the senior missionary there, but he had a reputation among both missionaries and the Chinese as an inflexible, contentious personality. Lottie often functioned as a peacemaker, able to see both sides of a dispute. She had her own strong opinions about different things, but she always worked respectfully with the Foreign Mission Board and with her fellow missionaries. Eventually Crawford resigned from the mission and formed the independent Gospel Mission, taking several Southern Baptist missionaries with him. After Crawford’s death, however, Lottie encouraged the board to receive the remaining GM missionaries “back into the fold.”


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“At the name of Jesus every knee should bow…” Philippians 2:10
Mike Benson, Editor
WE ALL HAVE walls…

Not the stone, concrete, or wooden ones that typically surround properties, but emotional ones.  Ther are parts of our lives that we keep walled off from other people.  The closer we are to someone, the fewer walls there are, the more self-disclosure we allow.  But even with those with whom we are the very closest, perhaps our spouse and/or very dearest friend a wll or two remains in place.  The walls are there to keep us from hurting.  Maybe what we are keeping to ourselves is something we’re afraid will cause the other person to think less of us or even reject us.  A wall is in place to protect us from that kind of hurt.  Believe it or not, we likely even have walls when it comes to our relationship with God.  Really.
The candid request of our text is remarkable.  It is full disclosure.  No walls.  My heart, my anxious thoughts, my actions are all open to scrutiny.  Something has to be understood here, though.  This isn’t actually an invitation to all God to do something He was not otherwise able to do.  Notice verses 1-12.  God already knows everything there is to know about me.  He knows me better than I know myself.  No, this invitation is in reality an acknowledgment, an admission on my part of what is already a reality.  God knows my heart.  He knows my anxious thoughts, He knows not only what I do, but why I do it.  The only thing that is left is for me to acknowledge what God already knows, own up to it, and allow God’s will and purpose to change and shape me even to my innermost being.
Walls separate; bridges unite.  We already have a big enough problem of separation from God caused by sin.  He provided a bridge in His Son.  We need to be rid of the walls that only further separate.  With God we must have no walls, only a bridge. David Deffenbaugh; Bill McFarland
“Search me, O God, and know my heart;
try me, and know my anxieties;
and see if there is any wicked way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.”
~Psalm 139:23-24~
Have a great day!
Anna Lee