Family – Page 89 – The Prayer Link

9/11 (9th Anniversary)

“Cast all your anxiety on Him,

because He cares for you.”

~1 Peter 5:7~

Please pray for the families who suffered losses nine years ago today and for the families who have suffered losses because of someone who helped in the aftermath of 9/11. Pray for our country!

Robbie Lynn C. Kirby and Erin Evanoff are both working to get their pain eased following procedures done Thursday. Pray for both of them to have a good day today.

Pray for Rev. Bobby Eads as he continues to have heart issues. He is wearing a monitor so the doctor can assess his situation better.

My cousin, Scott, has been taken to a hospital in Alexander, LA. He will not be near any of his family. Pray for Scott and his family to depend on God to get them through this very difficult time.

KneEmail

“At the name of Jesus every knee should bow…”

Philippians 2:10

Mike Benson, Editor

IMAGINE HAVING THE world’s most valuable masterpiece, a work of art that would bring thirty or forty million dollars if you auctioned it…

Then imagine that instead of taking that masterpiece to the auction, you took it to a pawn shop, pawned it for twenty bucks, and blew the whole wad on crayons and paper so you could decorate your own walls.

Or imagine being offered a lifetime pass to the city’s best buffet spread, only to reject it in favor of one meal at a truck stop. Silly? Ludicrous? Absolutely insane? All of that and more. People with even an ounce of sense don’t squander glory on garbage. But that’s what idolatry is. That’s what the people of Judah were doing in Jeremiah’s day, and that’s what we do with alarming ease today.

Think about how much God is worth. He can create anything, so whatever we have, He has something better. He governs and sustains everything, so every circumstance we encounter must bow to Him. And He has promised lavish blessings for eternity, so all our cravings will be exgtravagantly exceeded by His good gifts. Logically, there’s nothing we would take in exchange for a relationship with this God. Practically, that’s exactly what we often do. Chris Tiegreen, “Garbage and Glory,” The One Year Worship The King Devotional, June 5

“Has a nation changed its gods, which are not gods?

But My people have changed their Glory for what does not profit.”

~Jeremiah 2:11~

Baptist Press Stories for Sep. 10, 2010

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VIEWPOINT: To reach Muslims, trade fear for love

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=33670

Judge overturns ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=33671

2nd state exec questions Ezell nomination; 2 NAMB trustees counter with support

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=33669

Kan.-Neb. reduces CP allocation; economy, ‘direct missions’ giving cited

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=33672

INTERNATIONAL DIGEST: Venezuelans protest land seizures, street violence; …

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=33673

Student marvels at Hugo’s transformation

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=33674

FIRST-PERSON: The secret to praying for Muslims

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=33675

FIRST-PERSON: Deciding what and what not to cover

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=33676

Have a blessed day! Plan some time to prepare your heart, your body, and your schedule for the Lord’s Day!

Anna Lee

Thursday

Whoever wants to be great must become a servant.

~Mark 10:43 (MSG)~

Pray for the family and friends of Caroline Crouch as they celebrate her life today.

Pray for Robbie Lynn C. Kirby as she has surgery again. She is already at the hospital this morning.

Pray for Erin Evanoff as she has a biopsy today. This will help determine the extent of her cancer.

Continue to pray for my Tolleson relatives. Scott is home. He will receives some health services there.

KneEmail

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

Mike Benson, Editor

A COUPLE FROM Bakersfield, California had just purchased a new boat, but were experiencing some serious problems…

No matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t get their 22-foot boat going. It was very sluggish no matter which way they turned, no matter how much power was applied. After about an hour of trying to make it go, they made their way over to a nearby marine, hoping someone there could tell them what was wrong.

A thorough check on the topside of the boat revealed that everything was in perfect working condition. The engine ran fine, the out drive went up and down, and the propeller was the correct size and pitch. Then, one of the marina guys jumped in the water to check underneath.

He came up choking on water because he was laughing so hard.

Under the boat…still strapped securely in place…was the trailer…

When God looks “under” your life, what does He see? Are you strapped to some sin that is slowly pulling you under?

“Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they shall see God.”

~Matthew 5:8~

Make this day, a gift from the Lord, meaningful!

Anna Lee

Wednesday

“Rejoice always,

pray without ceasing,

in everything give thanks;

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

~1 Thessalonians 5:16-18~

My cousin, Scott Tolleson, was released from the hospital yesterday. He will receive assistance, like OT and PT, at home. Please continue to pray for Scott’s immediate and extended family.

Baptist Press Stories for Sep. 7, 2010

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Preaching, fellowship highlight LifeWay’s Black Church Week

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=33644

Legalism vs. grace: Pastor recaps JBS

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=33646

A vision for Africa & the local poor

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=33645

Quebec strongly favors euthanasia

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=33647

Survey: Nonreligious doctors more likely to hasten death

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=33648

FIRST-PERSON: No need for God? Stephen Hawking defies divine creation

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=33649

David’s uncle

“Gene” Willie Eugene Russell

(November 28, 1932 – September 6, 2010)

A resident of Zachary, he died at 6:15 p.m. on Monday, September 6, 2010 at Baton Rouge General Medical Center – Bluebonnet in Baton Rouge. He was born November 28, 1932 in Russelltown and was 77 years of age. Visitation at McKneely Funeral Home, Amite, from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Sunday and from 8 a.m. until religious services at 10 a.m. on Monday. Interment Arcola-Roseland Cemetery, Arcola.

KneEmail

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

Mike Benson, Editor

A FIREMAN I KNOW once got trapped in a burning house…

He had gotten disoriented in a hallway when fire broke out at both ends of the hall. He believed that he was going to die that day. With smoke and flame all around him, he simply did not know which way to go. All he knew was that he did not have much time. At what seemed to be the last second, the smoke cleared a bit, and he saw sunlight coming into a window at one end of the hall. He ran to it, broke it out with an ax, and climbed to safety. His fellow firemen treated him as if he had returned from the dead.

Someone who has tasted death has a way of grabbing our attention. No wonder, then, that King Nebuchadnezzar was so amazed when the three young Hebrew men emerged alive from the furnace. Everyone in the palace knew what had happened. This was not some fluke in which the men managed to find a way out of danger on their own. Only God could have brought them out. The Scripture says that it was as if they had never gone into the fire at all: “there was no smell of fire on them” (v. 27).

The king was moved to praise the one true God who had saved the men from the furnace. He even decreed that no one could even so much as speak against their God. Don M. Aycock & Mark Sutton, “Dead Men Walking,” Still God’s Man, 220-221

God still saves (cf., 1 Peter 3:20-22) from the fire (Jude 1:2-3). He still resurrects (cf., Romans 6:5) from the dead. Do you know Him (1 John 2:3-4; 3:1; 5:20; Philippians 3:10)?

²⁶ Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here.” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came from the midst of the fire. ²⁷ And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.²⁸ Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God! ²⁹ Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this.”³⁰ Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon. Daniel 3:26-30

Thanks for taking time to read this post and for praying. You can also pray for those who have been listed lately and for others who were not listed. If you wish, you can send me information to post so others can pray along with you.

Anna Lee

Saturday

Since you are his child,

everything he has belongs to you.

~Galatians 4:7 (NLT)~

Leroy Wilson learned his rash was caused by his blood pressure medication that he had been taking for thirty years. With a change of medication, he should be much better soon.

Scott Tolleson will be hospitalized through the weekend. Please keep Scott and his family in your prayers.

CaringBridge

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/macygueldner/journal?jid=6048214

Chuck and Jeanne Tate of the Terry’s Creek community proudly announce the birth of their ninth child.

Emily Hope Tate

arrived Thursday, September 2^nd, at 9:21 a.m.

weighing in at 8 lbs. 3 oz. and 20 inches of sweet!

I hope you will take time to read some of these stories.

Baptist Press Stories for Sep. 3, 2010

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Chinese pastor, wife slain at church served by Lottie Moon

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=33629

Wartime hurts conquered by prayer

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=33637

Cambodian Baptists seek partnerships

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=33638

CULTURE DIGEST: Wallis admits funding from Soros; wealthy urged to give it away

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=33639

Okla. Ten Commandments display could carve new church-state path

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=33640

Homeschooling continues to grow

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=33641

FIRST-PERSON: Sexuality, smoking & movies

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=33642

FIRST-PERSON: Seeking God in Hollywood, coming up short

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=33643

KneEmail

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

Mike Benson, Editor

EACH OF US has something to give…

Oseola McCarty lived in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. She was an 88-year-old African-American woman who had been a washer-woman all her life. She lived in a small home left to her by her uncle, doing laundry for others out of her house for a few dollars at a time. She had a dog named Dog, a hog named Hog, and a cow named Hazel. She had lived by herself since 1967, working every day for a meager income.

On July 26, 1995 she did a very simple thing. She made a decision to give what she had to others. Over the years, she’d been saving the little money she made, never wanting much and never needing much. Knowing that she was getting up in age, she decided to dedicate her life savings to the University of Southern Mississippi to finance scholarships. She walked into her bank and asked them to give away her life savings, which amounted to several hundred thousand dollars. She did so without fanfare and without expecting anything in return.

She wrote and published a book of her sayings called Simple Wisdom for Rich Living. Oseola was not miracle worker. She had no extraordinary talent, athletic ability, musical ability, mental genius, status, or social connections to speak of. But she did have the ability to see and hear the world around her. She was not angry at society for her station in life. She did not pity herself. Instead of hoarding what she had to get through her dying days, she made a decision to give away what she had. She was born into poor circumstances, but she was rich in spirit and enriched the the lives of everyone around her.

What do you have to give that you are hoarding for yourself, or worse yet, not using it all? Daniel R. Castro, “The Decision Behind the Decision,” Critical Choices, 19-21

“She has done what she could…” Mark 14:8a

Have a holiday weekend, but be sure to find time for Bible study and worship.

Thank-you for taking the time to pray. Prayer is very important both to the one praying and for those for whom they are praying.

Anna Lee

Friday Afternoon

Caroline Crouch is better today. Keep praying!

Shirley J. Primes is having knee surgery today. Pray for good results and a successful rehabilitation period.

Cindy Knight Edward‘s surgery went well. She is on her way home. Thank God.

Georgia Canale is having surgery at North Oaks today. Please pray for her time of recovery and healing.

Mr. Clifton Womack still needs our prayers. He is also at North Oaks.

CaringBridge

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/calliecole/journal?jid=6046233

My cousin, Scott, will be hospitalized for a few days. Please keep praying for this family as they are gathered at the hospital today and as they go to their respective home. Pray their spirits will stay strong no matter how they are tested.

Friday

“Continue earnestly in prayer,

being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.”

~Colossians 4:2~

Today, I ask for prayer for my Texas relatives. Scott, my first cousin, was rushed to the hospital earlier this morning. I don’t know any details. Brenda, his wife, has been in bed due to back surgery that didn’t go well. Micah, their son, will be having his last treatment for a brain tumor. Sharla, Scott’s sister, is living in a special care home near her mother, my aunt, Naomi. They all have their plates overflowing with medical issues, but most importantly, a strong faith in God. Please pray for them as their faith sustains them in these very difficult time.

Jonathan Ray Chapman
(August 9, 1984 – September 2, 2010)

Jonathan Ray Chapman was born August 9, 1984 and passed away on Thursday, September 2, 2010 at University Hospital, New Orleans. He was 26, a native of Independence and a resident of Loranger.

Jonathan passed away due to a blood clot that was caused by an injury to his knee in early July of this year.

Jonathan is survived by his parents, Jesse and Diane Shaffett Chapman, Loranger; sister, Velma Chapman, Loranger; maternal grandmother, Mary Thames, Amite; nephew, Ian Paul Chauvin, Natalbany; numerous extended family;

Preceded in death by a brother, Jesse Earl Chapman, Jr.; paternal grandparents, Charles & Velma Lois Cutrer Chapman; maternal grandfather, Johnny Wilson Shaffett, Sr.; 2 uncles, Johnny Wilson Shaffett, Jr. and Donald Ray Chapman.

Visitation will be at McKneely & Vaughn Funeral Home, Amite, on Saturday, September 4, 2010 from 5:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. and on Sunday, September 5, 2010 from 8:00 a.m. until Celebration of Life Services at 3:00 p.m. with Sister Lorena Wilson officiating. Interment in the Briar Patch Cemetery.

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

McKneely & Vaughn Funeral Home, Amite, is located at I-55N & Hwy 16W (Exit 46) next to Bill Hood Automotive and behind Mr. Tom’s Car Wash and Holiday Inn Express.

Baptist Press Stories for Sep. 2, 2010

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Vietnam stepping up religious rights abuses, experts say

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=33623

Report of aid workers’ deaths may be false

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=33624

Page says Baptists should be ‘giant killers’

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=33626

Ezell’s passions church planting, adoption

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=33628

Hungering for God in Hungry Horse

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=33625

FIRST-PERSON: What does the Bible say about mixed martial arts?

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=33627

Enjoy some slightly cooler weather. As you do, remember to pray for the many people you know who have spiritual or physical needs. What a blessing you can be to others by exercising you privilege of praying to our God!

Anna Lee

Wednesday

“The Lord is far from the wicked,

but He hears the prayer of the righteous.”

~Proverbs 15:29~

Doctors have done all they can do for Caroline Crouch. Now, the family is waiting to see if God is going to heal Caroline Crouch here on earth or in heaven. Please continue to pray for her family and friends.

Mr. Clifton Womack continues to improve. Keep him in your prayers.

Caring Bridge

Honesty

KneEmail

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

Mike Benson, Editor

PICTURE WHAT THE world would be like if no one had hidden agendas — everything out on the table, no gossip or talking behind people’s backs…

Imagine how freeing it would be to live like Jesus, not ruled by people’s opinions, to only be concerned about God’s view of us, thus freeing us to care for others with honest words that lead either to rejection or genuine closeness.

Most of us don’t live this way. We get consumed with how we come across to people. We hunger for their approval and become manipulative. This creates a false, but fleeting, sense of satisfaction. Or, we judge others, telling them that they need our approval. But Jesus describes a new way to care for people, one unconcerned with their opinion of us, one in which we have both compassion and candor, making our relationships real.

“He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory;

but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true,

and no unrighteousness is in Him.”

John 7:18

I’m hoping September brings us cooler weather, but it is hard to realize September is already here.

Anna Lee

Tuesday

“So let us not become tired of doing good;

for if we do not give up,

the time will come when we reap a harvest.”

Galatians 6:9 (NLT)

Mrs. (David )Rhonda Cutrer of Roseland is finally without fever. She was able to return home again. Thank you for your continued prayers for her.

Janet Pike had surgery yesterday. Pray for her as she begins the recovery process.

Caroline Crouch has been taken to Houston. She transplanted lung is being rejected. Caroline has cystic fibrosis. Please continue to pray for the young lady from Amite.

CaringBridge

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/calliecole/journal?jid=5990578

Whitney Kliesch took a few steps yesterday. He will be released from the hospital in Hawaii and after about a week sent home to continue his recovery. Thank God for this wonderful report.

Micah Tolleson is still in the hospital, but his family hopes he will be able to come home tomorrow. The results of the lasts tests were not good. Please say extra prayers for Micah and his family.

From Lawana Carter

Sylvia Breeland Green (is my niece and Molly Carter’s grandchild) We know what is wrong with Tori (This is my great niece and mom’s great grandchild)!!!She has a relly hard to kill, not to common UTI. More tests will be done to make sure the ‘pluming’ in her kidneys is okay. Plus we have a few more labs, ultra sounds, and culters to get done. Thanks to all for the thoughts and prayers. We hope to be home in the next couple days.
Tori is 3 years.

KneEmail

“At the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow.” Philippinas 2:10

Mike Benson, Editor

DURING THE GOLD rush days in Colorado, a man named R.U. Darby and his uncle went west in search of gold…

With only a pick and a shovel, they dug and dug until they finally struck the shiny gold ore. But they needed specialized machinery to bring the gold to the surface. They quietly buried their small mine and went back east to Williamsburg, Maryland and told a few relatives and neighbors of their find. They convinced them to invest and loan them the money they needed to buy the equipment and have it shipped to the mine.

They brought up the first car of ore and shipped it to the smelter. The results showed that they had one of the richest mines ever found in Colorado. A few more cars of this gold would pay their debts and then they could start reaping enormous profits. But then tragedy struck. The vein of gold disappeared. They searched and searched — desperate to pick up the vein of gold again. But no luck. They continued drilling in vain and after a few more weeks of frustration, they gave up. They sold the machinery to a junk man for a few hundred dollars and took the train back home.

In the meantime, the junk man called a mining engineer to look at the mine. The engineer took some calculations and concluded that the project had failed because the owners were not familiar with “fault lines.” The junk man took over drilling and found the vein of gold within three feet of where the Darbys had stopped drilling. The mine turned out to be one of the biggest gold mines ever discovered in Colorado.

Thomas Edison wrote, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” When you quit, you create a permanent solution to a temporary problem. When you quit, you guarantee the result you fear most — that you won’t succeed. The fact is, success makes all your suffering count for something. Turn your pain into a purpose. Daniel R. Castro, “Heroes Focus on the Purpose on the Other Side of Pain,” Critical Choices, 87-88

“And let us not grow weary while doing good,

for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”

Galatians 6:9

Thanks for entrusting us with your prayer requests. We will pray.

Anna Lee

Saturday

“Never boast about tomorrow.

You don’t know what will happen between now and then.”

~Proverbs 21:1 GNT~

Pray for Holly K. She will be returning from West Africa in two months.

Please continue to pray for Micah Tolleson. He has been hospitalized again. As you pray for him, pray for his entire family. His mother wrote…

Once again Micah needs your prayers, as does our entire family. Micah is in the hospital again…the chemo, the radiation, etc. is all taking a toll on his body, physically and mentally. Our entire family is so tired and our hearts are broken for Micah for what he is dealing with tonight—too much for a 22 year old. Good thing with have the Lord on our side, I don’t know how we would deal otherwise.

Jimmy Tolar did not come home Thursday, but was scheduled to come home Friday.

Brace yourself for a hot day!

Have a great day of preparation for the Lord’s day!

Anna Lee

Friday

“I am the Lord, and there is no other;

there is no God besides Me. . . .

they might know from the rising of the sun to its setting

that there is none besides Me.

I am the Lord and there is no other.”

~Isaiah 45:5-6, NKJV~

CaringBridge

PUTTING LOVE INTO PRACTICE
The following story seen in “Sunshine Magazine” about a professor of psychology illustrates how difficult it is to love others.

Although he had no children of his own, whenever he saw a neighbor scolding a child for some wrongdoing, he would say, “You should love your boy, not punish him.”

One hot summer afternoon the professor was doing some repair work on a concrete driveway leading to his garage. Tired out after several hours of work, he laid down the towel, wiped the perspiration from his forehead, and started toward the house. Just then out of the corner of his eye he saw a mischievous little boy putting his foot into the fresh cement. He rushed over, grabbed him, and was about to spank him severely when a neighbor leaned from a window and said, “Watch it, Professor! Don’t you remember? You must ‘love’ the child!”

At this, he yelled back furiously, “I do love him in the abstract, but not in the concrete!”

That’s so true. It’s easy to love people “in the abstract”. It’s easy to talk about love and the importance of love. What’s much more difficult is to love people in “concrete” ways, especially when we’re dealing with people are very unlovable, who have been unkind and irritating to us.

But love is not something for us to talk about — it is something for us to demonstrate in some very practical ways, as John makes clear in this familiar passage:

“By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.” (1 John 3:16-18)

How about it — are you loving in the abstract, or in the concrete?

Have a great day!

Alan Smith
Helen Street Church of Christ
Fayetteville, North Carolina

Thank God for the lightning display and the liquid sunshine we had last night. We had a great group at the cabin last night even though our expectations were very low.

May you be richly blessed this day!

Anna Lee