Category: Operation Christmas Child

Friday

“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” 

~Luke 1:45 NIV~

Judith Webb Peterson

March 22, 1939 – December 25, 2019
A resident of Hammond, passed away on Wednesday, December 25, 2019 at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge. She was born March 22, 1939 in New Orleans, LA and was 80 years of age. ​
She is survived by ​
her husband, Johnny M. Peterson​ her loving husband.
She is preceded in death by​
her parents, James Samuel Webb and Alice Johnston Webb; ​and her sisters, Constance Webb and Barbara Webb Mondello.
She is lovingly remembered by her brother James S Webb lll, his wife Trisha; her daughters Terrey B Scheuermann, husband Robert; and Sherry P Denig, husband Jeff; her sons Porter L Bentley lll,  fiancé Alison Thompson,James W Bentley; John Peterson, wife Dawn; Grandchildren Anthony Miaoulis wife Tania; Crystal Bentley, Porter L Bentley lll, Jordan R Lavigne, Kelsey S May, Zachary Bentley, Seth Bentley, John Ryan Denig, Garrett Peterson and Sydney S Byrd, husband Ryan Byrd and numerous great grandchildren.
She went on to own her own business SEI in the Bahamas and was a member of Zonta International a professional organization empowering women.
Judy enjoyed her life, her family and her many friends here and in the Bahamas.
​
Visitation at First United Methodist Church, Amite,  from 9:00AM until Memorial Services at 11:00AM on Saturday, December 28, 2019. Services conducted by Rev. Josh Milliron. McKneely Funeral Home, Amite, in charge of arrangements.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Alzheimer’s Association, a charity of your choice in memory of Judy W L Peterson.
Operation Christmas Child – Today, I have some of my young helpers working with me on some projects that will wind up in shoeboxes.  I’m looking forward to this special time.  If you or someone in your family is willing to work some, please let me know.  I’ll get back with you on a date and time.  I just need willing helpers.
Scripture Writing for December 27 – Phillipians 2: 5-8
Have a blessed day!
Anna Lee

Thursday

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

~Luke 2:13-14~

 

 

 

Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes for 2020 are being worked on.  No, I’m not packing them, but I am making items for the shoeboxes.  If you are crafty and would like to help, please let me know.  Currently, I am working on bead dolls, marble bags, matching games. etc.  I would love to have you working alongside me periodically during the year.  Also, we will begin a church-wide program Sunday to help collect items for the shoeboxes.  I want to suggest to you that you take this opportunity to “get on board”.  You’ll be blessed.

 

 

 

Scripture writing for December 26 – Galatians 4: 4-7

 

 

 

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering – Don’t forget to give so missionaries can serve around the world telling others about Jesus.

 

 

 

Most career missionaries do short time missionary trips before deciding to become missionaries.  Check out this site.  You may be interested in doing one of these trips.

https://www.imb.org/trips/

 

 

 

I’m so thankful you read and pray.  

Anna Lee

 

Christmas Eve, 2019

“Joseph went from Nazareth, a city in Galilee, to a Judean city called Bethlehem . . .

Joseph went there to register with Mary.

She had been promised to him in marriage and was pregnant.

While they were in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to have her child.” 

~Luke 2:4-6 GW~

 

 

 

 

David’s brother, Donald, has been released from the hospital for Christmas.  He will be seeing an oncologist soon to learn the plan for treatment. David’s blood level was 9.8 yesterday.  He got a procrit injection yesterday and will have his blood level checked again next week.  We have appreciated the many prayers for David and his brother, Jimmy in 2019.  Now, I ask that you keep David and Donald in your prayers.

 

 

 

Lora Tolar Blades

April 18, 1952 – December 22, 2019

A resident of Greensburg, LA, passed away on Sunday, December 22, 2019 in Greensburg, LA. She was born April 18, 1952 in Jonesboro, LA and was 67 years of age. She is survived by daughter Stacy Wilkins and husband, Rich; son, Quincy Hodges, III and wife, Deanna; stepdaughter, Marissa Triolo and husband, Greg; son-in-law, Mark Miller; grandchildren, Quincy “PJ” Hodges IV and wife, Danielle, Kristina Wilkins, Heather Hodges, Shelby Miller, Cameron Miller, McKenna Wilkins, Alex Triolo, Jaylee Hodges, Ryan Triolo, Owen Triolo, and Riley Hodges; brothers and sisters, Linda Anderson and husband, Ben, Chris Hill and husband, Kenny, PD Tolar and wife, Donna, and Jimmie Billiot. Preceded in death by husband, Cade Blades; daughter, Dana Miller; mother, Nell Barrios; father, James Tolar; granddaughter, Jade Hodges; cousin, Becka Trosclair. Pallbearers will be Ashton Blades, Zach Johnston, Jake Johnston, Brody Johnston, Patrick Tolar and Dane Tolar. Visitation at New Zion Baptist Church from 5:00PM until 8:00PM on Thursday, and from 9:00AM until religious services at 10:00AM on Friday, December 27, 2019. Services conducted by Rev. Larry Blades. Interment Needham Cemetery, Kentwood, LA . McKneely Funeral Home, Kentwood, in charge of arrangements. For an online guestbook, visit http://www.mckneelys.com.

 

 

 

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering Projects – https://www.imb.org/give/projects/

 

 

 

Scripture Writing for December 25th – Luke 2: 17-20

 

 

 

Christmas Eve services will abound tonight.  If you do not already have plans to attend a service, I invite you to FBC, Kentwood at 6:00 P.M. to join us in thanking God for Jesus.

 

 

 

Luke 24

1 Very early on the first day of the week, they went to the place where Joseph had buried Jesus. They took with them the spices that they had prepared. 2 They arrived there. They found that someone had rolled the big stone away from the hole. 3 They went inside the hole in the rock, but they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus there. 4 They did not understand this at all. But while they were thinking about it, two men appeared. Their clothes shone brightly like lightning. These men came and stood beside them. 5 So the women became very afraid and they went down low with their faces on the ground.

The men said to the women, ‘This is a place to bury dead people. You should not be looking here for someone who is alive. 6 Jesus is not here. He has become alive again! Remember what he said to you, while he was still with you in Galilee. 7 He said, “It is necessary that someone should give the Son of Man into the power of bad men. They will kill him on a cross. But 3 days later he will become alive again.” ’

8 Then the women remembered the words that Jesus had said in Galilee. 9 They left the hole where Jesus’ body had been. They went to the 11 apostles. They told them what had happened. They also told all the other people who were there. 10 It was Mary from Magdala, Joanna, James’ mother Mary, and other women who were with them that told the news about Jesus to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe what the women said. They thought that it was just a silly story. 12 But Peter got up and he ran to the hole in the rock. He bent down and he looked inside. He saw only the long cloth that they had put round Jesus’ body. There was nothing else. So he went home again. He could not understand what might have happened.

Jesus shows himself to two disciples

13 Later on that same day, two of Jesus’ disciples were going to a village. The village was called Emmaus. It was about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking to each other about all the things that had happened. 15 While they were talking like this, Jesus himself came near to them. He started to walk along with them. 16 They saw him, but for some reason they did not recognize him. 17 Jesus asked them, ‘What are you talking about while you walk along the road?’

They stood still and they seemed sad. 18 One of them, called Cleopas, answered him, ‘Many things have happened in Jerusalem in the last few days. Are you the only visitor here that does not know about it?’ 19 Jesus asked them, ‘What things have happened?’

They replied, ‘The things that happened to Jesus who was from Nazareth. He was a prophet from God. He did many great things and he spoke powerful messages. God showed that his message was true. All the people believed him. 20 Then the leaders of the priests and our rulers took hold of him. They gave him to the Roman ruler. They said that he had done bad things and that he ought to die. So they killed him by fixing him to a cross. 21 But before that we had hoped that he would save the people of Israel. We hoped that he would make us free again.

There are other things too. Today is the third day since Jesus died. 22 After all this happened, some women in our group surprised us. Early this morning, they went to the place where Joseph had buried him. 23 But they did not find his body there. So they returned to us and said, “Some angels appeared to us. They have told us that Jesus is alive.” 24 So some people from our group went to the place where his body had been. They found everything just the same as the women had said. But they did not see Jesus.’

25 Jesus then said to them, ‘How silly you are! You are very slow to believe everything that God’s prophets said long ago 26 You should have known that the Messiah had to die. Only then would he return to heaven and show how great and powerful he is.’ 27 Jesus then began to explain to them what Moses and all God’s prophets had taught. He showed them what they wrote in the Bible about himself.

28 Then they came near to the village that the disciples were going to. It seemed that Jesus would continue his journey. 29 But they wanted him to stop there. They said to him, ‘Please stay in our home with us. It is getting late, and it will soon be night.’

So Jesus went into their house to stay with them. 30 He sat down to eat with them. He took the bread and he thanked God for it. He broke it into pieces and he gave some to them. 31 Then their eyes became clear and they recognized him. Immediately after that they could no longer see him. 32 They said to each other, ‘When he talked to us, it was like a fire that was burning inside us. We felt it while we were walking along the road. We also felt it when he was explaining God’s message in the Bible.’

33 They immediately got up and they returned to Jerusalem. There they found the 11 apostles and other people who were with them. 34 The people there gave the two disciples the news, ‘It is true! The Lord Jesus is alive again. He has appeared to Simon!’

35 Then the two disciples spoke to the whole group. They told what had happened to them on the road to their village. They told how they recognized Jesus when he broke the bread into pieces in their home.

Jesus appears to the group

36 While they were still speaking like that, Jesus himself stood among them. He said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’

37 But the whole group was very surprised and afraid. They thought that they were seeing a spirit. 38 Jesus said to them, ‘You should not be so afraid. You seem to have trouble in your minds about what you are seeing. 39 Now look at my hands and my feet. It is really me! Touch me. Then you will know that I am not a spirit. A spirit does not have a body with skin and bones. You can see that I have a real body.’

40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 This was such good news, they were very happy. But they could still not really believe it. So he asked them, ‘Do you have anything that I could eat?’ 42 They gave him a piece of fish that they had cooked. 43 While they were watching, he took it and he ate it.

44 Then he said to them, ‘I told you about these things while I was still with you. Everything that God’s servants wrote about me in the Bible had to happen. Moses wrote about me in his book of God’s Law. The prophets also wrote about me. The book called Psalms also tells about me. And now it has become true.’

45 Then he helped them to understand God’s message in the Bible. 46 He told them, ‘This is what it says there: The Messiah had to die. Then, after three days, he had to rise up and become alive again. 47 People in every country of the world must hear God’s message. They must stop doing wrong things and change how they live. When they do this, God will forgive them. He will forgive all the bad things that they have done. People need to tell this message about the Messiah in Jerusalem first, then tell people in other countries. 48 You are the people who have seen what has happened here. You must tell other people about it. 49 Now listen! I will send to you the gift that God my Father has promised to give to you. You must stay here in the city until this happens. Then the power of God will come from heaven and it will cover you.’

Jesus goes up to God in heaven

50 Then Jesus led the group of his disciples out of the city. They all went to a place near the village called Bethany. He held up his hands towards them all. He asked God to be good to them. 51 While he was praying for them like that, he went up away from them. God lifted him up to heaven. 52 The disciples praised Jesus for his great power. Then they returned to Jerusalem and they were all very happy. 53 All the time they were in God’s Great House and they were praising God.

 

 

 

I hope you have enjoyed and learned from reading the book of Luke this month.

Anna Lee

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday

32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 

33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

                                                                              ~Luke 1:32-33~

 

 

 

Angie Lamb (Recent hunting accident/Friend of Rachel and Trey Buckley in Missouri)

12/19/19.
Angie had a follow up with my surgeon in Springfield today. Didn’t get the news we had hoped for. I will be having surgery in the morning to revise my incision and to shave more of my tibia bone down. It’s a minor setback to being able to start the process of getting my prosthesis. My leg has to be completely healed before I can even begin to think about walking again. I’m frustrated, but it is what it is. Just want to get it over with so I can move on to more important things. John is upset and wanting a second and third and probably a fourth and fifth opinion 😂😂. He’s just worried about me having to go through another surgery. John and I continue to be amazed at the support we have received from not only our community, but from places we have never visited. We are still receiving well wishes and cards via mail. Many of them are from people we haven’t even met. If you watch the news, it makes you question the goodness left in the world. This accident has made me realize how lucky i am to be surrounded by so much love and kindness. Thank you all for making me feel so supported and loved. I appreciate every single one of you.

I know you will want to continue to pray for Angie and her family.

 

 

 

Ricky Mapes has been dealing with the flu and dehydration.  Please pray for him and others who are sick.

 

 

 

Nikki Rhodus’ mother, who lives in Texas, had surgery earlier this week.  All went well.  Continue to pray for her as she recovers.

 

 

 

David’s brother, Donald, was diagnosed yesterday with lung cancer.  They are still running tests.  Keep Donald and his family in your prayers.  He is in St. Tammany.

 

 

 

Scripture Writing for December 21 – Luke 1: 51-56

 

 

 

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering –

Lottie Moon’s Home Church Reinvigorated for Missions

http://bpnews.net/54068/lottie-moons-home-church-reinvigorated-for-missions

 

 

 

 

Luke 21

Jesus talks about people who give things to God

1 Then Jesus looked up and saw something that was happening in God’s Great House. There was a box for money there. Many rich people were putting their gifts of money into the box.

2 Then he saw a woman coming there. Her husband had died and she was very poor. She put two small coins that had only a little value into the box. 3 ‘Let me tell you this,’ Jesus said. ‘This poor woman has put a better gift into the box than all the other people have put in there. 4 All those rich people have plenty of money. They only gave a small part of that. But this woman has almost nothing. She put everything that she had into the box. That money was what she needed to live.’

Jesus talks about things that will happen

5 Some of Jesus’ disciples were talking about God’s Great House. They spoke about the many beautiful stones in the walls. They also spoke about the many gifts to God that people had put there. 6 Jesus said to them, ‘You can see all these beautiful things now. But a day is coming when enemies will completely destroy it all. Not even one stone will remain on top of another stone.’

7 ‘Teacher,’ they asked, ‘When will all these things happen? What will show us that they are soon going to happen?’

8 Jesus replied. ‘Be careful! Some people will tell you things that are not true. Do not believe them. Many people will say that they have come on my behalf. They will say, “I am the Messiah.” They will say, “Now is the time!” Do not agree with those people. 9 You will hear about wars and people fighting each other. Do not be afraid. Those things must happen first, but the end of everything will not happen immediately.’

10 Jesus went on to say to them, ‘People from one country will attack the people from another country. Kings and their armies will fight against other kings and their armies. 11 The ground will move about strongly, so that people will be afraid. In many different places, people will be hungry, with no food. Illnesses will go from one person to another. Many people will die. Things will also happen in the sky that will frighten people. 12 But before all those things happen, people will take hold of you. They will do bad things to you and give you pain. They will take you to the leaders in their meeting places and they will keep you in prisons. They will make you stand in front of kings and rulers. All this will happen because you are my disciples. 13 This will be the time to tell them the good news about me. 14 So prepare your minds. You must decide not to think about how to answer the questions of kings and rulers. Wait until that time comes. 15 I will give you the right words to speak at that time. I will help you to be wise. The people who are against you will not be able to argue with you. They will just be quiet. 16 Even your parents and other people in your family will take hold of you. They will make you stand in front of kings and rulers. They will even kill some of you. 17 Everybody will hate you because you are my disciples. 18 But your life will be safe with me. You will not lose even one hair from your head. 19 Yes, you will have true life, if you remain strong.

20 One day you will see Jerusalem with armies all round it. Then you will know that enemies will soon destroy that city. 21 People in Judea must then run away to the hills to hide. People that are inside the city must leave it. People that are outside in the fields must not go back into the city. 22 This is when God will punish Israel’s people. Then all the things will happen that his servants wrote about in the Bible. 23 That will be a very bad time for women who are soon to have a baby! It will also be a bad time for those women who have little babies! Yes, very bad things will happen to all the people of this country. God will be very angry with the people who live here. 24 At that time, enemies will fight God’s people and kill many of them in war. They will take some of them away to live in other countries. They will not be free to return home. People that are not Jews will destroy Jerusalem. They will rule here until it is time for them to stop.’

25 ‘You will see strange things happen to the sun and to the moon and to the stars. Down on earth, things that happen will make people in many countries very afraid. The sea will move up and down and make a lot of noise. There will be great storms. 26 These things will frighten people because they do not understand them. The great things in the sky will move from their usual places. People will be very afraid about what will happen next in the world. They will become very weak and fall to the ground. 27 Then they will see the Son of Man. He will come in a cloud. He will be very powerful and very beautiful. 28 When these things begin to happen, stand up. And look up, because God will then save you very soon.’

29 Then Jesus told them a story to explain this future time. He said, ‘Think about fig trees and other trees as well. 30 When you see new leaves on a tree, you know that summer will come soon. Nobody needs to tell you that. 31 In the same way, you will see these strange things happening. Then you will know that God will soon begin to rule in his kingdom.

32 Let me tell you this. The people who are alive now will not all die until all these things happen. 33 One day, the earth and the sky will have an end. But my words will be there for ever.

34 But be careful, and watch how you live. Do not eat or drink too much. Do not waste your time like that. Do not waste time by having troubles in your mind about your life. If you do, that day will surprise you. It will come when you are not looking. 35 It will surprise everyone who lives on all the earth. 36 So watch all the time! Continue to pray that you will be strong. Then you will be safe through all these things! You will stand in front of the Son of Man and you will not be afraid.’

37 Every day Jesus was teaching people in God’s Great House. Each night he went out of the city and he stayed on the hill that is called the Mount of Olives. 38 Each morning he returned to God’s Great House. All the people were going there early in the morning to hear him.

 

 

 

FBC, Kentwood will be having their adult Christmas program Sunday evening at 6 P.M. and their Christmas Eve service Tuesday at 6 P.M.  You are invited to join us for both of these services.  Other churches are also having special services during the holidays.  Check with them for their Christmas schedule.

 

 

If this Christmas is especially difficult for you, turn your focus to God and to others.

Anna Lee

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday

“Let us not get tired of doing what is right, for after a while we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t get discouraged and give up.”

~Galatians 6:9 TLB~

 

 

 

Please pray for my friend Elaine Smith who was admitted to OLOL yesterday.  It seems she needs a heart procedure.  Please for for the medical staff caring for her and for her family as they await final results.

 

 

Please pray for David’s brother, Donald “Red” Alford.  He was admitted to the hospital Saturday night and had two liters of fluid drained from around his heart.  He is now undergoing tests to see what caused his problem.  Donald is in St. Tammany Hospital in Covington.

 

 

 

David was blessed with another blood level of 10 yesterday.  He did not need/get procrit.  He will return next week for another blood test to determine the need for procrit.

 

 

 

Macy Lee, daughter of Tim and Becky, will be having gall bladder surgery at North Oaks at 9:30 this morning.  Macy has lost 50 pounds in the last few months without trying to lose weight.  She has been a sick young lady.  Pray for her to feel much better soon.  Doctors have found some other issues which are also being addressed.  May they discover all the answers and have Macy feeling better soon.

 

 

 

Rev. David Luce is one of the many people who had to deal with a tornado yesterday in Mississippi.  He was home alone at the time.  His wife is fine.  The house is standing, but heavily damaged.  The last report I had from his daughter, Debbie Clark, is that he was in the emergency room. (I’m assuming that to be in McComb.) . They lived in Amite County.

 

 

 

The Dallas Operation Christmas Child processing center has processed 1,004,788 shoeboxes!  Yeah!  Praise the Lord!  Thank-you to all the packers!

 

 

 

Today I want to share three obituaries.

GLENDA BATTLES BOOTH

2nd Timothy 4: 7-9

7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; 8 in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award me on that day; and not only to me but also to all who have loved His appearing. Personal Concerns 9 Make every effort to come to me soon;

On December 15, 2019, Glenda Battles Booth passed at her home in Pumpkin Center. Glenda was surrounded by her loves- George Booth; Matthew, Samantha and Kaydance. Glenda knew it was time to go to her eternal home with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Glenda was born on March 9, 1957 in Magnolia, Mississippi, along with her sister Linda. As twins, they had a special bond throughout their life. Glenda graduated from Amite High School and SLU. She retired from the Department of Health and Hospitals.

She married her love George Booth on October 26, 1985. They shared love and passion throughout their married life. Glenda often said there was never a dull moment with George. He even kept her laughing throughout the many treatments! George was her Rock! They were blessed with children Matthew Booth and Samantha B. Verneuil, and granddaughter Kaydance Grace Verneuil.

Glenda is survived by her husband George Booth; children, Matthew Booth and Samantha B. Verneuil; granddaughter, Kaydance Grace; siblings, Judy Smith (Larry), June Doughty (Jerry), Robert Battles (Mary), Margie Davis (Gerald) and Linda Reynolds (Jerry); and brother in law and sister in law, Olen Booth and Kathryn Booth.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Clifford and Geraldine Battles; grandparents Nathan and Lucile Battles and Merritt and Berta Allen; and her father in law and mother in law, George Sr. and Bobbie Booth.

The family gives special thanks to Dr. Greg Allen and UAMS Myeloma Institute, Little Rock Arkansas.

Visitation for Family and Friends will be on Wednesday, December 18, 2019 from 5:00 pm until 8:00 pm at Harry McKneely and Son Funeral Home, 2000 N. Morrison Blvd, Hammond, Louisiana, 70401. Visitation will resume on Thursday, December 19, 2019 from 12:00 pm until the Funeral Service begins at 1:30 pm, at Harry McKneely and Son Funeral Home, 2000 N. Morrison Blvd., Hammond, Louisiana, 70401.

Interment will follow at Fendelson Cemetery in Folsom, Louisiana.

(Glenda was one of my students when I did student teaching many years ago.)

 

 

 

Daniel Hardy “DH” Goldsby Jr.

Friday, December 13th, 2019
Daniel Hardy Goldsby, Jr. “DH”, 79, a resident of Jackson, LA, died on Friday, December 13, 2019. He was a barber for almost 60 years in Jackson, Louisiana.  He sincerely enjoyed visiting with each of his customers, and on occasion would sit outside of the barbershop waving to those passing by on the street. He also served in the U.S. Army Reserve. D.H.,as he was known by everyone, was an avid outdoorsman and loved dancing and cooking. There will be a visitation at the Jackson United Methodist Church on Thursday, December 19, 2019, from 10am until funeral services at 1pm, conducted by Rev. Chris Curry and Pastor Mike Clark. There will be a 3pm graveside service at the Amite Memorial Gardens. He is survived by his son, Daniel Hugh Goldsby and his wife Mary Ann Goldsby, of Amite, LA; sister, Barbara Labatut of Gretna, LA; brother Noel Goldsby and wife Lena of Baton Rouge, LA; two grandchildren, Hardy Goldsby and Mallory Crouch. Also survived by stepchildren Patrick Herring and wife Kristi, Stephen Herring, and Dana Dileo. He was preceded in death by his wife of 19 years, Adele Goldsby, granddaughter Caroline Crouch, and parents, Daniel Hardy Goldsby Sr. and Eunice Goldsby. Pallbearers will be William Sherman, Jr., Jeffrey Boudreaux, Charles Wall, Jr., Jason Johnston, C. Kenneth Sherman, Patrick Herring, Keith Cox, and honorary pallbearer Billy Allen. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Tunica Methodist Church or the Jackson Methodist Church.

Joseph Anthony Pepitone

Hammond, Louisiana

Feb 7, 1938 – Dec 15, 2019 (Age 81)

Joseph Anthony Pepitone, age 81 of Hammond, Louisiana, passed away on Sunday, December 15, 2019, at his residence. He was born on Monday, February 7, 1938, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Joseph is survived by his daughter & son-in-law, Jackie Pepitone Mitchell and Randy Mitchell, daughter & son-in-law, Stacey Pepitone Schroeder and Mike Schroeder, daughter & son-in-law, Dawn Pepitone Ekker and Curtis Ekker, daughter & son-in-law, Keli Pepitone Pisciotta and Greg Pisciotta, son & daughter-in-law, Terry Michael Pepitone and Diane Pepitone, grandchildren, Stephen, Brent, Shanna, Ashley, Chad, Sara, Shelby, Zachary, Christopher, Nicholas, Stephanie, Jeremy, Ryan, Jake and Rahael, great-grandchildren, Jude, Harvey, Harper, Manning, Hudson, Logan, Landry, Wesley, Anna, Alexis, Lily, Grayson and Mayson. Siblings,
Albert Pepitone, Rita Charbonnet, Danny Pepitone, Brenda Lipscomb, Wayne Pepitone, and Cathy Dugas.

He was preceded in death by parents, Joseph and Josephine Nuccio Pepitone, brother, William “Buck” Pepitone, his sisters Eugenia “Sis” Ritter and Dot Lemoine; nieces Danita Pepitone and Kim Robillard; his nephews, Ronny and Billy Pepitone.

Family and friends will be received at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 255 North 8th Street Ponchatoula, Louisiana 70454, on Thursday, December 19, 2019 from 9:00 am until 11:00 am.

Services will be held at St. Joseph Catholic Church, on Thursday, at 11:00 am, with Fr. Cayet Mangriacina officiating.

Interment will follow at Wetmore Cemetery.

The family request donations be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, https://www.stjude.org/

(His son’s family members are special friends to us from our “Ponchatoula shop” days.)
Lottie Moon – Giving $350 is enough for a translation of one Bible story into sign language
Scripture writing for today – Like 1: 25-29
Luke 17 

1 Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Some bad things in this world will make other people do wrong things. You can be sure about that. But God will punish anyone who makes these bad things happen. 2 These other people may not seem to be important. But you must not make them do wrong things. Do not do that! It would be better if someone tied a big stone round your neck, and then he threw you into the sea.

3 Be careful how you live. If your Christian brother does something wrong, speak to him. Tell him that he has done a bad thing. He may say, “I am sorry for what I did. I will not do it again.” If he says that, you must forgive him. 4 Your brother may do a bad thing to you seven times in one day. He may turn to you each time and say, “I am sorry for what I did. I will not do it again.” If he does that, you must forgive him every time.’

5 The apostles said to the Lord Jesus, ‘Help us to believe more and more in God.’

6 The Lord replied, ‘You may believe in God only a very little bit, like a very small seed. Even if you only believe that little bit, you could say to this tree, “Pull yourself out of the ground and plant yourself in the sea.” Then the tree would obey you.

7 Think about this. You may have a servant that is ploughing your land. Or you may have a servant that is taking care of your sheep. When he comes in from his work in the evening, you would not say to him, “Sit down and eat.” 8 No, you would not say that. You would say to your servant, “Prepare my meal for me. Dress yourself properly and bring the food to me. I will eat and drink first. You can eat when I have finished.” 9 Servants should do what their masters tell them to do. When they do that, their masters do not need to thank them. 10 It is the same with you. The Master tells you what you should do. So when you have done all of it, you should say, “We are not special servants. We have only done what we should do.” ’

Ten men that had a bad illness of the skin

11 On his journey to Jerusalem, Jesus was travelling along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 When he was going into a village, 10 men came towards him. These men had a bad illness of the skin. They stopped and stood a long way away from Jesus. 13 They shouted, ‘Jesus, Master, please be kind to us.’

14 Jesus saw them and said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’

While they were going on their way, they became well again. 15 One of these 10 men saw that Jesus had made him well. He turned back and he praised God in a loud voice. 16 He went down on his knees in front of Jesus and thanked him. This man was from Samaria.

17 Then Jesus said, ‘I made 10 men well again, didn’t I? There should be another nine men somewhere! 18 But only this one man came back to thank God. And he is a foreign man from Samaria!’

19 Then Jesus spoke to the man. ‘Stand up and go on your way. You believed in me, so now you are really well.’

Jesus talks about the time when God will rule

20 Then some Pharisees asked Jesus a question. ‘When will the kingdom of God begin here?’

Jesus replied, ‘When God begins to rule here, people will not see it with their eyes. 21 Nobody will say, “Look everyone! God is ruling here,” or “Look! God is ruling over there.” No, it is not like that. God is already ruling in the lives of his people.’

22 Jesus said to his disciples, ‘The time will come when you will very much want to see me, the Son of Man, return to the earth. But you will not see that day. 23 People may say to you, “Look, there he is!” or “Here he is!” But do not go out with them to look. 24 When lightning shines, it quickly makes the whole of the sky light from one side to the other. It will be like that on the day when the Son of Man returns. 25 But before this happens, the people of today will refuse to accept me. And I will feel much pain.

26 Remember what happened when Noah was alive. It will be like that at the time when the Son of Man returns to the earth. 27 In Noah’s time, people were eating their meals every day. Men and women continued to marry. They continued to do all this until the day when Noah went into his boat. Then it rained for a long time and there was deep water everywhere. The water killed all the people.

28 The same kind of thing happened when Lot was alive. People in the city called Sodom were eating their meals every day. They were buying and selling things. They were planting their seeds and they were building their houses. 29 But one day Lot went away from Sodom. On that same day, God caused it to rain fire and burning stones from the sky. This killed all the people in Sodom.

30 It will happen quickly like that, on the day when I, the Son of Man, show myself clearly. 31 On that day, a person who is up on the roof of his house must not go back down into the house. He must not get his things that are inside the house to take with him. In the same way, people that are working outside in their fields must not go back to their homes. 32 Remember what happened to Lot’s wife.

33 Whoever wants to keep his own life safe will lose it. But whoever gives his life to serve me will have true life. 34 I tell you this. At that time, two men will be sleeping in one bed. God will take one of them away but he will leave the other man behind. 35-36 Two women will be preparing food together in the same place. God will take one of them away but he will leave the other one behind.’

37 Jesus’ disciples asked him, ‘Where will this happen?’ Jesus replied, ‘If a dead body is lying somewhere, vultures will come together in that place.’

 

 

 

Today, the is the “Young” Ladies Birthday Party at The Cafe at 11:00 A.M.

 

 

 

Remember the reason for the holiday we are celebrating this month.

Anna Lee

The Lord’s Day

“And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation.” 

~1 Peter 1:5 NLT~

 

 

 

 

Smiley Conerly is at home and quickly improving.  Please continue to pray for Smiley and Carol Jean.

 

 

 

Bryan Tate is at home again.  Please keep him and his family in your prayers.

 

 

 

 

New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary had graduation yesterday.  Rev. Don Meadows and Rev. Brock Burch both got their master’s degree.  Thanks to all who encouraged and supported them, especially their families and their churches.

 

 

 

Matt Williams got his PhD yesterday.   I’m thankful for him and his growing family.  His life has impacted my family is a positive way!

 

 

 

Scripture Writing – December 15 – Matthew 2: 1-6

 

 

 

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering – Support the 3,656 missionaries serving internationally for us.  They GO, we SUPPORT!

 

 

 

The Operation Christmas Child room at FBC has been totally rearranged and reorganized.  We now have three sets of storage shelving in there.  Soon there will be opportunities in 2020 to help with projects and prepare for packing later in the year.  Stay tuned.  Let me know if you would like to see the newly organized room and/or to volunteer to help in 2020.  I think we will have smaller packing sessions next year, not one big one.  Join in and be blessed!

 

 

 

Luke 15

1 One day, many bad people and men who took taxes on behalf of the government were coming round Jesus. They all wanted to hear what Jesus was saying. 2 The Pharisees and teachers of God’s Law did not like this. ‘This man is friendly with people that do not obey God,’ they said. ‘He even eats with them in their homes.’

A story about a sheep that a man has lost

3 So Jesus told them this story: 4 ‘Think about a man who has 100 sheep. He may lose one of them. What does he do then? He leaves all his other sheep in the fields. Then he goes. He looks for the sheep that he has lost. He looks until he finds it. 5 When he finds the sheep, he is very happy. He lifts it up and he puts it across his shoulders. 6 Then he carries it back home. He speaks to all his friends and to the people that live near him. He says, “I have found the sheep that I lost. So come to my house and we can all be happy together.” 7 When one person stops doing wrong things, it is like that. It makes those that live with God in heaven very happy. They will be happier about that one person, than about 99 people who already obey God.’

A story about a coin that a woman has lost

8 Jesus told them another story: ‘Now think about a woman who has ten valuable coins. She may lose one of them. What does she do then? She lights a lamp and she sweeps inside her house. She looks carefully until she finds the coin. 9 Then she speaks to all her friends and to those that live near to her. She says to them, “I have found the coin that I lost. So come to my house and we can all be happy together.”

10 When one person stops doing wrong things, it is like that. It makes God’s angels and everyone in heaven very happy.’

A story about two sons

11 Jesus then told another story: ‘There was a man that had two sons. 12 The younger son went to his father and said to him, “Father, please give me now my part of your things.” So, the father gave both sons the part of his things that each of them should have. 13 After a few days, the younger son sold what his father had given to him. Then he took all the money and left home. He went on a long journey to a country far away. There, he did whatever he wanted to do and wasted all his money. 14 After he had spent everything, there was no rain in that country. There was almost no food anywhere. So the young man had nothing to eat. 15 He went to a man who lived in that country. He asked to work for him. So the man sent him into his fields to give food to his pigs. 16 Nobody gave him anything to eat. He even wanted to eat the food that the pigs were eating. But he had nothing.

17 Then the son began to think about what he had done. He said to himself, “My father has many servants, and they have plenty of food to eat. They even have more food than they need. But I will die here because I do not have any food. 18 So I will go to my father and tell him, ‘I have done bad things against God, and I have done bad things against you. 19 So I am not good enough for you to call me your son any longer. Instead, please accept me as one of your servants.’ ”

20 So he went off to return to his father. But he was still a long way from the house when his father saw him. He felt very sorry for his son and he ran towards him. Then he put his arms round his son and he kissed him. 21 “Father,” the son said, “I have done bad things against God and against you. So I am not good enough for you to call me your son.” 22 But the father shouted to his servants. “Hurry!” he said. “Fetch the most beautiful coat that we have. Put it on him and also put a ring on his finger. Put shoes on his feet. 23 Fetch the young cow that we keep ready to eat on a special day. It is already fat. Kill it and prepare it. We will eat a big meal and we will be happy together. 24 I thought that my son here was dead. But now he has returned to me and he is alive! I thought that he had left me for all time. But now he has come home.” Then they all began to be happy together.

25 While these things were happening, the older son was working in the field. On his way back to the house, he heard music. People were dancing. 26 So he asked one of the servants, “What is happening?” 27 The servant replied, “Your brother has returned home. Your father has killed the fat young cow for him. He did this because your brother is alive and he is well.” 28 When the older brother heard this, he was very angry. He would not go into the house. So his father came out. “Please come in to be happy with us,” he said. 29 “Listen,” the older son replied, “I have worked a lot for you for many years. I have always obeyed you. But you never even killed a young goat for me so that I could be happy with my friends. We could have had a meal together. 30 But now this other son of yours has returned. He has wasted all the money that you gave to him. He has spent it on prostitutes. But you have even killed the fat young cow for him.” 31 “My son,” his father said, “you are always with me. All the things that I have are yours. 32 We thought that your brother was dead. But now he has returned to us alive. We thought that he had left us for all time. But now he has come home. So we must all be happy together.” ’

 

 

 

I hope you are reading along in Luke this month.  If not, it is not too late to get started.

Anna Lee

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign:

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

                                                                                ~Isaiah 7:14~

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

2019 LOTTIE MOON CHRISTMAS OFFERING GOAL

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

LOTTIE MOON CHRISTMAS OFFERING THEME

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

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

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

 

 

 

Luke 13

Stop doing wrong things or die

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

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

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

A story about a fig tree

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

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

Jesus makes a sick woman well again

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

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

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

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

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

Jesus tells stories about seeds and yeast

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

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

A story about a narrow door

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

 

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

Anna Lee

Sunday

But God is wise and good. 

Wise people understand

and they show that God is right.’

~Luke 7:35~

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

Today, we will read Luke 8.

Luke 8

The women that helped Jesus

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

A story about a farmer that planted seeds

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

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

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

Jesus explains why he tells stories

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

Jesus explains the story about the seeds

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The mother and brothers of Jesus come to see him

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

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

Jesus stops a storm

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

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

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

Jesus makes a man well

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jesus makes a young girl well

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

 

Jesus is the reason for this great Christmas season!

Anna Lee

Wednesday

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

~Galatians 6:9 NIV~

 

 

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

Bible chapter to read today – Luke 4

Luke 4

The Devil tries to make Jesus do wrong things

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

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

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

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

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

“Only worship your Lord God.

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

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

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

11 “They will hold you safely in their hands.

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

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

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

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

Jesus goes to Nazareth

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jesus causes a bad spirit to leave a man

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

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

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

Jesus makes many people well

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

 

Special Christmas related activities involving FBC, Kentwood this week:

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

 

 

 

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

Anna Lee

 

 

 

Sunday

Do not forget the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods.  

Rather, worship the LORD your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.”

~2 Kings 17:38-39~

 

 

 

Please continue to pray for Emilie McKenzie.  She will have another surgery on her arm Monday.  She’s looking forward to not wearing a cast soon.  Pray for Emilie and those involved in her surgery.

 

 

 

Wesley C. Ryals

July 18, 1958 – November 15, 2019

Wesley C. Ryals, a resident of Kentwood, LA died peacefully in his sleep, November 15, 2019. He was born July 18, 1958 on an Airforce base in Cambridgeshire, England. Wesley was a quiet soul except for his huge, wonderful laugh. He enjoyed a simple life with friends and family. He is survived by brother and sisters: Brenda Prudhomme and husband Michael, Jerome Ryals and wife Irena of Adelaide, Australia, Gina Carver, and Michelle Brisbois; nieces and nephews: Kellie Prudhomme, Wendy Baron, Marta Sproles, Jaime Ryals, Emily Ryals, Hannah Carver and Joshua Ryals. Preceded in death by father Jerry Ryals, mother Charlene McKenzie Brisbois, grandparents; W.O. and Minnie Ryals, Price and Maude McKenzie, infant sister Deborah Ann Ryals, and infant brother Jerry Jay Ryals. A graveside military ceremony will be held on Saturday, December 7, 2019 at New Zion Cemetery, 2 New Zion Road, Tylertown, Mississippi at 10:00 a.m. He will be laid to rest next to his daddy. McKneely Funeral Home, Amite, in charge of arrangements. For an online guestbook, visit http://www.mckneelys.com.

 

 

 

Scripture for today – Luke 1 (East English Bible) – One chapter each day until Christmas!

Luke 1

Luke writes the facts about Jesus

1 Many people have written about the things that have happened in our country. 2 Some people were present when these things started to happen. They saw everything that happened and they told us about it. They are the people who wrote down the Good News for us. 3 I have checked the facts about what really happened. So now, I know about all the things that happened from the beginning. I am writing to make the facts clear to you, my important friend Theophilus. 4 People have already taught you about these things. Now you can be sure that they are true.

What happened before John the Baptist was born

5 There was a man whose name was Zechariah. He lived when Herod was king of Judea. Zechariah was a priest and he belonged to a group of priests from the family of Abijah. He had a wife called Elizabeth. She also was from the family of the priest called Aaron.

6 Zechariah and Elizabeth obeyed God all the time. They obeyed God’s rules and they did not do wrong things. They lived in a way that pleased God. 7 But they had no children. Elizabeth could not have a baby and they were both getting old.

8 One day, Zechariah’s group was working at God’s Great House. He had a special job to do there. 9 The priests chose one of their group to go into a special room inside God’s Great House. This time they chose Zechariah. His job was to burn incense there.

10 While Zechariah was burning incense in the special room, many men were outside in the yard. They were praying to God.

11 The incense was burning on a special altar, when one of God’s angels appeared to Zechariah. The angel was standing at the right hand side of the altar.

12 When Zechariah saw the angel, he was very surprised and very afraid. 13 The angel said to him, ‘Zechariah, do not be afraid. God has heard what you prayed. He will give you what you asked for. Your wife Elizabeth will give birth to a baby boy. You will call him John. 14-15 He will be very important to the Lord God. So, he will make you very happy. Many other people will also be very happy because he has been born. He must never drink anything with alcohol in it. From the time that he is born, the Holy Spirit will live inside him.

16 He will teach many people in Israel. Then they will turn their lives back to the Lord their God and they will obey God again. 17 John will prepare the people for the Lord to come to them. The Holy Spirit will lead John as he led Elijah. John will do powerful things as Elijah did. He will help fathers to love their children. He will teach people who do not obey God. Then they will know what things are right. And they will do them. Then they will be ready when the Lord comes.’

18 Zechariah asked the angel, ‘How can I be sure about this? You know that I am an old man. My wife is also old.’

19 The angel answered, ‘I am called Gabriel. My place is to stand in front of God. I am always ready to work for God. He has sent me to speak to you. He told me that I should tell you this good news. 20 Now listen to me. Because you did not believe my message, you will not be able to speak. You will not speak again until the time that your son is born. My message will really become true at the right time.’

21 While this was happening, the people outside were waiting for Zechariah. They were thinking, ‘Why has Zechariah stayed for such a long time in the special room? Why has he not come out yet?’ 22 When he did come out, he tried to talk to them. But he could not speak. So they knew that God had showed him something special in the room. He was moving his head and his hands about, to tell them what had happened. But still he could not speak.

23 When Zechariah had finished his work in God’s Great House, he returned home. 24 Soon, a baby was growing inside his wife Elizabeth. She stayed in her house for five months. 25 ‘The Lord has now given me a baby,’ she said. ‘He has been kind to me. Because of this, other people cannot say bad things about me now.’

What happened before Jesus was born

26 When Elizabeth’s baby had grown inside her for nearly six months, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth. Nazareth is a town in Galilee. 27 Gabriel went there to visit a young woman. Her name was Mary. She had never had sex with anyone. She had promised to marry a man called Joseph. He belonged to the family of King David.

28 Gabriel went to Mary and said, ‘Hello, Mary. The Lord God loves you very much. He is very near to you.’

29 Mary had a lot of problems in her mind about what Gabriel said. She did not understand why he said it. 30 ‘Do not be afraid, Mary,’ Gabriel went on to say. ‘God has been kind to you. 31 Listen! A baby boy will grow inside you. When he is born, you will call him Jesus. 32 He will be great. People will call him the Son of the powerful God who is over all. The Lord God will make him king. He will rule as his ancestor King David ruled. 33 He will rule over the family of Jacob for all time. He will be king for all time, without end.’

34 Mary asked, ‘How can this happen? I have never had sex with anyone.’ 35 Gabriel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come to you. The power of God who is over all will cover you like a shadow. So, your child will be special to God. He will be completely good. He will be called God’s Son. 36 Another thing! Your cousin, Elizabeth, is very old. People said that she could not have a baby. Listen! She also will have a son. The baby has grown inside her now for nearly six months. 37 There is nothing that God cannot do.’

38 Mary answered, ‘I am the servant of the Lord. I have heard what you have said. I want it to happen to me just like that.’ Then the angel left her.

Mary visits Elizabeth

39 After that, Mary prepared herself to travel. She hurried to a town in the hills of Judea. 40 When she arrived at the home of Zechariah, she said, ‘Hello’ to Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary speak, she felt her baby move quickly inside her. The Holy Spirit filled her. 42 She spoke to Mary in a loud voice, ‘God has made you very happy. He has been good and kind to you more than to other women. He has also been good and kind to your baby. 43 You are the mother of my Lord and I am not an important person. So it is very good that you have visited me. 44 Listen! When I heard you say, “Hello” to me, my baby moved quickly inside me. He was very happy. 45 The Lord has told you what will happen. And you believed what he told you. Because of that, God has made you a happy person.’

Mary’s song

46 Then Mary said,

‘All of me wants to praise God and say,

“Lord, how good and great you are!”

47 I thank God because he is the one who saves me.

48 I know that I am not an important person.

God knows this, and he has been kind to me.

Listen! From now on, all people will say that God has made me happy.

49 Yes, God has done great things for me.

He is very powerful and strong. He is good in every way.

50 He is kind to people who respect him.

He will always be kind to people like that.

51 He has shown how strong he is to do great things.

Some people think that they are very important.

But he has sent them away in different directions.

52 Some people were ruling countries.

But he has taken their power away from them.

He has given power to people who do not feel important.

53 He has fed hungry people with good things to eat.

But he has sent rich people away with nothing.

54 He promised that he would be kind to his people, Israel.

Now he has come and helped them.

55 He made a promise to Abraham and to our other ancestors.

Now he has done what he promised.’

56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months. Then she returned to her home.

John the Baptist is born

57 The time arrived for Elizabeth to have her baby. She had a son. 58 Her family and the people who lived near her heard about her baby. They knew that the Lord had been very kind to her. They saw that she was happy. So they were happy too. 59 When the child was eight days old, people came to circumcise the child. They wanted to call the child Zechariah. This was the same name that his father had.

60 Elizabeth said, ‘No. His name will be John.’

61 They replied, ‘But you do not have anybody in your family called John. That cannot be right.’ 62 So they used signs and asked his father. They wanted to know the boy’s name.

63 Zechariah asked for something to write on. He wrote, ‘His name is John.’ Everyone was very surprised at what he wrote. 64 Immediately, Zechariah could speak again. He could speak without difficulty. He began to thank God loudly.

65 The people who lived near Zechariah and Elizabeth were very surprised. They saw how great God was. Many people who lived in the hills of Judea also talked about all these things. 66 Everyone who heard about these things thought about them. They asked each other, ‘When this child becomes a man, what will he be?’ They could see that God really was with him.

Zechariah’s song

67 The Holy Spirit filled John’s father, Zechariah, so that he spoke God’s message:

68 ‘The Lord God of Israel is a great God.

He has come to save his people. He has come to make them free.

69 He has sent a very strong person who will save us.

This person comes from the family of his servant, King David.

70 Long ago, God promised that he would do this.

He gave his own prophets this message to speak.

71 God will save us from our enemies.

He will save us from everyone that hates us.

72 He has promised to be kind to our ancestors.

He will remember to do the things that he promised.

73 Yes, he will remember the strong promises that he spoke to Abraham.

74 God said, “I will keep you safe from your enemies.

Then you can serve me and not be afraid.

75 You can live in a way that is good and right.

You can do this all your lives.” ’

76 Zechariah then spoke to John:

‘You, my child, will be called a prophet of the powerful God who is over all.

You will go in front of the Lord to prepare a way for him.

77 You will tell God’s people how God can save them.

They have done wrong things but God will forgive them.

78 Our God will forgive us because he is very kind.

He will send someone from the highest place.

When this person comes, it will be like the sunrise for us.

79 He will bring light to people who are living without God.

It is like those people are living in the dark. They are afraid to die.

But he will shine on them.

He will show us how to live so that we will not be afraid.’

80 Zechariah’s child grew. God made him strong in his mind. He went into the wilderness and he lived there for many years. Later, God sent him to Israel’s people, to teach them.

 

 

 

Someone whose “shoeboxes” were packed in Dallas said her boxes went to Equador.  That’s a good indication some, if not all. of our boxes went there too.  I’ll check with the church secretary Monday to see what our tracking shows.

 

 

 

Thankfulness, one more time. – I thought I was finished writing my “thankfulness” thoughts since I only planned to do it for the month of November, but God had other plans for me.  Yesterday, David and I were at an ATM and drove toward the street.  The next person in line behind us started blowing and blowing his horn.  Yes, the card was still in the machine.  I’m thankful the right person was behind us in line and there right as we finished!  God was watching out for us, another “God wink”!  He wants us to be aware of all He does for us, even if November is now history!

 

 

 

There is a new list for Scripture writing.  You can get a copy at FBC, Kentwood.  If not, stay tuned.  I’ll post each day.

Scripture Writing for December 1 – Isaiah 7: 14 – 17.

 

 

 

Today, we begin the week of prayer for the Lottie Moon Christmas offering for international missions.

Day 1 – “Here to Serve” – https://www.imb.org/day-1/

 

 

 

God has a plan for our service and a location for us to serve.  Are you serving others  for Him or just trying to be served by others?

Anna Lee