Category: Praises, Requests, & Updates

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

Thursday

“You were chosen according to the purpose of God the Father and were made a holy people by his Spirit.”

 ~1 Peter 1:2 GNT~

 

 

 

Smiley Conerly continued to progress well yesterday,  There is a possibility the pathology report will be ready today.  Please continue to pray for Smiley and Carol Jean.

 

 

 

Beverly Blackwell is now living close to her son, John.  Her sister, Debbie said this was a good change for Beverly.

 

 

 

Buddy Morris will be having surgery on his carotid artery Tuesday in Hammond.  Please begin to pray for Buddy and Eleanor as he faces this surgery.

 

 

 

Ferrie Gene Blackmon will also be having surgery.  Hers is scheduled for January 6th.

 

 

 

Scripture writing for December 12 – Malachi 3: 1–3

 

 

 

The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering always brings to mind the tea cakes she made and served in China.  You may want to use this recipe at home or at church.

PLAIN TEA CAKE

(As made by Lottie Moon)

3 teacups of sugar
1 teacup of butter
1 teacup of sour milk
4 pints of flour
3 eggs, well beaten
1/2 teaspoon of soda

Flavor to taste. Roll thin.
Bake in a quick oven.

PLAIN TEA CAKE

(Adapted recipe for today’s cooks)

2 cups of flour
1/2 cup butter
1 heaping cup of sugar
1 well-beaten egg
1 tablespoon cream

Cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg and mix well. Add the flour and cream. Dust a board with flour. Roll the dough very thin. Cut cookies with a round cookie cutter. Place on a buttered or nonstick cookie sheet. Bake at 475 degrees for about 5 minutes.

 

 

Luke 12

Jesus tells the people to be careful how they live

1 While all this was happening, many thousands of people had come together near that place. The crowd was so big that people were almost walking over each other. Jesus began to talk first to his disciples. He said, ‘Be careful! Do not let the yeast of the Pharisees spoil you. Do not be hypocrites like they are.

2 Some people hide the things that they do. But there will be a time when other people will see those things clearly. Everyone will know all their secrets. 3 You may have said things secretly, in the dark of the night. But one day people will hear those things in the light of day. You may have said things quietly into someone’s ear, behind a door that you have shut. But one day people will shout out those secrets loudly from the tops of the houses.

4 You are my friends, so I tell you this. Do not be afraid of those people who can kill only your body. After that, they can do nothing worse to you. 5 But I tell you, it is God that you should be afraid of. He has the power to kill people and then to throw them into hell. Yes, I am telling you, be very afraid of him.

6 Think about this. People sell five birds for two small coins, don’t they? But each little bird is valuable to God. He knows about them all and takes care of them. 7 God even knows how many hairs there are on your head. So, do not be afraid of those people who are against you. You are more valuable to God than many little birds.

8 I tell you this. You should say clearly to other people, “I believe in Jesus.” If you do this, I, the Son of Man, will say to the angels of God, “This is someone who is my disciple.” 9 But if you say to other people, “I do not believe in Jesus,” I will say to the angels of God, “I do not know this person. He is not one of my disciples.”

10 Somebody may speak against me, the Son of Man, and God will forgive him. But if somebody says bad things against the Holy Spirit, God will not forgive that person.

11 People will take you into their meeting places. They will make you stand in front of rulers and other people that have authority. They will want to show that you have done bad things. But do not be afraid of them. Do not be troubled about what you should say. 12 At that time, the Holy Spirit will teach you. He will tell you what words you should say.’

A story about a rich fool

13 Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, I have a problem with my brother. Our father has died. Tell my brother to give me my part of the things that our father left us.’

14 Jesus replied, ‘It is not my job to say which of you is right or wrong. And it is not my job to say how much each of you should have.’ 15 Then he said to all the people, ‘Be very careful! Do not want more things than you really need. The life of a person is worth more than just the things that he has. Even if he is very rich, that is still true.’

16 Jesus then told them a story: ‘A man had some very good ground, where he planted seeds. The plants grew very well. When they became ripe, he had much more than he planted. 17 He thought about how much he would soon have. “I have nowhere to store all the food from my plants,” he said to himself. 18 But then he decided what to do. He thought, “I will pull down the building where I now store my food. Then I will build a bigger place to store it all, as well as everything else that is mine. 19 Then I will say to myself, ‘You have plenty of things stored safely. These will be enough for you for many years. Now you can live an easy life. Eat and drink as much as you want. Enjoy yourself.’ ”

20 But then God said to the man, “You are a fool. Tonight you will die. You will have to leave everything behind. Think about all your things that you have stored. Think about what will happen to them. Think about who will have them after you die.” ’

21 Jesus went on to say, ‘Some people think only about having many things for themselves. That story shows how those people live. But God says about them, “They have nothing of value at all.” ’

Do not have troubles in your mind

22 Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘I tell you this. You should not be thinking all the time about how to stay alive. Do not be always thinking about the food that you need to stay alive. Do not be always thinking about the clothes that you need to wear. 23 Your life is more important than the food that you eat. Your body is more important than your clothes.

24 Think about the birds. They do not plant seeds in the ground. They do not cut down plants to eat. They have no buildings to store food. But God gives them food to eat. You are much more valuable than the birds. 25 Even if you are always thinking about your life, you cannot make it go on any longer, not even by one hour! 26 No, you cannot even do a small thing like that. So, if you are always thinking about the things that you need, will that really help you?

27 Think about how the wild flowers grow. They do not do work or make clothes for themselves. But I tell you this about them. Even one wild flower is more beautiful than King Solomon was. And King Solomon wore the most beautiful clothes. 28 It is God that gives beautiful clothes even to the grass. One day the grass is growing in the field, but the next day people will cut it and burn it. God will certainly take care of you, much more than he takes care of the grass. You should trust him more than you do!

29 Do not always be thinking about the food and drink that you need. Do not have trouble in your mind about them. 30 People that do not know God are always thinking about these things. But as for you, your Father God knows that you need them. 31 Instead, always think about the things that are important in the kingdom of God. Then he will also give you the things that you need each day.

32 You are only a small group of people, but do not be afraid. Your Father God has given his kingdom to you. He is happy to do that. 33 So, sell what you have and give the money to poor people. Then you will have valuable things in heaven. That is like keeping your money in a bag that will never have a hole in it. There, the value of your things will never decrease. Nobody can take them from you. Insects can not destroy them there. 34 Then you will be thinking a lot about heaven, because that is where you keep your valuable things.’

Be ready for Jesus to return

35 Jesus said, ‘Always be ready for my return. Be like people that are ready to start work at any time. They have put on their clothes so that they are ready for work. And they have lit their lamps. 36 You must be like servants that are waiting for their master to arrive. When he returns home from the marriage party, he will knock on the door. His servants should be ready to open it for him immediately. 37 Those servants will be very happy if their master finds them awake. Then the master will dress himself to give them food. He will say to them, “Sit at the table. I will come to serve you.”

38 The master may arrive in the middle of the night. He may even arrive just before the sun rises. But, if the master finds them awake and ready, the servants will be happy.

39 You can be sure about this. The master of a house does not know when a man might come to rob him. If he knew the time, he would keep awake. He would not let the robber come into his house and take away his things.

40 You also must be ready. The Son of Man will come at a time when you are not thinking about it.’

Be a good servant

41 Peter asked Jesus, ‘Master, are you only telling this story to us, your disciples? Or is this story for everyone to hear?’

42 Jesus replied, ‘Be a wise servant. Be someone that the master can trust. The master will choose a man like that. He will say to him, “I want you to rule my house and the other servants. Give them the food that they need at the right time.” 43 That servant will be very happy when his master comes home. His master will see that he has done everything well. 44 Let me tell you what will happen. The master will give that servant authority to rule over everything in his house. 45 But another servant might say to himself, “My master is very late. He will not come yet.” Then he begins to hit the other servants, both the men and the women. He eats too much, and he drinks too much. He even becomes drunk. 46 Then the master of that servant will come home and he will surprise the servant. He did not think that his master would come home on that day or at that time. Then the master will punish that servant a lot. He will put the servant with those people that do not obey him.

47 A servant may know what his master wants him to do. Then he should prepare himself and do that. If he does not, his master will punish him very much. He will hit him a lot. 48 But another servant perhaps does not know what his master wants him to do. So he does wrong things. The master will punish him because he did those wrong things. But he will not hit him as much. If God gives a lot to somebody, he will want a lot back in return. And God will want much more from the person to whom he has given authority over much more.

49 I came to start a fire on earth. I would be happy if that fire were already burning. 50 I have a baptism of pain to receive. I cannot rest until this has happened.

51 I did not come into the world so that everyone will agree with each other. No, I tell you. I came to put people against one another. 52 From now on, because of me, five people in a family will be against each other. Two people will be against the other three. Three of them will be against the other two. 53 They will not agree together. The father will be against his son and the son will be against his father. The mother will be against her daughter and the daughter will be against her mother. The mother will be against her son’s wife. And the son’s wife will be against her husband’s mother.’

54 Then Jesus said to the crowd, ‘If you see a cloud that is rising in the west, immediately you say, “It will rain.” And the rain does come. 55 Sometimes you see that the south wind is blowing. So you say, “It will be very hot weather.” And the hot weather does come. 56 You are hypocrites! You look at the earth and the sky, and you know what weather will come. So look at the special things that are happening near you now. They show you what will soon happen. But you do not understand what they are showing you. Why not?

57 You should know what is right. And you should do it. 58 This may happen to you: Someone says, “You have done something wrong against me.” So he takes hold of you to go to the judge. Before you arrive at the office of the judge, try to agree with this man how to make things right again. If you do not agree together about the problem, it may be bad for you. The judge will give you to his officer. The officer will put you in prison. 59 I tell you. You will remain in prison until you have paid all the money, even the last small coin.’

 

 

Thanks for reading TPL today.  Please take time now to pray for the needs I have listed here and other needs you may be aware of.  If you want me so share a need, please send it to me by using the “contact” link on this page.  Thanks!

Anna Lee

 

Wednesday

“It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger.

He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible” 

~Hebrews 11:27 NLT~

 

 

 

Smiley Conerly called yesterday morning from the hospital.  He was doing well and looking forward to a regular room and possibly coming home tomorrow.  Keep praying for him.

 

 

 

Kathy Smith, Bro. Danny’s wife, had knee surgery yesterday.  Pray for a good recovery for her.

 

 

 

Hudson Hobgood, the baby we have been praying for and who recently had heart surgery, got to go home yesterday after 96 days in the hospital.  This family needs more prayers as the family makes adjustments to changes for him.

 

 

 

Scripture Writing – December 11 – Psalm 95: 1-7

 

 

 

The SBC reported these statistics.

MISSION BOARD REPORTS

The International Mission Board (IMB) and North American Mission Board (NAMB) assist churches in evangelizing, discipling, and planting reproducing churches in our nation and around the world in fulllment of the Great Commission.

Overseas missionaries
reported by IMB, 8/30/2019		 3,714
Unengaged Unreached People Groups
reported by IMB, 9/4/2019		 3,176
Domestic missionaries
reported by NAMB in the 2019 Book of Reports		 5,097
New churches planted
reported by NAMB in the 2019 Book of Reports		 624
Existing churches joining with the SBC
reported by NAMB in the 2019 Book of Reports		 254
These numbers help us to realize the importance of the Lottie Moon offering to support the IMB missionaries.

Luke 11

Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray

1 One day, Jesus was praying in a certain place. He finished praying. Then, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Master, John taught his disciples how to pray. Please teach us as he did.’

2 Jesus replied, ‘When you pray, you should say this:

“God, our Father, you are great. We want people to praise your name.

We want the day when you rule everyone to come soon.

3 Please give to us the food that we need each day.

4 Forgive us for our sins,

because we also forgive everyone who has done wrong things against us.

And do not let us agree to do wrong things.” ’

5 Jesus then told a story to teach them how to pray. He said, ‘Let me tell you about someone who goes to a friend’s home at midnight. “My friend,” he says, “please give me three loaves of bread. 6 A friend of mine is on a journey and he has arrived at my house. But I have no food to give him.” 7 But his friend answers from inside his house. He says, “Do not cause problems for me! I have locked my door. My children and I have gone to bed. So I cannot get up and give you any bread.” ’

8 Jesus went on to say, ‘I will tell you what will happen. Perhaps your friend will not give you anything just because you are good friends. But if you continue to knock and ask for bread, your friend will get up. He will give you bread, as much as you need.

9 So I tell you this. Continue to ask God for what you need. Then God will give it to you. Continue to look for what you need. Then you will find it. Continue to knock at the door and God will open it for you. 10 Everyone that asks for something will receive it. Everyone that looks for something will find it. God will open the door for everyone that knocks on it. 11 Some of you are fathers. If your son asks you for a fish, you would not give him a snake instead. 12 If he asks you for an egg, you would not give him something dangerous. 13 You are bad. But even you know how to give good things to your children. Your Father in heaven knows much better than you do how to give good things to his children. So he will give the Holy Spirit to everyone who asks him.’

Jesus teaches about the Devil

14 One day, Jesus was telling a bad spirit to go out of a man. Because of the bad spirit, the man could not speak. But after it had gone out of him, the man could speak again. All the people that were watching were surprised at this. 15 But some people in the crowd were not happy with Jesus and they said, ‘This man can send bad spirits out of people because Beelzebul gives him authority. That is Satan, the one who rules all the bad spirits.’

16 Some other people wanted to see if God had really sent Jesus. So they asked him, ‘Do something powerful for us to see. Then we will know that God has really sent you.’

17 But Jesus knew what those people were thinking. He said to them, ‘If armies in a country start to fight each other, they will destroy their own country. If people in one family fight against each other, they will destroy their own family. 18 So Satan would not fight against himself. If he did that, it would be the end of his kingdom. But you say that Satan helps me to destroy bad spirits. 19 If that is true, what do you say about your own disciples? They also send bad spirits out of people. You would not say that it is Satan’s power that helps them. So your own people show that you are wrong about this. 20 When I send bad spirits out of people, I use the power of God. This shows that God has come to rule among you.

21 When a strong man has all the weapons he needs to fight with, he can take care of his own house. Nobody will be able to rob him of the things inside his house. 22 But someone may come who is stronger than he is. The stronger man will attack him and beat him. The strong man believed his weapons would keep him safe. But the stronger man will take his weapons away. He will take the strong man’s things and give them to other people.

23 If someone does not agree to help me, he is really against me. You should work with me to bring people to me for help. If you do not do that, you are really making people run away from me.’

24 Jesus went on to say, ‘When a bad spirit goes out of a person, it travels through dry places. It looks for a new place to live. But maybe it does not find anywhere. So, it says to itself, “I will return to the place where I lived before.” 25 It goes back to that person. It finds that the place is empty. Everything there is now good and clean. 26 So the bad spirit goes out and it brings back seven other spirits. They are even worse than itself. They all go into the person and they live there. Now the person’s life is even worse than it was before.’

27 While Jesus was saying this, a woman in the crowd shouted out. ‘How happy is the woman that gave birth to you! How happy is the woman that fed you from her breasts!’

28 Jesus replied, ‘How happy, rather, are the people that hear the message from God. That is if they obey it.’

Jesus talks about Jonah

29 The crowd round Jesus was growing very large, so he began to speak to them. ‘The people that are alive today are very bad,’ he said. ‘They want God to show them something powerful. But God will not do this for them. They will only see the same powerful thing that God did for Jonah. 30 Jonah showed God’s power to the people who lived in Nineveh. They knew that God had sent him. In the same way the Son of Man will show God’s power to the people that are living today. Then they will know that God has sent me.

31 Also, the queen of Sheba travelled a long way to see King Solomon. She wanted to hear his wise words. When God judges everyone, she will stand up. She will speak against you who are alive today. She will show that you are bad people. She listened to King Solomon. But look! There is someone here now who is greater than Solomon was.

32 When God judges everyone, the people who lived in Nineveh will be there. They will stand up and they will speak against you. They will show that the people who are alive today are bad. When Jonah spoke to the people in Nineveh long ago, they stopped doing bad things. But look! There is someone here now who is greater than Jonah was.’

Jesus talks about being full of light

33 Jesus went on to say, ‘When someone lights a lamp, he does not hide it. Nor does he put it under a pot. Instead, he puts it in a high place. Then other people who come into the room can see the light from the lamp. 34 Your eyes are like lamps, and your body is like a room. Make sure that your eyes are like a clean lamp, then your whole body will have light. But if your eyes are dirty, your whole body will be completely in the dark. 35 So, you must be careful. Be sure that you really have light in you. Be sure that you are not still in the dark. 36 Your whole body needs to have lots of light. Nothing dark should be there. It will be as if a lamp is shining its bright light on you.’

37 While Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to eat a meal with him. So, Jesus went to the Pharisee’s house and he sat down at the table. 38 Jesus did not wash his hands before he ate the meal. This surprised the Pharisee. 39 So the Lord Jesus said to him, ‘You Pharisees are like someone who only cleans the outside of his cup and his plate. You only clean the part that people can see. But inside, your mind is full of bad thoughts. You like to take things from other people. 40 What fools you are! God made the inside of you as well as the outside. He knows all about you. 41 So be ready to give things to poor people. Then you will be really clean, on the inside as well as the outside.

42 It will be bad for you Pharisees! When you grow little plants to cook with food, you give a part to God. One tenth belongs to God. You are right to obey this rule. But you do not do the most important things. You do not help people in a good way. You do not really love God. You should have done the important things as well as the other little things.

43 Yes, it will be bad for you Pharisees! You like to sit in the best seats in the meeting place. And you like people to praise you in the market place like an important person.

44 It will be very bad for you. You want to seem good to other people, but you are bad on the inside. You are like a place where they have buried a dead person. People walk on that place because they do not know that there is a dead person there.’

45 Then a teacher of God’s Law spoke out. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘when you say these things, you are also saying bad things about us.’

46 Jesus replied, ‘It will be bad for you teachers of God’s Law as well. You give rules to people to obey. Those rules are like things that are too heavy for people to carry. You do not even help people to carry them. Not even with one finger do you help them!

47 Yes, it will be bad for you! A long time ago, your ancestors killed God’s prophets. Now, you build up beautiful stones to show the place where they buried them. 48 You know that your ancestors killed the prophets. Now you build up the places where they buried them. So you show that you agree with your ancestors. You agree with what they did. 49 God is wise. Because you do not obey what is true, he said, “I will send my prophets and apostles to go to them. But they will kill some of my servants. They will hurt others of them.” 50 Since the beginning of the world, people have killed God’s prophets. But God will punish the people who are alive today for all those murders. 51 Abel was the first to die like this and Zechariah was the last. They even killed Zechariah in the yard of God’s Great House, near the altar. Yes, God will punish the people who are alive today for all those murders.

52 It will be bad for you teachers of God’s Law! You have studied God’s message. But you do not then accept it. You have also stopped people who really wanted to know God’s message. Then they could not go on to accept it and go into God’s kingdom.’

53 Then Jesus left that place. The Pharisees and the teachers of God’s Law were angry against Jesus. They were asking him many difficult questions. 54 They wanted to make him say something wrong. Then they could take hold of him.

 

 

 

I hope you are keeping up with the readings from Luke.  If not, it is never too late to go to Luke 1 and to begin reading.

Anna Lee

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monday

4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared,

5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,

6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior,

7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

                                                                                       Titus 3:4-7

 

 

 

 

Smiley Conerly will be having surgery first thing this morning at Hattisburg.  Please pray for Smiley, the medical staff working with him, and for his family.

 

 

 

Scripture Writing – December 9 – Psalm 72: 8-14

 

 

 

Lottie Moon

Charlotte Digges “Lottie” Moon
Lottie Moon-1.jpg

Missionary to China
Born December 12, 1840

Albemarle County, Virginia
Died December 24, 1912 (aged 72)

Kobe Harbor, Japan
Religion Southern Baptist

 

Luke 9

Jesus sends out the 12 apostles

1 Jesus asked his 12 disciples to come to him. He gave them power to make sick people well. He also gave them authority to send bad spirits out of people. 2 Then he sent them out to tell people about the kingdom of God. He told them that they should also make sick people well again. 3 He said to them, ‘Do not take anything for your journey. Do not take a stick, or a bag, or food. Do not take any money. Do not take extra clothes. 4 In each town, continue to stay at the first house that you go into. Stay there until you leave that town. 5 In some towns, the people will not accept you. You should leave that place. Clean that town’s dirt from your feet. Then it will be clear that they have done something wrong.’

6 Then the apostles started out. They were going from one village to another. In every place they told people the good news about Jesus and they made sick people well.

A ruler hears about Jesus

7 People told the ruler, Herod, about all the things that were happening. His mind was confused because people were saying lots of different things about Jesus. Some people were saying, ‘John the Baptist died but now he has become alive again.’ 8 Other people were saying, ‘It is Elijah that has come back.’ Some other people were saying, ‘This is one of God’s prophets who lived a long time ago. Now he has become alive again.’

9 Herod said, ‘I sent a soldier to cut off John’s head. So who is this man? I hear many things about him.’ After that, Herod was trying to meet Jesus.

Jesus feeds 5,000 men and their families

10 The 12 apostles that Jesus had sent out returned. They told him what they had done. Then he took them away from the crowd, so that he could be alone with them. They went to a town called Bethsaida. 11 But the crowds found out about this. So they went to find Jesus. When he saw the crowds coming, he received them well. He taught them about the kingdom of God. Some sick people were there and he made them well again.

12 When it was nearly evening, the 12 apostles came to Jesus. ‘There are no houses in this place,’ they said. ‘Send the crowd away now. Tell them to go to the villages and farms near here. Then they can get food to eat and they can find a place to sleep.’

13 Jesus said to them, ‘You should give them some food to eat.’

But the disciples said, ‘We only have five loaves of bread and two fish. Do you want us to go and buy food for all these people?’ 14 There were about 5,000 men in the crowd.

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Tell the people that they should sit down on the ground in groups. There should be about 50 people in each group.’

15 So they did this. When the people had sat down, 16 Jesus took the five loaves of bread and the two fish. Then he looked up towards heaven and he thanked God for the food. He broke the bread into pieces. He gave the pieces of bread to the disciples, and they gave the bread to the crowd. 17 Everybody ate and they all had enough food. They were not hungry any more. Then the disciples picked up all the bits of food that people had not eaten. They filled 12 baskets with little bits of food.

Peter says who Jesus is

18 One day, Jesus was alone and he was praying. The disciples came up to him. Jesus asked them, ‘When the crowds talk about me, who do they say that I am?’

19 They replied, ‘Some people say that you are John the Baptist. Other people say that you are Elijah. And some other people say that you are one of God’s prophets from long ago. They think that this prophet has become alive again.’

20 ‘But what do you think?’ Jesus then asked them. ‘Who do you say that I am?’

Peter replied, ‘You are the Messiah. God has sent you.’

21 Jesus spoke very strongly to them. He told them that they must not tell anyone about this.

22 He went on to say, ‘They will cause the Son of Man to have great pain. The important Jews, the leaders of the priests and the teachers of God’s Law will be against him. People will kill him, but three days later God will cause him to become alive again.’

23 Then Jesus said to all the people that were there, ‘A person who wants to be my disciple must not think about himself. He must decide that his own life is not important. Every day he must be like someone who carries his own cross to go and die. Then he may come with me and be my disciple.

24 Whoever wants to keep his own life safe will lose it. But whoever gives his life to serve me will have true life. 25 A person could get everything in the whole world for himself. But if he loses his life, this would not be any good for him. He will have destroyed himself in the end. 26 You must not be ashamed of me and of my words. If you are, then the Son of Man will be ashamed of you. One day he will return and everyone will see his power. He will come with God’s holy angels and will have the beautiful power of his Father God. He will be ashamed of you on that day, if you are ashamed of him now.’

God shows who Jesus really is

27 Jesus went on to say, ‘What I tell you is true. Some people who are standing here will see clearly how God rules. They will see that before they die.’

28 About 8 days after Jesus had said these things, he went up a mountain to pray. He took Peter, John and James with him. 29 While Jesus was praying, his face became different to look at. His clothes also became very white; they were shining brightly. 30 Then two men appeared and they were talking with him. They were Moses and Elijah.

31 They were very great and beautiful to look at. They talked with Jesus about how he would soon die in Jerusalem. This was how God wanted him to leave this world.

32 While this was happening, Peter and his friends were sleeping. Then they really woke up and they saw that Jesus was very great and beautiful. They also saw the two men that were standing near to him. 33 Then the two men began to leave. So, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, it is good that we are here. Please, let us build three huts. One hut will be for you. One hut will be for Moses and one hut will be for Elijah.’ But Peter did not really know what he was saying.

34 While Peter was speaking, a cloud appeared. It covered them all. When the cloud came over them, the three disciples were afraid. 35 Then a voice spoke from the cloud and it said, ‘This is my Son. He is the one that I have chosen. Listen to him.’

36 The voice stopped speaking. Then the three disciples saw that only Jesus was there with them now.

They did not tell anyone at this time about what they had seen.

Jesus makes a boy well

37 The next day Jesus came down from the mountain with the three disciples. A large crowd met him. 38 A man from the crowd shouted to him. ‘Teacher, please, I ask you to help my son. He is my only child. 39 Sometimes a bad spirit takes hold of him and then he screams. The spirit throws his body first one way then another and water comes out of his mouth. The spirit gives him a lot of pain and it does not leave him alone very much. 40 I asked your disciples to send the bad spirit out of him. But they could not do it.’

41 Jesus said, ‘You people today still do not believe in God. You have turned away from him. It is very difficult for me to be with you all this time. It is difficult for me to be patient with you.’ Then Jesus said to the man, ‘Bring your son here.’

42 While the boy was coming, the bad spirit threw him to the ground. It threw the boy first one way and then the other. ‘Stop!’ Jesus said to it. He then made the boy well and he gave him back to his father.

43 Everybody was very surprised at what they saw. They knew that God was very powerful.

Jesus speaks again about his death

The people were still thinking with surprise about everything that Jesus was doing. Then he began to talk to his disciples. 44 He said to them, ‘Do not forget what I am telling you now. Soon they will deliver the Son of Man to powerful people to kill him.’ 45 But they did not understand what Jesus had said. It was still a secret, so they could not understand what he meant. But they were afraid to ask him, ‘What do you mean?’

Who will be the most important?

46 Then the disciples began to argue with each other. They argued about which of them was the most important. 47 Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he took a child and he made him stand there at his side. 48 Jesus said, ‘If someone accepts this child because of me, then he also accepts me. And anyone who accepts me also accepts my Father God, who sent me. The person who makes himself the least important among you is really the greatest.’

49 John then said, ‘Teacher, we saw a man who was speaking to people that had bad spirits in them. He was saying, “Jesus says that you must come out.” We told the man that he must not do this. We said that because he is not in our group.’

50 ‘Do not try to stop him,’ Jesus said, ‘If someone is not against you, he is really working with you.’

People in a village in Samaria do not accept Jesus

51 Time was passing and soon God would take Jesus up to heaven. Jesus knew this, so he began to go towards Jerusalem. 52 He arrived near a village in the country of Samaria. He sent some people into the village with a message. They went to ask for a place to stay for the night. 53 But the people in the village would not let him stay there. This was because he was going to Jerusalem.

54 Then James and John heard about what had happened. They asked Jesus, ‘Master, do you want us to ask God to send fire down from the sky? Do you want us to kill these people?’

55 Jesus turned round. ‘No!’ he said, ‘Do not do that. That would be wrong.’ 56 Then they all went on to another village.

What it costs to obey Jesus

57 They continued on their journey. A man came and spoke to Jesus. He said, ‘I will go with you. And I will go with you everywhere that you go.’

58 Jesus replied, ‘Wild animals and birds have their own places to live. But I, the Son of Man, have no place of my own to lie down and rest.’

59 Then Jesus said to another man, ‘Come with me!’ The man replied, ‘First let me go home and bury my father. Then I will come with you.’

60 ‘No!’ Jesus said, ‘Let people who are dead themselves bury their own dead people. You should go and tell people about the kingdom of God.’

61 Another man said, ‘Sir, I will come with you. But please let me first go home to say “Goodbye” to my family.’

62 Jesus replied, ‘A man that ploughs a field must continue to look straight in front of him. If he looks behind him, he cannot plough well. People that look back behind them cannot work well for the kingdom of God.’

 

 

Have a wonderful Monday!  God made this day for us.  Use it wisely!

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

Thursday

“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance,

obeyed and went,

even though he did not know where he was going.”

 ~Hebrews 11:8 NIV~

 

 

 

Josiah Huckaby (written by his mom)

This boy was quite the little character last night! I was able to get a couple of videos of him “talking”. Shaking his head NO is definitely a favorite activity. He’s getting better at 1 syllable sounds (mostly yeah but he has started making some consonant sounds) & I even got “da” out of him last night.

Since his vent pressures are still a bit too high for him to start working with a speak valve (which changes the airflow so that air can pass over his vocal cords allowing him to talk with a trach), we have an evaluation next week to see if he qualifies for an AAC device to help him communicate his wants & needs with us while he is technically non-verbal. It will most likely be some type of tablet with special software that allows him to pick from several options on a grid. We are really excited about this opportunity!!!

 

 

 

Willie Hebert is my cousin Fran’s husband.  He has been having some health issues lately and will be having some important tests on the 12th and 13th.  Please pray for Willie and Fran.

 

 

 

Floyd Fowler continues to have issues with pneumonia.  Pray for him and his doctor as he works for a solution.

 

 

 

John Truman Causey

December 31, 1930 – December 03, 2019

A resident of Kentwood, LA, passed away on Tuesday, December 3, 2019 at The Carpenter House in Baton Rouge, LA. He was born December 31, 1930 in Kentwood, LA and was 88 years of age. He was a U.S. Army Veteran during Korea. He was a dairy farmer, worked for the State of Louisiana in the Office of Motor Vehicles, and served as a bailiff for Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office. He was a mason in the Spring Creek Masonic Lodge and a member and former Deacon for East Fork Baptist Church. He is survived by 3 nieces, Laurie G. Speed, Rae Lynn G. Simeon and Leslie G. Colvin; sister-in-laws, May Hoppe, Patty McDaniel and Nita McDaniel; and numerous nieces and nephews. Preceded in death by his wife of 63 years, Margie McDaniel Causey; parents, Derrick and Carrie Adams Causey; 2 sisters, Ruby May Gill and Ada Causey. Visitation at East Fork Baptist Church from 5:00PM until 9:00PM on Friday and from 9:00AM until religious services at 10:30AM on Saturday, December 7, 2019. Services conducted by Rev. Ernest Graham. Interment Woodland Cemetery, Kentwood, LA. McKneely Funeral Home, Kentwood, in charge of arrangements. For an online guestbook, visit http://www.mckneelys.com.

Mr John and “Miss” Margie were camping friends with my parents for many years.  We called momma, “Momma Dot”.  Since my momma passed away, Mr. John has called me “Momma Dot”.  He wasn’t confused, just letting me know seeing me reminded him of my momma.  By the way, I don’t look like her.

 

 

 

The Lottie Moon Christmas Tea will be Saturday at Spring Creek Baptist Church at 2 P.M.  Ladies, young to old, are invited to join in the special day.

 

 

 

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering 

https://montgomeryfbc.org/2019-lottie-moon-christmas-offering-week-of-prayer-day-5/

 

 

 

 

Luke 5

Jesus asks some men to go with him

1 One day, Jesus was standing on the shore of Lake Gennesaret. A crowd was pushing to get near to him. They were listening to him. He was speaking God’s message to them.

2 Jesus saw two fishing boats at the edge of the lake. The fishermen had left the boats there and they were now washing their nets.

3 One of the boats belonged to Simon. Jesus climbed into it. He asked Simon to push it away from the shore. Jesus sat in the boat and he started to teach the people.

4 When Jesus finished teaching, he said to Simon, ‘Now take the boat out into deep water. Then put the nets into the water to catch some fish.’

5 Simon replied, ‘Teacher, we worked all last night and we did not catch anything. But because you say it, I will put the nets into the water again.’ 6 So they went and they put the nets down into the water. When they did that, they caught many fish. There were so many fish that the nets began to break. 7 So Simon shouted to the other fishermen that worked with him. ‘Come here!’ he said, ‘We need you.’ When they saw that, the men came in their boat. They filled both boats with the fish. There were so many fish that the boats began to go down under the water. 8 When Simon saw all the fish, he went down on his knees in front of Jesus. ‘Sir,’ he said, ‘I am a bad man. So please go away from me.’

9 Simon said this because he was very surprised. He was surprised because they had caught so many fish. His friends in the other boat were also very surprised. 10 James and John were very surprised too. They were Zebedee’s sons and they worked with Simon. Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid. You have been catching fish. From now on you will catch people!’

11 After that, they went and they pulled their boats up on the shore. Then they left everything behind and they went with Jesus.

A man with a bad illness of his skin

12 One day, Jesus was in a certain town. A man with a bad illness of the skin was there.

When the man saw Jesus, he threw himself down on the ground in front of him. He said, ‘Sir, if you want, you can make me well again. Please do it.’

13 Jesus put out his hand towards the man and he touched him. He said, ‘I do want to help you. Be clean again!’ Immediately, the illness left the man. 14 ‘Do not tell anyone about this,’ Jesus said to him. ‘Instead, go and show yourself to the priest. Take a gift to him for God. Moses taught the people what gift to take to God when they are clean again after this kind of illness. This will show everyone that you are now well again.’

15 After this, more and more people started to hear the news about Jesus. Crowds were coming to hear him teach. Sick people also wanted him to make them well. 16 But Jesus would often go away from the crowd to pray in quiet places.

Jesus makes well a man that cannot walk

17 One day, while Jesus was teaching in someone’s house, many people were sitting there. Some of them were Pharisees. Other people were teachers of God’s Law. They had come from many villages in Galilee, and from Judea and Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was there with Jesus to make sick people well.

18 Then some men arrived. They were carrying a man on a mat. The man could not walk or move his legs. They tried to get into the house, because they wanted to bring the man to Jesus. 19 But the house was full of people, and they could not get in. So, they carried the man on to the flat roof of the house. Then they made a hole in the roof. After that, they put the mat down through the hole. The man was still lying on it. He came down in the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus. 20 Jesus saw them. He knew that they believed in him. So he said to the sick man, ‘My friend, I forgive you for the wrong things that you have done.’

21 The Pharisees and the teachers of God’s Law were there. They heard what Jesus said. So they began to think among themselves, ‘Who is this man? He is speaking as if he is God. Only God can forgive people for the wrong things that they have done.’ 22 Jesus knew what these men were thinking. He told them, ‘You should not be thinking these things. 23 I said to this man, “I forgive you for the wrong things that you have done.” Instead, I could have said to him, “Stand up and walk.” Which one is easier for me to say? 24 But I want you to know this. I, the Son of Man, have authority here on earth. I can forgive people for the wrong things that they have done.’

Then he said to the man who could not walk, ‘I am saying to you, “Stand up. Pick up your mat and go home!” ’

25 Immediately, the man stood up in front of them all. He picked up the mat that he had been lying on. He went home. He was praising God as he went. 26 What had happened surprised everyone. They said, ‘God is great and powerful! We have seen very strange and special things happen today.’

Jesus asks Levi to come with him

27 After this happened, Jesus went away from that house. He saw a man that took taxes from people on behalf of the government. He was working in his office. His name was Levi. Jesus said to him, ‘Come with me and be my disciple.’ 28 So Levi got up and he went with Jesus. He left everything behind.

29 Soon after this, Levi made a large meal for Jesus at his house. Many people also came and they were eating with them there. Many of these people also took taxes on behalf of the government. 30 Some Pharisees and teachers of God’s Law saw them there. So they said to Jesus’ disciples, ‘You eat and drink with these bad people and men who take taxes on behalf of the government. That is not right.’

31 Jesus answered them, ‘People who are well do not need a doctor. It is people who are ill that need a doctor. 32 Some people think that they always obey God. I have not come to help people like that. Some people know that they have done wrong things. I am asking those people to come to me for help. I want them to change how they live.’

33 Then the Jewish leaders said to Jesus: ‘The disciples of John the Baptist often stop eating food for a time. Then they can pray to God a lot. The disciples of the Pharisees also do that. But your disciples never do that. They continue to eat and drink every day.’

34 Jesus answered them, ‘When a man marries a wife, his friends cannot refuse to eat food at that time. Nobody can stop them from eating while he is with them. 35 But there will be a time when people will take that man away from his friends. Then they will stop eating food.’

36 Jesus told them this story: ‘Nobody tears a piece of cloth from a new coat to mend an old coat. If he does that, he will have torn the new coat. Also, the piece of cloth from the new coat will not look the same as the old coat.

37 And nobody pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does that, the new wine will tear the old wineskins. He will lose the wine and the wineskins will also spoil. 38 Instead, you must put new wine into new wineskins.

39 Also, nobody wants to drink new wine after he has drunk old wine. He will say, “The old wine is much better.” ’

 

 

 

Jesus is the reason for the season!

Anna Lee

 

 

 

 

Tuesday

Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him.

As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.”

~Hosea 6:3~

 

 

 

Lottie Moon Week of Prayer for International Missions – Day 3 – Gospel on the Move = https://www.imb.org/lottie-moon-christmas-offering-resources

 

 

 

Emilie McKenzie‘s second arm surgery went well.  Emilie was able to return to Kentwood without a cast!

 

 

 

Carl Wayne Stevens passed away late yesterday.  His funeral services will be in Laurel.  I’ll post an obituary when one becomes available.

 

 

 

Katelyn Brooke Marcotte

April 16, 1996 – December 01, 2019

Katelyn Brooke Marcotte, a resident of Livingston Parish, passed away Sunday, December 1st, 2019. She was 23 years young, born April 16th, 1996. Katelyn had a heart of gold and full of life. She had a personality that could brighten any room. She loved to make life fun and creating memories that will last a lifetime, especially with her children and her mama. Katelyn was always happiest when she was surrounded by her family. She will forever be loved in our lives and we will cherish the memories she helped create. Katelyn will be joining her brother, Dustin Corey McDaniel in heaven. She was survived by many loved ones, including her mother and father, Julie and James Holton. She leaves behind her 3 beloved children, Bradley Scott, Ryan James, & Brooklyn Grace. She also leaves her older brother, Raymond Dakota Gill and fiancé Linda Bugg and 4 nieces and nephews, Danica, Riley, Charleigh, and Corey Gill; her older sister Kelly Holton and 4 nieces and nephews, Jason and Kalisa Andrews and Jehovah and Johanas Dillon; and older sister, Nikki Holton with a niece and nephew, Savannah Holton and Brayden Thorton; Aunt Brandi Hilbun, Kyler and Brittany Rayborn, Kristin Sincard, & Raquel McDaniel. Katelyn had numerous additional cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends who will miss her tremendously. Visitation at McKneely Funeral Home, Amite, from 9:00AM until religious services at 11:00AM on Friday, December 6, 2019. Services conducted by Rev. Larry Blades. Interment Hyde Cemetery, Chesbrough, LA. For an online guestbook, visit http://www.mckneelys.com.

 

 

 

 

 Scripture Writing – December 3 – Isaiah 11: 1-5

 

 

 

Luke 3

John the Baptist prepares people to meet Jesus

1 This report is about John, the son of Zechariah. It happened when Tiberius Caesar was ruling the Roman world. He had ruled for about 15 years. Pontius Pilate was ruling the country called Judea. And Herod was ruling the land called Galilee. Herod’s brother Philip was ruling the countries called Iturea and Trachonitis. Lysanias was ruling Abilene. 2 At this time, the leaders of the priests were Annas and Caiaphas. John was living in the wilderness. While he was there, God spoke to him.

3 John went to many places near the river Jordan and spoke a message from God. ‘You have done many wrong things,’ he taught everybody. ‘You must turn away from them and change how you live. Then God will forgive you and I will baptize you.’

4 The prophet Isaiah wrote this message from God in his book:

‘Somebody’s voice is shouting in the wilderness,

“The Lord will come soon, so prepare a way for him to follow.

Make the paths straight for him.

5 Fill in every valley and make every mountain and hill flat.

Take away every curve so that the road is straight.

Take away all the rocks so that the road is flat.

6 Then everyone will see how God can save them.” ’

7 Crowds of people were going out into the wilderness. They wanted John to baptize them. He told them, ‘You are like dangerous snakes! God is angry. You are trying to run away from him. But he will soon punish people like you. 8 You have to show that you are sorry. Change how you live. Stop doing things that God does not like. Do not begin to say to yourselves, “We are in the family of Abraham. God will surely not punish us.” Listen! God can take these stones and make children for Abraham out of them! 9 You are like trees that have bad fruit. God has an axe ready to use. He will cut down every tree that does not make good fruit. He will throw those trees into the fire.’

10 ‘So, what should we do?’ the crowd asked.

11 John answered, ‘If you have two shirts, give one away. Give it to someone who does not have even one shirt. If you have some food, give some of it away. Give some to someone who has no food.’

12 In the crowd, there were people that took taxes on behalf of the government. These men also wanted John to baptize them. They asked him, ‘Teacher, what should we do?’ 13 John told them, ‘You must take the right amount of money from people. You must not take more money than the rules say you should take.’

14 Then some soldiers asked John, ‘What about us? What should we do?’

‘Do not rob people of their money,’ John replied. ‘Do not say that a person has done something wrong, if he has not. It is wrong to get money by doing that. You should be happy with the money that you receive for your work.’

15 At this time people were thinking, ‘Is John the Messiah that God has promised?’ They were all hoping that he might be. 16 John knew what they were thinking. He said to them, ‘I baptize you with water. But someone else is coming soon. He is much greater than I am. I am not good enough even to undo his shoes for him. This other person will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 17 He is like a farmer that brings the wheat home from his field. He uses a special tool to throw the wheat up in the air. He does this to make the wheat seeds separate from what remains. Then he cleans his yard. He carefully stores all the seeds to keep them safe. But he burns everything else in a great fire that nobody can put out.’

18 John said many more things to the people. He was telling them the good news about how God could change their lives. 19 One day John told the ruler Herod that it was wrong for him to marry Herodias. Before that, she had been the wife of Herod’s brother. John also told Herod that he had done many other bad things. 20 So then Herod did an even worse thing; he locked John up in prison.

John baptizes Jesus

21 While John was still baptizing all the people, he also baptized Jesus. When he did that, Jesus was praying. Then the sky opened. 22 The Holy Spirit came down on to Jesus. When he came down like that, he looked like a dove. Then a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son and I love you. You make me very happy.’

The ancestors of Jesus

23 Jesus was about 30 years old when he began his work. People thought that he was the son of Joseph.

Joseph was from the family of Heli.

24 Heli was from the family of Matthat.

Matthat was from the family of Levi.

Levi was from the family of Melchi.

Melchi was from the family of Jannai.

Jannai was from the family of Joseph.

25 Joseph was from the family of Mattathias.

Mattathias was from the family of Amos.

Amos was from the family of Nahum.

Nahum was from the family of Esli.

Esli was from the family of Naggai.

26 Naggai was from the family of Maath.

Maath was from the family of Mattathias.

Mattathias was from the family of Semein.

Semein was from the family of Josech.

Josech was from the family of Joda.

27 Joda was from the family of Joanan.

Joanan was from the family of Rhesa.

Rhesa was from the family of Zerubbabel.

Zerubbabel was from the family of Shealtiel.

Shealtiel was from the family of Neri.

28 Neri was from the family of Melchi.

Melchi was from the family of Addi.

Addi was from the family of Cosam.

Cosam was from the family of Elmadam.

Elmadam was from the family of Er.

29 Er was from the family of Joshua.

Joshua was from the family of Eliezer.

Eliezer was from the family of Jorim.

Jorim was from the family of Matthat.

Matthat was from the family of Levi.

30 Levi was from the family of Simeon.

Simeon was from the family of Judah.

Judah was from the family of Joseph.

Joseph was from the family of Jonam.

Jonam was from the family of Eliakim.

31 Eliakim was from the family of Melea.

Melea was from the family of Menna.

Menna was from the family of Mattatha.

Mattatha was from the family of Nathan.

Nathan was from the family of David.

32 David was from the family of Jesse.

Jesse was from the family of Obed.

Obed was from the family of Boaz.

Boaz was from the family of Salmon.

Salmon was from the family of Nahshon.

33 Nahshon was from the family of Amminadab.

Amminadab was from the family of Ram.

Ram was from the family of Hezron.

Hezron was from the family of Perez.

Perez was from the family of Judah.

34 Judah was from the family of Jacob.

Jacob was from the family of Isaac.

Isaac was from the family of Abraham.

Abraham was from the family of Terah.

Terah was from the family of Nahor.

35 Nahor was from the family of Serug.

Serug was from the family of Reu.

Reu was from the family of Peleg.

Peleg was from the family of Eber.

Eber was from the family of Shelah.

36 Shelah was from the family of Cainan.

Cainan was from the family of Arphaxad.

Arphaxad was from the family of Shem.

Shem was from the family of Noah.

Noah was from the family of Lamech.

37 Lamech was from the family of Methuselah.

Methuselah was from the family of Enoch.

Enoch was from the family of Jared.

Jared was from the family of Mahalalel.

Mahalalel was from the family of Cainan.

38 Cainan was from the family of Enosh.

Enosh was from the family of Seth.

Seth was from the family of Adam.

Adam was from God.

I trust you are enjoying reading Luke.  This prepares us for Christmas.
Anna Lee

Monday

But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart;

consider what great things he has done for you.

~1 Samuel 12:24~

 

 

 

Baby Hudson Hobgood continues to improve.  Please continue to pray for him and those caring for him.

 

 

 

Pray for Emilie McKenzie as she has surgery on her arm again today.

 

 

 

Smiley Conerly will be having surgery a week from today.  Please begin to pray for him if you have not already done so.

 

 

 

Scripture Writing – December 2 – Isaiah 9: 6-7

 

 

 

Lottie Moon – Day 2 of Week of Prayer – A Season of Change –https://www.imb.org/day-2/

 

 

 

Luke 2 – Easy English Bible

Jesus is born

1 At that time, Caesar Augustus was ruling the whole Roman world. He made a law and told his men, ‘Count everyone who lives in the Roman world.’ 2 This was the first time that the Romans had made a list of everyone’s names. Quirinius was the Roman ruler of Syria when it happened.

3 Everyone went to his own home town for the Romans to count them. 4 So Joseph went to his home town, Bethlehem. He was living in the town called Nazareth, in Galilee. Bethlehem was in Judea. King David had been born there, so Bethlehem was called the town of David. Joseph belonged to the family of David. That is why he went to Bethlehem.

5 Joseph took Mary with him so that the Romans could count them. She went because she had promised to marry him. She was going to have a baby.

6 While they were in Bethlehem, after some time, her baby was born. 7 This was her first baby, and it was a boy. She put cloths round him. Then she put him in an animal’s feeding box. She did this because the rooms for visitors were full of people.

Some shepherds leave their sheep to go and see Jesus

8 That night some shepherds were living out in the fields near Bethlehem. They were keeping their sheep safe. 9 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to them. A bright light from God shone all round them. That frightened them very much. 10 The angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. Listen! I bring you good news. This news will make everyone very happy. 11 Something happened today in the town of David. Someone special was born. He is the one who will save you. He is the Messiah. He is the Lord. 12 I will tell you how you will know this baby. You will find him with cloths round him. He is lying in an animal’s feeding box.’

13 Just then many more angels appeared in a great crowd. They were praising God. They said:

14 ‘God is great! He lives in the highest place.

He will be good to the people on earth that make him happy.

They will have peace in their minds.’

15 After that, the angels went away and returned to heaven. Then the shepherds said to each other, ‘We should leave the sheep and go to Bethlehem immediately! The Lord God has sent his angels to tell us what has happened. We want to see this baby.’

16 So they went in a hurry to Bethlehem. When they got there, they found Mary and Joseph with the baby. The baby really was lying in a feeding box. 17 After they had seen the baby, they told everybody about him. They told them what the angel had said to them about him. 18 Many people heard what the shepherds said. They were very surprised. 19 Mary remembered everything that the shepherds had said. She thought about it all for a long time. 20 The shepherds then went back to their sheep. As they went they praised God. ‘How great you are!’ they said to him. ‘How good you are! Everything that the angel told us was true! We have heard good news. We have seen very special things!’

Mary and Joseph take Jesus to God’s Great House

21 When the baby was eight days old, it was time for the priest to circumcise him. His parents gave him the name Jesus. The angel had told Mary that they must give him that name. He told her that before she had the baby inside her.

22 Long ago, God gave Moses rules for his people to obey. One rule told people how to become clean after a baby was born. The time came for Mary and Joseph to do this. So, they took the baby Jesus to God’s Great House in Jerusalem to show him to the Lord.

23 This is the rule which Lord gave to his people: ‘The first male baby born to a woman belongs to me. So you must bring him to me. 24 When you do this, also bring two special birds for the priest to kill.’ So that is what Mary and Joseph did.

25 At this time, a man called Simeon was living in Jerusalem. He was a good man and he obeyed God. He had waited a long time to see the special person who would save Israel’s people. The Holy Spirit was with him. 26 The Holy Spirit had told him, ‘You will not die yet. You know that the Lord God has promised to send his Messiah. You will see him before you die.’ 27 Now the day had come. The Holy Spirit told Simeon that he should go to God’s Great House. Mary and Joseph were bringing the baby Jesus to do what God’s rule said. 28 Simeon went to them. He took Jesus and he held him in his arms. Then he thanked God. He said:

29 ‘Master, I am your servant.

You have done what you promised to me.

Now I can die with no trouble in my mind.

30 I really have seen the person that you have sent to save your people.

31 You have sent him to the world and people everywhere will know about him.

32 He will bring light to people so that they can know you.

He will show you to those people who are not Jews.

He will also show that your people of Israel are very special.’

33 That is what Simeon said about Jesus. His message surprised Mary and Joseph very much.

34 Then Simeon asked God to be good and kind to Mary and to Joseph. After that, he spoke to Mary, the mother of Jesus. He said to her, ‘God has chosen this baby. Many people in Israel will become worse because of him. And many of them will become better again because of him. He will be like a sign that points to God. But many people will speak against him. 35 This will show their secret thoughts about God. This will make you very sad, too. It will seem like a sharp knife is cutting into you. That is how sad you will be’.

36 A very old lady called Anna was also there in God’s Great House. She spoke messages that the Holy Spirit gave to her. She was the daughter of Phanuel, who belonged to the family of Asher. She had lived with her husband for seven years and then he had died.

37 After that, she had lived alone until she was 84 years old. Now she never left God’s Great House. She stayed there day and night to pray to God. Often she went without food so that she could pray better.

38 At that moment, Anna came to where Mary and Joseph were standing in God’s Great House. When she saw the baby, she thanked God for him. Then she began to speak about him to other people there. Many people were waiting for God to make Jerusalem free. These were the people that she spoke to about the child, Jesus.

39 When Mary and Joseph had finished everything that God’s rules said, they returned home. That was in the town called Nazareth in Galilee. 40 There the child grew up. God was good and kind to him and he became strong. He learned many things and he could understand them well.

Jesus visits God’s Great House as a young boy

41 Every year, Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival.

42 When Jesus was 12 years old, his parents took him with them to Jerusalem. They went as usual for the festival. 43 When the week finished, Mary and Joseph left Jerusalem to return home. But Jesus stayed behind and his parents did not know this. 44 They thought that he was with their group on the way home. They travelled for a whole day. Then they began to look for him among their family and friends.

45 They could not find him, so they went back to Jerusalem. They looked for him there. 46 After three days, they found him in God’s Great House. He was sitting there among the teachers. He was listening to what they were saying. He was also asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard Jesus was very surprised. He understood so many things and he could answer difficult questions. 48 When his parents saw him there, they were also very surprised. His mother said to him, ‘My son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have looked everywhere for you. We have had a lot of troubles in our mind.’

49 Jesus answered them, ‘You should not really have had to look for me. I must be doing what my Father wants me to do. Really, you should have known that.’ 50 But they did not really understand what he was saying to them.

51 Then Jesus returned to Nazareth with them. He did what they wanted. His mother, Mary, was careful to remember all the special things that had happened. She thought about them a lot. 52 Jesus grew up into a man. He became strong and he could understand more and more things. People thought he was a good man. God also thought well of him.

I know many of you have read and studied these verses, but do yourself a favor and take some time each daily to find a quiet spot and read them again.  Let them put you in the real Christmas spirit.  Go back to Luke I and read 1 and 2 today if you missed yesterday.
Find that quiet spot.
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