Category: Praises, Requests, & Updates

Friday

“Rejoice always,

pray without ceasing,

in everything give thanks;

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

~1 Thessalonians 5:16-18~

Pray for Kathy Wales’ sister, Mary Jo, as she has a spinal fusion in her lower back this morning early in Baton Rouge!! Pray for the doctors and others as they work with Mary Jo as well as her family as they wait.  Pray Mary Jo gets the relief she needs.

Pray for Frank Smith’s brother, Mike, as he has a heart procedure soon.

Billie June McCoy Pevey
(June 3, 1930 – August 31, 2011)

Billie June McCoy Pevey was called home to the Lord on Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at St Helena Parish Hospital at the age of 81. She was a devoted wife, loving mother, grandmother and sister. Billie was born June 3, 1930 in San Antonio, Texas. During her adolescent years she relocated to Pine Grove, La, where she met “Fox” Pevey and they were married on April 26, 1947. They were blessed with three children, Wilson, Sue and Hulon. God blessed her with a gift of crocheting. She has shared many lovingly created items with her family and friends throughout the years. She loved music, especially songs that praised her Savior. She was preceded in death by her husband, Woodrow W. “Fox” Pevey, her parents, Andrew and Winifred McCoy, brothers, Claude, John D. and Thomas McCoy, sisters Hazelle King, Wanda Butler, Aileen, Kathleen and Sallie McCoy. Survived by her brother and sister-in-law James L. and Mary McCoy of Brenham, Tx, sons and daughters-in-law, Woodrow Wilson, Jr and Annie Pevey of Pine Grove and Hulon D. and Tammy Pevey of Watson, daughter and son-in-law, Sue and Bob Jones of Holden, 6 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. Visitation will be at McKneely Funeral Home, 110 E. Factory St., Amite, from noon, Saturday, September 3rd until services at 2:00 pm officiated by Pastor Mark Stern of Walker. Burial will be at Shiloh Baptist Church Cemetery in Pine Grove.

Make preparations in case Tropical Storm Lee decides to come this way over the weekend.

Have a blessed day,

Anna Lee

Thursday

“Continue earnestly in prayer,

being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.”

~Colossians 4:2~

Today, let’s pray for Andy Taylor and Eddie Muse.

  • Andy is better is some ways.  He got the stitches out of his arm and can now move his swollen fingers.  The staples are our of his stomach with daily packing needed daily.  This hasn’t drained properly, so home health will start today.
  • Eddie is better in that he hasn’t had to be hospitalized for a while.  Before that, he was in the hospital three times.
Continue to pray for these two men and the family members who are their main caregivers.  Also, pray for all the family members.  Having a family member sick for a long time is no “picnic in the park”!
Please go to http://www.bpnews.net/ to ready about working with survivors of Hurricane Irene, the 9-11 memorial plans, and other interesting news.
Forget Not All His Benefits
An elderly widow and widower were dating for about five years. The man finally decided to ask her to marry. She immediately said “yes”.

The next morning when he awoke, he couldn’t remember what her answer was! “Was she happy? I think so, wait, no, she looked at me funny…”

After about an hour of trying to remember to no avail, he got on the telephone and gave her a call. Embarrassed, he admitted that he didn’t remember her answer to the marriage proposal.

“Oh”, she said, “I’m so glad you called. I remembered saying ‘yes’ to someone, but I couldn’t remember who it was.”

How could a person possibly forget something so important?! Unfortunately, I know the answer to that question all too well. It’s not that I forgot that I’m married to what’s-her-name. No, my problem is that I forget to thank God for the many blessings that He has showered on me. In fact, sometimes I forget to even recognize those blessings.

The words of David speak to me:

“Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things…” (Psalm
103:1-5a)

Now, if I can just remember where I put my keys! 🙂

Have a great day!

Alan Smith
White House Church of Christ
White House, Tennessee

May you have that great day God has planned for you today!
Anna Lee

Wednesday Evening

We got Momma home today even though she has an infection.  My two sisters and I worked hard this week to make this happen.  Momma and Daddy quickly got in their favorite chairs and were both very happy.   I’m not sure who was most happy, but I think I was most tired.  Thanks for the many prayers and kind words and deeds for us during the last two months.  God has been so good to our family to allow Momma to come home.

 

Raoul Phillip Constant
(August 25, 1971 – August 30, 2011)

Raoul Phillip Constant was born August 25, 1971 and passed away at 6:11 p.m., Tuesday, August 30, 2011 at his residence. He was 40, a native of New Orleans and a resident of Roseland.

Raoul is survived by his parents, Michael & Germaine Dupre Constant, Sr., Kentwood; brother Michael Constant, Jr. Kentwood; half sister, Carrie Deffes, Slidell; nephew, Michael Constant, III and wife Rachael, Amite; niece, Erica Michelle Constant, Gulfport, MS; great nieces and nephews, Rico Edwards, Gulfport, MS, Carson Constant, Amite and Alley Constant, Amite; 4 aunts, Brenda Thibodaux, Holden, JoAnn Holden and husband Luther, Osyka, MS, Audrey Wright, Kentwood and Barbara Constant, St. Bernard; 2 uncles, Thomas Constant and wife Gladys, Carriere, MS and Robert Roe, St. Bernard; numerous cousins and extended family.

Preceded in death by his grandparents, Thomas & Shirley Constant and Ramond & Juanita Dupre.

Visitation will be at Kentwood First Baptist Church, Kentwood, LA on Tuesday, September 6, 2011 from 10:00 a.m. until Celebration of Life Services at 11:00 a.m. at the Church with Rev. Joey Miller officiating. Interment at East Fork Cemetery, Kentwood, LA.

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

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

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

 

 

Wednesday

Terry Bankston is home and waiting for his third surgery in about two weeks. Please keep Terry and his family in your prayers.

Continue to pray for the Felker family.  B.J. is being released today.  “Miss” Helen Grace is in a regular room, but not ready to come home yet.

Momma comes home today after nine weeks of hospitalization.  Pray for my family.  It’s going to take all of us to do what’s on our schedule today.  Pray for a smooth transition today and care to go well at her home.

Baptist Press News.

http://www.bpnews.net/

Hurricane Irene

http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/articles/responding_to_irene/

 

Make a difference in someone’s life today!

Anna Lee

Tuesday

Stand firm then,

with the belt of truth buckled around your waist,

with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

and with your feet fitted with the readiness

that comes from the gospel of peace.

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith,

with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows

of the evil one.

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit,

which is the word of God.

~Ephesians 6:14–17 NIV~

The Pritchard family was burned out.  Donations are being accepted at FBC, Kentwood.

The man wears size 34-34 pants, large shirts, and 11-12 shoes.

The lady wears size 12 pants, large shirths, and size 8 shoes.  She is expecting a baby now, so we wears maternity size 18.  The baby is due in November.  Baby items would also be needed.

One boy wears size 16 pants, large shirts, and size 9 shoes.  The other boy wears size 8 pants, medium shirts, and size 4 shoes.

The girls wears size 12 o 1 pants, large shirts, and size 7 shoes.

Furniture, appliances, and other household items are also needed.

The phone in the church office is 229-8111.

As you gather items for this family, please pray as they put their household back in place.

Blessing or Bad Luck

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

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

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

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

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

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

He said, “Judy, I think you’re just plain bad luck!”

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

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

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

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

Have a great day!

Alan Smith
Boone Church of Christ
Boone, NC

Anna Lee

Monday Afternoon

“Be anxious for nothing,

but in everything by prayer and supplication,

with thanksgiving,

let your requests be made known to God.”

~Philippians 4:6~

Sarabeth Simpson – Thank God she only had a bruise.

Last night Sarabeth fell and hit her chest on a doll house and had a bruise on the center of her chest. We spent 7 hours at North Oaks last night. The Doctor stated that nothing was broken and that she will be fine but will have a bruise on her chest for a while. Thank GOD that it wasn’t anything wrose.

Marty Simpson

It’s me again.  Today, I saw the neurologist as a follow-up to Thursday’s MRI. He said I do not have Trigeminal Neurologia as we discussed last Monday, but a tumor on a nerve near the brain stem.  The MRI indicates the tumor is benign.  I will have a follow-up appointment after another MRI in three months.

 

Heart to Heart with Holley: Good things are ahead for you this week!

I open my email. I glance over my to-do list. I look at the appointments on my calendar.

It seems like it will be an ordinary week.

And yet…

Something inside me, something inside you, longs for extraordinary.

I tend to think that those kind of moments just aren’t part of our day-to-day.

What if it’s more that I’m not always looking for them?

Or that I sometimes rush past them even when they’re in my path?

I think of the story of Moses and the burning bush. Moses is in the middle of the desert tending sheep, the equivalent of being in the middle of a work day for us today. Yours might happen in a cubicle in your kitchen with toddlers around your feet, in an airport.

And right there in the middle of that ordinary, God shows up. 

I love what comes next…

“When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush….” Exodus 3:4 

When Moses stopped to pay attention.

When he took time to notice the extraordinary.

When he turned aside from his to-do list…God changed everything. 

Yes, there are seasons when we’re simply called to be faithful, to do the simple and even unnoticed. But you just never know when it’s going to be your time for a burning bush moment. You never know when God is going to step in and do the gloriously unexpected. We don’t have to make it happen. We only have to be watchful and then willing.

It makes me smile to write these words.

Because our burning bush might be just around the corner. 

Maybe today.

Maybe tomorrow.

Let’s keep watching, keep waiting–God has more than we can even imagine ahead!

 

Anna Lee

Sunday

Since everything around us is going to melt away,

what holy, godly lives you should be living!

~2 Peter 3:11 LB~

 

Mr. Kenneth Felker’s wife and daughter are both doing better.  Thank you for your continued prayers for them.

 

Jadon’s Story:I’m 2, I’m walking with my walker, and the plan for Detroit 🙂 http://jadonsisstory.blogspot.com/2011/08/im-2-im-walking-with-my-walker-and-plan.html

I’m 2!!! My 2nd birthday was August 25. My family came over and we had cake and ice cream. It was alot of fun. My Aunt Mendy made me a Mickey Mouse cake and I loved it. My favorite part of the party was playing in my playroom with my cousins. Thanks to everyone who came to celebrate with us.

I’ve been doing really well lately. My seizures are still the same but I continue to do new things. Just this week I began to walk some using my walker. My mommy has to stand there but hey I’m doing it. It’s AMAZING. I attached the video for you to see. I don’t like it but I’ll get use to it.

Ok so we have our dates for Detroit. They originally told us that it would be November before we could get an appointment. Well they called and my appointment is at the end of September. We are so excited that we do not have to wait until November. We will leave September 20. I will have a PET scan on the 21st, a AMT PET on the 22nd, and then an appointment with the neurologist on the 23rd. I will not have to have another 48 hour VEEG since I just had one in Boston…Yay!!!!! My mommy and daddy will be going with me this time. My brother is going to stay home with my MiMi. We were able to find a nonstop flight from New Orleans to Detroit for a reasonable price. I am 2 now so my mommy and daddy had to pay for my flight for the first time. Not fun but we will have more room on the flight..LOL We were able to put in a request for the family housing in Detroit, so hopefully they will have availabilty. We should know sometime next week. Please begin to pray for my trip. We feel like this is our last chance at finding someone that can help get my seizures under control. We believe this is the next step we should take and we are trusting that God will continue to guide us on this journey.

I’ll post the arrangements for Mr. Dalton Davis when they are available.

Shawn Paul Edwards passed away last night.  I will also past his obituary later.

 

Small Town Atmosphere

You know you live in a small town when…..

Third Street is on the edge of town.

You don’t use your turn signals because everyone knows where you’re going.

A baby born on June 14 receives gifts from local merchants as the first baby of the year.

You speak to each dog you pass by name and he wags his tail at you.

You dial a wrong number and talk for 15 minutes anyway.

You can’t walk for exercise because every car that passes you offers you a ride.

In order to paint traffic lines, the road has to be widened

The Mayor is also the Sheriff, Town Council and street sweeper.

There is no town idiot — everybody has to take turns.

You can name everyone you graduated with.

You have to drive an hour to buy a pair of socks.

You get a whiff of manure and think of home.

You fix yourself up to go buy groceries lest anyone starts the rumor that you have gained weight or quit taking care of yourself.

Friday nights fun consisted of standing in line for the one-screen theater and when it is sold out, watching truckers and drinking coffee at the truck stop (the only place open after 10).

Someone asks you how you feel and listens to what you say.

There are certainly some disadvantages to growing up in a small town, but some advantages as well. Especially when it comes to having people around you who truly care. In a large city, it’s easy to find yourself surrounded by a sea of nameless faces. That is something that we dare not allow to happen in the church.

The 16th chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans is important, though you may have previously overlooked its significance. The chapter consists of a series of greetings, most of them to people whose names we can’t even pronounce. No less than 28 members of the church in Rome are mentioned by name. Why? Perhaps Paul wanted to remind this group of Christians in a large city that they were not nameless faces — they were part of God’s family. We not only mean something to God, we mean something to one another. It’s a “small town atmosphere” even in a “large city church.”

“Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brethren who are with them. Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. Greet one another with a holy kiss. The churches of Christ greet you.” (Rom. 16:14-16)

Have a great day!

Alan Smith
White House Church of Christ
White House, Tennessee

 

Have a great Lord’s Day!

Anna Lee

Saturday

“I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever;

with my mouth will I make known

Your faithfulness to all generations.”

~Psalm 89:1~

 

According to Par, the Felker ladies are doing okay this morning,

Momma will be coming home Wednesday after two months of hospitalization! Pray for the family as we plan to care for her.

My new medication is working very well.  The pain is almost gone.

Pray for the Conleay family as they celebrate the life of Mr. Bell this morning.

The Silent Witness

Devotional for Sunday, August 14, 2011 by Allan Smith

Ezekiel 3:18-19 – When I say to a wicked man, “You will surely die,” and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself. (NIV)

I often hear from Christians that they are satisfied to be just a silent witness. But is that enough?

Let’s listen in on a court case involving the questioning of a witness.

Clerk: Mr. Jones, please take the Bible in your right hand. Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
Witness: Yes I do.
Attorney: Now, on the evening of the alleged crime, you were very close to the crime scene. Is that right, Mr. Jones?
Witness: Yes, sir, I was.
Attorney: And would you please describe to the court what you observed.
Witness: Well, I always take my dog for a walk in that area. I believe that it is important for upright citizens to walk their dogs regularly.
Attorney: True, Mr. Jones, but did you see anything of importance to this case?
Witness: Yes, but I’m not at liberty to share what I saw at this time.
Attorney: I see; you witnessed the crime and choose to remain silent about it?
Witness: Yes, that’s right.
Attorney: Then, you are of no use to this court. You may step down. My next witness, please!

It’s obvious from this court dialogue that the witness had valuable information for the case but was reluctant to share it.

If we are satisfied with just showing others around us what a good person we are, without sharing salvation through Jesus, I feel we miss the boat.

There are lots of unsaved people that we know who live good lives and serve their community well. But they are not required to share the gospel — we are.

Yes, we must exhibit a godly life in service to those around us and pray for the Holy Spirit to open their hearts. But let’s be sensitive to God’s leading and open our mouths to share Jesus with them. Let us not be silent witnesses.

Prayer: Father, many times, we reluctantly hold back from speaking to others about Jesus’ great salvation. We who have surrendered our lives to Him have the blessed assurance of heaven when we die; may we not keep it to ourselves. Holy Spirit, revive the desire in us to see souls saved so that their blood will not be on our hands. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Allan Smith
Innisfil, Ontario, Canada

 

Friday

“For the word of the LORD is right,

and all His work is trustworthy.

He loves righteousness and justice;

the earth is full of the LORD’s unfailing love.”

~Psalm 33:4-5, HCSB~

Continue to pray for the Felker family.  As of last night, B.J. was doing better and could possibly leave North Oaks today, but her mother was no doing well. She was still in ICU.  Pray for this family with two sick ladies.  Pray for Mr. Felker who hasn’t been out of the hospital too long.

Heart to Heart with Holley

5 Ways to Get Rid of an Emotional Hangover

Has someone ever said to you {or perhaps you’ve said to yourself}, “just get over it”?

As a life coach, people often tell me that advice is far easier said than done. And they usually feel guilty that’s the case. But our inability to “get over it” quickly isn’t a failure. It’s actually part of how God wired our minds.

When we have a negative experience, our brains release certain chemicals that correlate with what’s happening. Those chemicals act like helpful little messengers that tell us about what’s going on in our world.

Yes, our thoughts have influence on what we feel but there is a decidedly physical aspect too. That shouldn’t surprise us–with almost everything intangible God ties a physical manifestation to it {ex: the Word made flesh}.

So long after you’ve decided that you will indeed “let it go” there are still those chemicals floating around in your body. It’s like you have an emotional hangover.

Fortunately, there are some ways to speed up the process of moving past negative emotions…

1) Take a walk – Actually, any kind of exercise helps because it releases endorphins, the “feel good” chemicals God put in our brains. Those endorphins replace the negative chemicals and give our moods a boost. Even ten minutes of exercise can help.

2) Listen to upbeat music – Music also impacts us physically in some mysterious ways. It helps release endorphins as well. And if you move around to your favorite tune, even better.

3) Find flow – The state of “flow” is described as when you do something that’s enjoyable, challenging, and makes you lose track of time. You are completely “in the moment” and everything else is forgotten {including that experience you just had}. Flow might come for you by cooking, writing, painting or any other activity where you mind is fully engaged.

4) Pray honestly – When we have negative emotions, we can pray some pretty cliche prayers. It’s okay to say, “God, I’m really mad/hurt/disappointed.” Throughout the Psalms David fully and deeply expressed ALL of his emotions–we can too.

5) Spend time with a positive person – If you’re down in the dumps, find someone who’s a little closer to cloud nine. Research has shown that because we’re created to be social, we often “catch” each other’s moods much like we would catch a cold {but in a good way}. Being with someone uplifiting really can make a difference.

If you try all of the above and there are still some traces of negativity hanging around, then it’s time to wait it out. As you do, give yourself grace. It’s okay for it to take time to get over hurt or frustration. It’s simply a reflection that you are human {and a wonderfully made one too–even in those moments}.

What helps you move past negative emotions?

 

I hope you are not dealing with an emotional hangover today, but if you are maybe these words by Holley will be helpful.

Anna Lee