Category: Praises, Requests, & Updates

Tuesday

“The secret things belong to the LORD our God,

but those things which are revealed

belong to us and to our children forever,

that we may do all the words of this law.”

~Deut. 29:29~

Aaron Hill – 3:38 P.M. Monday

Please pray for a miracle. Aaron was rushed down for a CT scan earlier and it showed a very bad brain injury. The doctors have told us they don’t know why it happened, but they have given us no hope for Aaron. It is so bad that they said his heart may stop. Please play that God will manifest Himself in a miraculous healing of Aaron. If that is not His will, please pray that He will not allow him to suffer.

Aaron Hill – 3:32 A.M. Tuesday

Scott and I have been with Aaron all night, praying and waiting on a miracle. Please continue to pray.

Baptist Press had wonderful articles. I think as you read them you will agree. Can’g you just imagine how wonderful the service was Sunday when Franklin Avenue Baptist Church had their first service in their church since Katrina. Please read these articles. They will make your day!

Baptist Press

April 7, 2008

LOUISIANA–In New Orleans, joy abounds as congregation returns home. http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=27774

LOUISIANA–Franklin Avenue: pre- and post-Katrina. http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=27775

LOUISIANA–Luter acknowledges his transparency. http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=27786

TEXAS–Texas raid prompts First Baptist ministry. http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=27776

LOUISIANA–Jena, La., envisions ‘new beginnings.’ http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=27777

TENNESSEE–ELECTION 08: Clinton vows to fight for ‘gay rights.’ http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=27778

TEXAS–Jayhawks buoyed by Coach Self’s faith. http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=27779

TEXAS–Winningest N.C. player: ‘God is enough.’ http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=27780

TEXAS–ESPN’s Hubert Davis receives Wooden award. http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=27781

TEXAS–Disgraced Baylor coach seeks forgiveness. http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=27782

TEXAS–All-star guard ready ‘to honor God.’ http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=27783

LOUISIANA–FIRST-PERSON (John L. Yeats): The feet of a rejoicing pastor. http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=27784

ALABAMA–FIRST-PERSON (Ginger Plowman): Dangerous denial. http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=27785

Upper Room Daily DevotionalAsking for Help

Asking for Help

Read Psalm 31:1-5

Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.
-Mark 10:15-16 (NIV)

“MAMá, fix it!” cried Mateo as he handed me one of his toy cars and a tiny piece of yellow plastic.

Examining the little car, I saw that the steering wheel had come off. I fitted the piece back into place and returned it to Mateo.

“Here,” I said; “it was the steering wheel, see?”

“Yes,” he responded. Never taking his eyes off the car, he took it from me and placed it alongside his other toy cars.

This incident made me think. Mateo, who is barely two years old, has complete faith in my ability to fix things. Though he has exhausted his own resources, it does not occur to him that there could be no solution. He simply looks for other options.

Mateo’s request was simple and trusting. It reminded me of the importance of maintaining a child’s perspective, one that is pure, humble, and trusting. How good it is to set aside our pride at excelling in everything! We can turn the broken pieces of our lives to God our Father, and say, “Papá, fix it!”

Laura Gattinoni (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
Prayer
Loving God, we place our lives in your hands. Guide our steps as we go forward in our journey. Amen.

Thought for the Day
When solutions elude us, we can rest in God’s love.

Prayer Focus

Those reluctant to ask for help

 

 

Rest in God today!

Anna Lee

Monday – Midday

Aaron Hill update that was posted at 12:46

Thanks to all of you for praying for Aaron over the weekend and this morning. The doctors took him off the ECMO this morning and closed his chest. So far he is doing well and we are so very thankful. They are continuing to review his EEG from the last 24 hours bc there was some concern he might be having seizures. He might need an MRI or CT to further evaluate this problem. We will keep everyone posted on this front. Please continue to pray for Aaron’s strength and healing as he recovers from his second surgery and 3 days on the ECMO.

Monday

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father …

[I pray that] you,

being rooted and firmly established in love,

may be able … to know the Messiah’s love

that surpasses knowledge,

so you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

~Ephesians 3:14, 17-19, HCSB~

Jesse Dean is doing well. He is working to gain back his strength now.

Kentwood Police Officer Donald Garner will have surgery in Lacombe Wednesday. Please be in prayer.

Mrs. Jeanette Rhodus will have surgery this morning at North Oaks. She was just found to have cancer. Please pray for “Miss” Jeanette and her family.

Jennie Stegall and her family continue to need our prayers.

Pray for Tina Cox and her family as Tina undergoes cancer treatment.

Several people have medical procedures or important appointments today. Please be in pray for each situation.


Lee Thomas Bartholomae Sr.
A retired safety and security director for the U.S. government, he passed away Saturday, April 5, 2008, in Baton Rouge. He was 84, a native of Jacksonville, Fla., and resident of Baton Rouge. He was a U.S. Army veteran, having served in the Normandy invasion. Visitation at Ourso Funeral Home, Gonzales, on Monday, April 7, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Visitation at St. Stephen’s Catholic Church, Whitehall, on Tuesday from 9 a.m. until Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m., with Monsignor Gerald Lefebvre, celebrant. Burial in Whitehall Cemetery. Survived by his wife, Belva Delatte Bartholomae, Baton Rouge; daughter and son-in-law, Loretta B. and William Jeter, Baton Rouge; two sons and daughters-in-law, Lee Thomas “Tom” and Charlene Bartholomae, Kentwood, and James Frederick “Jimmy” and Cindy Bartholomae, Chalmette; and seven grandchildren, Nathan, Katie, Grace, Jamie, Michael, Theresa and Mark. He was a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion and NARFD and an avid woodworker. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Hospice of Baton Rouge, 9063 Siegen Lane, Suite A, Baton Rouge, LA 70810.

Deacon Hospital Ministry – April 6-12

  • Andy Taylor
  • Mike Estay

Two Rivers Associational Semi-Annual Meeting

  • Monday, April 14
  • Greensburg F.B.C.
  • 6:30 P.M.


KneEmail


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

(Philippians 2:10).
Mike Benson, Editor
APOLOGIZING DOESN’T COME easy for some of us…

We sometimes choke on the words, “I’m sorry.” Well, in fact, sometimes we speak the words, but we do so with such animosity, the message is lost.

I can illustrate. Being a parent of four children, I have had to “moderate” a good number of apologies. On many occasions, I have told one of my children, “Now you tell your brother/sister you’re sorry.” What then comes out of their mouth sounds more like a child who is demon possessed than a sincere apology. Teeth clenched…jaw set…and the words, “I’m sorry” are spoken in a forceful and almost growling tone. (If you have children, you know exactly what I’m talking about).

But now, that’s just kid’s stuff right? Adults don’t behave like that, now do we? Well, maybe we’re not so obvious, but we still have ways of speaking those words with less than sincerity. For example, how many times have you heard people say things like…

— If I have done anything to offend you, I’m sorry.
— I’m sorry, but if you wouldn’t have…
— If you’ll apologize to me, I’ll apologize to you.

Isn’t it time we quit pretending to be sorry? Let us discipline ourselves to be humble enough to graciously and freely say we are sorry when we have offended others. When confronted with his sin, King David didn’t make any excuses, but simply admitted his wrong by saying, “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Samuel 12:13).

Next time you need to say you’re sorry. Humble yourself and do so, and say it like you mean it. (Steve Higginbotham)

“I said, ‘LORD, be merciful to me;

Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.'”

~Psm. 41:4~


Make today a magnificent Monday!

Anna Lee

Sunday Afternoon

Aaron Hill – 2:29 P.M. Post

Good afternoon to everyone. Aaron is holding firm with good heart function today. The doctors are working on weaning Aaron’s heart off the ECMO machine a bit today with the hope of taking him off tomorrow sometime. Whether they actually do this depends on how well his body tolerates the weaning today. Please pray for the strength of his heart and body as this process continues. If the doctors do take him off the ECMO tomorrow, it is somewhat of a surgical procedure done at the bedside. They actually remove the cannula (tubes) that are moving the blood through the machines and in and out of Aaron’s body and close the holes in his heart where the tubes are inserted. Like everything here, it is a dangerous procedure, so please pray that Aaron will tolerate it well and there will be no complications.

Aaron has had some blood pressure issues yesterday and through last night. The doctors are concerned that he might be having seizures. They have hooked him up to a ton of wires to do a 24 hour EEG on him. Please pray that God will heal any seizures that he may have had.

Earlier today Christi and I packed up our things in Camden and we have again moved to the Philadelphia RMH to be closer to the hospital. Scott and I are blessed to have our friend here to help us and to have the prayers of so many friends for our son. Please continue to pray for Aaron.

Henry McKenzie brother’s

great-grandson

who was two months old died suddenly. This baby was born about the same time as Laura and Jody’s Allye. Please be in prayer for the family during this very difficult time.

Sunday

 

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock.

If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,

I will come in to him and eat with him,

and he with me.”

~Revelation 3:20, ESV~

Joan Hagan likes to say she keeps “life interesting”. She broke her big toe this week and had a flat tire on her wheelchair yesterday. She needs a new tube (4.0 x 5). She was unable to get one yesterday. Please pray for her. Surgery is only three and a half weeks away.

Jannie Jarreau Allen
Jannie Allen died on Saturday, April 5, 2008, at her residence in Kentwood. She was 50 and a native of New Roads. Visitation at Living Word Christian Centre, Grangeville, on Monday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Tuesday from 8 a.m. until religious service at 10 a.m. She is survived by her husband of 24 years, Roger Dale Allen, of Kentwood; son, Everett Dale Allen, 24 and of Kentwood; granddaughter, Dana Marie Allen, 2 years old and of Kentwood; two brothers, Donald Jarreau, of Central and Joseph Jarreau, of Walker; and sister, Resa Odom, of Central. She was preceded in death by her mother, Vernice Marie St. Romain Jarreau; and father, Joseph Harris Jarreau. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Living Word Christian Centre, 2496 La. 63, Pine Grove, LA 70453. McKneely Funeral Home, Kentwood, is in charge of arrangements. For information, visit http://www.mckneelys.com.

Baptist Press had some very interesting articles last week. You may want to use the link on the right side of this page to read some of them.

The ladies’ prayer group will meet at 6:30 in the morning at Mojo’s. Please feel free to join us. We will be finished before 7:00 so you will have plenty of time to get to work.

HOW MUCH DO YOU OWN

IN THAT DIRECTION?

George Washington Truett was a preacher in Dallas for 47 years. He once visited a wealthy West Texas rancher and had dinner in his huge ranch home. After dinner, the rancher took Dr. Truett up to a veranda on top of his house, and lit up a big cigar. The sun was setting, and if you’ve ever been to West Texas, you know you can see a long way out there. The man pointed to the south toward some oil rigs and said, “I own everything in that direction as far as you can see.” He pointed east toward some cotton fields and said, “And I own everything in that direction, too.” He pointed north toward a huge herd of cattle and bragged, “And, preacher, I own everything as far as you can see in that direction.” He turned to the west, and said, “And I own everything you can see in that direction, except the sun, of course.”

Dr. Truett turned to the man and pointed straight up the sky and said, “And how much do you own in that direction?”

It’s a sobering question for all of us. We are surrounded constantly by the “things” of this world, and it is so easy to think that these “things” are the things that matter most — a nice car, a nice home, nice clothes (and don’t forget all the necessary electronic gadgets!). And so, if we’re not careful, we may seek to accumulate more and more, without regard to our relationship with God. As the rich fool discovered in Luke 12, we will all one day be forced to recognize that the material things we have accumulated have no eternal value.

Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)

How much do you own in that direction?

Have a great day!

Alan Smith
Helen Street Church of Christ
Fayetteville, North Carolina

“How much do you own in that direction?”

That’s a good question we should all ask ourselves!

Anna Lee

Saturday Update on Aaron Hill

Posted 1:13 P.M.

Aaron had a quiet night and has been doing good this morning. The doctors had to go in his chest to clean out a blood clot that had settled there. They say it is fairly common when a child is on ECMO. He tolerated the procedure well. They have done an EKG on him and have told us his heart function is looking good. For this we are so thankful. They MIGHT look at trying to wean him from the machine tomorrow. Please pray that God will continue to strengthen Aaron’s heart and the rest of his body so that he can come off the bypass machine. It is a very scary sight for his parents and the first big step in his recovery from the second operation.

With my surge of adrenaline and emotions, I failed to mention in last night’s post that Dr. Spray was able to close both of the holes in Aaron’s heart. One was the result of a torn stitch near where his VSD was and the other was up higher. Both of these repairs were very difficult, but successful.

I have to confess that I struggled yesterday with disappointment and anger. Not anger at God, really, but anger that Aaron has had such a hard time. Although there is much sadness in this place, we also often seen babies and children come in for heart repair and leave within a few days. We rejoice for those families, but are secretly jealous of them. We want our Aaron to know health, a life outside the hospital, to be free of pain and to be one of the families walking out with a smile. We continue to pray for patience if this is God’s will for Aaron.

Please continue praying for our little one.

Saturday

“The Lord is merciful and gracious;

he is slow to get angry and full of unfailing love.”

~Psalm 103:8 (NLT)~

Rapid Response Team Deploys to Flooded Missouri


The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team has deployed their crisis-trained chaplains in response to the recent floods across the nation’s midsection. A total of four chaplains are currently working with victims in the area of Piedmont, Missouri.

“Chaplains are already on-site and praying with those who are going through this tragedy in their lives,” says Jack Munday, director of the Rapid Response Team. “Pain and despair increases as the flood waters rise. We want to bring hope and support into this unbearable situation.”

Prayer
Chaplains have already spoken and prayed with nearly 75 people in this town of 2,000. They are in communication with local law enforcement and area pastors.

As in past disasters of this magnitude, RRT chaplains are working alongside Samaritan’s Purse, a disaster relief organization headed by Franklin Graham, who also heads the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. While Samaritan’s Purse volunteers meet the physical needs of the victims, the chaplains will address the emotional and spiritual needs brought about by the floods.

Meeting Needs
“Often in these situations, the immediate need is physical: ‘What do I do about my house?’ ‘What about my possessions?’” says Munday. “However, after the immediate physical trauma, the questions start to come: ‘Why did this happen?’ The chaplains will be there to help them as they work through those questions.”

This is the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team’s third deployment of 2008 and its 22nd deployment overall. Earlier this year the chaplains deployed to Tennessee and Arkansas following the deadly tornadoes in the region and to Northern Illinois University following the Valentine’s Day shooting of several students.

Mrs. Berta Pittman is still at North Oaks. Diagnosis has been made and treatment started. Pray for her as she continues to improve.


Frank Williams
A retired manager of the Florida Boulevard Piccadilly Cafeteria and a proud Vietnam War veteran, he died Sunday, March 30, 2008, at his home in Baton Rouge. He was 65 and a native of Kentwood. Visiting at Magnolia Baptist Church, 960 E. Buchanan St., on Saturday, April 5, from 9 a.m. until religious service at 11 a.m., conducted by the Rev. J. Bertell Davis. Interment in Roselawn Cemetery.

EXPECTATIONS OF JESUS

After being with his blind date all evening, the man couldn’t take another minute with her. Earlier, he had secretly arranged to have a friend call him to the phone so he would have an excuse to leave if something like this happened.

When he returned to the table, he lowered his eyes, put on a grim expression and said, “I have some bad news. My grandfather just died.”

“Thank goodness,” his date replied. “If yours hadn’t, mine would have had to!”

I am so glad that I don’t have to deal with the “dating scene” — worrying about making a good first impression so that I can meet her expectations and trying to deal with the awkwardness of the situation if she’s doesn’t meet my expectations. That’s especially the problem with “blind dates”, something I managed to avoid altogether in my dating years. You get an image in your mind of what your date is going to be like (or what you hope she’s going to be like), and it often doesn’t take much to shatter that misconception. Granted, your date could possibly turn out to be better than you expected, but it seldom seems to work out that way.

That was a problem that Jesus faced when he came to this earth. He should have been greeted with open arms — after all, he was the long-awaited Messiah. The problem is that the Jews had expectations of what the Messiah would be like. For most of the Jews, that preconception involved an earthly king who would boot the Romans out of the land and assume control. In fact, they were quite prepared to make Jesus that king (John 6:15).

Even without that misconception, though, none of the Jews could imagine a Messiah hanging on a cross. So the cross became a “stumbling block” to the Jews and “foolishness” to the Greeks (I Cor. 1:23). Jesus didn’t meet their expectations and they hurried to find a way to end the relationship.

Philip Yancey deals with this topic in his book “The Jesus I Never Knew”. He speaks of his own misconceptions of Jesus at an early age: “I recalled the Sunday school image of Jesus that I grew up with: someone kind and reassuring, with no sharp edges at all — a Mister Rogers before the age of children’s television.” Certainly Jesus was kind and reassuring, but he was so much more than that — he was a man who was strong (physically and emotionally) and passionate.

What’s important is that we allow the Gospels to define who Jesus was, and not expect him to measure up to our preconceived ideas. I challenge you to read the Gospels in a fresh light. Remove all expectations and allow the Word of God to define and shape who Jesus was. I guarantee the Messiah will turn out to be better than you expected!

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

Have a great day!

Alan Smith
Helen Street Church of Christ
Fayetteville, North Carolina

There not a new post of Aaron Hill this morning. I’ll post one when it is available.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Anna Lee

Friday – Evening

Aaron Hill – 7:54 P.M.

Aaron came out of surgery about 6, but he remains on the ECMO machine. His heart was beating way too fast and misfiring and his blood pressure was too low. Drugs that had worked for his rhythm problems before were causing too much of a strain on his heart’s function. ECMO is a type of bypass machine that allows his heart to continue working, but it does the pumping of blood to his lungs and other organs. The doctors think that his heart will recover from the assault of the surgery and bypass machine during surgery and they will be able to wean him from the ECMO within a few days. However, it is very scary to see our son on this machine. Please pray for Aaron’s heart and the rest of his body. He has been so strong for us since his birth. It’s hard to believe he has come through two open heart surgeries and two heart caths and he’s not even seven weeks old. God is the only one who can heal his heart and make him well. Please pray for God’s healing power.

Friday – Afternoon

Aaron Hill – 4:04 P.M.

Aaron is still in surgery. His heart is having rhythm problems again and the nurse has come to tell us he may be brought out of surgery with his heart on an ECMO circuit (type of heart lung bypass machine). Please pray that God will resolve these problems and that Aaron’s heart will work properly without the need for the bypass machine. We are praying and continue to wait.