Sunday

 WEIGHED DOWN

A few stupid criminal stories:

One man robbed a liquor store at gunpoint and demanded all of the cash from the register. He then asked for some liquor, but the cashier declined saying that he didn’t look 21. The robber again demanded, but the cashier declined saying that he could not give liquor to anyone under 21.  The stupid criminal proceeded to show the cashier his driver’s license to prove he was 21!  The cashier took down his information, gave the robber his liquor, and called the police when he left. The robber was arrested AT HIS HOME later that evening.

Another guy was in a verbal lineup (where you have to say something to see if the victim can identify you by voice). He was told to say “Give me your money or I’ll shoot you”, and he refused to do it. When asked why by the detective, he said “Because that’s not what I said”!

David Posman 33, was arrested in Providence, R.I, after allegedly knocking out an armored car driver and stealing the closest four bags of money. It turned out they contained $800 in PENNIES, weighed 30 pounds each, and slowed him to a stagger during his getaway so that police officers easily jumped him from behind.

David Posman is not the first person to make the mistake of trying to run while being weighed down.  In fact, it happens spiritually all the time. The Hebrew writer talks about sin being a weight that keeps us from effectively running the Christian race.  We can get bogged down with things that pull us away from God.  And, by the way, as with Posman, those things that are weighing us down are not worth nearly as much as we thought they were when we grabbed hold of them.

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” (Hebrews 12:1)

Anything weighing you down?  May you lay it aside as you run the Christian race today.

Have a great day!

Alan Smith
Helen Street Church of Christ
Fayetteville, North Carolina

 

I hope you “got the point” of that devotional.  Have a great Lord’s Day!

Anna Lee

Saturday Evening

Helen Bridges Strickland
July 25, 1925 – August 5, 2011
 Helen Bridges Strickland was born July 25, 1925 and died August 5, 2011 at Kentwood Manor Nursing Home after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. She was a member of Kentwood Methodist Church.

A memorial service will be held Sunday, August 14, 2011 at 2 p.m. at Woodland Cemetery, Kentwood.

She is survived by Gwyenth Broyles Norck, Melissa Broyles Anderson, and Herbert Broyles.

She was preceded in death by her husband Buel B. Strickland.

At her request, her body was donated to LSU Medical Center.

Wayne Ray Addison
(January 22, 1940 – August 11, 2011)

Wayne Ray Addison was born on January 22, 1940 in Tangipahoa Parish and passed away on August 11, 2011 at his residence in Amite, La. He was 71 years old.

Wayne is survived by his wife, Brenda B. Addison, Amite, 3 daughters, Brenda K. Addison Stevens and husband Terry, Loranger, Taylor Addison, Amite, and Haley Ardillo Addison, Amite, 3 sons, Mark Wayne Addison, Amite, Olen Wilkes Addison, Amite, and Trey Addison, Amite, numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren, step-children, Michelle Burns, Bo Burns, Stephanie Burns Warren and husband Jesse, and John Van Burns, 1 sister, Sandra Jo Addison, Amite, 2 brothers, Donald Addison and wife Janice, Chesbrough, and Jerry Addison, Amite.

Wayne was preceded in death by his parents, Herbert and Josephine Willie Addison, and 1 brother, Herbert Addison

Graveside Services were held at 5:00 P.M. at Lee Cemetery, East of Amite, Friday, August 12, 2011.

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

Saturday

This is why we never give up.

Though our bodies are dying,

our spirits are being renewed every day.

For our present troubles are quite small

and won’t last very long,

but they will produce for us an immeasurably great glory

that will last forever!

So we don’t look at the trouble we can see right now;

rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen.

For the troubles we see will soon be over,

but the joys to come will last forever. 

~2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NLT~

Terry Bankston had a second surgery yesterday.  It did not go quite as well as the first one did.  Please continue to pray for Terry and Iris Courtney Bankston of Amite.  Terry is in room 4110 (ICU) at Tulane Hospital.

Momma is doing better and beginning to focus on going home.  That will be a while yet, but the goal is enough to encourage her to work extra hard to get better.

Daddy is having a side-effect from a new medication.  Pray we can get his tended to before it develops into a bigger problem.

The Lay Renewal at FBC, Kentwood is next weekend.  Pray for the final preparations to run smoothly.

Have a great Saturday!

Anna Lee

Thursday Evening

Johnny Ray Murphy
(August 30, 1946 – August 11, 2011)

A resident of Amite, he died at 6:50 a.m. on Thursday, August 11, 2011 at his residence. He was born August 30, 1946 in Hettinger, ND and was 64 years of age. Beloved father of 4 daughters, Rhonda Sue Darby and her husband, Mike, Sunset, Karen Marie Murphy, Lawtell, Lacy Murphy Todd and her husband, Lee, Westwego, and Jessica Lynn Murphy and her fiancé, Roland, Chalmette; brother of Mary Anne Williams Park Rapids, MN, Cherry Murphy, Park Rapids, MN, Ann Glass, Terrytown, Eldon Dean Murphy, Amite and Edgar L. Murhpy, Jr., North Dakota; Grandpa of 14 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. Also survived by the mother of his first two children, Roberta Wise, Church Point, and his long-time friend, Davis Verrette, Jr, Metairie. He was preceded in death by his wife, Cindy Murphy; son, Glenn Alan Murphy; parents, Edgar L. Murphy and Joyce Miller Murphy; sister, Donna Murphy.

Mary Arnone
(Died August 11, 2011)

A resident of Independence, she died at 2 a.m on Thursday, August 11, 2011 at Tangi Pines Nursing Center in Amite. She was born June 18, 1936 in Independence and was 75 years of age. Visitation at Mater Dolorosa Catholic Church, Independence, from 9 a.m. until religious services at 11 a.m. on Saturday, August 13, 2011. Services conducted by Fr. Howard Atkins. Interment Colonial Mausoleum, Independence. Survived by 3 sisters, Giovanna Clausen, Betty Arnone, and Loretta Bergeron, all of Independence, 2 nieces, Lindsey Bergeron and Mignonette Arnone, 3 nephews, Floyd J. Clausen, Matthew C. Bergeron, and Pete Arnone. Preceded in death by parents, Joe and Mary Vullo Arnone, and brother, Peter V. Arnone.

 

Thursday

“Now he who plants and he who waters are one,

and each one will receive his own reward

according to his own labor.

For we are God’s fellow workers.”

~1 Corinthians 3:8-9a~

Terry Bankston was rushed to Tulane Hospital over the weekend for surgery.  He will have addition surgery Saturday and possibly several more times.  Pray for his family as they are so concerned about him.  I would guess Terry is in his 40’s.

Momma was much better yesterday.  Thanks for all the prayers and calls.

Pray for the Lay Renewal at FBC, Kentwood.  It will be the weekend of August 19 – 21.

Alan Smith’s Thought for the Day

Being Prepared 
Earthquakes can strike without warning, and being prepared for such a
 disaster can mean the difference between life and death. Here are some 
tips someone has offered to help you and your loved ones make it through 
a quake:

~ Those living in areas not prone to earthquakes can respond quickly to 
the plight of disaster victims in quake zones by complacently smirking 
and saying, "I told you so."

~ To minimize loss and damage in a quake, try not to own things.

~ Practice your burrowing-out-from-under-40-tons-of-rubble skills ahead 
of time.

~ Look out your window often. If you see a large, zig-zag-shaped crevasse 
moving rapidly from the horizon toward your home, step either to the right 
or the left.

~ For those who fear earthquakes, it may comfort you to know that a 
majority of the damage during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake did not 
come from the tremors themselves. Instead, it was from the raging, 
out-of-control fires that consumed most of the city.

~ A doorway is the safest place to be during a quake. Eat, sleep, and work 
in doorways.

~ Be sure to mail your house-insurance payments a full five business days 
before a major earthquake strikes.

~ If you are caught in a major earthquake in Southern California and are part of the entertainment industry, take a moment or two to reflect on how grossly you've wasted your life.

As several of the suggestions above point out (with tongue firmly in cheek!), the problem with an earthquake is its unpredictability.
A few months ago, Hurricane Ike devastated the Galveston area, but there 
was at least warning for several days that danger was coming. With an 
earthquake, there is none -- it simply strikes!

Jesus described his second coming as an event like that. He used terminology
like "a thief in the night" to describe the unexpectedness of the moment. 
His purpose in using that image was not to suggest that he is coming to 
steal something. Rather, he is coming at a time when we least expect it. 
And the only way to be ready for that moment (just as with an earthquake) 
is to stay prepared all the time.

"But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The skies will disappear 
with a loud noise. Everything in them will be destroyed by fire, and the
 earth and everything in it will be burned up. In that way everything will
 be destroyed. So what kind of people should you be?
You should live holy lives and serve God, as you wait for and look forward 
to the coming of the day of God." (I Peter 3:10-12a, NCV).

My prayer is that you will be prepared so that you, too, can truly "look 
forward" to that day (whenever it may be!).

Have a great day!

Alan Smith


Thanks for reading and praying today.
Anna Lee

Wednesday

“Whoever is faithful in small matters  

will be faithful in large ones;

whoever is dishonest in small matters

will be dishonest in large ones.”

~(Luke 16:10 GNT~

Mission Opportunity – Hay Relief Effort 

Being touched by the plight of ranchers and farmers in Texas who continue to face wildfires, heat, and drought, Duncan Ferche’ at Woodland Park Baptist Church, Hammond is coordinating a HAY RELIEFeffort.

If you, or people you know, would be willing to donate round bales of hay and/or the cost of transporting it, please contact Brother Duncan Ferche’ at Woodland Park Baptist Church, Hammond. Call Brother Duncan at 985.878.9212 for more details.

To assist in covering fuel costs for transport you can make your donation payable to Woodland Park Baptist Church and designate it “Hay Expenses.” You can contact Woodland Park at www.woodlandparkbaptist.org or 985.345.4013.   

Mail donations to: Woodland Park Baptist Church, 1909 J.W. Davis Drive, Hammond, 70403.

(If you have hay to donate or cash to help transport the hay, you may want to support this unique ministry.  If you don’t have hay or cash, please take time to pray for this mission opportunity and others that will open doors to sharing the gospel.  Read the article below to learn of someone making the most of his opportunities to witness at a car repair shop.)

 

 

FIRST-PERSON: A providential trip to the car repairman 
Keith Collier

http://www.bpnews.net/BPFirstPerson.asp?ID=35911

 

Find your best methods of sharing the Good News and make the most of the opportunities you have.  A missed opportunity may never come again.

Anna Lee

 

Tuesday

“In this world you will have trouble.

But take heart! I have overcome the world.” 

~John 16:33 NIV~

 

From Sherry Rosamond (Yesterday)

I would like to add my ex-mother-law pearl Steale she had knee surgery this morning. I would like her to be remember in ur prayer that she will have a speedy recover.

Momma is still slowly improving.  The staffing meeting yesterday went well.  Momma will leave Specialty Hospital on the 20th.  We don’t yet know where she will be next.  That depends on her physical therapy progress between now and then.

Perry, at Rally: America has Forgotten God

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=35900

 

Pray for America and her leaders on every level.

 

Have a terrific Tuesday day!

Anna Lee