The Prayer Link

Saturday

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give,

not reluctantly or under compulsion,

for God loves a cheerful giver.

~2 Corinthians 9:7 (NIV)~

CaringBridge

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/calliecole

E. Norwood Forshag

(November 24, 1929 – November 19, 2010)

Beloved husband father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. A resident of Amite, he died at 3:15 a.m. on Friday, November 19, 2010 at Specialty LTCH in Hammond. He was born November 24, 1929 in Amite and was 80 years of age. He was a graduate of Amite High School where he excelled on the football field and was a former communications Staff Sergeant in the Louisiana Army National Guard. Mr. Forshag was a skilled craftsman in construction, carpentry, and blacksmithing and passed his love of the outdoors to his children and grandchildren. He is survived by his wife, Elizabertha “Liz” Miller Forshag, Amite, son, Colonel Russell Forshag, U.S. Army (Ret.) and his wife, Sandie, Amite; 4 daughters, Gay New and her husband, Charlie, Amite, Connie Guzzardo and her husband, David, Youngsville, Diana Petitto and her husband, Anthony “Possum”, Amite, and Ann Stevens and her husband, Brent, Montpelier; 14 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren; brother, C. H. “Toby” Forshag and his wife, Betty, Central. Preceded in death by his parents, Elmer Presley Forshag and Ione Norwood Forshag. Visitation at First United Methodist Church, Montpelier, from 9 a.m. until religious services at 2 p.m. Saturday, November 20, 2010. Services conducted by Rev. Donald Young. Interment Montpelier Cemetery, Montpelier, LA.

Ruth Marie Angelette Cernich
(December 30, 1927 – November 19, 2010)

A resident of Greensburg, she died at 11 a.m. on Friday, November 19, 2010 at North Oaks Medical Center in Hammond. She was born December 30, 1927 in New Orleans and was 82 years of age.

McKneely Funeral Home, Amite, in charge of arrangements.

KneEmail

“At the name of Jesus every knee should bow…” Philippians 2:10

Mike Benson, Editor

IT WAS ABRAHAM Lincoln who said, “You can fool all of the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all of the time; but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time…”

But there is one person you can fool pretty readily, whenever you like. He is gullible, swallow it hook-line-and-sinker naive. He will buy that bridge in Brooklyn, if you tell him it’s for sale; he will believe in flying saucers; he’ll even accept that World Federation Wrestling is real … if you will just tell him.

And who is this unsuspecting, uh, unvarnished person whom you can get to believe anything you say?

It’s you!

You can fool yourself.

Humans seem to have an infinite capacity for self-deception. How easy it is for us to convince ourselves that our actions were taken with the best of intentions. Blinded by our own pride, we accept the most ridiculous explanations for our motives… if we are the ones explaining them away.

“The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick,” our Maker reminds us. ‘Who can understand it?'” (Jeremiah 17:9).

Heard any whoppers lately from a vacuum cleaner salesman…speaking to you from the mirror. Stan Mitchell at: http://www.forthright.net/reality_check/whos_fooling_who.html

“Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.” Proverbs 21:2

Have a wonderful weekend!

Anna Lee

Friday

“Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice!

Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.”

~Psalm 27:7~

Jadon’s Story

I know I have really been bad about keeping you updated. I just don’t have time anymore. So here is a quick update. My mommy has sent all my diet information to Boston. They are suppose to call us back Thursday or Friday. She also spoke to a Herbologist Monday. The herbologist is sending us some supplements to try. Guess what they have 0 side effects. Yes that’s right no side effects. So I will let you know how I do once I start these supplements. The best part about the herbologist is she believes I can get better. She is the first doctor that has every said we will work on this until I’m better. Mommy really likes her because she believes that I can win this fight. I have to have blood work in the morning. I have been so tired since starting the diet and its only getting worse. I slept for 4 hours this afternoon. I will let you know the results of that. Also my brother is still sick. Mar took him to the doctor yesterday. He had ear infections in both ears and a sinus infection. He had to get two antibiotic shots and is antibiotic now. Now you see why I have no time to update my page. Hopefully things will slow down for us soon.

CaringBridge

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kathyjothompson

THE BEAUTY OF THE SCAR

The following story by Lih Yuh Kuo appears in “Chicken Soup For the Soul”:

A little boy invited his mother to attend his elementary school’s first teacher-parent conference. To the little boy’s dismay, she said she would go. This would be the first time that his classmates and teacher met his mother and he was embarrassed by her appearance. Although she was a beautiful woman, there was a severe scar that covered nearly the entire right side of her face. The boy never wanted to talk about why or how she got the scar.

At the conference, the people were impressed by the kindness and natural beauty of his mother despite the scar, but the little boy was still embarrassed and hid himself from everyone. He did, however, get within earshot of a conversation between his mother and his teacher, and heard them speaking.

“How did you get the scar on your face?” the teacher asked.

The mother replied, “When my son was a baby, he was in a room that caught on fire. Everyone was too afraid to go in because the fire was out of control, so I went in. As I was running toward his crib, I saw a beam coming down and I placed myself over him trying to shield him. I was knocked unconscious but fortunately, a fireman came in and saved both of us.” She touched the burned side of her face. “This scar will be permanent, but to this day, I have never regretted doing what I did.”

At this point, the little boy came out running towards his mother with tears in his eyes. He hugged her and felt an overwhelming sense of the sacrifice that his mother had made for him. He held her hand tightly for the rest of the day.

In a similar manner, Jesus Christ bears a scar — many scars, in fact. There are those who find that somewhat embarrassing (“You mean to tell me you worship a man who was crucified?”). However, realizing that his ugly scars are the result of his efforts to save me, they suddenly take on a special beauty.

Those scars led Thomas to say, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). They lead me to say the same thing. I’m so thankful that something so ugly and horrible has taken on such beauty, because of the great love that Jesus Christ had for me.

“He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed.” (Isa. 53:5).

Have a great day!

Alan Smith
Helen Street Church of Christ
Fayetteville, North Carolina

Have a great day! Be safe if you are traveling for the holidays!

Anna Lee

Thursday

“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” ~Luke 19:10~

Join us at the cabin tonight at 6:30 for a time of food, fellowship, and Bible study. I think you will be blessed.

Pray for Mr. Bill Conerly and his family in the loss of a great-grandson last week.

Gifts are being collected for children at Louisiana Baptist Children’s home. They can be individually wrapped and labeled with with the sex and age of a child the gift would be appropriate for. For more information call the State Farm office in Kentwood or Coon’s Auto Salvage in Kentwood.

KneEmail

“At the name of Jesus every knee should bow…” Philippians 2:10

Mike Benson, Editor

DURING OUR WAR on terror in Afghanistan, we saw the effectiveness of some incredibly sophisticated weapons…

It never ceases to amaze me that we can launch a missile from many miles away and stick it right through our enemy’s office window. Yet we still hear reports of collateral damage. Innocent civilians standing nearby may be wounded or killed. Or, in some cases, the wrong building may be targeted. There’s simply no getting around the fact that anytime in explosion happens, you run the risk of doing more damage than you intended.

The same is true with explosions of anger.

Not long ago I was in a department store and witnessed a confrontation that ended with a husband calling his wife an ugly name and storming off. The heartbreaking thing was that their little boy, who appeared to be about four, heard every word. My guess is that someday, twenty or so years from now, he’ll be talking to his wife the same way.

You see, the husband aimed his verbal missile at his wife, but tiny bits of shrapnel pierced the soul of his son. And that’s how it always is with anger. Mark Atteberry, “Strong Men Tend To Use Anger As A Tool,” The Samson Syndrome, 78

“A wrathful man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger allays contention.” Proverbs 15:18

Have a fantastic day!

Anna Lee

Wednesday

“Our fathers trusted in You;

they trusted, and You delivered them.

They cried to You, and were delivered;

they trusted in You, and were not ashamed.”

~Psalm 22:4-5~

Carol Russell’s medical tests did not show any growth of her aneurism, but the doctor told her to see a cardiologist right away. Please keep Carol in your prayers.

Roger Dale Allen

(June 20, 1953 – November 16, 2010)

A resident of Kentwood, he died at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, November 16, 2010 at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge. He was born June 20, 1953 in Greensburg and was 57 years of age. Visitation at Living Word Christian Centre, 2496 Hwy 63, Pine Grove, from 10 a.m. until religious services at 2 p.m. Thursday, November 18, 2010. Services conducted by Pastor Warren Kinchen. Interment Allen Cemetery, Greensburg. Survived by son, Everett Allen and his wife, Jolynn, Las Cruces, NM; 2 grandchildren, Dana Marie Allen and Shelby Lorraine Allen; 7 sisters, Betty Bardwell, Easleyville, Virginia Delette, Clinton, Doris Allen, Clinton, Jimmie Ann Burton, Gulfport, MS, Glenda Mears, Colemantown, Belinda Allen, Easleyville, and Lois Allen, Colemantown; and numerous nieces and nephews. Preceded in death by wife, Jannie Jarreau Allen; parents, Everett and Joyce Wells Allen; brother, Johnny Allen; and sister, Claire Allen.

Don’t forget to get your Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes packed and delivered to FBC, Kentwood today. Tomorrow, they will begin their journey to boys and girls somewhere around the world.

In case you missed out on Operation Christmas Child, here is another opportunity. In case you packed a shoebox and still feel blessed enough to want to do more for Children, read below.

1 / 1

These gifts need to have the name of the item on the outside of the package. You can also add the proper sex or age group, if you desire. Each item can be wrapped individually. Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home has served children of our state for many year, including children from this area.

Have a wonderful day!

Anna Lee

Tuesday

God has made us what we are.

In Christ Jesus, God made us to do good works,

which God planned in advance

for us to live our lives doing.

~Ephesians 2:10 (NCV)~

Carol Russell completed her tests yesterday, but is waiting for test results. Pray for her as she anxiously waits.

Mrs. Mildred Birch has some tests yesterday in Baton Rouge. Nothing was found to be wrong with her stent, but her medicine will be adjusted.

FALL

Mike Benson’s KneEmail

Joe Simpson.jpg

IN 1985 JOE SIMPSON broke his leg on his descent of a 20,000-foot mountain in the Peruvian Andes…

Then after a second fall left him dangling in midair off a cliff, his partner, Simon Yates, had no choice but to cut the rope that tied them together. Failure to cut the rope meant that gravity would eventually pull them both off the steep mountain face to their deaths.

The rope snapped with the touch of Yates’ blade and Simpson dropped into a long, narrow, vertical ice tube with no way to get to the top. His body came to rest precariously on a narrow ice bridge between two gaping vertical drops. He had two choices. He could either sit there until death slowly overtook his freezing body, or he could plunge into the dark unknown to meet death on his own terms. He had one ice screw left, which he banged into the wall of ice. The he threaded his rope through it and somehow managed to tie a crude knot in the end of it. This would be his anchor as he lowered his body into the deep, dark, icy unknown. He could not see the bottom of the ice tube — he could see only a cold, cruel, black hole. He had no idea if the end of the rope even touched the bottom. He purposely did not tie a knot in the end of the rope, which would have stopped his descent, preferring instead to plunge to his death rather than dangle in midair and slowly freeze to death.

To his surprise, his body eventually came to a rest on a flat surface of snow. But it turned out to be only an eggshell-thin layer of snow that was keeping gravity from sucking his body into the blackness. Then he saw a thin ray of light shining from the opposite side of the cavern. There was a 45-degree slope of ice leading up to where he could see a pinpoint of daylight. This was his way out – if only he could reach it.

He lay flat and shimmied gently across the thin layer of snow until he reached the other side of the cavern. But with a badly broken leg, the slope of ice looked impossible to climb.

He came up with a plan. He would bend over and dig a small foothold for each of his boots, which were equipped with crampons (metal claws) for climbing. Then he would pound his ice axes in the wall of ice above him and slowly lift his bad leg, then his good leg into the footholds, while pulling his body up with the ice axes. Each time he put weight on his bad leg, searing pain exploded up and down his leg. He would scream and curse out loud – his own words mocking him as they echoed through the hollow, frozen tube. Then he would repeat the process.

He made a decision to focus on the pattern rather than the pain. “The flares of pain became merged into the routine and I paid less attention to them, concentrating solely on the patterns.” He was so intent on focusing on the pattern that he refused to even look up to the object of his climb for fear that it would remind him of the little progress he had made and how far he still had to go. He knew where he was going, but it was more important to focus on the pattern. The pattern was working – one inch at a time, but it was working. After what seemed like an eternity, he popped his head up through the snow to see a ring of spectacularly beautiful mountains and blue sky. He had made it. But now he had to figure out a way to get down the rest of the mountain with a broken leg.

Simpson would be forced to repeat different patterns of behavior, standing, then falling forward, then crawling, then standing and falling forward again, for several days and nights without food or water. He would pick a spot in the distance and focus on it. Then he would give himself a deadline by which he had to get to it. When he finally got there, he would pick out another spot in the distance and repeat the pattern. Depending on the terrain, he would figure out a different pattern of movement that was most likely to push his body forward. Once he found the right pattern, he would simply focus on the pattern and repeat it over and over until he got to the next spot. It was a slow, agonizing process and his body got weaker and weaker as he went. Through the sheer force of his will and the voice inside his head that kept commanding his mangled body forward like a cruel drill sergeant, after several days, he finally got close enough to his campsite where his shouts could be heard. When his climbing partner found him, Simpson didn’t even look like himself. He face was bloody and scarred from falling repeatedly and from frostbite. His leg had swollen to almost the size of his waist. But he was alive.

What saved Joe Simpson was his decision to focus on a short, achievable goal and give himself a deadline to reach it. It was when he stopped pushing himself to get there by the deadline that he started to lose hope. He explains that his destination had become a “vague aim instead of a carefully planned objective. Without timing each stage, I had drifted aimlessly with no sense of urgency. Today it had to be different.”

What can we learn from Joe Simpson’s epic tale of survival?

1. In order to survive and prosper in times of adversity, you have to know what your final destination is and keep it always in your mind.

2. Break up the journey into small, achievable goals.

3. Experiment until you find a pattern of behavior that pulls you inch by inch closer to your goal.

4. Count on falling over and over while trying to find the right pattern. Then count on falling again even after you have found the right pattern. But make a decision to fall forward – in the direction of your goal.

5. If the goal seems impossible, focus on the pattern rather than the pain. Daniel R. Castro, “Heros Harvest Their Hidden Gifts,” Critical Choices That Change Lives, 130-133

12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.

13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,

14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:12-14

Have a terrific Tuesday!

Anna Lee

Monday

“Well done, good and faithful servant!

You have been faithful with a few things;

I will put you in charge of many things.

Come and share your master’s happiness!”

~Matthew 25:21 (NIV)~

Pray for Carol Russell who is having headaches. Her doctor will be checking to see if the aneurism has grown. When it was first found, it was inoperable, but the doctor says lots of advancement have been made since then. Carol would appreciate your prayers.

Jadon’s Story (http://jadonsisstory.blogspot.com/)

It’s going to get better

The goods news is I’m tolerating the keto meals much better now. I haven’t vomited since Friday. My mommy has been feeding me eggs, applesauce, and cream for breakfast and supper. For lunch, I’ve been drinking a keto shake. That’s been keeping me full with much better results. We will probably have to adjust my meals. The amount of vegetable that I’m suppose to eat is unreal. It’s more than what my mommy would eat. We still haven’t seen any changes in my seizures. Just trying to be patient with that. I have read other stories where their child didn’t respond to the diet until 3 months in. We just have to be patient. Now for the bad news. My brother has been sick since Friday night. He has been running a high fever. Mommy has been alternating motrin and tylenol just to keep his fever down. He is a little better today. I have been staying with my Paw and Mar. We really do not need me to get sick. That would be really bad. My mommy has been bringing my meals at meal time and coming to see me when she gets a chance. It has not been fun. Well my mommy goes back to work tomorrow. She is not very happy about that. At least she only has 1 more week and then she is off for the Thanksgiving break. Please pray for us. This must be the dark before the morning.

Callie Cole

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/calliecole

Be extra if you have to get out on the wet roads.

Anna Lee

Sunday

“Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble;

You will prepare their heart;

You will cause Your ear to hear.”

~Psalm 10:17~

Today is the day to turn in shoeboxes packed with goodies for children around the world who might not otherwise have the simple gifts you send. It is also an opportunity for the children to hear about God and to experience His love through the shoebox you packed. If you haven’t packed your shoebox(es) yet, you have three more days to take it to First Baptist Church, Kentwood. Thank God for all the churches and all the individuals participating in Operation Christmas Child. Here is the like to the website in case you would like to learn more about the purpose, process, etc.

http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/

If God can use a ninety year old lady in a wheelchair, He can surely use you!

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=34075

Have a great Lord’s Day!!

Anna Lee

Saturday

I’m sorry to be delayed posting The Prayer Link this morning. Our electricity was off when I got up and just came on.

Physical training is good,

but training for godliness is much better,

promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.

~1 Timothy 4:8 (NLT)~

KneEmail

“At the name of Jesus every knee should bow…” Philippians 2:10

Mike Benson, Editor

HOW MANY OF us have heard folks say, “They just won’t be baptized…?”

“What can we do to persuade them to be baptized?” These statements seem to overlook the greatest challenge of salvation for most folks. Have you ever seen one who believed in the Lord (John 8:24), was not ashamed, but willing to confess Him before others, (Matthew 10:32-22; John 12:42-43) had repented of their sins (Luke 13:3, Acts 26:20, 2 Corinthians 7:10) and not be baptized? I’m sure there are exceptions, but the general rule in Acts is that penitent believers asked to be baptized.

Repentance is a change which begins in the mind which changes lives. In Acts 19 the city of Ephesus, the home of the Temple of Diana and capitol of worship to this goddess, was presented with the Gospel of Jesus. For the pagans to become Christians, what changes did “repentance” demand? In verse 19 they brought their books of magic into one pile and burned them. The value was 50,000 pieces of silver. This was a considerably large sum of money. Books were valuable passions and very expensive in those days. Remember Jesus was betrayed for 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15), which brings their sacrifice of burning their books into perspective. Instead of selling them and advocating false doctrine, the repentance of the Ephesians led them to suffer financial loss. A second sign of their repentance was the fear their actions brought upon Demetrius the silversmith. He was in the business of selling shrines of the goddess Diana. He realized penitent Christians changed their behavior. Their change in behavior would mean they would no longer buy his shrines. The more Christianity spread (the more people repented) the less business he would have! He started a riot, hoping to defeat Christianity. Some are never willing to repent, others give up all!

Jonathan Winchester is a fine young missionary we worked with in El Salvador. He wrote me this note:

“We had some good and sad results. The area where we worked was one of the poorest and most dangerous in Ica, Peru. One woman had decided to be baptized, and had changed into the baptismal robe, but then decided that she could not. She knew that repentance was necessary. She told us that her only way of providing for her children was to go out and steal people’s wallets, and she knew that she was not going to stop.”

Should she have been advised to be baptized anyway? What would God say? “Repent or perish” (Luke 13:3). Folks do not need to be “talked into baptism.” What folks need is to be taught the doctrine of Christ and see if they are ready to repent! Penitent believers have always responded by saying, “What hinders me from being baptized?” (Acts 8:36). David Shannon

Then Peter said to them,

‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized

in the name of Jesus Christ

for the remission of sins…”

~Acts 2:38~

Jadon’s Story

Keto Day 5

Posted: 12 Nov 2010 01:13 PM PST

Well we made it home and things haven’t been that great. The actual preparation for my meals isn’t nearly as hard as my mommy expected. The hard part is getting me to eat which we never thought would be the problem. We actually thought I wouldn’t get enough to eat. Well we were very wrong. I don’t want to eat now. In fact, I gag and sometimes vomit. I have really had a rough start. Hopefully I will get use to it and stop gagging. We have not noticed a change in my seizures. Yes it is very early but we were hoping to see a little change. We are not giving up yet. My mom has a phone conference Monday with the herbologist. We are hoping she can help us in some way. When you pray for me tonight, please pray that we will not get discouraged. We are doing everything possible and we just can’t get relief for me. It’s very hard to stay positive at times like this but we are trying our best. We know God will help us through this and that everything will happen in his timing.

Friday

Jesus said, “‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man,

you will know who I am.

You will also know that I don’t do anything on my own.

I say only what my Father taught me. . . .

I always do what pleases him, and he will never leave me.’

After Jesus said this, many of the people put their faith in him.”

~John 8:28-30, CEV~

Opportunity

Adrianna Cavanagh lost her battle to cancer. Her mother is now fighting for other young lives. You have an opportunity to help.

Happy Veteran’s Day! Thanks to all of you veterans for your sacrifice. We can all be heroes by donating blood or joining the Bone Marrow Registry. Please notice an urgent need for bone marrow:

16 year old RJ Jackson, Jr. is in for the fight of his life. To be cured he must have a bone marrow transplant. You could be a match! RJ is the son of Keith & Vickey Jackson, brother to Kiera, grandson of Nolean Bickham, and nephew of Pat Harvey & Tracey McMasters. RJ was diagnosed with Stage IV Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2008 and relapsed twice. The cancer came back with a vengence in October 2010. RJ is currently being treated at Children’s Hospital in Birmingham, AL.

JOIN THE NATIONAL BONE MARROW REGISTRY
All it requires is for you to register and have 4 cotton swabs taken of the inside of your mouth. No blood is drawn! Sign up immediately with Pat Harvey of Franklinton 985-515-0645 or tptpharvey@yahoo.com A minimum of 20 sign ups are needed by Friday, November 19th AFranklinton Site will be announced after sign ups are secured.
For his updates and/or to send RJ a message, go to www.caringbridge.org/visit/rjjackson

Geaux RJ-you & your family are in our prayers!

KOMpray

Kids on Mission Pray

November 12, 2010

“Let the little children come to Me, and don’t stop them, because the kingdom of God belongs to such as these,” Luke 18:16b

ENDLESS HOMEWORK
My 11th grade year has proven to be one of the hardest of my life, even more intense than the jump from 8th grade to Freshman. Please pray that I can catch up with my endless homework. Anyone would say I’m a smart guy, and I have never really fallen very far behind in my homework before; but so far this year I’m behind in all my academic classes, and if nothing changes this semester my grade point average (GPA) could fall half a point or more.

Please pray that God will give me the strength, willpower, motivation, and ability for me to catch up this semester so that I’m not prevented from taking part in the school drama again; it’s bad enough to not be in this semester’s play…

Go to http://kompray.imb.org to read more of this story and find prayer requests from Missionary Kids (MKs) around the world!

THANKSGIVING OUTLOOK

With Thanksgiving approaching in a couple of weeks, I thought you would enjoy this excerpt from a book entitled, “Weather Prognosticators and the Media: Fallacies, Facts, and Fun in Forecasting” by Norm Macdonald:

“Turkeys will thaw in the morning, then warm in the oven to an afternoon high near 190 F. The kitchen will turn hot and humid, and if you bother the cook, be ready for a severe squall or cold shoulder.

“During the late afternoon and evening, the cold front of a knife will slice through the turkey, causing an accumulation of one to two inches on plates. Mashed potatoes will drift across one side while cranberry sauce creates slippery spots on the other. Please pass the gravy.

“A weight watch and indigestion warning have been issued for the entire area, with increased stuffiness around the beltway. During the evening, the turkey will diminish and taper off to leftovers, dropping to a low of 34 F in the refrigerator.

“Looking ahead to Friday and Saturday, high pressure to eat sandwiches will be established. Flurries of leftovers can be expected both days with a 50 percent chance of scattered soup late in the day. We expect a warming trend where soup develops. By early next week, eating pressure will be low as the only wish left will be the bone.”

While many of us in the United States will be enjoying a delicious feast in a couple of weeks, may our outlook truly be one of thanksgiving. May we be reminded once again of the source of our bountiful blessings. I love the cartoon that shows a bewildered-looking fellow sitting at a Thanksgiving table loaded down with turkey, dressing, hot rolls, and all the trimmings. The caption reads: “Alvin the atheist realized he was at his lowest point, for he felt grateful but had no one to thank.”

We do have someone to thank. May we do it not only on Thanksgiving but every day with hearts overflowing with gratitude.

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” (James 1:17)

“Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving…” (Psalm 95:2)

Have a great day!

Alan Smith
Helen Street Church of Christ
Fayetteville, North Carolina

Have a great day!

Anna Lee

Thursday Evening

Linda Faye Travis
(January 17, 1951 – November 11, 2010)

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”

2 Timothy 4:7-8

A resident of Kentwood, she died at 8:43 a.m. on Thursday, November 11, 2010 at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge. She was born January 17, 1951 in Greensburg and was 59 years of age. She was a life long resident of the 6th Ward in St. Helena Parish. She loved being a Grananner, being on the river, traveling, and serving the Lord. She loved to play practical jokes and had a great sense of humor that will be missed by all of those who loved her. Visitation from 8:30 a.m. on Saturday at New Zion Baptist Church, Kentwood, until Memorial Services 12 Noon Saturday. She is survived by her 2 daughters, Heather Nicholas and her husband, Michael, Georgiana Kennedy and her husband, T. L., 2 grandchildren, Dalton and Raleigh, sister, Diane T. Smith and her daughter, Corinne Smith, brother, Kenneth “K.T.” Travis and his wife, Imelda, their daughter, Shawn Hurst and her husband, Willie, and their children, Brooklee and Lacee, niece, Ashlee Travis, nephew, Mitchell Travis, and many friends and family including, “son” Wade Daniels, friend, Jerry Tubbs, cousin, Peggy Crawford, and aunt, Dorothy Hughes. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Bridge House in her name. Donate to Bridge House, Substance Abuse Treatment Center, 1160 Camp St. New Orleans, Louisiana 70130, Attn: Kevin Gardere, (504) 821-7133 orhttp://www.bridgehouse.org/.