Mrs. Judy Wilson, wife of Doug Wilson, passed away this morning. I’ll post an obituary later. In the meantime, pray for her family.
Mrs. Wanzie Williams is back at home. Please pray for her and her family as they stay close to her side.
Please continue to pray for Chuck Pittman as he continues his battle with cancer. Pray for his family too.
Pray for Robert Callihan and Rev. Butch Reviere as they see doctors this week for their health issues. Your prayers will be appreciated.
Jack Allen’s surgery went well yesterday. He will have by-passes next week. Please continue to pray for this family.
… That you may love the Lord your God,
listen to his voice,
and hold fast to him.
For the Lord is your life,
and he will give you many years
in the land he swore to give to your fathers,
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
~Deuteronomy 30:20 (NIV)~
HOW DO YOU build a “sanctuary” in your busy life; a place where you can meet with God…?
Build a “closet.”
Isaac’s closet was in a field (Genesis 24:63). Peter’s closet was on a housetop (Acts 10:9).
You must fashion your own.
It may mean leaving the kids with your spouse, while you sit out on the back porch with a cup of coffee and your Bible for fifteen minutes.
It may mean snatching a few minutes when your baby is taking his or her afternoon nap.
For those who have a long drive to work, your sanctuary may be in your car with a CD player. It may mean posting a passage of Scripture near your steering wheel, where you can meditate and pray about it during the time that you drive.
It may mean reading your Bible during your lunch break at work.
It may mean taking the first ten minutes to read and pray in your office each morning.
It may mean putting your tennis shoes on and going for a walk with your Bible in hand.
It may mean sitting in your garage or workshop with a CD player to listen to sermons.
It’s not what the sanctuary looks like or where it is that matters. It’s what you do there that makes it a meaningful place. The sanctuary does not provide rest. What takes place there in the desert is what refreshes the inner man. (Steve Farrar)
“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” Matthew 6:6
Posted by Mike Benson
Enjoy some fellowship time and some Bible study with Christians today.
Anna Lee
From Vicki Graham Allen
But the basic reality of God is plain enough.
Open your eyes and there it is!
~Romans 1:19 (MSG)~
Mary Criswell sent this message.
Wayne Criswell is back at home and doing well. Thanks for your prayers.
CaringBridege
Today, many people are again traveling so they can be at home/church for the weekend and back to their regular schedule/work on Monday. Be extra careful as you travel.
For those of you who participated in Operation Christmas Child and those who are considering participating next year, please read http://www.baptistmessage.com/articledetail.php?articleID=e0bb2084d3cc581256d7c5331ed76e39
Thank-you for your participation. If you did not participate, pray about participating next year.
A MAN IN his sixties was walking down the street of a modern subdivision…
In his hand was a scrap of paper from a doctor’s office with a name and address scribbled in pencil. As the man approached the house, he waded the paper and pushed it into his pocket. He made his way to the front door, pushed the doorbell button, and waited anxiously.
Earlier that day, the man had been reading a medical journal in a doctor’s office wiating room when he came across an interesting article about organ donation. He was reading how so many people were on waiting-lists for kidney transplants, and how some would surely die waiting. As he closed the journal, still waiting for his name to be called, he imagined what it would be like too be dying in a waiting room. Right then, he made the decision to donate one of his kidneys.
An hour after asking his doctor for a lead, he was standing out in the cold on the doorstep of a complete stranger. As he herd the door being unlocked from the inside, he was eager to look upon the face of the one who would benefit from his sacrifice. The door pulled open.
“If you’re selling something, I’m not interested.” The first response was automatic. The man inside was middle-aged and appeared somewhat annoyed by his uninvited guest. “No, I’m not selling anything sir,” the older man answered back. “Actually, I guess it might seem odd why I’m here, but you see, I was just out walking and this air is terribly cold, so I thought perhaps you would allow me to step in for a few moments to warm up…” The man inside hesitated for a couple of seconds, glancing back and then sighing with a hint of frustration. “Alright, come on in.” The invitation was cold and half-empty.
The older man stepped into the warm house, and for the next few minutes, he did everything he could to carry on small-talk with the stranger. More than anything, he just wanted a glimpse of who this man was, a peek at the life he would spare. But it soon became evident that this man was ready for his guest to leave. “Sorry, but I’ve got something planned, so I’m afriad you’re going to have to be on your way now.”
The older man generously offered his thanks and quickly stepped back out into the cold. As he walked away from the house, he paused and looked back. Through the large front window, he watched as the man inside plopped down in front of a television and reclined back in his chair. It was precisely at this moment, as he looked upon the undeserving man, that he smiled and said to himself, “This is the man I want to help.”
Why choose to help someone who doesn’t deserve it? When Jesus came to this earth, he voluntarily sacrificed himself to offer us hope — and certainly not because we deserved it. As Christ hung on the cross, He looked down upon an undeserving crowd of spectators and cried, “Father, forgive them…” Thank God that His desire to save the hopeless was not detoured by rejection. Alan Pitchford
“For scarcely for a righteous man will one die;
yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us,
in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:7-8
Posted by Mike Benson
Thank-you for praying as you read The Prayer Link each day. Have a great weekend!
Anna Lee
For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you
except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
~1 Corinthians 2:2 (NIV)~
Holly K. made it back to West Africa (with luggage).
It’s the end of December which means that, in some parts of the country, ski season is in full swing. For those of you who plan to do some skiing this winter, someone has composed the following list of exercises to get you prepared:
~ Visit your local butcher and pay $30 to sit in the walk-in freezer for half an hour. Afterwards, burn two $50 dollar bills to warm up.
~ Soak your gloves and store them in the freezer after every use.
~ If you wear glasses, begin wearing them with glue smeared on the lenses.
~ Find the nearest ice rink and walk across the ice 20 times in your ski boots carrying two pairs of skis, accessory bag and poles. Pretend you are looking for your car. Sporadically drop things.
~ Place a small but angular pebble in your shoes, line them with crushed ice, and then tighten a C-clamp around your toes.
~ Buy a new pair of gloves and IMMEDIATELY THROW ONE AWAY!
~ Secure one of your ankles to a bed post and ask a friend to run into you at high speed.
~ Fill a blender with ice, hit the pulse button and let the spray blast your face. Leave the ice on your face until it melts. Let it drip onto your clothes.
~ Drink several ounces of water (or another beverage of choice), dress up in as many clothes as you can; now, quickly take them off because you REALLY, REALLY HAVE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM!
~ Repeat all of the above every Friday and Saturday until you’re ready for the real thing.
When I lived in Boone, North Carolina, I was in an area where skiing is a popular activity. There were several ski slopes within a 30-minute drive of our house. Before moving to Boone, I had never been skiing before, but it sure looked like fun, so one year I gave it a try. Will I do it again? Reread the list above for my answer! 🙂
Maybe I shouldn’t have waited until I was 40, or maybe I’m just not coordinated enough (skiing was no problem — it was the stopping that I had trouble with). I just know I spent several hours saying to myself, “People actually pay to go through this?!”
Why do skiers endure such hardship? You would need to ask them that question, but there is obviously a certain amount of pleasure that they find in skiing. If the reward of an activity is not greater than the hardship, we tend not to continue to engage in that activity.
Some people, no doubt, wonder the same thing about Christians. They don’t understand people who make sacrifices, putting others ahead of themselves, living in a way that brings glory to God, and denying the “pleasures of life”. So why do Christians endure hardships? I’ll let the apostle Paul answer that question:
“Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him. If we endure, we shall also reign with Him.” (2 Timothy 2:10-12a)
Again, if the reward of an activity is not greater than the hardship, we tend not to continue to engage in that activity. So it’s important that we continue to remind ourselves of the “reward” of living the Christian life. If you find that living the Christian life is getting tough, remind yourself every now and then why you’re doing what you’re doing.
Have a great day!
Alan Smith
Helen Street Church of Christ
Fayetteville, North Carolina
“If you find that living the Christian life is getting tough, remind yourself every now and then why you’re doing what you’re doing.” The reward is heavenly!
Anna Lee
Mrs. Margurite Wilkinson Travis Vernon
(May 12, 1923 – December 31, 2009)
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Mrs. Margurite Wilkinson Travis Vernon a loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and sister was born May 12, 1923 and passed away at 8:10 a.m. Thursday, December 31, 2009 at North Oaks Medical Center, Hammond. She was 86, a native of McComb and a resident of Arcola.
Mrs. Margurite is survived by a daughter, Marilyn T. Rutland and husband Monroe, Roseland; son, Donnie Travis and wife Delores, Roseland; step-daughter, Kandis Vernon Whittington; 3 step-sons, Henry, Johnny & Walter Vernon; brother, Leroy Wilkinson, Amite; sister, Catherine Wilkinson Caldwell, Houston, TX; 2 daughters-in-law, Myra Fay Travis & Betty Travis Taylor; 9 grandchildren, Fay Travis Sanchez, Herman Travis, Peyton Travis, Tracie Travis Ballard, Reid Travis, Tyler Rutland, Kasey Rutland Shaw, Debi Travis McCoy & Darla Travis; 17 great-grandchildren and numerous nieces , nephews & extended family.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Claude and Ellen Bailey Wilkinson; husbands, Reid Travis & John L. Vernon; sister, Helen Wilkinson Calender; brother, Willie Wilkinson; 2 sons, Arthur Reid Travis & Douglas Travis; grandson, Willie Reid Travis, II.
Visitation will be at McKneely & Vaughn Funeral Home, Amite, on Saturday, January 2, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. until Religious Service at 1:00 p.m. in the funeral home Chapel with Rev, Walter Vernon officiating. Interment in the Arcola-Roseland Cemetery,
An on-line Guestbook is available at http://www.mckneelyvaughnfh.com
McKneely & Vaughn Funeral Home, Amite, is located at I-55N & Hwy 16W behind Bill Hood Automotive and Mr. Tom’s Car Wash.
“Aunt” Margurite was really my second cousin. She was a special person! I have many wonderful memories of her from throughout my life.
Please continue to pray for Mr. “Cete” Dillon and his eye problem. He’ll be going back to the doctor Monday.
Pray for Mrs. Doug (Judy) Wilson who is hospitalized. She and her family will be very appreciative of your prayers.
Pray for Wesley Wilson who also has serious health problems.
Continue to pray for Mrs. Wanzie Williams. She is still hospitalized in Baton Rouge. Her health issues are becoming more complicated. Keep her family and friends in your prayers too.
Continue to remember Mrs. Kathrine Sanders as well as Alice Mary and Donice Honeycutt as he faces surgery in Philadelphia.
Pray for Frank and Mary Alice Fox as they visit in Kentwood and continue to travel to attend a wedding in DeRidder. Pray for all the others who have miles to travel in the next few days.
“A simple life in the fear-of-God
is better than a rich life with a ton of headaches.”
~Proverbs 15:16, Msg~
Thank God for Jesus who was born, died, and rose again that we might have our sins forgiven and the opportunity to have eternal life in heaven.
Pray for those who will be traveling home from their holidays during the next few days.
Thank God for gatherings with family and/or friends you may have enjoyed during this CHRISTmas season.
CaringBridge: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/larkindorris
Baptist Press
December 30, 2009
TEXAS–END TIMES: Views vary, but fall within orthodoxy. http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31963
MARYLAND–Navy linebacker serves Christ. http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31968
TEXAS–END TIMES: Humility essential in debate. http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31964
TEXAS–END TIMES: Is there a generational gap? http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31965
TEXAS–END TIMES: Scholar explains dispensationalism. http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31966
TEXAS–END TIMES: Book outlines major views. http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31967
TENNESSEE–Fear no excuse for not sharing faith, Fay says. http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31969
TEXAS–FIRST-PERSON (Gary Ledbetter): Eschatology does matter. http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31970
KANSAS–FIRST-PERSON (Phil Boatwright): The best and worst movies of 2009. http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31971
VIRGINIA–WORLDVIEW (Erich Bridges): A decade in which God moved. http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31972
Charles R. “Buddy” Genovese, Jr.
(February 14, 1935 – December 30, 2009)
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Charles R. “Buddy” Genovese, Jr. a loving husband, father, brother, grandfather and great-grandfather was born February 14, 1935 and passed away at 4:15 a.m., Wednesday, December 30, 2009 at his residence surrounded by his loving family. Mr. Buddy was 74, a native of New Orleans and a resident of Amite.
Mr. Buddy is survived by his wife of 24 years, Shirley “ Shelly” Taillon Genovese; Amite ; 4 daughters, Barbara G. Bellaci, and husband, Ronald, Kenner; Victoria “Vicki” Cotaya , Kenner; Patricia “PT” Cowart, and husband, David, Abita Springs; Diana “Dee” Edwards Cato and husband, Kenny , Amite; Step Children , Lisa King and husband, Robert, Hammond; Brian Simoneaux and wife, Courtney, Ponchatoula; Angela Jacob and husband Barry, Reserve; David Simoneaux , Covington; Rene Simoneaux and wife, Paula, Albany; Kelly De`Agano and husband, Drake, Metairie; 2 brothers, Stanford C. Genovese, Sr. and wife, Julia, Kenner; Gerald W. Genovese and wife, Raphael, Kenner; 15 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren, 15 step- grandchildren, 6 step-great- grandchildren.
Preceded in death by his parents, Charles Raymond, Sr. and Hazel Hope Genovese; brother, Louis Genovese, sister, Hazel Pinkerton; grandson, Terrence Michael Cotaya, Jr.
Mr. Buddy was a member of the Kenner Volunteer Fire Department, Living Water Baptist Church, LaPlace, LA, LA Thoroughbred Breeders Association & HBPA, Owner of Buddy’s Air Condition & Refrigeration, a US Naval Reserve and a Retired General Superintendent with Jefferson Downs Racetrack.
Visitation will be at Living Water Baptist Church, LaPlace on Saturday, January 2, 2010 from 9:00 a.m. until Religious Services at 12:00 Noon with Rev. Stanford Genovese, Jr. officiating. Interment will be in the St. Vincent de Paul Cemetery, New Orleans.
In lieu of flowers the family request donations be made to Living Water Baptist Church, LaPlace, LA.
An on-line Guestbook and to view a Video Tribute is available at http://www.mckneelyvaughnfh.com
McKneely & Vaughn Funeral Home, Amite, in charge of arrangements.
Have a blessed day!
Anna Lee
God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world,
but to save the world through him.
~John 3:16-17 NLT~
CaringBridge
Baptist Press
December 29, 2009
NEW MEXICO–Religious freedom loses one, wins one against ‘gay rights.’ http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31949
TENNESSEE–Quick answers to some giving questions. http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31950
TENNESSEE–Faith guides Vols’ Crompton through tough times. http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31951
CALIFORNIA–Model biblical leadership, Golden Gate grads told. http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31952
LOUISIANA–Choose God’s direction, not yours, Kelley says. http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31953
NORTH CAROLINA–Akin tells grads to run faithfully. http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31954
KENTUCKY–‘Build upon the foundation,’ Mohler urges. http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31955
TEXAS–Follow Joseph’s example, Southwestern grads exhorted. http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31956
GEORGIA–FIRST-PERSON (Richard H. Harris): Reaching the world … together. http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31957
Anna Lee
The Prayer Link 
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