Jared Prescott
Just got a call from CCU, Jared had a good night, he’s
already had his scan this morning and it looks good.
Is now ready to move to a regular room. Thanks to all
for the prayers and support for us. We still need more,
but things look a lot better today.
Mary
“Whatever happens,
dear brothers and sisters,
may the Lord give you joy …”
Philippians 3:1 (NLT)
| (b. Viewmont, Albermarle County, Va., Dec. 12, 1840; d. Kobe, Japan, Dec. 24, 1912). Missionary in Tengchow and Pingtu, China, for nearly 40 years; instrumental in instigating first Christmas offering, 1888. She was educated at Female Seminary at Botetourt Springs (later known as Hollins) and at Albermarle Female Institute, Charlottesville. She was converted in the spring of 1859 in a meeting by John Albert Broadus, then pastor at Charlottesville. She taught at Danville, Ky., and Cartersville, Ga. She volunteered for missionary service in Feb., 1873, in response to a sermon on the text, “Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest,” and she was appointed to China, July 7, 1873, by the Foreign Mission Board, Southern Baptist Convention. In 1888 she wrote to the Baptist women of the South, pleading for reinforcements. The first Christmas offering in 1888 provided three additional missionaries. She spent 14 years in China before taking her first regular furlough. Toward the end of her days, she suffered with her Chinese people in the terrible famine. She gave all she had. In the time of deepest trials she wrote, “I hope no missionary will be as lonely as I have been.” Literally starving, she grew steadily weaker. Before Christmas, 1912, Cynthia Miller, faithful nurse, started back to America with Lottie Moon; death came to the frail missionary, Christmas Eve, while the ship was at harbor in Kobe, Japan. The present Christmas offering for foreign missions, sponsored by the W.M.U., is named for Lottie Moon. http://www.sbhla.org/bio_moon.htm Yesterday, I had opportunities to learn from several missionaries: John Schaffner, the BCM director at SLU and pastor of Roseland Baptist Church, told about returning a few days ago from a two week mission trip to China. He learned many lessons there. One was that the loss of his camera, exta money, and GPS system caused him to lose sleep, but the had not lost enough sleep over the lostness of people. The Sloan family of King’s Mountain, North Carolina told us of three recent trips to Romania. They ministered to the Roma and chose that people group because of Jennie. Bro. Chip baptized Jennie! Holly K. spoke last night of her future work in West Africa where she will teach four MK’s. She leaves in one week for a two year commitment as a journeyman. Pray for Bro. John as he leads college students and chuch members to be more aware of missions. the Roma and a desire to minister to their lostmness. who do not know the Lord and an example for those who are new Christians. I pray I will use what I learned to further His kingdom. I pray you will become more mission-minded. God has a plan for each of us! |
Mrs. Faye Price has now been able to sit up some. Please continue praying for her, her family as they wait in the ICU waiting area, and for the medical staff as they care for “Miss” Faye.
The Prescott and Gullota families have had a long night and day. Jared is in the critical care unit at Lady of the Lake. His injuries are being re-evaluated and some may not be as severe as first thought. David has had surgery at North Oaks. Please continue to pray for both families.
Christine Husser Miley
(February 7, 1923 – December 28, 2008)
Died at 12:01 a.m. on Sunday, December 28, 2008 at Landmark Nursing Center in Hammond. She was a native and life-long resident of Husser. Age 85 years. Visitation at McKneely Funeral Home, Amite, from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. on Monday and from 9 a.m. until 10:45 a.m. on Tuesday. Religious Services at St. Dominic Catholic Church, Husser, LA at 11:30AM Tuesday. Services conducted by Fr. Chris Romaine. Interment St. Dominic Cemetery, Husser, LA. She is survived by 2 daughters, Shelia Currier and husband, Stanley, Loranger and Emily Garafola and husband, Johnny, Baton Rouge; special friend, Rita Terrebonne, Norwalk, WI; 2 cousins, Ethel Miller and husband, Lannis, Baton Rouge and Leona Watson, Baton Rouge; 8 grandchildren; 17 great- grandchildren; 2 step-grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Austin Shelby Miley; parents, Simon, Sr. and Emily Husser; 6 brothers, Simon, Jr., Recey, Arthur, Ellis, Elzy and Harvey Husser; 5 sisters, Madie, Gracy, Irma, Daisy and Ellen Husser; The family would like to thank the staff of Landmark Nursing Home for their care and kindness over the past five years.
Jan Hammons just called. She said Jared Prescott and David Gullota were in an accident last night. Jared has been moved from Greensburg to Lady of the Lake. David was going to be moved to North Oaks. Pray for these two young men, the medical staffs evaluation their conditions, and the families.
Blessed are the peacemakers
for they shall be called the children of God.
Matthew 5:9 (KJV)
Dr. John W. (Bro. Chip) Sloan will be preaching at Roseland this morning at 11:00. The worship service will be followed by dinner on the grounds.
Holly K. will share tonight at 6 P.M. at FBC, Kentwood. She will be leaving in a week and a half for West Africa where she will be a MK teacher. Come hear her testimony, her experiences in Richmond, and her hopes for the future.
Thomas Francis Sessum
(July 12, 1931 – December 26, 2008)
Thomas Francis Sessum was born on July 12, 1931 and passed away at 6:45AM, Friday, December 26, 2008 at the Lakeview Regional Medical Center, Covington. He was 77, a native of New Orleans and a resident of Amite. Thomas was the son of the late Thomas Mitchell & Frances Riviere Sessum. He was a US Air Force Veteran.
Thomas is survived by his wife of 18 years, Erline Wiggins Sessum, Amite; 3 daughters, Sandra Sessum Arsenaux, Metairie, Pepper Sessum Caruso, Old Jefferson, & Teree Lartique, Metairie; 2 step-sons, Timothy L. McGrath, Amite & Edward A. McGrath, Pensacola, FL; 2 sisters, Jean DeReyna, Atlanta, GA & Frances Post, Ft. Worth, TX; 9 grandchildren.
Preceded in death by his parents, a son, Leonce Sessum, a grandson, Gavin Lee McGrath; a brother, Donald Calvin Sessum.
Visitation at the McKneely & Vaughn Funeral Home, Amite, on Tuesday, December 30, 2008 after 2:00PM until Memorial Services at 3:00PM in the funeral home Chapel.
An on-line Guestbook is available at http://www.mckneelyvaughnfh.com
McKneely & Vaughn Funeral Home, Amite, is located at I-55N & Hwy 16W next to Coggins-Gentry Ford.
Debbie Woods
(Died December 26, 2008)
Debbie Woods passed away on Friday, December 26, 2008 at her residence near Kentwood, LA.
Arrangements are incomplete at this time.
An on-line Guestbook is available at http://www.mckneelyvaughnfh.com
McKneely & Vaughn Funeral Home, Amite, is located at I-55N & Hwy 16W next Coggins-Gentry Ford.
TOLERATING MISTAKES
A building contractor was being paid by the week for a job that was likely to stretch over several months. He approached the owner of the property and held up the check he’d been given. “This is two hundred dollars less than we agreed on,” he said.
“I know,” the owner said, “But last week I overpaid you two hundred dollars, and you never complained.”
The contractor said, “Well, I don’t mind an occasional mistake. But when it gets to be a habit, I feel I have to call it to your attention.”
Before chuckling too much, do you recall the last time a cashier charged you too little for an item? Were you as quick to point it out to him or her as you were when you were overcharged? Isn’t it funny how we are willing at times to tolerate mistakes by others as long as we benefit rather than suffer?
That’s why our standard of right and wrong must be determined by God’s word and not by our own feelings. As impartial as we may try to be, we are too easily swayed by that little voice inside that says, “If it doesn’t hurt me, then it must be OK.”
“‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the LORD. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.'” (Isaiah 55:8-9)
Have a great day!
Alan Smith
Helen Street Church of Christ
Fayetteville, North Carolina
Have a great day of Bible study and worship.
Anna Lee
Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men! Luke 2:14 (NKJV)
Mrs. Faye Price’s schedule was busy yesterday, so she did not have a chance to sit up. Maybe today. “Miss” Faye looks better, but the doctor keeps telling her daughters to “get some rest”. They laughed saying their mother is looking better, but they must not be!
Keep praying for “Miss” Faye, the medical staff caring for her, and her extended family. Your prayers are appreciated very much!
Pray for Holly K. as she prepares to share at FBC, Kentwood tomorrow at 6 P.M. She will be using a video and a power point presentation. I’m looking forward to hearing her and supporting her as she goes to West Africa as a MK teacher.
Dr. John W. Sloan (Bro. Chip) will be preaching at Roseland tomorow morning at 11:00. You are invited to attend the service and worship with the members of that church.
As churches continue to collect money for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, you might be interested in this brief summary of her life.
Birth
Born Charlotte Diggs Moon Dec. 12, 1840, in Albemarle County, Va.
Salvation
Lottie rebelled against Christianity until she was in college. In December 1858, she dedicated her life to Christ and was baptized at First Baptist Church of Charlottesville, Va.
Education
Lottie attended Albemarle Female Institute, female counterpart to the University of Virginia. In 1861, she was one of the first women in the South to receive a master’s degree.
Pre-missionary life
Lottie stayed close to home during the Civil War but eventually taught school in Kentucky, Georgia and Virginia.
Missionary appointment
Edmonia Moon, Lottie’s sister, was appointed to Tengchow, China, in 1872. The following year, Lottie was appointed and joined her sister there.
Missionary work
Lottie served 39 years as a missionary, mostly in China’s Shantung province. She taught in a girls’ school and often made trips into China’s interior to share the good news with women and girls.
Letters home
Lottie frequently wrote letters to the United States, detailing Chinese culture, missionary life and the great physical and spiritual needs of the Chinese people. Additionally, she challenged Southern Baptists to go to China or give so that others could go. By 1888, Southern Baptist women had organized and helped collect $3,315 to send workers needed in China.
Lottie’s death
Lottie died aboard a ship in the Japanese harbor of Köbe on Dec. 24, 1912. She was 72 years old.
Lottie Moon Christmas Offering®
In 1918, Woman’s Missionary Union named the annual Christmas offering for international missions after the woman who had urged them to start it.
JUST BEFORE JESUS went to Calvary He said to His disciples, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” ( John 13:34, 35)…
Is it right for God to command us to love one another?
Imagine a young man on a college campus who sees and falls in love with a young lady. But she’s not the least bit interested in him. So, he goes up to her one day and says, “I command you to love me!” Can a man do that to a young lady? Of course not.
It’s important that we understand that Christian love is not an emotional feeling that we manufacture. But it means we treat each other the way God treats us. Christian love is not a matter of feeling, it’s a matter of willing. “For God so loved…that he gave” ( John 3:16). God’s love wasn’t a sentimental feeling, but it expressed itself in action.
How does God treat us? God forgives us, so we forgive one another. God is kind to us, so we are kind to one another. God receives us, so we receive one another. We may not have the same personalities, or we might not even have the same interests; but we willingly and deliberately treat each other the way God treats us. This helps us to understand what it means to love one another.
I’m going to have a difficult time washing your feet if I don’t love you. I’m going to have a difficult time forgiving you if I don’t love you. The interesting thing is this: the more we deliberately will to love one another, the more our feelings begin to change; and lo and behold, we even start to like one another. You may not want to spend a week’s vacation with some people, but you can still treat them the way God treats you. As we love one another more and more, we learn to like one another. We can get along with one another.
God commands us to love one another because He revealed to us His love. He said, “Greater love has no one than this, that a man lay down one’s life for his friends” ( John 15:13). “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us…For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life” ( Rom. 5:8, 10). Jesus gave us the perfect example of what it means to “love one another” by His life and by His death. His command to love one another shouldn’t be looked upon as a burdensome commandment ( 1 John 5:2, 3), but a joy. (Howell Ferguson)
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” ( John 13:34, 35).
I just spoke with Virginia again. She said the doctor said “Miss” Faye Price is a little better, but still has a long ways to go. The latest news is the doctor plans to try to sit her up briefly today. Please continue to pray for “Miss” Faye, the medical staff, and the family. Your prayers are greatly appreciated!
“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10)
Update on Emily Panter:
Posted 12/22/08
What a wonderful weekend we had! Friday Luke and I took the younger girls to run some errands and it was such a beautiful day. The older kids finished this semester. And I got to visit with my college sweet-mate. Saturday was Lily’s birthday. I can remember being in the hospital and thinking there was no way they would let me out in time for that. But I was here ( a little sore) and it was great! Sunday I went to church!! It was wonderful to see everyone and to once again be in a room with a body of believers all focusing on one thing…how great a God we serve. We then ate Christmas meal at church and the ladies had an ornament exchange. I am so thankful I was able to go. We rested during the afternoon and then took the kids to TaMolly’s and the food tasted right!! (I still only managed to eat one section of me quesadilla) but it was great. Then we took the kids to look at lights. It was a wonderful weekend.
Update on Don Denton:
Posted 12/25/08 M E R R Y C H R I S T M A S
As this day comes to an end for us I found myself throughout the day thinking of these past three months. Sitting on the sofa with Don and Josh and of course the dog right there with us, I could not help but find pure pleasure and joy in what it meant to be there with the ones I love most.
This has been a season of waiting for us. Waiting comes in many forms and in the waiting it can bring out the best and worst of us depending on the situation. For us a devastating illness. The memories that flooded my mind today where difficult and then really good memories.
And after sifting through my emotions today some were sad and most were joyous, I found myself giving thanks again to God our Father for the best Christmas present I have ever had. Just to be sitting right there on the sofa watching Joshua play with his toys and having Don right next to me. God is so good! As my brother gave me some wise advice this day. Seize the moment, don’t let it slip away.
Be “present” with who you are with. We are not promised tomorrow. We have today and even if it is a hard day, it still can be good, good in the sense that we have others to lean on when we can’t make it, we have God’s precious people to reach out to for help. That in and of itself is so good. It is a healing balm to the soul to be ministered to by others.
This Christmas day we give thanks to God for his son Jesus who makes it possible for life. I could not make this journey without him, nor could I make it without the precious people of God – you who have walked with us on the very hard path.
It is truly a good day in the Denton house today. We are home, Don continues to improve. We have a long road, but God is merciful to us. We have so much to be thankful for on this wonderful day!
Next week is another busy week of doctor appts. Please pray for Don, that he will continue to grow stronger and the dizziness, and double vision with continue to improve as well.
Merry Christmas to our family and friends. We love you!
Blessings
Diane
. . . . December brings so many special moments! For starters, Bill and I got in the real Christmas spirit the first week! For four days we went to Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child center in Charlotte, along with several from our church. There we worked with the shoeboxes! Thousands and thousands of them! Our jobs ranged from inspecting the contents of individual boxes, to removing contributions, to taping the boxes, to arranging them in large cartons according to boy/girl, age, etc., readying them for shipment to the various countries. They will all go by freight liner trucks, by planes, by boats, and finally by carts, burros, and various other means of transport, ultimately reaching those children who are waiting for what might be their only gift! I believe the center in Charlotte alone expected to ship 1.8 million boxes! The deliveries are coordinated with missions organizations throughout the world.
. . . Today – December 20 – brought a very unexpected but delightful telephone call! Barbara Bearden was on the line! Barbara is one of those rare people who come into our lives, leaves a permanent footprint, and we are never the same. Barbara’s life has touched countless individuals over these many years and this blog could never contain a fraction of her accomplishments nor describe our gratitude for our friendship. Her dear husband, Don, was our minister of music in Kentwood in the 1960s. That’s when our friendship began. Don was a student at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary when First Baptist Kentwood called him as our minister of music. Soon thereafter, Don and Barbara (a Florida girl!) were married, and together they ministered to the hearts of folks everywhere and anywhere they saw a need. Barbara was a registered nurse, and her sphere of influence certainly was not limited to this vocation. Don earned his doctorate at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, and from Louisiana Don and Barbara moved to Mars Hill, NC, where Don was on staff at the college there; later on to Winston Salem where he once again was minister of music in a Baptist church there. Don’s life was cut short in a tragic accident, a result of the actions of a drunken driver. Few deaths have impacted our lives to the extent that Don’s has. Barbara now lives in Savannah, Georgia, where she enjoys living in the historic district, walking to many of her favorite places, and volunteering her time, still ministering to those who are hurting physically and emotionally. Thanks, Barbara, for getting in touch after so many years of our having lost contact with each other! What a wonderful Christmas gift! We are richer because of Don and Barbara Bearden. . . .
2008 Samaritan’s Purse Video Review of 2008
http://www.samaritanspurse.org/2008-Year-in-Pictures/
Holly K. will share at FBC, Kentwood at 6 P.M. Sunday. She will be departing for West Africa after the first of the year to teach MK’s. Be sure to be present to hear about her experiences in Virginia and expectations for West Africa.
I could have posted this before Christmas, but decided to wait so we could use it as a tool to evaluate our Christmas. Read the devotional and rate yourself. I hope you all score well!
TWO VERY DIFFERENT HOLIDAYS
I heard about a teacher who asked the children in her class about the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. She thought it might be effective to inch toward its meaning by having them playfully correct some wrong ideas.
“Now let me think,” she began. “Thanksgiving. That’s the day when we think about all the stuff we have. And how we want more things than anybody else has. And how we don’t care about anybody but ourselves. And . . .”
“No!” the preschool kids were starting to chorus! “No-o-o!”
Then one little guy in the middle of the pack looked up and chirped, “That’s not Thanksgiving, Miss Michelle. That’s Christmas!”
As we begin the transition in this country from Thanksgiving to Christmas, there does indeed seem to be a world of difference in the way these two holidays are viewed. Thanksgiving is one of the few holidays left which has not been ruined by commercialism. It is still a relatively “pure” time of giving thanks to God for our bountiful blessings. Christmas, on the other hand…….
What should be a time when we are able to take great joy in giving to others (for “it is more blessed to give than to receive”, Acts 20:35) and a time to remember the great gift that God has given us through Jesus Christ, has (for many) turned instead to a stressful, hectic time when we are focused on ourselves and our wants
Allow me to make a suggestion based on an ancient Jewish practice. The Jews had a day set aside, like our day of Thanksgiving, to remember how God had blessed them as a nation and taken care of them in their darkest hour. Purim was a day of “gladness and feasting…and for sending presents to one another.” (Esther 9:19).
However, there was one major difference in their practice and ours (though there shouldn’t be). Their thanksgiving resulted in gift giving, but not just to friends and family. They had a practice of “sending presents to one another and gifts to the poor.” (Esther 9:22).
This past week, we all had opportunity to give thanks to God for how He has blessed us. We need to remember that with blessings come responsibilities — and we have a responsibility to use our blessings to God’s glory. In the weeks ahead, may you truly know the joy of using your blessings not merely to make your family happy, but to share with others around you who are in need.
Have a great day!
Alan Smith
Helen Street Church of Christ
Fayetteville, North CarolinaI trust meeting needs (and wants) of others (not you family) was included in your holiday season. I hope it is a part of your life during the non-holiday times too.
Anna Lee
Anna Lee
Merry CHRISTmas! I hope you have received the greatest gift of all time – Jesus!
By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. Romans 5:1 (MSG)
“The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10, NKJV).
Please continue to pray for those who are not “up to par” like Mrs. Annie Bell Harrell, Mr. Charley Kuss, Mrs. Nat McKinney, and Mrs. Fay Price. There are many others on the list, but these names give you a starting point for your prayers today.
Many people have been given a gift of health this year. In David’s family, one of his brothers and his sister both received “no cancer” reports. Thank God for these and many other such reports.
Spend some time today thanking God for those who are serving around the world to protect us and others. While fulfilling this great task, they have to be away from their own families. Thank God for their service. If you know someone in the military, find a way to thank them.
I trust you know Jesus is the reason for the season. Let him work through you to impact others this holiday season and throughout the year.
GOOD TIDINGS TO YOU
No one can fracture a Christmas carol better than a child. You will enjoy trying to sing along with these new takes on old favorites:
* Deck the halls with Buddy Holly (boughs of holly)
* We three kings of porridge and tar (Orient are)
* On the first day of Christmas my tulip gave to me (true love)
* Later on we’ll perspire, as we dream by the fire (conspire)
* He’s makin’ a list, chicken and rice (checkin’ it twice)
* Noel, noel, Barney’s the king of Israel (born is the king)
* With the jelly toast proclaim (angelic host)
* Olive, the other reindeer (all of)
* In the meadow we can build a snowman, then pretend that he is sparse and brown (Parson Brown)
* You’ll go down in Listerine (history)
* Oh, what fun it is to ride with one horse, soap and hay (one-horse open sleigh)
* Good tidings we bring to you and your kid (kin)
That last fractured Christmas carol isn’t so far off. The message of the gospel — from the birth of Jesus to his death and resurrection — is indeed good news for both you and your kid.
Remember when Peter preached that first sermon on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2? The focus of the sermon was on Jesus Christ — the fact that he had been crucified and buried, but that he was also raised from the dead to sit at the right hand of God. The crowd of people was convicted by the role they had played in the rejection of Jesus. They wanted to do something and were told by Peter,
“Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” (Acts 2:38-39)
Did you notice that phrase? The one about this promise (forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit) being for you and your children. “Good tidings we bring to you and your kid.”
One of the great things about Jesus Christ is that his blessings are available to everyone — to you, your family, your neighbors and even those who are “afar off.” May both you and “your kid” know the blessings that come from responding in faith to Jesus Christ!
Have a great day!
Alan Smith
Helen Street Church of Christ
Fayetteville, North Carolina
Anna Lee
Mrs. Faye Price had some surgical procedures today that may make her more comfortable. The family was pleased to hear some good reports on her lungs. Keep praying.
The Prayer Link 
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