Good Things

by Everett Christian, McAlester, OK

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS HOLY WORD
(The Apostle Paul wrote) 13 "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. 14 Do everything in love." - 1 Corinthians 16:13-14(New International Version).
GOD'S PROMISE TO US FROM HIS HOLY WORD
25 The greedy stir up conflict, but those who trust in the LORD will prosper. 26 Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe. - Proverbs 28:25-26(New International Version).
AS QUOTE
We all need to be loved when lonely. - Dr. Steve Stephens -
THOUGHTS TO REMEMBER
Don't worry about being not understod, but rather about not understanding. - From Reminisce Magazine - Even those with nothing else to give can give encouragement. - From Reminisce Magazine - For the ignorant, old age is as winter; for the learned, it is a harvest. - From Reminisce Magazine - Justice gives what we deserve. Grace gives us better than we deserve. - From Reflecting God -
NOTES
I had lunch today with my brother, Charley, and our friend, Bill. I then came by the post office and then back home. The rest of the day I have been inside out of the hot, hot weather. Today has been mostly sunny with a high temperature of 100 degrees. Low temperature this morning was 80 degrees. Oklahoma is not the only state with very hot weather. I heard from a friend in Colorado and they are also having 100 degree temperatures. It may be hot where you live. There is no relief predicted for us in sight. I lay down at 1:00 p.m. for a nap. I had just had a rough spell with memories remembering how much help Flonnie was to me and I didn't really realize it while she was with me. She took care of me. At 1:30 p.m. I still had not gone to sleep so I got up and put a load of laundry in the dryer that had been washing while I was lying down. Then I put away a basket of clean laundry that I had planned on doing for a while. At 2:00 p.m. I lay back down. Smokey came along to sleep with me but not to snuggle. Rascal has not been sleeping with me during the day but I guess something told him I needed him today so here he came and snuggled with me and I went to sleep and slept until a little after 4:00 p.m. Smokey had moved on but Rascal was still with me. I guess everyone remembers where we think Rascal came from. I watched a Billy Graham Crusade at 6:00 p.m. from 1975 held in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Andrea Crouch was on this program. This program is on the Trinity Broadcasting Network every Saturday night at 9:00 p.m. Central Standard Time. If you miss it then it is repeated on Wednesday evening at 6:00 p.m. Central Standard Time. I put out fresh water and food for the outside animals at 7:00 p.m. The picture tonight are roses from our yard. They stay bloomed for a month or so and then the hot weather gets them. I have some very short stories that I wrote back in 1999 that I could share with you but I usually don't have the time to type them for you and my scanner is not hooked up. I ramble too much but I guess that is what you friends like because I received a number of e-mails thankful that Good Things would continue. I am not that good at writing but if you like what I write then I will continue and love you for it. The cats are fine. I have seen all of them this evening. Little Girl is here in the den with me on a tv tray. Rascal was just by to check on me. At 10:15 p.m. skies are fair with a temperature of 89 degrees. I will see you next time.
In Christian Love, Everett

Daily Jewel

by Pastor J.T. Carnell, McAlester, OK

“Looking for Landmarks—The Presence of God”
“Dear friend, guard Clear Thinking and Common Sense with your life…no need to panic over alarms or surprises, or predictions that doomsday’s just around the corner, Because God will be right there with you; He’ll keep you safe and sound." – Proverbs 3:21, 25-26 (The Message)
When you are traveling down the road, highways and interstates, you are constantly looking for landmarks to indicate either where you are or how far or near you are to your destination. The presence of those landmarks makes a difference in success of one’s journey. I remember as a young pastor living in a rural area—when I was going to visit a family and was unfamiliar with where they lived I found it almost comical when receiving instructions on how to arrive at their home. The landmarks I was told to follow had nothing to do with street names or roads—often I was told to turn at “the blue house just past the large oak tree next to the Baptist Church that used to be the old Miller place.” I have been asked, “how can you get lost in a town of a couple thousand?” Try following instructions like these and you will see for yourself! The reason why so many people are “lost” in the journey of life is simply due to the fact that are not able to see the landmarks—the presence of God in this world. The Apostle Paul writes in the book of Romans: “…the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see; eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of His divine being. So nobody has a good excuse.” (1:19-20, The Message)
In a Children's Sermon, a pastor included this little tribute to his "Grandma." A small green shoot appeared out of a crack in the sidewalk one day, in front of Grandma's house. Through broken concrete, this tiny bit of life forced its way into the world, ever so quietly. Imagine its determination, its drive to sprout, to grow, to blossom. How like Grandma to notice this seemingly insignificant event! To even celebrate it and point it out to me. Me, who had passed by it dozens of times without stopping to appreciate or investigate it. Grandma had been eyeing it for days, coaxing it as the sunshine did. Grandma's attention turned from her lush flower beds and carefully kept lawn to this single blade of green something-or-other, growing out of a crack in her sidewalk. "Come look," Grandma said, down on her hands and knees. "Look here," she said, breathlessly. "This is how I know God exists. How can anyone see such a thing and not believe in God? Imagine a world where a bit of life forces its way through concrete?" In a world where we are impressed only by the spectacular, here is a person who is far more impressed and moved by a single blade of grass! This is God telling us that the Resurrection of Christ was not impossible and that life is so very important! To that I say, “Amen!” And if you want my opinion – I think there should be a law banning both alarm clocks and surprise parties! I believe we will all be happier and healthier for it! The landmarks are there—they have always been there and they will always be there. What we need are “spiritual” eyes to see those landmarks and realize that God is truly with us! When things get tough there is no need to panic, no need to get upset—look for the power of the unseen and the hope that is ours through Christ!
Pastor J. T. Carnell

Daily Jewel

Pastor J.T. Carnell, McAlester, OK


“The Security of God’s Wisdom”
“…before the mountains were settled in place, before the hills, I was given birth…” – Proverbs 8:25
“I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” – Psalm 121:1, 2
I have used my childhood several times as a point of reference but I cannot escape nor ignore my years living in Colorado as the means to help understanding the strength of the text in Proverbs here. We moved to Colorado Springs when I was eleven and I lived there until I turned 18. It was then that I come to fall in love with the beauty and majesty of the mountains and what they would mean to my life. First—I think there is something about the security of just knowing they were there. Each morning if I wanted to know what the weather was going to be all I had to do was look out my bedroom window and if I could see Pikes Peak clearly I knew it would probably be a clear and sunny day. If the mountain was obscured by clouds then I pretty much knew we were in for a day of rain or snow. I also came to rely upon the mountains for direction. When I was not in the mountains I knew they would always be to my west. If I were traveling I did not have to know if I were going to north or south—if the mountains were on my right I knew I was going south. If they were to my left I was going north. If they were to my back I was going east. It was as simple as that. How I deeply miss being around those wonderful, beautiful peaks, hills and mountains! It makes me appreciate those times when I am there more than I did when I lived there. Even today when we travel to Denver to see my wife’s parents, there is that anticipation that as soon as we cross into Colorado from Kansas I cannot wait until I can see the outline of those mountains! It’s their way of letting me know that we are nearing our destination. If you are traveling west on I-70 when you are about 150 miles east of Denver you can begin to get a glimpse of them. They look like a shadow…but I get goose bumps just thinking about it. I don’t think the Psalmist was thinking about the Rocky Mountains when he was writing the 121st Psalm but perhaps he took the same satisfaction and joy that I do when I think about one of God’s greatest creations—not the just the hills or the mountains but what they represent. God’s life and what it represents!! To just look at the hills and know they are there by His design. There is a great amount of security in knowing where they are and why they are there as opposed to those theories that would place them there as a random act of nature. But something else grabs me—and it has to do with reliance! The Psalmist talks about relying upon God for his strength. As much as I relied upon those mountains for direction and for guidance I come to understand that His guidance will lead me—especially on those days when the hills are not there to guide me. And since I no longer live around a mountain my sense of direction is a bit out of whack! God knew what He was doing when He created this wonderful sphere called the earth—much more than what so many are willing to give Him credit for. Maybe more need to live around the mountains for a while to truly appreciate what they really mean—or maybe they need to rely upon God’s wisdom. In fact, that is exactly what they need.
Pastor J. T. Carnell

Good Things

by Everett Christian, McAlester, OK

Monday, July 18, 2011
GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS HOLY WORD
13 Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered. - Proverbs 21:13(New International Version).
GOD'S PROMISE TO US FROM HIS HOLY WORD
22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. - Ephesians 4:22-24(New International Version).
A QUOTE
But if the love of God fill all the heart, there can be no sin there. - John Wesley -
THOUGHTS TO REMEMBER
The only people who never make mistakes are those who do nothing. - From Reminisce Magazine - People who do anything worthwhile always receive more than they give. - From Reminisce Magazine - Keep your temper; nobody else wants it. - From Reminisce Magazine -
NOTES
I had lunch with my brother, Charley, and friend, Bill, at Taco Bob's today. I went by the post office for the mail and then on to Walgreens for a prescription. The rest of the day I have been at home. High temperature today was 102 degrees. Low temperature this morning was 80 degrees. I took a nap this afternoon with Emmy. I went to the back yard for a few minutes at 7:00 p.m. to put out fresh water and food for the outside animals. It was much too hot to stay out very long. The picture tonight is flowers in June and Keith's yard in Hawaii. I was thinking last night and this morning that today's Good Things should be my swan song for everyone except my kids and grandkids. They need to hear from me frequently to know how I am getting along. If you don't know what a swan song is, it is the final performance. The reason I was going to do that is because of my increasing senility. I went to church yesterday. I wore a short sleeved shirt and dress trousers. When I got home and looked in the mirror I saw that I had buttoned my shirt wrong. Some time ago I bought some flea medicine for my cats. I put it up someplace until I was ready to use it and now I can't find it anywhere. So I decided that perhaps I should only send the Good Things to my kids and grandkids as they already know my condition. Today I received the weekly paper from Holdenville called The Holdenville Tribune. There in the paper one of the publishers, Dayna Robinson, had published an edition of the Good Things word for word. I go to the website www.wordchimes.com and there Quentin Clingerman publishes every edition of Good Things in the Blog. So I got to thinking, maybe I should continue with the Good Things for a while. I am not asking for praise or sympathy I am just telling things like they are. I will continue with them going to everyone for the present. If you would like to be dropped from the Good Things now just send me an e-mail and I will certainly understand. The cats are fine. I have seen all of them this evening. None of them are with me at present. At 10:10 p.m. skies are cloudy with a temperature of 92 degrees. I will see you next time.
In Christian Love, Everett.

Nan's Calendar

by Nan Forehand, Statesville, NC

You will also declare a thing and it will be established for you. Job 22:28
Whoever believes that those things he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says. Mark 11:23

I can only write of what I know is true. A long time ago, I looked death in the face and wanted to live. I not only wanted to live, I wanted a better life than the one I was living. At that time I was 23 years old. Negative things were happening all around me, but I knew I had to live, not only for myself, but because, somehow, someway, God had plans for my life and I knew if I gave in to chronic negative thinking, I would not live to find out His purpose for me. I remember talking passionately to God saying "God, I know there has to be a better life than the one I'm living. I want that life, Lord. I want to live the life You want me to live. I want to be loved the way You want me to be loved. " God knew that if I succumbed to chronic negative thinking, I would never enjoy the beautiful life He planned for me. Faith, hope and love kept me alive and thinking positive thoughts. Never, never, never, never give up hope. Even when faith falters and love seems elusive, keep the embers of hope burning in your soul. My first date with Allen was a blind date (remember, I was 23 years old and had recently left home with only the clothes on my back). Today, we celebrate a marriage of 27 years, 8 months and 6 days and are living happily ever after. Thanks to God and to Allen, I have been living a better life for a long time. I thank God and Allen for the two beautiful children we have been blessed to parent. Ashley and John are the children God knew would be in my future and they are both so precious. If you believe that God has plans for you to live a better life than the one you are living today, remember what it says in the book of Mark "Whoever believes that those things he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says." Remember, however, that verse can apply to negative thinking as well as positive thinking. Guard your thoughts and your tongue. We must be careful not to declare that something bad will happen. Go into your Bible and read Jeremiah 29:11 and keep reading. All things happen in God's time, not our time. All we have to do is to keep positive thoughts and believe. Remember, the dominant thought wins. Make sure your dominant thoughts are positive ones. Trust me, I know this is true. I'm doing more than living a better life. I'm living my life on purpose. Take care and know you are loved. Nan