Good Things

by      Everett Christian,    McAlester,  OK    

 
 
GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS HOLY WORD
 
21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.
- Romans 12:21(New Living Translation).
 
 
 
GOD'S PROMISE TO US FROM HIS HOLY WORD
 
(The Apostle Paul wrote) 9 But he (the Lord) said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  - 2 Corinthians 12:9(New International Version).
 
 
 
A QUOTE
 
As long as anger lives, she continues to be the fruitful mother of many unhappy children.
- John Climacus -
 
 
 
THOUGHTS TO REMEMBER
 
Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.
- From Reminisce Magazine -
 
When somebody tells you nothing is impossible, ask them how to get off a mailing list.
- From Reminisce Magazine -
 
 
 
NOTES
 
Today started sunny but then became cloudy and has been that way most of the day. High temperature today was 75 degrees. Low temperature this morning was 57 degrees. I had lunch with Charley and then he and I went to the nursing home to see our brother-in-law, O. V. McNutt. He is always asleep when we arrive, so we wake him up and visit for a while. I went to the post office and then to Walgreens to pick up some prescriptions. I took my nap this afternoon. Emmy was on the bed with me. I sat out in the back yard for a few minutes this evening. The cat in the picture tonight is Tony, the neighbor cat from across the street. He comes in every once in a while for a few bites of dry cat food.
 
The cats are fine. Little Girl on her blanket and the others have been going in and out. Itty Bitty just came by for a bite of cat food. Rascal has been in several times. Smokey came by a few minutes ago. They all seem to be happy cats as long as I give them attention when they want it.
 
At 10:00 p.m. skies are partly cloudy with a temperature of 62 degrees. I will see you next time.
 
In Christian Love, Everett.

Good Things

by         Everett Christian,   McAlester, OK   

 
 
GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS HOLY WORD
 
17 If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord—
      and he will repay you!
- Proverbs 19:17(New Living Translation).
 
 
 
GOD'S PROMISE TO US FROM HIS HOLY WORD
 
(The Apostle Paul wrote) 21 "It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned us, 22 and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us."  - 2 Corinthians 1:21-22(New Living Translation).
 
 
 
A QUOTE
 
Heaven is a place with no pain.
- Jay Carty -
 
 
 
THOUGHTS TO REMEMBER
 
Dumb questions are easier to handle than dumb mistakes.
- From Reminisce Magazine -
 
Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.
- From Reminisce Magazine -
 
 
 
NOTES
 
Today has been a sunny day with a high temperature of 64 degrees. The low temperature this morning was in the forties. I had lunch with Charley and Bill. I went by the post office. I took a nap in early afternoon. About 3:30 p.m. I went to the court house to pay the second half of my real estate taxes and came back by the bank to deposit a small check. Then I went to the cemetery. At 5:00 p.m. I sat in the back yard for about 30 minutes. While outside I visited over the fence with my next door neighbor and one of his married sons. They have several dogs. One is an American Bulldog named Lady that I pet over the fence almost every day. My daughter, Treva, has an American Bulldog that she brings with her when she comes to visit. The picture tonight is for you folks that don't believe that my cats sleep with me. In this picture, Rascal is snuggled close to me as he often does. Itty Bitty and Smokey are also on the bed with me.
 
The cats are fine. Itty Bitty is on the desk near me eating dry food. Little Girl is in the recliner tonight. Rascal comes in occasionally to check on me.
 
At 10:00 p.m. skies are fair with a temperature of 56 degrees. I will see you next time.
 
In Christian Love, Everett.

A Path for My Feet

A Path for My Feet

March 24, 2011

¹⁰⁵ Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Psalm 119: 105 KJV

I have a feeling that this verse of Psalm 119 is one of the most quoted. Each day I wake up and sometimes don’t know which direction to go. I usually start my day by reading a mediation from Charles Stanley’s In Touch and praying for everyone on my prayer list – it’s grown quite large. Most days I want to do several things at once and don’t know which ones to do first. Well, for me, I do cleaning tasks before I make something to eat. It’s just a habit I’ve gotten into. Maybe it’s because I feel more comfortable knowing that if I do certain tasks first, I’ll feel more comfortable sitting down to eat. However, during the day, God guides me places that I don’t think I’ve planned to go when I go out. At times, I encounter someone to whom I’ll give a compliment (I’m very outgoing) and they mention it’s exactly what they needed. Many days I’ve encountered Wendy, one of my neighbor’s daughters. Wendy has several mental and emotional disabilities. The last time I saw her she was with her mother and had on a new pair of glasses. Previously, when I saw Wendy, she walked along the sidewalk and sometimes in the street, picking up trash. This last time I saw her, I complimented Wendy on her glasses and she replied in the clearest voice I’d ever heard her speak. My heart was so happy for her. I don’t know whether it was the glasses or maybe a combination of medications Wendy was finally taking or both that made the difference. I’m just glad that God directed my feet to see Wendy and her mother. God’s Word is the Light that guides my feet in the direction the Lord wants me to go. No other book does that for me, although I do read other books. The Bible keeps me on the path I need to travel and soothes my spirit so I am washed in the serenity I long for. God blesses me in the most unusual ways – big and small.

Daily Jewel

by  Pastor  J.T.  Carnell,  McAlester, OK

Good Morning all.  I trust everyone is safe and sound following all of the fires that were around us late yesterday and evening.  The fire dangers are high so be safe!

To let you know this Sunday Night is our monthly fellowship night.  For this one we want to do a "Taco Bar."  We have ample supplies for all the makings so we (Dianne and I) are asking people to bring a dessert and/or any other kind of dish that you may want if you do not care for tacos.  Give me a call if you have a question.

Barbara Shirley was telling me that Wib is still rather weak.  Please keep him your prayers.  On a positive note, Ruby is doing much better.

If anyone has some "medium" size boxes we might need them for Saturday.  We are uncertain as to whether or not Angel Food will provide boxes for a their Signature Box or the Bountiful Blessing Box.  Let me know or just bring them to the Church by tomorrow afternoon.

Here is today's message.  May God bless you all richly this day!

“Ho-Hum”  

“She threw her arms around him and kissed him, boldly took his arm and said, ‘I've got all the makings for a feast— today I made my offerings, my vows are all paid, So now I've come to find you, hoping to catch sight of your face—and here you are!’“ – Proverbs 7:13-15(MSG)

Are you tired yet of this “scenario?”  Have you had enough of listening to how this young man is about to be snared into the spider’s lair?  Have you come to the conclusion that Solomon (and/or myself) have exhausted every possible angle this passage can dish out?  Are you saying to yourself, “doesn’t this guy have anything else to talk about?  Enough already!  Are you still you reading this?  If not, I am wasting my time typing this out because you started doing something else.  But if you are, stayed tuned for what I am about to tell you will be worth the time.

If you are “tired” of listening to this same old song-and-dance, if you are tired of listening to God’s instructions over and over again then I have some information that you might want to pay attention to—you are exactly where the evil one wants you!

You see, he wants nothing more than to break down every defense you have at your disposal and what is perhaps the greatest weapon we have in our arsenal is the Word of God!  As the writer to the Hebrews writes:   “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12, NIV)

If you are tired of the Word, you weaken yourself significantly and the barriers that stand between you and moral defeat increase each moment.  His minions are pounding on the wall, attempting to chip out the mortar then removing the wall, brick by brick until they are able to come at you with a full frontal assault!    

One of the things that bothers me about a number of people is that it appears to me they believe that they have just enough religion to get by.  They know just enough of the Word to make others think they know what they are talking about—They attend just enough at church to know what the latest gossip is.  They give just enough so they can at least say they’ve done their part.  But then when trouble comes at them “like a flood,” they stand bewildered, wondering what happened?  How could this happen?  How can this be happening to me?

Most, if not all, of the world powers throughout history that collapsed and were conquered, fell not so much as from outside invaders as much as it was an eroding from within. Decaying morals, power struggles, has led many down the path of destruction—and that is not limited to nations but speaks also to each and every individual life.

Boredom is a power-struggle:  The part of the person’s spirit seeking excitement, adventure as opposed to the part that calls for order, regimen and discipline.  Satan does his best to appeal that which seeks excitement—the thrill of the chase.  He makes Christ (Church/The Word) seem mundane, too rigid, too limited.  He wants you to think your life with God is not worth living.  Perhaps this is why according to Christianity Today, 66% of the people who attend church on regular basis do not read the Bible on a daily basis.  In fact, that same percentage will not read it at all during the week. 

In the story (if you are still reading) the woman here is promising excitement.  She wanted him and dressed herself for the occasion.  She wanted him to want her.   It has been that same appeal that has plagued us from the beginning:

“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” – Genesis 3:6

Just as in Solomon’s account, the serpent promised excitement—thrills—not some measly God-life.  If only she could have seen and understood the truth that the life she already was living was beyond compare!  That is the true lesson.  I hope you were reading long enough to see it.

Good Things

by       Everett Christian,   McAlester,  OK   

 
GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS HOLY WORD
 
  21No harm befalls the righteous,
         But the wicked are filled with trouble.
- Proverbs 12:21(New Living Translation).
 
 
 
GOD'S PROMISE TO US FROM HIS HOLY WORD
 
1 See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him.  - 1 John 3:1(New Living Translation).
 
 
 
A QUOTE
 
In His church and by His Spirit, Jesus can be here, there, and everywhere.
- W. E. McCumber -
 
 
 
THOUGHTS TO REMEMBER
 
Reputation is valuable, but character is priceless.
- From Reminisce Magazine -
 
Giving is sharing, sharing is caring, caring is loving, and loving is living.
- From Reminisce Magazine -
 
 
 
NOTES
 
Today has been a sunny day with a high temperature of 75 degrees. Low temperature this morning was 55 degrees. I had lunch with Bill Derichsweiler and my pastor, J. T. Carnell. I went by the post office. I took my nap in early afternoon. About 3:30 p.m. I went to Walmart for my weekly supply of items. I saw Steve Patterson at Walmart and I welcome him back to the Good Things tonight. I sat outside a little after I returned from lunch and again about 5:30 p.m. While I was sitting out this evening I observed a large Turkey Vulture gliding along pretty fast against the wind without flapping his wings. That is amazing to me how they can glide over the air currents against the wind and guide themselves in the direction they want to go. I also saw a large flock of blackbirds flying pretty fast and all of a sudden they all swooped down at the same time and lit in a tree. Now I wonder how all those birds knew to swoop downward at the same time. Pretty amazing things that God created, huh? The cat picture tonight is Lucy, the little stray that we tamed a few years ago and had neutered so she would quit presenting us with kittens two or three times a year. As I have mentioned before, I didn't take Lucy with me when I moved to Moore for 10 months because she wont let you hold her and doesn't want to stay around all the time. Lucy will let you pet her but not hold her. She will come in the house maybe once a day but doesn't stay long in the house. When I moved back from Moore, Lucy was back in a day or so. My brother said he saw he once near the back yard while I was living in Moore, so she really knows how to survive.
 
The cats are fine and all have been accounted for.
 
At 10:15 p.m. skies are fair with a temperature of 59 degrees. I will see you next time.
 
In Christian Love, Everett.