Good Things

By  Everett Christian, McAlester, OK

 

GOOD THINGS
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
 
 
GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS HOLY WORD
 
 1 Those who trust in the Lord are as secure as Mount Zion;
      they will not be defeated but will endure forever.
- Psalm 125:1(New Living Translation).
 
 
 
GOD'S PROMISE TO US FROM HIS HOLY WORD
 
 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”  - Romans 10:9-11(New International Version).
 
 
 
A QUOTE
 
Never trouble another for what you can do yourself.
- Thomas Jefferson -
 
 
 
THOUGHTS TO REMEMBER
 
A coicidence is a small miracle where God chose to remain anonymous.
- From Reminisce Magazine -
 
God is always giving and forgiving, and we are always getting and forgetting.
- From Reflecting God -
 
The five most important words: "You did a good job."
- Author Unknown -
 
When you are right, nobody remembers, but when you are wrong, nobody forgets.
- From Reminisce Magazine -
 
 
 
NOTES
 
Today has been a partly cloudy day with a high temperature of 48 degrees in McAlester, Oklahoma.  Low temperature for today is the current temperature of 30 degrees.  I had lunch with my brother, Charley Christian, at Taco Bob's
Fiesta Grill.  I went by the post office and then to Walgreens to leave a couple of prescriptions.  I took a nap in early afternoon and later went to Cashmere Insurance Agency and a Dollar General Store.  I put food out for the outside stray animals at 5:15 p.m.  I have been feeling a little better today.  I would like to welcome Valerie Cashmere to the Good Things.  Welcome aboard, Valerie, and anytime you would like to be dropped off, just send me an e-mail.
 
I woud like to request prayer tonight for my pastor, J. T. Carnell, who is in the hospital.  He was having chest pains this afternoon, went to the emergency room and they admitted him to the hospital.  I talked with him earlier this evening.  He said he is feeling okay now.  They will run some tests tomorrow.
 
My eight cats are fine.  So is the stray cat named Lucy.  The picture last night was Rascal.  The picture tonight is the star again, named Leo.  He was on top of the refrigerator when the picture was made.  At present, Little Girl is in her usual place on the couch.  I think the others are all sleeping.
 
At 9:35 p.m. skies are fair with a temperature of 30 degrees.  I will see you next time.
 
In Christian Love, Everett.

Hallelujah Chicken Money

By   Gary James Smith, Alberta, Canada

Subject: GOSPEL TIDBITS: HALLELUJAH CHICKEN MONEY
Date: Jan 25, 2011 11:59 PM
HALLELUJAH! CHICKEN MONEY
 
We were living in Sault, Ontario in the early sixties when the first Kentucky  Fried CHICKEN Franchise came to town. Before that it was mainly Dairyqueen and A&W .
Over the years as our family grew it was the most economically viable way of feeding a family of nine as back then a barrel of chicken (20)pieces of chicken, two large
fries and a large colesaw would come to just under twenty dollars. ($19.99 to be exact) In fact, I think that a large gravy was included as well. Over the course of a
few years we ended up moving to Alberta where I began a small moving company and when the economy took a dive in the early eighties because of the national energy policy.
A lot of people who had moved out west were desirous to return to Ontario . As well, our family had been travelling back to Ontario for a vacation at least once a year
and we would always stop at a Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise for our meals. It became such a regular routine at our stops along the way that one of our daughters,
Stelena, when she would notice the Picture of the Colonel and the barrel on the store front would point and say,"kicken,kicken" and put her right hand in the air as if
she was grabbing something. We would all laugh and then naturally pull into that particular store and have our meal. At one time I was sharing with the children that
apparently Colonel Sanders had become a born again christian believer. At the which, one of them piped up and said,"Does that mean we'll have chicken in heaven dad?"
We all had a good laugh over that one too. During one move back to Ontario, I was travelling with 10 other fellows and we were moving someone to Winnipeg, Manitoba and
then down to the Ontario region. I had purchased an older moving truck and three of us were riding in it and I had a crewcab truck that another seven were riding in. I
hadn't even driven  the truck around
the block when I first looked at it (1963 cab over 17 foot moving truck). I chatted with the mechanic in the back of the large facility where it was located and when he
asked if I would like to try it out, I said no, I will take your word for it. So when we had loaded all of the furniture that we were to be delivering and headed out
towards Ontario, one of my sons who was driving the crewcab pulled up along side of me and said, "Dad, can I drive ahead of you?" I said,"at least wait until I've
driven at least fifty miles, because if this will go fifty miles without a problem, I'm sure that it will go five thousand", he said,"ok dad" and at exactly the fifty
mile mark east of Calgary, my son pulled up again and said, "Dad, it's fifty miles" I said, "ok, go ahead but don't go to far ahead just in case anything happens" he
said, "ok dad and away he went. The spare tire for the furniture truck was in the back of the crew cab.About forty minutes later while driving and communing with the
Lord and thanking Him for how well this truck was running. All of a sudden "wham", the right front tire blew and I was just on a descent on a hill, a very steep hill
I might add. One of the fellows travelling with me had been sleeping and he bolted upright with a look of terror on his face. I went to apply the brakes but found out
that I had none. The blown tire had caused the brake line to malfunction so I was at the mercy of the Lord. Praise God that there wasn't any traffic coming because the
truck took on a life of its own. It was moving back and forth from one lane to the other. It was on a two lane highway, fortunately by the Providence of God there was
no other traffic at that early morning hour. I was in an immediate attitude of prayer, praying, "Dear God please protect these people's furniture and our lives as well.
Bump, bump, bump it would go and then bump, bump, bump it would go again. I was holding on to the steering wheel but I was not steering. Finally on the final bump, bump,
bump, the truck pulled off on the right hand side of the road right near a guard rail. Now my son, had gone ahead of us with the spare tire and I didn't have a flash
light on me. I got out to surmise the damage and all of a sudden I heard someone say "hello". I answered "hello" back and he said "do you have a problem?" I said "yes I
do, my right front tire is blown and my brakes are gone, but I have a bigger problem than that right now". He said "what's that". I said, "my son has gone on ahead and
I don't know when he will realize that I am not coming behind. "Where are you heading I asked him" He replied,"I'm heading to Nova Scotia. I have been laid off as a
transport driver and I'm going back home. I said, " I'm not going that far, I'm only heading to Ontario, Toronto area. "Could I get a ride with you that far" he said,
I said "sure , if you don't mind small quarters" Basically that furniture truck could only hold three comfortably and we were already at that quota. My son Steve laid
down on the rest area behind us. After about an hour my son appeared with the crew cab and we changed the tire and then had to head back towards Calgary to purchase
some brake fluid. My son put a screw in the brake line and we limped into Brooks , Alberta at about seven o'clock in the morning. I pulled in behind a General Motors
dealership and waited for it to open. I went to the parts department and told them about my dilema and when asking me what year that the truck was, I was told that
it was too old of a vehicle for them to be able to help me out but they gave me a location of a store that would probably be able to help me. I used the crew cab to
go over there and explained the scenario to that fella.When I inquired as to what the cost of repair would be, he said that it would be seventy five dollars. That was
the exact amount I had and had been expecting to use it for our meals until we got to Winnipeg where we would then be reimbursed for the move. I asked when he would be
able to have it fixed and he said come back in a couple of hours. I left and headed back to the General Motors dealership. All of the other fellows had stayed behind
and it was really hot out. They were just sitting on the grass behind the dealership. Myself and the hitchhiker (laid off transport truck driver) were just sitting and
chatting when he asked me if I had a hydraulic jack. I told him that I did. He said, while we are waiting for the part to be fixed we might as well jack the truck up
and put the best tires on the outside in case we have a flat on the back, this way the best tires would be able to hold the weight. I said, good idea and proceeded to
look for a small piece of two by four to put under the jack. Just as I began to look along the chainlink fence behind the dealership my son came over and said "Dad, do
you have any money for chicken?" "No son, I said, I don't." He said, "I thought that you had seventy five dollars". I said " I did, but that is what it is going to cost
to get truck fixed." He said,"we are all hungry dad," I said, " I know son, I'm hungry too but the Lord knows". Somehow that didn't seem to be much consolation to him.
He turned and walked away. As I proceeded down the fence line I looked and there amongst some crumpled leaves lay a twenty dollar bill. I reached down, picked it up and
yelled, "Hallelujah, chicken money". I went back to where my son was sitting with the other fellows and said, Stafford here's twenty dollars, go and get us a barrel of
chicken, large fries and gravy and a large coleslaw." He said "dad, I thought that you were broke," I said, "I am son but the Lord had a twenty dollar bill sitting here
in some crumpled up leaves for us." He said " hey guys, my dad found a twenty dollar bill here along the chainlink fence." You couldn't have found ten more swift footed
men as they began searching themselves. Needless to say they didn't find any. When my son returned with the chicken, I noticed that someone had thrown out a pile of
carpeting in the laneway. I said, "boys lets get this carpet and sit on it while we're eating and let me pray and give thanks to God for blessing us with this meal.
They all heartedly agreed, we prayed and ate, Hallelujah, what a Saviour, "hallelujah, chicken money!"
Five years later, as a further blessing with this above story. My wife and I and a few of the kids were travelling back to Calgary, Alberta  from Ontario and it was on
a Sunday morning. Often when we found ourselves travelling we would look for a church to attend as was our regular custom. We came across a Baptist church and it was
just before the time of the service to begin.  It was a Thanksgiving Sunday service. After we had taken our seats and the pastor was about to begin his message, he said,
"I have never ever done this before but seeing it is Thanksgiving Sunday, I wonder if anyone would have a testimony to something that they can be thankful to the Lord for.
I waited a while and looked around to see if there was any response, when there wasn't, I raised my hand and said, " I would like to share a "Hallelujah, chicken money story,
how the Lord blessed me and ten other fellows five years ago in this community of Brooks, Alberta. After his message a couple of people came up and thanked me for that
testimony and said that it had blessed their hearts. I said, "Praise the LORD".
 
Remember friends, never be too "chicken" to share a testimony as to what God has done for you! It gives God glory, and will be a blessing to others as well. Have a great day!
Copyright Gary James Smith
Champion, Alberta, Canada
 
DOES ANYONE HAVE A TESTIMONY
 
Does anyone have a testimony
Can I get an Amen!
Don't be shy to testify
About the sinner's friend
Witness to His workings
What He's done for you
Some needy heart is waiting
To hear your story too
Our God takes great pleasure
When Him we glorify
Stand up and give Him praises
Testify, testify!
 
Copyright Gary James Smith
Jan.25, 2011 

Nan's Calendar

By  Nan Forehand,  Statesville, NC

 
 
Subject: Nan's Calendar Jan. 25th - Love and Prayers of Intercession
Date: Jan 25, 2011 7:34 AM
Love comes out of Heaven, unasked and unsought. Pearl Buck

Just as love comes out of Heaven, unasked and unsought, so to are these daily messages of love and encouragement coming your way. This is the same way it is with blessings from God when He surprises us with an unexpected delight. The greatest gift of all is when we realize it came from Him and we thank Him for it.
Some of you are very new to Nan's Calendar, while others have received my love notes regularly since God called me to share them with you in 2007.  With each comment you send my way, I am also encouraged and uplifted; yes, for myself, though not in a selfish way. Rather, the encouragement you channel my way is turned around and sent to someone else. What goes around comes around. We are making a difference in the world, one person at a time. I don't expect that you would forward all these messages to others in your address book, but when you do, God is glorified and others are encouraged. I am so humbled to know God is using me to lift up another person, regardless of how insignificant one may perceive it to be. Your quality of life is important to me. I do pray for you and I do want you to live in peace.
I am including for you a comment  regarding yesterday's message.  I am so thankful to hear from this dear lady and to share her peace with you.  She and I live on opposite sides of the country and have never met in person.  I surely do consider her a sister in Christ.  We have grown together spiritually since we met on the internet several years ago.  I am also including her prayer request for a friend of hers.  May God bless Sharon in ways we can not even imagine at this moment.  Believe in miracles.  Expect miracles.  God is in the business of performing miracles.  The dominant thought wins.  Make yours a positive one today.
Take care and know you are all in my thoughts and prayers. 
Love, Nan

Nan,
Thank you for sending me this Calendar. It has so much meaning to me. After many years of difficulties and challenges, I am now in a place where I feel comfortable, calm, and peaceful. And while situations still upset me, I go to the Lord more quickly than I did in the past. This verse from Proverbs has echoed in my heart - especially the last two verses - countless times through the years.
I sent this day's Calendar on to a friend of mine, Sharon, who needs prayer. She needs a hysterectomy, is facing foreclosure, and doesn't know how she will survive financially after getting the surgery since she is self-employed and feels she can't get any kind of disability. Please pray for her. If you could send this prayer request on to others, I'd appreciate it. Thank you. Rose
--
Posted By Nan to Nan's Calendar at 1/25/2011 07:30:00 AM

Good Things

By    Everett Christian,  McAlester, OK

GOOD THINGS
Monday, January 24, 2011
 
 
GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS HOLY WORD
 
26 Those who fear the Lord are secure;
      he will be a refuge for their children.
- Proverbs 14:26(New Living Translation).
 
 
GOD'S PROMISE TO US FROM HIS HOLY WORD
 
(The Apostle Paul wrote) 1 "Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News (Gospel) I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. 2 It is this Good News (Gospel) that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place. 3 I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. 4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said."  - 1 Corinthians 15:1-4(New Living Translation).
 
 
 
A QUOTE
 
Help a neighbor.
- Tami Stephens -
 
 
 
THOUGHTS TO REMEMBER
 
An ounce of don't-say-it is worth a pound of didn't-mean-it.
- From Reminisce Magazine -
 
Don't think about the cost of doing something; think about the cost of doing nothing.
- From Reminisce Magazine -
 
We do not understand faith...until it is tested.
- Author Unknown -
 
 
 
NOTES
 
Today has been a sunny day with a high temperature of 51 degrees.  Low temperature was 16 degrees.  I had lunch with Charley and Bill.  I came by the post office.  At 1:00 p.m. I went to my family doctor.  He took a chest x-ray which didn't show anything except maybe Bronchitis.  He will let the Radiologist read the x-ray.  He said that sometimes these coughs hang on for a long time.  He wrote a prescription for an antibotic which I started this evening.  He told me to continue with Mucinex or Robitussin.  I feel pretty good tonight but have been coughing some.  I took my nap and put out food for the outside animals.  Last night's picture was Leo.  You can probably recognize the cat in tonight's picture.  The cats are fine tonight.
 
At 9:45 p.m. skies are fair with a temperature of 33 degrees.  I will see you next time.
 
In Christian Love, Everett.
 

Thanks for your prayers.

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to say thanks so much for your prayers. Also thanks for reading and commenting on my works. Sorry, I'm not on the computer much anymore. Just a short periods at a time. I haven't forgot ya.

I have my treatments starting this week. I would apperciate your prayers for that. And also that I will be able to get the insurance that I'm applying for.  Our ends soon. Can't afford regular insurance, so expensive. So, I have to go different route.

Thanks so much.