Nan's Calendar

by     Nan Forehand,   Statesville, NC   

 A Time To Rejoice

But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.  Turn to me and have mercy on me; grant your strength to your servant and save the son of your maidservant.  Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me.
Psalm 86:15-17

For you, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me!  Because I have experienced God's compassion and His grace, I know He is slow to anger and that His love and faithfulness endure forever.  He has turned to me and I to Him.  He has seen me through the dark times in my life.  Yes, the Lord has had mercy upon me when I deserved harsh discipline.  I have surely been strengthened and am honored and humbled to be His servant.  The Lord has saved me!  I "see" signs of His goodness around me all day long.  I think if anyone could be called my enemy, it must be the devil himself and God puts him to shame at every turn.  It is truly a time to rejoice!  Reflect upon your own life and when you realize God's presence was with you all along, you will also know today, now, is a time to rejoice!
In Christian love, Nan

A Time to Rejoice

written by: Nan Forehand
December 18, 2005

it' s always a time to rejoice
when someone hears God's voice
God's voice we hear in different ways
to learn His language is like walking in a maze
amazing we think we're on the right track
only to find we have to turn back
turn back to the path straight and narrow
'fore the barbs of sin slice through the marrow
the marrow of a soul is the most sacred part
it takes a long time to learn the language of The Heart
the heart may hear; much harder to understand
when we "get it" life is really grand!!

Good Things

by   Everett Christian,  McAlester, OK

GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS HOLY WORD
 
 1 Unless the Lord builds a house,
      the work of the builders is wasted.
   Unless the Lord protects a city,
      guarding it with sentries will do no good.
- Psalm 127:1(New Living Translation).
 
 
 
GOD'S PROMISE TO US FROM HIS HOLY WORD
 
 8 In peace I will lie down and sleep,
      for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.
- Psalm 4:8(New Living Translation).
 
 
 
A PRAYER
 
Lord Jesus, I dedicate my home to You. Fill it with joy and love. Thank You for the beautiful memories our family has created in my home. May it continue to be a haven for those most special to me. Amen.  - From Light For My Path for Grandparents -
 
 
 
A QUOTE
 
Whenever believers pray with a Christ-like spirit, Christ is honored and the Church is strengthened.
- Jim Spruce -
 
 
 
 
THOUGHTS TO REMEMBER
 
Anyone can count the seeds in an apple, but only God knows how many apples there are in a seed.
- From Reminisce Magazine -
 
A good conversationalist knows when to keep quiet.
- From Reminisce Magazine -
 
 
 
NOTES
 
Today has been mostly sunny with a high temperature of 61 degrees. Low temperature this morning was 31 degrees. I had lunch with Charley. I came by the post office and picked up my mail. I took a nap in early afternoon. Later I went by the drive by mail box at the post office to mail a couple of letters. I sat outside for a few minutes after I came home from lunch watching birds and cats. The cats climb trees to get near the birds but the birds are smart enough to stay far away from a cat. I have begun to go out with the cats around 5:00 p.m. to give them treats since the weather has warmed.
 
The cats are fine. Little Girl is on the floor looking out the patio doors. Rascal is in the recliner. The others have been  around and they are all accounted for.
 
At 9:45 p.m. skies are fair with a temperature of 45 degrees. I will see you next time.
 
In Christian Love, Everett.

The Daily Jewel

by Pastor J.T.Carnell, McAlester, OK

“Sorry...You are not allowed a Mulligan!” 

“Adultery is a brainless act, soul-destroying, self-destructive; expect a bloody nose, a black eye, and a reputation ruined for good.” – Proverbs 6:32, 33 (MSG)

We serve a God of second chances—something I am eternally grateful for.  I have taken advantage of His Grace and Mercy on more than one occasion…as have most of us I would imagine.  Unfortunately, we do not always get opportunities for second chances when it comes to life and how people view us.  When we make mistakes or make some very bad decisions we don’t always get a “mulligan” so-to-speak. 

For the uninitiated, in the game of golf a mulligan represents a “do over.”  If you shank a shot or hit a ball that winds up unrecoverable, a “mulligan” allows you to try again—hopefully hitting a better shot!  It must be stated that mulligan’s only apply to golfers like me—those who only play once in a while for nothing more than self-respect.  Pro golfers, on the other hand do not get to take a mulligan.  With that said there is probably one particular golfer who would very much like to have a mulligan or two when it comes to his personal life.

In 1996 the professional golf tour welcomed a young, upcoming and brash player by the name of Eldrick Woods.  Most of us know him by his nick name…”Tiger.” Since his debut on the PGA tour, Woods has won 14 professional major golf championships, the second highest of any male player (Jack Nicklaus leads with 18), and 71 PGA Tour events, third all time.  He has more career major wins and career PGA Tour wins than any other active golfer. He is the youngest player to achieve the career Grand Slam, (winning all four major tournaments: The Masters, U.S. Open, The British Open and the PGA Championship) and the youngest and fastest to win 50 tournaments on tour. Additionally, Woods is only the second golfer, after Jack Nicklaus, to have achieved a career Grand Slam (winning all four majors in a calendar year) three times. Woods has won 16 World Golf Championships, and won at least one of those events in each of the first 11 years after they began in 1999.

Most golfing experts believed that Tiger would break Nicklaus’s record of 18 major wins before he turned 40 (Nicklaus was 46 when he won his last) and would probably have more career wins than any golfer in history. There are those who believed he would be the greatest golfer to have ever played the game. 

Then in late November of 2009, police were called to the scene of an accident near his home.  He left his Orlando-area home around 2:30 am in his SUV, hit a hedge, a fire hydrant, and, finally, a tree, just down the street from his house. Woods was a bit bloodied, treated for minor facial lacerations, and cited for careless driving. He paid a $164 traffic ticket, but refused to speak to the police and the accident fanned intense speculation for two days, until Woods released a statement on his website, taking blame for the crash and adding that it was a private matter. 

On December 11, 2009, Woods announced he would take an indefinite leave from professional golf to focus on his marriage after he admitted infidelity. His multiple infidelities were revealed by over a dozen women, through many worldwide media sources. In April of 2010, Woods returned to competition for The Masters where he tied for 4th.  He would not win a single tournament the entire year—the first time that has happened in his career.  His wife Elin filed for divorce in the summer of 2010.  It is safe to say that Tiger’s “indiscretions” not only destroyed his marriage but has damaged his career and tarnished his reputation. 

In 2008, Tiger Woods was the highest paid commercial spokesman in the world.  He made more money promoting products than he made playing golf.  As a direct result of the revelation of his affairs, all but two of the product sponsors dropped him at an estimated cost of $30 million dollars lost—a Year!

Tiger’s “nose” has been bloodied—his career right now is in shambles—his marriage destroyed and his reputation has been greatly tarnished to say the least.  All as a result of his lack of discretion.  I wonder if Solomon knew some “Tigers” in his day? 

You don’t have to be a pro golfer—making millions of dollars to lose the things that are important to you, like reputation and family, all because one chooses to live outside of the boundaries that God has laid.  In fact, in the game of golf if a ball is hit out of bounds you lose a stroke and in many cases when that happens it can cost the player to lose the tournament. And you do not get a mulligan to make it better.

Stay in bounds!  God created those boundaries for our good—to keep us strong.  He knows what is right and why we need to remain under His control.

Nan's Calendar

by   Nan Forehand,  Statesville, NC

"Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense."
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

This is the day the LORD has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24

This morning as I sat on my front porch listening to the birds singing and gazing at the cloudy sky, I knew in my heart that the message for today must be about the new day itself.  The temperature is mild and the first flowers of spring are beginning to come forth from the cold ground.  Today is a day like no other day before.  Take full advantage of the opportunities that will present themselves to you to enrich your own life or the life of another.  These opportunities may very well be "once in a lifetime" opportunities.  Let go of yesterday and embrace today.  You will never have another day identical to this one.    Be sure to enjoy the photo of the pink rose I have attached today.  I took the photo in August 2007.  Carpe diem!
Love, Nan

Yesterday's Tomorrow
written by: Nan Forehand April 22, 2006

yesterday's tomorrow
isn't ours to borrow
yesterday's tomorrow
need not be filled with sorrow
yesterday's tomorrow will take care of itself
don't put your faith in God on a shelf
always give credit to the Heavenly Host
for yesterday's tomorrow we should not boast
to say "don't worry about tomorrow" is an invitation
for yesterday's tomorrow one can experience jubilation
give God the credit He's due
and yesterday's tomorrow will come shining through
if yesterday's tomorrow is to be God's will
the sun will rise and we'll hear mockingbird's trill
enjoy yesterday's tomorrow in a special way
for yesterday's tomorrow is today!!

Proverbs 27:1
Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.

Nan's Calendar

by Nan Forehand,  Statesville, NC

In exact proportion, as you give joy, you will receive joy.  It is a law of exact reciprocity.  Joy increases as you give it, and diminishes as you try to keep it for yourself.  Actually, unless you give it, you will ultimately lose it.  In giving it you will accumulate a deposit of joy greater than you ever believed possible.
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale

Today is John's 19th birthday.  He is our only son.  In 19 years, he has given us a wealth of joy simply by being John.  He is a delight to be around and is filled with joy when he makes people laugh by bringing out Chester, his camel puppet.  He is an amateur ventriloquist, and just the other night, John brought out Chester for the girlfriend of one of his long-time buddies.  This young lady practically lost her breath from laughing so much as we interacted with Chester.  We love to hear the sound of laughter in our home and the house was rocking that night, thanks to John and Chester. 
John is in the pre-enlistment process of joining the U.S. Air Force.  He is attending classes at our local community college and he is an Eagle Scout.  He sings in the choir at church and volunteers at Fort Dobbs, a local historic site.  Keep him in your prayers.  He is a work in progress, as are we all.  I think John is spending his dash wisely.  We serve an awesome God.

Spend Your Dash Wisely

September 18, 1959 -
my ending date is yet unnamed
to the world I am not famed
I'm spending something more important than cash
each day I live, I'm spending my dash
to you, my dash may be a thin, little line
I find it's a very important sign
when my dates are carved on stone
my dash will represent the love I've shown
it will consist of every thing I've ever done
yes, in the dark and under the sun
dust to dust and ash to ash
a word to the wise - be careful how you spend your dash
written by: Nan Forehand October 6, 2006