Nan's Calendar

by  Nan Forehand,  McAlester,  OK

God's Tug - Humor in Walking God's Path

Humor in Walking Gods Path

April 10, 2011

Jesus tries to make a point.

Jesus saw a crowd chasing down a woman to stone her and approached them. "What's going on here, anyway?" he asked."This woman was found committing adultery, and the law says we should stone her!" one of the crowd responded."Wait," yelled Jesus. "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." Suddenly, a stone was thrown from out of the sky, and knocked the woman on the side of her head.

"Aw, c'mon, Dad..." Jesus cried, "I'm trying to make a point here!"

http://www.christian-jokes.net/Jokes/Bible-Humor/144-Jesus-tries-to-make-a-point.aspx

I had no idea what I wanted to write about today, but somehow the thought of Christian humor entered my mind, so I googled it. This made me laugh because the Bible is quite serious on so many things in my faith. However, God never said (or at least I don’t know if it’s said anywhere in the Bible) I always have to be serious. I love humor, at least those which don’t make nasty fun of other people, (i.e. blonde, racial, & ethnic jokes), ones that are just plain cruel, or are just plain dirty. They don’t interest me. Now this is an opinion, but it’s my own – much of society today is too numb about being sensitive to others (not everyone). Maybe that’s why when I hear off-color jokes or ones like I described above, it just turns me off. And the closer I move in my faith toward, the less I want to hear off-color or nasty jokes. Does that make me “a goody-two-shoes”? Maybe. What I care about is doing what the Lord wants me to do and being the kind of person He would have me be.  Yes, I love to laugh and studies have shown that laughing can be a pain reliever. When I’m laughing at something genuinely funny, I don’t feel as much pain. The endorphins kick in and I feel like a different person. Isn’t this what my God would have me do? Isn’t this why He created me with a conscience, heart, and soul? For me these are rhetorical questions.

May God bless you, your families, and any furkids you might have.

Michelle Rose

Good Things

by   Everett Christian,  McAlester, OK

GOOD THINGS
Saturday, April 9, 2011
 
 
GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS HOLY WORD
 
 1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
      will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
 2 This I declare about the Lord:
   He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
      he is my God, and I trust him.
- Psalm 91:1-2(New Living Translation).
 
 
 
GOD'S PROMISE TO US FROM HIS HOLY WORD
 
14 Wise words bring many benefits,
      and hard work brings rewards.
- Proverbs 12:14(New Living Translation).
 
 
 
A COUPLE OF QUOTES
 
One reason for going to church is you will probably take part in singing some good hymns.
- Theodore Roosevelt, Twenty-sixth President of The United States -
 
When God forgives He forgets. He buries our sins in the sea and puts a sign on the bank saying, "No Fishing Allowed."  - Corrie Ten Boom, from Tramp For The Lord -
 
 
 
THOUGHTS TO REMEMBER
 
If the shoe fits, get another one like it.
- From Reminisce Magazine -
 
I've learned that if you want to do something positive for your children, try to improve your marriage.
- Age 61, Wisdom Through The Ages -
 
There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart.
- From Reminisce Magazine -
 
We can be witnesses across the fence or around the world.
- From Reflecting God -
 
 
 
NOTES
 
Today has been a mixture of clouds and sun. High temperature was 87 degrees. Low temperature this morning was 71 degrees. My cleaning lady came a little after 11:00 a.m. to clean my house. I left her to clean and went and had lunch with Charley. I went to the post office and then to Walgreens to pick up a prescription. I took a nap in early afternoon. Little Girl napped with me today. About 4:00 p.m. I went to Country Mart for a few items. I sat out in the back yard with the cats this evening and read for a few minutes.
 
The cats are fine. All of them are outside at present but I have seen every one of them this evening.
 
At 10:05 p.m. skies are fair with a temperature of 81 degrees. Have a Wonderful Sunday! I will see you next time.
 
In Christian Love, Everett.

Use, Used, Using

Use, Used, Using

April 9, 2011

²⁰ You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.                                               Genesis 50:20 New Living Translation

I am the vessel.  The draft is God's.  And God is the thirsty one.  ~Dag Hammarskjold, Markings, 1964

Use can be either a noun or a verb. The concept can be either a bad or good. People can use other people – friends use friends for many good reasons. There are also people who use others for their own selfish and evil purposes. God uses people for His own purposes. Ok, Sasha uses me, since I feed and love her and clean her litter box out. I use her for companionship and another one much more important – helping ground me in my emotional disorder – manic-depression (shhhh, Sasha doesn’t know it).

God used me today to write today’s blog. I wanted to walk away from the computer, but I knew if I did, this blog would not get written. 

You’ve all heard the following story, I’m sure, but it’s a funny example of the way God uses people. I’ll summarize it. It’s about the God-fearing old lady and the atheist who have a verbal war each morning about the existence of God. One day the old lady prays to God for groceries, since she’s hungry. The next day she opens her door to see groceries are there, but the last two lines are the funniest:

'PRAISE THE LORD!' she cried out 'HE HAS PROVIDED GROCERIES FOR ME!' The atheist neighbor jumped out of the hedges and shouted: 'THERE IS NO LORD; I BOUGHT THOSE GROCERIES!!' The little old lady threw her arms into the air and shouted: 'PRAISE THE LORD! HE HAS PROVIDED ME WITH GROCERIES AND MADE THE DEVIL PAY FOR THEM!'

God’s blessings upon all of you, your families, and your furkids. If you wish to share my blog with others, please feel free to do it. I also post my blog at http://mylessonseachday.blogspot.com 

Michelle Rose

God's Tug - My Mind and My Body

My Mind and My Body

April 8, 2011

My whole being, praise the Lord and do not forget all his kindnesses. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He saves my life from the grave and loads me with love and mercy. He satisfies me with good things and makes me young again, like the eagle.

Psalm 103:2-5 NCV

So many things have been going through my mind lately about what I look like. I’m not happy with my body image and my weight. I don’t feel at my best, knowing I’m at risk for health issues. Some time ago, I told my doctor I was interested in the lap band to help me lose weight, but after watching a Dr. Oz show I taped where they covered the subject of lap bands, I’m not so sure I want the surgery anymore. Yet, I know this is not an answer, only a help in losing weight. I have so much trouble controlling what I eat – I’m a compulsive overeater. Now that I’m unemployed or will be soon, I don’t know what I can afford to help me lose weight. I don’t believe in dieting. I do have a gym/heath club to which I can return, now that I’m feeling better.

Ok, here’s the big issue – my mind is in the way – of eating correctly, of getting to the gym, of doing so many things that would help me. I keep wondering what’s wrong with me (well, other than my compulsive overeating) and why I have this fear of moving forward. This verse is perfect – it lets me know that I’m not alone, so why do I feel this way?

I saw a new psychiatrist today and he adjusted my medications to help me with the depression part of my bi-polar disorder. Wow, he asked me all kinds of questions. I like him much better than the NP, so I’m going to continue with him even though I have to pay for the visits. Maybe if I can get my depression under control, then it will help me become more willing to keep away from my emotional/stress eating of junk food. I’m not looking for a quick fix, just some help getting out of this rut I’ve been stuck in for more than half a year. I’m tired of it. Praise God for loving me the way He does, because I sure haven’t been so in love with myself lately. Sigh…

(I've been struggling a bit lately with depression because of my physical condition, which - thank God - is getting somewhat better.)

God’s blessings upon you, your families, and your furkids (if any),

Michelle