Daily Jewel

by Pastor J.T. Carnell, McAlester, OK “Finding God When You Need Him” "...when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and troubles overwhelm you…then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me."- Proverbs 1:27, 28 Don’t you hate calling someone and getting an answering machine? Or worse yet, those annoying voice messages that give you every option except the one you really need? By the time they go through all the options you have forgotten why you called! By the way, do you have an answering machine attached to your phone? (I thought I would get that in!) From casual observation I do not think that God is saying that He will be unavailable...but when those (the “they” in this verse) who choose to forsake and overlook the right and wise things; when their world crashes in around them they will not find the answers they need! I, as do many others, suffer from a very common disorder: “I-can-do-it-on-my-own-itis.” The symptoms are stubbornness followed by a persistent arrogance, which can lead to making one (or everyone) either very lost and then very late. For most of the first chapter of Proverbs, Solomon has been urging us to seek God’s wisdom and to stay far away from those who have forsaken His Holy ways. They not only destroy themselves but in the process seek to destroy those around them. There is also something more that I see at work here. I have been given talents and abilities. The one I appreciate the most is the ability to think and have rational thought (most of the time), to assess the situations around me. And yet there comes a time when all of my abilities do not serve me and only the strength of the Heavenly Father will see me through. That is when He will make Himself available to me to serve my needs. Do you have the symptoms of “icandoitonmyownitis?” Do you find yourself believing that you have all of the answers to your situations? What happens when you run out of answers? What do you do or where do you go when there is no one left to ask or no place left to go? God is available…especially to those who are not on “self-destruct” mode. Pastor J. T. Carnell

Good Things

by Everett Christian, McAlester, OK GOOD THINGS Thursday, May 26, 2011 GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS HOLY WORD (Jesus said) 12 "But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." - Matthew 23:12(New Living Translation). GOD'S PROMISE TO US FROM HIS HOLY WORD (Jesus said) 25 “And there will be strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. 26 People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth, for the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory. 28 So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!” - Luke 21:25-28(New Living Translation). A QUOTE A man ought to live so that everybody knows he is a Christian . . . and most of all, his family ought to know. - D. L. Moody - THOUGHTS TO REMEMBER Let's work together to build the Body of Christ in spiritual strength and maturity. - From Reflecting God - Some troubles come from wanting our own way; others come from being allowed to have it. - From Reminisce Magazine - When we get too busy to think of others, we are too busy. - From Reminisce Magazine - NOTES Today has been a partly cloudy day with a high temperature of 75 degrees. Low temperature this morning was 60 degrees. I had lunch with Charley and Bill. Steve LeFlore also ate with us today. I came by the post office to pick up my mail. I took a nap this afternoon. Rascal was with me part of the time during my nap and Emmy was also on the bed part of the time. I sat outside with the cats and read this evening for an hour or so. The picture tonight is Tony from across the street who comes in occasionally for a bite of food. I may do the Good Things tomorrow night since my three kids are coming on Saturday to spend a couple of days and I may not do the Good Things while they are here. Yesterday was the 65th Anniversery of Flonnie and my marriage. I reminisced about the day we were married and our life together after we were married. On the night Flonnie went to be with the Lord just before the ambulance arrived, Flonnie and I were talking while she was sitting in an easy chair and I was on the couch. I told her that I would follow the ambulance and be with her at the hospital. When the ambulance arrived I was at the front door and let the EMT's in. I went back to help Flonnie and she was gone sitting in that chair. She was sitting seemingly with a smile on her face. The EMT's immediately started CPR. They worked with her for over an hour at home and at the hospital but could not bring her back. Of course I was shocked and my world will never be the same again. Just like I told Flonnie the night she was going to the hospital, I told her again today that I will be along with her soon. The Lord must be keeping me here to take care of our cats and do the Good Things. If I live until August 23, I will be 86 years of age. The cats are fine. Little Girl in her usual place and the others coming and going. At 10:25 p.m. skies are fair with a temperature of 64 degrees. I will see you next time. In Chirstian Love, Everett.

Daily Jewel

by Pastor J.T. Carnell, McAlester, OK “Life’s ‘Bank Account’” "… if you accept my words and store up my commands within you...and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure..." – Proverbs 2:1, 4 (NIV) There is a story told of a prosperous, young investment banker who was driving a new BMW sedan on a mountain road during a snowstorm. As he veered around one sharp turn, he lost control and began sliding off the road toward a deep precipice. At the last moment he unbuckled his seat belt, flung open his door, and leaped from the car, which then tumbled down the ravine and burst into a ball of flames. Though he escaped with his life, he suffered a ghastly injury. Somehow his arm had been caught near the hinge of the door as he jumped and had been torn off at the shoulder. A trucker saw the accident in his rearview mirror and pulled his rig to a halt and ran to see if he could help. He found the banker standing at the roadside, looking down at the BMW burning in the ravine below. “My BMW! My new BMW!” he moaned, oblivious to his injury. The trucker pointed at the banker’s shoulder and said, “You’ve got bigger problems than that car. We’ve got to find your arm. Maybe a surgeon can sew it back on!” The banker looked where his arm had been, paused a moment, and groaned, “Oh no! My Rolex! My new Rolex!” It is incredible that we human beings will spend the majority of our lives searching for our "Pot of Gold." It is only after many have exhausted all of their natural resources (their life’s blood) that they discover they missed what was the most important! One of Jesus’ most haunting statements is when He says, “…where your treasure is, there is where your heart will be as well.” (Matthew 6:21) The word treasure in the Greek simply means that which is one’s most prized possession. In that same passage Jesus was encouraging His listeners to invest their lives into more than what could be lost in a moment’s notice. God gives us material possessions, friends and family so we will enjoy them, not so we will worship them! Many of your remember the author and humorist Erma Bombeck. Erma could take the simplest of things and make it funny. What was not so humorous was when she discovered she had breast cancer and succumb to the disease a few years later. Before she died she wrote the following poem. Some of you have probably seen this before. It is rather lengthy but worth the time to read and ingest into your belief system. IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER - by Erma Bombeck I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day. I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage. I would have talked less and listened more. I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded. I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace. I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth. I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband. I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed. I would have sat on the lawn with my grass stains. I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life. I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime. Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle. When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, "Later. Now go get washed up for dinner." There would have been more "I love you's." More "I'm sorry's." But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute...look at it and really see it …live it and never give it back. Stop sweating the small stuff. Don't worry about who doesn't like you, who has more, or who's doing what. Instead, let's cherish the relationships we have with those who do love us. Let's think about what God HAS blessed us with. And what we are doing each day to promote ourselves mentally, physically, emotionally. I hope you all have a blessed day. To that I say…AMEN!! Pastor J. T. Carnell

Daily Jewel

by Pastor J.T. Carnell, McAlester, OK Good morning everyone. All of us can breath a sigh of relief as the storms missed us but others in our state were not as fortunate however. One of the churches on our district sustained some damage. It is on the Northwest side of the district, about 40 miles west and south of Enid. Also, a professor and his wife from Southern Nazarene University had their home completely destroyed. I understand that others from Nazarene churches sustained some serious injuries, one was taken to OU Medical Center. We also need to pray for a family in Piedmont: a three-year-old remains missing and I know this has to be heart-breaking. Not to mention the families of those who experienced fatalities. “Knowing God” “My son, pay attention to my wisdom, listen well to my words of insight, that you may maintain discretion and your lips may preserve knowledge.” – Proverbs 5:1, 2 In a recent search I was amazed to discover how many proverbs there are in the English language. In one search engine I found more than 250 of them. Let me test your memory. Here are seven familiar proverbs. I’ll start them, and you finish them. See how well you do. “All work and no play makes Jack…” “An apple a day keeps…” “A fool and his money…” “A penny saved is…” “Ask me no questions…” “A stitch in time…” “A word to the wise…” And that’s just the “A” list. If you want to know the finishing line to each parable, go to Google. But don’t stop there. In the Book of Proverbs, you will discover ancient sayings that are thousands of years old but are as current as today’s news. One of my favorites is found in Proverbs 1:7. It is a classic. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” The Old Testament book of Proverbs is all about character building. It is not a “prescriptive” book. The Ten Commandments are prescriptive in nature. Both positive and negative commands are included there. Proverbs are “descriptive.” They simply outline what works and what doesn’t work. The decision is left to each person to make. Let’s go back to Proverbs 1:7… “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” Knowing God has a beginning point. Solomon said that the knowledge of God begins with “fear.” He was not saying, “Be afraid of God.” No one who has seen a child shudder in stark fear would say it was a good experience. What Solomon meant was this: Knowing God requires that we respect Him. Reverence comes before love and trust. Respecting God means that we disrespect evil! In Proverbs 8:13 are these words: “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate,” God said. In Christian experience, hating evil is the biblical description of repentance. The Hebrew word for “beginning” denotes “first place” or “highest priority.” Simply, in spiritual matters “knowing God” calls for us to give him “first place” in the decisions we make. The knowledge Solomon referred to here means trust. Read Proverbs 14:26: “In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, and his children will have a place of refuge.” Knowing God is fulfilled as we learn to trust Him. There are two parts to this proverb. Here is the second part: “But fools despise wisdom and instruction.” In two of his psalms David said, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” (14:1; 53:1) A “fool” in a biblical sense is a person who is arrogant and unrepentant. In our belief system, a “fool” is a wicked person—one who delights in independence from God and His commandments. In Genesis 25:34 Esau was so physically famished that he offered to sell his birthright to his brother Jacob for a morsel of bread and stew of lentils. What a foolish decision! In this impulsive act, Esau probably reasoned that a meal now was worth a thousand meals that might come later. “Later” was not as important to him as “now.” The passage concluded, “Thus Esau despised his birthright,” and as far as anyone knows, he never repented of his decision. Not only were two brothers divided, but two nations ultimately were divided over something to eat and drink. Foolish! Sin eventually does that to a person—convincing that person that he or she will be better off by not seeking the leadership of the Lord in his life. The alternatives are clear. We may choose one way or the other. A wise person will choose to know God. All other choices will lead to the worst possible conclusions. Pastor J. T. Carnell

Daily Jewel

by Pastor J.T. Carnell, McAlester, OK “An Extravagant Relationship” “May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. “– Proverbs 5:18 Obviously not everyone reading this message will have a “wife.” I think you know who you are! Not everyone reading this message is married. So, does it have meaning to all of us? You bet it does! First, there is something to be said about how to live life with passion! We have been down this street before on a number of occasions but I think it really applies well here. If you have a passionate relationship with Christ—the thought of going elsewhere (i.e., being tempted by the adulteress) will not have any power or persuasion over you. You realize that the love of God through Jesus will sustain you and keep you satisfied against any and every temptation. Using the marriage analogy—the same thought applies! Going back to our discussion of verse 17 a spring is a perpetual source of pure water that flows constantly. You may attempt to plug it up, but it will find another outlet in which to flow. It is pure and wholesome as marriage was designed to be. In Old Testament times a fountain would be considered a luxury item (certainly something Solomon could afford) and was fed by a spring, so the water coming out of the fountain would be clean…pure and worth the price! The idea of drinking at one’s fountain would clearly be defined as having an extravagant, pure, wholesome and passionate relationship! The kind of relationship that God intended it be! According to Reuters news agency, Daniel Lehner and his wife, Remy, were married December 12, 1993. Evidently they believed in doing up anniversaries in a big, big way. Before they even celebrated their first anniversary, they made plans for how they would celebrate their second. They made plans to go to one of their favorite plays—The Phantom of the Opera, by Andrew Lloyd Webber—which they had already seen many times. But just going to the play was not enough to express their love. They wanted to make a grand gesture. So, more than a year in advance, they bought tickets for every seat in the house of New York’s Majestic Theater for December 12, 1995. That’s 1,609 seats and at that time, at a cost of nearly $17,000. Daniel and Remy evidently love each other—and this play—deeply! As they have demonstrated, one of the marks of a passionate love is extravagance. When Jesus walked the earth, there were people who expressed their love to him with extravagance; a good example was the woman who anointed His feet with “alabaster.” You do not have to have a lot of money to have an extravagant love affair with Jesus, or with your husband or wife or both if it still applies!