Nan's Calendar

by Nan Forehand, Statesville, NC
Aug. 20, 2011

A smile is the light in the window of your face that shows your heart is at home. Author Unknown

I smiled so much throughout the day yesterday that my cheeks hurt! It was an awesome day from the very beginning, that being 5:00 am, when Allen (my husband) and I went for our usual brisk walk, along with our black Lab, Bob, and continued to be a day filled with love and laughter, right into the evening! Not in order of events, but included in my awesome day were an unexpected visit from a wonderful lady friend of mine and her four beautiful daughters, a trip to the dry cleaners to pick up a dozen teddy bears to take to the hospital ER, delivering the teddies to the ER and a visit with the ER staff to hear great stories of how these teddies are touching the lives of children who are in need of cuddly, soft comfort during a very stressful time in their lives; a visit with my daughter, who knitted a gorgeous white baby sweater for a special friend of mine who is expecting her first child; going with two very special friends of mine to the announcement party for my pregnant friend (long story, short version.....surprise!! the inside of the cake was pink! They're having a girl!); experiencing numerous "God moments" throughout the day that my skin kept having "glory bumps"!!! That's right, glory bumps, not goose bumps! The more love and smiles you give away, the more you get in return! God is good all the time and all the time God is good!!!! Gotta get up from here now and get going on my 2012 calendar of teddy bears. I have taken several photos and still have more to take. It's so exciting! Gotta set up a teddy bear picnic photo! Talk to you later! Love, Nan P.S. My friend said, (who came for a visit with her daughters)..... "I'm so happy that if it were dark right now, I'd be glowing in the dark!" Yes, my friends, she and I were glowing in the presence of the Lord yesterday. I'm still in the afterglow!

Good Things

by Everett Christian, McAlester, OK
Friday, August 19, 2011

GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS HOLY WORD
6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. - Romans 12:6-8(New International Version).

GOD'S PROMISE TO US FROM HIS HOLY WORD,br /> 8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." - Isaiah 55:8-9(New International Version)

A QUOTE
If you want someone to listen to you, whisper it. - Phil Callaway -

THOUGHTS TO REMEMBER
A name engraved in hearts will outlast those engraved in marble. - From Reminisce Magazine - I have noticed that nothing I never said ever did me harm. - From Reminisce Magazine - The steps you take today create the path you'll use tomorrow. - From Reminisce Magazine -

A FACT ABOUT CATS
Kittens reared together become close companions, spending most of their time together. - From "Cats" by David Alderton -

NOTES
I had lunch today with my brother, Charley, and our friend, Bill. I came by the post office. I then went by the cemetery. The flowers are still pretty but some of them are beginning to fade just a little. I have been inside the rest of the day except to go out and get my paper. I took a nap in early afternoon. None of the cats joined me for a nap this afternoon. I went out at 7:45 p.m. to put out fresh water and food for the animals and it was still too hot to sit out for even 5 minutes. The picture tonight is a moth from Hawaii. Since I sent the Good Things last night I have had e-mails concerning the Good Things from Annette and Alice. Annette attends the same church that I attend but said she would not be in church this Sunday as she is going to Dallas with a friend to see her friend's grandmother. Alice said she was going to use the verse from 2 Timothy in her next newsletter. Alice works for Berean Baptist Church in Tulsa. The cats are fine. Little Girl is on her filing cabinet. Tony from across the street was in for a bite of food a little earlier. Rascal was here just a few minutes ago. My stray cat, Lucy, even came into the house for a little while this afternoon but she wont stay inside too long. She is definitely an outside cat but I sure have her tamed to come to me when she is around. You can tell by my writings that my cats are my family now and are my main concern in life. I am just plugging along asking the Lord to keep me well enough to take care of our cats until I can go see Jesus, my Flonnie, mom, dad, sisters, brothers and friends in Heaven. I hope each one who reads the Good Things is ready to meet me in Heaven someday. Today has been mostly sunny in McAlester, Oklahoma, with a high temperature of 105 degrees. Low temperature this morning was 79 degrees. At 10:05 p.m. skies are clear with a temperature of 80 degrees. I will see you next time.
In Christian Love, Everett.

Daily Jewel

by Pastor J.T. Carnell, McAlester, OK
Aug. 19, 2011

“Dig a Little Deeper”
"The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight..." – Proverbs 1:1,2

Wisdom: "The power of true and right discernment."
A great example of “discernment” in Solomon's life was his famous decision regarding an argument over all things a baby. Two women approached him arguing that the same baby belonged to each of them. Solomon's solution was to have the child sliced in two, giving half to each. (1 Kings 3:14-28) I question whether he would have actually performed such a gruesome task; however, Solomon had a hunch that the real mother would act on behalf of the child. When that woman stepped forward to plead for the child’s welfare, his discernment served to find the proper solution for what could have been a very sticky situation. Regardless of the situation we may find ourselves involved in, God’s wisdom offers simple, almost too simple solutions to life’s problems! It does not always mean that the solution will be pleasant and to our liking – it may, from time to time cause us to go outside our “comfort zones.” In the scenario above, the real mother was willing to let the other woman have her baby, the one she loved if it meant making certain that child would remain safe and unharmed. There is a word we would use to describe that willingness – it is called sacrifice! Is Solomon alone in his ability to make wise and right decisions? Absolutely not!! The wisdom of God is available to us all if we would just seek it with our whole heart. It may mean making some sacrifices (spending time in the Word for one!) to gain some of that wisdom but from everything we have seen it would be worth the effort. How well do you react to situations where there does not seem to be a clear and precise resolution? Do you say, "I don't know," and just leave it at that or do your say, "I don't know, but I will find out!" Jesus referred to Himself as, "The way, the truth and the life..." (John 14:6). This means that we do not have to settle for the "I don't knows" but instead, we can "Learn to Discern!" Chuck Swindoll tells of a story of an Irish farmer in the late 1800’s who after decades of futility decided to sell the farm and land his family had owned for three generations. No matter how hard they tried they simply could not get the land to produce enough to take care of their family. He found a willing “victim” (I mean buyer), a man from Belfast who was wanting to get away from the city and do some farming. He bought the land for practically nothing – but soon discovered the reason why. The land was rocky and the soil unproductive. But the man was determined to make it work. He decided to work the soil a little harder – dig a little deeper and maybe he would find better soil. However, no matter how deep he dug he kept finding rocks. As he got to looking he discovered some of the rocks looked different than the others. He took one to a friend and was told – it was silver! He was on the largest silver mine in Ireland. If only the original family had sought to dig a little deeper they would have been one of the wealthiest families in all of Ireland...maybe Europe! Could we learn something from this? I would hope so...in fact I would sincerely think we should!
Pastor J. T. Carnell

Good Things

by Everett Christian, McAlester, OK
Thursday, August 18, 2011

GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS HOLY WORD
12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. - 1 Timothy 4:12(New International Version).

GOD'S PROMISE TO US FROM HIS HOLY WORD
(Jesus said to His disciples) 18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me." - John 15:18-21(New International Version).

A QUOTE
God's promises are sure if you only believe. - William Booth -
THOUGHTS TO REMEMBER
At times, letting go can require more strength than holding on. - From Reminisce Magazine - The first sign of character is what one does; the second is what one gives. - From Reminisce Magazine - A challenging job won't get done if you let it get to you before you get to it. - From Reminisce Magazine -

A FACT ABOUT CATS
Cats tend to be cautious when they first meet each other, males being most likely to show agression. - From "Cats" by David Alderton -

NOTES
I had lunch with my brother, Charley. I came by the post office and then by Braum's for a couple of items. I took my nap with Smokey. When I was almost ready to get up from my nap, Rascal came to snuggle with me, so I took another little nap with him (laugh if you like). I put out fresh water and food for the outside animals around 7:00 p.m. The weather is getting hot again. I really do appreciate the notes that I get from people concerning the Good Things. Since yesterday's Good Things I have had notes from Geoff, Geneva, Tiyan and Michelle(Angelini). Pray for Michelle since she got laid off a job she was expecting to go back to in September. I can't stop the Good Things as long as I am getting notes from a few people telling me how much they mean to them. The picture tonight is a toad frog from June and Keith's yard in Hawaii. The cats are fine. Little Girl is on the filing cabinet. I have seen all of them this evening. Today started with cloudy skies but the skies cleared by noontime. High temperature today was 101 degrees. Low temperature this morning was 79 degrees. At 9:00 p.m. skies are clear with a temperature of 90 degrees. I will see you next time.
In Christian Love, Everett.

Daily Jewel

by Pastor J.T. Carnell, McAlester, OK
Aug. 17, 2011

“Ill-Gotten Gain is Really no Gain at All”
"My sons, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them. If they say, 'Come along with us; let's lie in wait for someone’s blood, let's waylay some harmless soul....we will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our houses with plunder....".my son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths..." – Proverbs 1:10 –11, 13

This passage reminds me of that proverbial "The Pot of Gold at the end of the Rainbow!" We all know there is nothing there but will search nonetheless just to make sure. Our televisions are being plastered with these so-called, infomercials. "Be your own boss." "Increase Your Portfolio!" "You too, can be a millionaire!" “Make money from home by working only a few hours a month!” There is always something in it for us if we would just trust and sign our name on the dotted line. When I was in college I was duped into sending someone that I did not know $50 as a part of a chain letter scheme. All I had to do was to sign up three other guys to send $50 to the person at the top of the list, then they were to sign up three other people and by the time my name got to the top of the list I would make hundreds if not thousands of dollars. Yeah, right! In my naivety I never once considered the possibility that this was wrong or unethical...all I saw was the money that I could make!! The problem that I ran into was that I could not get anyone to keep the chain going so my name never made it to the top. Ah, yes, the allure of “quick riches!” I certainly learned a great lesson through that and it was this: the things of this life are to be earned by hard and honest labor. Any gain that we think we might receive by unethical or immoral means, whether it is actual wealth or maybe the "respect" in the eyes of those around us, will never last! My “lesson-learned” has served me well through the years as I have been approached on several occasions with much the same sales-pitch – here’s a way to make some quick easy money. Investing little with the hope of getting a whole lot back. Recent events in our nation and the many that lost millions of dollars as a result of Bernard Madoff’s “Ponzi” scheme show that even the used to be rich and famous are not exempt from this mind-set. Have you ever found yourself involved in something that you felt very uncomfortable with? Why do you suppose that is? Was it because you felt inadequate in your abilities or was it because you were uncertain that the activity was not exactly moral or even legal? If you ever feel uncomfortable along these lines perhaps it is the Holy Spirit giving you a warning signal to Stay Away! Paul said, "Everything is permissible for me-but not everything is beneficial." (1st Corinthians 6:12) "Not all that glitters is gold" someone once said. As this verse might indicate, not all "plunder" is for our benefit! I think the key here is that of trust. Trust in the One who gave you life to take care of that life.
Pastor J. T. Carnell