Daily Jewel

by Pastor J.T. Carnell, McAlester, OK
Oct. 13, 2011,

“What’s on Your Plate?”
“She (Wisdom) has prepared her meat and mixed her wine...she has also set her table.” – Proverbs 9:2 (NIV, emphasis mine)

I have to make the following admission—that when it comes to matters of etiquette, Martha Stewart would be aghast at my knowledge of “table setting.” When (or more realistically if) I am asked to set the table my main concern is to make certain the essential elements are present. The plate, silverware, glass, and napkins. If you were to ask me what goes where and in what order—you’ve lost me. It does not matter to me whatsoever how the table is set—my main concern is that all the elements are there and ready to use. I’ve got the meat on my plate, fork and knife, napkin in my lap and a glass of cold water—let’s eat!! Something struck me as I was thinking through this verse and it was this: How important are these elements in regards to what God wants for my life? Just for the sake of putting this verse into perspective let’s isolate each “tool” that we use for our meals and consider how they might apply to our spiritual being. We are going to begin with the place that gets the most attention during the meal (apart from the food of course) and that is the plate! There is a bit of a problem in making comparison here because according to our knowledge of history, dinner plates, (that which we are accustomed to), have only been around since the 5th century. They were modeled on earlier, round plates constructed from stale bread. They originated with the Chinese discovery of porcelain in approximately 600. Chinese potters were able to create porcelain due to knowledge of glazing techniques and the local availability of kaolin clay. The opening of trade routes in the 14th century allowed for the export of Chinese plates to Europe, though it took several centuries for Europeans to emulate the porcelain-making process. It was during the 18th century that European potters began to manufacture porcelain plates, which were mainly available only to the elites. It was not until the 19th century, specifically between the years 1815 and 1898, that dinner plates became mass-produced and affordable to the public. If this is true then Solomon’s table would not have had plates—but platters that would contain different foods. Those platters would then be passed around the table where those eating would take what they wanted and began eating just that particular morsel. Some platters contained fruit, others bread and then of course the meat which would be the main course. There is a part of me that sees a great advantage here and that is you only take what you can hold during each passing! Then once you are finished with that then you take the next part and then once finished with that the next…and on it goes!
In one of the last Proverbs, Solomon says this: “…give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.” (30:8, 9)
How many times do we pile our plates with more than what we should? We see so many good things (both spiritual and physical things) and we think we have to have something of everything and then about halfway through the meal regret taking more than what we should have. Maybe the lesson is to not take everything at once but only take one thing at a time and once that is finished go on to the next “course.” Another problem is trying to do too much too soon! You would not give an infant steak when they have no way of eating it! The same can be said for those who are young in the faith. They may be able to handle the bread—maybe some fruit—but they are not ready for a big helping of the main course. The great thing about God’s Table is that there is always plenty!! There is enough of the “Bread of Life” (John 6:35) to last a life time. And the “Fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 6:22) is available at anytime of the night or day! And God’s Word, Love, Grace, Forgiveness (the Main Course) is ours for the asking! So, what’s on your plate today? As for me—I see some brisket with my name on it. Somebody pass me the platter!!
Pastor J. T. Carnell

Good Things

by Everett Christian, McAlester, OK
Wednesday, October 12, 2011

GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS HOLY WORD
12 "For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 13 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? - 1 Peter 3:12-13(New International Version).

GOD'S PROMISE TO US FROM HIS HOLY WORD
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. - Psalm 23:6(New International Version).

A QUOTE
Never dwell on the tomorrow; remember, that is God's and not ours. - E. B. Pusey, English Theologian -

THOUGHTS TO REMEMBER,br /> When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece. - From Reminisce Magazine - What you are is God's gift to you; what you make of yourself is your gift to God. - From Reminisce Magazine -

NOTES
I had lunch with Charley. I went to the post office. I took a nap in early afternoon. I sat outside with the cats from 5:30 p.m. to 5:55 p.m. At 6:00 p.m. I watched a Billy Graham Classic Crusade. The one tonight was from Portland, Oregon in 1992. Johnny Cash was on the program and sang "Precious Memories." Billy Graham was 74 years old in this crusade and he said he was never going to retire until God retired him. I will leave you a story tonight at the end of the Good Things. I also want to leave you with a little note tonight from Geneva about the Good Ole Days.

Here is Geneva's note:
I can't believe how similar your life on the farm was to mine. My Mother could make the best biscuits and squirrel and gravy. We had it for breakfast many times because Daddy went hunting very early. When he couldn't get any squirrels or rabbits, we had corn meal mush. I had three older brothers. The depression on the farm was better than not having a job and living in town. My husband wanted to install a pump instead of pulling up well water, but my Dad would not let him. There was never a pump there nor running water in the house nor an inside bathroom. After my Mother died, the place was sold. Now there's a huge lake there and someone plans to build a nice home there. The cats are fine. Little Girl is on the desk next to me now eating a little dry food. Rascal has made his usual trip in a time or two. Smokey was also here a little while ago. Today has been partly cloudy with a high temperature of 85 degrees. Low temperature last night was 60 degrees. At 10:05 p.m. skies are mostly clear with a temperature of 72 degrees.
I will see you next time, In Christian Love, Everett Here is tonight's story:

BIRDS
During the 18 years of my life on the farm, I guess I saw every kind of bird that lived in our part of the world. My first memory I have of birds goes back to a time when I was four or five years old. Snow was on the ground. My older brothers and sister along with some neighbor kids used a small board to prop up a larger board. A long string was attached to the small board. The string was extended to a window in the house. I remember bright red male cardinals and other birds walking around in the snow. The kids would scatter some bread or some other kind of food under the large board. As soon as the birds would get under the board the kids would pull the string from the window trying to get the large board to fall on the birds. I don't remember if they caught any birds but I doubt that they did. I remember seeing Bluebirds build a nest in an old tin bucket on a post with a hole cut in the bucket. Back then I was not tone deaf and I could hear the Bluebirds sing. I can't hear that tone at this stage in my life. I especially remember the Mocking Birds back on the farm. These birds are territorial and in one section of the farm a Mocking Bird would be singing and several hundred yards away another Mocking Bird would have a different territory and would be singing. I would marvel at the many different kinds of birds and sounds that would be mimicked. I also remember the Blue Jays. We called them Jay Birds. Sometimes we would hear a flock of these birds in the woods screaming at the top of their voice. We knew they had found a snake. We would go to the place where the commotion was going on and sure enough there would be a snake in a tree or on the ground. Then there were the Mourning Doves. They would build a very flimsy nest on a split limb or some other level place in the tree. Once I remember seeing a nest high up in a tree with a Dove sitting on the nest. I climbed the tree and as I got close to the nest the Dove fell to the ground and started hobbling off like she was hurt. Down the tree I went and took off after the supposedly crippled bird. In a little while she took off flying. She had led me away from her nest. I have only written about a few of the many, many birds that I observed in the country. Later I may do another story about other birds that I remember. In my later years I have learned to appreciate all the different kinds of birds. I have read that only God can make a tree, but I also know that only God can create a bird.

Nan's Calendar

by Nan Forehand, Statesville, NC
Oct. 11, 2011

Sometimes the most powerful words are the ones we withhold.
Sharon Jaynes from her book entitled The Power of a Woman's Words

Remember, there is a time to be silent and a time to speak. My words here at Nan's Calendar have been few and far between of late. I hope you have continued to visit the site and browse through the archives in my absence. When you visit and don't see a recent message, say a prayer for me, then pray for someone else and pray for yourself. "Lord, please lead us, guide us, and direct us in all we say and do today so that our words and our actions will be pleasing unto You. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen." I only write what I know in my heart is true for me. Each one of you will decide for yourselves what you believe to be true. The one thing I want to leave for you today is this: Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. ~ Mark 11:24
Have a wonderful day in the Lord! Love, Nan

Good Things

by Everett Christian, McAlester, OK
Monday, October 10, 2011

GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS HOLY WORD
6 But he (God) gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” - James 4:6(New International Version)

GOD'S PROMISE TO US FROM HIS HOLY WORD
(Jesus said to His disciples) 12 "Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son." - John 14:12-13(New International Version).

A QUOTE
You can have joy in obscurity if you are in the will of God, but you can be wretched with wealth and fame out of His will. - Billy Graham -

THOUGHTS TO REMEMBER
The real character of a person can be measured by what he or she does when no one's looking. - From Reminisce Magazine - If your train of thought isn't getting you anywhere, you're probably on the wrong track. - From Reminisce Magazine -

NOTES
I had lunch with Charley, Bill and Ray Poor. Ray attends the same church as Charley. I went by the post office. I took a nap in early afternoon with Beau. At about 3:30 p.m. I went to Walgreens to pick up a prescription and then came by a Dollar General Store for a few items. I went out to the back yard with the cats a little after 6:00 p.m. I came in at 7:15 p.m. I will leave you a story at the end of the Good Things. Let me know if you would like the stories to continue. I will not take the time to type them unless you want them. The cats are fine. Little Girl is on a blanket on the couch. Rascal is in the recliner. Friendly has been in this evening as well as Tony. Today has been a cloudy day until late afternoon when the the skies cleared. High temperature today was 72 degrees. Low temperature for today is the current temperature of 61 degrees. I had fifteen hundreths of an inch of rain at my house last night. That was not much rain. There was lots of rain where they needed it the most in the western half of Oklahoma.
I will see you next time, In Christian Love, Everett **************************************************************************************************** ANIMALS
This story is about animals with the exception of cats and dogs. I will write about cats and dogs in other stories. As a boy growing up on the farm, I had a lot of experience with cattle. Our family had milk cows. These cows would have calves every year. The calves would later be sold if they were males or kept for milk cows if they were female. One of my jobs on the farm was milking the cows every morning and every night. I did not like this job. It was very difficult to get the odor off of your hands after milking a cow. It would take a lot of scrubbing with soap and water. We had no plumbing at all in our house so I had to pour water into a pan to wash my hands. I also had a lot of experience with horses and mules. This was before the day of the tractor, so we used horses for plowing our fields and for transporting farm items in a wagon. We would also travel in the wagons since most of the time we didn't have an automobile. At times we would ride the horses to different events in the country. The opossum was a wild animal that we hunted in the winter. The open season for hunting opossums was from December 1 to January 31. We would skin the opossum and sell the fur for extra spending money. There was never much money during those days on the farm. I remember one summer I saw a mother opossum with several babies on her back. The cottontail rabbit was hunted in the winter for food. I remember running the rabbits into a hollow log and reaching my hand into the log to pull them out. The squirrel was also hunted for food in every season of the year. A squirrel would have to shot with a gun as they would climb the highest tree. Many times the squirrel would escape into a hole in a tree. You wouldn't dare reach your hand into a hollow tree to get a squirrel as they would bite to the bone. They have strong teeth used to eat all kinds of hard shell nuts. The skunk was also hunted for furs. Our family never hunted skunks because of the odor they emitted that was almost impossible to get out of clothing. During that time there were no deer in the country. Deer have become plentiful in later years. There were very few coyotes back then but now they have become plentiful. We had to hunt and kill animals during the Great Depression for food and additional income. At some point in my later life I learned to love all of God's living creatures. I could no longer kill an animal unless I or one of my family were starving. Everett Christian

Daily Jewel

by Pastor J.T. Carnell
Oct. 10, 2011

“In all your ways acknowledge Him..." – Proverbs 3:6 (NIV)

Is packaging important to you? Marketing experts think so. They have discovered that most Americans identify products – not so much by what they do but how they are packaged. When traveling and you get hungry what do you look for? McDonald’s knows – and in 2005 they were able to determine that 40% of their income came from people traveling. Those Golden Arches are really golden. How many times do we miss God's blessings because they are not packaged as we expected? The following is a story that I have used before but one that applies aptly to this particular situation. A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted. As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautiful wrapped gift box. Curious, but somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name embossed in gold. Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said, “With all your money you gave me a Bible?" and stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible. Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things.
When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. His father had carefully underlined a verse, Matthew 7:11, "And if you, being evil, know how To give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly father which is in heaven, give to those who ask Him?" As he read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words, “PAID IN FULL.” Could it be God has something in store for you and is simply waiting for you to “cash it in?” Most people miss out on the greatest blessings simply because they have not sought for them. The Apostle James says it best: “Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.” (James 1:16-18) Then a little further he says; “You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” (4:2-3)
Is there a blessing you are missing? Pastor J. T. Carnell