Good Things

by Everett Christian, McAlester, OK
Saturday, February 4, 2012

GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS HOLY WORD (Jesus said) 46 “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? 47 Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. 49 But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.” - Luke 6:46-49(New King James Version).

GOD'S PROMISE TO US FROM HIS HOLY WORD
1. My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. - 1 John 2:1-2(New King James Version).

A QUOTE
The better part of one's life consists of his friendships. - Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of the United States -

A THOUGHT TO REMEMBER
When you can't change the direction of the wind, adjust your sails. - From Reminisce Magazine -

NOTES
Today has been a cloudy day with a high temperature of 55 degrees and a low temperature of 41 degrees. The high temperature happened before daylight as it has gotten cooler throughout the day. My housecleaning lady came at 11:15 a.m. and cleaned my house while I went to lunch with Charley. I went to the post office, then to the cemetery, then to Walmart, then to the Petsense store and then home. I lay down for my nap around 2:00 p.m. Little Girl napped with me today and Beau was with me during part of my nap. I put food and treats outside at 5:00 p.m. I have heard from Alice and Geneva since the last Good Things.
The cats are fine. Little Girl is asleep on the back of the sofa and Rascal is asleep in the recliner. I have seen the others and they are around somewhere.
I hope everyone has a Wonderful Sunday! I will see you next time.
In Christian Love, Everett.

Good Things

by Everett Christian, McAlester, OK
Friday, February 3, 2012

GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS HOLY WORD
To the churches of Galatia:
3 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. - Galatians 1:3-5(New King James Version).

GOD'S PROMISE TO US FROM HIS HOLY WORD
(Jesus said) 24" Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. 25 And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. " - Mark 11:24-25(New King James Version).

A QUOTE
Humility is a greater virtue than pride. - Bob Welch -

THOUGHTS TO REMEMBER
If you give a gift, never remember it; if you receive one, never forget it. - From Reminisce Magazine - A bad habit is a chain too small to feel until it's too strong to break. - From Reminisce Magazine -
,br /> NOTES
Today has been a cloudy day with rain starting around noontime and continuing off and on all afternoon. The rain has now moved on away. High temperature today was 66 degrees with a low temperature of 59 degrees. I had lunch with Charley and Bill with Mellisa as our waitress today. I went to the post office and then by a Dollar General Store. I took my nap with Beau while we were having rain this afternoon. I watched the weather on television at 5:15 p.m. for abut 5 minutes and then changed the channel to a movie "The Glenn Miller Story." The movie was so interesting that I couldn't leave it until it was over at 7:00 p.m. I put food outside in the storage house at 7:00 p.m. for the outside cats. Since the last Good Things I have had a nice e-mail from Geneva. The cats are fine. Little Girl and Rascal are now here in the den with me. Emmy and Smokey have been through in the last few minutes.
I hope everyone has a nice Saturday! I will see you next time.
In Christian Love, Everett.

Daily Jewel

by Pastor Carnell, McAlester, OK
Feb. 3 2012

“Gathering Eternal Truths!”
“Get wisdom...Get understanding…” – Proverbs 4:5

From time to time I like creating an “acrostic.” For those who may have forgotten your high school English, an acrostic is a poem or other form of writing in which the first letter, syllable or word of each line, paragraph or other recurring feature in the text spells out a word or a message.
One of the most famous acrostics was made in Greek for the acclamation JESUS CHRIST, GOD'S SON, SAVIOUR (Greek: Ιησούς Χριστός, Θεού Υιός, Σωτήρ; Iesous CHristos, THeou Yios, Soter — ch and th being each one letter in Greek). The initials spell ICHTHYS (ΙΧΘΥΣ), Greek for fish – hence the frequent use of the fish as a symbol for Jesus Christ from the early days of Christianity to the present time. (Wikipedia)
Today’s acrostic is taken from one of the words in the verse above. In this verse Solomon is telling us to do something that will make our lives better. Something that will help to increase our ability to grow as a person and as a Christian. It begins by GATHERING. To “gather” means to accumulate…or what is even a better word—harvest. We have lived is several communities where farming was the predominate means of support for many a family. During harvest the entire community gets involved. In fact, the community becomes almost one big family. And when there is a good harvest everyone benefits.
When we gather what is available to us from the mind and heart of God—we “reap” the benefit but the beauty of our harvest is that others benefit as well. When we become better people by learning from God—it cannot help but spread to others.
What are we gathering? That which is ETERNAL!! By using the previous analogy, each year for there to even be a harvest the farmer has to sow seeds. The seeds of life that Solomon bids us to “gather” were sown from the beginning and they are without question eternal. They do not change—they cannot be altered—they are solid. So what we are setting out to do is to harvest that which will give and give and give!
Finally, the last part of the acrostic—we are to gather eternal TRUTHS! Truths that were established by God and are maintained by God. And since they are “eternal,” they do not change despite how many make the attempt to either change them or deny them. Here is a good example: Chuck Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship, was in a meeting with the chairman of a giant publishing company who boasted, "Our newspaper chain was instrumental in the removal of the Ten Commandments from the walls of our public schools." Colson asked him why he thought they should be removed, and the CEO answered, "They offend people from other religions; and besides, we must separate church and state." Later in the same meeting this same executive brought up the subject of juvenile crime. He asked, "What are we going to do about the rising rate of teen delinquency? Occurrences of theft on the school campus have increased at an alarming rate over the past decade. What can we do?" Chuck Colson said, "Maybe we should put a sign on the wall that says, 'Thou shalt not steal'." The newspaper man said, "That's a good idea!",br /> G.E.T. wisdom…G.E.T. understanding. Gather…Eternal…Truths! Dig deep. Read. Listen. Pray. Get all that is there for you to reap and glean. It will be worth it.
Pastor J. T. Carnell

Good Things

by Everett Christian, McAlester, OK
Thursday, February 2, 2012

GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS HOLY WORD
(Jesus said) 14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." - Matthew 6:14-15(New King James Version).

GOD'S PROMISE TO US FROM HIS HOLY WORD
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. - 1 Peter 1:3-5(New King James Version).

A QUOTE
God came to us because God wanted to join us on the road, to listen to our stories, and to help us realize that we are not walking in circles but moving toward the house of peace and joy. - Thomas Merton -

THOUGHTS TO REMEMBER
A true test of patience is not minding being put on hold. - From Reminisce Magazine
- Rather than living a life of bitterness, rage, and other bad attitudes, the follower of Christ is commanded to live a life of compassion and forgiveness. - From Reflecting God -

NOTES
The day started with fog but soon became clear and we had a beautiful day. High temperature was 69 degrees and the low temperature was 37 degrees. Rain is predicted for tomorrow. I had lunch with my brother, Charley, and our friend, Bill. Bobbi was our waitress today. We usually see several people that we know eating at Taco Bob's. I came by the post office and then home. Then I took information for my tax return to Sandy Isenhower's office to have my tax return prepared. I visited with Sandy a few minutes and left the tax information with her. Her husband, Charles Isenhower, has an automobile repair shop next to Sandy's office, so I visited with Charles for a few minutes. I took my nap without a cat but just as I was about to get up, Friendly came to my bed. She doesn't usually sleep with me. I had to get up anyway. At 4:15 p.m. I made a quick trip back to the post office drop box to mail a bill. At 4:45 p.m. I put food and treats outside for the cats. I did a little more shredding of old records this evening. Since the last Good Things I have had e-mails from Michelle and Geneva. Michelle asked about my daughter, June, and husband, Keith, living in Hawaii. They are both doing fine and seem to be enjoying life in Hawaii. I talk with June every night before I go to bed.
The cats are fine. Little Girl and Rascal are asleep here in the den in their usual place. Smokey is also here in the den at present. He just came in from outside. Emmy was in the den a little while ago and got on the desk close by me and meowed two or three times so I went to the kitchen, she followed, so I gave her a little helping of canned food. They don't eat much canned food at a time. Some of my readers might get tired of hearing about my cats all the time but people usually talk about their family and they are my family.
I hope everyone has a nice Friday! I will see you next time.
In Christian Love, Everett.

Daily Jewel

by Pastor Carnell, McAlester, OK
Feb. 2, 2012

“Pushy, Pushy!!”
“Don’t try to be like those who shoulder their way through life. Why be a bully? ‘Why not?’ you say…because God can’t stand twisted souls. It’s the straightforward who get His respect..." – Proverbs 3:31, 32 (The Message)

Once in a while, eternal truths can be gained from the simplest places...cartoons. There is one cartoon whose characters do not carry guns or fight evil villains and is widely loved by the youngest and oldest...Winnie the Pooh.
In one episode, Eeor, the melancholy donkey, developed a real problem. His friends, seeing he was spending so much time sitting alone on the hilltop decided he was sad and needed cheering up. Ignoring his protests to the contrary, Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Rabbit and Christopher Robin went to elaborate lengths to liven up Eeor's life. One crammed him full of honey and apples. Another tried to teach him to fly. One by one, each of his friends only made his life more miserable as they tried to fill it with 'fun.'
After all their attempts had failed, the poor donkey is seen once again sitting alone on the hilltop, contemplating the clouds. Only then do his friends discover his secret. He's not sitting alone because he's sad--on the contrary, he's discovered the secret of real happiness. As his friends look at the clouds with new eyes, they see what Eeor had been seeing all along--a wonderland of beauty and delight almost too fantastic to be believed.
It seems that at times we all have Eeor's problem to one extent or another. We're surrounded by a culture that tells us repeatedly that we must pack all the excitement, adventure, comfort, fame, fortune-in short, FUN into our lives that we can. The world really believes that this life is all there is. Rewards or punishments in the next life don't exist, or don't matter. If this life is all you've got, then you'd better pack as much into it as you can. This is what the preacher of Ecclesiastes called, "...striving after the wind." He calls it emptiness, futility.
We’ve been talking in the last couple of days what it means to be a “neighbor” and how we so often forget that we are truly connected to one another in ways that go beyond our physical vision and even our belief system. We think people will automatically see things our way and will automatically do things our way. Who is to say our way is automatically the best way?
I am certainly not saying that we should hold back our understanding of the Gospel or our Christian beliefs—but we all process things differently and God works with all of us in different ways.
To see what others can't seem to see—the glory of God in this created world is worth everything. The glory of God working in redeemed changed lives.
Pastor J. T. Carnell