Good Things

by E. Christian, McAlester, OK
Sunday, February 19, 2012

GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS HOLY WORD
15 For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones." - Isaiah 57:15(New King James Version).

GOD'S PROMISE TO US FROM HIS HOLY WORD
13 Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. - 1 Peter 1:13(New International Version).

A QUOTE
Friends. . .they cherish each other's hopes. They are kind to each other's dreams. - Henry David Thoreau -

THOUGHTS TO REMEMBER
If you want your words to carry weight, weigh them carefully. - From Reminisce Magazine
- The great trouble with an idle rumor is it doesn't remain so. - From Reminisce Magazine -
The ship's place is in the sea, but God pity the ship when the sea gets into it. - From Reflecting God -

NOTES
Today has been a sunny day with a high temperature of 58 degrees and a low temperature of 29 degrees. I attended Worship Services this morning. We had another wonderful service today. I had lunch at home. I took a nap with Little Girl this afternoon. I put food and treats outside at 5:15 p.m. I attended church tonight where we had Bible Study led by our pastor. I arrived home from church tonight about 7:15 p.m. When I drove into the driveway Rascal was looking out the window and was by the door to greet me as I came in. Beau was also happy to see me. They could have been outside as the back door to the porch was ajar a little so they could go out and in while I was gone. I got the garbage ready and out on the street for pick up in the morning. I fixed a bite of supper and then to the Good Things.
The cats are fine. Little Girl is asleep in front of the heater. Emmy, Rascal and Smokey have been here but have now gone on to other things. I have seen all of them this evening.
I hope everyone has a nice Monday! I will see you next time.
In Christian Love, Everett.

Que's Occasional Views

by Que Clingerman, Calabash, NC
Feb. 19, 2012

Tomorrow, Monday Feb. 20 in the USA is Wshington's Birthday renamed Presidents' Day. From recent TV documentaries or news reports and other media, it there is a strong indication that our young people know less and less about our nation's history. That is tragic. Of course, if people do not know their past it is easier to mislead them in the future (or indeed the present). Our early presidents were far from perfect but they had a clear concept of individual liberty, responsibility, and the limitations of government. We need a resurgence of self-worth and self-determination. And that independence has to be taught in the home, school, and church. While many of our founding fathers were deists and not Christians, they believed in God and that He created us to govern ourselves in righteousness and justice. What say you?

Good Things

by E. Christian, McAlester, OK
Saturday, February 18, 2012

GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS HOLY WORD
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. - Ephesians 2:13(New King James Version).
GOD'S PROMISE TO US FROM HIS HOLY WORD
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. - Galatians 5:19-21(New King James Version).

A QUOTE
A gift to your parents is giving loving appreciation for the years of time and effort - and money - that they invested in you. Do for them the little things that give them pleasure. - Ruth Bell Graham -

THOUGHTS TO REMEMBER
It is better to ask some of the questions than to know all the answers. - From Reminisce Magazine -
Character is like the foundation of a house - it's below the surface. - From Reminisce Magazine -

NOTES
Today has been a cloudy day with some light rain this afternoon and evening but now the rain has moved on out. High temperature today was 55 degrees with a low temperature of 41 degrees. My housecleaning lady cleaned my house while I had lunch with Charley and went to the post office. I took my nap in early afternoon with Smokey. I didn't put out treats this evening due to the rain but I did take some food out to the storage house tonight for the animals that come to eat at night. Since the last Good Things I have heard from Michelle. If anyone would like to be dropped from the Good Things just let me know.
The cats are fine. Little Girl and Rascal are in the den with me and the others have been around mainly staying in due to the wet yard.
I hope everyone has a Wonderful Sunday! I will see you next time.
In Christian Love, Everett.

Good Things

by E. Christian, McAlester, OK
Friday, February 17, 2012

GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS HOLY WORD
(Jesus said) 11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." - Matthew 5:11-12(New King James Version).

GOD'S PROMISE TO US FROM HIS HOLY WORD
14 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. - 1 Peter 4:14(New King James Version).

A QUOTE
Let nothing disturb you, let nothing frighten you: everything passes away except God: God alone is sufficient. - Teresa of Avila -

THOUGHTS TO REMEMBER
A good way to forget your troubles is to help others out of theirs - From Reminisce Magazine -
Aim for the moon; if you miss, you'll eventually land among the stars. - From Reminisce Magazine -

NOTES
Today has been a cloudy day with a high temperature of 59 degrees and a low temperature of 34 degrees. I had lunch with Charley, Bill and my pastor, J. T. Carnell. I went to the post office, then to Walmart, then to the Petsense store, then to the cemetery and then came home. I took my nap this afternoon. At 4:45 p.m. I put treats and food outside for the animals. At 5:00 p.m. I went to the church that my brother, Charley, attends, to a chili supper. The menu was chili, beans, corn bread, crackers, shredded cheese, diced onions, coffee, tea, soft drinks and a table covered with all kinds of cakes, pies and other desserts. I visited with friends and arrived back home in time to watch the Jimmy Sturr musical program from 6:00 to 6:30 p.m. Since the last Good Things I had a nice e-mail from Cathy Perks.
The cats are fine. Little Girl on the sofa and Rascal asleep on the table close to me. The others have all been seen this evening.
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. 17, 2012

“Kings and Queens”
“She will…present you with a crown of splendor…” – Proverbs 4:9 (NIV)

I like presents. I don’t know too many people who don’t like presents. Presents are fun—especially when you don’t know when they are coming. When your husband, wife, children, friends, whoever surprise you and present you with a gift simply because they want to—because they love you. Solomon has dedicated an incredible amount of time developing this theme of wisdom and how it impacts our lives—the meaning and power it gives to our existence. Of all the verses throughout Proverbs that describes the benefits of wisdom—I think this one has the deepest expression and the most vivid possibilities of visual expressions. First of all, think of a crown. Who wears a “crown?” The first thing that comes to mind is that of royalty. Kings and Queens. I have always been fascinated by the British monarchy and like millions of others was glued to the television set watching the “Royal” wedding between Charles and Diana. Queen Elizabeth was decked out in her royal best—the crown perched firmly on her head. You do see the problem with this scenario don’t you? Only very few can wear a crown in this illustration. And those in royal positions represent a very, very, very, very, very small percentage of the society. Not so with God! In His world—His society—anyone can have a “crown.” Call it the mark of His approval. As a “child of the King,” you are royalty and He treats us as such!
We struggle with this because, let’s face it, not many of us would qualify to be next in line for the British monarchy. How many of us would be included in the will of a billionaire? I like this verse from the book of Revelation:

“To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (Revelation 1:5 NKJV)

At the time of his death in 1913, John Pierpont (J. P.) Morgan was not the richest man in the world, but his estate was valued at $80-million (close to $1.2-billion today). Compared to the wealth of some of his peers, however, his estate was not large. It was reported that John Rockefeller once said of Morgan, “And to think that he wasn’t even a rich man.” However, as one of the most influential bankers of his day, his power lay in the billions he controlled and administered.
Morgan died in 1913. When his will was executed, it was revealed that each of his children inherited $3,000,000, and all of his employees received checks equal to one year’s salary. The will consisted of about 10,000 words. I pulled up a copy of the will through the Internet. The opening paragraph began with these words:

“I, John Pierpont Morgan, of the City, County, and State of New York, do hereby make, publish and declare this my Last Will and Testament in the manner and form following, that is to say….”
At that point the wording became very interesting. Article I of the document began with this statement:

“I commit my soul into the hands of my Saviour, full of confidence that having redeemed me and washed me with His precious blood, He will present me faultless before the Throne of my Heavenly Father. I entreat my children to maintain and defend at all hazards and at all costs personally, the blessed doctrine of the complete atonement of sin through the blood of Jesus Christ once offered and through that alone.”

J.P. Morgan left no doubt as to what he considered to be the most important part of his legacy. His trust was in the saving power of the blood of Christ, not in his earthly possessions. St. Paul would have been proud. I once heard an attorney say: “Your Will is not a theological statement; it is a legal document.” He may have been right, but I applaud the thinking of a man who knew that far above the value of his estate lay the value of his eternal soul. And he wanted his children and employees to know that. May each of us learn to treasure the Atonement, and conduct our lives accordingly.
And remember—God thinks of you as one of His and that makes you royalty!
Pastor J. T. Carnell