Good Things

by E. Christian, McAlester, OK
Wednesday, March 21, 2012

GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS HOLY WORD
1 Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife. - Proverbs 17:1(New International Version).

GOD'S PROMISE TO US FROM HIS HOLY WORD
9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. - 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10(New King James Version).

A QUOTE
All races and classes need Jesus, and He welcomes them to His saving fellowship whenever they seek His help. - W. E. McCumber -

A THOUGHT TO REMEMBER
People want to know how much you care before they care how much you know. - From Reminisce Magazine -

NOTES
Today has been mostly cloudy with a high temperature of 66 degrees and a low temperature of 50 degrees. We had a rain showers this evening between 6:00 and 8:00 p.m. I had lunch today with Charley, Bill, my pastor J. T. Carnell and his wife, Dianne. I came by the post office and then home. Before I took my nap I went to Country Mart store. It was around 3:00 p.m. before I lay down for my nap. Smokey napped with me today. I went outside with the cats at 5:25 p.m. and came in about 5:50 p.m. I watched a Billy Graham Classic Crusade from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. Today's program was from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania in 1993. Dr. Graham was 73 years old at that time and his hair was beginning to turn gray. They also showed some scenes from a Crusade in Japan and people attended his Crusade there in great numbers just like in the United States. Of course he had to have an interpreter there. Since the last Good Things I have had nice e-mails from Mary Ellen, Alice, Laura and Geneva. I am always glad to get e-mails.
Sometime ago I told you about The Collinsworth Family, a family that sings Gospel Music. The family consists of the dad, mom, three daughters and one son. I watched them on Daystar television sometime ago and now you can watch them too if you desire. It is a 30 minute program so be prepared to sit a while. It was well worth my time. At the end of the Good Things I will leave you a link to watch this 30 minute program. Do me a favor and let me know if you watched and if you liked it.
The cats are fine. Little Girl and Rascal are in their usual places. I let Beau, Emmy and Smokey out the front door a little while ago. Smokey is already back inside.
I hope everyone has a nice Thursday! I will see you next time.
In Christian Love, Everett.

Here is the link: http://www.daystar.com/ondemand/gospel-music-showcase-the-collingsworth-family-episode-6/#.T2NFG_WHuSo

Daily Jewel

By Pastor Carnell
March 21, 2012

“Find Your ‘Happy-Place’” (Part Three)
“Above all else, guard your heart…it is the well-spring of life.” – Proverbs 4:23

Solomon describes the “heart” as the “Wellspring” of life. The word “Wellspring” literally means, “outgoings,” a term usually used in a geographic context to describe the boundaries of a given territory. Here it probably refers to the “source” or “springs” of life itself. The most important piece of real estate in any town in Israel was the spring that provided water to that town. In ninth-century B.C. Megiddo, an elaborate water system was built including a shaft nearly one hundred feet deep and a tunnel over two hundred feet long, all through solid rock. The purpose for such a costly system was to bring the water from a camouflaged spring safely inside the city walls and secure the city in case of attack from an enemy. The same effort is also needed to protect one’s heart and also, one’s life from disaster.
When we left our Sea Lion yesterday, he had allowed the voice of pessimism and hopelessness steal his dreams. Despite the fact that in his heart he knew there was more, he gave up his search for the sea and accepted something far less. Here is the last part:

It was in May that the winds began to blow. The sea lion had grown used to wind, and at first he did not pay much heed at all. Years of desert life had taught him to turn his back in the direction from which the wind came and cover his eyes with his flippers, so that the dust would not get in. Eventually, the winds would always pass. But not this time. Day and night it came, howling across the barren lands. There was nothing to stop its fury, nothing to even slow it down. For forty days and forty nights the winds blew. And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, it stopped. The sea lion lifted himself to have a look around. He could hardly believe his eyes. Every single leaf had been stripped from his tree. The branches that remained, with only a twig or two upon them, looked like an old scarecrow. And I do not need to tell you that there was no longer any shade in which to hide. But worse than this, much worse indeed, was what the sea lion saw next. The water hole was completely dry.
Three weeks after the wind ceased to blow, the sea lion had a dream. Now, as I told you before, there were other nights in which he had dreamed of the sea. But those were long ago and nearly forgotten. Even still, the ocean that filled his dreams this night was so beautiful and clear, so vast and deep, it was as if he were seeing it for the first time. The sunlight glittered on its surface, and as he dived, the waters all around him shone like an emerald. If he swam quite deep, it turned to jade, cool and dark and mysterious. But he was never frightened, not at all. For I must tell you that in all his dreams of the sea, he had never before found himself in the company of other sea lions. This night there were many, round about him, diving and turning, spinning and twirling. They were playing.
Oh, how he hated to wake from that wonderful dream. The tears running down his face were the first wet thing he had felt in weeks. But he did not pause even to wipe them away, he did not pause, in fact, for anything at all. He set his face to the east, and he began to walk as best a sea lion can.
“Where are you going?” asked the tortoise.
“I am going to find sea.”
The devil is so good at convincing us that there is something better than serving God. The tortoise had done an admirable job of convincing the Sea Lion of giving up his dream and his desire to find the sea. But when faced with the raging winds of life—all that the Sea Lion had was stripped away, leaving him to consider that there had to be more.
The heart is the center of our passions. Yes, there is without question a romantic element involved—but to only reserve passion in that sense would be to do God a great disservice. God’s passion for us went as far as to give us His Son that we might live life to the full! (John 10:10) We were made to be God’s children—His possessions!! To accept anything less is to do ourselves a great disservice. Guard your heart (as Solomon says) from those voices that would keep you from seeking the very best. Also, remember that we are never alone! God revealed to the Sea Lion that there were those waiting for Him—who were like him and were enjoying what He had to offer.
How disastrous it would have been had the Sea Lion just given up—but he did not and decided to seek for something better. It would have been a difficult, arduous journey but what was waiting for him at the end was far greater than what he was living in at the time! What a great message! If you are going through a difficult time in your life and the devil has stolen your passion for life—for serving God—take a minute and consider all that your life is surrounded with. Consider that you have friends that love you and will stand behind you. Do you have a church family? They will do the same. If you do not have a church…find one!! Get involved!! The Church is a part of the sea, a place created by God for us to enjoy the Christian Life.
Finally, do you Know Christ? I do not mean a simple head knowledge—(even the tortoise knew of the sea)—but a heart knowledge! That is the place where we need to be and once there the passion for life really comes into play! Once we are reunited to the One who created us and designed us—once we realize that we were made for each other, then life will take on a far new meaning and purpose.
Pastor J. T. Carnell

Good Things

by E. Christian, McAlester, OK
Tuesday, March 20, 2012

GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS HOLY WORD
14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. - Hebrews 4:14-16(New King James Version).

GOD'S PROMISE TO US FROM HIS HOLY WORD
4 He (the Lord) will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. - Psalm 91:4(New International Version).

A QUOTE
Gratitude is the mother of all the virtues. - G. K. Chesterton -

A THOUGHT TO REMEMBER
Days are like suitcases - by careful arrangement, some people can pack more. - From Reminisce Magazine -

NOTES
Well, the rains came last night. I guess it rained all night. Every time I would wake up I would see lightening flashing. I had at least three cats in bed with me, Rascal and at least two more. I think my cats think that I can protect them from the storms. I do ask God to protect my cats and me. In our church hymnal there is a song that we sing occasionally titled "Till The Storm Passes By". I got up this morning singing that song. I will leave the words to the song at the end of the Good Things. If you have never heard it you can pick it up on You-Tube by many different artists. The rain stopped today about noontime. At my house I received four and two tenths inches of rain. I had lunch today with Charley and Bill. I came by the post office and a Dollar General Store. I lay down for my nap around 2:15 p.m. Beau took a nap with me today. I put food and treats outside at 6:10 p.m. and sat out with the cats for about 30 minutes. I have had some nice e-mails since the last Good Things from Stan, Geneva, Cathy Tadlock and Tiyan. I always appreciate your e-mails even though I don't have time to answer them.
The cats are fine. Little Girl and Rascal are in their usual places in the den with me. Beau was here a short time ago. My cats communicate with me and understand a lot of the things I say. Emmy got on the desk by my computer a little while ago and meowed. I knew she wanted out. I said "Okay, I will let you out". Rascal heard me say that and headed for the door ahead of Emmy. As I was sitting in the yard this evening, Beau got on top of the chain link fence, preparing to go across the street. I called "Beau, come back here." He jumped down and came back to where I was sitting.
I hope everyone has a nice Wednesday! I will see you next time.
In Christian Love, Everett. ********************************** Here is the song. Sing it if you know the melody.
TILL THE STORM PASSES BY
(Mosie Lister)
Recorded by:
Bill Gaither; Vestal Goodman; Greater Vision; Inspirations; Ron Jarman; Ben Speer.

In the dark of the midnight have I oft hid my face, While the storm howls above me, and there's no hiding place. 'Mid the crash of the thunder, Precious Lord, hear my cry, Keep me safe till the storm passes by.

Chorus
Till the storm passes over, till the thunder sounds no more, Till the clouds roll forever from the sky; Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of Thy hand, Keep me safe till the storm passes by.

Many times Satan whispered, "There is no need to try, For there's no end of sorrow, there's no hope by and by" But I know Thou art with me, and tomorrow I'll rise Where the storms never darken the skies.

Chorus
Till the storm passes over, till the thunder sounds no more, Till the clouds roll forever from the sky; Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of Thy hand, Keep me safe till the storm passes by.

When the long night has ended and the storms come no more, Let me stand in Thy presence on the bright peaceful shore; In that land where the tempest, never comes, Lord, may I Dwell with Thee when the storm passes by.

Chorus
Till the storm passes over, till the thunder sounds no more, Till the clouds roll forever from the sky; Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of Thy hand, Keep me safe till the storm passes by.

Daily Jewel

by Pastor Carnell, McAlester, OK
March, 20, 2012

“Be On Your Guard ” (Part Two)
“Above all else, guard your heart….” – Proverbs 4:23

Yesterday’s message introduced us to a beautiful illustration/story from the book, “The Journey of Desire: The Journey We Must Take to Find the Life God Offers” by John Eldredge. The name of the story is “The Sea Lion Who Lost the Sea.”
The story revolves around a Sea Lion that somehow found himself separated from the source of his existence—the sea. He knew it existed—he could smell it and he knew its scent. He searched and searched but for whatever reason was unable to locate it. When we left the forlorn Sea Lion, the last line was: “…the sea was calling him.” Here is part two:

The sea lion loved his rock, and he even loved waiting night after night for the sea breezes that might come. Especially he loved the dreams those memories would stir. But as you well know, even the best of dreams cannot go on, and in the morning when the sea lion woke, he was still in the barren lands. Sometimes he would close his eyes and try to fall back asleep. It never seemed to work, for the sun was always very bright.
Eventually, it became too much for him to bear. He began to visit his rock only on occasion. “I have too much to do,” he told himself. “I cannot waste my time just idling about.” He really did not have so much to do. The truth of it was, waking so far from home was such a disappointment, he decided he did not want to have those wonderful dreams anymore. The day finally came when he stopped going to his rock altogether, and he no longer lifted his nose to the wind when the sea breezes blew.
The sea lion was not entirely alone in those parts. For it was there he met the tortoise. Now this tortoise was an ancient creature, so weathered by his life in the barren lands that at first, the sea lion mistook him for a rock. He told the tortoise of his plight, hoping that this wise one might be able to help him. ‘Perhaps,’ the tortoise mused, ‘this is the sea.’ His eyes appeared to be shut against the bright sun, but he was watching the sea lion very closely. The sea lion swept his flippers once against his side, gliding to the end of the water hole and back. ‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘It isn’t very deep.’ Somehow, I thought the sea would be broader, deeper. At least, I had hoped so.’ ‘You must learn to be happy here,’ the tortoise told him one day. ‘For it is unlikely you shall ever find this sea of yours.’ Deep in his shriveled heart, the tortoise envied the sea lion and his sea.
‘But I belong to the sea. We are made for each other.’
‘Perhaps. But you have been gone so long now, the sea has probably forgotten you.’
This thought had never occurred to the sea lion. But it was true, he had been gone for a long, long time. ‘If this is not my home, how can I ever feel at home here?’ the sea lion asked. ‘You will in time.’ The tortoise appeared to be squinting, his eyes a thin slit. ‘I have seen the sea, and it is no better than what you have found here.’
‘You have seen the sea?’
‘Yes. Come closer,’ whispered the tortoise, ‘and I will tell you a secret. I am not a tortoise. I am a sea turtle. But I left the sea of my own accord, many years ago, in search of better things. If you stay with me, I will tell you stories of my adventures.’
The stories of the ancient tortoise were enchanting and soon cast their spell upon the sea lion. As weeks passed into months, his memory of the sea faded. ‘The desert,’ whispered the tortoise, ‘is all that is, or was, or ever will be.’ When the sun grew fierce and burned his skin, the sea lion would hide in the shade of the tree, listening to the tales woven by the tortoise. When the dry winds cracked his flippers and filled his eyes with dust, the sea lion would retreat to the water hole. And so the sea lion remained, living his days between water hole and tree. The sea no longer filled his dreams. The Book of Psalms is often thought of in terms of some of the world’s greatest poetry. I do not believe that was the initial intent—they were created from the heart of individuals seeking to reach into the heart and mind of the Living God. One of the greatest of the Psalms (to me) without question is Psalm 139. Verse 14 says: “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” What that tells me is that we are uniquely created by God and we are linked together with Him as no other creature in this world. That is why I really love the one line in this portion of the story where the Sea Lion says, “…I belong to the sea. We were made for each other.”
I am not sure exactly what Mr. Eldredge had in mind when introducing the tortoise into the story but I think we could very easily see him as the devil—trying to convince us that we are just fine without God. The turtle was trying to convince the Sea Lion that what he saw and the way he was living was all that what was—there was no need to look any further!
We were made to worship and serve God—period! Just as the Sea Lion was created to live in the sea we were created to worship, and when that is not happening we are the ones that lose out! Guard your heart (as Solomon says) from those voices that would keep you from dreaming about being God’s best—guard it from those who say we are better off without Him. It is not the truth.

Pastor J. T. Carnell

Senior Citizen...conclusion

by Bonnie David, WC poet

March 20, 2012

Senior citizen…conclusion

 

Yeah, somewhere along the line Father Time slipped in my back door to rearrange my life and he brought Mother Nature with him to sprinkle stiffness in my bones and wrinkles that I thought I’d only see on my mom…it wouldn’t ever happen to me!  She tampers with my brain as forgetfulness lurks close by.  Postit notes are a staple in my life now.

 

That brings me to the subject of fooling Mother Nature, a time consuming venture.  My morning routine now lasts into early afternoon.  I have more creams, lotions and magic potions than I have silverware.  Late night boredom brings me an overwhelming urge to be a blond.

 

How well I remember the orange hair fiasco.  A glitch in timing and I looked like Ronald McDonald  or at very least…I nearly glowed in the dark!

 

Have ya ever stood in front of a mirror and given yourself a temporary facelift?  You know, take your fingers along the edge of your face and draw it back?  My advice is DON’T….you have to let go sometime and it’s downright depressing!

 

And I’m surely not ready for the fluorescent pantsuit brigade!  My mother lived to be 98. How well I remember years ago when her sister’s were still living and you could hardly tell them apart.  They all dressed in these bright colored pantsuits and I thought to myself…never, never, never!  I’ll soon be sixty eight and I don’t think I’ll ever outgrow blue jeans, toe rings and ankle bracelets. I don’t think I’ll ever outgrow country music, old rock ‘n roll, dancing and tipping a beer now and then.

 

For all its kinks…and I feel every one of them, this is a good time of my life and a good time to be alive in spite of the economy.  I’m not one of those who misses punching a time clock.  I cherish my retirement days to dawdle away however I choose.  Most of all, I cherish my children, grandchildren and great grandsons.  I am blessed to still have all of my siblings.  There’s nothing like aging to bring appreciation for those special people that for so many years you took for granted.

 

So I will grow old gracefully and with dignity and thank God for every day He gives me.  But on the other hand, I will never stop fighting Mother Nature even though I know in the end she will win.

 

Now if you’ll excuse me, I know I left that wrinkle cream here somewhere……

 

Until next time…keep smilin’…

 

Bonnie L. David

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