Good Things

by E. Christian, McAlester, OK
Saturday, April 14, 2012

GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS HOLY WORD,br /> 20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. - Ephesians 3:20-21(New King James Version).

GOD'S PROMISE TO US FROM HIS HOLY WORD
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. - Romans 8:35-37(New International Version).,br />
A QUOTE
To be like Christ is the noblest goal ever considered by any human being. - Neil B. Wiseman -

A THOUGHT TO REMEMBER
A good traveler in life enjoys the journey, not just the destination. - From Reminisce Magazine -

NOTES
Today has been a cloudy day with a high temperature of 77 degrees and a low temperature of 69 degrees. I had lunch with Charley. I went to the post office, then to the cemetery and then back home. I sat outside for a few minutes before I took my nap. I took my nap this afternoon with Smokey. When I awakened Rascal was also with us. I went outside with the cats at 5:30 p.m. and stayed for about 45 minutes watching the cats and the birds. I write a lot about my cats because they live with me but I also have a wonderful human family. Every morning around 8:30 a.m. I call my daughter, Treva, in Topeka, Kansas, and talk with her or leave her a message letting her know I am okay. Every night before I go to bed I call and talk with my daughter, June, in Hawaii to let her and husband, Keith, know how I am doing and find our how things are going in Hawaii. My son, Ron, and his wife, Angie, live in Oklahoma City and I call them occasionally. I should call them more often. I received an Easter card from them. My three grandkids get the Good Things every night so they can know how I am getting along. Two of my grandkids, Carissa and family, and Chris and family live in Yukon, Oklahoma. My grandson, Bryant, lives in Ithaca, New York, with his wife and 10 month old daughter. I love all of my human family dearly.
I appreciate everyone's e-mails and I appreciate everyone who reads the Good Things. The cats are fine, Rascal is asleep on the desk close by me and Little Girl on the sofa. Leo was here a little wihile ago.
Have a Wonderful Sunday! I will see you next time,
In Christian Love, Everett.

Daily Jewel

by Pastor Carnell, McAlester, OK
April 13, 2012

“Knowing God”
“My son, pay attention to my wisdom, listen well to my words of insight, that you may maintain discretion and your lips may preserve knowledge.” – Proverbs 5:1, 2

In a recent search I was amazed to discover how many proverbs there are in the English language. In one search engine I found more than 250 of them. Let me test your memory. Here are seven familiar proverbs. I’ll start them, and you finish them. See how well you do.

“All work and no play makes Jack…” “An apple a day keeps…” “A fool and his money…” “A penny saved is…” “Ask me no questions…” “A stitch in time…” “A word to the wise…”

And that’s just the “A” list. If you want to know the finishing line to each parable, go to Google. But don’t stop there. In the Book of Proverbs, you will discover ancient sayings that are thousands of years old but are as current as today’s news. One of my favorites is found in Proverbs 1:7. It is a classic.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

The Old Testament book of Proverbs is all about character building. It is not a “prescriptive” book. The Ten Commandments are prescriptive in nature. Both positive and negative commands are included there. Proverbs are “descriptive.” They simply outline what works and what doesn’t work. The decision is left to each person to make. Let’s go back to Proverbs 1:7…

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.”

Knowing God has a beginning point. Solomon said that the knowledge of God begins with “fear.” He was not saying, “Be afraid of God.” No one who has seen a child shudder in stark fear would say it was a good experience. What Solomon meant was this: Knowing God requires that we respect Him. Reverence comes before love and trust. Respecting God means that we disrespect evil! In Proverbs 8:13 are these words: “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate,” God said. In Christian experience, hating evil is the biblical description of repentance.
The Hebrew word for “beginning” denotes “first place” or “highest priority.” Simply, in spiritual matters “knowing God” calls for us to give him “first place” in the decisions we make. The knowledge Solomon referred to here means trust. Read Proverbs 14:26: “In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, and his children will have a place of refuge.” Knowing God is fulfilled as we learn to trust Him.
There are two parts to this proverb. Here is the second part: “But fools despise wisdom and instruction.” In two of his psalms David said, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” (14:1; 53:1) A “fool” in a biblical sense is a person who is arrogant and unrepentant. In our belief system, a “fool” is a wicked person—one who delights in independence from God and His commandments. In Genesis 25:34 Esau was so physically famished that he offered to sell his birthright to his brother Jacob for a morsel of bread and stew of lentils. What a foolish decision! In this impulsive act, Esau probably reasoned that a meal now was worth a thousand meals that might come later. “Later” was not as important to him as “now.” The passage concluded, “Thus Esau despised his birthright,” and as far as anyone knows, he never repented of his decision. Not only were two brothers divided, but two nations ultimately were divided over something to eat and drink. Foolish!
Sin eventually does that to a person—convincing that person that he or she will be better off by not seeking the leadership of the Lord in his life. The alternatives are clear. We may choose one way or the other. A wise person will choose to know God. All other choices will lead to the worst possible conclusions.
Pastor J. T. Carnell

Good Things

by E. Christian, McAlester, OK
Friday, April 13, 2012

GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS HOLY WORD
16 "These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts; 17 do not plot evil against each other, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this,” declares the LORD. - Zechariah 8:16-17(New International Version).

GOD'S PROMISE TO US FROM HIS HOLY WORD
(Jesus said) 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." - Matthew 5:43-45(New King James Version).

A QUOTE
We all need to be found when lost. - Dr Steve Stephens -
A THOUGHT TO REMEMBER
Some people think it is holding on that makes one strong; sometimes it's letting go. - From Reminisce Magazine -

NOTES
Today has been a mostly cloudy day. High temperature was 77 degrees and low temperature was 62 degrees. My housecleaning lady came today at 11:15 a.m. and cleaned my house while I had lunch with Charley. I went by the post office, picked up my mail and then came home. I sat outside in the back for a few minutes before I took my nap. I took my nap in early afternoon. At 3:15 p.m. I made a trip to the Petsense store and then to Walmart for my weekly supplies of cat food and other items. I saw Chad and Jodi Hartin and children at the Petsense store. They attend the same church with me and also receive the Good Things. They live in the country near Stuart, Oklahoma. I went outside with the cats at 5:25 p.m. and stayed until 6:45. I read and watched the cats and birds. I saw a Mocking Bird and some Eurasian Collared Doves as well as other birds. One dove was sounding off. While I was sitting, my cat named Beau decided he wanted to sit in my lap rather than a chair so he lay quitely in my lap for about 30 minutes while I continued with my reading. Smokey was in the chair to my left. Since the last Good Things I have had e-mails from Alice, Michele, Geneva, Annette and Ruby(my niece). Thanks for your e-mails and thanks to everyone who reads the Good Things.
The cats are fine. Rascal is asleep on the desk that is close to my computer where I can pet him once in a while. He likes to be petted. Little Girl is on the sofa. Leo and Friendly came through the den a little while ago. Tony from across the street came in a little while ago for a bite of food. I have seen all the cats this evening. Maybe I should change the heading for this section from "notes" to "cat news" because the cats are mostly what I write about. Most people like to talk about their families and the cats are my family.
I will see you next time,
With Christian Love, Everett.

Good Things

by E. Christian, McAlester, OK
Thursday, April 12, 2012

GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS HOLY WORD
10 The righteous will rejoice in the LORD and take refuge in him; all the upright in heart will glory in him! - Psalm 64:10(New International Version).

GOD'S PROMISE TO US FROM HIS HOLY WORD
16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. - Romans 8:16-17(New King James Version).

A QUOTE
You can be contented in poverty if you are in the will of God, but you can be wretched in riches out of His will. - Billy Graham -
A THOUGHT TO REMEMBER
The most important ability is availability. - From Reminisce Magazine -
NOTES
Today has been partly cloudy with a high temperature of 72 degrees and a low temperature of 53 degrees. I had lunch with Charley and Bill. At 12:05 p.m. Charley and I departed McAlester headed for Tulsa, Oklahoma, in Charley's car. Charley had an appointment with Dr. Yob, his dermatoligist in Tulsa. Tulsa is about 90 miles north of McAlester, Oklahoma. We arrived at the doctor's office in Tulsa at 1:35 p.m. Charley's appointment was at 1:50 p.m. We usually see someone from McAlester in Dr. Yob's office. Today was no exception. We saw Glenn Davis and his wife and visited with them while there. After Charley's appointment we headed back, arriving in McAlester around 4:00 p.m. I went by the post office and then arrived at my house around 4:20 p.m. Rascal was on a table by the front door as I came in like he was waiting for me. I had been away from home for 5 hours. I was tired so I lay down and rested for about 40 minutes. At 5:25 I went outside and sat with the cats for a little over an hour. Two Eurasian Collared Doves were sounding off. I also saw other birds including a Mocking Bird. I can't hear some tones anymore so I can't hear the Mocking Birds sing and I sure do miss the Mocking Bird's song. I read for a while with Smokey in a chair just to my left and Beau in a chair just to my right. Itty Bitty and Rascal were nosing around in the yard. Leo came from over the fence just as I was ready to come in at 6:30. Since last night's Good Things I have heard from Alice and Tiyan. Thanks for your e-mails. I have had forwards from other people and I like those also.
The cats are fine. Emmy is here in the den on top of the tv set and Little Girl is on the sofa. Rascal has been here. The others have all been seen this evening.
I will see you next time,
With Christian Love, Everett.

Daily Jewel

by Pastor Carnell, McAlestor, OK
April 12, 2012

“Knowing What to Say and When to Say it.”
“My son, pay attention to my wisdom, listen well to my words of insight, that you may maintain discretion …” – Proverbs 5:1, 2

Key Word - Discreet: "Being tactful...careful not to say or do the wrong thing..."

How often have we heard someone say…”It’s better left unsaid?” “I’ll keep it to myself.” Or we might hear, “let me choose my words carefully.”
If you have not noticed by now everything about Proverbs is about God’s people taking the “high road.” Meaning—doing, acting, saying and even thinking the right thing regardless of what the world may think, say or do. It is with that it is easy to see, then, that unfortunately far too many people do not, "Say what they mean." Consider the following:

"THEY SAY..." could really mean, "I heard it from at least one source, but everybody must believe it."
"IT NEEDS TO BE DONE..." could mean, "I'm not going to do anything about it, but the church ought to."
"I'VE HEARD SOME CRITICISM..." could mean, "I'm against it but I don't have the nerve to state my belief."
"THE WHOLE CHURCH IS UPSET!" could actually means, "Two or three loud mouths have turned loose their venom."
"IF MEMORY SERVES ME RIGHT..." could actually mean, "I'm going to say something I'm not sure of, whether true or false, but if somebody discovers I'm wrong, then I can always blame my memory."
"PREACHER, I WILL BE THERE IF I'M NOT PROVIDENTIALLY HINDERED" nearly always means, "If I'm not there, you can blame God for it."
"I'LL COME EVERY TIME I CAN" mostly means, "If I don't have something better to do I'll be there."
"I WON'T PROMISE, BUT I'LL DO MY BEST" typically means, "Don't expect much out of me."
"I'M STILL STUDYING THE QUESTION" might mean, "I want to stay in a position to agree with both sides."

I think you see what is going on here—it is all about “intention.” The power of discretion is not always about saying the right thing but having “holy” intentions. I know that I cannot always say the right thing. The reason for that is that not everyone will hear what I mean. They will hear what I say but not always perceive it the way it was intended. Just for the record—that is not my fault. But if I do not have any intention to do the right thing or give it my best effort then am I taking the “high road?”
You can take it from there!
Christians should be far more careful to mean what they say and say what they mean than people of the world! (Matthew 5:36-37)
Pastor J. T. Carnell