Good Things

by E. Christian, McAlester, OK
Wednesday, April 11, 2012

GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS HOLY WORD
7 Cast all your anxiety on him (God) because he cares for you. - 1 Peter 5:7(New International Version).

GOD'S PROMISE TO US FROM HIS HOLY WORD
5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God. - 1 Corinthians 4:5(New King James Version).

A QUOTE
What a consolation it is that our God never changes! What He was yesterday, He is today. - Charles Spurgeon -

A THOUGHT TO REMEMBER
The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails. - From Reminisce Magazine -

NOTES
We had rain this morning beginning between 9:00 and 10:00 a.m. and stopping in early afternoon. High temperature was 66 degrees and the low temperatre was 55 degrees. I had lunch with Charley. I took my nap in early afternoon without a cat, however they were as close as the next bedroom. I went outside with the cats around 5:30 p.m. and sat and read for about 30 minutes. I watched the Billy Graham program at 6:00. Tonight they showed Dr. Graham speaking to students at Harvard University for about 15 minutes. Then they showed a crusade from Boston, Massachusetts in 1982. Since last night's Good Things I have heard from Burlene, Michele and Geneva. I always appreciate those e-mails.
The cats are fine. Little Girl and Rascal are in the den with me at present. The cats have been inside a part of the day due to the rain but we did get to sit outside this evening for 30 minutes.
I will see you next time,
With Christian Love, Everett.

Daily Jewel

by Pastor Carnell, McAlester, OK
Apr. 11, 2012

“Trust Your Instruments”
“My son, pay attention to my wisdom, listen well to my words of insight…” – Proverbs 5:1

I think we have been here before. These words seem remarkably familiar to those we have read in the prior four chapters. For those who may have just started reading these messages allow me this opportunity to repeat a statement from the very first message from chapter one. I see the book of Proverbs as God's means for those who earnestly desire to expand their knowledge and wisdom! Not just spiritually but also experientially. The Proverbs are for those who have a real goal to be the absolute best that they can be! Through them God is saying, "Do not settle for surface knowledge. Do not be content with little. Dig as deep and as far as you can for that is where life’s real treasures are found."
At what point do we begin to take Solomon’s plea seriously? When do we realize that these are far more than words jotted down on paper? Do we understand how important Solomon’s instructions truly are? Maybe that is where we are missing it! Since we don’t understand how everything works we tend to ignore those that we do understand. Here is a good example.
Have you ever flown in an airplane and wondered why a full cup of coffee does not spill when the plane turns? That’s right, no matter how steep the banked turns—even if the wings are perpendicular to the ground—coffee (or any drink) won’t spill. A magazine will drop straight to the floor, and flight attendants will walk upright down the aisle as if the plane were level. And unless you are looking out the window, you cannot tell which way the plane is turning. All because of a little thing called…inertia.
Pilots, too, are subject to inertia. When flying through clouds or fog, which prevent them from seeing the horizon, pilots cannot feel the plane’s wings beginning to bank to the left or right. In fact in the early days of flight, pilots followed the myth of instinct. They believed they could feel the turn, and when their planes were accidently engulfed in fog or clouds, many banked unknowingly into a spiral dive that ended in a crash. That’s why pilot William Langewiesche writes: “Instinct is worse than useless in the clouds.”
To fly through clouds, pilots must rely on instruments like the artificial horizon. The artificial horizon is a gyroscopically (and do not ask me what that means) steadied line that stays level with the earth’s surface and unerringly indicates when the wings are banking left or right. The artificial horizon revolutionized flying, but when it was first invented, pilots resisted using it. The biggest problem flyers had was belief. They trusted their feelings more than their instruments!
In the Christian life, God’s Word acts as our primary flight instrument. Just like in flying, we do not have to understand how the instruments in the plane operate, but we trust that the “pilot” does. I do not have to understand how everything in Scripture works—but since it comes from God I have to trust that it does.
Pastor J. T. Carnell

Good Things

by E. Christian, McAlester, OK
Tuesday, April 10, 2012

GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS HOLY WORD
1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. - Psalm 46:1-3(New International Version).

GOD'S PROMISE TO US FROM HIS HOLY WORD
5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. - Romans 5:5(New King James Version).

A QUOTE
A place of full assurance amid a world of chaos is found in a life committed to God. - D. I. Vanderpool -

A THOUGHT TO REMEMBER
Memories are treasures we can enjoy again and again. - From Home is Where the Heart Is -

NOTES
Today has been a sunny day with a high temperature of 81 degrees and a low temperature of 56 degrees. I had lunch with Charley. I went to the post office to pick up my mail. I came home and sat out in the back yard for a few minutes before my nap. I took my nap in early afternoon. At around 3:00 p.m. I went to Buck Thetfords Barber Shop and got a haircut. Buck's son, Brent, cut my hair today. The orange tabby tom cat was sleeping when I got to the shop but he was awake when I left and walked outside with me to the front porch of the barber shop. I rested a little more when I arrived back home around 4:00 p.m. At 5:30 p.m. I went outside with the cats and read. I stayed outside for almost an hour and one-half. I heard a Mourning Dove while sitting out as well as the Eurasian Collared Doves. This morning when I got up Beau was not around. I worried about him all day and said a prayer for God to protect him. When I went out this evening to give them their treats there was Beau just as spry as ever. I don't know where he had been all day, probably under the neighbor's storage house. That is not like Beau to stay gone all day so I was worried about him. It was so peaceful sitting out in the yard and I got to thinking that I am glad that this old place didn't sell while I lived in Moore those 10 months. Since last time I have had e-mails from Alice, Geneva and Michelle. Thanks for your e-mails and thanks to everyone who reads the Good Things.
Every week I receive a newsletter from one of my former pastors, Lowell Churchill, who now pastors at Henryetta, Oklahoma. I received his e-mail today and I liked his little sermon so well that I thought I would share it with you at the end of the Good Things.
The cats are fine. Little Girl is in the den with me. Rascal was just here but has now gone back outside. I have seen all of the cats this evening.
I will see you next time,
With Christian Love, Everett.
**************************** Here's the little sermon:
Eyes Forward...
Growing up in rural Oklahoma it was customary to have a family vegetable garden. This was something that most everyone had and my dad was not content with a 'small' garden. He planted one that was big enough to provide for the family, the preacher and a few neighbors. This was all well and good, except for the fact, that he expected all of us kids (there were four of us) to help plant and take care of the garden.
The part I liked least, was getting the garden ready for planting. This involved using a hand plow that I felt was the cruelest invention man every created. Dad always had me to help him plow the rows for planting the seed because I was the oldest boy and my sisters were assigned other less demanding tasks.
I remember when I was first introduced to this torturous instrument. Even though I would try really hard, I just couldn't plow the furrows as straight as my dad. When he noticed how much trouble I was having and how crooked my rows, he gave me some advice that solved my problem. He told me, "you have to fix your eyes on something at the end of row like a fence post or some other object." Well to my amazement his suggestion worked. I would focus on a fence post as I plowed, and when I looked back at the end of the row it was straight just like Dad's.
I believe the advice my dad gave me about plowing can also be applied to our spiritual life. If we're not careful we will find ourselves deviating from the path Jesus has laid out for us to follow. That's why we're encouraged by scriptures to, "… fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith." (Hebrews 12:2) By keeping our focus on Jesus we can follow His example and grow in Christ like character and keep our lives on the 'straight path.'
Think About It!,br /> Pastor C

Daily Jewel

by Pastor Carnell, McAlester, OK
Apr. 10, 2012

“Holy Middle Ground”
“Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.” – Proverbs 4:27

We are still in the process of knowing how to “guard our hearts.” We struggle often with learning how to handle the life we have given—and in so doing we either miss or lose the passion that God wants us to have to make this life worth the living. The last verse in chapter four is truly a great conclusion. To keep the passion means to stay on course! Be careful not to get distracted and stay on course. I received an email a few years ago that is in my opinion a sad reflection of what has happened in our society…and unfortunately it has a tendency to spill over into the one place reserved for God—our hearts. It was labeled, “the paradox of our time.” It goes like this.
The paradox of our time in history is that…

We have taller buildings but shorter tempers. Wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We buy more but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families. More conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees, but less sense; More knowledge, but less judgment; More experts, yet more problems, More medicine, but less wellness. We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired/ We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things. We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less. These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion. Big men and small character. Steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce. Fancier houses but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throw away morality, one-night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring you all this information…and a time that you can either share it or keep it to yourself. To me, what I find disturbing is I see myself in far too many of these. I have allowed myself to “swerve” off of the road and into areas that would “drain the passion” from me. If I could conclude everything that we have discussed for the past three weeks—it would be this: GUARD YOUR HEART!! Stay focused on the “God-Life.”
Pastor J. T. Carnell

Good Things

by E. Christian, McAlester, OK
Monday, April 9, 2012

GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS HOLY WORD
14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” - 1 Peter 3:14(New International Version).

GOD'S PROMISE TO US FROM HIS HOLY WORD
1Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. - Romans 5:1-2(New King James Version).

A QUOTE
The most courageous and costly search-and-rescue mission in human history was that of Jesus. - W. E. McCumber -

A THOUGHT TO REMEMBER
Young children love their parents better than anything else. They are their chidren's lifeline, their whole world. - From Home is Where the Heart Is -

NOTES
Today has been mostly sunny with a high temperature of 75 degrees and a low temperature of 54 degrees. I had lunch with Charley and Bill. I went to the post office to pick up my mail and came by a Dollar General Store as I came home. I sat out with the cats for a little while before I took my nap. I was thinking about taking Little Girl for her annual check up and vaccinations but then I got to feeling a little woozy so I lay down for my nap instead. When I awakened I felt okay. A little after 4:00 p.m. I made a trip to Walmart for a couple of items that I needed. Shortly after 6:00 p.m. I went to the back yard and sat with the cats and read for about an hour. Since the last Good Things I have heard from Burlene, Alice, Geneva and Debra. I always enjoy your e-mails regardless of how long or how short they are. They are what keeps the Good Things coming to you. Each of us has at least one gift in our being that we can use for the Lord and some have many gifts to use for the Lord. My church friend, Debra, has a wonderful gift of expressing herself through letters. I was blessed by her letter this morning and I got permission from her to share it with you on the Good Things. I like each of your letters so don't hesitate to write to me with just a few words or many words, however you feel.
The cats are fine. Rascal is asleep on the desk near me and Little Girl is asleep on the sofa. The others have all been seen this evening. I will see you next time,
With Sincere Christian Love, Everett.

************** Here is Debra's letter:
Good Morning Dear Everett,
Awakening to Peace - after Easter Sunday, with the birds in song outdoors~~~God's beauty around us and contentment within. Services were touched by the Lord's presence at our McAlester Church of the Nazarene, on Easter and what a Day of Celebration we had!! We received Blessings in abundance through worship, song, prayer and baptism all combined to Praise our Lord and Saviour. Because HE LIVES - WE CAN face each new tomorrow. God is Good All the Time and ALL the time, GOD is Good!
We had 3 of our 4 children with us for Easter dinner, at home and Eleiyah (who is 4), asked if she could help to set the table and then when we were all ready to eat, Eleiyah said, "Gramma, I want to say the Prayer" - what an added blessing to have the Easter Grace said to our family by a 4 yr. old. We received our blessings in abundance on Easter!!
When you write of Lawrence Welk shows, in the Good Things ~~~ I remember back to my own Grandparents watching him on the TV. We always knocked on their door when visiting, so as not to scare them by just walking in, but on the nights of Lawrence Welk - they had their TV set turned up so loud that our knock could not be heard, but when we got to the door, we heard the music of his show and smiled as we cautiously walked inside - they would both be tuned in watching and also singing along - brings a smile each time I read your words and think back on the show they loved so much, as well. "Did they turn the TV down when company arrived?" - oh no, we knew to sit patiently and watch along with them, many times joining in on song, as well. LOVE the old Christian songs/hymns and what messages they tell. Thanks for sharing, we too have the memories we treasure.
We were doing yard work, most all day on Saturday and even put out 2 of our hummingbird feeders and within 2 hrs. after being hung, we spotted 2 of the little "hummers" - what a joy to watch them!! I had told my sisters, back home in Illinois that they have arrived - and they too put out feeders for the amazement of the little birds and they couldn't believe that we had them arrive already - usually after about 2 wks. here, they then have them up in Illinois and they said that they still having morning frost and even water in the birdbaths ice over yet - so hope they stay to the South awhile longer, will be chilling up there for them?
Just wanted to "drop by" this morning with a Hello and How are You and to wish you a day of blessings in abundance, with the smiles and words of others around you today - carry you on through this week with peace and contentment of the Joy of our Lord spreading in the Hearts of others. In Christian Love and Appreciation of You,
DEBRA