Daily Jewel

by Pastor Carnell, McAlesterr, OK

“Becoming Idiot-Proof!”
“Listen, you idiots—learn good sense! You blockheads—shape up!” – Proverbs 8:5 (MSG)

If I could choose the one word that would best describe the individual that simply, “just doesn’t get it” when it comes to knowing the right thing to do—it would be this one: IDIOT!!
According to definition, an idiot can describe two types of people: First, it defines one who because of mental limitation they cannot learn beyond or above a certain level. I almost hesitate even mentioning this as a definition because I would never consider these individuals as anything less than courageous.
The second person, the one for which I think the word best applies describes the individual who is more than mentally capable of learning and growing in both cognitive and rational thought but does nothing to enhance their learning and chooses to live their life in a very self-destructive manner. In fact, the word could stand for: I Deliberately Ignore Obvious Truths!
People do Dumb things!! In fact, I have come to the point that I am no longer amazed at how dumb and idiotic people can be!! Here are a couple of examples:
The first takes us to my hometown of Colorado Springs! A guy walked into a little corner store with a shot gun and demanded all the cash from the cash drawer. After the cashier put the cash in a bag, the robber saw a bottle of scotch that he wanted behind the counter on the shelf. He told the cashier to put it in the bag as well, but he refused and said "Because I don't believe you are over 21." The robber said he was, but the clerk still refused to give it to him because he didn't believe him. At this point the robber took his driver's license out of his wallet and gave it to the clerk. The clerk looked it over, and agreed that the man was in fact over 21 and he put the scotch in the bag. The robber then ran from the store with his loot. The cashier promptly called the police and gave the name and address of the robber that he got off the license. They arrested the robber two hours later.
Second, a motorist was unknowingly caught in an automated speed trap that measured his speed using radar and photographed his car. He later received in the mail a ticket for $40 and a photo of his car. Instead of payment, he sent the police department a photograph of $40. Several days later, he received a letter from the police that contained another picture... of handcuffs. The motorist promptly sent the money for the fine. And then this one: In Virginia, a janitor went to great lengths to avoid I.D. in a 7-Eleven robbery, using a ski mask and rental car for the occasion. But he also wore his work uniform, which said "Cedar Woods Apartments" and had his name, Dwayne, stitched across the front.
These are some pretty obvious examples and to be perfectly honest would never apply to us…right? There is not a single person reading this message that would ever consider being in a position like these above…would you?
And yet…how many times do we find ourselves in a position or situations where we totally and completely leave common sense, rationality, and most importantly, Godly wisdom out of the picture? At that point, every one of us could easily fall under this category and it is for that reason that Solomon says…”listen up you idiots…there is a better way!”
I know that I am not perfect and I have made my share of idiotic mistakes. And yet, the difference between the “idiot” and the mistake-prone human is that those who seek to live out God’s Will learn from their mistakes and choose to make the efforts to prevent those mistakes in the future.
Don’t ignore “Obvious” truths. Listen and follow the voice of Wisdom.
Pastor J. T. Carnell

Good Things

by Everett Christian, McAlester, OK

GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS HOLY WORD
15 He (Jesus) said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." - Mark 16:15-16(New International Version).

GOD'S PROMISE TO US FROM HIS HOLY WORD
17 But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children— 18 with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts. - Psalm 103:17-18(New International Version).

A QUOTE
Each human creature is alone - but acts of kindness take away our loneliness, for we discover that others are concerned for us. - Pam Brown -

A THOUGHT TO REMEMBER
Everything that is not given is lost. - Indian Proverb -

PET QUOTES
Scratch a dog and you'll find a permanent job - Franklin P Jones - A little drowsing cat is an image of perfect beatitude. ~ Champfleury -

NOTES
Today has been mostly sunny with a high temperature of 73 degrees and a low temperature this morning of 37 degrees. I had lunch with Bill today. Charley was busy at his church. I went by the post office and then to Braums for a few items. I took my nap today with Emmy and Tony. I took cat treats out for the cats at around 5:30 p.m. It was warm enough for me to sit out with the cats for an hour this evening. I did have a sweater on. Since last nights Good Things I have heard from Michelle, Mary Jo, Alice, Geneva, Burlene and Annette. I appreciate those e-mails. I also appreciate you if you are reading the Good Things just now. Annette says that she uses quotes and other things from the Good Things on a poster at her school. Appreciate that! I also know that Alice uses the Good Things for some of her speeches to her soriety sisters and maybe in her Sunday School class. Gail also uses some of the quotes on her church marquee. Debra forwards the Good Things to other people. I appreciate all of this.
The cats are fine. I have seen all of them this evening.
Have a nice Wednesday!
I will see you next time, In Christian Love, Everett.

Daily Jewel

by Pastor Carnell, McAlester, OK

“The Spiritual Weather Alert System!”
“To you, O people, I call out; I raise my voice to all mankind.” – Proverbs 8:4

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” – Matthew 5:43-45

April 10, 1979. An F4 tornado rips through Wichita Falls, Texas—58 fatalities. A third of the city reported damages. May 3, 1999, a series of tornadoes swath a path through southern and eastern portions of Oklahoma City with one of them reported to be an F5. 38 people lost their lives and at that time was the most expensive in terms of property damage to date. April 27, 2011; cities and people in Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia and Virginia experience what could be the largest single daily outbreak of tornado activity ever. Over 200 people in five states lost their lives—property damage extensive—and what could be the most unsettling, the loss of the sense of security that millions had enjoyed up to that day.
The same could be said for the people of Japan just hours before the earthquake and tsunami that devastated that Country. Life was going well. And then…boom! Everything changed. The earthquake in Haiti that to this day still impacts thousands.
As I write this the East Coast of the United States has been brought to standstill as a result of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Sandy. New York City has been practically shut down!
First of all let me state categorically that I am not nor have I ever been a “doomsday” kind of guy. I do not assign apocalyptic significance to all of the disasters happening around us. It bothers me somewhat that there are those who apply God’s wrath to practically every natural disaster that occurs. If that were the case then every tornado would touch down in highly populated areas. However, according to the National Weather Service, hundreds of tornadoes each year go unreported because they touch down in unpopulated areas. How about all the property damage? Okay…as the world’s population continues to grow, and it is growing…the probability that a natural disaster hitting a highly populated area, be it earthquake, hurricane, tornado, etc. continues to grow. It’s going to happen!
The bottom line to all of this: there is no such thing as total security. Being a Christian is no absolute guarantee that tragedy or crisis will not find you. I believe that I can say with some degree of certainty that in all the examples of disasters above, among those who lost their lives or their homes were men and women whose trust and belief in God was strong.
So what’s the message here? What does all this mean? What lesson is there for us by applying God’s Word to tragedies that no one would have been able to prevent?
Through His servant Solomon, God is calling us all out! His message is universal. His Words and Wisdom are from everlasting to everlasting. So listen up! Always be ready. Be aware that life can turn at a moment’s notice—and when it does, trust in the fact that your life is in His hands! One of my favorite songs is by Contemporary Christian artist, Kathy Troccoli:

Life can be so good, Life can be so hard
Never knowing what each day Will bring to where you are Sometimes I forget, And sometimes I can't see That whatever comes my way You'll be with me My life is in your hands. My heart is in your keeping I'm never without hope, not when my future is with you My life is in your hands, And though I may not see clearly I will lift my voice and sing, cause your love does amazing things Lord, I know, my life is in your hands
Nothing is for sure, nothing is for keeps All I know is that your love, Will live eternally So I will find my rest, and I will find my peace Knowing that you'll meet my every need
When I'm at my weakest Lord You carry me Then I become my strongest Lord in your hands My life is in your hands And though I may not see clearly I will lift my voice and sing cause your love does amazing things
Lord, I know, my life is in your hands I trust you Lord; My life is in your hands
Pastor J. T. Carnell

Daily Jewel

by Pastor Carnell, McAlester, OK

“Your Voice Matters!”
“Right in the city square where the traffic is thickest, she shouts…” – Proverbs8:3 (MSG)

Have you ever thought—“I wish I had said that”? Not many of us are equal in word power to the great public speakers of history. Limiting the list to Americans still requires a large number of speakers and the speeches they made. Here are a few names that should be on everyone’s list: Susan B. Anthony; Pearl S. Buck; Martin Luther King, Jr.; John F. Kennedy; Ronald Reagan; Patrick Henry; Franklin Delano Roosevelt; Helen Keller; Douglas MacArthur; Henry Ward Beecher; Shirley Chisholm; Benjamin Franklin, George Washington.
Does the name Edward Everett ring a bell? He was considered to be the nation’s greatest orator of his time. U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, U.S. Envoy to England, Governor of Massachusetts, U.S. Secretary of State, President of Harvard University—these were among the high-ranking positions he held. In 1863 he was invited to deliver the major address dedicating the new Soldiers’ National Cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on November 19 of that year. Unfortunately for him, the committee that invited him to speak, also invited President Lincoln to make “a few appropriate remarks” to the gathering of soldiers and other notables present that day. Everyone remembers Lincoln’s address. Few remember Everett’s.
Even Everett knew he had been upstaged by Lincoln. On the day following the Gettysburg dedication, he wrote a note to Lincoln, expressing his appreciation for the President’s brief, but very moving speech. He said, “I should be glad, if I could flatter myself that I came as near the central idea of the occasion in two hours, as you did in two minutes.” I believe they call that, “eating humble pie.” But he was right. However, Everett was no slouch when it came to brevity. One quote attributed to him is this one: “Lift where you stand.”
I like it almost as much as the modern parallel: “Grow where you’re planted.” What is the essence of those two quotations? Simply stated, it is sometimes easier to move on to other opportunities in your career while under pressure, than to stand where you are and keep lifting. I heard a radio preacher make this observation recently: “Obstinate church members seem able to re-incarnate themselves in every church you pastor.” In other words, your critics (or someone very much like them) will follow you wherever you labor. In an essay entitled, “Confidence,” the late Konrad Adenauer, former German chancellor, wrote:
Most of us, in moments of fatigue or discouragement, have taken a look at our daily task and wondered, “What does it really matter?” Precisely at those moments we should tell ourselves what my lifetime has taught me is the one true answer: “I shall keep doing the job, for I matter a great deal.”

Focus on Adenauer’s last five words: “I matter a great deal.” A young boy, walking barefoot on the beach near his home, noticed an old gent walking along the same beach, a good distance ahead of him. The boy noticed that the man seemed to be walking, haltingly, and stopping every few paces, picking up something from the sand, and tossing it into the tide as it was going out. As he finally overtook the man, the boy saw that the guy was picking up star fish that had washed ashore. It was the star fish that the old man was throwing back into the sea. When he finally caught up to the man, the boy asked, “Why are you tossing those creatures back into the ocean. It’s a meaningless thing; there are so many. It really doesn’t matter.” To that the old gent paused before throwing another star fish into the water and said, “It matters to that one.”
Just how important is the work you do for God? And for the Church? And for others? How important are you? What you do matters to someone. It should matter to you. Grow where you’re planted. Lift where you stand. It really matters.
Pastor J. T. Carnell.

September Poetry Contest

September Poetry Contest Winners:

In an "in-house" poetry contest there were four winners:

Michelle Angelini, Sleek September
Connie Centrella, Swallowtails
Louis Gander, September's Harvest
Ricky Gibbs, September's Pause

Quentin Clingerman: Originator of Wordchimes.com