Good Things

by Everett Christian, McAlester, OK

GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS HOLY WORD
1 Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. 2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore. - Psalm 125:1-2(New International Version).

GOD'S PROMISE TO US FROM HIS HOLY WORD
(The Apostle Paul wrote) 6 "God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might 10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed." - 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10(New International Version).

A QUOTE
Always tell the truth, and you never have to remember what you said. - T. L. Osborn -

A THOUGHT TO REMEMBER
God's gifts are never loans; they are always deposits. - From Don't Wait for Your Ship to Come In -

NOTES
Today has been a sunny day. I saw Charley and Bill at noon time. I went to the post office. At 2:10 I took my cat named Rascal to the vet for his annual examination and vaccinations. He was a pretty good cat. He meowed some on the way to the vet but I would talk to him to try to let him know everything was going to be okay. Putting my cats into a little carrier and taking them to the vet is one thing that I don't like to do because I am afraid they don't understand. Rascal has been fine since he came back from the vet. In fact he lay in my lap for almost an hour before I started the Good Things. Rascal is a big cat. He weighed 16 pounds. I lay down for my nap at around 3:00 p.m. after I returned from the vet. Tony snuggled pretty close as I took my nap. At 5:00 p.m. I took the treats out to the cats. Since last night's Good Things I have heard from Burlene, Debra, Alice, Mary Jo, Michele, Geneva, Tiyan, Stan, Michelle and Jamie MacFarland. I am always happy to receive e-mails. In the next paragraph I will try to explain what happened yesterday, last evening and today.
Yesterday, I received an e-mail from a dear friend which said Re Hey and then said check this out with a link. I clicked on the link and it talked about jobs and working from home. Then I received another e-mail from another dear friend which said Everett hey and said here is the information. I clicked on that link and it was the same as the previous e-mail. I didn't think too much about it until last night I discovered that I was sending e-mails to everyone in my address book with the same information that was in the e-mails I received. I suppose each one of you have received an e-mail from me and I am very, very sorry about it and I apologize for it. Today I had AT&T change my password. From now on I will be very, very careful about clicking on links even from friends and each of you should do the same. Again, I am truly sorry for what happened.
The cats are fine. I have seen all of them this evening. Rascal is asleep in the recliner.
I will see you next time, In Christian Love, Everett.

Calling You to Prayer

Do you consider yourself a devout Christian? Then I challenge you to join me in prayer for our nation, its leaders, and a spiritual awakening that will change attitudes and direction in righteousness, justice, and mercy. I plan to pray five minutes a day for this country each and everyday. You may select your own time of day but will you pray with me that God will reveal Himself in powerful ways that will affect the way this nation is headed. We are in trouble Folks. Our decline is assured if we continue the path we are on. Thank you for praying. Quentin Clingerman, Walkersville, MD

Good Things

by Everett Christian, McAlester, OK

GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS HOLY WORD
7 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8 The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. - 1 John 3:7-8(New International Version).

GOD'S PROMISE TO US FROM HIS HOLY WORD
5 The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. - Psalm 116:5(New International Version).

A QUOTE
Some temptations come to the industrious, but all temptations attack the idle. - Charles Spurgeon -

A THOUGHT TO REMEMBER
Junk is something you've kept for years and throw away weeks before you need it. - From Reminisce Magazine -

NOTES
Today has been a sunny day. I had lunch with Charley and Pastor J.T. I went to the post office, then to Walgreen's to pick up a prescription and then to Braum's for an item. I took my nap with Smokey this afternoon. I put treats outside for the cats around 4:30 p.m. Since last night's Good Things I have heard from Michelle and Alice. Please pray for Michelle as her unemployment has run out and she still doesn't have a job.
It appears that someone has hacked into my computer. I notice that a lot of e-mails have gone out from me to some of you folks that I didn't send and I have received a couple of e-mails that I know were not sent by that person. I don't know what I can do about it since I am too old to be worried with that kind of stuff. I will contact my grandson who is a computer specialist and see what is going on.
The cats are fine. Rascal is asleep in the recliner. I have seen all of the cats this evening.
I will see you next time if I get my computer straightened out.
In Christian Love, Everett.

P.S. - I just talked to my grandson and he said I probably need to call AT&T and change my password. He said someway someone must have gotten my password but it is not a big deal just a big nuisance.

Daily Jewel

by Pastor Carnell, McAlester, OK

“Do You Know Where You Are?”
"I am Lady Wisdom, and I live next to Sanity; Knowledge and Discretion live just down the street.” – Proverbs 8:12 (MSG)

Have you ever noticed those huge maps at Visitors’ Centers that are located on most freeways and toll-ways? I like the ones that have a well-marked spot on the map that reads, “You Are Here.” It’s always nice to know where “here” is. You can’t be expected to know where “there” is until you know where you are at that moment. I came across a clever quote by Steven Wright recently. He said,
“I have an existential map; it has ‘You Are Here’ written all over it.”

Question: Do you know where you are, spiritually speaking? Is it anywhere close to where God is? Do you know what your destination is? I want to share with you several interesting “You are Here” stories. I hope you enjoy them. Laurence and Florence Spungen decided to sell their family business. Located in Waukegan, Illinois, the Peer Bearing Company has been in business since 1941. When the company was sold, Laurence, Florence and their four children decided to cut bonus checks for each one of their 230 employees. The amount they decided to distribute totaled $6.6-million! Dave Tiderman wondered if the decimal point was in the wrong place when he opened the envelope that contained a $35,000 check. Valentin Dima didn’t trust his emotions. He drove home before he opened his envelope: $33,000. The bonus amounts varied according to the length of time the employees worked at Peer. But everyone was surprised. Wouldn’t you like to have been an employee the day the bonuses were distributed? Arthur Mkoyan was a 17-year-old valedictorian at his high school in Fresno, California. He had lost his chance to study chemistry at UC Davis because of immigration problems involving his father. Arthur wasn’t sure if he would be deported or ever be permitted to finish his education. Then a woman named Sherry Heacox saw a story about Arthur’s plight and decided to help him out. She offered to pay for his tuition to attend UC Davis for four years. The Mkoian family had not entered the country illegally. They entered on a tourist visa from Armenia in 1991 and applied for asylum, which was denied. A U.S. Senator has introduced a bill in the Senate to allow the family time to seek lawful permanent residence.
A couple of years ago a very anxious woman named Belinda Davis got through to Rush Limbaugh on his syndicated talk radio show. Rush told CNSNews, “She sounded so tired, distraught, and frightened about her and her husband’s business future” that “on a whim” Limbaugh decided to buy the Davises a new car. They selected a 2009 Chevrolet Tahoe. With everything included, the deal added up to $58,000. The radio show host also paid the tax, title, and licensing fees. As it turned out, the gift couldn’t have come at a better time. The Davis’ car needed a new transmission. Regardless of how you feel about the person, how about that for a “You Are Here” story? Awesome.
One Sunday morning the pastor of a large urban church preached a sermon on baptism. At the close, he said that he couldn’t remember whether or not he had been baptized as a child. He asked his mother, and she couldn’t remember either. So, he announced that he had decided to be obedient to the scriptural admonition found in the Book of Acts. He had been a believer for years; now he wanted to be baptized. He invited others (in both morning worship services) to join him. The church had purchased sets of under-garments and robes for around 50 people. Spontaneously, responding to the pastor’s invitation, a total of 173 youth and adults stepped forward! Between services the staff hurried off to purchase more under-garments. They used the church dryer to dry the robes between (and later during) the services. What began as an obedient response by a pastor to be baptized resulted in more baptisms that one Sunday than the church had seen in any one year in its hundred-year history. You should have been there to see it yourself.
What’s the point? Maybe there is an existential “map” that includes churches like yours. Maybe it has “You Are Here!” written all over it. Maybe what God is waiting for is for one obedient pilgrim to step forward under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and say to the congregation, “Is there anybody out there who would like to join me?” The results could surprise you. Be sure you have plenty of dry robes handy.
Pastor J. T. Carnell

Good Things

by Everett Christian, McAlester, OK

GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS HOLY WORD
5 -make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. - 2 Peter 1:5-8(New International Version).

GOD'S PROMISE TO US FROM HIS HOLY WORD
23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. - Hebrews 10:23(New International Version).

A QUOTE
A wise old owl sat on an oak, The more he saw the less he spoke; The less he spoke the more he heard; Why aren't we like that wise old bird? - Edward H. Richards -

A THOUGHT TO REMEMBER
The best way to bring focus into your life is never to place a question mark where God has put a period. - From Don't Wait for Your Ship to Come In -

NOTES
Today has been a sunny day with a high temperature of 53 degrees and a low temperature this morning of 28 degrees. I saw Charley and Bill at noon time. I went to the post office. I went to the Petsense Store and then to Walmart for my weekly cat food and human supplies. I took a nap this afternoon without a cat sleeping with me. I put treats outside for the cats at around 4:30 p.m. but it was much too cold to stay outside for long. I have had e-mails expressing appreciation for going ahead with the Good Things last night. Since last night's Good Things I have heard from Paula, Burlene, Alice, Dianne, Geneva and Michelle. I always appreciate those e-mails. The cats are fine. Rascal is asleep in the recliner. I have seen all of the cats this evening. When I finish the Good Things I will have to take the recliner from Rascal and let him stay in my lap.
I hope everyone has a nice Tuesday!
I will see you next time, In Christian Love, Everett.