Dear friends and family:
Blogger’s Corner:
Big Jim;
I would love to give the Pastor of this predominantly black church in Virginia a high five.
This guy is obviously a leader and not just one of the sheep. Perhaps we should each decide who our real leader is.
It is amazing to see that very little has changed in 4,000 years.
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RECENT VIRGINIA CHURCH SERVICE
- STIMULUS SERMON: Gen 47:13-27
Good morning, brothers and sisters; it’s always a delight to see the pews crowded on Sunday morning, and so eager to get into God’s Word. Turn with me in your Bibles, if you will to the 47th chapter of Genesis, we’ll begin our reading at verse 13, and go through verse 27.
Brother Ray, would you stand and read that great passage for us?
……(reads Genesis 47:13-27)…
Thank you for that fine reading, Brother Ray…. So we see that economic hard times fell upon Egypt , and the people turned to the government of Pharaoh to deal with this for them. And Pharaoh nationalized the grain harvest, and placed the grain in great storehouses that he had built.
So the people brought their money to Pharaoh, like a great tax increase, and gave it all to him willingly in return for grain. And this went on until their money ran out, and they were hungry again.
So when they went to Pharaoh after that, they brought their livestock – their cattle, their horses, their sheep, and their donkey – to barter for grain, and verse 17 says that only took them through the end of that year.
But the famine wasn’t over, was it? So the next year, the people came before Pharaoh and admitted they had nothing left, except their land and their own lives. “There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our land. Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for food, and we with our land will be servants to Pharaoh.”
So they surrendered their homes, their land, and their real estate to Pharaoh’s government, and then sold themselves into slavery to him, in return for grain. What can we learn from this, brothers and sisters?
That turning to the government instead of to God to be our provider in hard times only leads to slavery? Yes. That the only reason government wants to be our provider is to also become our master? Yes.
But look how that passage ends, brothers and sisters! Thus Israel settled in the land of Egypt , in the land of Goshen . And they gained possessions in it, and were fruitful and multiplied greatly.” God provided for His people, just as he always has! They didn’t end up giving all their possessions to government, no, it says they gained possessions!
But I also tell you a great truth today, and an ominous one. We see the same thing happening today – the government today wants to “share the wealth “once again, to take it from us and redistribute it back to us. It wants to take control of healthcare, just as it has taken control of education, and ration it back to us, and when government rations it, then government decides who gets it, and how much, and what kind. And if we go along with it, and do it willingly, then we will wind up no differently than the people of Egypt did four thousand years ago – as slaves to the government, and as slaves to our leaders.
What Mr. Obama’s government is doing now is no different from what Pharaoh’s government did then, and it will end the same. And a lot of people like to call Mr. Obama a “Messiah,” don’t they? Is he a Messiah? A savior? Didn’t the Egyptians say, after Pharaoh made them his slaves, “You have saved our lives; may it please my lord, we will be servants to Pharaoh”?
Well, I tell you this – I know the Messiah; the Messiah is a friend of mine; and Mr. Obama is no Messiah! No, brothers and sisters, if Mr. Obama is a character from the Bible, then he is Pharaoh.
Bow with me in prayer, if you will.
Lord,
You alone are worthy to be served, and we rely on You, and You alone. We confess that the government is not our deliverer, and never rightly will be. We read in the eighth chapter of 1 Samuel, when Samuel warned the people of what a ruler would do, where it says “And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day.” And Lord, we acknowledge that day has come. We cry out to you because of the ruler that we have chosen for ourselves as a nation. Lord, we pray for this nation. We pray for revival, and we pray for deliverance from those who would be our masters. Give us hearts to seek You and hands to serve You, and protect Your people from the atrocities of Pharaoh’s government.
Amen.
From Davenport Richard
A Poem Worth Reading
He was getting old and paunchy
And his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion,
Telling stories of the past.
Of a war that he once fought in
And the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies;
They were heroes, every one.
And ‘tho sometimes to his neighbors
His tales became a joke,
All his buddies listened quietly
For they knew where of he spoke.
But we’ll hear his tales no longer,
For ol’ Bob has passed away,
And the world’s a little poorer
For a Soldier died today.
He won’t be mourned by many,
Just his children and his wife.
For he lived an ordinary,
Very quiet sort of life.
He held a job and raised a family,
Going quietly on his way;
And the world won’t note his passing,
‘Tho a Soldier died today.
When politicians leave this earth,
Their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing,
And proclaim that they were great.
Papers tell of their life stories
From the time that they were young
But the passing of a Soldier
Goes unnoticed, and unsung.
Is the greatest contribution
To the welfare of our land,
Some jerk who breaks his promise
And cons his fellow man?
Or the ordinary fellow
Who in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his country
And offers up his life?
The politician’s stipend
And the style in which he lives,
Are often disproportionate,
To the service that he gives.
While the ordinary Soldier,
Who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal
And perhaps a pension, small.
It’s so easy to forget them,
For it is so many times
That our Bobs and Jims and Johnnys,
Went to battle, but we know,
It is not the politicians
With their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom
That our country now enjoys..
Should you find yourself in danger,
With your enemies at hand,
Would you really want some cop-out,
With his ever waffling stand?
Or would you want a Soldier–
His home, his country, his kin,
Just a common Soldier,
Who would fight until the end.
He was just a common Soldier,
And his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us
We may need his like again.
For when countries are in conflict,
We find the Soldier’s part
Is to clean up all the troubles
That the politicians start.
If we cannot do him honor
While he’s here to hear the praise,
Then at least let’s give him homage
At the ending of his days.
Perhaps just a simply headline
In the paper that might say:
“OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING,
A SOLDIER DIED TODAY.”
Author Unknown
Grammy Sammie
The Seed
A successful business man was growing old and
knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business.
Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children,
he decided to do something different. He called all the young
executives in his company together.
He said, “It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have decided to choose one of you. “The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued. “I am going to give each one of you a SEED today – one very special SEED. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO.”
One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed. Everyday, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.
Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew.
Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing.
By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn’t have a plant and he felt like a failure.
Six months went by — still nothing in Jim’s pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn’t say anything to his colleagues, however. He just kept watering and fertilizing the soil – He so wanted the seed to grow.
A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection.
Jim told his wife that he wasn’t going to take an empty pot.
But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick to his stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to the board room. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful — in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed,
a few felt sorry for him!
When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room
and greeted his young executives.
Jim just tried to hide in the back. “My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown,” said the CEO.
“Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!”
All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the Financial Director to bring him to the front. Jim was terrified. He thought, “The CEO knows I’m a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!”
When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed – Jim told him the story.
The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim.
He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, “Behold your next Chief Executive Officer!
“His name is Jim!” Jim couldn’t believe it.
Jim couldn’t even grow his seed.
“How could he be the new CEO?” the others said.
Then the CEO said, “One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead – it was not possible for them to grow.
All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and
flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you
substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the
only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with
my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new
Chief Executive Officer!”
* If you plant honesty, you will reap trust
* If you plant goodness, you will reap friends
* If you plant humility, you will reap greatness
* If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment
* If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective
* If you plant hard work, you will reap success
* If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation
* If you plant faith, you will reap a harvest
So, be careful what you plant now;
it will determine what you will reap later.
“Do not be deceived:
God cannot be mocked.
A man reaps what he sows.”
Galatians 6:7
Lighter Side
Marvelous Marcel
An older gentleman had an appointment to see the urologist who shared offices with several other doctors. The waiting room was filled with patients. As he approached the receptionist’s desk, he noticed that the receptionist was a large unfriendly woman who looked like a Sumo wrestler. He gave her his name.
In a very loud voice, the receptionist said, “YES, I HAVE YOUR NAME HERE; YOU WANT TO SEE THE DOCTOR ABOUT IMPOTENCE, RIGHT?”
All the patients in the waiting room snapped their heads around to look at the very embarrassed man. He recovered quickly, and in an equally loud! voice replied, ‘NO, I’VE COME TO INQUIRE ABOUT A SEX CHANGE OPERATION, BUT I DON’T WANT THE SAME DOCTOR THAT DID YOURS.’
The room erupted in applause!
Cailf. Clint
They’re Back! Those wonderful Church Bulletins! Thank God for church ladies with typewriters. These sentences (with all the BLOOPERS) actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services.
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The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.
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The sermon this morning: ‘Jesus Walks on the Water.’ The sermon tonight: ‘Searching for Jesus.’
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Ladies, don’t forget the rummage sale. It’s a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.
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Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community. Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say ‘Hell’ to someone who doesn’t care much about you.
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Don’t let worry kill you off – let the Church help.
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Miss Charlene Mason sang ‘I will not pass this way again,’ giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.
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For those of you who have children and don’t know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
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Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.
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Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.
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A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow.
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At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be ‘What Is Hell?’ Come early and listen to our choir practice.
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Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.
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Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.
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Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.
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The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility.
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Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM – prayer and medication to follow.
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The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.
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This evening at 7 PM there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.
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Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B. S. Is done.
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The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the Congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.
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Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door.
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The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare’s Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.
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Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.
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The Associate Minister unveiled the church’s new campaign slogan last Sunday: ‘I Upped My Pledge – Up Yours’.
Davenport Richard sends us these next two:
Subject: Psychiatrists vs. Bartenders
Ever since I was a child, I’ve always had a fear of someone under my
bed at night.
So I went to a shrink and told him . . . ‘I’ve got problems. Every
time I go to bed I think there’s somebody under it. I’m scared. I
think I’m going crazy.’
‘Just put yourself in my hands for one year,’ said the shrink. ‘Come
talk to me three times a week and we should be able to get rid of
those fears..’
‘How much do you charge?’
‘Eighty dollars per visit,’ replied the Doctor.
‘I’ll sleep on it,’ I said.
Six months later the doctor met me on the street. ‘Why didn’t you ever
come to see me about those fears you were having?’ he asked.
‘Well, eighty bucks a visit three times a week for a year is an awful
lot of money! A bartender cured me for $10. I was so happy to have
saved all
that money that I went and bought me a new pickup!’
‘Is that so!’ With a bit of an attitude he said, ‘and how, may I ask,
did a bartender cure you?’
‘He told me to cut the legs off the bed! Ain’t nobody under there
now!’
Old Farmer’s Advice:
Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.
Keep skunks and bankers at a distance..
Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.
A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.
Words that soak into your ears are whispered…not yelled.
Meanness don’t jes’ happen overnight.
Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.
It don’t take a very big person to carry a grudge.
You cannot unsay a cruel word.
Every path has a few puddles.
When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.
The best sermons are lived, not preached.
Most of the stuff people worry about ain’t never gonna happen anyway.
Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
Don ‘t interfere with somethin’ that ain’t bothering you none.
Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a Rain dance.
If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin’
Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.
The biggest troublemaker you’ll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin’.
Always drink upstream from the herd.
Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.
Lettin’ the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin’ it back in.
If you get to thinkin’ you’re a person of some influence, try orderin’ somebody else’s dog around..
Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.
Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight,he’ll just kill you.
Prayer
The people of Haiti
My Aunt Della (see above) this is from son Tony (Pastor Sam’s brother): Mom had a mini-stroke last week end; it was complicated by a viral infection in her lungs… she is in rehab now – room 211 at the same hospital. Don’t know for how long but she is doing well… Thank you ALL for the prayers. My sister Nancy is up there visiting and we are blessed for Sam & Deb. Love, Anthony
John B (frequent Blogger) hand surgery
Safety for troops and relief workers in Haiti
Safety for grandson Scott in Haiti with Marines
Family of Harold Larkin who passed away last week (especially two of my favorite students, his youngest children: Shaughn and Siobhan) Harold Larkin
Answered Prayer: Keep Baby Camdyn in prayer for strength. As you know she came through her first surgery with flying colors , thanks in no small part to your prayer! But remember she will need even a more serious surgery in about five months.
Cousin Dick (Jamestown Patti’s brother) cancer of prostate… scheduled soon to begin radiation treatment
Close friend Norma W passed away after long illness… please continue to pray for family and husband Chuck
Brother Vince, heart and circulation issues bypass and stint surgery upcoming
Brother Mike, high blood pressure
Krisher family for loss of son John
Betty K is now home from the hospital… please continue to pray
DK stress
Sue intestinal disease… upcoming surgery healing and salvation
Please pray for our troops and especially the victims of Islamist Terrorism
Jamestown Patti’s special family Steven’s Johnson Syn. little 7 yr. old girl
DG gainful employment
Blogger Clint having problems with liver toxicity… may need transplant, please pray (see above).
Our nation, our President, our Congress, our courts… to put the people before their ideology
TD for special intention
From JAZ… Sending this message on to you because I know you to be prayer warriors. Kairos Torch for juveniles is very dear to my heart. This is a Christian outreach to troubled youth. Please pray that Kairos Torch will become reality in NY.
Close family friend Brenda… has been diagnosed with MS and has lost her job.
AE for strength to face his dilemma
TD gainful employment
Prayer for David S… wisdom in working with employee and former owner
Bless and pray for our service men and women as they seem to have fewer and fewer options as they deal with a mortal enemy.
Friend Gary W biopsy (prostate) … no update
Friend Jimmy W having back problems… no update
wdb prostate problems continue
Cousins Dan and Sharon (husband and wife): Dan has just received a pace maker and Sharon had both knees replacements. Both recovering nicely.
Continue to pray for missionary Bergman’s as they lost their wife and mother this past year
Maria – diabetes is critical. She had a skin and muscle biopsy and suspect small nerve neuropathy. Please continue to pray no change in her condition.
Clint: to find his son in Viet Nam and have the opportunity to present salvation to him. Clint is in hospital for esophageal bleeding, please keep him in prayer. Has liver toxicity (see above)
Pastor Neil S. (long time close friend and prayer partner) pray for God’s Will in his ministry. A possible opening in a local church…
Niece Rhonda is still weakened condition, but continues to work… continue to pray for strength and healing.
Brother Les is about the same, but he continues to have a Godly attitude. Yet the burden continues to be heavy on both he and Valarie. She has been down to help take care of kids (Les accompanied)… she sounded exhausted when she called yesterday. Please keep both Val and Les in prayer… such a faithful couple please keep them in prayer… Camdyn’s grandparents!
Transplants: Good Friend Keith – liver, Brother Pat – liver, Good Friend Jim – kidney … please keep praying for their well being; they all are doing well as of this printing
Sister Jane, Brenda, Cousins Janet, and Karen for strength… all are suffering from MS. Janet is now home from rehab. with cousin Tom caring for her.
Unity for our family
Brenda’s son medical condition- update- normal tests will undergo sleep study, still no diagnosis for seizures
Tolerance, Christ’s Love, and Understanding for our families, friends, and enemies
Bonnie Erbie (author accusing Christians of being knuckle draggers), prayer for salvation.
Pray for wisdom and spiritual guidance in rearing children for our family as well as the renewal of the nuclear family; pray that marriage stays as one man, one woman, but rights are extended to same gender unions.
Pray for truth in education… i.e. AIDS, abortion, evolution, American History, and Man Made Global Warming
Pray for our troops each evening at 9:00 pm. every night … pray that America wakes up to evil before it is too late
Pray for Nephews John and Ryan – Navy and grandson Scott a Marine.
Prayer for healthy and safe births: Kassilyn, Meg, and Melissa
Prayer partners John and Ron and family.
Please continue to pray for health issues for five of our nieces and Marilyn.
Pastors: Dan, John, Tom, Lyell, Steve D, Ben, Estes, Gail, Sam, Whittikers, Neil, and Steve T for their ministries, ease of stress, and courage to spread the gospel; wisdom for all leadership at Yates, Greater Toledo 1st Baptist, Clermont First Baptist.
Prayer for honesty and openness to return to Washington…
Billy Graham’s Prayer For Our Nation:
‘Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, ‘Woe to those who call evil good,’ but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics.. We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free. Amen!’
Clermont Sunday School
Twila and Thom S requested prayer for their brother, Richard, and his wife Jennifer who is in a coma. She has cancer throughout her body.
Our visitor, Rose W, requested prayer for the Lord to continue to give spiritual guidance to her family.
David and Shelia D’s house in Maryland still needs to be sold.
Charlie Mae’s sister in New York.
Our church for unity of spirit, revival and renewal, and guidance for the future.
Chuck and Muriel D who will be traveling to Maryland this weekend for a speaking engagement.
Yates:
Harold Larkin passed away last week, services will be Friday at Yates; pray for Judy and family
Rita H is again having heart problems, she is wearing a heart monitor to gain an accurate diagnosis… no diagnosis yet
Tom H is recovering nicely after a minor heart keep praying please
Lynne (not Wilson) from Detroit… back surgery with staph infection complications (MERSA) no update
M Larkin had a heart attack will need to undergo surgery (Thursday) please keep her in prayer
Jacob (5 year old) has psoriasis, and has improved but still an issue, please continue to pray… he is improving
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing
Dr B