My Brothers and My Sisters

If I say, "My brothers and my sisters," it may sound like I'm getting ready to preach you a message or tell you something spiritual, but this time it's not a sermon. I want to talk about my real biological brothers and sisters as opposed to spiritual brothers and sisters.

My oldest brother is Fred. He is the oldest of my siblings and should be the wisest, but I'll not get myself into a family feud about that. He has done extensive travel to Africa and held positions that scare me. I think he is quite wise.

The next oldest sibling is Wilmon (Wil). Wil lives in Texas and thinks like a salesman. He has been a very successful salesman and building manager and knows how to manage most things I guess, except us Brannen siblings. Soon he will be living here in Tennessee near the rest of us and perhaps he can then manage us a lot better.

I'm next in line as we descend the ranks of Brannen seniority. I needn't say anything about me. You can discover more about me on this website and other blogs that I have posted.

Not by our design, but as we come to the lower ranks of Brannen seniority, there are two girls. Not my fault girls. Must be God's design. Anyway, my sister, Bonita, was the youngest in the family until I was in high school and my two older brothers were out of the house on their own. I tried to teach her how to do a lot of things and it always seemed that I could get my way if I played the cards right. She really did accomplish a lot in her career. Among other things, she worked at a bank and for State Farm. Recently, she retired from State Farm and is now enjoying entertaining her family and her siblings. Oh, and she enjoys company from her friends as well. Now, let me tell you about the youngest child in the Louis Brannen family. Donice! That girl is as crazy as I am. We have a lot in common and have had a lot of laughs together. She and I wrote a song once. It was something about a dog I think, or maybe it was about a man or a women. I guess I should know but it never made the charts so it is sung so seldom, no one can remember it. I guess it is only fitting that she should be the one to reach the highest level of education and become the 'counselor'. One of these days I'm gonna let her psychoanalyze me and see if it will help.

Now I haven't put my sisters down by the content of this blog. Oh, no. Actually I think I've said more about them than the rest of us. Also, you must remember that if God designed it that way, then He had a reason. Besides, God said, "The first shall be last and the last shall be first". With that said, let me add, I have a great family. Two great brothers and two great sisters, of whom I am proud. I only hope I can do enough to return the feeling to them about me.

Visit my web-site: http://www.freewebs.com/labrannen

I Love The Country

We just returned from the country where we were looking at a house for sale, located in a boat dock community. We were looking for a house for my brother Wil, who is planning to mover here soon. Anyway, as I was looking at the houses and all that beautiful land along the way, I began to get a real desire to move to the country. Actually, every time I get out in the country, I get a strong desire to sell my house and buy one out where I can be a little more country. There are so many advantages to living out of the city limits and having plenty of space around you. Then again, there are advantages to living in the city. One of the things I would miss most if I moved to the country is 'Wal-mart'. Really, let 'Wal-mart' stand for all the stores and then you must agree that there is that advantage in the city. In the country, you have to make plans for a longer stay at home before the next drive into town. In the city you can just wait 'till the last minute and then get what you want. If you forget something, no problem, just run around the corner and get it. But in the country, you must wait until you go back into the city - or the nearest store, which may be miles away.

Well, I'm back home now, and I am sitting at my computer and I feel OK. I guess I'll keep the house I've got and think about visiting some country folk now and again. In the mean time, I will just keep looking at and longing for a house in the country.

Visit my website at http://www.freewebs.com/labrannen

L & J Specialties

It's about time!

I was just looking at the last blog I posted and surprised that it was a year ago. Man, time sure does fly. As a recent blog that I posted asks, "Where does time go?" I do not have the answer to that question but I have decided that it's about time to do something about a web site that I have had for a couple of years. Let me tell you what I am doing.

I have been looking and searching for some way to earn money without committing myself to someone elses time-schedule for 40 hrs. per week and without having to work on Sundays. In other words, I've been looking for a job where I can go in when I get ready and leave when I get ready. A job where I can work the days I want to and take off the days I want to. And vacations!? Whenever I want to and for ever how long I want to! Not a bad request, huh? If your sides are splitting with laughter right now, I understand. :) I know that sounds like a lazy man's request, so, OK, I'm just a little on the lazy side. But let me get back to my blog.

I have started my own company, business, enterprise, or whatever you want to call it, and I am in the selling business. I've always hated that business but I knew that was where the money was. I call my business "Janwell Enterprise". Actually I created that name for my non-existent business at least 25 years ago. Now, it is the name that will cover any number of ventures I will make in the selling field. Most of the ventures that I will be making will be "on line". As of the 5th. of March, I am the founder, owner, and president of L & J Specialties. I will basically be supplying "specialties", from ceramic 'what-nots' to the table on which to display it; from pocket knives to swords; from a cowboy hat to a wild western water fountain; from a mug for Mom to a mezzaluna chopping set for her kitchen. The list goes on! I will be selling some of these products on line, but I will be distributing catalogs and using other means to get the product in the hands of the consumers.

Now, with that in mind, let's get back to the web site. When I saw that I really had a legitimate product to sell and a legal and respectable course of action to per sue, I knew I needed a web site. Well, what do you know, I already had one! www.freewebs.com/labrannen. Yes, it's free, but that's what I need to get started; to feel my way out onto the world wide web with this business. I imagine I will need a bigger, more professional web site later. When I am making some moolah I will be able to afford something of that nature. Freewebs.com supplies that and the upgrade should be easy and really not very expensive when you are considering the price charged by many hosts. There are other sources available as well, so when that time comes, my plan is to go!

For now, just visit my site and enjoy. I only have five items posted on the website but if you will ask me for a catalog, I'll be glad to mail one to you. Tell me what you think and give me all the help you dare. At least sign my guestbook.

The Gift or The Giver?

Don't you just love to get a gift? I do! Some of us love it so much that we may be thankful only for the gift and not for the giver. As a matter of fact, it doesn't matter who the giver is, so long as we get the gift. Oh, we say that we really appreciate the person who gave us the gift, but you know, if the gift is more important to us than the giver, then we probably do not really appreciate the giver. Now, I do believe that there may be some of us who do appreciate the giver of the gift, but still, it may be hard to determine if we love the gift more than the giver, or vice versa.

You know that God gave us the greatest gift of all, His Son. God has also given us many other gifts: life, health, a house to live in, food to eat, and many other necessities of life. 1 Cor 12:7-10 talks about some spiritual gifts;

7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

Romans 12:6-8 talks about spiritual gifts,

6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;

7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;

8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

Look at the gifts He gave the church in Ephesians 4:11-12,

11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Now, read this: Luke 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? We can't overlook Psalm 68:19, Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.

God is the giver of every good gift that we receive, whether it be spiritual or temporal, but if we are more interested in getting the gift than we are in loving The Giver, then we are missing the mark. May we "seek...first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; (then) all these things shall be added unto (us)". Matt 6:33

The Fountain of Youth!

I can remember, when I was in school, something about Ponce de Leon searching for the fountain of youth. He never found it. Others have searched and some are still searching for it. Let me tell you, it is not to be found by mankind. Not a fountain that will keep you from aging and help you maintain a young and healthy body. However, there is a well of living water that can be found in you and in me, if we will drink of the water that Jesus, God's Son, gives.

John 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

We would pay a large price to get that kind of water; water that would make us live forever.

I'm afraid that it would cost more than we could afford to pay. Perhaps that is why Jesus says that He will give it to us for free.

Re 21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

Can you imagine living forever in the bodies that we now have? These bodies that we have could not take it. We will need, and will get a new body. One that will not get old and wrinkled, or sick. That new body will not be cursed by evil but will be incorruptable and one day we will have that kind of body. I believe that Jesus is the water of life and I must drink Him in. I'm glad that anyone who wants to drink of Him can do it. It doesn't cost a cent. It's free.

Re 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

Well, What Can I Say!

Just click on this link and that will suffice!

More About Janis and Teacher of the Year

If you'd like to read more about Janis, as well as the two other system winners, Click Here. This article appeared on the front page of the real live newspaper, along with pictures - much better pictures than before. (Cleveland Daily Banner, dated Friday, March 13, 2009)

I Am Proud Of My Wife

For those of you who know my wife, Janis, you know that I am indeed a blessed man. What an excellent lady she is. When we met, she had already begun her career in teaching. She was teaching English at her High School alma mater, Calwell Parish High School, in Columbia, LA. All of our married life, she has been a teacher - an excellent teacher.



Being a minister, I traveled from place to place in my career seldom stopping very long at any one place. I knew she was an excellent teacher and the school system and the principal of the school just didn't realize what a great employee she was. If they had known, they probably would have given her special recognition every where we went. Instead, just about the time she was making her mark, about 2 yrs., I felt the urge to travel on, so we packed up and moved to another city and/or state, there to start all over again in our lives. For me, it was a new church and the preaching ministry and for her, it was a new school and the teaching ministry.

She stayed at one school for 9 years even though I pastored two different churches during that time and we lived in two different cities, or towns. She probably enjoyed those years best of all. She was teaching Special Education at that time and she was recognized as the Special Education Teacher of the Year for LaSalle Parish. I think her supervisor realized what a great teacher she was but that recognition didn't seem to carry the prestige as being recognized as Teacher of the Year would have and does carry.


Now in my retirement years, we have settled in (for now anyway) here at Cleveland, TN and Janis is making her impact again, in the Cleveland City School System. She was recently nominated by her peers as a candidate for Teacher of the Year at her school, Cleveland Middle School, and chosen by the supervising committee to receive that recognition and was then a candidate for the City School System as Middle School Teacher of the Year. She achieved the next step of recognition by the City School officials who selected her as Cleveland City Schools Middle School Teacher of the Year. Now, that means she, as well as the winner for the Bradley County School System will be entered for the regional slot in the state of Tennessee. I guess it could go on, but we are so appreciative for this recognition that we will just bask in the sunshine of it and enjoy it for now. Check the article in the Cleveland Daily Banner dated 03/03/09.


Where would she be and what would she have become if I had stayed in one place for 20 or 30 years? Who knows? It may have been good and it may have been bad. But the fact that she was willing to up-root so many times and restart the whole process, shows me that she held me and my career, the ministry, in high regards. What can I say? Isn't she the greatest? What a blessed man I am. You can see why I am proud of my wife.

My Progress Report

I told some of you that I would let you know what I found out from the Gastroenterologist concerning my liver (hep-c condition). Is it always true that the doctors do not come right out and tell you what you want to hear? I would rather hear, "It looks bad" than to hear medical jargon that really leaves me still in the dark. Really I'd rather hear, "It looks good."

So, what did the doctor say? First they took my blood, three vials, and did the lab work. My enzymes are elevated and my viral load has go back up to 5,200,000 +/-. I wrote about that already on fb. Then, I had radiology done on my liver. I thought I would hear something solid, one way or the other, but, perhaps to my medical jargon ignorence, what I heard was medical jargon that really ........ like I already said. What I was told was that I looked good, or did she say "ok", or was it "fine"? Not sure, but how can that be if my liver enzymes are elevated and the viral load is over 5 million? I was not told that I had improved or 'deproved'. What? Did I hear somebody say, "Well, why didn't you just ask?" My answer is, "I did." Maybe I just can't remember the exact words. My forgetter is working quite well!

I was told that I had gall-stones. We've known that for maybe two years (I was told that back then but, like I said, my forgetter is working real good). At least it is on the record that I have gall-stones, and I was told that if I wanted to have the surgery to remove the gall bladder, just let them know. I asked about disintegrating the stones and was informed that they didn't, wouldn't or couldn't do that. (My forgetter at work again.) Kidney stones...........yes, but gall stones..........no. After asking what the symptoms were for gall-stones and realizing that I was having none of those symptoms, I decided that I didn't want to punish myself with that operation of removing my gall bladder. Now, you understand that I wouldn't have to remove it myself. The doc would do that. :) Hey, I guess the doc says that I'm ok, but with an active hep-c condition,.........I don't know.

I thank God for every day of strength that He gives me. When I feel 'funny', my energy is totally gone, or I'm having brain fog reactions I will just take it easy and know that tomorrow is going to be better. I will keep trying to eat properly (I'm always stumbling with that), and I'll keep my eyes open for some naturel health remedies to whatever ails me. I'll continue to give my regular doctor some blood samples about every 4 mos. Maybe every 6 mos. I'll go back to the gastroenterologist after a year for another check up, maybe. Who knows? The rapture of the church may take place before that time and I hope to be gone if it happens. Otherwise, I still alive and well. Talk to you later!

There aught-to-be!

We just celebrated our Senior Adult Ministry at the church and I was just thinking...."there aught to be a distinction between 'young adult' and 'senior adult'. Well, I guess there is. It's called middle-aged. But, that sounds like someone who is torn between the two classes. Their fading youth pulls them away from their inevitable older age....for a while. Then their certain destiny of old age yanks them back from the ranks of the young. Sometimes it literally 'yanks their back' and reminds them that they are no longer young.

I've noticed that these 'middle-aged' people are usually not happy to announce their age. If you've noticed, the youth will proudly say, "I'm 16", or "19", or maybe they are pround to say, "I'm 21", or even "35". Also, it's noticable that the aged are proud to say, "I'm 65", or "75", and with much more pride you may hear someone say as they have a broad smile on their face, "I'm 85", or with a much more frail voice, "I'm 95 years old today!" It's that gap between 35 and 65 that seems to be hard to define. Maybe we could make it more precise and say between 40 and 60. They are not young adults and they are not senior citizens. Oh, they may run with the young and the wild,...for a while, or they may get a senior discount at their favorite resturant, but they are 'middle-aged'.

I have a suggestion. Let's say that after the teen years, a person is a young adult through 29, a sophomore adult from 30 to 45, a junior adult from 45-60, and a senior adult from 60 to whatever. For greater clarification, the Senior adults are silver senior adults from 60 to 75, gold senior adults from 75 to 90 and beyond 90 the senior adult is a platnium senior adult. I think those who are struggling with their middle-age will have an easier transition to their senior adult position if we adopt these standards. If anyone has problems beyond the scope of this designation, well, they just need more professional help than I can offer. Sorry!

While searching the internet, I found this which may help clarifiy senior adult status: You might be a Senior Adult if:

Everything hurts, and what doesn't hurt doesn't work. The gleam in your eye is from the sun hitting your bifocals.
Your little black book contains names that only end in M.D.
Your children begin to look middle age.
You finally reach the top of the ladder and find it's leaning against the wrong wall.
Your mind makes contracts that your body can't keep.
You look forward to a dull evening.
Your favorite part of the newspaper is "Today In History."
You turn out the lights for economic reasons rather than romantic ones.
You sit in the rocking chair and can't get it going.
You knees buckle but your belt won't.
You're 17 around the neck, 42 around the waist, and 96 around the golf course.
Your back goes out more often than you do.
You get excited and your pacemaker makes the garage door open.
The little old grey haired lady you helped across the street was your wife.
You sink your teeth into a steak and they stay there.
You have too much room in the house and not enough in the medicine cabinet.
You know all the answers but nobody asks you any questions

I may be having a little trouble adjusting to my status, but you see, I'm an exception. I am 66 years young but I don't look it. If you don't believe me, just ask my wife. Neither do I feel like I should be 66, and you know, 'you're only as old as you feel," so I don't mind being a little exceptional. No, I'm OK. It's just all those other aged people out there that are having a time adjusting that I am concerned about. (Is anybody laughing! Watch it!)