We all start shopping for Christmas this time of year, and many of us already shop through Amazon. If you're not already aware, if you simply put "smile" in front of amazon, you land on Amazon Smile, which allows a portion of all of your purchases to be sent to the charity of your choice. We are an approved charity with them.  You can support us simply by choosing us as your chosen charity when you shop at Amazon this holiday season. Login to amazon smile at smile.amazon.com/ch/64-1641617. #AmazonSmile #StartWithaSmile

Once you are set up with Joseph's Storehouse as your chosen charity, as long as your order through smile.amazon.com, a percentage of your purchases all year long will be donated to us to help support the needy in our community. In this way, you can give back without even opening your pocketbook. How great is that?!  However, if you are able to open your pocketbook, we do need your ongoing support to help us keep the doors open and the food going out. This time of year is especially needful. Thank you again for your continued support of the work we are doing to help the less fortunate in the community.

A large portion of the people we serve are single parents, or families who have fallen on hard times.  For them, school starting back in the fall is both a blessing and a burden. They are grateful the children will be in school receiving two meals each day, but they have the extra stress of school clothes and supplies to buy when they can't even afford food much of the time.  Several churches in the area offer school supplies, backpacks and more. We also have resources for free clothing in our area, which is a blessing to those in need. Here at Joseph's Storehouse, we provide food, but sometimes we also have school supplies. Be sure to ask about them if you haven't been able to go to the big church giveaways. 

Joyce Wilson has written an article to give parents some tips to make back to school time easier for everyone:

Start the School Year With a Bang

As summer draws to a close and brief hints of fall float through the air, the minds of kids and teenagers all across the land begin to turn toward school. Many may be anxious as they start a new school year. Their schedules are about to become busier and they’re starting a new grade or new school. Here is a bit of advice for how parents can help their kids feel excited instead of anxious for the beginning of a new school year.

Start Off Well

Mornings can often be the roughest part of the day for kids as everyone in the family scrambles to get up, get dressed, eat breakfast and fly out the door. Starting the family’s day in a calmer, more organized manner will get your kids off to school on a positive note. To do so, make sure your kids get enough sleep so they’ll be ready to get up in plenty of time. Prepare as much as possible the night before; gather school supplies, pack lunches and choose clothes. As parents, you should get up well before your kids - if you are rushed and flustered, they will be, too. You should also set up a morning routine for them so they know exactly what to do, including brushing their teeth, making their bed, unloading the dishwasher and eating breakfast.

Schedule It Out

Remember that it will take a few days at least to get back in the swing of the school schedule and adjust to the increased workload compared to summer, so give yourself and your kids some grace. Start adjusting their schedules a week or so before the actual first day of school so getting up earlier is not such a rude awakening. They will also have to get used to homework again, so help them out by setting up a well-lit, comfortable, uncluttered place for them to do their work when they get home. Give them a snack and some downtime before making them jump right into homework every day. Make sure you’re not overcommitted with extra-curricular activities as well. Too many places to go can wreak major havoc on your family’s schedule, and you’ll need some down time to just breathe as you adjust to the reality of a new schedule.

Get Organized

Taking stock of what should be organized as you start back to school will also help. Start by doing a thorough cleaning of each kid’s room and closet. Go through their clothes and donate, sell or hand down anything they have outgrown. Get their homework areas clean as well. Make sure you have extra school supplies at home. Kids always need paper, pencils, crayons and more when they’re deep into homework. Set up a calendar and filing system so everyone is up-to-date on schedules and your kids have a place to put the never-ending pipeline of papers that flow to and from school.

Also think about what new supplies or equipment you might need to buy. For example, if you have a younger child who'll be playing online games or doing online exercises as part of their schoolwork or if you have an older child who listens to music while doing homework, a good set of headphones is a solid back-to-school gear investment. Many options are relatively inexpensive and a decent pair can be found for less than $100.

Following these tips will reduce back-to-school chaos and anxiety in your family. In fact, they may even help your kids start to build some excitement for the new school year. The first day of school will be here before we know it. Have a great year!

We hope everyone has a blessed Father's Day weekend.  Many families will gather together and enjoy a big meal and perhaps some fun in the sun, weather permitting.  While you are enjoying it, would you consider those less fortunate than you that perhaps don't have a father in the home?

We see so many single parents; while most are mothers, some are fathers. Most of them all work hard to provide for their families, but they just can't make ends meet. For the men especially, but some of the women as well, it hurts their pride to admit they need help. They can lay down their pride; there's no judgment here. We all need help sometimes, in one way or another, and that's why we're here.

God has called us to feed the world one soul at a time... in other words, to feed every person, every family, that God brings to our door, as well as sending food to other ministries and organizations to help reach people beyond our community.  In addition, He has commanded us to show them the love of God in the process. You know the old saying, "people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."  When people can feel the love and acceptance, it takes the sting out of the pride that would try to make them feel bad for asking for help.

So in honor of fathers this week, and (for those of faith) to honor Father God, would you consider making a donation to Joseph's Storehouse to help us help the less fortunate?  You'll be glad you did.  It truly is a blessing to be able to give to others.

"Inasmuch as you have done it unto the least of these My brethren, you have done it unto Me." 

It is with a very heavy heart that I write, amidst the tears... tears of sorrow and tears of joy.  Bro. Bob Evans, who founded this ministry along with his wife, Peggy, back in '99, has left this world behind and is now rejoicing in heaven with the angels.  For all of us who knew and loved Bro. Bob, we are sad at his passing, for he will be missed; however we also are happy for him, knowing how happy he is to meet Jesus face-to-face. Up until these last few years of his life (suffering from Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases), Bro. Bob lived a full life. As a general rule, he was always full of joy... and energy. Nehemiah 8:10 says the joy of the Lord is our strength, and Bro. Bob certainly knew that well.  It was that strength that kept him going and allowed him to accomplish all that he did for the Lord.

The Bible also teaches us that we can live an abundant life here on earth, and Bro. Bob truly did. His abundance didn't come from worldly riches, but he had an abundance of blessings that money can't buy.  He had been married to his high school sweetheart for over six decades, and they were blessed with three beautiful daughters, as well as grandchildren and even great-grandchildren.  They also had a son who went to heaven as a baby. I imagine that Russell was with Jesus as they welcomed Bro. Bob home. 

He spent his life serving the Lord, including founding two churches as well as this ministry.  Bro. Bob and Sis. Peggy would both agree that It wasn't always easy (serving the Lord usually isn't), but it was always rewarding.  He truly lived what he believed, and as a result, Bro. Bob always had a heart for giving to others. He lived by God's Word, especially the one upon which he founded Joseph's Storehouse, "Inasmuch as you have done it unto the least of these My brethren, you have done it unto Me."  (Matt. 25:40)  He never met a stranger, and he was no respecter of persons. It didn't matter if someone was rich or poor, clean or dirty, he loved everyone the same.  God put a heart of compassion in him and called him to "feed His sheep."  Through the years, the Lord spoke to Bro. Bob many times in visions to help guide him into the next phase of his ministry, including a vision of heaven.  No doubt the real thing doesn't even begin to compare.   I'm sure that before he gets through hugging and shaking hands with everyone there, those of us who have also accepted Jesus as our personal Savior will join him around the throne.  I firmly believe there will be thousands of people in heaven that will be able to thank Bro. Bob and Sis. Peggy for being their "spiritual parents." I, for one, could never thank them enough for loving me like their own. 

Please keep Sister Peggy and the family in your prayers, and please let them know you're thinking of them.  The official obituary from Ligon & Bobo Funeral Home is below.

BRO. BOB EVANS

Funeral services for Rev. Bob Evans are scheduled for 1:00 P.M. Tuesday, March 13, 2018, at West Hills Baptist Church, Lebanon, TN. Visitation will take place at Ligon & Bobo Funeral Home on Monday from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm and on Tuesday after 11:00 am at the church. A private family burial at Wilson County Memorial Gardens will follow the service.

Bro. Bob Evans, 82, of Lebanon, went to be with his Lord on Friday, March 9, 2018.

The son of the late George and Allie Evans, Bro. Bob is survived by his wife of 62 years, Peggy Bellar Evans, daughters Laurie (Terry) Taylor, Lisa (Benny) Nolen, and Susan (Marc) Huddleston;  five grandchildren, Carrie Beth Taylor, Jeremy (Christy) Taylor, Benjamin (Callie) Nolen, Bethany (Kyle) Speck, and Anna Huddleston; and eight great-grandchildren, Cayden Champion, Isabelle and Hudson Taylor, Asher, Levi, and Samuel Nolen, and Nolen and Nathan Speck.

Preceding him in death was his son, Robert Russell Evans.

Bro. Bob Evans, born in Baltimore, MD, moved to Lebanon at the age of 10 years old. He attended Lebanon High School and graduated from Castle Heights Military Academy in 1954.  He also attended Tennessee Tech University.

Bro. Bob was a Lebanon business man, working at Bellar Furniture Co., and owner/manager of Town and Country Home Furnishings, both in Lebanon, for 22 years. He surrendered and served in full-time ministry for 39 years which included music ministry at College Heights Baptist Church, Gallatin, and Fairview Baptist Church, Lebanon.  He founded and pastored two churches, Love One Another Church, and Love’s Way Community Church, both of Lebanon.  Desiring to show God’s love to hurting people, he and his wife founded Joseph Storehouse Food Ministry in 1999, which provides food to those in need in Wilson and surrounding counties.  Bro. Bob also was involved in foreign mission endeavors in Russia and Haiti.

In 2012, the Lebanon Rotary Breakfast Club awarded Bro. Bob the Bernie Bass Community Service Award.

In 2014 the Tennessee House of Representatives passed a Joint Resolution to honor Bro. Bob for his work in ministry and community service.

Bro. Bob was a past member of the Lebanon Jaycees and Rotary Clubs, and the Gideon’s International.

Active Pallbearers include: Bobby Joe Reich, Joe Varossa, Kyle Speck, Terry Taylor, Jeremy Taylor, Robert Billings, and Fred Vanhook.

The service will be conducted by Rev. Benjamin Nolen and Benny Nolen.

In lieu of flowers, the family request donations be made to Joseph Storehouse Food Ministry, 1960 SE Tater Peeler Road, Lebanon, TN 37090 and the Gideon’s International.