Hello Everyone,

It sure is good to be able to visit with all you NewportPlain Talk readers out there today. Here's hoping you are feeling good andenjoying life. We sure treasure every day we have because we never know when wemight be leaving this ole world for a brand new home beyond the sky.

Tuesday night we went down to Brown Funeral Home for theviewing of Ben James who passed on Sunday morning. Carol, his wife, and I arecousins. We both are Halls and we had a lot of relatives there too.

Wednesday evening we went down to the Valley View BaptistChurch for the funeral. There wasn't as big a crowd but some different. It'salways a joy to see relatives I've not seen in a while but seems like this isalways the case at a funeral home, church or cemetery and that's the sad parttoo. We hate to see them go but the graveyard is as far as we can make it andsaying goodbye is so painful. We have felt their loss this week and love to youall.

Full Assurance

I was a wandering sheep; I did not love the fold;

I did not love my Shepherd's voice; I could not becontrolled.

I was a wayward child; I did not love my home;

I did not love my Father's voice; I loved afar to roam.

The Shepherd sought his sheep; the Father sought his child.

They followed me o're vale and hill, o'er deserts wasteand wild.

They found me nigh to death, famished and faint and lone.

They bound me with the bands of love, they saved thewandering one.

They spoke in tender love; they raised my drooping head;

They gently closed my bleeding wounds; my fainting soulthey fed.

They washed my filth away; they made me clean and fair.

They brought me to my home in peace, the long soughtwanderer.

Jesus my Shepherd is; 'Twas he that made me whole. 'Twashe that sought the lost, that found the wandering sheep;

'Twas he that brought me to the fold. 'Tis he that stilldoth keep.

N more wandering sheep, I love to be controlled;

I love the peaceful fold. I love my heavenly Father'svoice; I love, I love his home!

I hope you all enjoy this poem. I've had nice complimentson these and I thank you all for the kind words.

Our weather has calmed down quite a bit but still verydry. Our Big Creek is very low too. We know some folks are still hauling waterfrom our gulf. We are and have been very blessed to have water so far.

We have had some very bad fires in our woods. This pastweek Rocky Top has been burning and still is. We are waiting on rain to putthis one out. Monday morning we were excited to see and hear rain falling and dothank our good Lord for his many blessings. We trust he will send us moretonight and this week as they predicted.

This is the last week in August and on September 2 ouroldest grandson, Teddy Justin Rathbone, up at Black Mountain, North Carolina,will be eighteen years old, and we sure do hope he has a good birthday. Teddyis a carpenter and a senior in a private Christian school. We have always beenso proud of our three grandsons and four granddaughters. Also in Septemberwhich is my birthday too, along with our one and only great grand, MattisonLaurie Oma Jones, who will be a whole year old on the 26th. We will be having abirthday bash on the 27th at our Grassy Fork Community Room for dinner around 2o'clock.

I guess about all of Cocke County saw the Outsider's Innon television the other day. No one that I've talked to was thrilled. Everyonewas appalled at the show. I did not waste my time this week. One time wasenough for me. Everyone that I spoke to felt the same about it being funny butno one appreciated them making fun of Cocke County people, especially uscountry folks. I am a hillbilly I guess but not a dumb one. I don't know of anyin Cocke County. I hope the show is a flop because of the way that theseHollywood people have acted and I would tell them so if I ever get the chance.

Saturday night, September 6th, there will be singing atour own New Prospect Baptist Church, starting at 7 p.m. We hope all that canwill come out and join us in singing good ole Gospel songs. If you want tosing, we want to hear you, or if you are just a listener we invite you too. Wehave had a good response from folks about the singing and are expecting a goodcrowd. We need a singing in our area for folks from different churches togather and sing together. I'm really looking forward to it all and let's allpray and I think we will be blessed.

Sunday morning, September 7, we will be having a Gideonspeaker at our church and we invite all that wants to come and join in ourSunday School and listen to the Gideon speaker. In the Lord's work they arefamous for placing Bible's everywhere. I know every time I have been in thehospital I did not have to take a Bible cause I knew one would be there.

We have September birthdays:

September 2 - our grandson, Teddy Justin Rathbone, up atBlack Mountain, North Carolina, and two of his cousins, Mrs. David (DoraRathbone) Brown over at Board in Cosby, and Kelvin Frisbee, our neighbor hereon Big Creek, and Mr. Samuel Cureton down in Newport.

September 3 - Nathan Johnson over at Grassy Fork.

September 4 - in memory of Reverend Johnny Shelton.

September 5 - Samuel Cureton's son, Alan, over atMorristown. These two are the father Samuel and Alan the brother of ourbrother-in-law, Ray Cureton, at Newport.

September 6 - Mrs. Bonnell Hall down at the BaptistConvalescent Center of Newport.

September 7 - my first cousin, the Reverend Phillip Hall,of Bybee, and Doug Talley of Parrottsville.

September 8 - one of my nephew's sons, Nicklaus Laws, ofNewport.

September 9 - Lonnie Joe Hall who is Bonnell's son and mycousin too. He lives on down our Big Creek near the Old 15th.

September 12 - Mr. Zane Almany over at Cosby.

September 15 - another one of my nephew's sons, JakeGreen, over at Parrottsville.

September 16 - our friend and part-time neighbor, BettyMurrah, the school teacher down in Knoxville. We hope you all have a great day.

Well, we got a real rain or rains this week and it seemsfall may be upon us. We have one more reunion to come off this month. TheArrington family will have their reunion and the big Labor Day holiday is thisweekend also and some of our fall festivals will get underway and I do believeDel Rio days are first. The Newport Harvest Street Festival is first I thinkthe first weekend in October and Parrottsville and Cosby will follow and thebasketball season will get started up for the games in November, so we do havea lot of things going on here in Cocke County to look forward to. In our GrassyFork area some of the folks are already working on Halloween's Haunted Housethat some seem to enjoy but it sure takes a lot of work.

We have a lot of sick folks in our area too. We do hopeyou keep them on or even at the top of your prayer list. Charlene (Rathbone)Brown down at Irish Cut in Newport is very sick right now and needs ourprayers. Our neighbor, Nita Frisbee, had a doctor's appointment Thursday and mysister, Tank Cureton, was in Greeneville to see her doctor on Thursday too, andso many others who are not well.

Have a nice weekend and may God bless us all.