8
†
( YOUR mail goes here)
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There are two kinds of
people:
Those who say to God, "Thy will be done",
and those to whom
God says:
All right, then, have it your way."
~ C.S. Lewis ~
†
Your Best Friend
You say: "It's impossible" ~
God says: All things are possible
(Luke 18:27)
You say:
"I'm too tired" ~
God says: I will give you rest
(Matthew
11:28-30)
You say: "Nobody really loves me" ~
God says: I love you
(John 3:16 & John 13:34)
You say: "I can't go on" ~
God says: My grace is sufficient
(II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm
91:15)
You say: "I can't figure things out" ~
God says: I will
direct your steps
(Proverbs 3:5-6)
You say: "I can't do it" ~
God says: You can do all things
(Philippians 4:13)
You say:
"I'm not able" ~
God says: I am able
(II Corinthians 9:8)
You
say: "It's not worth it" ~
God says: It will be worth it
(Roman
8:28)
You say: "I can't forgive myself" ~
God says: I
FORGIVE YOU
(I John1:9 & Romans 8:1)
You say: "I can't
manage" ~
God says: I will supply all your needs
(Philippians
4:19)
You say: "I'm afraid" ~
God says: I have not given you
a spirit of fear
(II Timothy 1:7)
You say: "I'm always worried and
frustrated" ~
God says: Cast all your cares on ME
(I Peter
5:7)
You say: "I don't have enough faith" ~
God says: "I've given
everyone a measure of faith"
(Romans 12:3)
You say: "I'm not
smart enough" ~
God says: I give you wisdom
(I Corinthians
1:30)
You say: "I feel all alone" ~
God says: I will
never leave you or forsake you
(Hebrews 13:5)
~ author unknown ~
†
1997 -- Dick Shields made the Pittsburgh newspapers on his 75th birthday on Jan. 11 for his remarkable recuperative powers.
Among the medical traumas from which he has recovered: in a coma near death for a week after a burst appendix... three times a broken neck (once while falling out of bed during recuperation from a previous broken neck) ...a broken back; triple-bypass heart surgery... a grapefruit-sized blockage of a blood vessel... a fungus that ate the skin off his feet... and duty during World War II that included hand-marking of active mines.
Said Shields, apparently without irony: "I'd have to say I've been truly blessed."
†
My Day In Court
After living a "decent" life my time on earth came to an end. The first thing I remember is sitting on a bench in the waiting room of what I thought to be a courthouse. The doors opened and I was instructed to come in and have a seat by the defense table. As I looked around I saw the "prosecutor" ... he was a villainous looking gent who snarled as he stared at me, he definitely was the most evil person I have ever seen.
I sat down and looked to my left and there sat my lawyer, a kind and gentle-looking man whose appearance seemed very familiar to me.
The corner door flew open and there appeared the judge in full flowing robes. He commanded an awesome presence as he moved across the room and I couldn't take my eyes off of him. As he took his seat behind the bench, he said "Let us begin."
The prosecutor rose and said "My name is Satan and I am here to show you why this man belongs in hell." He proceeded to tell of lies that I told,things that I stole and in the past when I cheated others. Satan told of other horrible perversions that were once in my life and the more he spoke the further down in my seat I sank. I was so embarrassed that couldn't look at anyone, even my own lawyer, as the Devil told of sins that even I had completely forgotten about. As upset as I was at Satan for telling all these things about me, I was equally upset at my representative who sat there silently not offering any form of defense at all. I know I had been guilty of those things, but I had done some good in my life-couldn't that at least equal out part of the harm I've done.
Satan finished with a fury and said "This man belongs in hell, he is guilty of all that I have charged and there is not a person who can prove otherwise. Justice will finally be served this day."
When it was his turn, my lawyer first asked if he might approach the bench. The judge allowed this over the strong objection of Satan, and beckoned him to come forward. As he got up and started walking I was able to see him now in his full splendor and majesty. Now I realized why he seemed so familiar, this was Jesus representing me, my Lord and my Savior.
He stopped at the bench and softly said to the judge "Hi Dad" and then he turned to address the court. "Satan was correct in saying that this man had sinned, I won't deny any of these allegations. And yes the wages of sins is death and this man deserves to be punished." Jesus took a deep breath and turned to his Father with outstretched arms and proclaimed "However, I died on the cross so that this person might have eternal life and he has accepted me as his Savior, so he is mine." My Lord continued with "His name is written in the book of life and no one can snatch him from me. Satan still does not understand yet, this man is not to be given justice but rather mercy." As Jesus sat down, He quietly paused, looked at his Father and replied "There is nothing else that needs to be done, I've done it all."The Judge lifted his mighty hand and slammed the gavel down and the following words bellowed from his lips: "This man is free ~ the penalty for him has already been paid in full; case dismissed."
As my Lord led me away I could hear Satan ranting and raving, "I won't give up, I'll win the next one."
I asked Jesus as he gave me my instructions where to go next, "Have you ever lost a case." Christ lovingly smiled and said, "Everyone that has come to me and asked me to represent them has received the same verdict as you, Paid in Full."
Oh what a blessing! There is no greater commandment than to love your neighbor as yourself.†
Father, I ask you to bless my friends reading this right now! Lord, show them a new revelation of Your love and power. Holy Spirit, I ask You to minister to their spirit at this very moment
Where there is pain, give them Your peace & mercy.
Where there is self-doubting, release a renewed confidence in Your ability to work through them.
Where there is tiredness, or exhaustion, I ask You to give them understanding, patience, & strength as they learn submission to Your leading.
Where there is spiritual stagnation, I ask You to renew them by revealing Your nearness, and by drawing them into greater intimacy with You.
Where there is fear, reveal Your love, and release to them Your courage.
Where there is a sin blocking them, reveal it, and break its hold over my friend's life.
Bless their finances, give them greater vision, and raise up leaders, and friends to support, and encourage them. Give each of them discernment to recognize the demonic forces around them, and reveal to them the power they have in You to defeat it.
I ask You to do these things in Jesus' name! AMEN ... ~ author unknown ~
†
As The Twig is Bent
The child stood sadly looking down,
Staring at something on the ground.
Her mother's words were harsh and sharp;
She felt them tearing her apart.
The silent tears rolled down her cheek,
But still she stood, mute and meek.
She knew somehow she was rejected,
Although physically, she was not neglected.
She wasn't yet in her teens,
Just a tomboy, in blue jeans.
She had learned to live with pain;
Throughout her days, it would remain.
Again her mind wondered, "Why?"
Perhaps she'd know, by and by.
There must be something awfully wrong,
She guessed she'd known it all along.
Maybe it was her own plain looks,
She'd read of it in some books.
How to a mother of unusual beauty,
Her plain child might be an unwanted duty.
But her mother was so fair.
If there was any trouble there,
The fault must surely be her own,
Oh, how she wished that she was grown.
Then she would go away and hide,
While her heart just ached and cried.
Finally the hurting words had ceased,
From their cruel blows she was released.
So she turned and walked away,
She knew better than to stay.
In her room she closed her door,
And cried 'till she could cry no more.
Then she prepared herself for bed,
Washed her face, with eyes so red.
She wished her Mom would hug her tight.
And, just once, kiss her goodnight.
At last she crawled into her bed;
Silently, her prayers were said.
"Please, Lord, just let Mom love me,
And, oh, so good I'll always be."
The years have passed, the scene has changed,
Mother and daughter still remain.
The mother now is growing old,
The child, once warm, has grown so cold.
Somehow, the roles are now reversed,
The mother's last, The daughter's first,
The beauty, too, has been exchanged.
It seems that nature rearranged.
The child, now grown, has beauty fair,
There is none other to compare,
While the mother has grown old and gray,
Her loveliness has passed away.
The mother looks up at her, now grown, child,
And tries to please her, with a smile.
But the daughter coldly turns away,
She's much too busy to stop today.
Let the old lady sit awhile,
She's not about to change her style.
She walks out, with no good-bye,
And the old mother starts to cry.
Oh, if she could only just erase,
The coldness from her daughter's face.
If she'd just come and hug her tight,
And kiss her withered face goodnight.
If those lost years she could recall,
She'd live them over, one and all.
She'd give the love, she now so longs to get,
And then be rid of this regret.
But she knows, this can't be so.
Years don't come back, once they go.
So she must live with being spurned,
The things she taught, were so well learned.
So I leave you, with this thought:
Please take heed, least you get caught.
Live long enough and you will see,
As the twig is bent, so grows the tree.
~ author unknown ~†
HE WAS GONE!
It was very cold and the fading light was giving way to darkness on a late October afternoon. I was watching my husband and a friend run their radio control power boats on the pond a few blocks from our home.
We had been married about two years. A second marriage for both of us. We had a rather normal, "middle American" life-style. We talked about God being a part of our life, attended church fairly regularly, and met with a Bible Study Group one evening a week. On this bleak, winter afternoon, however, we were lifted out of the ordinary into the realm of people who know God by experience.
This was the "maiden voyage" of the miniature hydroplane my husband had just finished building. It had a very special paint job, done by the younger of his two sons. During the previous "weekend with Dad" he had laboriously covered it with intricate paintings of Darth Vader, Star Fighters and Ty Fighters, in keeping with the present "Star Wars" craze sweeping the country. We had seen the movie something like seven times already! Actually, it had been a labor of love and growing close again for both of them.
We decided to get in just one more run before dark. Out across the pond the little black boat flew, farther and farther away from us, until it was only a tiny speck on the far shore, the length of a couple of city blocks or a football field away... then suddenly, it sputtered, coughed, and died in the water! Now any avid hobbyist will tell you that you don't go home and leave a brand new, special, boat dead in the water to float to shore... maybe to pick it up in the morning... oh no!
So... around the pond to the south end... a couple of blocks from where his friend and I are watching... goes the captain of the boat. We watched as he waded into the icy water after his boat... jeans, jacket, tennis shoes and all. We watched as he waded out until the water was lapping around his knees, and with every step the boat appears to be moving farther and farther away from him.
Then, without warning, we saw him disappear under the water. He had stepped off into the channel made by the stream that fed the pond. He was in over his head in a heartbeat! And all we could do was watch! We stood helplessly on the opposite bank and I screamed at his friend to help him. Neither of us could swim! Oh God, help! We watched him struggle to the surface of the water a second time! He was drowning out there! Neither of us could do anything about it! Oh GOD, HELP!!
I mentioned it was October, cold and approaching dark. Also, the pond was surrounded with an exceptionally nasty variety of burrs we Westerners affectionately call "bull heads" or "Texas tacks." This charming weed produces a burr with a hard, very sharp thorn that is capable of flattening a bicycle tire with a single poke. Thick soled tennis shoes are barely adequate protection from their misery.
Suddenly, in the midst of our panic, we watched a young man, maybe 16 or 18, barefooted, dressed in cut-off blue jeans run into the water at the east end of the pond and swim to where Dick was struggling to the surface for the third and perhaps final time. It takes longer to write about it than it took to happen. Swimming lifeguard style, the young man brought my darling husband to the shore where we were standing.
Tears streaming down my face, I begged Dick to be all right. "Are you OK? Are you SURE you're OK?" "Yes, yes! I'm fine," he assured me. Then we all turned at once to thank the boy and ask if he was OK, too. I remember thinking there was a warm blanket in the trunk of the car, and he must be freezing, dressed... or undressed... as he was. I was going to ask if we could take him home.
But he was gone! There was no one running away across the park area. There was no one riding away on a bicycle and there were no cars in sight. HE WAS GONE!
In the years since then we have often looked back and thought... any one of us, given the ability to swim, would save a life if we could. And I suppose there are those who would count what we experienced as a coincidence. Perhaps we would too, except for one small detail.
In the crisis, we'd forgotten all about the boat. It had been easily 20 or 30 feet in front of Dick when he stepped into deep water and went under. As we turned and started for the car, there at Dick's feet, was his boat
As I said, anyone of us would probably save a life if we could; but only God would give you back your life and your toy!......... ~ author unknown ~
†
Hello God
I called tonight to talk a little while...
I need a friend who'll listen to my anxiety and trial.
You see, I can't quite make it through a day just on my own...
I need your love to guide me, so I'll never feel alone.
I want to ask you please to keep, my family safe and sound.
Come and fill their lives with confidence for whatever fate they're bound.
Give me faith, Dear God, to face each hour throughout the day,
And not to worry over things I can't change in any way.
I thank you God, for being home and listening to my call.
For giving me such good advice when I stumble and fall.
Your number, God, is the only one, that answers every time.
I never get a busy signal, never had to pay a dime.
So thank you God for listening to my troubles and my sorrow.
Good night, God, I love You, Too, and I'll call again tomorrow!
~ author unknown ~
†
Meeting God
There once was a little boy who wanted to meet God. He knew it was long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of root beer, and he started his journey.
When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old woman. She was sitting in the park just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old lady looked hungry so he offered her a Twinkie. She gratefully accepted it and smiled at him. Her smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a root beer. Once again, she smiled at him. The boy was delighted!
They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word. As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave but before he had gone more than a few steps; he turned around, ran back to the old woman, and gave her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever.
When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?"
He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? She's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"
Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face and he asked, "Mother, what did you do today that made you so happy?"
She replied, "I ate Twinkies in the park with God." But before her son responded, she added, "You know, he's much younger than I expected."
Too often we under-estimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Embrace all equally! ....~ author unknown ~"Be not forgetful to entertain strangers;
for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."
.. Hebrews 13:2 ..
Life is
changed, † not taken away.
To live in
hearts we leave behind is not to die.
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