My Little Secret

I had a drug problem when l was young.

I was drug to church on Sunday morning,

I was drug to church for weddings and funerals.

I was drug to family reunions no matter the weather.

I was drug to the bus stop to go to school every weekday.

I was drug by my ears when disrespectful to adults and teachers.

I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents.

Those drugs are still in my veins; and they affect my behavior in everything I do, say, and think. They are stronger than cocaine, crack, or heroin, and if today's children had this kind of drug problem, America would certainly be a better place."

Cell Phone vs Bible

I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone?

What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?

What if we flipped through it several times a day?

What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?

What if we used it to receive messages from the text?

What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?

What if we gave it to kids as gifts?

What if we used it when we traveled?

What if we used it in case of emergency?

This is something to make you go....hmm...where is my Bible?

So remember this...
You'll never have dropped calls and unlike our cell phone, we don't have to worry about
our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill.

But most important of all...you'll never have to ask Him "Can you hear me now?"

Makes you stop and think, "Where are my priorities?"

 

Six Ears Of Corn

One day I needed to make a quick run to the hardware store. I gathered my four sons, who had been playing in the dirt, and we drove off in our old faded green Plymouth. They boys looked pretty grimy and I didn't look much better, but I wanted to get to the store before it closed.

On the way home, I noticed a weathered man and his plainly dressed wife selling vegetables out of the back of a beat—up station wagon that looked even older and junkier than our Plymouth. But the corn looked fresh and tasty, so I stopped. Their hand-lettered sign read, "Homegrown —— 8 ears for $1.00." I realized I had spent nearly everything at the hardware store. All I had were a few coins. Undeterred, I asked, "How many ears can I get for sixty-one cents?"

"How many do you need'?" the man asked.

"Well, there are six in my family, but I'm a little short here," I replied.

"It's a deal," he said and stuffed six big ears of corn into a used paper bag.

After we got home my kids showed me a paper sack on the floor by the back seat. Inside were several beautiful tomatoes, two cucumbers, a couple of green peppers and some beets. Surely the man and his wife needed the money that could have come from the sale of those vegetables. Why had they done it?

Then it dawned on me: old car, dirty kids, no money. The couple had assumed we were in need and had responded with compassion. Their generosity was humbling because they had given from what little they had.

That night as we bowed our heads and said grace, I gave thanks and a special prayer. "God, if others can give out of so little, help us always to do the same."

~Howard Urband~

Las Vegas, Nevada

 

Angels In The Classroom

A pastor read a letter from an elementary school teacher who attends East Hill Church.

The gist of the letter was as follows:

Last school year, her classroom was made up of little third graders, everyone of which

came from either a single parent uncared for, lived in an abusive home,  and was either  beaten, bruised, or raped by other family members; one little girl's dad  died of aids, and the list goes on. Her heart bled for these kids.

Before the '99-2000 school year started, she and her husband went to her classroom and prayed over each desk in the room. They prayed that God would place an angel behind each and every child throughout the coming year to watch over them and protect them. A month or so after the year had started, she gave the kids an assignment to write about that they would like to be when they grew up. Everybody was busy with his or her assignment, when "Andrew" raised his hand. When she asked him what he needed, he asked how to spell "mighty." After telling him how to spell mighty, she asked   him why he needed to know. Andrew said it was because when he grew up he wanted to be a "mighty man of God." When he said this, little "Mark" sitting next to him asked, "So,   what's a mighty man of God?" The teacher, swallowing back her tears, and knowing she   could not say anything in the classroom, told Andrew to go ahead and tell Mark what it   was.

So Andrew says, "It's a man who puts on the armor of God and is a soldier for God."  After observing some conversation between Andrew and Mark, the teacher, with a lump   in her throat, started to walk away when Andrew motioned with his little forefinger for her to come closer. He whispered to her, asking if she believed in angels. She told him yes, she did. Then he asked her if she thought people could see angels, and she said she thought some people probably could. Andrew said that he did, and he could see an angel standing behind each kid in the room.

I don't think there was a dry eye in the church that night!  We need to remember to pray for all of the teachers, that although there is no prayer in school that they are dedicated enough to pray for the protection of God's angels over the lives of their students. Maybe it wouldn't hurt, even at work.

 

The Way Home

Steve Reinhard tells a heartwarming story about a little girl who walked home from school every day. The quickest way home for her was through the town's cemetery. It was her favorite time of day. She

loved to feel the breeze in her hair and to watch the birds. Sometimes she just threw herself on the soft, green grass and watched clouds turn into castles and angels and great white stallions. As she skipped

around grave stones, she whistled her favorite tune or sang a song. Other times, she liked to kneel down and read the names and dates on gravestones, and to glide her fingers across the engraved lettering.

She particularly enjoyed those walks through the graveyard.

Still, her friends asked, "Why do you walk through the cemetery after school?"

That's easy, she would always reply. "Because it's the way home."

In an ultimate sense, that is true, isn't it? The way home is always through the cemetery. And it does not have to be a fearful passage at all, this way that leads home. It is a trip we can actually look  forward to with joy.

Which is good to know, especially when we're holding the hand of one who is about to make the voyage. Or when we are ready to go ourselves.

 Steve Goodier

The Trouble Tree

The carpenter I hired to help me restore an old farmhouse had just finished a rough first day on the job. A flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric saw quit, and now his ancient pickup truck refused to start.

While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence. On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching tips of the branches with both hands. When opening the door, he underwent an amazing transformation. His tanned face was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss.

Afterward he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier. Oh, that's my trouble tree," he replied. "I know I can't help having troubles on the job, but one thing's for sure, troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and the children. So I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home. Then in the morning I pick them up again."

"Funny thing is," he smiled, "when I come out in the morning to pick 'em up, there ain't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before."

 

God's Scales

Louise Redden, a poorly dressed lady with a look of defeat on her face, walked into a grocery store.  She approached the owner of the store in a most humble manner and asked if he would let her charge a few groceries. She softly explained that her husband was very ill and unable to work, they had seven children and they needed food.  John Longhouse, the grocer, scoffed at her and requested that she leave his store. Visualizing the family needs, she said: 'Please, sir! I will bring you the money just as soon as I can."   John told her he could not give her credit, as she did not have a charge account at his store.  Standing beside the counter was a customer who overheard the conversation between the two. The customer walked forward and told the grocer that he would stand good for whatever she needed for her family. The grocer said in a very reluctant voice, "Do you have a grocery list? Louise replied, "Yes  sir".   "O.K." he said, "put your grocery list on the scales and whatever  your grocery  list weighs, I will give you that amount in groceries."  Louise, hesitated a moment with a bowed head, then she reached into her purse and took out a piece of paper and scribbled something on it.  She then laid the piece of paper on the scale carefully with her head still bowed.  The eyes of the grocer and the customer showed amazement when the scales went down and stayed down.   The grocer, staring at the scales, turned slowly to the customer and said begrudgingly, "I can't believe it."  The customer smiled and the grocer started putting the groceries on the other side of the scales. The scale did not balance so he continued to put more and more groceries on them until the scales would hold no more.  The grocer stood there in utter disgust. Finally, he grabbed the piece of paper from the scales and looked at it with greater amazement.  It was not a grocery list; it was a prayer, which said: "Dear Lord, you know my Needs and I am leaving this in your hands". The grocer gave her the groceries that he had gathered and stood in stunned silence.  Louise thanked him and left the store. The customer handed a fifty-dollar bill to the grocer and said, "It was worth every penny of it." Only God Knows how much a prayer weighs. 

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Remember the five simple rules to be happy: 

1.  Free your heart from hatred. 

2.  Free your mind from worries. 

3.  Live simply. 

4.  Give more. 

5.  Expect less. 

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No one can go back and make a brand new start. Anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.   God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way. 

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It's better to lose your pride to the one you love, than to lose the one you love because of pride. 

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We spend too much time looking for the right person to love or finding fault with those we already love, when instead we should be perfecting the love we give. 

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Never abandon an old friend. You will never find one who can take his place.  Friendship is like wine, it gets better as it grows older. 

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We will not be remembered by our words, but by our kind deeds. Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath.

 

The Rope

The story tells about a mountain climber, who wanted to climb the highest mountain.  He begun his adventure after many years of preparation but since he wanted the glory just for himself,  he decided to climb the mountain alone.

The night felt heavy in the heights of the mountain, and the man could not see anything.  All was black, zero visibility and the moon and stars were covered by the clouds.

As he was climbing only a few feet away from the top of the mountain he slipped and fell into the air.  Falling at a great speed, the climber could only see black spots as he went down, and the terrible sensation of being sucked by gravity.  He kept falling….and in those moments of great fear, it came to his mind all the good and bad episodes of his life.

He was thinking now about how close death was getting, when all of a sudden he felt the rope tied to his waist pull him very hard.

His body was hanging in the air.  Only the rope was holding him, and in that moment of stillness he had no other choice but to scream:   HELP ME GOD!!!

All of a sudden a deep voice coming from the sky answered –

-What do you want me to do?

              

               -Save me God!!

               -Do you really think I can save you?

               -Of course I believe You can!

               -Then cut the rope tied to your waist.

There was a moment of silence; and the man decided to hold onto the rope with all his strength.

The rescue team tells, that the next day a climber was found, dead and frozen.  His body hanging from a rope, his hands holding tight to it…….

ONLY 10 FEET FROM THE GROUND!!

And you?  How attached are you to your rope?  Will you let go?

Don’t ever doubt the things from God.  You never should say that He has forgotten or abandoned you.  Don’t ever think that He does not take care or you.  Remember that He is always holding you with his right hand.

GOD BLESS YOU!

 

The Cross Room

The young man was at the end of his rope. Seeing no way out, he dropped to his knees in prayer.
"Lord, I can't go on," he said.
"I have too heavy a cross to bear."
The Lord replied,
"My son, if you can't bear it's weight,
just place your cross inside this room.
Then open another door and pick any cross you wish."
The man was filled with relief.
"Thank you, Lord,"
he sighed, and did as he was told.
As he looked around the room he saw many different crosses;
some so large the tops were not visible.
Then he spotted a tiny cross leaning against a far wall.
"I'd like that one, Lord,"
he whispered. And the Lord replied,
"My son, that's the cross you brought in."
-Unknown

A Different Type Of Prayer

Heavenly Father, Help us remember that the jerk who cut us off in traffic last night is a single mother who worked nine hours that day and is rushing home to cook dinner, help with homework, do the laundry and spend a few precious moments with her children.

  Help us to remember that the pierced, tattooed, disinterested young man who can't make change correctly is a worried 19-year-old college student,

balancing his apprehension over final exams with his fear of not getting his student loans for next semester.

  Remind us, Lord, that the scary looking bum, begging for money in the same spot every day (who really ought

to get a job!) is a slave to addictions

that we can only imagine in our worst nightmares.

  Help us to remember that the old couple walking annoyingly slow through the store aisles and blocking

our shopping progress are savoring this moment, knowing that, based on the biopsy report she got back last week, this will be the last year that they go

shopping together.

  Heavenly Father, remind us each day that, of all the gifts you give us, the greatest gift is love. It is not enough to share that love with those we hold dear. Open our hearts not to just those who are close to us, but to all humanity. Let us be slow to judge and quick to forgive, show patience, empathy and love.