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Beatitudes of Marriage

Blessed are the husband and wife

who continue to be affectionate,
considerate, and loving

after the wedding bells have ceased ringing.

Blessed are the husband and wife who are as polite

and courteous to one
another as they are to their friends.

Blessed are they who love their mates

more than any other person in the world,

and who joyfully fulfil their marriage vow

of a lifetime of fidelity
and mutual helpfulness to one another.

Blessed are they who attain parenthood,

for children are a heritage of the Lord.

Blessed are they who remember to thank God

for their food before they eat it,

and who set apart some time each day

for reading their Bible and for prayer.

Blessed are those mates

who never speak loudly to one another,

and who make their home a place

"where seldom is heard a discouraging word."

Blessed are the husband and wife

who faithfully attend the worship service of the church,

and who work together in the church

for the advancement of Christ's kingdom.

Blessed are the husband and wife

who can work out the problems of adjustment
without interference from relatives.

Blessed is the couple which has complete understanding

about financial matters, and have worked out a perfect partnership,

with all money under the control of both.

Blessed are the husband and wife

who humbly dedicate their lives

and their homes to Christ,

and who practice the teachings of Christ in the home

by being unselfish, loyal and loving.

Author Unknown

ABC

ABC's Of a Purposeful Life

A lways put God first in your life.
B e a true friend and you will have many friends.
C ount and thank God for your many blessings daily.
D iscipline yourself. Decide to make your life count.
E dify and encourage others consistently.
F ollow great leaders and then become one.
G ive liberally and joyfully of your time, talents and means.
H ave an attitude of gratitude.
I nvert any negatives thrown your way. Turn them into positives.
J ourney through life one step and one day at a time.
K eep written goals set ahead. Make specific plans to accomplish them.
L ove and forgive everybody.
M aximize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses.
N ever, never, never give up!
O pen the door wide when opportunity knocks.
P ractice patience. Promote peace.
Q uit bad habits by replacing them with good habits.
R ead God's Word and other profitable material every chance you get.
S hare the Gospel whenever and wherever possible.
T ake time to appreciate everything and everyone God has given to you.
U se your God given common sense.
V isualize your dreams and stretch to reach for them
W atch, listen and pray without ceasing.
X amine your motives on a regular basis.
Y ield to the Holy Spirit when He prompts you.
Z oom in on God's real purpose for your life.

Author Unknown

Abstinence

What About Abstinence?

I was holding a notice from my 13-year-old son's school announcing a
meeting to preview the new course in sexuality. Parents could examine
the curriculum and take part in an actual lesson presented exactly as it
would be given to the students.

When I arrived at the school, I was surprised to discover only about a
dozen parents there. As we waited for the presentation, I thumbed
through page after page of instructions in the prevention of pregnancy
or disease. I found abstinence mentioned only in passing. When the
teacher arrived with the school nurse, she asked if there were any
questions. I asked why abstinence did not play a noticeable part in the
educational material.

What happened next was shocking. There was a great deal of laughter, and
someone suggested that if I thought abstinence had any merit, I should
go back to burying my head in the sand. The teacher and the nurse said
nothing as I drowned in a sea of embarrassment. My mind had gone blank,
and I could think of nothing to say. The teacher explained to me that
the job of the school was to teach "facts," and the home was responsible
for moral training.

I sat in silence for the next 20 minutes as the sexuality course was
explained. The other parents seemed to give their unqualified support to
the materials.

At the break time, the teacher announced that there were donuts in the
back of the room and requested that everyone put on a name tag and
mingle with each other. Everyone moved to the back of the room. As I
watched them affixing their name tags and shaking hands, I sat deep in
thought. I was ashamed that I had not been able to convince them to
include a serious discussion of abstinence in the educational materials.
I uttered a silent prayer for guidance.

My thoughts were interrupted by the teacher's hand on my shoulder.

"Won't you join the others, Mr. Layton?" The nurse smiled sweetly at me.
"The donuts are good."

"Thank you, no," I replied.

"Well, then, how about a name tag? I'm sure the others would like to
meet you."

"Somehow I doubt that," I replied.

"Won't you please join them?" she coaxed.

Then I heard a still, small voice whisper, "Don't go." The message in my
head was unmistakable: "Don't go!"

"I'll just wait here," I said.

When the class was called back to order, the teacher looked around the
long table and thanked everyone for putting on name tags. She ignored
me. Then she said, "Now we're going to give you the same lesson we'll
be giving your children. Everyone please peel off your name tags and
look at the back of the tag."

I watched in silence as the tags came off. "Now then, I drew a tiny
flower on the back of one of the tags. Who has it, please?" the teacher
asked.

The gentleman across from me held it up. "Here it is!"

"All right," she said. "The flower represents disease. Do you recall
with whom you shook hands?" He pointed to a couple of people. "Very
good," she replied. "The handshake in this case represents intimacy. So
the two people you had contact with now have the disease." There was
laughter and joking among the parents.

The teacher continued, "And whom did the two of you shake hands with?"
The point was well taken, and she explained how this lesson would show
students how quickly disease is spread. She concluded by saying, "Since
we all shook hands, we all have the disease."

It was then that I heard the still, small voice again. "Speak now," it
said, "but be humble." I wryly noted the latter admonition, then rose
from my chair. I apologized for any upset I might have caused earlier,
congratulated the teacher on an excellent lesson that would impress the
youth, and concluded by saying I had only one small point I wished to
make. "Not all of us were infected with the disease," I said. "One of
us ... abstained."

Author Unknown

Apple of His Eye

Apples

A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention
in Auckland. They had assured their wives that they would be home in
plenty of time for Friday night's dinner.

In their rush, with tickets and brief-cases, one of these salesmen
inadvertently kicked over a table which held a display of baskets of
apples. Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they
all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly missed boarding.
All but one. He paused, took a deep breath, got in touch with his
feelings, and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose
apple stand had been overturned.

He told his mates to go on without him, waved goodbye, told one of
them to call his wife when they arrived at their home destination and
explain his taking a later flight. Then he returned to the terminal
where the apples were all over the terminal floor.

He was glad he did.

The 16 year old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying, tears
running down her cheeks in frustration, and at the same time helplessly
groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her, no one
stopping, and no one to care for her plight.

The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put
them into the baskets, and helped set the display up once more. As he
did this, he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised;
these he set aside in another basket.

When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl,
"Here, please take this $20 for the damage we did. Are you okay?"

She nodded through her tears. He continued on with, "I hope we didn't
spoil your day too badly."

As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called
out to him, "Mister...." He paused and turned to look back into those
blind eyes.

She continued, "Are you Jesus?"

He stopped in mid-stride, and he wondered. Then slowly he made his way
to catch the later flight with that question burning and bouncing about
in his soul: "Are you Jesus?"

Do people mistake you for Jesus?

That's our destiny, is it not? To be so much like Jesus that people
cannot tell the difference as we live and interact with a world that is
blind to His love, life and grace.

If we claim to know Him, we should live, walk and act as He would.
Knowing Him is more than simply quoting Scripture and going to church.
It's actually living the Word as life unfolds day to day. You are the
apple of His eye even though we, too, have been bruised by a fall. He
stopped what He was doing and picked you and me up on a hill called
Calvary and paid in full for our damaged fruit.

Let us live like we are worth the price He paid.

Author Unknown

Attitude

Can You Relate?

I drive into work listening to gospel music or a pre-recorded sermon on
the radio. I get out of the car and walk to the building entrance.

As I open the building door I leave just enough room for me to get in
and I leave Jesus standing outside as the door closes behind me. He's
standing with His palms on the door glass and watches me as I get on the
elevator.

His eyes are sad and He turns and goes to sit on the wooden bench. There
He'll sit patiently and wait for me for the next 9 hours.

First two hours of work - I fuss and complain about things not going
right. Jesus, sitting with his chin in His hand looks upward toward the
building wishing He could help me.

By lunch time - I'm flustered, regretting I work in this place and
sputtering bitterness all over folks.

Jesus comes around to the side of the building where my cubicle is
located. He looks up from the ground trying to get my attention but I
can't hear him; my focus is on my problems.

Jesus goes back to the front of the building, sits down and continues to
wait for me. He thinks to Himself as He looks up to the third floor,
"She went in there defenceless. If only she had taken me in there with
her. When will she learn?"

End of the day - I'm pooped, run down, no energy, irritable &
frustrated. I leave the building & Jesus gets up happily to greet me
but I'm in no mood for Him now. I've been hassled to bits and the
last thing I want to do is be bothered with anyone.

God just actually showed me this is how I'VE been acting. He showed me
each act and worst of all, He let Me feel a small portion of how grieved
he was because of my actions and attitude. I left Jesus standing
outside, almost let the door smack him in His face.

From time to time our jobs overwhelm us and we completely forget to
"take Jesus with us". We may not go around cursing anyone out or
punching anyone in the face (hopefully not) but what are our actions
saying about us and about who or whose we are?

We are the salt of the Earth and the light of the world. A city on a
hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under
a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone
in the house. Matt. 5:13-15.

We should be bringing peace to our jobs and not be the cause of
confusion. We should be the ones to bring our gifts & talents to the
table to help in WHATEVER area God has chosen for us to work in.

"Whatever you do, work at it with ALL your heart, as working
for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an
inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are
serving." (Colossians 3:23-24)

Author Unknown

Ben Stein

For many years Ben Stein has written a biweekly column called "Monday
Night At Morton's." (Morton's is a famous chain of Steakhouses known to
be frequented by movie stars and famous people from around the globe.)
Now, Ben is terminating the column to move on to other things in his
life. Reading his final column is worth a few minutes of your time.

Ben Stein's Last Column

How Can Someone Who Lives in Insane Luxury Be a Star in Today's World?

As I begin to write this, I "slug" it, as we writers say, which means I
put a heading on top of the document to identify it. This heading is
"E-online FINAL," and it gives me a shiver to write it. I have been doing
this column for so long that I cannot even recall when I started. I
loved writing this column so much for so long I came to believe it would
never end.

It worked well for a long time, but gradually, my changing as a person
and the world's change have overtaken it. On a small scale, Morton's,
while better than ever, no longer attracts as many stars as it used to.
It still brings in the rich people in droves and definitely some stars.
I saw Samuel L. Jackson there a few days ago, and we had a nice visit,
and right before that, I saw and had a splendid talk with Warren Beatty
in an elevator, in which we agreed that Splendor in the Grass was a
super movie. But Morton's is not the star galaxy it once was, though it
probably will be again.

Beyond that, a bigger change has happened. I no longer think Hollywood
stars are terribly important. They are uniformly pleasant, friendly
people, and they treat me better than I deserve to be treated. But a man
or woman who makes a huge wage for memorizing lines and reciting them in
front of a camera is no longer my idea of a shining star we should all
look up to.

How can a man or woman who makes an eight-figure wage and lives in
insane luxury really be a star in today's world, if by a "star" we mean
someone bright and powerful and attractive as a role model? Real stars
are not riding around in the backs of limousines or in Porsches or
getting trained in yoga or Pilates and eating only raw fruit while they
have Vietnamese girls do their nails.

They can be interesting, nice people, but they are not heroes to me any
longer. A real star is the soldier of the 4th Infantry Division who
poked his head into a hole on a farm near Tikrit, Iraq. He could have
been met by a bomb or a hail of AK-47 bullets. Instead, he faced an
abject Saddam Hussein and the gratitude of all of the decent people of
the world.

A real star is the U.S. soldier who was sent to disarm a bomb next to a
road north of Baghdad. He approached it, and the bomb went off and
killed him.

A real star, the kind who haunts my memory night and day, is the U.S.
soldier in Baghdad who saw a little girl playing with a piece of
unexploded ordnance on a street near where he was guarding a station. He
pushed her aside and threw himself on it just as it exploded. He left a
family desolate in California and a little girl alive in Baghdad.

The stars who deserve media attention are not the ones who have lavish
weddings on TV but the ones who patrol the streets of Mosul even after
two of their buddies were murdered and their bodies battered and
stripped for the sin of trying to protect Iraqis from terrorists.

We put couples with incomes of $100 million a year on the covers of our
magazines. The noncoms and officers who barely scrape by on military pay
but stand on guard in Afghanistan and Iraq and on ships and in
submarines and near the Arctic Circle are anonymous as they live and die.

I am no longer comfortable being a part of the system that has such poor
values, and I do not want to perpetuate those values by pretending that
who is eating at Morton's is a big subject.

There are plenty of other stars in the American firmament...the
policemen and women who go off on patrol in South Central and have no
idea if they will return alive; the orderlies and paramedics who bring
in people who have been in terrible accidents and prepare them for
surgery; the teachers and nurses who throw their whole spirits into
caring for autistic children; the kind men and women who work in
hospices and in cancer wards.

Think of each and every fireman who was running up the stairs at the
World Trade Center as the towers began to collapse.
Now you have my idea of a real hero.

I came to realize that life lived to help others is the only one that
matters. This is my highest and best use as a human. I can put it
another way. Years ago, I realized I could never be as great an actor as
Olivier or as good a comic as Steve Martin...or Martin Mull or Fred
Willard--or as good an economist as Samuelson or Friedman or as good a
writer as Fitzgerald. Or even remotely close to any of them.

But I could be a devoted father to my son, husband to my wife and, above
all, a good son to the parents who had done so much for me. This came to
be my main task in life. I did it moderately well with my son, pretty
well with my wife and well indeed with my parents (with my sister's
help). I cared for and paid attention to them in their declining years.
I stayed with my father as he got sick, went into extremis and then into
a coma and then entered immortality with my sister and me
reading him the Psalms.

This was the only point at which my life touched the lives of the
soldiers in Iraq or the firefighters in New York. I came to realize that
life lived to help others is the only one that matters and that it is my
duty, in return for the lavish life God has devolved upon me, to help
others He has placed in my path.
This is my highest and best use as a human.

"Faith is not believing that God can. It is knowing that God will."
By Ben Stein

Big God

A Big God

This is a story about a little girl who, on the way home from church,
turned to her mother and said, "Mummy, the sermon this
morning confused me."

The mother said, "Oh! Why is that?

The girl replied, "Well, he said that God is bigger than we are.
Is that true?"

"Yes, that's true," the mother replied.

"He also said that God lives within us. Is that true too?"

Again the mother replied, "Yes."

"Well," said the little girl. "If God is bigger than us and He lives in us,
wouldn't He show through?"

Read this again.........Think.....

Author Unknown

Bird's Eye View

A Bird's Eye View

Mum got up early Sunday morning and got the kids ready for church. Dad
sat in the living room, reading his newspaper and looking out at the
snow.

They'd had the conversation before, but nothing had changed. "Why don't
you go with us this week?" she asked. He didn't look up from his paper.

"You know why," he said out loud and then in his own mind finished the
answer with, "A truly great God wouldn't care about puny humans anyway."

The man replayed the argument in his mind: "If God is so perfect and
great, why would he care about helping us? If God is so powerful, why
would he make his son become a human being? Why would he stoop so low to
help us.... if God is really so great."

The house was silent except for the sound of the logs crackling in the
fireplace. From the other end of the house came a strange thump.

The man put down his paper and walked down the hall. Outside the window
huddled a group of birds. In confusion and fear, they had flown into the
window pane and fallen to the ground. They huddled together in the snow
trying to figure out what to do next. The man felt sorry for the birds.
He thought to himself, "The birds could go in our barn and they'd be
warm there." So he went outside and opened the door to the barn. Then he
waited in the cold. The birds didn't move.

"I know, I'll shoe them over to the barn door," the man thought. But as
he tried to herd the birds to the barn they simply scattered. Only after
he left them alone did they come back to their spot in the snow.

The man had one last plan. He went back in the house and got a loaf of
bread. Carefully, he tore off pieces of bread and made a path to the
barn door. But the birds just huddled closer together, ignoring the gift
of life which the man was offering.

Stumped, the man stood looking at the birds, wondering just what it
would take to get them to safety. He thought to himself, "If only I
could become a bird and lead them to safety, then they wouldn't have to
die."

He stopped and thought about it again. And he finally understood.

(A subscriber has indicated this was originally titled 'Christmas -
More Than Humbug' and was credited to Louis Casself)

Brother's Keeper - Am I?

Am I My Brothers Keeper?

THE HAND YOU PULL UP, MAY BE THE HAND THAT SAVES YOU!

A SIMPLE LESSON:

A rat looked through a crack in the wall to see
the farmer and his wife opening a package.
What food might it contain?
He was aghast to discover that it was a rat trap.
Retreating to the farmyard
the rat proclaimed the warning;
"There is a rat trap in the house,
a rat trap in the house!"

The chicken clucked and scratched,
raised her head and said, "Excuse me,
Mr. Rat, I can tell this is a grave concern to you,
but it is of no consequence to me.
I cannot be bothered by it."

The rat turned to the pig and told him,
"There is a rat trap in the house, a rat trap in the house!"

"I am so very sorry Mr. Rat," sympathized the pig,
"but there is nothing I can do about it but pray.
Be assured that you are in my prayers."

The rat turned to the cow.
She said, "Like wow, Mr. Rat. A rat trap.
I am in grave danger. Duh?"

So the rat returned to the house, head down and dejected,
to face the farmer's rat trap alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house,
like the sound of a rat trap catching its prey.
The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught.
In the darkness, she did not see
that it was a venomous snake
whose tail the trap had caught.
The snake bit the farmer's wife.

The farmer rushed her to the hospital.
She returned home with a fever.
Now everyone knows you treat a fever with
fresh chicken soup,
so the farmer took his hatchet
to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient.

His wife's sickness continued so that friends and neighbours
came to sit with her around the clock.
To feed them the farmer butchered the pig.

The farmer's wife did not get well.
She died, and so many people came
for her funeral that the farmer
had the cow slaughtered to provide meat
for all of them to eat.

So the next time you hear that someone is facing a problem
and think that it does not concern you,
remember that when there is a rat trap in the house,
the whole farmyard is at risk.

"Am I my brother's keeper?" (Genesis 4:9d)

Author Unknown

Cell Phones & The Bible

Cell Phones and the Bible

I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible
like we treat our cell phones?
What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
What if we flipped through it several times a day?
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 as we travelled?
What if we used it in case of an emergency?
This is something to make you go...hmm...where is my Bible?

Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone,
we don't ever have to worry
about our Bible being disconnected
because Jesus already paid the bill!
And no dropped calls!

Cleaning Sponges

What's in Your Sponge?

There are five sponges lying in your laundry tub.
For once (!) every member of your family has been helping
to clean up different areas of your home.
All the sponges look the same.

You are curious as to where everyone cleaned but
you can't tell by looking - they all look the same.
Anyway, now it's time to clean up and put it all away!
You squeeze each sponge to clean it. As you squeeze the first
sponge, you see breadcrumbs so you decide that someone
cleaned the kitchen with that one. When you squeeze the second sponge,
you find tub and tile cleaner - that one was used to clean the bathroom.

Next, in the third sponge, you find motor oil.
Someone has cleaned the garage!

In the fourth sponge, there's a strong smell of baby powder when it is squeezed
- yep, the baby's nursery was done with that one!

And finally, in the last one, is floor wax.
That was the one you used on the hall floor!

As you lay the last one down,
you look again at their similarity -
and they all look the same until they're squeezed.

Christians are the same way.
As life squeezes us, different things come out - anger from one,
a need for revenge from another, impatient tears from one,
remorse from yet another - also greed, untruth, lust - and finally,
from one saint, pours forth the love of Christ.

Just like the sponge, we can only squeeze out what is put in.
Stay in the Word daily, and be in continuous prayer,
so that when life puts the squeeze on you (and it WILL),
Jesus, and Jesus ALONE will shine forth from you!

Have a blessed, squeaky-clean day!

Author Unknown

Client versus Hairdresser

The Client vs The Hairdresser

A woman went to a hairdresser
to have her hair cut and blow-waved as usual.
She started to have a good conversation with the hairdresser.

They talked about many things and various subjects.
Suddenly, they touched on the subject of God.
The hairdresser said: "Look, I don't believe that God exists as you say."

"Why do you say that?" asked the client.

"Well, it's so easy, you just have to go out in the street
to realise that God does not exist.
Tell me, if God existed, would there be so many sick people?
Would there be abandoned children?
If God existed, there would be no suffering nor pain.
I can't think of loving a God who permits all of these things."

The client stopped for a moment thinking but she didn't want to
respond so as to cause an argument.
The hairdresser finished her job and the client
went out of the salon.
Just after she left the salon
she saw a man in the street with long hair and a beard.
(It seems that it had been a long
time since he had his cut, and he looked so untidy).

Then the client again entered the hairdressing salon
and said to the hairdresser:

"You know what? Hairdressers don't exist."

"How can you say they don't exist?" asked the hairdresser.
"I am a hairdresser and here I am."

"No!" the client exclaimed. "They don't exist because if they did
there would be no people with long hair and beard
like that man who walks in the street."

"Ah, hairdressers do exist,
what happens is that people do not come to me."

"Exactly!" - affirmed the client. "That's the point. God does exist,
what happens is people don't go to Him and do not look for Him.
That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."

Author Unknown

Coal Basket & the Bible

The Bible & the Coal Basket

The story is told of an old man who lived on a farm in the mountains of
eastern Kentucky with his young grandson. Each morning, Grandpa was up
early sitting at the kitchen table reading from his old worn-out Bible.

His grandson who wanted to be just like him tried to imitate him in any
way he could. One day the grandson asked, "Papa, I try to read the
Bible just like you but I don't understand it, and what I do understand
I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the Bible
do?" The Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and
said, "Take this coal basket down to the river and bring back a basket
of water." The boy did as he was told, even though all the water leaked
out before he could get back to the house.

The grandfather laughed and said, "You will have to move a little faster
next time," and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again.

This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he
returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was
"impossible to carry water in a basket," and he went to get a bucket
instead. The old man said, "I don't want a bucket of water; I want a
basket of water. You can do this. You're just not trying hard enough,"
and he went out the door to watch the boy try again. At this point, the
boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that
even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he
got far at all. The boy scooped the water and ran hard, but when he
reached his grandfather the basket was again empty.

Out of breath, he said, "See Papa, it's useless!"

"So you think it is useless?" The old man said, "Look at the basket."
The boy looked at the basket and for the first time he realized that the
basket looked different. Instead of a dirty old coal basket, it was
clean. "Son, that's what happens when you read the Bible. You might not
understand or remember everything, but when you read it, it will change
you from the inside out.

Take time to read a portion of God's word each day.

Author Unknown

Commander in Chief

Dear Lord:

I am writing this to You to request a transfer to a desk job.
I herewith present my reasons:

I began my career as a private,
because of the intensity of the battle
You have quickly moved me up in the ranks.
You have made me an officer and
given me a tremendous amount of responsibility.
There are many soldiers and recruits under my charge.
I am constantly being called upon to dispense wisdom,
make judgments, and find solutions to complex problems.
You have placed me in a position to function as an officer,
when in my heart I know I have only the skills of a private.
I realise that You have promised to supply all
I would need for the battle.

But Sir, I must present You a realistic picture of my equipment.
My uniform, once so crisp and starched,
is now stained with tears and blood of those I have tried to assist.
The soles of my boots are cracked and worn
from the miles I have walked
trying to enlist and encourage the instructed troops.
My weapons are marred, tarnished and chipped
from constant battle against the enemy.

Even the Book of Regulations
I was issued has been torn and tattered from endless use.
The words are now smeared.
You have promised You would be with me throughout,
but when the noise of the battle is so loud
and the confusion is so great,
I can neither see nor hear You.

I feel so alone. I'm tired. I'm discouraged.
I have Battle Fatigue. I would never ask You for a discharge.
I love being in Your service.
But I humbly request a demotion and transfer.
I'll file papers or clean latrines.
Just get me out of the battle--please, Sir.
Your Faithful, but tired, Warrior.

------

To: Faithful, but tired, Soldier, Spiritual Armed Forces
Location: The Battlefield
SUBJECT: Transfer

Dear Soldier:

Your request for transfer has been denied. I herewith present My reasons:

You are needed in this battle.
I have selected you, and I will keep My Word to supply your need.
You do not need a demotion and transfer.
(You'd never cut it on latrine duty.) You need a period of "R&R"
- Renewal and Rekindling.
I am setting aside a place on the battlefield
that is insulated from all sound and fully protected from the enemy.
I will meet you there and I will give you rest.
I will remove your old equipment and "make all things new."
You have been wounded in the battle, My soldier.
Your wounds are not visible,
but you have received grave internal injuries.
You need to be healed. I will heal you.
You have been weakened in the battle.
You need to be strengthened.
I will strengthen you and be your strength.
I will instill in you confidence and ability.
My Words will rekindle within you a renewed love, zeal and enthusiasm.

Report to Me tattered and empty. I will refill you.

Compassionately,

Your Commander-in-Chief, Jesus Christ


(Author Unknown)

Commandments 11-20

The 11th - 20th Commandments

11th. You shall not worry, for worry is the most unproductive of all
human activities.
12th. You shall not be fearful, for most of the things we fear never
come to pass.
13th. You shall not cross bridges before you come to them, for no one
has yet succeeded in accomplishing this.
14th. You shall handle only one problem at a time, and leave the
others to the Lord until their turn comes up.
15th. You shall not take troubles to bed with you, for they make
very poor bedfellows.
16th. You shall not try to carry the problems of the world on your
shoulders, for nobody (except for One) has a back that is broad
enough.
17th. You shall be a good listener, for God often speaks to us
through the mouths of others.
18th. Thou shall not try to relive yesterday; for good or ill, it is
forever gone. Live in the now and rejoice in it.
19th. You shall firmly dismiss feelings of frustration, for 90% of
it is rooted in self-pity and will interfere with positive action.
20th. You shall count thy blessings, never overlooking the smallest,
for our biggest blessings are composed of many small ones.


Author Unknown

Confession

"Remember the Duck!"

There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm.
He was given a slingshot to play with,
but only in the woods.
He practiced in the woods,
but he could never hit the target.
Getting a little discouraged,
he headed back to dinner.

As he was walking back, he saw grandma's pet duck.
Just out of impulse, he let it fly,
and hit the duck square in the head and killed it.
He was shocked and grieved.
In a panic, he hid the dead duck in a woodpile
only to see his sister watching.
Sally had seen it all, but said nothing.

After lunch that day Grandma said,
"Sally, let's wash the dishes."
But Sally said, "Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help
in the kitchen today didn't you Johnny?"
And then she whispered to him, "Remember the duck?"
So Johnny did the dishes.

Later, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing,
and Grandma said, "I'm sorry, but I need Sally to help make supper."
But Sally smiled and said, "Well, that's all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help."
And she whispered again, "Remember the duck?"
So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed home.

After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally's,
he finally couldn't stand it any longer.
He came to Grandma and confessed that he killed the duck.
She knelt down, gave him a hug, and said,
"Sweetheart, I know that. But because I love you, I forgive you.
But I was wondering just how long would you let Sally make a slave of you."

I'll bet Jesus sometimes wonders the same thing!
How often we allow ourselves to be enslaved
by our unwillingness to confess our sins.
We just go on living and sacrifice all
of the peace and forgiveness that God wants to give us.
It leaves us so that we cannot even enjoy the good that is in our lives.

God knows how we have fallen short of His glorious perfection
and has sent His son to die for our sins.
If we confess them and turn to Him,
we will be washed clean and set free from guilt.
But as long as we claim we haven't sinned
there can only be bondage to our past
and our need to cover it up from ourselves.

He is waiting to hear from you..

"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives."
1 John 1:8-10.

Selected from Pastor's Tim's Sermon Illustrations Newsletter.

Cracked Pot

You are a Cracked Pot!

A water bearer in China had two large pots,
each hung on the ends of a pole which he carried across his neck.
One of the pots had a crack in it,
while the other pot was perfect
and always delivered a full portion of water.

At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house,
the cracked pot arrived only half full.
For a full two years this went on daily,
with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his house.

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments,
perfect for which it was made.
But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection,
and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half
of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure,
it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream.

"I am ashamed of myself.
It's because of this crack in my side that causes
water to leak out all the way back to your house."

The bearer said to the pot,
"Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path,
but not on the other pot's side?
That's because I have always known about your flaw,
and I planted flower seeds on your side of the path,
and every day while we walk back, you've watered them.

For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to
decorate the table.
Without you being just the way you are,
there would not be this beauty to grace the house"

Moral:
Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots.
But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives
together so very interesting and rewarding.
You've just got to take each person for what they are,
and look for the good in them.

Destination

What is Your Destination?

A speed boat set out from one region of the country to another. The sea
was turbulent, the storm raging. Those on board the boat were afraid
but only the captain was calm. One man being a Christian wondered why,
in the midst of all the turbulence, the captain was calm so he went
ahead and asked him. "We are all troubled, but you are calm, why is
this?" The captain answered "My destination is the port we are going to
not the troubled sea". That was what he was looking forward to. What are
you looking at? Are you looking up to Jesus or at the storms of life?
Are you looking forward to your prize in heaven or looking at the
everyday turbulence of life?

Did God Make Everything?

Did God Make Everything?

The college professor challenged the class with this question.
"Did God make everything there is?"
One student bravely answered, "Yes!"
"Everything, young man?"
"Yes, he did, sir," the young man replied.
The professor responded, "If God made everything, then God made evil,
and if we can only create from within ourselves, then God is evil."
The student didn't have a response and the professor was happy to have
once again proved the Christian faith to be a myth.

Then a young woman raised her hand and asked, "May I ask you something, sir?"
"Yes, you may," responded the professor.
The young woman stood up and said "Is there such thing as cold?"
"Of course there is, what kind of a question is that?
Haven't you ever been cold?"
The young woman replied, "Actually, sir, cold does not exist.
What we consider to be cold, is really only the absence of heat.
Absolute zero is when there is absolutely no heat, but cold does not really exist.
We have only created that term to describe how we feel when heat is not there."

The young woman continued, "Sir, is there such thing as dark?"
Once again, the professor responded, "Of course there is."
And once again, the student replied. "Actually, sir, darkness does not exist.
Darkness is really only the absence of light.
Darkness is only a term man developed
to describe what happens when there is no light present."

Finally, the young woman asked, "Sir, is there such thing as evil?"
The professor responded, "Of course. We have rapes, and murders and
violence everywhere in the world, those things are evil."
The student replied, "Actually, sir, evil does not exist.
Evil is simply the absence of God.
Evil is a term man developed to describe the absence of God.
God did not create evil.
It isn't like truth, or love, which exist as virtues like heat and light.
Evil is simply the state where God is not present,
like cold without heat or darkness without light."
The professor had nothing to say.

Author Unknown

Don't Forget to Smile

Don't Forget to Smile

A little girl walked to and from school daily. Though the weather that
morning was questionable and clouds were forming, she made her daily
trek to the elementary school. As the afternoon progressed, the winds
whipped up, along with thunder and lightning. The mother of the little
girl felt concerned that her daughter would be frightened as she walked
home from school and she herself feared that the electrical storm might
harm her child.

Following the roar of thunder, lightning, like a flaming sword, would
cut through the sky. Full of concern, the mother quickly got into her
car and drove along the route to her child's school. As she did so, she
saw her little girl walking along, but at each flash of lightning, the
child would stop, look up and smile. Another and another were to follow
quickly and with each the little girl would look at the streak of light
and smile.

When the mother's car drove up beside the child she lowered the window
and called to her, "What are you doing? Why do you keep stopping?"

The child answered, "I am trying to look pretty,
God keeps taking my picture.

May God bless you today as you face the storms that come your way.

And don't forget to SMILE!

Author Unknown

Doors - Closed and Opened

Closed Doors

We need to learn to praise the Lord as much for a closed door
as we do an open door.
The reason God closes doors
is because He has not prepared anything over there for us.
If he didn't close the wrong door, we would never find the right door.

God directs our path through
the closing and opening of doors.
Once a door closes, it forces you to change your course.
Another door closes,
it forces you to change your course again.
Then, finally, you find the
open door and you walk right into your blessing.

The Lord directs our paths
through the opening and closing of doors,
but instead of praising him for the closed door
(which keeps us out of trouble); we get upset because we
"judge by the appearances."

You have an ever-present help in the time of trouble
that is always standing guard.
Because He walks ahead of you,
He can spot trouble down
the road and set up a roadblock or detour accordingly.
But through our lack of wisdom,
we try to tear down the roadblocks
or push aside the detour sign.
Then the minute we get into trouble,
we start crying,
"Lord, how could You have done this to me?"

We have got to realize that the closed door can be a blessing.
Didn't He say that no good thing
would He withhold from them that love Him?

If you get terminated from your job, praise God for the new
opportunities that will manifest themselves:
it might be another job, it might be school.

If that man or woman won't return your call,
it might not be them, it
might be the Lord setting up a roadblock
(just let it go).

We can sometimes trap ourselves in doubt
and discouragement through
judging by appearances.
Be grateful for the many times our Father has
closed doors to us
just to open them in the most unexpected places.

The Lord won't always say in spoken words:
"Go to the left, now to the right" ... sometimes
He will just close the doors that are wrong for you.


Author Unknown

Drink Plenty of Water

DRINK PLENTY OF WATER

I've heard it. I've read it. As long as I have been running,
it's always been the same message:
"Drin