For such a time as this (Mordecai to Esther (Esther 4:14)” – preparing our hearts for the 4th of July: Samuel Adams was cousin to John Adams (2nd President of the U.S.A.) and was called “the Father of the American Revolution.” In 1772 he wrote “The Rights of the Colonies.” In this piece he stated: “The rights of the colonists as Christians . . . may be best understood by reading and carefully studying the institutions of the Great Law Giver and Head of the Christian Church, which are to be found clearly written and promulgated in the New Testament.”
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
CHANGE YOUR SIGN!
A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, please help." There were only a few coins in the hat. A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.
Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?" The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way." I wrote: "Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it."
A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, please help." There were only a few coins in the hat. A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.
Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?" The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way." I wrote: "Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it."
Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people that they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective? Moral of the Story: Be thankful for what you have.. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively.
When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile. Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear.
Just think: God is Near! God Bless you and your family. From a friend to a friend ~The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling, And even more beautiful is knowing that you are the reason behind it!
Friday, June 25, 2010
For such a time as this (Mordecai to Esther (Esther 4:14)”
– preparing our hearts for the 4th of July: John Hancock was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence. He wrote his name in very large letters so that King George could read it without his spectacles! When things were not going well during the Revolutionary War he said, “In circumstances dark as these, it becomes us, as men and Christians, to reflect that, while every prudent measure should be taken to ward off the impending judgments, all confidence must be withheld from the means we use; and reposed only on that God who rules in the Armies of Heaven and without whose blessing the best human counsels are but foolishness, and all created power.”
“For such a time as this (Mordecai to Esther (Esther 4:14)” –
Preparing our hearts for the 4th of July: there was a point when the Constitutional Convention was ready to dissolve due to sharp disagreements amongst and harsh words spoken by the delegates. Benjamin Franklin called the delegates to a time or prayer. He said, “I have lived a long time, Sir, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men, and if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire caon rise without His aid?”
Preparing our hearts for the 4th of July: there was a point when the Constitutional Convention was ready to dissolve due to sharp disagreements amongst and harsh words spoken by the delegates. Benjamin Franklin called the delegates to a time or prayer. He said, “I have lived a long time, Sir, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men, and if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire caon rise without His aid?”
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
KEEPER
I grew up with practical parents. A mother, God love her, who washed aluminum foil after she cooked in it, then reused it. She was the original recycle queen, before they had a name for it... A father who was happier getting old shoes fixed than buying new ones. Their marriage was good, their dreams focused. Their best friends lived barely a wave away.
I can see them now, Dad in trousers, tee shirt and a hat and Mom in a house dress, lawn mower in one hand, and dish-towel in the other. It was the time for fixing things.. A curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, the hem in a dress. Things we keep.
It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy ~ all that re-fixing, eating, renewing. I wanted just once to be wasteful. Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there'd always be more. But then my mother died, and on that clear summer's night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't any more.
I grew up with practical parents. A mother, God love her, who washed aluminum foil after she cooked in it, then reused it. She was the original recycle queen, before they had a name for it... A father who was happier getting old shoes fixed than buying new ones. Their marriage was good, their dreams focused. Their best friends lived barely a wave away.
I can see them now, Dad in trousers, tee shirt and a hat and Mom in a house dress, lawn mower in one hand, and dish-towel in the other. It was the time for fixing things.. A curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, the hem in a dress. Things we keep.
It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy ~ all that re-fixing, eating, renewing. I wanted just once to be wasteful. Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there'd always be more. But then my mother died, and on that clear summer's night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't any more.
Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away...never to return. So, while we have it, it's best we love it. . . and care for it. . . and fix it when it's broken. . . and heal it when it's sick. This is true ~ for one’s marriage . . . and old cars . . . and children with bad report cards . . . and dogs with bad hips . . . and aging parents . . . and grandparents. We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it.
Some things we keep ~like a best friend that moved away, or a classmate we grew up with. There are just some things that make life important, like people we know who are special ~like you, and so, we keep them close!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Food for Thought
Something for fun, and something, oh so beautiful!
Blessing the Horses
Something for fun, and something, oh so beautiful!
Blessing the Horses
Mitch, a hard-shell Southern Baptist, loved to sneak away to the race track. One day he was there betting on the ponies and nearly losing his shirt when he noticed this priest who stepped out onto the track and blessed the forehead of one of the horses lining up for the 4th race. Lo and behold, this horse - a very long shot - won the race.
Mitch was most interested to see what the priest did the next race. Sure enough, he watched the priest step out onto the track as the 5th race horses lined up, and placed this blessing on the forehead of one of the horses. Mitch made a beeline for the window and placed a small bet on the horse. Again, even though another long shot, the horse the priest had blessed won the race. Mitch collected his winning and anxiously waited to see which horse the priest bestowed his blessing on for the 6th race.
The priest showed, blessed a horse, Mitch bet on it, and it won! Mitch was elated! As the day went on, the priest continued blessing one of the horses, and it always came in first. Mitch began to pull in some serious money, and by the last race, he knew his wildest dreams were going to come true. He made a quick stop at the ATM, withdrew big money and awaited the priest's blessing that would tell him which horse to bet on.
True to his pattern, the priest stepped out onto the track before the last race and blessed the forehead, eyes, ears and hooves of one of the horses. Mitchell be every cent, and watched the horse come in dead last. Mitchell was dumbfounded. He made his way to the track and when he found the priest, he demanded, "What happened, Father? All day you blessed horses and they won. The last race, you blessed a horse and he lost. Now I've lost my savings, thanks to you!!"
The priest nodded wisely and said, "That's the problem with you Protestants... you can't tell the difference between a simple blessing and the last Rites."
God is ONE
There are two words in Hebrew for our English word, “one.” The word transliterated “Iachid” means “an absolute oneness” as in Genesis 22:2, “Take now your son, your only (one) son Isaac, whom you love . . .” The other word, “Echad” represents a composed oneness as in the literal Hebrew for Genesis 1:5, “It was evening and it was morning one day.” God is never called iachid in the Hebrew bible, but always echad, a composed unity.
God is ONE
There are two words in Hebrew for our English word, “one.” The word transliterated “Iachid” means “an absolute oneness” as in Genesis 22:2, “Take now your son, your only (one) son Isaac, whom you love . . .” The other word, “Echad” represents a composed oneness as in the literal Hebrew for Genesis 1:5, “It was evening and it was morning one day.” God is never called iachid in the Hebrew bible, but always echad, a composed unity.
The literal translation of Deuteronomy 6:4 the keynote of the Jewish faith is: “Listen, Israel, Jehovah, you gods (plural) is Jehovah of composed unity [echad].” Irenaeus said, “There are always present to Him the Word, and Wisdom, the Son and the Spirit through whom and in whom He made all thins freely and spontaneously.” The three entities are One; this oneness is echad, a composed oneness between entities who also retain their distinctions.
Therefore, Jesus could truly say, “Who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:6). Bless His Holy Name!
(excerpted from: Richard Wurmbrand, 100 Prison Meditations, Living Sacrifice Books, Bartlesville, OK, © 1982, pp. 63-64
The Origin of Father's Day
A FATHER’S DAY HISTORY
AOL News had a story today:
“A Father’s Day History: Celebrating Dad for 100 Years”
Sonora Smart was the eldest of six children, born to William Jackson Smart and his wife who died while giving birth to their sixth child. Sonora was the only girl, and her father, after her mother’s death, was left to raise his children alone on a remote farm near Spokane, Washington. In 1909 Sonora (now married – Sonora Smart Dodd) heard a sermon honoring mothers on Mother’s Day, and she decided that fathers deserved to have the same type of recognition.
Working with her pastor, the Rev. Conrad Bluhm, with the Spokane YMCA and with the Spokane Ministerial Alliance, Mrs. Dodd was successful in promoting Father’s Day on Sunday, June 19, 1910 to the point where most pastors of the churches in Spokane preached sermons themed around the importance of fatherhood.
May I interject here and share with you that last Sunday that Mary Jane and I were privileged to share the Word of God at White Chapel in Carmel, Indiana, and this congregation in preparation for Father’s Day today noted that it was reported that 63% of teens committing suicide grow up in homes where the father is absent. That speaks dramatically to the father’s importance in the home, just as the LORD God ordained it should be!
The AOL News story goes on to note that by 1924 Father’s Day had gained some national prominence, and that year President Calvin Coolidge recognized Father’s Day and made it known that he wanted more states to get involved in its celebration. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed an order in 1966 proclaiming the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day, and this became its permanent official date when in 1972 President Richard Nixon signed an official proclamation to that effect.
Today, Father’s Day is celebrated in over 50 countries around the world on various days. The AOL News article begins its conclusion thusly: “All because a young girl who appreciated her dad’s love and wanted to see his efforts acknowledged. William Jackson Smart died in 1919, so he got to celebrate 10 Father’s Day with his grateful daughter.
AOL News had a story today:
“A Father’s Day History: Celebrating Dad for 100 Years”
Sonora Smart was the eldest of six children, born to William Jackson Smart and his wife who died while giving birth to their sixth child. Sonora was the only girl, and her father, after her mother’s death, was left to raise his children alone on a remote farm near Spokane, Washington. In 1909 Sonora (now married – Sonora Smart Dodd) heard a sermon honoring mothers on Mother’s Day, and she decided that fathers deserved to have the same type of recognition.
Working with her pastor, the Rev. Conrad Bluhm, with the Spokane YMCA and with the Spokane Ministerial Alliance, Mrs. Dodd was successful in promoting Father’s Day on Sunday, June 19, 1910 to the point where most pastors of the churches in Spokane preached sermons themed around the importance of fatherhood.
May I interject here and share with you that last Sunday that Mary Jane and I were privileged to share the Word of God at White Chapel in Carmel, Indiana, and this congregation in preparation for Father’s Day today noted that it was reported that 63% of teens committing suicide grow up in homes where the father is absent. That speaks dramatically to the father’s importance in the home, just as the LORD God ordained it should be!
The AOL News story goes on to note that by 1924 Father’s Day had gained some national prominence, and that year President Calvin Coolidge recognized Father’s Day and made it known that he wanted more states to get involved in its celebration. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed an order in 1966 proclaiming the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day, and this became its permanent official date when in 1972 President Richard Nixon signed an official proclamation to that effect.
Today, Father’s Day is celebrated in over 50 countries around the world on various days. The AOL News article begins its conclusion thusly: “All because a young girl who appreciated her dad’s love and wanted to see his efforts acknowledged. William Jackson Smart died in 1919, so he got to celebrate 10 Father’s Day with his grateful daughter.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
POISON IN THE HEART
A long time ago in China , a girl named Li-Li got married & went to live with her husband and mother-in-law. In a very short time, Li-Li found that she couldn't get along with her mother-in-law at all. Their personalities were very different, and Li-Li was angered by many of her mother-in-law's habits. In addition, she criticized Li-Li constantly.
Days passed, and weeks passed. Li-Li and her mother-in-law never stopped arguing and fighting. But what made the situation even worse was that, according to ancient Chinese tradition, Li-Li had to bow to her mother-in-law and obey her every wish. All the anger and unhappiness in the house was causing Li-Li's poor husband great distress.
Finally, Li-Li could not stand her mother-in-law's bad temper and dictatorship any longer, and she decided to do something about it! Li-Li went to see her father's good friend, Mr. Huang, who sold herbs. She told him the situation and asked if he would give her some poison so that she could solve the problem once and for all.
Mr. Huang thought for awhile, and finally said, 'Li-Li, I will help you solve your problem, but you must listen to me and obey what I tell you.' Li-Li said, 'Yes, Mr. Huang, I will do whatever you tell me to do.' Mr. Huang went into the back room, and returned in a few minutes with a package of herbs. He told Li-Li, 'You can't use a quick-acting poison to get rid of your mother-in-law, because that would cause people to become suspicious. Therefore, I have given you a number of herbs that will slowly build up poison in her body.
Every other day prepare some delicious meal and put a little of these herbs in her serving. Now, in order to make sure that nobody suspect you, when she dies, you must be very careful to act very friendly towards her. 'Don't argue with her, obey her every wish, and treat her like a queen.'
Li-Li was so happy. She thanked Mr. Huang and hurried home to start her plot of murdering her mother-in-law. Weeks went by, and months went by, and every other day, Li-Li served the specially treated food to her mother-in-law. She remembered what Mr. Huang had said about avoiding suspicion, so she controlled her temper, obeyed her mother-in-law, and treated her like her own mother.
After six months had passed, the whole household had changed. Li-Li had practiced controlling her temper so much that she found that she almost never got mad or upset. She hadn't had an argument with her mother-in-law in six months because she now seemed much kinder and easier to get along with.
The mother-in-law's attitude toward Li-Li changed, and she began to love Li-Li like her own daughter. She kept telling friends and relatives that Li-Li was the best daughter-in-law one could ever find. Li-Li and her mother-in-law were now treating each other like a real mother and daughter. Li-Li's husband was very happy to see what was happening.
One day, Li-Li came to see Mr. Huang and asked for his help again She said, 'Dear Mr. Huang, please help me to keep the poison from killing my mother-in-law. She's changed into such a nice woman, and I love her like my own mother. I do not want her to die because of the poison I gave her.'
Mr. Huang smiled and nodded his head. 'Li-Li, there's nothing to worry about. I never gave you any poison. The herbs I gave you were vitamins to improve her health. The only poison was in your mind and your attitude toward her, but that has been all washed away by the love which you gave to her.'
Have you realized that how you treat others is exactly how they will treat you? There is a wise Chinese saying: 'The person who loves others will also be loved in return.' God might be trying to work in another person's life through you. Send this to your friends and spread the POWER OF LOVE.
A long time ago in China , a girl named Li-Li got married & went to live with her husband and mother-in-law. In a very short time, Li-Li found that she couldn't get along with her mother-in-law at all. Their personalities were very different, and Li-Li was angered by many of her mother-in-law's habits. In addition, she criticized Li-Li constantly.
Days passed, and weeks passed. Li-Li and her mother-in-law never stopped arguing and fighting. But what made the situation even worse was that, according to ancient Chinese tradition, Li-Li had to bow to her mother-in-law and obey her every wish. All the anger and unhappiness in the house was causing Li-Li's poor husband great distress.
Finally, Li-Li could not stand her mother-in-law's bad temper and dictatorship any longer, and she decided to do something about it! Li-Li went to see her father's good friend, Mr. Huang, who sold herbs. She told him the situation and asked if he would give her some poison so that she could solve the problem once and for all.
Mr. Huang thought for awhile, and finally said, 'Li-Li, I will help you solve your problem, but you must listen to me and obey what I tell you.' Li-Li said, 'Yes, Mr. Huang, I will do whatever you tell me to do.' Mr. Huang went into the back room, and returned in a few minutes with a package of herbs. He told Li-Li, 'You can't use a quick-acting poison to get rid of your mother-in-law, because that would cause people to become suspicious. Therefore, I have given you a number of herbs that will slowly build up poison in her body.
Every other day prepare some delicious meal and put a little of these herbs in her serving. Now, in order to make sure that nobody suspect you, when she dies, you must be very careful to act very friendly towards her. 'Don't argue with her, obey her every wish, and treat her like a queen.'
Li-Li was so happy. She thanked Mr. Huang and hurried home to start her plot of murdering her mother-in-law. Weeks went by, and months went by, and every other day, Li-Li served the specially treated food to her mother-in-law. She remembered what Mr. Huang had said about avoiding suspicion, so she controlled her temper, obeyed her mother-in-law, and treated her like her own mother.
After six months had passed, the whole household had changed. Li-Li had practiced controlling her temper so much that she found that she almost never got mad or upset. She hadn't had an argument with her mother-in-law in six months because she now seemed much kinder and easier to get along with.
The mother-in-law's attitude toward Li-Li changed, and she began to love Li-Li like her own daughter. She kept telling friends and relatives that Li-Li was the best daughter-in-law one could ever find. Li-Li and her mother-in-law were now treating each other like a real mother and daughter. Li-Li's husband was very happy to see what was happening.
One day, Li-Li came to see Mr. Huang and asked for his help again She said, 'Dear Mr. Huang, please help me to keep the poison from killing my mother-in-law. She's changed into such a nice woman, and I love her like my own mother. I do not want her to die because of the poison I gave her.'
Mr. Huang smiled and nodded his head. 'Li-Li, there's nothing to worry about. I never gave you any poison. The herbs I gave you were vitamins to improve her health. The only poison was in your mind and your attitude toward her, but that has been all washed away by the love which you gave to her.'
Have you realized that how you treat others is exactly how they will treat you? There is a wise Chinese saying: 'The person who loves others will also be loved in return.' God might be trying to work in another person's life through you. Send this to your friends and spread the POWER OF LOVE.
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