More from "Life in the Middle Ages"

Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained, it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. – Hence, the saying, “It's raining cats and dogs.”

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. – Hence, the saying, “Dirt poor.” The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entranceway. – Hence, the term, “a thresh hold.

Now, whoever said History was boring? 

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THE NAIL

The congregation built a new church building and people came from far and wide to see it... They admired its beauty. Up on the roof, a little nail heard the people praising everything about the lovely structure -- except the nail. No one even knew he was there, and he became angry and jealous. "If I am that insignificant, nobody will miss me if I quit!" So the nail then released its hold, slid down the roof, and fell in the mud.

That night it rained and rained. Soon, the shingle that had no nail blew away, and the roof began to leak. The water streaked the walls and the beautiful murals. The plaster began to fall, the carpet was stained, and the pulpit Bible was ruined by water. All this because a little nail decided to quit! But, what of the nail? While holding the shingle, it was obscure but it was also useful. Buried in the mud it was just as obscure, but now it was useless and would soon be eaten up by rust!

Food for Thought: Every member is important to the church. You may, like the nail, feel obscure at times, but just like the nail, your absence is felt. When you are not present for worship, in some way the body of Christ hurts. We are all a part of the Lord''s building.

J.O.Y. = Jesus First, Others Second, Yourself Last! So True!

AND A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM?

A Kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children while they were drawing. She would occasionally walk around to see each child's work. As she got to one little girl who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was. The girl replied, "I'm drawing God." The teacher paused and said, "But no one knows what God looks like."
Without missing a beat, or looking up from her drawing, the girl replied, "They will in a minute."
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A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds. After explaining the commandment to "honor" thy Father and thy Mother, she asked, "Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?"
Eager to answer her question, one little boy answered, "Thou shall not kill."
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The children had all been photographed and the teacher was trying to persuade them each to buy a copy of the group picture: "Just think how nice it will be to look at it when you are all grown up and say, 'There's Jennifer, she's a lawyer,' or 'That's Michael, he's a doctor.'
A small voice at the back of the room rang out, "And there's the teacher, she's dead."
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A teacher was giving a lesson on the circulation of the blood. Trying to make the matter clearer, she said, "Now, class, if I stood on my head, the blood, as you know, would run into it, and I would turn red in the face."
"Yes," the class said. "Then why is it that while I am standing upright in the usual position the blood doesn't run into my feet?"
A little fellow shouted, "Cause your feet ain't empty."
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The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary school for lunch and at the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The nun made a note and posted on the apple tray: "Take only ONE. God is watching."
Moving farther along in the lunch line, the children found a large pile of chocolate chip cookies, on which a child had posted his own note: "Take all you want. God is watching the apples."

Daily Prayers

Lord, help me to meditate on Your Word, and then direct me in ways to use Your Word to help others. Your Word is Life itself, and I sincerely long to speak blessings to others. Place a watch care over my thoughts and my attitudes so that what I say will be Spirit-led in order to edify, encourage and comfort those around me as I strive to speak the Truth in love.

Father, increase my passion for helping others to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. You have freely given us love, forgiveness and eternal life. Stir my heart with more of a desire to share this precious gift with others.

O Jesus, please help me to surrender my desires and thoughts to You. I want my total focus throughout the day to be on You; protect me from the distractions of my flesh, the world and the wiles of the enemy.

Holy Spirit, assist me today to focus my mind and heart on the many blessings I have been given. All good things in my life have come from Your hand. I desire to have a heart-attitude of true gratitude and thanksgiving.

“. . . whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”
~ Paul’s exhortation to the Christians at Philippi (4:8)


><><><><><><><><><><>< LIFE IN THE 1500'S

The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about the 1500's:

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. –

Hence, the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children, and last of all the babies.

By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, “Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water.” Now, whoever said History was boring?  <><< Now, whoever said History was boring? 8-)

A riddle for you ~
Eighty percent of Kindergartners solved this riddle,
but only 5% of Stanford graduates figured it out!


Can you answer the following questions in one word?

1. The word has seven letters....
2. Preceded God...
3. Greater than God...
4. More Evil than the devil...
5. All poor people have it...
6. Wealthy people need it....
7. If you eat it, you will die.

Did you get it?

Scroll down . . . .









NOTHING!

SIMPLE TRUTHS

1. God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.
2. Dear God, I have a problem; it's me.
3. Growing old is inevitable ... growing UP is optional.
4. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open.
5. Silence is often misinterpreted...but never misquoted.
6. Do the math... count your blessings.
7. Faith is the ability to not panic.
8. Laugh every day, it's like inner jogging.
9. If you worry, you didn't pray. ?If you pray, don't worry.
10. As a child of God, prayer is kind of like calling home every day.
11. Blessed are the flexible for they shall not be bent out of shape.
12. The most important things in your house are the people.
13. When we get tangled up in our problems, be still -
God wants us to be still so He can untangle the knot.
14. A grudge is a heavy thing to carry.
15. He who dies with the most toys is still dead.

P. J. O’Rourke says: “A fruit is a vegetable with looks and money.
Plus, if you let fruit rot, it turns into wine, something Brussels sprouts never do.”


When cheese gets its picture taken, what does it say?
(Ouch! - Get Thee to a Punnery!)


Pillsbury spokes-man Pop N. Fresh died yesterday at 71.

In attendance at the funeral were Mrs. Butterworth, the California Raisins, Hungry Jack. Betty Crocker and the Hostess Twinkies.

Fresh rose quickly in show business, but his career was filled with many turnovers. He was not considered a smart cookie, wasting much of his dough on half-baked schemes. Still, even as a crusty old man, he was a roll model for millions. Fresh is survived by his second wife.

They have two children and one in the oven. The funeral was held at 3:50 for about 20 minutes.

~~~~~~~```

Be a Berean!
“The Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians. They eagerly received the message and searched the Scriptures diligently every day to see if what Paul said was true.”
– Acts 17:11

May the LORD richly bless you and yours! ~ Bob Preston

FIVE IMPORTANT LESSONS TO HELP US THINK
ABOUT HOW WE TREAT PEOPLE


1. First Important Lesson – the Cleaning Lady –

During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one:

"What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"

Surely, this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall,
dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name?

I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.

"Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello."

I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned that her name was Dorothy.



2. Second Important Lesson – a Pickup in the Rain –

One night, at 11:30 p.m., an elderly African-American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 60’s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab.

She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached.

It read: "Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away... God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others."
~ Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.


3. Third Important Lesson – Always Remember Those Who Serve –

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.

"How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked.
"Fifty cents," replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.
"Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired.

By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient.
"Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied.

The little boy again counted his coins.
"I'll have the plain ice cream," he said.

The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies.

You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.


4. Fourth Important Lesson. – The obstacle in Our Path –

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the
peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand:
Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.


5. Fifth Important Lesson – Giving When it Counts –

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister.

I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes I'll do it if it will save her." As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded.

He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?"

Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her. Is that an act of courage and unselfish love or what?! 