God's Treasure... :) Shangy! >Here are the details on our Yahoo ShangyFunList: To Subscribe send a blank email to ShangyFunList-subscribe@yahoogroups.com To UnSubscribe send a blank email to ShangyFunList-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Group home page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShangyFunList or Web Site: http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/ShangyFunList.html Group email address: ShangyFunList@yahoogroups.com or email me here: bcrsystems@earthlink.net ================ *~* Please Consider Giving To ShangralaFamilyFun.com The cost of the website has gone up dramatically due to the ever increasingly wonderful pages and photos being added each week to entertain you and our fellow Christian families. While the ads on the website do help, I don't want to drag the site down with tons of them to pay for it. I need your help! "We are each of us angels with but one wing, and can only fly by embracing each other" -Luciano Decrescenzo ~ CALLING ALL CARING ANGELS ~ *~* WE NEED CARING And SHARING Angels *~* >Do You Want To Be A Shangrala Angel? If you'd like to help and be counted as a Shangrala Angel, the easiest way to do that is through online giving. It is easy to use, and most of all, it is secure. Please visit the site, scroll down and click on the donate button. A Secure PAYPAL form page comes up. NOTE: Paypal will generate a 'Quantity 1' and 'Price per item' form. Just ignore the price per item and put whatever it is you desire to give in there. With Paypal, you will have your normal receipt for your 'payment' donation in USD (United States Dollars). You can put a memo in there if you'd like. Any amount is greatly appreciated and needed! PLEASE Visit Shangrala to Help: http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/index.html OR If you'd rather send us a donation, Please MAIL it here: Elrhea Bigham 502 S. Harrison Van Wert, OH 45891 *~* THANK YOU! MAY GOD BLESS YOU MOST ABUNDANTLY FOR YOUR GIFT! ================ *~* A REMINDER: PLEASE Send me sweet, interesting, funny, inspiring, family type forwards ANY TIME here... bcrsystems@earthlink.net I Need them, Love them, Use them, and Share them! THANK YOU!! AND For Facebook Users: Please Friend Me / Like Me here... http://tinyurl.com/cma6all AND For Google Plus Users: You can find me here... Shangy Bigham https://plus.google.com/106648555948034085752/posts AND Please Share This email with All Your Friends And Family! ^~^ May God SUPER BLESS You As You Do! THANK YOU! :) -<>- * NOTE: An easy way to adjust the size of print in email or any page is to hold down the Ctrl tab while moving the scroll button on the mouse. You can also use the keyboard to change the font size in your web browser or emails. Hold down the Ctrl key while pressing the + key for larger text or the - key for smaller text! =========================================================== >-->From Heartwarmers: %%%% %%%%-( _%%%%%_/ \ ' / _%%%%%%%% - (_) - _%%%%%%%/ \% / , \ %%%%%%%%%\\ \_ %%%%%% \ \\ ) /\_/ /(___. \ '----' ( / ) ---....____/ (_____ __ _ ___ ___ __ _ _ _____ _ _ ___ / )---...___ =-= = -_= -=_= _-=_-_ -=- =-_ ,' ( ```--.._= -_= -_= _-=- -_= _=- ,-' ) ``--._=-_ =-=_-= _-= _ '-._ '-..___( ``-._=_-=_- =_-= ``---....__) `-._-=_-_=- )|)| `-._=-_ gnv '-'-.\_ `-. >THE SHORE by Kelly A. Mieszek "Hey guys, wanna go to the beach tomorrow?" Before the words had faded from the air, my 8 and 6 year olds returned with their boogie boards and swim suits. Next came the cooler and a bag of snacks. The two year old toddled out, dragging beach towels and heading for the door. The next day we'd spend a few hours riding the waves and looking for unique sea shells to stuff into the beach bag. There's never really a bad day at the beach in Florida. Now, when I was a kid in Jersey, there were bad days at the beach, or at least on the way to it. First, it's not the beach, it's the shore, which is pronounced like you meant to say "sure", but it got stuck somewhere around in your gums before dribbling out. It's called the shore because that's where my grandmother made me stay. "No further than your knees, kids," which was fine with me since my lips were trembling from cold, even in July or August. What a sight I was splashing in the knee-high water with a flower covered bathing cap, a shoestring tied across my back to keep my bathing suit straps from falling off my shoulders, and blue lips. Five minutes in the water was plenty of time for any of us and we, my sister, aunt (who was my mom's younger sister and the same age as my own sister), and cousins, became expert sand castle builders on the shores the likes of Atlantic City (before casinos), Sea Side Heights, and Cape May. What a sight our merry band made those summers with my grandmother. Anyone watching had to get a chuckle watching her trying to deal with all of us in the sand and buying ice cream cones on the boardwalk. They would have truly had a belly laugh though, had they seen us in transport to and from our weekly fun filled day. We'd all pile in with her, squirming worms burrowing into the back cabin. We couldn't wait to get there and, for the first few minutes, asked every ten seconds if we were there yet. Nan always drove old station wagons with windows down and air conditioning that didn't work right. We'd be lined up in the far back, facing each other, knees laced together. Grandma was a heavy smoker, and her habit came along in the car. On the dash of every vehicle she drove there always sat a bean bag bottom ashtray. Next to it, stuck on with duct tape, was a small dog with a spring for a neck. Even before the the key was in the ignition, Nan had lit up and set her cigarette in that ashtray. As the engine chugged to life, the head of the dog started to bounce around. The back window was always down, and fumes from the exhaust immediately came into our tiny cabin. The faster we went the less we smelled it, but it returned each time we came to a stop. And there we sat, knees smacking each other as the car chugged forward, smoke wafting back from the cigarettes, and dog head bobbing. Puff, puff, bob around with each bump, come to a stop and smack go the knees against each other. Up come the fumes from the back window. Lurch forward, smack knees, bob, bob, drag on the cigarette. The squirming stopped, and our heads began to bob around as well. Please, Nan, are we there yet? We were too sick to ask, and she was too busy singing with Elvis to notice if we had. Sometimes I think she took the long way home just to have a little peace. I don't smoke, but when I come to a stop in my airconditioned van, I sometimes think of my Nan and the shore, and I bob my head around and laugh at myself. Hey kids, don't forget to pack the water proof sunscreen. Tomorrow I plan to go in the water above my knees. -- Kelly A. Mieszek ___________________________________________ Kelly enjoys actually going in the water at the beach in Jacksonville, Florida. She does not drive a station wagon, smoke, or have a bobbing dog head in her van. All of this makes her kids happy, coming and going. =========================================================== >-->Story Time From Our Friend Fran :) __ .' ) .' y /H / (==(//) / / _ _/ _~/ _ /R / .' ) / `. .' ) / / .' .' ) .' .' /A / / .' .' /.' .' / / / / .'/ / .' /D / (.' .' .' / / .' / /.' .'/ .' .' .'.' /A / .' / / ( .'.' / / .' / / .' .' / / .' / /.' .' / /.' ( / .' / / `.) .' / / .' .' `./ .' .' `..' Kamuiyoo / VK I was an ungainly child — well-loved by my family, but made fun of often by schoolmates for being too big, a klutz, and oblivious of social skills. I also had some physical ailments in first grade, and long after those problems were fixed, my classmates remembered that I was a pariah and treated me with derision. I had seriously low self-confidence and I deeply feared bringing unplanned attention to myself. I was, however, generally normal, and as such had an enormous crush on "Tim", a fellow eighth-grader. I considered him far "out of my league" but I was smitten. Tim, naturally, didn't know I existed, and while I did my best to maximize those moments where we passed in the hall, I was acutely afraid of being "found out" and ridiculed for my feelings. One day I went on a ski trip to Maple Ridge. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that Tim had decided to do the same! I spent the first hours catching glimpses of him while I rode the little two-seater chair lift back to the top. I thought him, of course, the picture of grace. Then, in the afternoon, I was in line three people behind Tim, holding my breath from being so close to him, and he turned around and asked me, "Hey, you want to ride up together?" I stammered assent and he scooted back in line to my spot. My heart was pounding. We got in position for the next chair to sweep us up. But in my love-struck confusion, I stood too far to the left, and the chair caught me square in the seat of my pants and threw me sprawling on the ground. Everyone in line laughed, and the operators stopped the lift and hauled me out of the way. Then the lift resumed and Tim zoomed off to the top of the hill without me. I was devastated. My eyes were welling with tears. When I got to the top of the hill, I waited a few minutes to compose myself and to give him plenty of room to get away from me, then skied back to the bottom, hanging my head. Yet, who fell in line beside me but Tim, saying, "What took you so long? I've been waiting for you so we could ride up together." I could hardly speak. We got to the front of the line; I successfully negotiated the chair, and we rode to the top together, chatting about heaven knows what, while my heart filled with gladness and gratitude. Middle school is not where miracles of the heart are all that common. Tim continued to "not know I existed," and my crush passed on as they all do. But Tim, through that one act, repaired years of social fear and did more good for my self-confidence than he could ever have imagined. We're in our thirties now and I hope, wherever he is, he's living the good life. by Jennifer Schrader --- ...Awww, such a sweet story! Thanks Fran! =========================================================== >-->From Archives InspiredBuffalo: _ _|_|_ ,|_| |_|_ || | | |_| || | | | | || | | | | _|| | | | | ||)\ ^ ^ ^ | || | | || | | || | | \\ | \\ / ejm )\ ( / \ \ / \ \ \ \ >What is Prayer? Prayer is so simple It is like quietly opening a door And slipping into the very presence of God There in the stillness To listen to his voice Perhaps to petition Or only to listen It matters not Just to be there In his presence Is prayer. -- David Langerfeld -<>- In the Aug. 22, 2008, edition of his UpWords devotional, Max Lucado writes: “Nathaniel Hawthorne came home heartbroken. He’d just been fired from his job in the customhouse. His wife, rather than responding with anxiety, surprised him with joy. ‘Now you can write your book!’ “He wasn’t so positive. ‘And what shall we live on while I’m writing it?’ “To his amazement she opened a drawer and revealed a wad of money she’d saved out of her housekeeping budget. ‘I always knew you were a man of genius,’ she told him. ‘I always knew you’d write a masterpiece.’ “She believed in her husband. Because she did, he wrote. Because he wrote, every library in America has a copy of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. “You have the power to change someone’s life simply by the words you speak. ‘Death and life are in the power of the tongue.’” From Preaching Now -<>- __.-.__ _.-' ' ` `-._ .' ' ' ` ` `. ( ' ' ` ` ) |`-,..,.____..,.,--;| |: | :| : | : |: || |: | :| (9>| : |: || |: | :|(\) | : |: || |: | :|/\\ | : |: || |: | /| II | : |: || |: |///| II | : |: || |; | :| II | : |: || /`-!...|____|...!--'\ / \ `--...._________....--' Felix Lee >God's Great Grace There once was a man named George Thomas, pastor in a small New England town. One Easter Sunday morning he came to the Church carrying a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit. Eyebrows were raised and, as if in response, Pastor Thomas began to speak... "I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming toward me swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright. I stopped the lad and asked, "What you got there, son?" "Just some old birds," came the reply. "What are you gonna do with them?" I asked. "Take 'em home and have fun with 'em," he answered. "I'm gonna tease 'em and pull out their! feathers to make 'em fight. I'm gonna have a real good time." "But you'll get tired of those birds sooner or later. What will you do?" "Oh, I got some cats," said the little boy. "They like birds. I'll take 'em to them." The pastor was silent for a moment. "How much do you want for those birds, son?" "Huh?? !!! Why, you don't want them birds, mister. They're just plain old field birds. They don't sing. They ain't even pretty!" "How much?" the pastor asked again. The boy sized up the pastor as if he were crazy and said, "$10?" The pastor reached in his pocket and took out a ten-dollar bill. He placed it in the boy's hand. In a flash, the boy was gone. The pastor picked up the cage and gently carried it to the end of the alley where there was a tree and a grassy spot. Setting the cage down, he opened the door, and by softly tapping the bars persuaded the birds out, setting them free. Well, that explained the empty birdcage on the pulpit, and then the pastor began to tell this story: One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. Satan had just come from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting. "Yes, sir, I just caught the world full of people down there. Set me a trap, used bait I knew they couldn't resist. Got 'em all!" "What are you going to do with them?" Jesus asked. Satan replied, "Oh, I'm gonna have fun! I'm gonna teach them how to marry and divorce each other, how to hate and abuse each other, how to drink and smoke and curse. I'm gonna teach them how to invent guns and bombs and kill each other. I'm really gonna have fun!" "And what will you do when you get done with them?" Jesus asked. "Oh, I'll kill 'em," Satan glared proudly. "How much do you want for them?" Jesus asked. "Oh, you don't want those people. They ain't no good. Why, you'll take them and they'll just hate you. They'll spit on you, curse you and kill you. You don't want those nasty people!!" "How much?" He asked again. Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, "All your blood, tears and your very life." Jesus said, "DONE!" Then he stretched out his hands as far as he could, bled and died for all mankind. He paid the price with his precious blood. The pastor picked up the cage he opened the door and he walked from the pulpit. -<>- . ( ) ' . ( ( ) ,___________. | _________ | || ,### || || ####' %|| || ##` #|| || :### # || || '####/ || || ##` || || ###; || ||-_-_-_-_-|| || '###; || || '6#' || || ;#' || || ;#`#; || || #!' # || ||%____#___|| |___________| Taliszanna The great inventor Thomas Alva Edison used to take special pleasure in showing his guests around the grounds of his New Jersey home. On the way back to the house, there was a fence with a narrow opening and a turnstile that his visitors had to pass through, one at a time. "Why the turnstile?" people often asked. "Each time you pass through," Edison would explain, "you pump eight gallons of water into a tank. We use that water for bathing and drinking." Edison was a towering genius. How like him not to overlook the natural energy that God has stored up in every human being, energy too often untapped. Whenever I think of Edison now I am reminded of the divine potential within myself. The ideas in a corner of my mind I have yet to explore. The unlimited power of love that lies unused within my heart. —Manual Almada -<>- __ @@;, ( ; ? : ); _| |_ | | || | | _| |_ | \ \ \/ || \/ ___ / / | __| |\ __||____||___||______/| | ||| | |_______ _________| | ||| ||| |____ | | ____| ||| Design by \ \______ ) | | / ______/ / || | | | | | /___| || Samule J. Neptune || | | |_ /| | |\ _| || || || | \__, / | | | \<__/ | || >The Table I remember when growing up at my aunt and uncle's farm eating there on Sunday. The table would be pulled out and the leaves would be inserted for the family that would be there. Oftentimes the minister from the Church would eat with us. The men when they entered the home would take their hats off and hang them up by the door. All would wash their hands and sit at their designated place. My uncle would sit at the head of the table, his wife at the opposite end. The best dishes were used every Sunday along with the best silverware. During the hot, dusty summer, the dishes might be turned upside down to protect them from the dust and flies, as this was before air-conditioning. Sometimes if the meals were served and my aunt was not ready to eat, the plates would be covered with a clean dishcloth. Everyone sat upright, no elbows on the table, when my aunt entered the room everyone stood up, it was expected. She was being honored. My uncle would either say Grace or ask someone to say Grace. After the prayer was concluded he would take the first dish of food and put some on his plate and pass it to his right, and on it would go. Usually the elders would sit to his right with the children being the last served. This was normal and there were no questions asked. At the table people discussed family events, church events, school happenings, matters of consequence. Never was there a heated discussion, and always proper manners were in place. When finished eating, you asked for permission to be excused from the table and you cleaned your mouth with a real napkin. You politely removed yourself, and put your chair back into place. The women would clear the table and do dishes while the men would retire and discuss matters for menfolk. The children would go outside and play. The table would be put back in it's place until it was used again. When did the table lose it's place in our family? Or is the better question when did our family lose it's table? When did manners fade away? When did respect of our Elders dissolve? Do you pray before receiving your food? Do you bless your food? Do have your family time? Does what I describe to you sound like a better way of life, of living? Take the time. Start at home. Home...what a beautiful word. Think about this.... The Lord gave us Hope with His Last Supper at the Table. Commune with your family. Start today. BJ Cassady Guthrie, Oklahoma -<>- ___!___ / | \ / | \ / | \ /______|______\ \ )|( / \ ( | ) / \ =|= / \__|__/ ,,, ,;;;;;, '-===;;( );;===-' `<>o<>' //"\\ |/| |\| | | | | | | | | lc| >WHERE THE LIGHT IS By: Joseph J. Mazzella There is a delightful, old story that always brings a smile to my face. One day a man was walking down the street and saw his friend crawling around on his hands and knees looking for something. The man asks his friend what he is looking for on the ground. His friend says, "I lost my key." The man feels sorry for his friend and gets down to help look for it. After a long time of looking without success the man asks his friend where he was standing when he lost his key. The friend replies, "Oh, I lost it in my house." Outraged by this the man asks why they are looking on the street then. His friend says, "Because there is more light here." As funny as that sounds it is the way a lot of people think. They want to know the purpose of their lives. They want to figure out the secret to their own happiness. They want to find the key to living a loving and joyous life. Yet, they look everywhere except inside of themselves. Perhaps they think it is too dark and frightening to look within for these answers. They keep looking on the outside instead because they think the light is better there. The truth is if they were willing to look within they would find a light far brighter and more illuminating than any on the outside. They would find the glorious glow of their own souls that have been patiently waiting for their arrival. They would find the love of God that lights up the world and the light of their own love as well. They would find a beautiful fire that would warm their hearts and that they could give to everyone everywhere. Don’t be afraid to look on the inside. The light on the outside is nowhere near as magnificent and golden as the loving light that shines from your own soul. God’s loving light lives within each of us. That is the light you should seek. That is the light that will guide you to a joyous life and that is the light that you should share with the whole world. -<>- >Links for Your Enjoyment: Think Happy Thoughts! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/happythoughts.html Soap Carving Art http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/soapart.html Weird Rainy Days! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/rainyday.html Bear Playground http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/bearplay.html Disney Character Bushes http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/disneybush.html Hiking In China http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/trail.html Friends Together! http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/poems/together.html Hidden! http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/poems/hidden.html I Am Who I Am! http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/poems/Iam.html Help - God's Emergency Numbers: http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/poems/help.html Our Valuable Anchor http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/BibleStudy/ouranchor.html Christianity and The Renewed Mind http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/BibleStudy/christianity.html -<>- Having a Real Relationship with our Heavenly Father https://tinyurl.com/y8qfur9w Enforcing the law while keeping families together https://tinyurl.com/yae5vhjj “President Trump signed an executive order Wednesday afternoon to end the practice of separating children from parents accused of illegally crossing the border,” Steven Nelson reports in the Washington Examiner. “I didn't like the sight or the feeling of families being separated,” the President said from the Oval Office. https://tinyurl.com/ybkqwwpy President Trump Signs an Executive Order Affording Congress an Opportunity to Address Family Separation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMsR31jEO68 The Ingraham Angle 6/19/18 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEWa6QYNV08 -<>- >From Our Friend LouiseAu :) Watch the little boy in this video next to Ernie Ford as he sings Children Go Where I Send Thee. I'm not sure how Ernie managed to finish the song without bursting out laughing at this kid's musical antics. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_eWR2hT_YM&feature=player_embedded --- ...LOL! He's an awesome singer but he's just not used to kids! Thanks louiseA! You just have to watch the story of Alice Herz-Sommer. She was 110 years old and was said to be the oldest living pianist. She went through the horrors of a Nazi concentration camp, but you won't believe her wisdom on life, music and faith. You'll be crying well before the end of this year-old documentary clip. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=8oxO3M6rAPw --- ...Such A heartwarmer! Thanks LouiseAu! Visit Melissa's Online Store You can get anything you want (except for Melissa ) at the online store http://pdhomes.net/mall/babylissa/mySTORES/ISELL4.html ========================================================== __,,,__ ,-""-,-" "-,-""-, /,-' , .-'-.7.-'-. , '-,\ \( / _ _ \ )/ '-, { (0) (0) } ,-' / > .---. < \ |/ .-' \___/ '-. \| {, / ,_ _, \ ,} \ {, \ / ,} / ',\. '---' ./,' _.-""""""-._ _.-""""""-._ .' `._.` '. _/_ _ \ .'` `\ | | \ / | | | ; | / |_| | \ ;'---' _ ___ _ _ ___ ; '. ; | | / \| || || _| _ ; `-\ | |_ | | || |/ /| _| .' `, `\ |___|\___/ \__/ |___| | \ \ _ _ \ | jgs `\ | | | /` _/ ,-""-. .'`\ | | | /`-,-'` .-""-, / `\.' `\ \___/ /` './` \ ; .--. \ '\ /' / .--. ; | ( \ |, '\ /' | / ) | \ ; } ;\ /; ` { ; / `;\ \ _.-' \ / `-._ / /;` \ \__.' _.-' Y `-._ '.__// '.___,.-' `-.,___.' >Trust Him Story Editor: by Bonnie Buttron Joyce Schowalter Illinois, USA I work for a sub contractor at a job site in Illinois. Because several of us have done exemplary work, each time the contract was up for renewal the job site management always requested that we stay. Thus, I have had the opportunity to become acquainted with the employees. I have worked on this job site for over thirteen years, always part time. One day while at work in the summer of 2008, my mind was in despair as to how I was going to handle the many problems associated with my son's illness. He has schizophrenia. He had stopped taking his medication and his symptoms intensified. His behavior became more erratic, and his and my frustrations were accelerating. My mind was seesawing back and forth with thoughts. I should be home. How am I going to convince him he needs to take this medication? What is he doing in my absence? What am I going to find at home? I need this job in order to make ends meet. How do other people manage in the same situation? Then there were worries about overcoming the stigma attached to this illness. And angry thoughts, as all attempts to receive help have been stymied by bureaucrats, with mental health funding slashed by politicians. What am I going to do in the future for myself and for him? What's going to happen to him after I'm gone? I'm 63, have major heart muscle death from a heart attack, two cervical discs herniated, and severe osteoarthritis throughout my whole body. My symptoms were severe that day: the spinal cord arthritis was causing muscle spasms in my hand, charley horses in my calves and an excruciating headache. In general, I was starting to decline into a depressed mood. Linda, an employee who had confided in me about her Crohn's disease and the fact her daughter was enrolled in college and was finding it difficult to adjust, stopped by to say goodnight. I asked her how she was, and how her daughter was. She said that she was feeling better, and her daughter was doing fine. She asked about my son. All she knew about my son was that he suffers from organic brain syndrome. I told her he was not doing so well. Linda replied, "Trust him but most of all just love him," and she left. Those words resounded in my whole being. I do love my son, but on this day I let my fears and frustrations overshadow this fact. Most of all, the words "trust him" really struck home. I had allowed his illness to deflect me from his basic nature and personality. I started remembering all the issues he has, yet he still works at overcoming them. I have had too many people, professional and otherwise, advocate the futility of expecting anything from my son. Linda saved me spiritually, emotionally and mentally. I keep her words ever-present in my thoughts. =======HeroicStories======= >-->From LaughAndLift: _ _|_|_ ,|_| |_|_ || | | |_| || | | | | || | | | | _|| | | | | ||)\ ^ ^ ^ | || | | || | | || | | \\ | \\ / ejm )\ ( / \ \ / \ \ \ \ "When you pray, your prayers are heard by the same God who answered Moses' prayer for water in the desert, the God who gave Abraham and his barren wife a son, and the God who made the slave Joseph second in power only to Pharaoh." - Francis Chan "Too often we use petty little petitions, oratorical exercises, or the words of others rather than the cries of our inmost being. When you pray, pray!" - Billy Graham , , /////| ///// | ///// | |~~~| | | |===| |/| | B |/| | | I | | | | B | | | | L | / | E | / |===|/ jgs '---' >What Are We Expecting? (Author Unknown) A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted. As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautifully wrapped gift box. Curious, and somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name embossed in gold. Angry, he rose his voice to his father and said "with all your money you give me a Bible?" and stormed out of the house. Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things. When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. His father had carefully underlined a verse, Matt. 7:11, "And if ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father which is in Heaven, give to those who ask Him?" As he read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words PAID IN FULL. How many times do we miss God's blessings because they are not packaged as we expected? -<>- , , /////| ///// | ///// | |~~~| | | |===| |/| | B |/| | | I | | | | B | | | | L | / | E | / |===|/ jgs '---' "Holiness has never been the driving force of the majority. It is, however, mandatory for anyone who wants to enter the kingdom." - Elisabeth Elliot __..----..__ __..--"" ""--..__ : : | | | .-""-. | | : : | | |______| | | | | | _:__________| |__________:_ .' `. /I_.' I'-..-''-..-''-..-''-..-''-..-'I '-.I\ //|____/|______________________________|\____i\\ //.____/ / | | | | | | | | ! \____.\\ //.____/ / | | !_! !_! | | \ \____.\\ //.____/ / | | | | \ \____.\\ //.____/ / | | | | \ \____.\\ //.____/ / | | | | \ \____.\\ //.____/ / !_! !_! \ \____.\\ '/.____/ / \ \____.\' [._____]/ \[_____.] |______| |______| fsc >Life is a Theater (Author Unknown) "Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character." - I Corinthians 15:33 Life is a Theater - Invite Your Audience Carefully.... Not everyone is healthy enough to have a front row seat in our lives. There are some people in your life that need to be loved from a distance. It's amazing what you can accomplish when you let go of, or at least minimize, your time with draining, negative, incompatible, not-going-anywhere relationships/friendships. Observe the relationships around you.............Pay attention! Which ones lift and which ones lean? Which ones encourage and which ones discourage? Which ones are on a path of growth uphill and which ones are going downhill? When you leave certain people do you feel better or feel worse? Which ones always have drama or don't really understand, know or appreciate you? The more you seek quality, respect, growth, peace of mind, love and truth around you, the easier it will become for you to decide who gets to sit in the front row and who should be moved to the balcony of your life. "If you cannot 'change' the people around you, change the people you're around." SUBSCRIBE INFO Want to receive a Christian inspirational item AND great clean humor in an email to you each day of the week? It's easy and FREE! Read all about Laugh & Lift at http://www.laughandlift.com ========================================================== >-->From Our Friend Fran :) _.--. _.-'_:-'|| _.-'_.-::::'|| _.-:'_.-::::::' || .'`-.-:::::::' || /.'`;|:::::::' ||_ || ||::::::' _.;._'-._ || ||:::::' _.-!oo @.!-._'-. \'. ||:::::.-!()oo @!()@.-'_.| '.'-;|:.-'.&$@.& ()$%-'o.'\U|| `>'-.!@%()@'@_%-'_.-o _.|'|| ||-._'-.@.-'_.-' _.-o |'|| ||=[ '-._.-\U/.-' o |'|| || '-.]=|| |'| o |'|| || || |'| _| '; || || |'| _.-'_.-' |'-._ || |'|_.-'_.-' jgs '-._'-.|| |' `_.-' '-.||_/.-' >Treasures There are treasures in life, but owners are few Of money and power to buy things brand new. Yet you can be wealthy and feel regal too, If you will just look for the treasures in you. These treasures in life are not hard to find When you look in your heart, your soul, and your mind. For when you are willing to share what's within, Your fervent search for riches will end. The joy and the laughter, the smile that you bring; The heart unafraid to love and to sing; The hand always willing to help those in need; Ones quick to reach out, to labor and feed. So thank you for sharing these great gifts inside; The caring, the cheering, the hug when one cried. Thanks for the energy, encouragement too, And thank you for sharing the treasures in you. - Author Unknown --- ...Aww, thanks Frans! Reminds me what I just learned... .______. !' / ! ! / / ! .=. "------" ./v|. |\ ( ) || [] [| `._.'--. ______ | \ `-.-' |/=====| / \ / |\ ____\ | \ | ) ()/\`-'/ |\| : | \ a:f__ | _______ ( - ()^--.--.--. __ |\| | | /| / _|_ /.-/ ^ | \_\ \ `\| | .-/ | ' .-. / `-' `--' \ \| | `/ | |"| `-----(`.-----------' `-----'\ || | `-' \ ( `. _. / \_| | `-----( )' `.-' "o|o | /. ) _) /_| | `/^""| / )| | ' /( | / _/'( | / |/ ejm An FBI employee involved in the Hillary Clinton email investigation lashed out at supporters of President-elect Trump a day after the 2016 election saying: “Trump’s supporters are all poor to middle class, uneducated, lazy POS that think he will magically grant them jobs for doing nothing. They probably didn’t watch the debates, aren’t fully educated on his policies, and are stupidly wrapped up in his unmerited enthusiasm.” What does the bible say about all this? , , /////| ///// | ///// | |~~~| | | |===| |/| | B |/| | | I | | | | B | | | | L | / | E | / |===|/ jgs '---' 2 Cor.4: [4] In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. [5] For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. [6] For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. [7] But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. Those of us who are Christian and support President Trump - which as you may recall was very high - 81% of one Christian group! - How the faithful voted: A preliminary 2016 analysis https://tinyurl.com/h5zd2fl We have God's Treasure inside of us! Which is Christ in Us! Certainly not uneducated, lazy POS people! So what did President Trump say last night? Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Minnesota asked why he is not considered among the "elite" despite his property portfolio. “They always call the other side ‘the elite’. Why are they elite? I have a much better apartment than they do,” the US president said. “I’m smarter than they are. I’m richer than they are. I became president and they didn’t. And I’m representing the Greatest, Smartest, Most loyal, Best people on Earth – the deplorables, remember that?” We who support President Trump and America are indeed Treasures! :) Donald Trump holds rally in Minnesota after signing immigration executive order - U.S. President Donald Trump took to the stage in Minnesota on Wednesday, June 20, 2018 only hours after signing an executive order to stop the separation of migrant families at the U.S.-Mexico border. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vurf-B3A8Es >Updated FUN STUFF URLS - Oh Yeah Shangy! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/urls.html FUN URLS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -->FULL LENGTH - FREE On line AUDIO MP3 Christian Foundational Class http://www.truthortradition.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=61 NEW LIFE IN CHRIST! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -->This is for all you who love food and DARE to make it at home Yep. You guessed it - Recipes. These are Tried and True, Yummy to the Tummy, good old fashioned home cooking recipes that are EASY to do Visit Shangy's Easy-Does-It Home Recipes: http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/easy.html Home Recipes >Got A good Recipe? SHARE IT HERE: Share A Recipe ************************************************************************ >TO SUBSCRIBE:Visit Here This Weeks regular Shangy emails OR For the Yahoo ShangyFunList: To Subscribe send a blank email to ShangyFunList-subscribe@yahoogroups.com ************************************************************************