Happy St.Pat's Weekend ... :) Shangy! >Here are the details on our Yahoo ShangyFunList: To Subscribe send a blank email to ShangyFunList-subscribe@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 ===================================================== >In The 'Shangy' News :) Well, we are coming up to St.Pats Day - none too soon either! It is hard to juggle the holidays this year with Easter coming sooner then normal.... . | . \ ' / '-. | .-' --= --|-- =-- _. _|_ | _|_ ._ ' _|__|__|_ ' ____/HEISRISEN\_____ See Good Easter http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/easter.html I'll have to hurry and update the FUN URLS right after St.Pat's Day on Monday just to get a little time in before Good Friday and Easter Sunday! It makes for a rush of things. But for now... Here's everything you ever wanted to know about the Irish Shamrock and perhaps some stuff you didn't even want to know ;) The thought of "Irish shamrocks" evokes visions of the green landscape of the Emerald Isle as surely as does St. Patrick's Day itself. But identifying a particular plant as the shamrock is a dubious practice, botanically speaking. If you have your heart set on making such an identification, you had better start looking for some 4-leaf clovers, because you'll need lots of luck! But ironically, 4-leaf clovers themselves are quite distinct from Irish shamrocks, for reasons that history makes clear. http://landscaping.about.com/cs/lawns/a/clover_lawns.htm ________ .##@@&&&@@##. ,##@&::%&&%%::&@##. #@&:%%000000000%%:&@# #@&:%00' '00%:&@# #@&:%0' '0%:&@# #@&:%0 0%:&@# #@&:%0 0%:&@# #@&:%0 0%:&@# "" ' " " ' "" _oOoOoOo_ .-.-. (oOoOoOoOo) ( : ) )`"""""`( .-.`. .'.-. / \ (_ '.Y.' _) | # | ( .'|'. ) \ / '-' | '-' jgs `=========` May your blessings outnumber The Shamrocks that grow. And may trouble avoid you Wherever you go. *~* May The Blessings Of God Be Upon YOU For This IRISH Weekend *~* ============================================== ,-'~~~~-. .-~~~~`-. .' \ / `. ,-'` \ / `-. / , `\/ .' \ ( `\ || /~ ) ~. `\ || /` .~ `~~._____ `\ || /` ____.~~` ___!!!GOOD>--->From Hearwarmers: CLOVER ALERT by Kay Seefeldt Since childhood, I have had this special "gift" of finding four leaf clovers wherever they may be lurking. One sweet summer vacation day, several of my childhood friends and I were playing in a field filled with daisies, when I discovered a four leaf clover -- and then another, and another. The hunt was on. While my friends were unsuccessful, it wasn't long before I had bagged several four leaf clovers and a five leaf clover! Then I found a six leaf, then to my surprise and delight, a seven, an eight, and a nine. Many years later, upon opening my childhood Bible, dozens of dried, brittle memories of that day fell out bringing a smile to my face. I'd forgotten putting the clovers there for safe keeping. After marrying Roy, my second husband (another stroke of "luck") and moving to the house we live in now, he was working on his motorcycle in the front yard. When I took him out a glass of iced tea, I discovered he and the bike were practically rolling in a bed of four leaf clovers. Up to this point, Roy had never found a four leaf clover. Here was a prefect chance. How could he miss? Four leaf clovers were popping up everywhere. All he had to do was reach down and pick a clover, any clover. But try as he might, he couldn't see even one! Finally, I pointed my toe at the biggest one in the lot. At last, now he could say he'd at least picked one. Another time, while Roy and I were "flying" along the break down lane of Route 2 on our ten speed bikes, I squealed, "Hey, there's a four leaf clover!" He had the audacity to question my ability to recognize a four leaf clover while riding a bike. "As if you can see a four leaf clover doing forty miles an hour!" "Oh yeah, well let's turn around right now," I demanded and pedaled back to where I'd seen the clover. Standing there triumphantly, I crowed, "Here it is. Just like I said. Come see!" Looking down to where I held it between my fingers, Roy relented, "That's unbelievable!" He never questioned my unique talent after that. Last year, I spied a four leaf clover by the walkway as we carried groceries into the house. "Clover alert!" I chirped, and pointed in the general vicinity of where it was nestled among a host of threes. After staring at the ground for what seemed like an eternity, Roy finally "found" the four leaf clover. I am still hoping for the day when I can claim finding a ten leaf clover, and Roy finds a four leaf all on his own, without the assistance of the "lucky eye" he married. Do I believe in luck or coincidence? No way! Every good and perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights (James 1 :17). He puts the opportunity out there for us. It is up to the "lucky ones" to take advantage of this seeming serendipity. -- Kay Seefeldt ___________________________________________ Kay and her husband Roy live in Maine and share their home with six "lucky" and very spoiled feathered kids (fids). Kay paints landscapes and abstracts in watercolor and considers herself an experimental artist, as well as playing with new paints, papers, and delving into encaustic painting using an iron for a paint brush. She also teaches adults the basic techniques of watercolor and believes anyone can learn watercolor who has the desire. Kay feels she is truly blessed by God and hopes she doesn't take even the smallest blessing for granted. ======================================================================= @@ .##@@::;%%&&00' @><@ .###@@::;%%&&00' ________) .###@@::;%%&&00' | | .###@@::;%%&&00' _ _|===LI===|_ .###@@::;%%&&00' / \_(____________) .###@@::;%%&&00' \ / (88 o o 88) .###@@::;%%&&00' \/\ 88: 7 :88` .###@@::;%%&&00' \/\ '88'=='88' .###@@::;%%&&00' \ \__'8888'__________.###@@::;%%&&00' \___<\""/>_____/_/_-'##@@::;%%&&00' / >< \ .###@@::;%%&&00' /__/--\__\ (oO@OoO@@o@oO@@o) '-.______.-' /`"""""""""""""`\ jgs _|_||_|_ | | ___LI)||(LI___ | Painted by | ( ~~ || ~~ ) \ KAY / `-----''-----` '.___________.' >Artist in Residence Story Editor: by David McLaughlan Joyce Schowalter Ayrshire, Scotland Once upon another life I worked on the building of an oil rig. Three steel tanks, each three hundred foot tall and fifty feet wide, would be joined by a latticework of pipes. The living accommodation platform would go on top and the tanks would eventually be sunk in the icy waters of the North Sea. For most of the year the sun rose and set while I was at work. We worked twelve-hour shifts in a bleak industrial landscape. The work was hard, the men were harder. Often coming home at the end of the day it was a struggle to find myself again, to remember I was a young husband and a new father. The job paid the bills, but it fairly scoured the soul. I was part of a team of four junior engineers. Mostly we were gophers and holders for the big boys. As part of our tool kits we had magnetic clamps (two square magnets on an aluminium strip handle, like big brackets) and paint pens (like giant tooth paste tubes full of paint, with a ball-point on the end so you could write technical data on the metal). When we weren't needed for anything, or when the weather was too foul, we retired to our "office". One of my workmates, Wullie, would come into the porta-cabin we inhabited on his tea break. He would open the door of his metal locker and pull a battered plastic chair behind it. Still in his waterproofs and wearing his safety helmet and boots Wullie would take out a piece of canvas. Using the magnetic clamps he would fix his canvas to inside of his locker door. Until they got used to him folk would give Wullie some strange looks and make less than charitable comments. Wullie's response was always a smile and a kind word. Using a piece of scrap iron as a palate Wullie would start mixing the paint from the different coloured paint pens. Then, for the ten minutes he had left, he would take paint brushes from his locker, and lose himself in his painting. While his workmates boasted about their sexual conquests or how much they'd drank at the weekend, Wullie created works of art. As we were on the Atlantic coast, with the Western Isles nearby, he painted seascapes. Why do I remember this? Because I envied Wullie and, in a way he got me through the whole experience. I never saw him again after the rig was built, but twenty-some years later I still think of him with admiration. He taught me there was beauty everywhere. There never was a bleaker place than that construction site, but Wullie managed to find beauty in it. He found it by making it. =======HeroicStories======= >-->From Our Friend Budha :) __...._ .-"` `\ / | | | \ | \ __...--'| \.-' |_..-, __\___...---'`_..-' (_______....--'\ I've Got It! / `\ (o \__ | | __) _ _ \ /`\ \ | (_Y_) _ '-.\_,| | T-._/ (_A_) _../`'T T-'` | | \__ _| .' | | | | \___ | /_\`\ / | | | | \ `/-`\ --| | \ | | | | /`----' |--' \ `\ \_; |`-.......-` .-.-'. \_LI ; / / /`-._ |`-\ \ jgs _/_/ / | \ \ ( ( ;.__ / \__,\__ `"`""` `""""` `.__._`; --- ...He sent us a a wonderful Miracle Story that I already have a page done up from a forward sent to us by our friend Tony. You can view it here. Wait for it and turn up your sound! He adds... Do not break this prayer; send it to a minimum of 5 people. Me Ke Aloha, Kapi'olani Castillo The Smell Of Rain http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/smellofrain.html ~*~ Thank You Budha - a very sweet heartwarming story! ~*~ ============================================================== >-->From InspiredBuffalo: .-------. |(~\o/~)| _.||\/X\/||._ ,-" || \ / || "-, ,' () ||o X o|| () ', / () ,-|| / \ ||-, () \ : o ,' ||/\X/\|| ', o ; .----------._).-.-.(_.----------. |\/)~~(\/\ ( ) /\/)~~(\/| |(X () X) .-.\ : /.-. (X () X)| |/\)__(/\/( .`:`. )\/\)__(/\| '----------( /|\ )----------' ; o ', |"` | `"| ,' o ; \ () '-| /o\ |-' () / ', () |(~\ /~)| () ,' '-._ ||\/X\/|| _.-' '|| \_/ ||' || X || ||\(/\/|| ||=)O(=|| ||/\/)\|| || X || || / \ || ||/\X/\|| jgs |(_/o\_)| '._____.' Side by Side They lie on the Table side by side The Holy Bible and the TV guide One is well worn and cherished with pride No not the Bible, but the TV guide. As the pages are turned, what shall they see. Oh, What does it matter turn on the TV So they open the book in which they confide No not the Bible the TV guide. The word of God is seldom read. Maybe a verse before they fall into bed. Exhausted and sleept and tired as can be. Not from reading the Bible, from watching T.V. So then back to the table side by side, Lie the Holy Bible and the T.V. guide. No time for prayer, no time for the word. The plan of salvation is seldom heard. But forgiveness of sin, so full and free, Is found in the Bible, not on the T.V. -unknown --- Links for Your Enjoyment NewMouse http://www.buffalosjokes.com/3236.htm Men Invented Everything http://www.buffalosjokes.com/3231.htm Miror http://www.buffalosjokes.com/3232.htm ============================================================ >-->From AFA: \_/ --(_)-- . / \ /_\ |Q| .-----' '-----. __ /____[SCHOOL]___\ ())) | [] .-.-. [] | (((()) ..|____|_|_|____|..................................)(... ldb If your child's school observes the homosexual sponsored "Day of Silence," keep your child at home April 25. >Homosexual Day of Silence - Is Your Child's School on the list? Because of the action of concerned parents, hundreds of schools have removed their school as a listed participant in the pro-homosexual "Day of Silence." You can join the fight for your children too! On, Friday, April 25, several thousand schools across the nation will be observing "Day of Silence (DOS)." DOS is a nationwide push to promote the homosexual lifestyle in public schools. When AFA alerted parents of this public school classroom disruption by homosexual student activists, many took action immediately! If you haven't gotten involved, it's critical that you do so today! A simple phone call or letter to school administrators, telling them your child will not attend school the day it observes DOS, may be enough to cause some participating schools to change their plans. Sample letter here. http://tinyurl.com/3bsqa9 Please listen to a 60-second radio ad warning parents about Day of Silence, then forward this email to your local Christian or conservative radio station. Ask them to broadcast it as a Public Service Announcement (PSA)! MP3 file http://tinyurl.com/32otk9 or WAV file http://tinyurl.com/2q87ln Click here for Frequently Asked Questions about the Day of Silence. http://tinyurl.com/36d8g9 In the past week alone, over 200 schools have announced they are dropping plans to participate. Please, get involved for the sake or your children, and all children, today! Take Action! What should parents do? Check with your local school principal to see if your child's school will be participating in DOS. If the school is participating, notify other parents about DOS and ask them to join in keeping their children out of school on that day. Here is a partial list http://tinyurl.com/2pb4mn of schools which are expected to participate in DOS: If your school is listed, call your local school and ascertain whether they officially or passively allow students to observe "Day of Silence." If your school is listed, please double-check with your local school to see if the school is actually sponsoring DOS. Sometimes the "participation" turns out to be a handful of kids who are saying they have a homosexual club and are observing this protest day, but without school endorsement. We sincerely hope your school, if listed, is not actually an official sponsor. If it is not, we will take them off the list, if a school official asks us to do so. Please e-mail your correction to webmaster@missionamerica.com. Some tips: 1. Be sure of the date that DOS is planned for your school. (The national date is April 25, but some schools observe DOS on a different date.) 2. Inform the school of your intention to keep your child home on that date and explain why. Click here for a sample letter. http://tinyurl.com/3bsqa9 3. Explain to your children why you're taking a stand: Homosexual behavior is not an innate identity; it is a sinful, unnatural and destructive behavior. No school should advance a physically, emotionally, and spiritually destructive sexual lifestyle to students. 4. Schools do not have to tolerate students remaining silent in class. Schools can adopt policies that require parental consent for students to attend any club, including those premised on sexual orientation or gender identity. Click here http://tinyurl.com/2wogqj for more information from Attorney Mat Staver with Liberty Counsel who provides free information to parents, students, and schools regarding their rights associated with noncompliance on the Day of Silence. Thank you for caring enough to get involved. Sincerely, Don Donald E. Wildmon, Founder and Chairman American Family Association --- ...I'm not a hateful bigot. I do not believe people are born homosexual. If they think they have always been homosexual, then it was learned behavior at a young age from their environment or from their own curiosity about it and not stopping themselves from dwelling on it. I believe it is a choice as is all sexual deviant behavior. A person chooses to cross the line of what is considered normal. If we teach our children that being homosexual is OK and it is normal, then we teach our children that they can try alternative lifestyles without any feelings of apprehension. Then the limits or boundaries become vague to the child. I would not condone exposing children to this any more then I would condone telling a child that it is OK to experiment with animal sex or play with child molesters or any other sexual deviant behavior. SO WHY WOULD OUR SCHOOLS THINK IT IS OK? Check Out These Teachings for more Godly info on this important subject: CROSSED THE LINE! Recently with the Boy Scout issue, there has been a lot of questions and discussion on whether or not being a gay, a lesbian, or having an "alternative sexual lifestyle' is a sin. To find this out we have to see what God says about it. http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/BibleStudy/crossedtheline.html WITHOUT NATURAL AFFECTION I Corinthians 2: 17 -- For we are not as many, which corrupt [adulterate, water down] the Word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God, speak we in [of] Christ. http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/BibleStudy/withoutnatural.html GAY AGENDA! For six years I (Karen) have worked for a peer education abstinence organization that teaches teens in public and private schools the benefits of abstaining from drugs, alcohol, and sexual activity. http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/BibleStudy/gayagenda.html =================================================================== >-->From Our Friend John-Paul :) "The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you." _.._ .' .-'` + / / . * + | | /^\ . \ '.___.; /' '\ . * '._ _.' /' '\ __ * /' '\ >< + /'_______'\ /_ \ + . `|`"`"`"`|` |-_| /^\ .-| /,\ |---'--'--/' '\ * . /::| |_I_| | /' '\ /:::|_______| /' ___ '\ /:::::::.. /' /_|_\ '\ * * /___________________/' \_|_/ '\ . |`"`"`"`"`"`"`"`"`/' '\ | .===. .===. /'_____________'\ + + | | , | | , | `|`"`"`"`"`"`"`|` | |_I_| |_I_| | .===. .===. | . |_________________| | , | | , | | /::::::.. | |_I_| |_I_| | . * /:::::::::.... |_____________|\ /____________________________________\ `;.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:;:.:.:.:.:.:.;:` + * |;`"` `"` `"` `"` `"`|;"` `"` `"` || * || ___ .====. || ___ ___ || * + >< || |---| |/::\| || |---|---| || _ . >>o< || | , | |:():| || | , | , | || _|_|_ >o><<<|| |_I_| |\::/| || |_I_|_I_| || _\_/ >>><<<<||__________| ``o|___||___________|| ->-/~. \-<- >>>>>o>><<<<|||||||||||||____|||||||||||||||||||::: / . \ :::: '.'.:>>>>>jgs<||__><___><_|====|___||___________||.:. \ / .':: ::...>>>o><<<<<>>>><<>><<<;====; .'..'.. ..'..' .::. '.`"""` ..::: '::..'. . .. '' '.'. './ \ '. .' .. ..:: ..:;'' ..'.'..' ': '. '. '. ' .. ' / \ '. '. ''. ' . ' . ' ' .' .' So be positive, and let Something Good happen to you today. May it be `Something` that you have been praying for a long time. Just believe! Hello God - song By Dolly http://gospelman.info/christian/HelloGOD.html --- ..Beautiful! It is the old 'Is anybody Out There?' As we reach out to God! ==================================================================== , __ \/ __ /\^/`\ /o \{}/ o\ If I had a flower for each time | \/ | \ () / I thought of you, my garden | | | `> /\ <` ,,, would be full... \ \ / @@@@ (o/\/\o) {{{}} _ _ '\\//' @@()@@ _ ) ( ~Y~ @@@@ _{ ' }_ || @@@@ _(_)_ wWWWw .oOOo. @@()@@ { `.!.` } || ,/ (_)@(_) (___) OO()OO @@@@ _ ',_/Y\_,' || ,\ | /) (_)\ Y 'OOOO',,,(\|/ _(_)_ {_,_} |\ || |\\|// vVVVv`|/@@@@ _ \/{{}}}\| (_)@(_) | ,,, | | || | |;,,,(___) |@@()@@ _(_)_| ~Y~ wWWWw(_)\ (\| {{{}} | | || / / {{}}} Y \| @@@@ (_)#(_) \| (___) | \| /~Y~ \ \||/ /\\|~Y~ \|/ | \ \/ /(_) |/ |/ Y \|/ |//\|/ jgs\ `\\//`,.\|/|//.|/\\|/\\|,\|/ //\|/\|.\\\| // \|\\ |/,\|/ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >-->PLANTING SEEDS It was lunch time and the wheelchairs were positioned around the table in the rehabilitation wing of the hospital. But those gathered were about to receive food of a different kind. A man in overalls joined the group and soon became the star of the lunch room. He fed all who would listen with intriguing stories. His name was Leroy. "Do you think we are living in good times?" "Sure," someone answered him. "Well, you might think so," Leroy answered, "But in 1930, I bought me a pair of overalls like the ones I'm wearing here for 39 cents and three of these denim shirts for a dollar. Now what do you think of that?" Before long everyone knew Leroy. He was 92 years old, loved people and tilled a plot 100 x 300 feet. He grew corn, tomatoes, squash, beans, cucumbers and potatoes. If you could name it, Leroy grew it. "I can pickles and make jelly and jams, and I put several dozen ears of corn in the freezer last year," he informed all who would listen. Leroy's interest traveled the road of conversation more than the path of nourishment. He sold and gave away more than he consumed of the vegetables he grew. He was a simple man who lived a simple life. He lived all but a year of his life in the same county. Oh, he had seen a bit beyond his land but never settled far from where the arm could throw. "Bet you think I'm an old fool," he said with a twinkle in his voice. "I was born on April Fools Day, 1910." Those who listened to his ramblings thought him anything but a fool. "How many children do you have Leroy," one of the patients asked? "I have 11 kids, all by the same woman. After 39 years she didn't think I was good enough so she made me get out. But I won't say a bad word about her," he assured those listening. "Can you name them all Leroy?" Without skipping a beat he named all 11 children. He added he had lost one daughter. "She was a daddy's girl too." "How old was she when she passed Leroy?" "2 years, 1 month and 19 days," he said without skipping a beat. "Yep, she was a daddy's girl," he repeated with a far away look in his moist eyes. "You ever make cobblers," he asked. "I can tell you a good recipe. Have you ever made a pear pie? I'm going to try one when I get home." "I married a black angel," he said speaking of his second wife. We only had five years together before cancer took her away. Pointing skyward with the look of reverence in his eyes, Leroy told of the instructions he had received on more than one occasion. "I don't know if you believe this, but he spoke to me." "It's better to give than to receive," he quoted the Bible. "Poor people just can't afford the prices in the stores. That's why I sell my vegetables cheap." Leroy lived in a trailer, tilled his garden, gave away much and sold cheap. He loved people and little kids. "It's these kids' parents that are the problem, not them," he said. "My boy and girl should be up today. I don't love any one of my kids more than the others, but them two looks after their dad." "You see that sign up there that says, 'You Never Know What You Can Do Until You Try'? That's true you know." Leroy provided more nourishment than the dieticians -- more therapy than the therapist. A broken hip brought him to the hospital. He informed everyone he "was running too fast backwards." Last year, he landed in the hospital five times as he battled colon cancer and a stroke. But it hadn't gotten him down. He still put out his garden last year and again this year. Some things grow where they're planted and I bet there is not a stalk of corn or a pole of beans that stand any higher than Leroy. "I dreamed last night I went home and planted another row of vegetables in my garden. But when I woke up I was still here in the hospital." Leroy doesn't know it, but he planted a few seeds of his own right there in the therapy department of Good Samaritan Hospital. -- Betty King ======================================================================= >-->From InspiredBuffalo: _ _ (_(_) /(_) (-----. |= | _|=____|_ (_________) 8" "8 (8 6 6 8) 8 7 8 88-=###, _ jgs "888"`##,|#| `###' >THROUGH A WRINGER By: Joseph J. Mazzella When I was a little boy we used to have an old fashioned wringer washing machine. This was an early type of washing machine in which you had to hand feed the freshly washed clothes through a pair of moving rolling pins to squeeze the extra water out before drying. I often wondered how those clothes felt going through them. This curiosity was painfully ended one day when I was helping my Mom feed the clothes into them and got my own fingers caught instead. Needless to say, I was far more careful after that. Usually after we finished washing the clothes my Mom would hang them out on the clothes line to dry. I would hand her the wooden clothes pins as she hung them and help her fold the freshly dried clothes a few hours later. I can still remember how wonderful they smelled after warming in God's sunshine all afternoon. I would hold them up to my face and delight in their warmth, cleanness, and Heavenly scent. I know that sometimes it can feel as if life is putting us all though a wringer washer. The troubles and stresses of life always seem to want to squeeze and flatten every bit of peace and happiness out of us. Sometimes our whole day feels like my fingers did that time when I was a careless young boy. It is up to us, however, to not let ourselves stay flattened like an old, wet pair of pants. It is up to us to pick ourselves up and warm our hearts and souls again in the sunshine of God's love. It is up to us to choose the Heavenly scent of love and joy moment by moment to refresh our lives and to share with the world. I hope then that no matter how flattened you get by life at times you can still rise up to choose more joy and love. I hope that no matter how many times you are put through a wringer you can still come out stronger, better, and closer to God. -<>- .-.-. ( ) .-.\ : /.-. ( .`:`. ) ( /|\ ) jgs `"` | `"` >Paradise Just could this be paradise right here where you are? Nirvana within you not somewhere afar? Tho' some would decry it and say it can't be just follow along if you long to be free. Your life's what you make it - your choices each day the thoughts that you harbor and words that you say determine the status of your life today. So if you want more than you think you have now watch closely your mindset and you'll find out how Just live in the present. Think only the best about yourself first and then all the rest of your brothers and sisters - you'll find that you're blest and really in paradise. It's all in your mind. Whatever you look for is just what you'll find. --- Links for Your Enjoyment news report from Iraq http://www.buffalosjokes.com/3237.htm Nike Football http://www.buffalosjokes.com/3238.htm No Bluffing Poker http://www.buffalosjokes.com/3239.htm Subscribe send a blank email to: the-inspired-buffalo-subscribe@yahoogroups.com =================================================== >-->From AndyChaps: You and I have a terrible time letting go. We ask God to help us with a problem, but we keep worrying about it. We carry our burdens to the foot of the cross, lay them down, then hook a toe on them and drag them with us when we leave! Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." He didn't mean, "Come tell me your problems, but go fix them yourself." He meant, "come tell me your problems, and then forget about them. They're my problems now. -- Bonnie Ricks -<>- __ .-.' '.-. .-( \ / )-. / '..oOOo..' \ , \.--.oOOOOOOo.--./ |\ , ( :oOOOOOOo: ) _\.\/| /'--'oOOOOOOo'--'\ Let The SON Shine! '-.. ;/| \ .''oOOo''. / .--`'. :/|'-( / \ )-' '--. `. / //'-'.__.'-; `'-,_';// , /| '(( |\/./_ \\ . |\; ..-' \\ |\: .'`--. \\, .' .--' ))'_,-'` jgs //-' // // |/ >AT DAYS END Is anyone happier because you passed his way? Does anyone remember that you spoke to him today? The day is almost over, and its toiling time is through; Is there anyone to utter now a kindly word of you? Can you say tonight, in parting with the day that's slipping fast, That you helped a single brother of the many that you passed? Is a single heart rejoicing over what you did or said; Does the man who's hopes were fading, now with courage look ahead? Did you waste the day or lose it, was it well or sorely spent? Did you leave a trail of kindness, or a scar of discontent? As you close your eyes in slumber, do you think that God will say: "You have earned one more tomorrow by the work you did today." --John Hall -<>- >HEARING GOD'S CALL By Charles Colson Two hundred years ago, Christian statesman William Wilberforce led the drive to end the British slave trade. But ironically, his conversion to Christianity nearly led him to abandon politics. His story illustrates how crucial it is for every believer to have a biblical understanding of calling. As Kevin Belmonte writes in his new book, Hero for Humanity, Wilberforce resisted efforts by friends to convert him. A wealthy and popular young man, Wilberforce was enjoying life to the fullest: dinners, balls, and high jinks with friends. His chief goal in life was advancing his own political career. As he told a friend, "My own distinction was my darling object." But then came his fateful encounter with the man who would bring him to Christ: Isaac Milner, his former tutor. Through Milner's influence, "Wilberforce began to wrestle with the implications of what it might mean to embrace the Christian life." And once Wilberforce came to Christ, Belmonte writes, he condemned himself for having wasted precious time, opportunities, and talents. But the big question after his conversion was how should he spend the remainder of his time and talents? One friend, a member of Parliament, advised Wilberforce to retire from public life. But other friends, including John Newton (the former slave ship captain, now a minister) urged him to stay in politics. As Belmonte writes, "His quandary has been described as the 'Eusebian temptation,' the belief that one could best serve God in sacred rather than secular activities." Wilberforce "contemplated leaving politics to pursue holy orders or some other sphere of Christian service." In seeking direction, Wilberforce searched the Scriptures. He was struck by the command of Christ to love the Lord with all our heart, mind, and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves. "Who is my neighbor?" he asked. Taking his cue from the story of the Good Samaritan, Wilberforce concluded, "It is evident that we are to consider our peculiar situations, and in these to do all the good we can." As he explained to his mother, "Some are thrown into public, some have their lot in private life." Given his particular gifts, Wilberforce concluded that it was God's will that he stay in public life. "It would merit no better name than desertion," he wrote, "if I were thus to fly from the post where Providence has placed me." But there was a change. Instead of working for his own distinction, he now desired to discover God's plan for his career. That plan included playing a central role in abolishing the British slave trade and reforming the morals of British society. Had Wilberforce abandoned public life, the consequences would have been enormous. His friend, the Rev. Thomas Scott, wrote, "The slave trade might have continued into future generations." Thank God Wilberforce embraced a proper view of biblical calling. As we ponder God's call on our own lives, we should remember that not every Christian needs to be in formal ministry. There are opportunities to serve God and do His will in every field of human endeavor. After all, we believe that all of life is ministry. So Christians (laymen included) should be equipped to be ministers of the Gospel wherever God puts us. ====================================================================== >-->THE MOST BEAUTIFUL VOICE by Roger Dean Kiser "Would you be kind enough to read something for me?" asked the old man, as we hid beneath the overpass. Slowly shaking my seven-year-old head yes, I watched as he reached down and began rummaging through his dirty old knapsack. I stood, silently watching as the elderly hobo began to remove various items from the brown gunny sack he carried over his shoulder. "Here it is sonny," he yelled out with excitement, as he held out both his shaking hands. "What is that thing? I ain't never seen no kind of paper card thing like that before and it's got a stamp on it. It is like a letter?" I inquired. "It's called a post card." I reached out, took the dirty wrinkled postcard from his hand and I carefully looked at both sides. Taking my time, I inspected every inch of this strange new item. "Nov 27, 1951" was stamped on the back, covering part of the writing. Once again, having run away from the orphanage, I had very little choice but to live beneath the railroad overpass. The word about the orphanage was that this was where an abundance of food could always be found. There was a never-ending flow of tramps and hobos almost on an hourly basis. "Can you please read that to me?" "Your kinda old mister, don't you know how to read nothin'?" Slowly, the old man lowered his eyes to the ground and hung his head. He folded his hands in front of his body and he just stood there, not saying a word. "I'm sorry if I said something wrong," I mumbled. Raising the card, I began to read the large print, "CARL, GLAD YOU MADE IT TO AMERICA. I KNOW YOU WILL BE A SUCCESS IN SUCH A WONDERFUL PLACE. LOVE MINI" "Who's Mini?" I asked the man. "She's my sister. She lives in Paris." "I know where that is. It's over the ocean." Shaking his head back and forth, I watched as tears slowly rolled down the old man's dirty cheeks. "Thank you for the beans mister. It sure was good of you to share," I said, as I held the post card out toward him. Reaching out, he took the dirty card and began stuffing it into his torn wool over shirt pocket. "I can teach you the ABCs, real fast, so you can read all by yourself, if you want." Shaking his head no, he turned and walked back over to the large fire barrel and began to warm his hands. The orphanage matrons had always told me that I was "not the brightest bulb on the tree." But even considering that, I knew when someone wanted or did not want to talk. Keeping my mouth shut, I walked over to the rusty fifty-five gallon drum and just stood there, not saying a word. Several minutes later, the old man began to sing. It was one of the most beautiful voices I had ever heard. I had listened to many people sing on the little black and white Zenith television at the orphanage, but nothing I had ever heard was as beautiful as the voice coming from the old man. Hearing something behind me, I turned around and saw two railroad guards, blackjacks in hand, running toward us. All at once they suddenly stopped and began to listen to the singing. I could tell that they too were amazed by such a wonderful and joyous sound. It was like nothing I had ever heard before. I stood waiting for the men to begin beating the two of us for hiding beneath the overpass. For almost a minute or two the two guards did not move a muscle. One of the men tapped his blackjack on the stomach of the other guard and motioned with his head, in a backwards direction. The two of them turned and began walking away, heading back toward the railroad yard. When the old man stopped singing, I looked over at him and said, "You really need to be on television mister. Really you do." "I'll never sing to the public again," he replied. "Why not?" "I was forced to sing for the Germans and I'll never do that again." As he spoke, he began to remove his wool shirt. Laying it on the ground, he rolled up his sleeve and held out his arm. Tattooed on his arm was a long line of somewhat faded numbers. "Why would you put something like that on your arm? Everyone else I know puts a picture." Once again, tears began to roll down the old man's cheeks. He reached over, picked up his over-shirt and stuffed it into his gunny-sack. Throwing it over his shoulder he began walking down the railroad tracks. For ten minutes I stood watching as the old man, with the most beautiful voice, disappeared into the distance. -- Roger Dean Kiser ===================================================================== __.--'"""""'--.__ __.--' '--.__ .-' '-. .' F R I E N D S H I P '. / L O Y A L T Y \ /` L O V E `\ / _______ \ / _.-'` `'-._ \ / .' .:. .:. '. \ : / ::::::::: \ : ; / ':::::::' \ ; | / ':::::' \ | | ; .:::::.:::.:::::. ; | | | ':::::::::::::::' | | | | .:::::::::::::::. | | | ; ':::::' : ':::::' ; | ; \ : / ; : .-"^`\ .:. /`^"-. : \ .' ___\ .:' ':. /___ `. / \ / /.---. O .---.\ \ / \ | // '-. _o/0\o_ .-' \\ | / \| ;| \ (0\|V|/0) / |; |/ \.:.|| |\_) \~_~_~/ (_/| ||.:./ jgs \` | \ . \ ; .-.^.-. ; / . / | `/ '\_\ \\ \ \ \ / ' \ / / / // /_/' \\ \ \ \ \ / / / / // `'-\_\_\ \ / /_/_/-'` ` '. .' ` ` The Claddagh is a visual portrayal of the eternal bond of friendship, loyalty, and love. The HEART symbolizes love, life's finest impulse. From it, generosity and compassion flow. The HANDS of friendship are clasped around the heart in a gesture of giving. As they cradle the heart gently, the hands are both protective and strong, like true friendship. The CROWN is symbolic of loyalty. It represents the reward of love, the highest achievement the human spirit has yet accomplished. To give the Claddagh is to forge the hands of love, friendship, and loyalty forever. ================================== >-->From LynnLynn's Links Angel O Irish Blessings http://www.angel9oh7.com/irishbless.html Ginny w/A Happy Irishman http://poetrybyginny.com/AHAPPYIRISHMAN.htm Marvelicious St. Patrick's Day Page http://www.marvelicious.com/stpatrick.html Baby Lissa's Lucky Day http://babylissa.250free.com/CHARMED12U/BabyLissasLuckyDay.html Gift Of Irish Love http://www.angelfire.com/art/ladyblue2ooo/AStPatricksDayGiftOfIrishLove.html 4 Leaf Clover Facts http://www.fourleafclover.com/4fact.html Best Of Ireland http://www.iol.ie/~discover/welcome3.htm Irish Blessings Prayers Curses Irish Toasts Quotes http://www.corsinet.com/trivia/irish.html CLADDAGH http://loversfun.com/claddagh/ Learn to ride http://www.buffalosjokes.com/3224.htm Love Boat http://www.buffalosjokes.com/3225.htm Maestro del billar http://www.buffalosjokes.com/3226.htm magic tour hamburger http://www.buffalosjokes.com/3227.htm To subscribe send a blank email to lynnlynns-links-subscribe@egroups.com =============================================================== .-"""""-. \ / |.-----.| __|_______|___ HAPPY '--;-'```'-;--' ST. PATRICK'S / / 6_6 \ \ DAY ! ( ( _) ) ) / ( ( .__. ) ) ( `._`-'_.' ) /`'-._`"`_.-'`\ | /___```___\ | \ |___|L|___| / \/ `"` \/ /..,_______,..\ / /\ \ | ,-' `-, | \ `\ ,-'` / jgs __LI`--`\|`.__/ ( /\ LI\ `.___,-'` \ | '.__/ May God give you... For every storm, a rainbow, For every tear, a smile, For every care, a promise, And a blessing in each trial. For every problem life sends, A faithful friend to share, For every sigh, a sweet song, And an answer for each prayer. -- Irish Blessing >Updated FUN STUFF URLS - Oh Yeah :) Shangy! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/urls.html FUN URLS ------------------------------------------------------------------------- -->Bigham's Computer Rescue - PC Sales && Service You can trust us to provide you with quality computer sales and repair. We've been servicing the Van Wert area since 1981 and can help you with all your computer needs. Please phone us at 419-238-5806 ************************************************************************ -->This is for all you who love food andd 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 ************************************************************************