Have We Forgotten... :) 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 Through no fault of my own we suddenly became an adult club in the love and romance directory so you will have to confirm that you are an adult when you go here. I still have no idea how to change this back as it sends me around in a circle when I try! or Web Site: http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/ShangyFunList.html Group email address: ShangyFunList@yahoogroups.com or email me here: bcrsystems@earthlink.net ================ *~* 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!! ================ "We are each of us angels with but one wing, and can only fly by embracing each other" -Luciano Decrescenzo ~ CALLING ALL CARING ANGELS ~ ,-. ,-. ||,\ -=- /,|| F'\\\,o8o,///`J J'J`,\(".")/,'F`L |F||\ \>PVDo You Want To Be A Shangrala Angel? If you'd like to help and be counted as a 2011 Shangrala Angel, please visit the site and click on the donate button. A Secure PAYPAL page comes up. 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 ALL OUR ANGELS MOST ABUNDANTLY! ================ >-->2 Hot Off The 'Shangy' Press :) This first super hot off the press one is from our friend Johanna. I have a soft spot for elephants so this one hit home. I'm sure you'll enjoy it too! Check it out here: __ _,-'`````--.___..----.,'__`---..__ ,'' ,' `.`. `. ,'' / ` ) \ // | / \ // : : ( \ =( / ) ( ) ( .--'. ;-. ) ' `'' ` / | , .--\|-(| ( | |' ` `( | | ) ) `.| | .' | | || ( () || \ \ \| \ \ ` / \ \ \ ' \ \ ` / | )> \ ' /\/\ ` / (_.,_) \ ' / \ ` ( ( ) ) `-=.__ `--==--' __.=-' gpyy |`-.__.._.' Signs For Woman! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/wsigns.html --- ...A funny one! Thanks Tony! This finale hot tottie comes again from our friend Johanna. It will have you smiling in no time! Give it time to load - [music]: . / \ / . \ / / \ \ / / \ \ / / \ \ / / _ _O \ \ / / \ / | \ \ / / / /| \ \ / / //\\ `. . \ \ / / // \\ / \ \ \ / / // || /___\ \ \ / `-----------------' \ `-----------------------' jrei Humorous Signs! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/hsigns.html --- ...Another super funny one! Thanks Johanna! ============================================================== >-->From Heartwarmers: .---. ___ /_____\ /\.-`( '.' ) / / \_-_/_ \ `-.-"`'V'//-. `.__, |// , \ |Ll //Ll|\ \ |__// | \_\ /---|[]==| / / \__/ | \/\/ /_ | Ll_\| |`^"""^`| | | | | | | | | | | | | L___l___J jgs |_ | _| (___|___) ^^^ ^^^ >A HOME THAT SOLDIERS BUILT by Shelley Madden The colors of the American flag ripple above as the winds toss and snap it, demanding my attention. I gaze at it in awe as it waves proudly against the cobalt sky. Mesmerizing colors melt and swirl together until they are one. They quickly reform with the next breeze. My mind journeys back in time as I watch it. Red might be the blood lost in battle so we could have our freedom. Blue could be the blue-eyed soldier standing on the battlefield ready to give his life for ours. White may be the color of angels who ultimately guide our nation's heroes to the next and final frontier. A frontier where there are no battles. Highways and bi-ways moan and groan under the weight of thousands of motorists as they journey home in a never ending rhythm of gleaming steel and metal. Malls full of shoppers haggling over goods and rushing to sales. The farmer plowing a field in endless rows, praying for rain. The roar of the buses and trains and planes. Tiny windows glittering amber light within the towering skyscrapers overlooking it all. Our land. Our freedom. Our country. Home after home I passed, as I commuted to my destination. Maybe someone in that endless row lost a father or brother or son or even a daughter. A life given so I could have mine. A century of lives given so we could have futures. Thousands of soldiers who now lie forgotten in cemeteries washed away by time. Granite markers long gone, their names crumbled away by the winds and the sun and the rains. The once dotted hillside no longer carries the scars of their fight for ours. It has become smooth again, only rolling fields of meadow grass dotted with the occasional wildflower, rippling in the silent winds. The same winds that whip the flag above me. I gaze at the flag as people hustle by. They rush back and forth, reminding me of a million ants in an ant farm. One day a year set aside to remember them. One day. A day off work which has become a day for many to lie in the sun at the beach, or indulge in an enormous meal of BBQ and beers with family and friends, laughing the day away. Day after day they fought for us, year after year. Battle after battle was won, so we'd have a home to come home to, and food on the table. So we could have malls and trains and buses and planes. So we could indulge in the frivolities of existence. I shed a tear to the beat of drums in the distance, as the majestic flag is lowered. It is carefully folded by two misty-eyed soldiers while dozens of watery eyes watch in hushed melancholy. They slowly march to the grieving widow, and solemnly present it to her in unison. Her dark glasses hide her misery. Another life forever changed. Another life given so we could have ours. The sun is setting on my meager home when I return. Golden hues gently light the familiar weathered wood and sagging sills. But today, somehow, it looks different. It looks better. It is a home that the soldiers built. Maybe not by hand, but definitely by spirit. A home within a city, within a state, within a great country. A country the eagle proudly soars over -- an icon of the sacrifices made for our land, for our homes, for our freedom, for our very existence. I will make it a pact to remember the soldiers, and thank them for what they have given us, every day. -- Shelley Madden __________________________________________________ Shelley is an author who resides in Wise County, Texas with her son, Dustin, along with her ponies, poultry, dogs and cats. She enjoys writing, fishing, shooting her pink guns, and falling off her horse, Diamond. She writes a weekly column for an Entertainment magazine, and is a frequent contributor to Heartwarmers and Petwarmers. Her short stories have also been published in newsprint and on numerous websites and e-zines across the nation. She aspires one day to learn how to change the light bulb in her gun cabinet. --- |\ |\ |\ |\ || .---. || .---. || .---. || .---. ||/_____\ ||/_____\ ||/_____\ ||/_____\ ||( '.' ) ||( '.' ) ||( '.' ) ||( '.' ) || \_-_/_ || \_-_/_ || \_-_/_ || \_-_/_ :-"`'V'//-. :-"`'V'//-. :-"`'V'//-. :-"`'V'//-. / , |// , `\ / , |// , `\ / , |// , `\ / , |// , `\ / /|Ll //Ll|| | / /|Ll //Ll|| | / /|Ll //Ll|| | / /|Ll //Ll|| | /_/||__// || | /_/||__// || | /_/||__// || | /_/||__// || | \ \/---|[]==|| | \ \/---|[]==|| | \ \/---|[]==|| | \ \/---|[]==|| | \/\__/ | \| | \/\__/ | \| | \/\__/ | \| | \/\__/ | \| | /\|_ | Ll_\ | /|/_ | Ll_\ | /|/_ | Ll_\ | /|/_ | Ll_\ | `--|`^"""^`||_| `--|`^"""^`||_| `--|`^"""^`||_| `--|`^"""^`||_| | | ||/ | | ||/ | | ||/ | | ||/ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | L___l___J L___l___J L___l___J L___l___J |_ | _| |_ | _| |_ | _| |_ | _| jgs (___|___) (___|___) (___|___) (___|___) ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ...America - land of the free - Freedom is NOT free. America was founded on Soldiers fighting for freedom! "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religion, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For that reason alone people of other faiths have been afforded freedom of worship here." ~ Patrick Henry 1776 >Have we Forgotten? 52 of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence were deeply committed Christians and the other four believed strongly in the Bible being the divine truth, the Word Of God. Was George Washington a Christian? Consider these words from his personal prayer book: "Oh, eternal and everlasting God, direct my thoughts, words and work. Wash away my sins in the immaculate blood of the lamb and purge my heart by the Holy Spirit. Daily, frame me more and more in the likeness of thy son, Jesus Christ, that living in thy fear, and dying in thy favor, I may in thy appointed time obtain the resurrection of the justified unto eternal life. Bless, O Lord, the whole race of mankind and let the world be filled with the knowledge of thy son, Jesus Christ." In 1782, the United States Congress voted this resolution: "The congress of the United States recommends and approves the Holy Bible for use in all schools." America has lasted all these years as a great free democracy because it was founded by people who sought God first before doing anything. Psalms 33:11,12 "The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD: and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance." ~ In Part From GOD And COUNTRY and Forsaken Roots http://www.wtv-zone.com/Mary/forsakenroots.html Praise God for our founders and Praise God for our soldiers who are our keepers of freedom! God bless them and their families greatly! ================================================================ >-->From LaughAndLift: ___ .-"; ! ;"-. .'! : | : !`. /\ ! : ! : ! /\ /\ | ! :|: ! | /\ ( \ \ ; :!: ; / / ) ( `. \ | !:|:! | / .' ) (`. \ \ \!:|:!/ / / .') \ `.`.\ |!|! |/,'.' / `._`.\\\!!!// .'_.' `.`.\\|//.'.' |`._`n'_.'| hjw "----^----" >Being Trustworthy in All Things (by Steve Peat) We were playing on the beach during our Sunday School outing when six-year-old Laura gave me four pretty shells to look after. I promised I would, and put them in my pocket. When we got back to church, we both forgot about them and I only remembered my promise when I got back home and found them in my pocket before I went to bed. They were only four little shells and I would not be seeing Laura as Sunday School finishes at 10:45 and I only arrive for the service at just before eleven. It would have been the easiest thing just to forget about them and throw them away, but I had given my word to the little girl and I intended to keep it. I decided to get to church early and give them to her. I arrived at church as the children were coming out of Sunday School and the first thing Laura asked about was her shells! I said to her, "Do you think I've got your shells?" "No," she replied. I put my hand in my pocket and gave them to her. The look of delight on her face made it all worth it. They were only shells, but they mattered to Laura. I asked her if I'd said I'd look after them for her to which she said I had. I then asked her if I had, and she said that I had. I wanted her to know that I meant what I said to her. I couldn't help wondering though how many times people had said they would do things for her and not kept their word. Her reply to my question made me think that she was used to being let down. We should be known as people who are absolutely trustworthy in every tiny detail, as good as our word. This is especially true with children. The big things will take care of themselves if we get into the habit of being faithful in little things. -<>- .---. .---. ,';' `.';' `.. f :Bo. ` d88: `\ /d88P' `\ ; /d888P' `. ',d8&8P' : ;d8&7' | :8: | qx >One Permanent in a World of Temporary (Excerpt by Ron Hutchcraft) Edited I thought I was going to gag on the smell. When I was a little guy, my mother used to drag me with her to the beauty parlor where she got her hair done. I'm not sure what chemicals they used back then, but I obviously must have done something horrendous for my mother to subject her precious little boy to this nasal torture. And I wasn't sure what was going on when they put this hood-like machine on my mother's head. For all I knew, it was some kind of mechanical brain-sucker. I mean, I didn't know what was going on. Anyway, Mom used to come away with what they called a "permanent." Now, today, the chemicals don't reek like they did back then, and they've abbreviated the name of all that curly hair to "perm" - short for permanent, which they're not. They weren't when it stunk getting it done; they're not today when the process is much nicer. Let's get real here, perms should be called temps. They don't last. I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "One Permanent in a World of Temporary." Actually, it's pretty hard to think of anything in our world that's truly permanent. Our wedding vows promise we'll be together "'til death do us part." But for more and more couples, that marriage doesn't last anywhere near that long. And if it does, it still isn't permanent. Because death "do us part." Death took my Mom, my Dad, my brother, many friends, coworkers, young people we've worked with, contemporaries of mine - they were "temps," not "perms." We've all lived long enough to know that there are so many ways we can lose a love that we were counting on, through death or divorce, a breakup or a conflict. Either we change or they change. We leave or they leave. And once again, another life-anchor is gone. But there's something deep inside us that tells us that we're made for something more than this - for a relationship, and a love that we cannot lose. Many of us have lost a lot trying to find that love; we've given things we can't get back, we've made mistakes that have left scars, all for love. That voice inside you - that need inside you - that longs for one relationship you cannot lose doesn't have to keep looking, doesn't have to keep losing. There is a love you were made for. There's a Person who can fill the hole in your heart. He's the one the Bible says "you were made by and made for." (Colossians 1:16 ) It's Jesus, God's one and only Son. Here's what the Bible says about the love that He offers you: "Nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:39 ). Now, there it is. That's love you can't lose; love that will never lose you. And it's in "Christ Jesus our Lord" the Bible says. So it's [God through] Jesus. He is the love you've been looking for. [Copyright Ronald P. Hutchcraft. Distributed by Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc."A Word With You" by Ronald P. Hutchcraft is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Based on a work at www.Hutchcraft.com/A- Word-With-You] 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 Archived InspiredBuffalo: >There Is A Reason You Are There ,-""-. .-""-. / -. \/ -. \ ( ) \ / \ / `. ,' `. ,' hjw `.,' ,-"-,-"-. ( ) ". ." "._." hjw _ _ ( `' ) `.,' "Journeys of the Heart" The author wishes to remain anonymous Edited by Shmuel Greenbaum Printed with Permission of http://www.PartnersInKindness.org I was riding on an Amtrak train from Albany New York to NYC in the Café Car and began to overhear an increasingly heated argument ensue between a distraught passenger and an exasperated conductor. The woman, who had boarded the train with $173 worth of tickets for herself and her two children had lost them. As getting to her destination was essential for her family, she insisted that the conductor call the Amtrak computer system to establish that she had truly purchased the now lost tickets. He in turn said he couldn't call, and that even if he could, she should have been more responsible. She insisted, he resisted, and the exchange heated up some more. She asked him for a cell phone to call Amtrak herself, but he said he didn't have one. She asked for the number and he gave it to her. She said she didn't need him anymore and would call herself, at which point another passenger lent her a cell phone. By this time she, near hysteria, had forgotten the number and again asked the conductor for it. He, having heard her say she didn't need him anymore refused to give it to her. She called him a name at which point, as she was handed the other passenger's phone, he called ahead to have the police remove her at Croton. At this point, with only about $20 in my pocket, I asked my traveling companion whether Amtrak took credit cards on trains. When he replied affirmatively, I entered the drama, and asked the conductor to call off the cops and allow me pay for her ticket. She insisted that I not buy her a ticket because she had already purchased one and wanted this to be recognized. She obviously was not a frequent train rider because she was still trying to get Amtrak on the phone for long distance resolution of the matter. I gently held her by the shoulders and tried to calm her and told her that her approach was not going to work. With the conductor agreeing to cooperate in calling off the police, we removed ourselves to the car where her children were. Another sympathetic man who had been observing all this met me there and offered to pay half the fare. Together we searched for the tickets on the floor of the car in which she and her children had been riding. Other passengers took an interest and in the service of adding a little levity, I jokingly said to her daughter "so where did you put those tickets." Quite seriously she replied that she thought they had been accidentally thrown in the trash receptacle at the end of the train car. The other man and I went to look, but the trash receptacle lid opened only on a dark hole. I fetched the conductor with a request to open the locked trash door which he willingly did and the young girl and I started looking through the bin. The tickets were there. I embraced the hysterical mother, who seemed now relieved and tried my best to reconcile her with the conductor. She was on her way to a court date for the settlement of a claim. She had waited four years for that day and had been told she needed to be in court that day at 11:00 am. Ironically her destination was Croton, but she probably arrived at court in a better frame of mind than she would have had the police met her at the Croton station. -<>- \\ ///// | | (| _ _ |) |` | '| | __ | >>>___/\_^__/\___<<< / ||| \ Mike Hertz >The Old Veteran Bill Walker wildbill6807@yahoo.com Memorial Day is here almost. Another Memorial Day. There will be a parade maybe in your town. You can see the newer Veterans marching along, still got some hup, two, three, four in step. Then there may be some older ones in the ranks, that is losing the hup, two, three, four. Then there may be a few cars with old Veterans that has lost it all together. That is the hup, two, three, four. You will also see some old Veterans on the curbs watching. You can always spot a Veteran that is on the curb. He comes to life for a few minutes when Old Glory passed in front of him. .He stands taller then he has for some time. He may even give a dirty look at some scum dirt bag that don't snap to when Old Glory passed by. He knows what that flag means. He has seen the times he fought to get that flag to the top of some hill in some battle. He remembers the times when he looked ahead or off to the side, some one planted Old Glory over there. The shot and shell was still coming, but there is Old Glory. He remembers the ones who didn't make it back. He remembers the ones he may have helped down the hill to a medic. He remembers, he knows what that flag stands for. It isn't just a flag, it is Old Glory. He stands a little taller when Old Glory in all it's Glory goes by. Memorial Day is Memorial Day to an old Veteran. It isn't the first day of summer to him. It isn't a day to go to the races, it isn't a day for a cook out, it isn't a day to have a good time. It is a day to remember, remember those that didn't come back from OVER THERE. Yes you can spot the old Veteran.. He may have tears thinking of where he has been, thinking of things that happened, thinking of those wounded, those that died for just a few feet up the hill. All for Old Glory, and what it stands for. -<>- >Links For Your Enjoyment: Lucky 2 http://www.buffaloschips.com/gsdhdjd.htm Lucky 3 http://www.buffaloschips.com/ghsjs.htm Lucky 4 http://www.buffaloschips.com/gshslkssjs.htm Magic 1320 http://www.buffaloschips.com/gdhdjd.htm Magic Food http://www.buffaloschips.com/gdhdjssaa.htm Our Valuable Anchor http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/BibleStudy/ouranchor.html Curse Of The Law http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/BibleStudy/curseofthelaw.html In The Beginning http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/BibleStudy/inthebeginning.html Proud Of Our Troops 3 http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/troops3.html Daily With Our Troops 2 http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/daily2.html Humor With Our Troops 3 http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/humor3.html Thoughts For Today http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/thoughts.html Butchart Gardens http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/bgardens.html Keukenhof Gardens http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/kgardens.html Montreal Gardens http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/montreal.html Transparent Butterfly http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/butterfly.html America (narration by John Wayne) http://sagebrushpatriot.com/america.htm A Soldiers Heart http://jbreck.com/asoldiersheart.html Believe http://mjbreck.com/IBelieve506.html Visit our site at http://www.inspiredbuffalo.com If you are looking to join any of our other fine e-zines visit www.buffaloschips.com ============================================================= >-->From CupO'Cheer: ,%;, ,%%, ______________)(______________ / (__) \ /________________________________\ [________________________________] \ \ / / \ \ / / \ \/ / \ \/ / _\/ /________________\ \/_ [_/o/__________________\o\_] / /\ \ / /\ \ lc/ \_\ /_/ \_\ >JESUS WAS A WORKPLACE MINISTER by Os Hillman, "Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him (Mark 6:3). In 2005, a movie entitled The Passion was released that chronicled the last twenty-four hours of Jesus' life. During a flashback scene, Jesus was seen in his carpentry shop making a table with his mother standing by playfully observing. It was a very beautiful scene that reminds us that Jesus was a carpenter for most of his adult life. In fact, Jesus was more qualified to be a carpenter than the Son of God in the eyes of the people because that is the history they knew of this young working class man from Nazareth. Consider that in the New Testament of Jesus' 132 public appearances, 122 were in the marketplace. Of 52 parables Jesus told, 45 had a workplace context. Of 40 miracles in the book of Acts, 39 were in the market- place. Jesus spent his adult life as a carpenter until age 30 before he went into a preaching ministry in the workplace. And, 54% of Jesus' reported teaching ministry arose out of issues posed by others in the scope of daily life experience. Saint Bonaventure said, "His doing nothing 'wonderful' (his first 30-years) was in itself a kind of wonder." Work, in its different forms, is mentioned more than 800 times in the Bible -more than all the words used to express worship, music, praise, and singing combined. God created work and He is a worker. "My father is always at his work to this very day, and I too, am working" (John 5:17). So, the next time you are tempted to minimize your daily work as anything less than a holy calling, remember that Jesus was a workplace minister as a carpenter in his community. He has called you and I to reflect His glory in our work. www.MarketplaceLeaders.com as seen in Today God is First -<>- reICareI reICareIC ICareICareICar ICareICareICare reICareICareICareI reICareICareICareIC CareICareICareICareICa reICareICareICareICareI ICarICareICareICareICareI ICareICareICareICareICareI ICarICareICareICareICareICare CareICareICareICareICareICare ICareICareICareICareICareICareI CareICareICareICareICareICareICa ICaICareICareICareICareICareICareI ICareICareICareICareICareICareICar eICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICar ICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICar ICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICareIc eICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICa ICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICareI reICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICare ICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICa reICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICareIc ICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICareICare reICareICareICareIICareICareICareICareIca ICareICareICareICareICareICareICarICa reICareICareICareICareICarICare areICareICareICareICareICa ICareICareICareICare areICareICareICa eICareICareI -Grim CareICar reIC eI >LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU John 13:34. Ever read a verse you don't like? I'm not very keen on this one! Oh yes, I love the way Jesus loves me. Unconditionally, permanently, unselfishly, deeply and with a love which is undying in its longevity but "dying" - in its commitment. I love that. It's what keeps me going. I know that whatever I do, wherever I am I can call out to Him and He will be there for me. I love that. I need that. I rejoice in that. I boast in that. I'd also be quite happy if He had said, "Everyone else will love you the way I do." Can I handle that! Wow, that would be great wouldn't it! You all, looking after me and my needs, physical, emotional, financial and spiritual - my, it would almost be heaven on earth! It's a pity Jesus doesn't say that! Jesus says instead that I have to love you as He loves me - and I'm not Jesus! (So you've noticed!) Jesus was a wonderful person but didn't He say some hard things? You know, I get very frustrated by all those Christians who find Christianity a "breeze" - I find it hard yakka. I'm not my own boss. I can't do everything I want, more often than not I have to do something quite out of character and then to cap it all Jesus expects me (us) to "love one another as I have loved you". Well if you know an easy answer to that one you better write this book instead of me, for I'm sure I don't know one. And yet it goes on to haunt me ... love one another as I have loved you. Yes unconditionally, permanently, unselfishly. Not for what I can get out of it, but what I can constructively put in. Being prepared to be misunderstood, betrayed, denied, and "crucified" for what we do. You see we have a choice. We can decide never to be walked over again, never to have our hearts broken again - which will make us callous, unfeeling, bitter, independent, and ill. Or ask the Lord to heal us and so be able to open ourselves up for the next one. It is the way the Master went. Shouldn't His servants tread it still? How about you? Will you open up or stay closed? Are you committed to love others as Christ loves you? Try it - it could be life changing! as seen in Sold Out For Jesus --- ...Always do your best - remember the poem... ...:::::::... ...:::::::... .:::::::::::::::::. .::::::::::::::::::. .::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::. .:::::::::::::::::::'.-=.-~, ':::::::::::::::::::. .:::::::::::::::::::' /{,_;--'},'::::::::::::::::::::. .:::::::::::::::::::: | .=~`|//| :::::::::::::::::::::. .::::::::::::::::::::: | / ; \ | :::' __, '::::::::::::. .:::::::::::::::::::::' || | | | :' .' \/\ ::::::::::::. .:::::::::::::::::::::: |\| | | |\ / \ /_| :::::::::::::. ::::::::::::::::::::::. \ | | /|'/ / | \ /_ | :::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::' ,_ '::: `\ \/|/ / /`.: \ /__/ ::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::: /\/`'. ':. `\ `./.'/\ : /.--' .:::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::: |_\ / \ ::. '. ,/|\/| // '''''::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::: | _\ / | .:: | | \ \/// .""'-. ::::::::::::: :::::::::::::: \__\ / .: .'/| | `)`/__//_/_/_\ :::::::::::: ':::::::::::::: '--.\ : /\/_| |} /.---. \ \ \ / :::::::::::' '::::::::::::'' \\ |\/_/| | //` . `'...-' :::::::::::' :::::::::: .-""'. \\\/ /{| |// .:::::....:::::::::::::: '::::::: /_\_\_\\__\`(` | '/ :::::::::::::::::::::::' ':::::: \ / / / .---.\ | | :::::::::::::::::::::::' '::::::. '-..,'` .:.`\\ | |} ::::::::::::::::::::::' '::::::......:jgs:: \\| | ::::::::::::::::::::' ':::::::::::::::::: \` | ::::::::::::::::::' ':::::::::::::::: | | ::::::::::::::::' ':::::::::::::: {| | ::::::::::::::' ':::::::::::: | | ::::::::::::' ':::::::::: | | ::::::::::' ':::::::: | |} ::::::::' ':::::: | | ::::::' ':::::. |/ ::::::' ':::.....:::::' ':::::::::' ':::::' ':' Good, Better, Best Never Let It Rest. Until your Good is Better And Your Better Is Best! Jesus Christ is our 'best' - we strive to be like Him every single day! The more we try the closer we'll get. Until we'll one day see Him eye to eye and meet Him in the sky when He gathers us together on His Glorious Return! -<>- %*-----------------% %=========== %----------------% %============ %--@***@-*----*% %@**-@-----*** %** *@ @*--% %@* @** -- @ @-%@ @ *** --*@ * @mmnnv --*@ @mmnnv ---*@ @mmnnvv vvnnmm @mmnnvvv vvvnnmm @mmnnvvvv vvvvnnmm @mmnnnvvvv vvvvvnnmm @mm.'*mnvvv .--nnmm @mmnnm. '*mv %**++vvvnnmm @mmnnvvnm*. ++++vvnnmm m @ *mnvvvvnm* ++vvnnmm mm @mm mnvvvvvvv vvnnmm mnnm @mmnm *mnvvvvv nnmm mnvvnm* *@mnnvnm mnvvvv nmm mnvvvnnmm*@mnnvvvnm *cjr* m mnvvvvvnnmmmnnvvvvvnm *mmv mnvvvvvvvnnmnnvvvvvvvnm *v mnvvvvvvvvvnnvvvvvvvvvvnm CJRandall >I FEARED I feared being alone Until I learned to like Myself. I feared failure Until I realized that I only Fail when I don't try. I feared success Until I realized that I had to try in order to be happy with myself. I feared people's opinions Until I learned that people would have opinions about me anyway. I feared rejection Until I learned to have faith in myself. I feared pain Until I learned that it's necessary for growth. I feared the truth Until I saw the ugliness in lies. I feared life Until I experienced its beauty. I feared death Until I realized that it's not an end, but a beginning. [It is just sleep until Christ Returns] I feared my destiny Until I realized that I had the power to change my life. I feared hate Until I saw that it was nothing more than ignorance. I feared love Until it touched my heart, making the darkness fade into endless sunny days. I feared ridicule Until I learned how to laugh at myself. I feared growing old Until I realized that I gained wisdom every day. I feared the future Until I realized that Life just kept getting better. I feared the past Until I realized that It could no longer hurt me. I feared the dark Until I saw the beauty of the starlight. I feared the light Until I learned that the Truth would give me Strength. I feared change Until I saw that even the most beautiful butterfly had to undergo a Metamorphosis before it could fly. as seen in Inspirations Plus To SUBSCRIBE: Send an e-mail with SUBSCRIBE CUP O'CHEER in the subject line to cheer316@sc.rr.com. ============================================================ ___ _d9969b ((d66b'e( `d9p _/ _/ (_ / \`-`\ (___) )_ \ \__(_/-. /\__/-.'\_\ />>> \_\ | //// |..|.. \___/ |\vvv/ | |( ) |) | \ / / | V / | | _/ ___| | ,'____,'Y-.\ ! hjw >Modern Chivalry Story Editor: by The Mom Joyce Schowalter USA I'm close to 40, raised old fashioned, and frequently mourn the loss of a time when people took care of one another. I wonder if my three sons will be the gentlemen I try to raise them to be. Mid October, 2010 I had to get my youngest son from school drama practice. I buckled my daughter in her car seat and took off like a herd of turtles. First stop: the closest air pump as I had a tire going flat. I filled the tire with my last dollar. Once out of the gas station, POP!, the van jerked, then thump, thump, thump. Sigh. The tire is 100% flat and I'm out of cash. OK, I can change a tire. However... the l'il one has been sick since she was born and when she's *this* sick, I can't leave her unattended beyond a couple minutes. I have to be ready to assist her with any problems. AAA phone call done, I wait for my temporary champion in a tow truck and grease-smeared hands to help change the flat. I call my son and husband to inform them of the delay. I put the cell down and get scared half to death: someone is beating on my window. It's a young African American man. I freak because where I'm broke down is not the best place for safety. He asks if I need help. I nervously told him I have assistance coming. The area -- not the person -- made me nervous, he was well-mannered and polite. His response, "Yeah, but I'm here NOW!" I took all the factors into consideration. Sick child, another child stranded, husband working too far away to help, van on a busy street, still half an hour wait for AAA. I thanked him and told him I couldn't afford to pay him. He chortled and told me he didn't ask for money. Together we worked to replace the tire with the spare. He did the majority of it, since I had to watch my daughter. In under 15 minutes he had me ready to drive. When I asked him his name, he said Tracey. I thanked him appreciatively for the help he had given. He walked off before I could say anything else. I passed him a minute later, and waved thank you again as he smiled and waved back. I seriously thought chivalry was dead. Here a young man, young enough to be my son, stopped to help a complete stranger out of the blue, for no reason at all. Now I know I might not ever get to tell Tracey's family they should be proud of their boy. But I can put this story out there, in hopes it might reach them. I can be grateful for Tracey showing me something I needed to learn, and giving me a little more hope about today's young men. Thank you, Tracey, your actions meant a great deal to me. =======HeroicStories======= _ _|_|_ ,|_| |_|_ || | | |_| || | | | | || | | | | _|| | | | | ||)\ ^ ^ ^ | || | | || | | || | | \\ | \\ / ejm )\ ( / \ \ / \ \ \ \ >"MEMORIAL DAY POEM." The bugle echoes shrill and sweet, But not of war it sings to-day. The road is rhythmic with the feet Of men-at-arms who come to pray. The roses blossom white and red On tombs where weary soldiers lie; Flags wave above the honored dead And martial music cleaves the sky. Above their wreath-strewn graves we kneel, They kept the faith and fought the fight. Through flying lead and crimson steel They plunged for Freedom and the Right. May we, their grateful children, learn Their strength, who lie beneath this sod, Who went through fire and death to earn At last the accolade of God. In shining rank on rank arrayed They march, the legions of the Lord; He is their Captain unafraid, The Prince of Peace . . . Who brought a sword. ~~By Joyce Kilmer.~~ -<>- "We who are left, how shall we look again Happily on the sun or feel the rain Without remembering how they who went Ungrudgingly and spent their lives for us loved, too, the sun and rain?" -- Wilfred Wilson Gibson "The strength or weakness of a society depends more on the level of its spiritual life than on its level of industrialization.... If a nation's spiritual energies have been exhausted, it will not be saved from collapse by the most perfect government structure or by any industrial development." -- Alexander Solzhenitsyn (Russian novellist, Nobel Prize winner): "The world is charged with the grandeur of God." - Gerard Manley Hopkins >Updated FUN STUFF URLS - Oh Yeah :) Shangy! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/urls.html FUN URLS ------------------------------------------------------------------------- -->BECOMING A CHRISTIAN HOW TO BE A CHRISTIAN! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- -->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 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 ************************************************************************