Our Daily Bread & More ... :) Shangy! >-->WELCOME To ALL Our NEW SHANGY FUN LIST Yahoo Group Members! >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 =========================== >-->From Our Friend Maxy's Pal :) . , )). -===- ,(( ))). ,((( ))))). .:::. ,(((((( ))))))))). :. .: ,((((((((' `))))))))))). : - : ,(((((((((((( ))))))))))))))))_:' ':_(((((((((((((((' `)))))))))))).-' \___/ '-._((((((((((( `))))_._.-' __)( )(_ '-._._((((' `))'---)___)))'\_ _/'((((__(---'((' `))))))))))))|' '|((((((((((((' jim `)))))))))/' '\(((((((((' `)))))))| |(((((((' `))))))| |((((((' /' '\ /' '\ /' '\ /' '\ '---..___..---' >Will We Go To Heaven As Soon As We Die? By Billy Graham, Tribune Media Services Q: Do you think we will go to heaven as soon as we die, or do we have to wait until the end of the world, when God will reunite our souls and bodies? I've always wondered about this. -- Mrs. M.K. A: My own study of the Bible has convinced me that when a believer dies, he or she goes immediately into God's presence in heaven. As he looked forward to heaven's joys, the Apostle Paul put it this way: "We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:8). It is true that the Bible teaches us that at the end of the ages we will be given new bodies -- bodies that will be like Christ's resurrection body, free from all the ills and pains of this world. In that day, the Bible says, "we will all be changed -- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet" (1 Corinthians 15:51- 52). When that happens, our souls and bodies will be reunited, "and so we will be with the Lord forever" (1 Thessalonians 4:17). But in the meantime, the Bible says that those who die in Christ are safely and securely in God's presence forever. Jesus said to the criminal who was crucified with Him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43). Paul declared, "I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far" (Philippians 1:23). Is this your hope? Do you know -- really know -- that if you were to die tonight you would go to be with God forever? Make sure of your salvation by giving your life to Christ today. ----- ...Thanks Maxy's Pal! Isn't that wonderful? Once we are born again of God's spirit and have Christ in us, we are forever secure and safe in God's arms! At the end when Christ returns as Lord of Lords, then we will be all together with God and re-united with our loved ones! How sweet and heavenly that will be! Because this is such an important study for Christians, here is More from Christian Educational Services on the biblical 'heavenly' - _ (_) | ()---|---() | | __ | __ |\ /^\ /| jgs '..-' '-..' `-._ _.-` ` >The Christian's Hope: The Anchor of the Soul What the Bible really says about Death, Judgment, Rewards, Heaven, and the Future Life on a Restored Earth. God originally planned for mankind to live on earth, and His plan, though postponed by sin, will not be thwarted - it will come to pass in the future when a new earth is created. God describes this future earth in hundreds of verses, and Christ spoke of it in his first recorded sermon, so surely it is important that we understand it properly. Christianity needs to replace the vague ideas about heaven with the concrete and vivid images of the future life that are so abundantly portrayed in Scripture. Only then Christians will become grounded in biblical certainties about the world to come. Very importantly, The Christian's Hope shows from Scripture that each Christian will be rewarded in the coming world in direct proportion to the quality of how he lives for God in this world. If the believer's vision of the future is clear and certain, he has a much greater possibility of standing like a rock and working faithfully in service to the Lord, despite the pressures and pleasures of this world. Our Hope of a better place is to be the anchors of our souls. The Christian's Hope will become a treasured part of any believer's library, and its contents an important source of comfort, peace, and strength. Visit here for the rest of the Christians Hope: http://www.truthortradition.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=317 The Christian's Hope -<>- >Be Happy (A True Story) Davy Jones .-"-. * ( + / \ . ) ) ) |# | ( * . ( . \___/ . + .-"-. * /^ + ( / \ ) ( .-"-. ) + . |# | ( * / \ ( ) \___/ ) ( |# | ( ' * /^ ) \___/ ( * ' ( ^\ * ' . \ , , , , , ' \ + Around twenty years ago I was living in Seattle and going through hard times. I could not find satisfying work and I found this especially difficult as I had a lot of experience and a Masters degree. To my shame I was driving a school bus to make ends meet and living with friends. I had lost my apartment. I had been through five interviews with a company and one day between bus runs they called to say I did not get the job. I went to the bus barn like a zombie of disappointment. Later that afternoon, while doing my rounds through a quiet suburban neighborhood I had an inner wave - like a primal scream - arise from deep inside me and I thought "Why has my life become so hard?" "Give me a sign, I asked... a physical sign - not some inner voice type of thing." Immediately after this internal scream I pulled the bus over to drop off a little girl and as she passed she handed me an earring saying I should keep it in case somebody claimed it. The earring was stamped metal, painted black and said 'BE HAPPY'. At first I got angry - yeah, yeah, I thought. Then it hit me. I had been putting all of my energies into what was wrong with my life rather than what was right! I decided then and there to make a list of 50 things I was grateful for. At first it was hard, then it got easier. One day I decided to up it to 75. That night there was a phone call for me at my friend's house from a lady who was a manager at a large hospital. About a year earlier I had submitted a syllabus to a community college to teach a course on stress management. (Yup, you heard me. ;-) She asked me if I would do a one-day seminar for 200 hospital workers. I said yes and got the job. My day with the hospital workers went very well. I got a standing ovation and many more days of work. To this day I KNOW that it was because I changed my attitude to gratitude. Incidentally, the day after I found the earring the girl asked me if anyone had claimed it. I told her no and she said "I guess it was meant for you then." I spent the next year conducting training workshops all around the Seattle area and then decided to risk everything and go back to Scotland where I had lived previously. I closed my one man business, bought a plane ticket and got a six month visa from immigration. One month later I met my wonderful English wife and best friend of 15 years now. We live in a small beautiful cottage, two miles from a paved road in the highlands of Scotland. 'THE ONLY ATTITUDE IS GRATITUDE' has been my motto for years now and yes, it completely changed my life. A GREAT LITTLE STORY..... --- ...Indeed it is - Thanks Maxy's Pal! ====================================================================== >-->From Our Friend Tony in Australia :) ( ,&&&. ) .,.&& ( ( \=__/ ) ,'-'. ( ( ,, _.__|/ /| ) /\ -((------((_|___/ | ( // | (`' (( `'--| _ -.;_/ \\--._ \\ \-._/. (_;-// | \ \-'.\ <_,\_\`--'| ( `.__ _ ___,') <_,-'__,' jrei `'(_ )_)(_)_)' Sometimes, I look back on my Christian walk and I remember, when it first began, how difficult it was. I knew that the life of a Christian involved ‘sacrifice’ but knowing about it and being able to do it are two different things. At first, my ‘hot to trot’ enthusiasm helped me ‘put aside childish things’ and I felt myself growing in the Lord at an incredible pace! And now as I look back, I wonder when it was that I started to ‘slow down’. My Faith is still there! My love for Jesus hasn’t changed, yet tiredness, age maybe?( am I really getting ‘old’?) Being too ‘busy’…..How can one be too busy for the Lord? Yet I have missed services when I shouldn’t have, just trying to catch up is hard these days, let alone ‘keep up’. So what to do? I have to work! I am in no position to give up….but does it have to take up so much time? Right now….yes it does. Does God care about me not doing enough for Him? YES He does! But He knows my limitations….and He makes allowances and He WILL renew me when the time comes! Why? Because He loves me….that’s why… How could I NOT love him? We cannot allow ourselves the pleasure of becoming disgruntled with ‘our little lot’. We cannot indulge in pity parties….We get on with our lives as best we can and we do NOT stop helping others along the way and we do NOT bring them down with our own troubles when it’s the least thing 'they' need. But we make sure that we are still ‘there’ for those who need us and guess what? God ‘needs’ us. Oh YES! He NEEDS us… He didn’t create us to be ‘wasted space’. I see people each time I go to Church who after service ‘complain’ that the sermon didn’t set them on fire! But it’s difficult to set fire to a bucket of water! The bucket is FULL yes! But with what? Even in the midst of a fire a bucket full of water is useless unless its picked up and used! Yeah! we gotta be ‘used’! We cant just got to church and look around us saying inside “ are they all feeling like me? “ ANYONE can do that! We HAVE to be one of those who ‘sees and feels’ and does something about it! “ Mmmmmm I am more comfortable just ‘moping around’!. Let someone else ‘do something’….” If you are a moper……sitting around isn’t going to help you! Theres no ‘quality of life’ sitting around doing ‘nothing’ because if you do…..generally that’s what you get back…….nothing. For you reading this, you possibly can tell its not my ‘usual’ way of writing, that’s because right now. I have to go back into ‘retraining’ mode and give myself and my Lord time. Time for me to assimilate what goes on around me, work out the good from the bad, change whatever I can and what I cant change? Don’t allow it to change me! Unless its for the better…. I never want to get to the point where I go to My Fathers house and feel a wasted space. nothingness So…… if right now you are like me, feeling like a dry old stick because you are not setting the world on fire, think about those earlier years and what you did when the ‘dry signs’ showed up… Go the Book! Read and pray about the words you read and then after that….Pray again. If your heart is true……you will feel the ‘rains come down’ and the drought will be no more…. Till next time. The best way to get encouraged.....is to encourage others....Get about Our Fathers business! Br Tony ---- ...Thanks Tony. You remind me of what my teacher in the Word used to say. He taught us some Christians are like dead wood in the fireplace. When they first started out they were red hot for the Lord and had much zeal and vitality. But as time wore on they became as dead wood - all charred and used up - to light their fire and zeal for God again would take an act God - a true miracle. While other Christians he said were like coals in the fireplace. Keeping their light and heat for a long time because they didn't burn themselves up fast and furious but were in for the long haul. Giving of themselves for years and years on end. So he always taught us to be like the coals in God's fireplace - hot for God for years to come - pacing ourselves so we never grow cold and charred and quickly used up like kindling or twigs in a fire. Revelation 3: 15,16 "15": I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. "16": So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. ======================================================================= >-->S M I L E Smiling is infectious, You catch it like the flu, When someone smiled at me today, I started smiling too. I passed around the corner and someone saw my grin and when he smiled, I realized I'd passed it on to him! I thought about that smile and then I realized its worth, a single smile--just like mine could travel round the earth. So, if you feel a smile begin, don't leave it undetected let's start an epidemiic--quick, and get the world infected! ..::''''::.. .:::. .;'' ``;. .... ::::: :: :: :: :: ,;' .;: () ..: `:::' :: :: :: :: ::. ..:,:;.,:;. . :: .::::. `:' :: .:' :: :: `:. :: '''::, :: :: :: `:: :: ;: .:: : :: : : :: ,:'; ::; :: :: :: :: :: ::,::''. . :: `:. .:' :: `:,,,,;;' ,;; ,;;, ;;, ,;;, ,;;, `:,,,,:' :;: `;..``::::''..;' ``::,,,,::'' ==================================================================== >-->From Heartwarmers: OUR DAILY BREAD by Maria Harden _______ / ) /_____ | ______ ( ' ) / / __\ _____ |. '| / | \ | / )) |____|/ |`-----' /_____)) `-----' `------' cf If bread is really the staff of life, then my Mom's coffee bread, or "pulla," as it is known in Finland, is testament to feeding the bodies and souls of her family. If bread is really the staff of life, then my Mom's coffee bread, or "pulla," as it is known in Finland, is testament to feeding the bodies and souls of her family. "Pulla" is a staple in Finland, made and eaten by every household. When we immigrated to Canada many years ago, Mom continued making this sweet bread every week, never following a recipe. Flavored with fresh-ground cardamom, kneaded with a firm hand, and braided intricately, it resulted in an impressive looking loaf. My siblings and I loved it warm out of the oven, sliced thickly. It was so rich and tasty -- butter was not required. Sometimes for a change, Mom shaped the dough into buns, and other times she made it into an unusual crust for a pie, or formed it into a ring for special occasions. No matter what she did, it was always a part of our daily menu, always delicious, always coveted by our friends. A young lad who delivered our newspaper had tasted my Mom's coffee bread. One day, he announced that his birthday was in a few days and the only thing he wanted was his very own loaf of pulla. Mom smiled and said she was sure it could be arranged. Sure enough, on his birthday, there was a loaf ready for him. We heard later that he went home and devoured it all himself, without sharing a crumb with anyone. Yes, Mom's coffee bread was loved far and wide. She made it for social functions where baking was required, and the plate always came back empty. When the grandchildren arrived, they loved their Grandmother's pulla as much as we did, and could consume a loaf in no time flat. Once when my parents came to babysit my sister's two boys for a week, Mom promised to make them their favorite treat. I was out that day, and when I got home, an urgent telephone message from Mom said that she could not get my sister's oven to work. The loaves were ready to go in the oven, and would be ruined if they were not baked immediately. I explained over the phone that the oven had a switch that had to be turned on first, before the oven itself would go on. In their frustration, neither she nor Dad could figure it out. It was over an hour before I finally got to my sister's place. As I hurried down the sidewalk, I heard my parents' worried voices in the backyard. There they were, standing at the barbecue, trying to cook the coffee bread on the grill. The loaves were charred. My mother was upset over the wasted ingredients, but more so that her grandsons would not enjoy the fruits of her labor. I showed her how the oven worked, but it was too late -- the bread was ruined. She adamantly stated that from now on she would do her baking at home in her own, familiar kitchen. A few times over the years, I had tried making the bread myself, but the results lacked Mom's finesse. I didn't seem to have her touch. When I became a grandmother myself, I tried again to master this culinary art. When I mixed the yeast that made the dough rise, it made me think of how Mom stayed home to raise four children. Adding the flour reminded me of our well-blended childhood. The exotic scent of cardamom represented the spice she added to our lives. When I sprinkled sugar atop the loaves, Mom's sweetness came to mind. I didn't braid the loaves tightly enough that time, and they spread too wide. The next time I made it, I forgot to add the raisins. Another time, I couldn't find fresh cardamom and used commercially ground cardamom instead, which made the flavor less intense. Still I persevered, and the coffee bread turned out a little better each time. When the day came that the finished product was as close to Mom's as it could be, it was all about keeping traditions alive. Mom can no longer knead the dough because of arthritis in her hands, but where there's a will, there's a way. Mom needs Dad. Dad kneads for Mom. We did not live by bread alone. The coffee bread that nourished us for years also nurtured our spirits. Behind its very fragrance was the comfort of knowing that when we walked in the door, it meant Mom was home. That, in itself, was a blessing. -- Maria Harden ___________________________________________ Maria is a mother, grandmother, and writer living in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where she is presently working on her parents' memoirs as well as a children's book. If you're interested in getting a recipe for Scandinavian Cardamom Bread (Pulla), you can find one here: http://www.recipecottage.com/breads-yeast/pulla03.html ======================================================================== >-->From Our friend Steve :) Grant's Emporium is featuring _____ i_____i ["___"] |J---L| (PS) The Lamborghini Countach Replicar Produced and directed by Steve Grant http://grantsemporium.blogspot.com/ --- ..What a sweet ride - nicely done! Thanks Steve! -<>- Incredible when you really think what actually goes into getting a shuttle just to the launch pad.. Shuttle activities http://nyike.com/rarely-seen-shuttle-pre-flight-activities --- ...Wowsers! What a lot of hoopla! ===================================================================== >Moving On Story Editor: by Amanda E. Savieri Julane Marx Victoria, Australia My childhood was a rough one. My mother had me when she was very young. She blamed me for my own existence every day of my life. She screamed at me even when I was very small, saying I had ruined her life and her marriage. She called me names and told me I would never amount to anything. I got used to it and believed the things she told me, not knowing the effect it would have on me later on. After her second marriage failed, my mother gave up on me completely. She took me down to Social Security and told them if they did not remove me from her care she would kill me. She admitted she had no feelings for me at all and was not capable of being a mother. I was put up for adoption at 8 years old. I kept seeing my mother as I drifted from foster home to foster home. I was nearly adopted twice, but the adoption fell through both times. Mother moved on and took on new kids belonging to her current boyfriends, but she still didn't love me. I blamed myself, thinking I was the problem. At 18, I completed high school and moved out on my own. I met the man of my dreams but couldn't accept his love. He was the only person who cared about me but I didn't know how to react because I didn't know how to be loved. Many bad decisions and much relationship trouble later, I was discussing work problems with my fiancee's parents. His dad recommended I see someone for an aptitude test. Though I didn't know then, he phoned six psychologists, and Noni was the most helpful and genuine. I was nervous at first because the counselors I'd seen before through Social Security hadn't been at all helpful, but Noni soon put me at ease. Noni showed me that work wasn't the issue, instead it was unpleasant details from my past that I had to deal with in order to move on. She showed me it wasn't my fault, that my childhood wasn't normal, that I no longer had to carry this blame. Over time, my low self-esteem faded and my relationships improved -- I began to learn how to love and be loved. Noni didn't judge me, she supported me, and showed me how special I am for coming through it all. Thanks to Noni, I now have a wonderful relationship, I got the strength to remove my mother from my life for good, and best of all, I start university this year. I will use the horrible things in my background for something good. I will be a psychologist specialising in childhood trauma; I want to help others as I really know what it's like. It is amazing what you can do if just one person believes in you. Noni believed in me... and now I believe in me. =======HeroicStories======= >-->From InspiredBuffalo: .,,,,,,,,,,. ,;;;;;;;;;;;;;;, ,;;;;;;;;;;;)));;(((,,;;;,,_ ,;;;;;;;;;;' |)))))))))))\\ ;;;;;;/ )'' - /,)))((((((((((\ ;;;;' \ ~|\ )))))))))))))) / / | (((((((((((((( /' \ _/~ ')|())))))))) /' `\ /> o_/)))(((((((( / /' `~~(____ / ())))))))))) | ---, \ \ ((((((((((( | `\ \~-_____| ))))))))) Art by | `\ | |_.---.(((((((( -Tua Xiong \ | | ))))))))) (((((((( ))))))) (((((( >One Night, One Kiss, Three Words My parents had the perfect marriage, or so I thought. But one day in the 60's changed that thinking. It was 1963. The Dodgers won the World Series over the hated Yankees. "My" Texas Longhorns were 11-0 and beat Roger Staubach and Navy in the Cotton Bowl, and were crowned the national champions. Life was pretty good for a 13-year old living in Texas. Then that fateful night arrived. The day innocence was shattered - the moment in history when I discovered fairy tales were exactly that - fairy tales. It was the night an appalling truth crashed upon me. Mom and dad did not have the perfect marriage. In fact, mom and dad hated each other. I do not recall what they argued about that night. But I remember enough to know that I wish I had never been born. And the fighting intensified as the weeks went by. And finally, Dad moved out. Writing this, I wonder if parents really comprehend the impact that those words - "dad moved out" - have on a child, even a child of 13? Why? Why can't they just love each other the way I love them both? Why can't they forgive, forget, and start over? And why is God doing this to me? Why doesn't the hurt go away? And why can't my daddy live with us? Parents at times forget how bad kids can hurt. But sometimes parents remember. It was a Sunday. Dad called. "You guys want to play golf?" What a dumb question! Dad, don't you realize that all I want to do is to be with you? Ever since you moved out, life has taken a tumble. I have pimples, I'm fat, and all the girls laugh at me. I have one friend in the entire world, and he's kind of weird too. I don't care about my grades, yet I do care. I miss you dad. I'll do anything with you. Sure, Dad, we'll play golf with you. And so we played, but didn't talk much. But darkness came much too soon, and as much as I dreaded it, we were headed home. "Thanks for taking us dad. Do you have to go so soon? Please stay a few minutes. Mom is not home. You can leave when she gets here. Please dad." So he stayed. We drank ice tea. But mostly we sat, dreading the coming separation. And mom walked through the door. To understand the impact of that night, a few painful facts need to be known. They had been living apart for a few months, but had been separated for years. They had not kissed, or hugged, or held hands, or slept in the same bed for years. They had not, at least to my knowledge, used the word 'love' to each other since I could remember. Whether she knew it or not, Mom was about to give my sister, my brother, and me the greatest gift imaginable. It was 10:00 when she came in. She announced that she was going to bed. "Goodnight Ann. I love you." And she kissed my sister on the cheek. "Goodnight Richard. I love you." And she kissed my brother on the cheek. "Goodnight David. I love you." And she kissed me on the cheek. And she paused. We sensed she was not yet through with the goodnights. But there was only one person left in the room. He was sitting in a big chair to my left. And though it has been 35 years since that night, I still can see his face, and hers. She walked over to him. Without a word, and with compassion and love and tenderness like I had never seen before, she kissed her husband, our daddy, on the cheek. "And I love you too, Tom." And she left the room. Dad said goodnight to us and left. No one mentioned the miracle we had experienced. The next day, dad came home to stay. And for 27 years, they held hands, and hugged, and kissed, and loved each other with the love of the ages. And why? Because one woman decided to love, and forgive, and forget - decided to start all over. Because one woman saw the hurt and the pain three children were going through. And because one man decided to accept that unconditional love, and to give it back. Years later, mom had breast cancer. They were both old by then. I came into the hospital room after traveling all day to get there. As I walked into the room, there was dad sitting in a big chair to my left. He was holding his bride's hand, and stroking her hair. And my mind raced back to that fateful night, when love was reborn. One night, one kiss, three words. by David Mathews -<>- WHEN TROUBLE COMES and THINGS GO WRONG __ _ / /| |\\ \/_/ \_\| / __ \/_/__\ .-=='/~\ ____,__/__,_____,______)/ /{~}}} -,------,----,-----,---,\'-' {{~}} jgs '-==.\}/ Let us go quietly to God when troubles come to us, Let us never stop to whimper or complain and fret and fuss, Let us hide "our thorns" in "roses" and our sighs in "golden song" and our "crosses" in a "crown of smiles" whenever things go wrong. For no one can really help us as our troubles we bemoan, For comfort, help, and inner peace must come from GOD alone. So do not tell your neighbor, your companion, or your friend- in the hope that they can bring your troubles to an end, For they, too, have their problems, they are burdened just like you, So take your cross to JESUS and HE will see You Through. And waste no time in crying on the shoulder of a friend, but go directly to the Lord, for on Him you can depend. For there's absolutely nothing that His mighty Hand can't do, and He is never too busy to help and comfort You. Peggy To Subscribe send a blank email to: the-inspired-buffalo-subscribe@yahoogroups.com ========================================================================= >-->From Guideposts: The Deli __ @@;, ( ; ? : ); _| |_ | | || | | _| |_ | \ \ \/ || \/ ___ / / | __| |\ __||____||___||______/| | ||| | |_______ _________| | ||| ||| |____ | | ____| ||| Design by \ \______ ) | | / ______/ / || | | | | | /___| || Samule J. Neptune || | | |_ /| | |\ _| || || || | \__, / | | | \<__/ | || A recent Friday night found my husband, Jeff, our two daughters and me at one of our favorite places to go out for dinner, Jason's Deli. It was not long after we had placed our orders and sat down when a man with long hair and a scraggly mustache slumped into a booth near ours. From the look of his bulging overcoat, everything he owned was stuffed into the pockets. My daughters tried not to stare as he munched noisily on the complimentary crackers. I leaned over and whispered to Jeff, "Do you think they'll ask him to leave?" Just then one of the diners got up from the table where he was having dinner with his family. He walked over to the man and spoke to him, then went to have a chat with a waitress. Minutes later, a huge deli sandwich, surrounded by a mountain of potato chips and pickles, and a mug of fresh coffee arrived at the man's table. He flashed a smile to his benefactor and dug in. An hour-long sermon on the theme of kindness could not have been more eloquent than this simple gesture. That night Jeff, my daughters and I left the restaurant filled with good food and renewed spirits - and a strong determination to pass on that kind of generosity whenever we too were able. By Patricia Butler Dyson, Beaumont, Texas Source: Guideposts, Copyright (c) April 2003, http://www.guideposts.org as seen in Wit and Wisdom ================================================================= >-->From AndyChaps: ,( ,( ,( ,( ,( ,( ,( ,( `-' `-' `-' `-' `-' `-' `-' `-' ` unknown ** Hello, my friend! ** By Bob Perks:<> "It suddenly hit me that the rest of my life will be filled with "goodbyes," he said. Understanding his grief, she wanted to balance it with a little hope for brighter days ahead. "But many "hello's" too," she added. They had been neighbors each summer for decades. John and Susan had a summer cottage just about a quarter mile down the beach from Bill and Sandy. They hadn't really become close friends, but had on occasion shared a few buckets of hard shell crabs that Bill bought at the local market. Both couples had children and through the years the kids played together on the beach and celebrated a birthday or two. The four of them had in fact grown up together but never really noticed that they were growing old together, too. At least not until a few summers ago when Bill and Sandy's cottage didn't open until late in the season. Susan walked down the beach one day to find Bill sitting by himself along the shoreline. "Well, it's about time you guys came back!" Susan said as she approached him. He didn't reply. "Bill, why did it take you so long to get back here? The hard shells have been cooking for months now," she said. Still he didn't say a word, but slowly rose to his feet and turning toward her said, "She's gone. Sandy is gone." He started weeping and slowly sat down again. Susan, shocked by the news, questioned him further until she got the whole story. Sandy had died shortly after an apparent heart attack when they returned home from the beach that last summer. "Bill, I'm sorry. I didn't know. We don't normally stay in touch during the winter months. There was no way..." she stopped as he stood once again interrupting her. "It suddenly hit me that the rest of my life will be filled with "goodbyes," he said sadly. Understanding his grief, she wanted to balance it with a little hope for brighter days ahead. "But many "hello's" too," she added. He looked at her, reached out his hand and she said, "Hello, my friend." They walked back down toward Susan's cottage to share the news with John. The three summer time friends stood silently facing the ocean as the warm August water splashed gently on their toes. Two summers had come and gone. The friends had vowed to keep in touch throughout the year. It was early in April when Bill, opening his mail at work, came across a note card with John and Susan's return address embossed on the back. Eager to read about their plans for this summer, Bill opened the note. Inside it read, "It suddenly hit me that the rest of my life will be filled with "goodbyes." John died from cancer yesterday. He didn't want anyone to know he had been fighting for his life." It was signed "You were right, Susan." Struggling with all the challenges of losing a spouse, Susan hadn't planned on returning to the shore that summer. But one weekend, just for old times sake, she and her family drove to the cottage to spend some time where memories once danced with seagulls and love walked hand in hand on the shore. As they pulled up to the still boarded up building, her eyes filled with washed away dreams. She walked around the building to get her first glance of the ocean and there she found a banner, slightly tattered and torn from the summer wind. In large bold print it read: "Hello, my friend! YOU were right, Bill" Susan looked down the shoreline and saw Bill and his family gathered in front of their cottage. Both families ran to each other. Susan stopped, looked at Bill and said, "Hello, my friend!" It all comes down to what you want to see, what you want to believe and what you are going to do about it. "Hello, my friend!" "I believe in You!" Bob Perks: <> Please don't remove my name! If you are about to copy this story to share with your friends, please leave my name, email address. It is the very least I ask for the time and talent God gave to me and I have given to you freely. It's not only illegal, it's morally wrong. All stories are copyrighted 2002 Bob Perks. You are free to forward this message to anyone as long as the ENTIRE message is sent. No portion of this message maybe copied. ======================================================================== >-->From PetWarmers: >TINY TROUBLES by Kay Seefeldt ,_ :`. .--._ `.`-. / ',-""""' `. ``~-._.'_."/ `~-._ .` `~; ;. / / / jgs ,_.-';_,.'` `"-;`/ ,'` While several of us ladies studied the darting blur, near the top of the cathedral ceiling in our school's cafeteria, we mulled over rescue options. Logic told us to darken the room and hope the hummingbird would see the light at the open door and escape. Being the bird person that I am, coupled with my concern for the plight of this little creature, I knew with its high metabolic rate and without a dish of petunias blooming nearby, the hummer would quickly be in trouble. Thinking a hummingbird feeder might be its one way ticket to freedom, I beelined for the nearest store and purchased one shaped like a bright red apple -- an appropriate school motif. With the plastic apple dangling from the door's closure mechanism, the tiny bird had about an hour to discover the "high octane" liquid lunch and depart before the doors would be locked for the night. Each time I checked on the welfare of the hummingbird, it was in the same frenzied and suicidal flight pattern. For a nanosecond the tiring hummingbird gripped a ceiling tile and hung bat-like. The custodian on duty agreed to leave the doors open awhile longer if I'd close them before going home. Returning to my room and setting the timer to remind myself of my true mission, I halfheartedly continued preparing for the first day with students. Paul, a custodian and fellow bird fancier, asked, "Did the hummingbird fly out? I just checked but didn't see it." Hoping for the best, we headed back to the cafeteria. However, my fears were confirmed when I discovered the fallen bird on a table top. Except for the odd angle of its head, the hummer looked dead. At one last attempt at flight, its wings fluttered feebly... like a dying moth's. The helplessness of the tiny bird was a heart wrenching sight. Tenderly picking up the exhausted bird, Paul carried it outside the doorway while I fumbled unsuccessfully to untie the feeder. Placing the iridescent fluff in my hands, Paul snipped the twine holding the feeder. Lightly stroking the feathers of the fragile bird, a juvenile youngster, with my index finger, I wished a kiss could make everything all better. Carefully, Paul inserted its delicate, needle beak into the flower-shaped opening, but the bird convulsed, jerking its beak from the nectar. Once again, Paul placed the bird's beak in the nectar while I encouraged it to drink. Did it swallow? We couldn't be certain because again it convulsed. Laying the stricken bird on the sidewalk, it toppled onto its side. It was useless --the bird was dying. I didn't want to be there when it happened. But in this life and death situation, if the bird was going to make it at all, it was up to us and God. Calming myself down, I tipped the feeder slightly to ooze out a trickle of nectar and gently held its beak against it. Again it looked as if it might have swallowed. Making a barely audible squeak, its eyes flickered open. We held our breath as its breathing became more regular. When at last, a thread of a tongue flicked out searching for another nectar drop, we rejoiced. Confidently entrusting the bird in my care, Paul left for his church meeting. Before retrieving my cell phone from my room to ask my husband to bring the camera, I covered Hummer with a milk crate cage to protect it from neighborhood cats. Once again on my hands and knees, amid an army of opportunist ants feasting on nectar dribbled on the sidewalk, I offered Hummer another sip. Turning its beak away, it seemed to be saying, "Lady, you're drowning me in this ruby tinted sucrose!" A whirring of wings startled me. Seconds later, Hummer triumphantly soared -- straight up -- into the dusky sky. I offered a silent prayer for its safety as it disappeared from view. Ecstatically, I punched the redial button. When my husband answered, I proclaimed, "Never mind. We just had lift off!" "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me" hummed through my heart. I thought, how comforting to know God truly cares about our every trouble -- great or small. His healing power and everlasting love are there for us... in the palm of His hand. -- Kay Seefeldt ____________________________________________ Kay says, "All birds are near and dear to my heart. My husband and I have several "spoiled" parrots living with us. One of my mottoes for living is: If I cannot do great things, I will do small things in a great way. I believe that being a part of the rescue effort of that tiny hummingbird was my mission that day from God. I am thankful for the honor and gift of seeing the hummer ascend into the heavens. To read a feature news story about the hummingbird, go to http://www.sunjournal.com and click past issues for 9/6/02, then click on Teacher Saves Hummingbird. How thrilling it is to get "15 minutes of fame" for something other than a traffic violation in court news!" ======================================================================= >-->From SermondFodder: .-. | |____________________________________________________ _ _ _ _ _| | .'`. |_|_|_|_|_| |-mbfh-------------------------------------------.'****> `. | |_______________________________________________.'***.' `. .'| | `**' '. ' `-' .'*`. `._.' . . .'*`. >Blood on Our Hands: Christianity's Accusers .'*`. `._.' In his book THE SELFISH GENE, biologist Richard Dawkins writes that "religion causes wars." In addition, he once told an interviewer that "[belief in God] can be positively harmful in various ways." And Dawkins isn't alone. According to Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz, Christianity still owes the world a full accounting for the Crusades, the Inquisition, and the seventeenth century wars of religion. And many commentators today compare conservative Christians with Muslim extremists. All of this, of course, is to diminish Christian faith and Christian cultural influence. But is it fair? According to a new book, it's not. Instead, it's evidence of a double standard that magnifies Christianity's offenses while overlooking the sins of other traditions. In CHRISTIANITY ON TRIAL, Vincent Carroll and David Shiflett acknowledge that wars have been waged in the name of religion -- sad but true. But what people like Dawkins neglect to mention is that Christianity also prevented wars. The authors show that it was Christianity that taught the West to have reservations about war. Both Christian pacifism and the Just War tradition served as restraints on the ways that war was waged. As for the Crusades, CHRISTIANITY ON TRIAL reminds us that discussions of the Crusades rarely tell the whole story. For example, for Christians of the time, the Crusades were fought to defend Christendom or liberate Christians lands overrun by Islamic crusaders. Or, that it was Christianity's revulsion at its own mistakes that led to what are today the those most cherished of western values: tolerance and freedom of conscience. A similarly incomplete story is told about the conquest of the Americas. We're all familiar with portrayals of pre-Columbian America as a paradise: a place where war, as we know it, was almost nonexistent. Into this garden stepped a serpent wearing a cross. The conquistadors who first laid eyes on what's now Mexico City saw something very different: blood- soaked altars and thousands of skulls. All of these bore silent witness to the common practice of human sacrifice. And there's similar evidence scattered throughout the Americas. And as for the Inquisition, the truth is it probably put to death fewer people during its entire history than the Aztecs sacrificed in an average year. Now that doesn't excuse what happened during the Inquisition or even the conquest of the Americas. But it's a more accurate telling of the story -- one that Christianity's critics can't or won't tell. Why? As the subtitle of CHRISTIANITY ON TRIAL puts it, "anti-religious bigotry." For people like Dawkins and Dershowitz, their resentment against Christianity causes them to make it the source of human misery. Their conclusion isn't based on a fair reading of the evidence. It's a product of a pre-existing philosophical commitment -- in other words, their worldview. The problem is that their arguments are rarely contradicted in public. Thus, they carry more weight than they deserve. That's why Christians have to be prepared to set the record straight in conversations with our friends and neighbors. Chances are, this will be the only way they will hear the straight story. Call us or visit our web site for a transcript of this and other broadcasts in this series based on the book CHRISTIANITY ON TRIAL. Because, as any defense lawyer knows, for a trial to be fair, you need a full accounting of all the facts. For more information: Richard Dawkins, THE SELFISH GENE (Oxford University Press, 1990). Vincent Carroll and David Shiflett, CHRISTIANITY ON TRIAL (Encounter Books, 2001). Copyright notice: BreakPoint may be copied and re- transmitted by electronic mail, and individual copies of a particular BreakPoint e-mail transcript may be printed, provided that such copying, re-transmission, printing, or other use is not for profit or other commercial purpose. BreakPoint may NOT be reproduced on the World Wide Web or in broadcast media, print media, or other media without express written permission. Please contact Prison Fellowship Ministries at 1-800-457-6125 to submit a request. Any copying, re-transmission, distribution, printing, or other use of BreakPoint must set forth the following credit line, in full, at the conclusion of the portion of BreakPoint that is used: Copyright (c) 2001 Prison Fellowship Ministries. Reprinted with permission. "BreakPoint with Chuck Colson" is a radio ministry of Prison Fellowship Ministries. ============================================================= >-->Quotes: "We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future." -- George Bernard Shaw "When you focus on what might have been, it gets in the way of what can be." -- Patricia Fripp "You don't have to be great to get started, but you have to get started to be great." -- Les Brown "Patience is a bitter plant that produces sweet fruit." -- Charles Swindoll "Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast." -- William Shakespeare "Unreasonable haste is the direct road to error." -- Jean Baptiste Moliere "Haste trips its own heels, and fetters and stops itself." -- Lucius Annaeus Seneca "The American people are very generous people and will forgive almost any weakness, with the possible exception of stupidity." -- Will Rogers It's not the lions and tigers that'll get you. It's the mosquitos. "The taller one walks, the bigger a target they become." -- Rick Beneteau ---> Visit my CyberHome - ALWAYS OPEN HOOUSE :)Shangy! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/index.html Shangrala ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -->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: a href="http://tinyurl.com/2vrfzv">This Weeks regular Shangy emails ************************************************************************ -->Want to ADVERTISE in The Shangy FUN LList Publication? >To ADVERTISE: Advertise ************************************************************************ -->Missed Any of These Teachings? 'BABESS IN CHRIST','IN The Beginning', 'Crossing The Line','NEVER Give Up', 'FEAR - Feeling Kind Of Buggy', 'HAUNTINGS', 'Christianity And The Renewed Mind', or 'Curse Of The Law' --BE SURE TO Tell me which one you want or you'll get them all :) >For a Lesson: Teaching ************************************************************************