Story Time And More... :) Shangy! >Here are the details on our Yahoo ShangyFunList: To Subscribe send a blank email to ShangyFunList-subscribe@yahoogroups.com To UnSubscribe send a blank email to ShangyFunList-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Group home page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShangyFunList or Web Site: http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/ShangyFunList.html Group email address: ShangyFunList@yahoogroups.com or email me here: bcrsystems@earthlink.net ================ .-=":-=") |_.'|_.' /" /" : / / / .' .' : .-'-.---. / .--"""""--.. : .((((__ .\ ___.:-//\\\\\\-._ -. __..--'"` [.]-[.] \\_. ` `""--..__ ..---\ ___(/_ | /___ /---.. """",-/_...---'"`` \,_ /.- ``"'---..__\-,"""" " /"""'"'""""/ " \`'-.__.-' \___ aa/wkm "._________".' *~* ShangyFunList AD RATES: $20 will get your message (of up to 40 words) out to all self-subscribed readers and $5 more will give you the same message also put up for all web site readers. Email me to secure dates. 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Just ignore the price per item and put whatever it is you desire to give in there. With Paypal, you will have your normal receipt for your 'payment' donation in USD (United States Dollars). You can put a memo in there if you'd like. Any amount is greatly appreciated and needed! PLEASE Visit Shangrala to Help: http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/index.html OR If you'd rather send us a donation, Please MAIL it here: Elrhea Bigham 502 S. Harrison Van Wert, OH 45891 *~* THANK YOU! MAY GOD BLESS YOU MOST ABUNDANTLY FOR YOUR GIFT! ================ *~* A REMINDER: PLEASE Send me sweet, interesting, funny, inspiring, family type forwards ANY TIME here... bcrsystems@earthlink.net I Need them, Love them, Use them, and Share them! THANK YOU!! AND For Facebook Users: Please Like Me here... http://tinyurl.com/cma6all AND Please Share This email with All Your Friends And Family! ^~^ May God SUPER BLESS You As You Do! THANK YOU! -<>- * NOTE: An easy way to adjust the size of print in email or any page is to hold down the Ctrl tab while moving the scroll button on the mouse. You can also use the keyboard to change the font size in your web browser or emails. Hold down the Ctrl key while pressing the + key for larger text or the - key for smaller text! ================ >-->Story Time! _ .-. .--''` ) _ | |/` .-'` ( `\ /` _) _. -'._ /` .' .-.-; `).' / \ \ (`, \_o/_o/__ / .-''` ``'-. { /` ,___.--''` { ; '-. \ \ _ _ { |'-....-`'.\_\ / './ '. \ \ `"` _ \ \ | \ \ ( '-.J \_..----.._ __) `\--..__ .-` ` `\ ''--...--. (_,.--""`/` .- `\ .__ _) | ( } .__ _) \_, '. }_ - _.' \_, '. } `'--' '._. ,_) / | / .' \ | _ .-' \__/;--.||-' _|| _||__ __ _ __.-` "`)(` `" ```._) jgs (_`,- ,-' `''-. '-._) ( ( / '.__.' `"`'--' I've been fighting a cold this week - the usual half energy, congestion with fever. My morning started with hubby informing me that he had ordered us some chicken cans that he saw were on sale at 10% off. I was thinking I'd have to start figuring ways to use them more. They are pretty good, healthy and convenient. I started my normal work and turned down the heat to 69 degrees as I was already starting to get over-heated and flushed. When I got to the computer to do my daily on-line work, what did I see but a wonderful chicken recipe from our friend Norma. It sounded real easy and delicious! So I did it up for you. You can check it out here under MEALS And BREADS: Easy CHICKEN Casserole By Norma http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/easy.html --- ...Quite Awesome! Thank You Norma! It always amazes me how God ties things together. I don't think it was a coincidence that Paul just happened to see and then order us extra cans of chicken the same day that our dear friend Norma sends us a chicken recipe. I've found that through the years, God is often pulling these special little 'coincidences' with our group member's sharings. Makes our days that much more brighter! So, by now, as you may have guessed, I was getting pretty hungry for a good hearty chicken dinner. However, I was sick. My energy was at half par. This limited me because while I wanted to try Norma's easy recipe, it called for rice - which I am thinking hubby had some stored somewhere in his stash in the garage pantry - I didn't have the energy to go looking through his stacks of stuff to find out. And second, it called for oven baking. Hubby always gets on me for having my oven full of our stored unused pots and skillets. But there is no other convenient place to put them. Besides, I think it's inherited. My mom did that and I've done it all my adult life. It's not like I am going to change any time soon. So, anyway, it would take a lot of energy just to get the oven unloaded and ready to use. And third, my hands were like ice but my face was like I was basking in the sun. Heating up the house with the oven on, wasn't going to happen unless I wanted to be passed out on the floor. So, to make a long story short, that is how I came up with another chicken recipe for you. You can check it out here under MEALS And BREADS: Skillet CHICKEN Vegetable And Noodle Casserole http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/easy.html And YES, it is easy. Hubby gave it two thumbs up. So if I can make it up and cook it with a fried brain and half-par energy, you should be able to easily breeze right through it! Enjoy! :) -<>- xx / .|_ /(_)_< --- cack cack! / ( ((____.-' ) \\ / \'-.-.-'`/ -Miss.Kitty- _ \______/ (_) _|_\_ '''''''''''''''' >AN UPDATE: When it rains, It Pours! Not long after sending out the Extra yesterday, I was reminded of this song... The Weather Girls - It's Raining Men (1982) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwOW-Obd3JY (Yes, old songs seem to cling to me!) Only, I substituted their 'men' with 'chicken'! Why? I saw that Clean Laffs Joe posted his tips for his famous BBQ Chicken Wings. I don't BBQ but for those who do I decided to do it up and add it to our recipes on-line. You can find it here under MEALS AND BREADS: Secret CHICKEN Wing Recipe By Joe http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/easy.html It wasn't long after that, that UPS delivered Paul's order for chicken cans from Werling And Sons. They are a USA business that has great prices and quality meats. You can get their products at your grocery store or order direct from them here: https://www.werlingandsons.com/ So we were in the chicken for sure! :) =========================================================== >-->From Heartwarmers: ,. (\(\) ,_ ; o > {`-. / (_) `={\`-._____/` | `-{ / -=`\ | .="`={ -= = _/ /`"-. (M==M=M==M=M==M==M==M==M) \=N=N==N=N==N=N==N=NN=/ \M==M=M==M=M==M===M=/ \N=N==N=N==N=NN=N=/ jgs \M==M==M=M==M==M/ `-------------' >EASTER, SPRING AND REBIRTH by Nancy Julien Kopp I've been thinking about Easter celebrations of my childhood years in the Chicago area during the 1940s. When Easter fell in March or early April, we donned spring dresses and coats to walk to church in sharp north winds, even a little snow on occasion. On one of those bitter cold Easter mornings, I had a new aqua-blue spring coat and matching hat that I'd looked forward to wearing. Mother told me it was much too cold to wear it. "You have too far to walk to church. You'll freeze," she said. I begged and begged. "Please let me wear it. I'll wear a sweater underneath." Tears slipped from my eyes as I waited for her to give in. They were genuine, not a ploy. Wearing that new coat was a monumental need at that moment at age eight. Mother relented, but I did have to wear the sweater I'd proposed underneath my lightweight, pastel colored coat. I think I was very glad to have it as my brother and I headed to church to hear the Easter story once again. My parents never attended church with us. Theirs was a mixed marriage -- Dad was Catholic and Mother Methodist, and neither ever gave in to the other. But we kids all attended the Methodist church and Sunday School. Dad polished our shoes every Saturday night so we'd look our best on Sunday mornings. The day before Easter, we dyed eggs in glorious colors. Coffee cups filled with hot water, a dye tablet and a splash of vinegar covered the kitchen table. We arranged the eggs on a big platter lying on artificial grass. The Easter Bunny would hide them while we slept that night. The Easter Bunny usually brought us a few chocolates, jelly beans and a new comic book. He also hid the brightly colored eggs in our living and dining rooms. What fun it was to discover the decorated eggs, one or two of which we always found in Dad's shoes left out overnight. Later in the day, aunts, uncles and cousins joined us for a special dinner. Mother usually fixed a leg of lamb or a big ham, glazed with brown sugar and mustard, cloves inserted in the scored top. Many side dishes weighed down the dining room table -- scalloped or mashed potatoes, two or three vegetables, a jello salad, homemade rolls, pickles, olives and pickled beets, and a springtime dessert of some kind, cream pies, berry pies, or a cake with whipped cream frosting. The aroma of all these good things filled our small apartment. When we were all too full to move, it was time to do dishes. No dishwashers, but all the women pitched in and they were finished in no time. The kitchen filled with the clatter of dishes and the chatter of women. My cousin, Carol, and I were drafted at an early age to dry the silverware, a job neither of us liked. We hurried through so we could walk to the park to play the rest of the afternoon. We played outdoors or occasionally went to a movie to finish the Easter Sunday celebration. The rebirth of springtime flowers, trees and bushes still symbolizes the meaning of Easter for me. Christ's resurrection created a rebirth for all Christians, and as He taught us to love one another, I also think of the love of family as part of our Easter celebrations. We will be spending this Easter holiday with our daughter's family, going to church, having a celebration dinner, and being together. Not so very different than all those years ago. -- Nancy Julien Kopp __________________________________________________ Nancy grew up in the Chicago area but has lived many years in Manhattan, Kansas in the Flint Hills. Her work is in eleven Chicken Soup for the Soul books and many other anthologies, ezines, magazines and newspapers. A former teacher, she still enjoys teaching through the written word. You can see her website at: http://www.writergrannysworld.blogspot.com =========================================================== >-->From Our Friend Fran :) >Quotes "Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." - John F. Kennedy It is better to think of hopes as detour signs than stop signs. - Unknown Most of our greatest inventors did not let obstacles or failures stop them. - Unknown -<>- _ _ ( Y ) \ / \ / \ /^\ _ ) //^\\ -= (_) =- ( // \\ ) // \\ / \ __ // \\ |=^| // _ \\ __|= |__// (+) \\ /LLLLLLL// ~ \\ /LLLLLLL// \\ /LLLLLLL// \\ /LLLLLLL// |~[|]~| |~[|]~| \\ ^| [|] // | [|] | | [|] | \\ | [|] ^| |_[|]_| |_[|]_| |^ ___|______| | /LLLLLLLLLL|_____________________| /LLLLLLLLLLL/LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL\ /LLLLLLLLLLL/LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL\ ^||^^^^^^^^/LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL\ || |~[|]~|^^||^^^^^^^^^^||^|~[|]~|^||^^ || | [|] | || |~~~~| || | [|] | || || |_[|]_| || | [] | || |_[|]_| || ||__________|| | o| ||_________|| .'||][][][][][|| | [] | ||[][][][][||.'. ."'||[][][][][]||_-`----'-_||][][][][]||"." .(')^(.)(').( )'^@/-- -- - --\@( )'( ).(( )^(.) '( )^(`)'.(').( )@/-- -- - -- -\@ (.)'(.),( ).('). ".'.'." ." '.". @/- - --- -- - -\@ '.".'.".'.".'." jgs'' ".".".'.'@/ - -- -- -- -- -\@".'..'".'."'.'.' '.".".''.".''."@/ -- --- --- -- - -\@.".''.".''.".'". >She Makes it a Home I lifted Ginny's luggage from the trunk of our car and hugged her, "I'm going to miss you so much, Baby." She hugged me back. "I'll miss you too, Hun." I watched her roll her bag to the check-in. I sat in the car and watched her hand it to the porter. I drove away with tears in my eyes. Ginny was off to North Carolina for a month-long visit with her son and his family. I arrived home at 5 A.M. Our kitty came out and stared at me. "Where's Mom, Daddy?" That's what I imagined she asked. I sat in the same apartment we've lived in for five years, but it was different without her. Our apartment has two bedrooms and two bathrooms. We have a living room, a tiny kitchen and a nice master closet off the master bathroom. We'd like more room, but we get by with what we have. At sat there at 5 A.M. and looked around. On our kitchen table was Ginny's art supplies. Propped in various locations were pieces the art she creates. Our kitty stared at me. At my feet, beneath our coffee table, rested a couple pairs of Ginny's shoes. On the counter in the bathrooms were earrings and necklaces she left behind. I climb into bed at night and feel the emptiness. Our apartment is just a box made with wood and plaster. It's a shell we live in. I feel alone. I live here, but without Ginny, I'm in a hollow box. Ginny turns this box into a home. She brings color and love and turns a box into something I look forward to coming home to. She makes it a home. - Michael T. Smith --- ...Aww, nice story! Thanks Fran! =========================================================== >-->From Archives InspiredBuffalo: _.--._ \ ** / (<>) . ) ( . )\_.._/ /\ \_.._/( (*_<>_ _<>_*) )/ '' \ \/ / '' \( ' ) ( ' ( ) ) ( (<>) / ** \ /.-..-.\ >Easter Story Cookies To be made the evening before Easter You need: 1 c. whole pecans 1 tsp. vinegar 3 egg whites pinch salt 1 c. sugar zipper baggie wooden spoon tape Bible Preheat oven to 300 F. Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with a wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, HE was beaten by the Roman soldiers. Read John 19:1-3. Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross he was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30. Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave HIS life to give us life. Read John 10:10-11. Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27. So far, the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1c. sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because HE loves us. HE wants us to know and belong to HIM. Read PS 34:8 and John 3:16. Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isa 1:18 and John 3:1-3. Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rock tomb where Jesus' body was laid. Read Matt 27:57-60. Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven off. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed. Read Matt 27:65-66. Go to Bed! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20 and 22. On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read Matt 28:1-9 -<>- .---. .---. ,';' `.';' `.. f :Bo. ` d88: `\ /d88P' `\ ; /d888P' `. ',d8&8P' : ;d8&7' | :8: | qx If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning. Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen. He could live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart. What about the Christmas gift He sent you in Bethlehem; not to mention that Friday at Calvary. Face it, He's crazy about you. Brighten someone's day, and remember: God answers Knee-Mail! -<>- , , /////| ///// | ///// | |~~~| | | |===| |/| | B |/| | | I | | | | B | | | | L | / | E | / |===|/ jgs '---' >Lost Souls and Suitcases Many years ago in Lebanon I was introduced to a family that was still reeling from the shock of recovered wealth when all seemed hopeless. The way it had come about brought tears and laughter as I heard the story. Allow me to share it with you. Sami, a dear friend of mine, played the hero's role in this story. One day he and his wife were driving along a highway on the outskirts of Beirut when he suddenly saw a large suitcase lying on the side of the road. Most people in that part of the world would not only have driven past it, they would probably have picked up speed, almost certain that it was booby-trapped. But not Sami. One of Sami's great characteristics was fearlessness. G.K. Chesterton has defined it as getting away from death by continually coming within an inch of it. That is a perfect description of Sami. Much against his wife's pleas and to her utter anguish, he stopped the car and picked up the suitcase. When they got home and he opened it, he found every square inch crammed with money. It was certainly not the kind of experience that would cause one to moan in despair, "Why me, Lord?" Some might have found it unfortunate, but fortunately for Sami there was also an address and telephone number inside, and after repeated attempts at phoning, someone finally answered. Sami asked for the person by name, and when, in a doleful voice, the man identified himself, Sami asked him, "Sir, have you lost something?" Taken aback, the man paused and then said, "Have you found it?" The rest of the story was basically that of a frenzied effort on the part of the man to make arrangements to retrieve his suitcase, which he had lost en route to the boat he was to catch as he was attempting to leave the country. I was in Sami's home when the owner of the suitcase brought his family to meet, in flesh and blood, a man with a soul in a disintegrating society. You see, Beirut was once called the pearl of the Middle East. Yet in the tangled web of ideological struggle, it is a city where piles of rubble have replaced majestic buildings and ancient artifices. In this war-torn suburb a family was dumbfounded to see a life that had not been destroyed by the evil around it. As they sat in Sami's living room, Sami said gently, "You think you have recovered your treasure. Let me tell you how passing a treasure this is. With the fragile state of our country, this could become completely worthless overnight." Sami continued, "Let me give you the greatest and most enduring treasure you can ever have." He handed them a copy of the Bible. I will never forget the moment as they held it in their hands. As one who sought eternal things amid the ruins of human evil, Sami gave his greatest treasure-indeed, the definitive reality of life's purpose, from God's mind to ours. The Bible mirrors the soul as it was intended to be. It reveals the sacredness of our words to each other, engendering trust. It holds to the sanctity of our marital vows, enriching the splendor of love. It preserves the essential dignity of every human being, elevating the beauty of relationships. It bequeaths to us the sacredness of time, enjoining the sanctity of both work and rest. It commands us to respect the property of others, breaking the stranglehold of fear. It guards our essential purpose, energizing us by the coalescence of worship. It is the mind of God. For this we were made: that we might know the mind of God and let that mind dwell in us. Aware of this, Sami gave to the man the greatest and most enduring treasure that he had. May I ask you: What is your greatest treasure today, friend? Is it riches, which are so uncertain? Are you valuing above all else God's thoughts and intentions? Or do your own thoughts, or those of our culture, hold the highest place in your life? Sami's treasure was indeed the greatest and most enduring. May it be yours, as well. By: Ravi Zacharia --- ...This reminds me of a picture I recently saw on FB... This site gives us some more insight into it Does an Image Show ‘Worthless’ Money in the Gutter in Venezuela? A viral Facebook post claims that a photograph shows worthless currency abandoned in the street in Venezuela. http://tinyurl.com/yy5327fg Whatever the case, it shows that while we may think a suitcase stuffed full of money is a great treasure - it, like the everything in this world, is temporal. , , /////| ///// | ///// | |~~~| | | |===| |/| | B |/| | | I | | | | B | | | | L | / | E | / |===|/ jgs '---' Pss.144 [4] Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away. Read Ecclesiastes for more Only God gives us lasting treasure through His Word and the belief on his Son Jesus Christ - an eternity of Love. Romans 10: [9] That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. [10] For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. -<>- >Links for Your Enjoyment: Buttons The Elk! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/buttons.html Kids On God! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/kidsonGod.html Beautiful Train Rides! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/trainrides.html Life's Choices! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/lifeschoices.html God's Most Beautiful! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/mostbeautiful.html Best Pillows! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/pillows.html Forests Of The World! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/forests.html Making A Difference! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/makingdifference.html Jay Leno's Garage! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/jaylenogarage.html God's Night Lights! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/night.html Friends Last Journey! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/mananddog.html Thank You Lord! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/thanks.html Rare Old Rolls-Royce! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/rollsroyce.html Living Tree Church! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/treechurch.html Breathtaking Photos! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/breathtaking.html Love Test! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/lovetest.html Moses And The Red Sea! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/mosesredsea.html Beautiful Bridges! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/bridges.html Spring And Easter Pages https://tinyurl.com/y4xyz2w8 -<>- Being Heart Healthy! http://tinyurl.com/y28duvn6 TITHING AND THE LAW http://www.absolutebiblestudy.com/Basics/TITHING_AND_THE_LAW.htm Trust In The Lord http://www.absolutebiblestudy.com/Basics/Trust_In_The_Lord.htm God Moves When You Move http://www.absolutebiblestudy.com/Basics/God_Moves_When_You_Move.htm The Reale Family Inspirations and More http://realefamily.tripod.com/ -<>- >News: Trump Family Gets Great News! http://thehollywoodconservative.us/articles/trump-family-gets-great-news Truth About Spying Against Trump Campaign Comes Out https://1600daily.com/2019/04/10/truth-spying-trump-campaign-comes/ Google does manipulate its search results manually, contrary to the company’s official denials, documents obtained exclusively by The Daily Caller indicate. http://tinyurl.com/y3jkf5xj The president of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) was abruptly cut off as he spoke at the House Judiciary Committee hearing on hate crimes after he attempted to express his consternation for the Democratic leadership’s defense of Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar. http://tinyurl.com/yxaz2wns Westwing News: Democrats’ Open Border Fantasy Vision is a Lie – We Have a Humanitarian Crisis to Fix https://www.whitehouse.gov/westwingreads/ WhiteHouseNews: The world’s worst immigration laws - Asylum 'child cages' - Obama built them. The media just didn’t care. https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600daily/ Latest From AFA: http://tinyurl.com/j7lakqw Students For Life https://tinyurl.com/yd5nxmu6 Latest From OperationRescue: http://www.operationrescue.org/ Latest Product Alert: Beef, Sausage, Coffee http://www.emergencyemail.org/products/?fmt=text Latest Health Alert:FDA Warns Seizure Risk with E-Cigarettes http://www.emergencyemail.org/health/?fmt=text -<>- >From Our Friend Fran :) Food City- Salute - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/embed/uoABty_zE00?rel=0 --- ...A sweet one! Thanks Fran! -<>- >From Our Friend LouiseAu :) Mutual Rescue shares with us the story of Patrick and Grace, a man and a dog who truly rescued each other. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5qeXAB6JUM --- ...Aww, Thanks LouiseAu! Reminds me of one we have here... Dominic And Jobe! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/jobe.html Circe Martinez from Las Vegas performs her charming magic at the French television show 'The World's Greatest Cabaret' hosted by Patrick Sebastien. https://youtu.be/hMQbbTR8tBw --- ...Great to watch! Thanks LouiseAu! Visit Melissa's Online Store You can get anything you want (except for Melissa ) at the online store http://pdhomes.net/mall/babylissa/mySTORES/ISELL4.html ========================================================== ' . ' . . . : . . '. ______ .' ' _.-"` `"-._ ' .' '. `'--. / \ .--'` / \ ; ; - -- | | -- - | _. | ; /__`A ,_ ; .-' \ |= |;._.}{__ / '-. _.-""-|.' # '. ` `.-"{}<._ / 1938 \ \ x `" ----/ \_.-'|--X---- -=_ | | |- X. =_ - __ |_________|_.-'|_X-X## jgs `'-._|_|;:;_.-'` '::. `"- .:;. .:. ::. '::. >Farmhouse Welcome Story Editor: by Susan Letourneau Joyce Schowalter Alberta, Canada In 1984, I participated in a golf tournament in a small town 50 miles from my Alberta home. When the time came to drive home, it was evening and dark clouds were forming on the horizon. Five miles into my journey I was enveloped in a deluge of rain. Visibility fast diminished as the rain increased and night approached. I had unwisely chosen to drive home on backcountry roads rather than the highway, so there were no lights, and with the increasing rain, I was hardly able to see the road. I missed a hairpin turn and drove straight off the road, literally sailed through the air, over a barbwire fence, and landed in a hay field. As the car hit the ground, my face hit the steering wheel and my lip split open. I struggled out of the car, found the road and began to walk. With no warm clothes, I was very cold in the pouring rain. As I walked, I watched for farmhouses where I could find help. I knocked on the door of two different houses, but no one answered. I was surprised because Alberta is known as a very friendly place, but it was after 11 p.m., so the homeowners probably didn't feel safe opening the door to a stranger so late. Cold, wet, and bleeding profusely, I walked on another half hour before lights appeared from another farmhouse. It was past midnight, but when I knocked on the door, it was opened immediately by a woman about 70 years old. She enveloped me in a huge hug and said everything would be OK. She sat me down in her kitchen, gently mopped my face, made me tea and wrapped me in a blanket, trying to stop my shaking and shivering. She called the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to come to help. While we waited for them, she wrapped her motherly arms around me and rocked me like a baby -- treating me as though I was her own daughter. As we talked, she told me her name was Gwen Hurler and she lived there alone. The RCMP arrived and drove me to a hospital to get stitches. When I got home the next day, I sent Gwen flowers and a heartfelt thank you letter. For years after, we exchanged Christmas cards; each of mine included another note of thanks, not just for her help, but also for her courage in opening that door. At 70, she would not have been able to defend herself had I been a burglar rather than a woman in great distress, yet she didn't hesitate one second to open her door to me -- blood, sweat, tears and all. Gwen has since passed on to what I'm sure is a great reward. I want to let others know what a warm, kind and lovely woman she was, and take one more opportunity to say thank you to her. =======HeroicStories======= >-->From LaughAndLift: "God is so powerful, so loving, so all-knowing, and so mighty, that He is never limited by the things which limit us! Even if we are severely limited by our human foibles and frailties, God never is - simply because He is God. And if God actually chooses to use flawed, imperfect, faulty, defective humans to do His work, then the good news is that He can use anybody." - Rocky Henriques _|_ | _|_ //_/\ __| ||____ ////////////\ /////////////\\ |^^^^^^^^^^||+| | # # # |||| .... ....". ||||||||||||||||| unknown >Not Just "Having Church" (By Rev. Kerry S. Doyal) It occurs to me that many churches "do church" pretty well: warm greetings are given, God-honoring music is played, soul-stirring singing is enjoined, concerns are shared, prayers are offered and God's word is set forth. And, oh yes, I almost forgot, an offering is taken too. Yes, with all those elements in place, I would say that settles it, most local gatherings of Jesus' disciples "do church" pretty well. It also occurs to me that one could come faithfully to Sunday morning gatherings, have gotten involved in "going to church", consistently be there when they "have church" - when those infamous "doors are opened" - without behaving as a vital member of the church. Notice I did NOT say become a member of church, as in "join a church". Instead, I wrote of "behaving as a vital member of the church." Simply put, that means "being the church". Sadly, its not rare for someone to be faithful in "going to church" without functioning as an active part of the church. Most sadly of all is that many faithful church people seem sufficiently satisfied to exist as faithful church attendees with no more input or contact than a shared Sunday morning "worship / church experience". An analogy from the theater world may help show the difference between attendees and vital participants. At a play, no one would confuse the audience with the cast. Seeing a play - even dozens of times - is quite different from learning lines, designing costumes or painting sets. Going to a play does not make you a vital member of the production - as important as an audience is. Unfortunately, this is a troublesome analogy as many times our Sunday gathering ("church") is now evaluated by how well we "put on the show" on Sunday morning. "How was church" has come to mean "did the choir sing nice, did the preacher go long, was the room stuffy, the music too loud...?". The church is the people, not the program. A better analogy might be the difference between being a hat and a hand. The hat is a nice addition and adornment to one's body. The hand is a vital attachment, a crucial functioning part. So too simply being a mere faithful attendee versus being an integral part in a local body - more than just Sundays and church held programs. The passage most often used to exhort faithful attendance from God's people is Hebrews 10:24-25. Who has not heard this "forsake not the assembling of yourselves together" passage countless times? Yet, the plea in the text is for faithfulness in showing up so that we can all encourage one another - and even more as we see His return getting closer. We have lowered the bar. We have set sitting as a sufficient - and for some - supreme standard. Yet, this Hebrews passage asserts that we are to give careful thought as to how we can spur on one another to love and good deeds. Just think if we gave this as much careful consideration as we did what we wore, where we sat, and where we would eat after church. More than just being "in your place on Sunday morning", we are to take our place of mutually edifying and exhorting one another (see Ephesian 4:11-16; 1 Corin 12:12 ff, Rom. 12, Acts 2:42-47). Hats abound - per my last analogy. We celebrate how many hats are present at "church". However, "hands down" - sorry - it is the hands that count. Here is a challenge: instead of simply requiring of yourself that you "go to church", demand from yourself that you function as part of the church. This will still include going to church, but it will include so much more: serving those in need, using your Spirit-given gifts to build up the body, being in growing relationships with other followers of Jesus, spurring others on in their walk... To further mix the metaphor, it is time for all "hands" on deck. The church is those people who have been called out of the world by God to Himself. Church is not something you have, a place you go or a service conducted on Sunday. Church is something you are a part of. We are to "be the church", to the glory of God, not just go to church or have church. -<>- "A young preacher was called out of a life of sin to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. While in the pulpit one day, he received a note in which someone had written all his past sins. In addition it read, 'Aren't you ashamed of yourself? And you're up there telling people to get right with God!' Do you know what the young preacher did? He read that note, bowed his head in prayer, stood up and said, 'Ladies and gentleman I have received a note, and here is what it says.' Then, in front of that whole crowd, he read every one of those sins. Then he said this: 'Yes, I am ashamed of myself, but I am not ashamed of my Savior!'" - Adrian Rogers __ /_/\/\ \_\ / /_/ \ \_\/\ \ \_\/ unknown >He Gave His Only Son (Author Unknown) There was once a big turntable bridge which spanned a large river. During most of the day, the bridge sat with the length running up and down the river parallel with the banks allowing ships to pass freely on both sides of the bridge. But, at certain times of the day, a certain train would come along and the bridge would be turned sideways across the river allowing the train to cross. A switchman sat in a small shack on one side of the river where he operated the controls to turn the bridge and lock it into place when the train crossed. One evening when the switchman was waiting for the last train of the day to come, he looked off into the distance through the dimming twilight and caught sight of the train's light. He stepped to the controls and waited until the train was at a prescribed distance when he was to turn the bridge. He turned the bridge into position, but to his horror, he found that the locking control didn't work. If the bridge was not locked securely into position, it would wobble back and forth and the ends when the train came to it, causing the train to jump the track and go crashing into the river. This would be a passenger train with many people aboard. He left the shack with the bridge turned across the river and hurried to the other side of the river where there was a lever which he could use to operate the lock manually. He could hear the rumble of the train now and leaned back-ward to apply his weight to it, locking the bridge. Many lives depended upon this man's strength. Then, coming across the bridge from the other direction, he heard a sound that made his blood run cold. "Daddy, where are you?" His four- year-old son was crossing the bridge to look for him. His first instinct was to cry out to the child, "Run! Run!" But the train was too close. The tiny feet would never make it across the bridge in time. The man almost left the lever to run and snatch up his son and carry him to safety, but he realized he could not get back to the lever in time. Either the people on the train or his son must die. He took just a moment to make his decision. The train sped swiftly and safely on its way and no one on board was even aware of the tiny, broken body thrown mercilessly into the river by the rushing train. Nor were they aware of the pitiful figure of a sobbing man still clinging tightly to the locking lever long after the train had passed. They didn't see him walking home more slowly than he had ever walked to tell his wife how he had sacrificed their son. Now, if you can comprehend the emotions which went through this man's heart, you can begin to understand the feelings of our Heavenly Father when He sacrificed His Son to bridge the gap between us and eternal life. Can there be any wonder that He caused the earth to tremble and the skies to darken when His Son died? And how does it feel when we speed along life without giving a thought to what was done for us through Jesus Christ? When was the last time you thanked Him for the sacrifice of His Son? 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 --- ...So true... , , /////| ///// | ///// | |~~~| | | |===| |/| | B |/| | | I | | | | B | | | | L | / | E | / |===|/ jgs '---' John 3: [16] For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Only God had to watch in agony as His Son was tormented, beaten and nailed to the cross. The creator of the entire universe had to watch in sorrow as His beloved Son slowly bled, languished and gave His last breath - a sacrificial lamb for all the sins He never committed but for the sins of mankind. All, so that one day God could save you from eternal death and bring you into life with His Holy family once you believe in Jesus Christ and accept Him as your Lord and Savior. As Jesus Christ put it... John 15: [13] Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. ========================================================== , , /////| ///// | ///// | |~~~| | | |===| |/| | B |/| | | I | | | | B | | | | L | / | E | / |===|/ jgs '---' >-->The Prescription... In our modern, rushing world Where confusion fills the air It seems half the population Is under a doctor's care. With a pill for this, a shot for that And a tonic once a day We try to keep our physique fit And our hair from turning gray. Good doctors do the best they can And drugs may cure our pain But the greatest Doctor of all times Made His prescription plain. To lose tension and stiff necks To bring strained bodies ease Spend fifteen minutes twice a day In bending both the knees. A spoonful of meditation When our patience grows too thin, Will calm our nerves and help us Feel cheerful once again. A capsule of scripture reading And a level cup of prayer Taken first thing in the morning Will soothe our every care. To do away with tonic bottles And reduce the doctor's bill, We should heed the Great Physician And always do His will. - Author Unknown >Updated FUN STUFF URLS - Oh Yeah Shangy! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/urls.html FUN URLS ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -->ShangyFunList AD RATES: $20 will get your a message (of up to 40 words) out to all self-subscribed readers and $5 more will give you the same message also put up for all web site readers. Email me to secure dates. Ad Request ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -->FULL LENGTH - FREE On line AUDIO MP3 Christian Foundational Class http://www.truthortradition.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=61 NEW LIFE IN CHRIST! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -->This is for all you who love food and DARE to make it at home Yep. You guessed it - Recipes. These are Tried and True, Yummy to the Tummy, good old fashioned home cooking recipes that are EASY to do Visit Shangy's Easy-Does-It Home Recipes: http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/easy.html Home Recipes >Got A good Recipe? SHARE IT HERE: Share A Recipe ********************************************************************** >TO SUBSCRIBE:Visit Here This Weeks regular Shangy emails OR For the Yahoo ShangyFunList: To Subscribe send a blank email to ShangyFunList-subscribe@yahoogroups.com **********************************************************************