The Will Of God... :) Shangy! >Here are the details on our Yahoo ShangyFunList: To Subscribe send a blank email to ShangyFunList-subscribe@yahoogroups.com To UnSubscribe send a blank email to ShangyFunList-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Group home page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShangyFunList or Web Site: http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/ShangyFunList.html Group email address: ShangyFunList@yahoogroups.com or email me here: bcrsystems@earthlink.net ================ *~* Please Consider Giving To ShangralaFamilyFun.com The cost of the website has gone up dramatically due to the ever increasingly wonderful pages and photos being added each week to entertain you and our fellow Christian families. While the ads on the website do help, I don't want to drag the site down with tons of them to pay for it. I need your help! "We are each of us angels with but one wing, and can only fly by embracing each other" -Luciano Decrescenzo ~ CALLING ALL CARING ANGELS ~ _..---.._ .' .-'''-. '. / .' _..._'. \ __ : : /`;' ) : : _,="`\ ,--''` ``'.; : |; ,-; : ; __..==""==.,_| `-, `; .\; / ^\ _,.="// '-,_.--._ '.(;_.'__/`_.-'`\ ,.--''`` _..=. `'--.// `` \ `--, '` `- |_\ '-. | `-._ _.;--`-..___,.-'` `'-...-_:',;`==,| \ _.--',=" / /"=;="=, _.' ,=".-'` .' /| ,=" _.--' .-' "=, : .' | ", `;._ .--'.' .-' .' . ; ,;;\_ . '._.'--'` -' / ,;;;._ '-._ .''.__.' `\_ .' '._ / '._ .(` jgs '._ ';./ `;` *~* WE NEED CARING And SHARING Angels *~* >Do You Want To Be A Shangrala Angel? If you'd like to help and be counted as a Shangrala Angel, the easiest way to do that is through online giving. It is easy to use, and most of all, it is secure. Please visit the site, scroll down and click on the donate button. A Secure PAYPAL form page comes up. NOTE: Paypal will generate a 'Quantity 1' and 'Price per item' form. Just ignore the price per item and put whatever it is you desire to give in there. With Paypal, you will have your normal receipt for your 'payment' donation in USD (United States Dollars). You can put a memo in there if you'd like. Any amount is greatly appreciated and needed! PLEASE Visit Shangrala to Help: http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/index.html OR If you'd rather send us a donation, Please MAIL it here: Elrhea Bigham 502 S. Harrison Van Wert, OH 45891 *~* THANK YOU! MAY GOD BLESS YOU MOST ABUNDANTLY FOR YOUR GIFT! ================ *~* A REMINDER: PLEASE Send me sweet, interesting, funny, inspiring, family type forwards ANY TIME here... bcrsystems@earthlink.net I Need them, Love them, Use them, and Share them! THANK YOU!! AND For Facebook Users: Please Friend Me / Like Me here... http://tinyurl.com/cma6all AND For Google Plus Users: You can find me here... Shangy Bigham https://plus.google.com/106648555948034085752/posts AND Please Share This email with All Your Friends And Family! ^~^ May God SUPER BLESS You As You Do! THANK YOU! :) -<>- * NOTE: An easy way to adjust the size of print in email or any page is to hold down the Ctrl tab while moving the scroll button on the mouse. You can also use the keyboard to change the font size in your web browser or emails. Hold down the Ctrl key while pressing the + key for larger text or the - key for smaller text! ================ >-->HOT Off The 'Shangy' Press :) This red hot new page is from our friend LouiseAu. It is one that is sure to tickle your funny bone. There's a bit of an Et-Ahem video here, so if you are easily offended, you may want to avoid it. The rest of you, I am sure, will find it hilarious! Check this one out here. ,-----. /' `\ ; ----,---- ; | `o- |`o- | | |_ | | _____, | \_ _/ | `-----' | __.-; ;-.__ _,-' ; : ; ; `-._ _,' `. ,`-,_____ \ : : / ____,-'-, /' ```----. .----''' `\ / \_/ \ | | | | , | , | | | | | | | \ | / | \ /\ o | o /\ / / | |`\ / \ /'| | \ | | | `------' `------' | | | | | \ _.--'|`--._ / | | \ | | __|--'|`--|__ | | / | | | __|--'|`--|__pb | | | Manly Man Things http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/manlyman.html --- ...Oh My! I think I had a bit too much fun with this one! Thanks LouiseAu! =========================================================== >-->From Heartwarmers: _\|/_ /--\ |[]| _] \/ [_ /_ `==' _\ \\| |// l\ __/j `|-'##| |#||#| |#||#| _|#||#|_ `==" "==` as >ULTIMATE GIFT I have told countless tales about my mother, but rarely do I ever reference my dad. The reality of our relationship is quite simply that there isn't one. For the last twenty five of my fifty years, I have probably seen my father a total of ten times. A fact that still, even today, can make me feel like an isolated and abandoned child. On the flipside of that family dysfunctional coin, I am blessed with a wonderful relationship with my father's brother, Uncle Dave. This is a man who, since the day my dad walked away, has made a Herculean effort to maintain a connection and preserve a sense of family with me as well as with my two children. Over the years, this remarkably caring man has made the roundtrip journey from his transplanted Virginia home to my Western New York farm at least once every six months, under the ploy of attending a nearby sporting event. His retired sports writer's reasoning being that whatever the competition, it's always too enticing to pass up. And additionally, it provides the side bonus of being able to keep close track of my family's progress. In-between the professionally timed rounds of whatever football, basketball, hockey or baseball event his trip always involves, it has become most obvious that my uncle thoroughly enjoys sharing our family's lore and becoming an integral part of our lives, over and above these athletic contests. Uncle Dave was married for over forty years to the love of his life, Irene Murphy. They spiritedly lived, loved, and fought their way through the challenges of raising three children and the assorted ups and downs of my uncle's sports and recreation career. They were never materially wealthy, but when they looked in each other's eyes, they held the treasure of life between them. I always admired their devoted marriage as a standard to which I could aspire, even after Aunt Irene passed away more than twenty years ago. Which is exactly why recently, when I married the love of my life in a ceremony at our home, I was so honored to have my Uncle Dave seated in the front row of family and friends. Yet it was something that happened the day after our wedding, long after the toasts were made and the guests had gone home, that truly helped me to comprehend the scope of my uncle's love and the essence of family that he has so devotedly endeavored to foster. As my husband and I began sorting through the elegantly wrapped wedding gifts stacked upon our dining room table, a sizeable brown cardboard box caught my eye. There was no fancy bow, no extravagant wrap, just corrugated cardboard taped at the flaps. I was fascinated by the unpretentiousness of the remembrance and quickly claimed it to open. Within the corrugated confines, I found a curious blue and cream piece of pottery, along the ideal of a soup tureen, and a perfectly matched lid, both noteworthy for their extensive ornamentation. By virtue of the mark on the bottom of the tureen, I realized that it had been handmade in Germany. I also realized from the glazing cracks that it was several generations old. Still unsure of exactly what I was holding and exactly who had bequeathed it, I began looking for a note or a card of identification. Sure enough, inside the tureen I found a most remarkable letter written by my Uncle Dave. In it he detailed the story of our wedding gift as a previous wedding remembrance given to him and his "lovely bride" on the day they were married in Bremerhaven, Germany, during World War II. He completed the account of his long cherished treasure by writing that he was giving us this family heirloom with the hope that we would enjoy the same loving life that he and Aunt Irene had shared for so many years. Almost reverentially, my husband and I immediately set the tureen in a place of honor in our home. To us it signifies the ideal of married love and commitment that endures and never dies. To my children, the ornate object has come to represent their heritage and the interwoven family ties that they have learned to honor and cherish. But most of all, to me, that intricate piece of handcrafted blue and cream pottery offers the true measure of the word "father" as much more than a term, or a title, or a signature on a birth certificate. And that, for me, has become the ultimate gift of life. -- Christina Abt ___________________________________________ Christina is a Heartwarmer Gem. Her story, The House Cleaning, can be found in the new Heartwarmers of Spirit book. She is a weekly newspaper columnist, a magazine editor and a radio commentator for her local NPR station in Buffalo, New York. =========================================================== ,_ | `""---..._____ '-...______ _````"""""""'`| \ ```` ``"---...__ | |` | ``! | | A | /\ /#\ /`--..______..-' | ### | / `\ /`--. | ### _| | .-;`-./;-. || ### / \ \ /\_| |_/\ //\ ##' | `-' \__/ _ \__/ | |`# \_, /_/ `\ / '. '.__.' .' jgs `-,____,-' /"""I""\ /`---'--'\ >-->History - by emb Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and when I was in History class, I remember being bored to death there. The countless names, dates and places having to be memorized for the weekly History tests seemed all too much for me. It made no sense to me why I had to learn this as I could not possibly think of anything I'd be using it for in my adult life. Listening to the drone of my teacher just made me want to sleep the period away. One day there was a new face in the classroom. A student teacher with all the enthusiasm of his college age youth, he was excitedly telling us how much he loved history. I remember his reason why. He said that with history we could predict the future because history always repeats itself. Today I woke up some 40 some odd years later and thought to myself that is what we are witnessing right now before our eyes. The old thought 'the world is a stage and all the people are the actors' came to mind as I envisioned what has been happening in our country as of late. I saw it unfold as an act on a stage. My history on the world stage begins with my generation called 'the baby boomers'. We carry on what 'the great generation' before us started as far as furthering women rights, defeating Communism and furthering racial civil rights by ending segregation. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 finally put an end to all state and local laws requiring segregation. The 'generation X' after us continued to uphold and further these liberties. As time goes on, I watched the fads of style come and go and many to my surprise simply refer back to an old style that was and call it a new style. Like they couldn't remember it from years ago. Now I am watching the 'Millennial Generation' and 'Generation Z' turning the stage upside down. What all generations before them worked so hard for, they seem to think is what they want. I watched on Tucker Carlson this week and learned about groups like Black Lives Matter that decided to host an all black event where anyone of any other race was not welcome and also learned about colleges that celebrated diversity with commencements for their students that separated them by their race and/or by their lifestyle. These youth are mostly driven by the left wing Democratic party. Sadly, it appears that what the Democrats have always fought for, our youth are siding with. For instance, it was the Democrats who fought against the Republicans to free slaves and it was a Democrat President Theodore Wilson that threw women in prison for picketing for women's rights. I see on the world stage, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin who refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white person and then Rosa Louise McCauley Parks who on December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, refused to obey bus driver James F. Blake's order to give up her seat in the colored section to a white passenger, after the white section was filled. These people fought hard for their civil rights and against segregation. Now, sadly, the tables are turned and it would seem history is repeating itself. If our youth have their way, we will again see the ugly head of communism by way of socialism where only the fat cats do well and the rest of society suffers horribly like what we are seeing happening in Venezuela right now. We'll commonly see events, schools, buses, trains and planes that designate only for blacks or browns or whites or only for gays or only for straights. We'll have safe zones where no whites or no one of color may be. We'll be terribly divided and set our equality back in time all in the name of diversity and so called new civil rights that are simply the old ways sneaking their dark ugly heads back into our society. Yes, sadly, it appears we do not learn from our mistakes and that often, history does repeat itself, especially if we aren't diligent. Here's that Tucker Carlson show I was referring to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7umpTk05HgI =========================================================== >-->From LouiseAu :) ,-`"-=') =/////// ,== _,_(((((-`6\ ==.| /,,...\\\C _| .--. ((((\\\\\` _, /;_| )9 )))))./ `. / } _\,_ ,-'))) \ / /=-. ,-./ \/ '))) . /\_/ / \ (,-.%\ / /-' ') \/\ / ( \ (/ \ ' /( ' `-/ \( \ ,- / ( `-' \ . / / \ \ &_) /\ \ | ( /--.- \ \----,------=;% | _/ _); `. ` `-. .`\ ) +++/ \ ,," %&-. ; \\| `-` `-=.;_,.__.__\_,/ )_/___+_/_________\,"(_//_(__)______:-._) gpyy >YOU ARE ENOUGH By Heather Spears Kallus God needs us. This I know. He has ground to till and seeds to sow. Have you ever thought God can't use you? Far from perfect. Mistakes we do. Our feelings of doubt and those of fear, Can hinder God's work all through the year. His knock on our door may be gentle or loud. You'll hear it alone or when in a crowd. Can you be the one to help God out? Be available. That's what it's about. Do you question your gifts, your talents, and more? Be open to see what God has in store. He believes in us more than we see. Saying yes to Him is truly the key. He doesn't call the qualified, but qualifies the called. He doesn't care if you're hairy or completely bald. If you're short or tall or maybe between, A seasoned helper at times or fresh and green. No matter your age, background, or money, If you're quiet, calm, upbeat, or funny. He needs us. He wants us. He'll bless us for giving, Ourselves to Him - instruments while living. Am I enough? Are you enough? He'll take us all - the tender and tough. Temperaments differ. Personalities vary. He needs us - the single and those who marry. On this earth, we're His feet and hands, There's much to do in all His lands. We are clay in His care, ready to mold. He needs the young, middle-aged, and old. Need a sign? Well, this is it. It's time to take action. Don't just sit. You're enough. I'm enough. We are enough, I'll say. God is calling us in a very special way. Thank you, in advance, for your yes to His call. Don't be afraid. He'll pick us up when we fall. Let's spread His love the ways we can, To every child, every woman, and also each man. Are we overly sensitive? A bit too rough? Worry not, my friend, because YOU ARE ENOUGH! --- ...A sweet one! Thanks LouiseAu! ====================================================== >-->From Archives InspiredBuffalo: .---. ___ /_____\ /\.-`( '.' ) / / \_-_/_ \ `-.-"`'V'//-. `.__, |// , \ |Ll //Ll|\ \ |__// | \_\ /---|[]==| / / \__/ | \/\/ /_ | Ll_\| |`^"""^`| | | | | | | | | | | | | L___l___J jgs |_ | _| (___|___) ^^^ ^^^ >GOD'S LOVE In his Turning Point Daily Devotional for Oct. 29, David Jeremiah tells the story of an aged Quaker named Hartman who had a son in the Army. When he received news that a dreadful battle had taken place, he went to the scene of conflict to find him. The officer said they believed the boy was dead because he had not answered to his name. This did not satisfy the father, however, and he set out across the battlefield to call for his beloved son who was dearer to him than life. Night set in and Hartman continued searching by lantern until a gust of wind extinguished the light. In desperation, he began shouting, “John Hartman, thy father calleth thee.” Finally, in the dark distance, Hartman heard his boy’s voice crying, “Here, father.” He then took him in his arms, carried him to headquarters, and nursed him back to health. God loves us more than life itself; and as His beloved Son hung on the cross and died for our sins, He shouted to us in a dark world, “(Your name here), thy Father calleth thee.” Have you cried, “Here, Father”? -<>- /'\ / / , c-' / /'-._ ,____,' .-'''-. .-'.// \ '-;-========,"-,' ' ,` /, \_//\ ,/ ( '- *) ) ( ./ ) {,}========'===='- ' , , , \/ ', -muse. _____'-.-`_______________________'-..-'____ s i t b a c k r i d e 'n' r e l a x r e c u m b e n t b i c y c l e s ____________________________________________ >Don't Let Go Dad It's been more than a dozen years. Sometimes it seems like yesterday; sometimes it seems like a lifetime ago. My little girl finally had her own bicycle. Not a trike, but a real two-wheeler. The bike was the product of a successful visit to a nearby garage sale. It was the perfect pink, little-girl bicycle. My daughter loved it at once. I struck a bargain, stored our new treasure in the trunk and drove home. I couldn't unload the new prize fast enough. My little girl wanted her bike on the road now! It was a warm, sunny day, ideal for learning to ride a bicycle. Parenthood is a long series of events, each of which falls on one side or the other of a basic parental dichotomy: We want our children to grow up to be independent, yet we want our children to depend on us. We seem reluctant to accept that the love our children have for us is based on what they feel, not what we do for them. I can see my little girl sitting atop her new bike. She is so small, yet so eager. Her husky voice begs me, "Don't let go, Dad!" Her teeth are clenched. The dimpled pink hands display white knuckles. I keep one hand on the seat and the other on a handlebar. I jog slowly alongside the bike and rider. Occasionally, I remove one hand, but I hear, "Don't let go, Dad!" Even allowing for the inaccuracies of my memory, she seems to have mastered this complex activity as she would later learn other skills and knowledge-quickly, but only after some frustration over her lack of instant expertise. She executed her characteristic, methodical attack on the challenge with a strong, almost heartbreaking, desire for success. Tentatively, I again removed my hand. "Don't let go, Dad!" She bubbles with excited anticipation over her lunchtime sandwich. We rush back outside to the sidewalk test track. In spite of her anxiety about falling, the wobbling front wheel is beginning to stabilize. It won't be long now. I can feel her growing confidence. I have to jog a little faster. Her legs pump with newfound strength and confidence. What event in child rearing presents a more poignant picture of growing independence? Learning to walk is a beginning of independence. Learning to talk and express original thought is also a step along that road. But these steps are gradual, and allow for some adjustment time for the parents. Learning to ride a bike is learning to fly-an experience that almost instantly gives the recipient a new, permanent and irrevocable freedom. The moment has come. I've known for several minutes that she has acquired the magic "it" that makes this improbable form of transport possible. My daughter finally realizes it, too. Now, my hand no longer steadies her efforts; it is holding her back. My body lumbering alongside is not comforting-it is distracting. "Let go, Dad!" She takes off like a shot! Little pigtails flying in the air. She goes at least fifty feet before coming to a gentle stop in the grass adjacent to the sidewalk. She beams. She glows. She has a grin that could only have come from self-satisfaction. I smile, too. Not just because I share her sense of accomplishment, but because I realize that she has begun a journey. She's on it, still. Parenthood harbors sorrows and joys. Some events, inexplicably, bring both simultaneously. A holding on and a letting go. A little push on a bike. A hug and a blessing at the door before school. We are bound, as parents, to do both: hold and release, each in its own time. I willingly release my children to their futures. I encourage their independence to discover their strengths and talents. But let go? Never. By Richard H. Lomax (c) -<>- , , /////| ///// | ///// | |~~~| | | |===| |/| | B |/| | | I | | | | B | | | | L | / | E | / |===|/ jgs '---' >My Child ~ You may not know me, but I know everything about you ~ Psalm 139:1 I know when you sit down and when you rise up ~ Psalm 139:2 I am familiar with all your ways ~ Psalm 139:3 Even the very hairs on your head are numbered ~ Matthew 10:29-31 For you were made in my image ~ Genesis 1:27 In me you live and move and have your being ~ Acts 17:28 For you are my offspring ~ Acts 17:28 I knew you even before you were conceived ~ Jeremiah 1:4-5 I chose you when I planned creation ~ Ephesians 1:11-12 You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book ~ Psalm 139:15-16 I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live ~ Acts 17:26 You are fearfully and wonderfully made ~ Psalm 139:14 I knit you together in your mother's womb ~ Psalm 139:13 And brought you forth on the day you were born ~ Psalm 71:6 I have been misrepresented by those who don't know me ~ John 8:41-44 I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love ~ 1 John 4:16 And it is my desire to lavish my love on you ~ 1 John 3:1 Simply because you are my child and I am your father ~ 1 John 3:1 I offer you more than your earthly father ever could ~ Matthew 7:11 For I am the perfect father ~ Matthew 5:48 Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand ~ James 1:17 For I am your provider and I meet all your needs ~ Matthew 6:31-33 My plan for your future has always been filled with hope ~ Jeremiah 29:11 Because I love you with an everlasting love ~ Jeremiah 31:3 My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore ~ Psalm 139:17-18 And I rejoice over you with singing ~ Zephaniah 3:17 I will never stop doing good to you ~ Jeremiah 32:40 For you are my treasured possession ~ Exodus 19:5 I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul ~ Jeremiah 32:41 And I want to show you great and marvelous things ~ Jeremiah 33:3 If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me ~ Deuteronomy 4:29 Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart ~ Psalm 37:4 For it is I who gave you those desires ~ Philippians 2:13 I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine ~ Ephesians 3:20 For I am your greatest encourager ~ 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles ~ 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you ~ Psalm 34:18 As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart ~ Isaiah 40:11 One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes ~ Revelation 21:3-4 And I'll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth ~ Revelation 21:3-4 I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus ~ John 17:23 For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed ~ John 17:26 He is the exact representation of my being ~ Hebrews 1:3 He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you ~ Romans 8:31 And to tell you that I am not counting your sins ~ 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled ~ 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you ~ 1 John 4:10 I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love ~ Romans 8:31-32 If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me ~ 1 John 2:23 And nothing will ever separate you from my love again ~ Romans 8:38-39 Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen ~ Luke 15:7 I have always been Father, and will always be Father ~ Ephesians 3:14-15 My question is ~ Will you be my child? ~ John 1:12-13 I am waiting for you ~ Luke 15:11-32 Love, Your Father, Almighty God -<>- >Links for Your Enjoyment: Mom's And Dad's INDEX http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/momsanddadsindex.html The 23rd Psalm!- http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/psalm23.html You Have Six Minutes!- http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/lovetest.html Church Mouse Wisdom!- http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/churchmouse.html Our Valuable ANCHOR!- http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/BibleStudy/ouranchor.html Amazing Human Progress!- http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/humanprogress.html Soap Carving Art!- http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/soapart.html Amazing Dog Houses 2! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/doghouses2.html Butterfly's Story!- http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/butterflystory.html When God Paints!- http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/gpaints.html Akiane Child Prodigy!- http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/prodigy.html Peek-A-Boo Panda! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/panda.html Truck Advertising Art! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/truckart.html Wave Art! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/waveart.html Primary Games http://www.primarygames.com/ Easop's Fables http://aesopfables.com/ Mom's MiniVan: KID Actities http://www.momsminivan.com/ -<>- >Please Follow Me on StumbleUpon Here: http://tinyurl.com/y77a2snz -<>- >From Our Friend LouiseAu :) Magician Kevin James performs an entertaining illusion that helped him win the Best Comedy Illusionist Award at the 2007 World Magic Awards. I had never seen this act and found it fascinating to watch as I wasn't quite sure how it was going to end. I'm glad the doctor was able to put everything back in it's proper place after his magical surgery. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=65ASzyUsOv0 10 ADORABLE ANIMALS that can KILL YOU! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6FSrrHfkHU --- ...Wowsers! Amazing! 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 ========================================================== \\\\ c oo | .U __=__ ,,, |. __|___ oo ; ||_/ / / U= _ 0 \_/__/__E o /. .| | (___ || |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'----'~| I---||| |-----------------------| I ||| | c(__) | ^ '--'' ^ ^ Petrus >The Amazing Doctor Story Editor: by A. Dawn McConkey Pat Fletcher Ohio, USA The day our son was born turned out to be quite a nightmare. We had no idea that he had a serious heart defect and a plethora of other problems. The medical staff also wasn't prepared. There were no specialists on hand, so no one was ready when the little guy turned blue and stopped crying. Later, a man I'd never seen before entered my room with my husband in tow. Standing at the foot of my bed, Dr. Sushant explained that Children's Hospital had sent a mobile ICU to transport Jacob to a better-equipped hospital. He explained dreadful things about my child, speaking softly but in a positive and upbeat manner with a smile on his lips. From some doctors, this behavior may have seemed condescending at such a dark hour, but from Dr. Sushant, his sincere faith that my little boy would be fine was highly contagious. When he said something, I just believed it. I developed a staph infection the next day and was further devastated because I was unable to be released to join my son. Dr. Sushant was by my side when I woke up. His face was worried, but he still had that smile. He said, "We almost lost you, now you get better because Jacob needs you." I later learned that Dr. Sushant had been the hospital's on-call pediatrician when Jacob was born. It was because of him that my son survived. Then he spent the day at the hospital out of concern for a mother who was being separated from her very sick infant. He visited me twice a day because he was calling Jacob's hospital up to four times a day, and he wanted to come and tell me in person what the doctors were telling him. He drew pictures of Jacob's heart to explain what was going on and how it would be corrected. The nurses said he loved our family and he didn't want me to be scared. These days, it's rare to find a doctor who remembers a face from one visit to the next. For months Dr. Sushant saw Jacob every two weeks. He kept in constant contact with Jacob's other doctors. He came to Jacob's parties, even showing off Jacob to his sweet wife. His billing office was instructed to write off any amount that wasn't paid by insurance. He once went so far as to offer to put us up in his home when we were worried about losing our home to medical bills. He was laughing at the time, but I don't think he was kidding. Dr. Sushant is a wonderful person, one whose every move is fueled by love. =======HeroicStories======= >-->From Laugh&Lift: "God allows me to come into this trouble to see if I will glorify Him in it. This trial, be it great or small, is allowed by God and is His will concerning me. Let me first recognize and submit to God's will in it. Then with the peace of God which this gives I will receive wisdom to know how to behave in it...Commit your right and your honor into God's keeping. Meet every offense that man commits against you with the firm trust that God will watch over and take care of you." - Andrew Murray -<>- Everything is done before the eyes of God. The Lift ,sdPBbs. ,d$$$$$$$$b. d$P'`Y'`Y'`?$b d' ` ' \ `b / | \ \ / / \ | \ _,--' | \ | /' _/ \ | \ _/' /' | \ `-.__ __/' ,-' / | | \ `--...__ /' / | / \ \ `-. `\ / /;;,,__-' / / \ \ `-. / |;;;;;;;\ \ >HIGHER PLACES (By Dean Cooper, Tucson, AZ) I watched a video last week of some mountain climbers and their attempt at climbing Mt. Everest. A couple of things struck me as prophetic. First, the climbers had to get acclimated at a lower altitude before they dared climb to the summit. This actually took several weeks while they allowed their bodies to adjust to the lower oxygen content of the high altitudes. Over time, their bodies actually produced more red blood cells to compensate for the lack of oxygen. They said that if they took a person from sea level directly to the top of Mt. Everest, that the person would die in just minutes because their bodies could not handle the lack of oxygen. But let them acclimate at a lower altitude first, and then they would be able to survive. I sense that God is calling us to get acclimated to His presence and His holiness. Although we enjoy spending times in His presence, we all too quickly return back to the valley -- back to our regular habits and patterns. I believe He is asking us to stop going back down to the valley and to learn to live in His presence so that we'll become acclimated to Him and His holiness and be able to move even higher up His mountain. Moreover, the whole team climbing Mt. Everest had to get acclimated. Even though most of the team would not actually reach the summit themselves, if they were to be of any help, they had to be acclimated as well. I think most will agree, this is not a time to let only the pastor (like Moses) climb the mountain while the rest of the church remains in the valley. But, to really be a help (and not a hindrance), the church needs to get acclimated to the presence and holiness of God. Finally, the climbers in the video didn't waste time making their way to the base of the mountain. They rode a helicopter directly to the base so that they could begin their climb without delay. It's time to get past all the vegetation and foliage that is slowing us down and allow the Holy Spirit to bring us directly into His presence. To me, this is exactly what renewal has done, it has made it sooo easy to "jump" into His presence and come close to Him :-) ! But now, the river of God's presence is bringing us to the mountain of His holiness and presence. And while most of us would agree that God is calling us to holiness, I am sensing a call to being "acclimated" to His holiness and presence, and a refusal to make visits back down in the valley. It was in the valley where sin entered the camp and the golden calf was formed, it was on the mountain where Moses met with God! Getting my climbing gear ready! 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 Kidwarmers: ,-"-. _r-----i _ \ |-. ,###. | | | ,-------. | | | c| | ,--. | |' | | _______________ C| | (=====) ========= \_____________/ `==' cww (HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH) >THE FUNNIEST THINGS KIDS SAY At the family reunion everyone told David, 3, that he looked so much like his father that he was "a chip off the old block." One day he proudly told his grandpa, "I'm a chip off the old pot!" As the family was sitting down to dinner, Jennifer, who was in kindergarten at a Christian school, turned to her younger brother and then pointed at their dad. "That's not your real father," she said, startling the whole family. "Yes, he is!" Andy said. "No, he's not," Jennifer said. "God is your heavenly father." Then pointing at their dad again, she said, "That's your homely father!" Colin, 4, continually heard the question, "Where did you get that red hair?" His answer was always the same: "My Grandpa Dick." (Grandpa's once-red hair is now gray, and there isn't much left.) At a family gathering, the topic of hair came up. Very seriously, Colin looked at Grandpa Dick and said, "I will give you back some of your hair, Grandpa, since I took it from you, because you don't have much hair anymore!" n__n_ / = =\ / ._Y_) ___________/ "\________________________________ (_/ (_, \ o!O \ ( \_,--""""--. __..-,-`.___,-` )-.______.' <' `-,' `-, )-' > `----._/ ( /"`>.--" "--..___,--" Todd was watching an animal show with his son. Jerry, 5, became concerned when the show started talking about a groundhog at a zoo that was being checked out for kidney problems, and he started asking a lot of questions. Finally, he asked, "Dad, do you have grown-up neys or do you have KID-neys?" Kim's 4-year-old and a friend came out of the bathroom screaming, "There's a SPIDER in the bathtub!" Kim calmly asked, "Is it a daddy long legs?" The little girl looked puzzled and said, "Well, he's got long legs, but I don't know if he's a Daddy!" Nancy was thinking she should have a birds and the bees talk with her daughter. Imagine her surprise when her daughter came home from school and said, "You and Dad better be careful. I would just DIE of embarrassment if you got pregnant!" , /\ , / '-' '-' \ | POLICE | \ .--. / | ( 19 ) | \ '--' / '--. .--' jgs \/ When Sandra's husband was going through his midlife crisis, he bought himself a shiny new Mustang sports car. One day he was driving down the highway with their 5-year-old son when a police officer pulled him over. The officer calmly explained that he had been speeding. The 5-year-old then loudly exclaimed, "But Officer, my daddy ALWAYS drives fast in the Mustang!" Tom took Catie, 4, to watch the airplanes at the Air Force base in Okinawa, Japan, where he was stationed. When an airplane took off, Tom told Catie, "Honey, that's the sound of freedom." A few days later Tom and Catie were outside when a plane flew overheard. Catie looked at Tom and said, "Daddy, I like airplanes, but freedom sure is loud!" | |/ | ,,,,, ,+ /| / \ () | || \ C '\ /|_() || ) _| .'___/,,,// || .'=. (____E.' / / \ || | \)`-\ _F_.' \ c `\ || \ \ !'__/ ) _| || \ \,' / /`._( || |`. .' / \ \ || \ `-' | .-. | | \ E || >====[] | \ |__| | O OE || / |_/ | |___)| `.__j____ \|E || \_ | || __`.________ `. |""|\| \ |\ ||| \///_ _|__|_| \ __ | \ ||`""\\""""//"' \`. \ | |[__]| \ ||.---\\__//---. | | \____| ||__|/ / \|____________|\ |/ | | | / || || /| | | -----| |/------------||-||-/`| |----------| /| | || ||/`-|___| | /\| | || \\._ [____] h| /`.|____| || \\ `-/ '`._ j| `=.\____/ || \\__`-.____) w| ) '`--. _.-||-._ `""""""" | `='====' ,-' ' ` `-. | `-.________.-' | Karl, and his stepson, Joey, 4, went to get haircuts. Back at home, Karl was joking with Joey and said, "I thought you were going to get your hair cut just like mine." Joey immediately said, "But Mommy didn't tell them to cut it like yours ... Mommy, next time we go, you tell them to cut my hair just like Daddy's and make sure they cut out that spot in the back, too!" Ryan, 3, was asked what he wanted to be when he grows up. "I want to be a big man," he replied. While Tausha was at work one morning her husband gave Kara, 6, a bath. When Tausha got home Kara was enthusiastically tellling about her day. Then she said, "And Daddy gave me a bath and washed my hair. But he forgot to use air conditioner (hair conditioner)!" Note: You are welcomed to use, copy and share these stories, but please reference http://www.funnykids.com as the source. ========================================================== , , /////| ///// | ///// | |~~~| | | |===| |/| | B |/| | | I | | | | B | | | | L | / | E | / |===|/ jgs '---' >-->The Will of God (Author Unknown) The will of God will never take you, Where the Grace of God cannot keep you, Where the Arms of God cannot support you, Where the Riches of God cannot supply your needs, Where the Power of God cannot endow you. The will of God will never take you, Where the Spirit of God cannot work through you, Where the Wisdom of God cannot teach you, Where the Army of God cannot protect you, Where the Hands of God cannot mold you. The Will of God will never take you, Where the Love of God cannot enfold you, Where the Mercies of God cannot sustain you, Where the Peace of God cannot calm your fears, Where the Authority of God cannot overrule for you. The will of God will never take you, Where the Comfort of God cannot dry your tears, Where the Word of God cannot feed you, Where the Miracles of God cannot be done for you, Where the Omnipresence of God cannot find you. >Updated FUN STUFF URLS - Oh Yeah Shangy! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/urls.html FUN URLS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -->FULL LENGTH - FREE On line AUDIO MP3 Christian Foundational Class http://www.truthortradition.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=61 NEW LIFE IN CHRIST! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -->This is for all you who love food and DARE to make it at home Yep. You guessed it - Recipes. These are Tried and True, Yummy to the Tummy, good old fashioned home cooking recipes that are EASY to do Visit Shangy's Easy-Does-It Home Recipes: http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/easy.html Home Recipes >Got A good Recipe? SHARE IT HERE: Share A Recipe ************************************************************************ >TO SUBSCRIBE:Visit Here This Weeks regular Shangy emails OR For the Yahoo ShangyFunList: To Subscribe send a blank email to ShangyFunList-subscribe@yahoogroups.com ************************************************************************