Who I Am In Christ... :) Shangy!

>Here are the details on our Yahoo ShangyFunList:

To Subscribe send a blank email to
ShangyFunList-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

To UnSubscribe send a blank email to
ShangyFunList-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

Group home page:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShangyFunList

Through no fault of my own we suddenly became an
adult club in the love and romance directory so
you will have to confirm that you are an adult
when you go here. I still have no idea how to change
this back as it sends me around in a circle when I try!

or Web Site:
http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/ShangyFunList.html

Group email address:
ShangyFunList@yahoogroups.com
or email me here:
bcrsystems@earthlink.net

               ================

*~* A REMINDER: PLEASE Send me sweet, interesting, funny,
inspiring, family type forwards ANY TIME here...
bcrsystems@earthlink.net

I Need them, Love them, Use them, and Share them! THANK YOU!!

                ================

>-->In The 'Shangy' News :)

Just a reminder for Facebook Users:

Please Friend me / Like Me here...
http://tinyurl.com/cma6all
              .           
               .               
               .    ,-,--.
             __|   //``-, \
             \_`\  )\a-a-? \
               \ \_`(_=_/_-`__ 
                \__,    , \|  |
              _ _,'   ___7 )  |
             (_)(_`__(_,---'  |
             (   _(  )        |
             /  /_|  |________|
          __/__/__|__|_________)
_________(__,_|)/ (__)|/____\(_______________   mic
 
^~^ May God SUPER BLESS You As You Do! Thank You! :)

-<>-

>-->2 HOT Off The 'Shangy' Press :)

 
                              .                : :
            _..----..__   __..:'.-'''-.-''    .  :
          .'      ,    '''    '    :   .'    /  '
         ',                  ( -=o):(o=-)   .  :
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        :           :                ._.-'__| ':''.
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        .'       ,   :    _.'  '. '.''    /   /  '
      .:. .'.        :--:'_..--'''.))  .  ' -'    __.--'
    .''::'   '-.  .-''.  '.   .             __.--'
    :...:     __\  '.  '..))     '    __.--'
    ::'':.--''   '.)))          __.--'
_..--:.::'   .         .  __.--'
      :' .:.        __.--'
  '    .::' : __.--'
jrei  __' .::'
..--''   ':::'
 
These super hot totties comes from our friends Brenda And PatDeE.
They are full of wintry beauty and wildlife sure to give you
plenty of ooos and awws! Check them out here...

Winter Wildlife!
http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/winter.html

Winter Wildlife 2!
http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/winter2.html

---
....Very nice photography! Thank You Brenda and PatDeE!

===========================================================

>-->From Heartwarmers:
                   __..._   _...__
              _..-"      `Y`      "-._
              \ Once upon |           /
              \\  a time..|          //
              \\\         |         ///
               \\\ _..---.|.---.._ ///
            jgs \\`_..---.Y.---.._`//
                 '`               `'

>"STORIFYING"
by Kristine Lowder

      Say the word "family" and what comes to mind?
      Most people think of folks they're related to by blood or 
adoption -- mom and dad, grandparents, brothers and sisters, aunts, 
uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews and so on.
      I realized that all of my most cherished memories involve 
family.  Ditto the biggest challenges, most hair-raising adventures, 
greatest triumphs, deepest heartaches and happiest moments.  Family 
is where life happens.  Where we share our lives, our hearts, and our 
stories.
      No one was better at "storifying" -- telling or spinning stories 
-- than my uncle, Norman Naas.  In fact,, there are no words for my 
Uncle Norm.  He used them all.  In spades.
      Uncle Norm smoked like a chimney, loved a roaring fireplace, 
good food, fine wine, and traveling.  He loved feeding and 
entertaining friends, Romans and fellow countrymen by the bus load. 
The more, the merrier.  Even in retirement Norm was a party waiting 
to happen.
      The thing I remember best about Norm was how much he loved books.
      Outside of dad, Norm was the best-read person and most voracious 
reader I've ever met.  His rambling, bougainvillea and 
camellia-draped house groaned with books.  They were everywhere, 
sprouting like weeds in a garden.  You couldn't sit down without 
first removing a book from your planned perch.  Books populated the 
kitchen, family room, living room, bathroom, bedrooms, coffee and 
kitchen tables and every available space.  Even the garage housed 
shelf after shelf of books.
      When we visited Uncle Norm, I looked forward to afternoons when 
I'd climb into my uncle's ample lap with a book.
      "Well dear, what do we have today?" he'd ask, adjusting his 
glasses and oohing and ahing over my selection.  "Ah, this is a good 
one!" he'd smile, even if it was the same "one" we'd read nineteen 
times in the last two days.
      Not surprisingly, Uncle Norm could quote entire scenes out of 
Shakespeare.  He'd tell us about writers and literature for hours. 
Not lectures.  These were more like command performances.  Norm 
gobbled up books like a starving man, barely taking time to chew. 
After dinner Norm would regale us with his "storifying" expertise.
      Remember that Mel Gibson movie from 1993, Man Without a Face? 
Gibson plays Justin McLeod, a former teacher turned recluse after his 
face has been horribly disfigured in an auto accident.  Known as 
"Hamburger Head" to the locals, McLeod is the subject of many rumors 
and wild stories.  Chuck Norstadt (Nick Stahl) is a young boy 
determined to get into the same military school as his father. 
Desperate for a tutor, Chuck encounters the reclusive McLeod, and 
together they begin to help each other deal with a world that has 
shunned them both.
      There's a scene where teacher and student are reading 
Shakespeare (I think it's The Merchant of Venice).  Except that 
they're not really reading it.  At least, not in the usual sense. 
They're interpreting the text, acting it out with costumes and props. 
Teacher and student aren't reading the story.  They ARE the story.
      That's what listening to Uncle Norm tell or read a story was like.
      Uncle Norm and I corresponded regularly when I was in high 
school and college.  We did this the old fashioned way -- with paper 
and pen and postage.  This was before email.  A running dispute 
developed over an arcane theological point.  I was as right as Norm 
was, as shy as a cyclone in making my own case on paper.  I recall 
how disappointed I was when my uncle stopped writing.  No, that's not 
it.  Not exactly.  His letters petered out slowly, over time.  Like 
twin guttering candles.  So did mine.
      It wasn't until my junior year in college that I noticed that I 
never heard from Uncle Norm anymore.  I never asked why.  An "oops" 
moment.  I didn't detect any rancor between us -- we just got busy 
elsewhere and moved on.  Another oops.
      Norm died a few years later.
      In one of my last missives to my uncle, I told Norm how much I 
liked to listen to him talk when I was a child.  His rich, sonorous 
bass was as smooth as glass.
      That was nearly forty years ago.  I sometimes wonder what else 
Norm might have said -- what else I might have said -- if just one of 
us hadn't allowed the other to drift.
      It's easy to take people for granted, isn't it?  Especially 
family.  How many things we would, could, should say and share and 
laugh about or argue over or lean back in our chairs and storify -- 
and never quite seem to get around to it?
      That uncle, that aunt, those parents, siblings, children or 
spouse seem as regular as the seasons.  We mistake familiarity for 
permanence, which is a clever but deceptive chimera.
      That's why I choose to thank God for uncles.  For books and 
letters and storyifying.  And family.  If we let Him, God somehow 
smoothes out the frayed edges of our oops-blotted lives, rewrites the 
smudges and slips in something new and fresh and beautiful.
      He can give us a fresh start.  A blank page.  A second chance. 
A new story.  Like the one I'm writing now.
      Uncle Norm would've loved that.

 -- Kristine Lowder   <kikero at juno.com>

__________________________________________________
A multi-published author, Kristine Lowder resides in the Pacific
Northwest with her husband, Chris, their four sons and one yellow
Labrador Retriever. 

---

                                                    =_
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    C  O   c  O  (\/\/   C  O        (\/\/          ||||\O
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   /|  |  /|  | / | /|  /|  |  (\/\// | /|          ||||// \
  / | /| / | /|/__|/ | / | /|  /|  |__|/ |          |||/  __\|
 /__|/ |/__|/ |  "    /__|/ | / | /| "              |__: //| |
   "      "             "    /__|/ |           -
                     c  O    ! "             (   )
        c  O        (\/\/     \                -\
       (\/\/   c  O /|  |  ___ \O              - \O
       /|  |  (\/\// | /| /   \/|)           ( & )/)
      / | /|  /|  |__|/ ||   ./||\      _____  -\/|\
     /__|/ | / | /| "     \___/ | \    /\ | (_)   | \
       "    /__|/ |        /|\  |__\   -- |       |__\
              "                  "       /|\       "
       O     ______________
      /\/  /________________)     O @
     /  \_|___O /___________|    _|/_   \                 O @
   |/__      /_oo-#=        |   /( )_\   \-O               \|_
   | |\\  :|(/| \/            ;/_)_(_     \_\    O        / |_\
             ||__      |O      _(   )      \|   /|       / ( )
    O /      | |\\ =#-@@|     /  /  /     __\| / |     ;/__)_(
  /_oo-#=            \/ |                //| | __||       (   )
   | \/               __||    ___O            //| |       /_|_|
  ||__      ejm97    //| |     \ \/             )>==O     '  '
  | |\\                          |      O          \/)
                               __||    /|            |   .-O
             -----            //| |   / |          __|| (=) )
              \                       __||        //| |  \(/|
               \O                    //| |               ___||
              __/%)                                     // | |
               (%%%)
                \/\|
             *__|  \__*

>An Archive - ORCHESTRATED BY GOD by Sharmaine Hobbs

In January 2009, my cousin Jean and her husband Tommy came down to
Virginia to see the headstones that had been put up to honor and mark
the graves of her parents who had passed away within just a few months
of each other.
Tommy had also lost his mother during that time as well. So
within a matter of a few months, both her parents and his Mom were gone.
It was a tough time period, but their love for one another and faith in
God pulled them through.
In our family, my paternal grandmother, affectionately known as
Bigmoma was a praying woman. She was a widow at an age that was earlier
than most women, so I knew what drove her to her knees and why she
prayed all the time. I understand that now. So in a time when the man
was truly the head of the household and the woman was more of the
support person, Bigmoma was clearly at the helm of her family and prayer
was passed down to all of us because of her example and deep faith in
God.
So the three of us decided that we would go to Blackstone and have
a little ceremony to dedicate the headstones and have prayer. When we
arrived at the cemetery, there was no one there on that weekday but us.
It was quiet and serene.
As we pulled into the parking lot, we all could feel the tears
welling up as we quietly held them back. Even though we were going to
visit the gravesite, it's a reminder that our loved ones are no longer
with us and only a short while ago they had been.
We walked to her father's grave and admired the headstone, held
hands and Jean said the prayer. We all felt connected and though there
is the loss, there is also the comfort of knowing that his spirit was at
rest and in a perfect place.
When we went to her mother's grave, we admired the headstone and
she asked me to pray. Again we held hands in circle and I closed my
eyes and the words came forth and went up. We thanked God for their
lives and for their time with us and again released her, knowing that
she is in that perfect place too.
As I finished praying, I noticed an unfamiliar car, slowing down
as it passed the cemetery. It made a left turn into a makeshift
pathway at the lower portion of the cemetery where the funeral cars
normally use to gain access. At first I thought it might be one of the
ladies who lived on the road since our home church is in walking
distance from my mom's house. But I couldn't make out who it was.
She eased her car ever so slowly toward a grave closest to the
road. It was marked by a double headstone. Maybe she lost her
husband, I thought. Slowly the door opened and for a few seconds it
appeared as though she might not be able to get out of the car. I didn't
know whether it was from grief or from her mobility, but from a
distance, I continued to watch quietly.
She seemed unaware that we were there, even though our car was
parked in the church parking lot and we were several rows over from
where she was.
She took her time positioning herself to get out of the car. She
had parked right at the headstone. She stood up, the car door still
ajar and took just three steps. She quickly went down on one knee and
grabbed the headstone as if it were to break her fall.
But she did not fall. She bowed her head and laid it upon the
headstone as if she were embracing whomever it was she had lost. She
clung to that piece of marble as though her very life depended on it.
Her quiet sob was muffled. It is a picture I will always remember.
I was so moved by her deep love and her sorrow I felt compelled to
walk towards her. I didn't want to intrude on this private moment, but
it just felt to me that her heart was crying out and I wondered if I, a
stranger, could provide any consolation to her. Perhaps just a loving
embrace might provide a bit of comfort to her.
"I'm sorry" I said. "I don't mean to disturb you. I thought you
were one of the ladies that lived on this road."
"No, I'm Bertha Goode," she told me. "I've come to see my sister
Doris today. I miss her so very much. We were so close."
I read the headstone which said August 2007. Mrs. Goode told me
that she had just celebrated her 79th birthday and she was the only
sister left. Not only was she the last sister left, but she was now
alone -- without a husband, missing her sister, and possibly wondering
how much time she had left.
"I'd love to give you a hug today, if that would be all right", I
said. She reached her arms up to me, as she knelt at the headstone and
I reached down to her. I thought about how much she loved her sister
and tried to send that love back to her in my hug. I thought about her
feeling alone and sent some love for that too. I thought about her
turning 79 and sent some love for that as well. I asked God to please
send whatever it was she needed that day, through my hug to her. I
thought of how it might feel to lose a sister and sent some love for
that too.
What was Mrs. Goode feeling that day that made her drive down to
the cemetery on a week day and almost collapse as she cradled the
headstone of her sister? Whatever it was, I knew that God had us in the
cemetery on that afternoon. And even though we went for one purpose, to
dedicate the headstones of our family members, God orchestrated that
someone would also be there for Mrs. Goode.
I will keep that memory with me forever. In loss, God is the only
person we can tell our true feelings to. He understands. And the
comfort we need when we have lost a loved one, sometimes only God can
fill that. But sometimes when you feel you are all alone, God will send
his love to you through another.
As I walked away from the cemetery, I realized that I had been a
small part of a miracle. He had me in the right place at the right
time. He gave me a little nudge to go over and see about her. And
through my arms and my heart, God was able to give her the love and hug
through a human being that she went to the headstone, made of marble to
receive.
Everyday there is a miracle!

-- Sharmaine Hobbs <sharmaine at comcastt.net>

---
                  ,   ,
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              | B |/| |
              | I | | |
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              | E | /
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         jgs  '---'
...Orchestrated By God explains perfectly how God does things!

Webster says Orchestrated means:
to arrange or combine so as to achieve a desired
or maximum effect

That's what God does! He doesn't control - he doesn't make people do
what He wants them to but he arranges and combines as best he can
achieving His most perfect effect or result for those who are His
children, are in good standing with him, and ask him to.

The bible puts it this way ...

Romans 8:
[26] Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not
what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh
intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
[27] And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the
Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the
will of God.
[28] And we know that all things work together for good to them that
love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Check Out These...

Walking In Power:
http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/BibleStudy/walkingpower.html

Speaking In Tongues - teachings
http://www.truthortradition.com/modules.php?name=News&new_topic=88

Our Valuable Anchor
http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/BibleStudy/ouranchor.html

Self Talk
http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/BibleStudy/selftalk.html

==========================================================

>-->From Our Friend LouiseA :)
                  ,   ,
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              |~~~| | |
              |===| |/|
              | B |/| |
              | I | | |
              | B | | |
              | L |  /
              | E | /
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         jgs  '---'

>God's Travel Tours
(Author Unknown)

Take God's Travel tours today!
Use the Bible as your travel guide.

Consider the following available adventures:

Cruise Ship:
Room for pets - two of every kind, food and water supplied.
Includes blueprints on how to build your ship.
Duration: several months. Perfect for the adventurous family.

Have Sheep Will Travel:
Your nomadic adventure has many departure dates and many guides.
Travel Tip: if leaving Sodom and Gomorrah, remember don't look back.

Wandering Tours:
Short notice departure, dry passage through the Red Sea.
Clients will stay forty years touring the desert.
All provisions taken care of. Shoes will not wear out. Manna served 
daily. Suitable for a very large group.

Hometown Reunions:
Need to travel back to your hometown for Census.
Prices vary. Book today to get hotel accommodations.

Galiliean Walking Tours:
Travel around Galilee with a powerful inspirational guide.
See all the sites, go fishing with expert fishermen (an exclusive to 
this tour).

Short on Time:
Looking for a day out?
Hear a powerful and inspirational speaker.
Join five-thousand others.
Lunch included.

Songsters Special:
This tour involves spending time with one of the most famous writers of 
all times. Many side adventures - my favorite, "Want to see a Giant 
Fall"

Tour Babylon:
This tour includes a visit to a real Lion's Den and a Fiery Furnace. 
Can you stand the heat?

Tour Egypt:
See all the sites!
Help build these magnificent structures.
Perfect for those who prefer a working holiday.

And finally, the Ultimate!

The Ultimate:
This tour will take all you have.
It's the wildest adventure offered.
This is the adventure God has planned for each of us.
Let God through Jesus Christ be your Tour Guide and see 
where He leads you.

Take God's Travel tours today!
Use the Bible as your travel guide. 

---
...TeeHee! A great one! Thanks LouiseA!

-<>-

    .--..-""""-..--.
   ///`/////////\`\\\
   ||/ |///""\\\| \||
   ##  (  6. 6  )  ##
   /_\  \  _.  /  /_\
        _`)  (`_
      /`  '--'  `\
     /    _,,_    \
    /   /`    `\   \
    /\_/ / 6 6\ \_/\
    \  \/\  Y /\/  /
     \ \/ `'U` \/ /
      \(  \  /  )/
       |\_/  \_/|
       /  ____  \
       \ ( || ) /
       (__)||(__)
        |  ||  |
        |__||__|
 jgs    |==||==|
        /~`//~`/
       /  //  /
      `""` `"`

>To my child:

I gave you life but cannot live it for you

I can teach you things but I cannot make you learn

I can give you directions but I cannot always be there to lead you

I can allow you freedom but cannot account for it

I can take you to church but I cannot make you believe

I can teach you right from wrong but I cannot always decide for you

I can buy you beautiful clothes but I cannot make you lovely inside

I can offer you advice but I cannot accept it for you

I can give you love but I cannot force it upon you

I can teach you to be a friend but I cannot make you one

I can teach you to share but I cannot make you unselfish

I can teach you respect but I cannot force you to show honor

I can grieve about your report card but I cannot doubt your teachers

I can advise you about friends but I cannot choose them for you

I can teach you about sex but I cannot keep you pure

I can tell you the facts of life but I cannot build your reputation

I can tell you about drinking but I cannot say no for you

I can warn you about drugs but I cannot prevent you from using them

I can tell you about lofty goals but I cannot achieve them for you

I can let you baby-sit but I cannot be responsible for your actions

I can teach you kindness but I cannot force you to be gracious

I can warn you about sin but I cannot make you moral

I can love you as a son/daughter but I cannot place you in God's family

I can pray for you but I cannot make you walk with God

I can teach you about Jesus but I cannot make Him your Savior

I can teach you to obey but I cannot make Jesus your Lord

I can tell you how to live but I cannot give you Eternal Life

---
You see, I can only do so much. Now it's your move.

Thanks for listening,
YOUR PARENTS 

---
...aww, so true! Thanks Louisea!

===========================================================

>-->From Archives InspiredBuffalo:

>GOD is in control

A man from Norfolk , VA called a local radio station to share this on
Sept 11th, 2003 , TWO YEARS AFTER THE TRAGEDIES OF 9/11/2001 . His name
was Robert Matthews. These are his words: A few weeks before Sept. 11th,
my wife and I found out we were going to have our first child.. She
planned a trip out to California to visit her sister. On our way to the
airport, we prayed that God would grant my wife a safe trip and be with
her. Shortly after I said 'amen,' we both heard a loud pop and the car
shook violently. We had blown out a tire. I replaced the tire as quickly
as I could, but we still missed her flight. both very upset, we drove
home. '
'
I received a call from my father who was retired NYFD. He asked what my
wife's flight number was, but I explained that we missed the flight.

My father informed me that her flight was the one that crashed into the
southern tower. I was too shocked to speak. My father also had more news
for me; he was going to help. 'This is not something I can't just sit by
for; I have to do something.'

I was concerned for his safety, of course, but more because he had never
given his life to Christ. After a brief debate, I knew his mind was made
up. Before he got off of the phone, he said, 'take good care of my
grandchild. Those were the last words I ever heard my father say; he
died while helping in the rescue effort.

My joy that my prayer of safety for my wife had been answered quickly
became anger. I was angry at God, at my father, and at myself. I had
gone for nearly two years blaming God for taking my father away. My son
would never know his grandfather, my father had never accepted Christ,
and I never got to say good-bye.

Then something happened. About two months ago, I was sitting at home
with my wife and my son, when there was a knock on the door. I looked
at my wife, but I could tell she wasn't expecting anyone. I opened the
door to a couple with a small child.

The man looked at me and asked if my father's name was Jake Matthews. I
told him it was. He quickly grabbed my hand and said, 'I never got the
chance to meet your father, but it is an honor to meet his son.'

He explained to me that his wife had worked in the World Trade Center
and had been caught inside after the attack. She was pregnant and had
been caught under debris. He then explained that my father had been the
one to find his wife and free her. My eyes welled up with tears as I
thought of my father giving his life for people like this. He then
said, 'there is something else you need to know..'

His wife then told me that as my father worked to free her, she talked
to him and led him to Christ. I began sobbing at the news.

Now I know that when I get to Heaven, my father will be standing beside
Jesus to welcome me, and that this family would be able to thank him
themselves . When their baby boy was born, they named him Jacob Matthew,
in honor of the man who gave his life so that a mother and baby could
live.

This story should help us to realize this: God is always in control..

We may not see the reason behind things, and we may never know this side
of heaven, but God is ALWAYS in control.

Please take time to share this amazing story. You may never know the
impact it may have on someone. God doesn't call the qualified, He
qualifies the called.

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His love endures Forever.
- Psalm 136:1

---
                  ,   ,
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              |===| |/|
              | B |/| |
              | I | | |
              | B | | |
              | L |  /
              | E | /
              |===|/
         jgs  '---'

...I have to add my two cents here. Yes - God is always in control
when it comes to those he has chosen before the foundation of the
world to be His - come hell or high water there is nothing that shall
stop God from saving these people and making them His.

However - if God was in control Jesus would not have taught this...

Luke 11
[2] And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in
heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in
heaven, so in earth.

You don't have to pray for something that already is. If God were always
in control - HIS WILL WOULD ALWAYS be done and we'd not have to ask for
it to be so. Besides, that is why we have sickness, poverty, and death.

God is NOT always in control. Because we know God's will concerning 
these things...

3 John 1:
[2] Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in
health, even as thy soul prospereth.

If God were in control His children WOULD ALWAYS Be prosperous and
in good health as long as they breath - This is His Wish ABOVE ALL
THINGS - so if He were always in control it would be so!

We already know death isn't in His control either else the bible would
not say this...

1 Cor. 15
[26] The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

God is not always in control. That is why horrible things happen to good
and bad people alike. It is why we must be vigilant...

1 Pet.5:
[8] Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a
roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

It is why we look forward to when Christ shall return so we can have
God always in control through Christ Jesus our Lord and get rid of all
this pain and suffering and death!

-<>-
          _.--._
          \ ** /
           (<>)
    .      )  (      .
    )\_.._/ /\ \_.._/(
    (*_<>_ <NO> _<>_*)
    )/ '' \ \/ / '' \(
    '      )  (      '
           (  ) 
           )  (
           (<>)
          / ** \
         /.-..-.\

>WHO I AM IN CHRIST

(Thanks to Vince DeMartino for this)
[Edited]

If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, this doesn't just mean
that you are the same person but have just "accepted Jesus and going to
Heaven". No, it means that you are a whole new creation - NOW and for
all eternity. You are "born again" spiritually (see John 3) and have
become a new creation in Christ. Even as believers for years, we often
fail to see all that we are in Christ and/or just plain need some
reminders. So here are some reminders straight from God's word - He
tells us just who we are (whether we FEEL like it or not!!) Let's all
soak in these truths today and remind ourselves of them often. :)

I am a Child of God!
"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave
the right to become children of God" (John 1:12)

I am not the Great 'I AM' but, I am what I am!
"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not
without effect." (1 Cor 15:10)

I am the Salt of the Earth whereby others see Jesus!
"You are the salt of the earth." (Mat 5:13)

I am the light of the World whereby others see Jesus!
"You are the light of the world." (Mat 5:14)

I am a branch in Christ! I will bear much Fruit!
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in
him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." (John
15:5)

I am Christ's Friend!
"I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his
master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything
that I learned from my Father I have made known to you." (John 15:15)

I am Chosen by Christ! I will bear much Fruit!
"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear
fruit--fruit that will last." (John 15:16)

I am free from Sin! I am a slave to Righteousness!
"You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to
righteousness." (Rom 6:18)

I am a Slave to God! I have Eternal Life!
"But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to
God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal
life." (Rom 6:22)

I am a Son ( Daughter ) of God! God is MY Father!!!
"For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear,
but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba,
Father.'" (Rom 8:15)

I am an Heir of GOD and a Co-Heir with Christ!
"Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs
with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may
also share in his glory." (Rom 8:17)

I am the Temple of God! God's Spirit lives in ME!
"Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's
Spirit lives in you?" (1 Cor 3:16)

I am part of the Body of Christ!
"Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."
(1 Cor 12:27)

I am a NEW Creation - the Old has gone the New has come!
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has
gone, the new has come!" (2 Cor 5:17)

I am Christ's Ambassador!
"We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his
appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf:" (2 Cor 5:20)

I AM A SAINT! ( i.e. Forgiven Sinner )
"To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the
overseers and deacons:" (Phil 1:1)

I am God's workmanship! I have work to do that he planned!
"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Eph 2:10)

I am a Member of God's household! I BELONG!
"Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow
citizens with God's people and members of God's household," (Eph 2:19)

I am Created to be Like God in Righteousness and Holiness!
"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off
your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be
made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self,
created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." (Eph 4:22-24)

I am a Citizen of Heaven!
"But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from
there, the Lord Jesus Christ," (Phil 3:20)

I am Hidden in GOD!
"For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." (Col
3:3)

I will be with Christ in Glory!
"When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with
him in glory." (Col 3:4)

I am Chosen, Holy and Dearly LOVED!
"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe
yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and
patience." (Col 3:12)

I am of the Light!
"You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to
the night or to the darkness." (1 Th. 5:5)

I have a Heavenly Calling!
"Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your
thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess." (Heb
3:1)

I am Chosen, Royal, a Priest, part of a Holy Nation and belong to GOD!
"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a
people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who
called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." (1 Pet 2:9)

I am an Alien to this World!
"Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to
abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul." (1 Pet 2:11)

I will be like Christ when He appears!
"Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not
yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like
him, for we shall see him as he is." (1 John 3:2)

I am SAFE in CHRIST! Nothing happens to me that doesn't pass through
Christ!
"We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who
was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him." (1
John 5:18)

I am able to do ANYTHING if it is Christ's will! I am totally dependent
on Christ!
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philipians
4:13)
"...Apart from me, you can do nothing." (John 15:5)

I am being changed each day to be more of who God intends for me to be!
"...He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until
the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6)

-<>-

>Links for Your Enjoyment

From Russia With Love
http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/teardrop.html

Proud Of Our Troops 3
http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/troops3.html

The Red Hat
http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/redhat.html

Orang-Utan Hospital
http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/orang.html

God's Little Love Notes
http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/notes.html

Amazing Albino Animals
http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/albino.html

Free Audio Class - New Life In Christ!
http://tinyurl.com/yk8q6rd

-<>-

>From Our Friend Bunni :)

Using Easter Left Over's with Imagination
http://busycooks.about.com/cs/seasonalcooking/a/Easterleft.htm

---
...a good one! Thanks Bunni!


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

==========================================================

>-->From SermondFodder:
 __
/_/\/\
\_\  /
/_/  \
\_\/\ \
   \_\/

unknown

>The Easter Pageant

Every Easter our church stages an elaborate pageant. Last year the man 
who played Pontius Pilate had to work on the night of the dress 
rehearsal, and a chorus member substituted for him. As we began 
rehearsing Pilate's solo, the conductor stopped the orchestra. "Pilate, 
I don't hear you," he called out. "You're not loud enough."

"Pilate is at work," a voice from the rear of the stage shouted back. 
"Tonight we've got our co-Pilate."

===
>From our friends at Daily Humor. To Join: 
Daily-Humor-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
===
This comes your way via Sermon Fodder. Join us on Facebook or via email 
at sermonfodder.com. Please leave this attached if forward or post on 
the Web.

=====

Special NOTE

While we have added postings on Facebook, a lot of folks have asked 
that we continue posting here.  Thank you for your love of this group.  
Apparently some of you have been sharing our more recent posts. We had 
a bunch of new members join in the last few weeks as I've tried to get 
things cranked back up to at least a weekly posting.

One of the issues I've been battling is that my sermon_fodder-
owner@yahoo.com address had become connected to an old-old email 
address.  I had to hack around off and on for a couple of months to 
figure out how to get it back on my current address.  I think we've 
succeeded in getting that corrected, so we're reconnected fully with 
the group.  Unfortunately, we had about 2,000 members on the Topica 
lists service that have disappeared. Apparently, topica decided to 
discontinue their list service, so those members are gone.  I'm hoping 
some of them will find our www.sermonfodder.com site listed in their 
older postings where they can re-link through Yahoo Groups.

On another note, our chruch has 3 locations.  The two main locations 
are generally maxed out on Easter Sunday.  To help make room for all 
the new visitors on Sunday morning, we had a 6 p.m., Saturday night 
service at one of our locations.  Beth and I went last night.  It was a 
bit unusual, but we really got a blessing.  Our groups is now connected 
with Life Church in Tulsa.  If for some reason you can't make it to 
church today, there is a great sermon on "I Am Jesus" available at 
www.lifechurch.tv.  Head on by and take a look.

Have a blessed Easter.

Keith
The Sermon Fodder Guy

================================================================

>-->From our Friend Bunni :)
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         ;______:         .-'      /            
                          '-------'             
>Feeling Lost Or Alone?
 
While going through my office folders, I found a beautiful quote 
by Kent Nerburn from "Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace."  I 
thought I'd share it with you this month:
 
"We are not saints; we are not heroes. Our lives are lived in the 
quiet corners of the ordinary. We build tiny hearth fires, 
sometimes barely strong enough to give off warmth. But to the 
person lost in the darkness, our tiny flame may be the road to 
safety, the path to salvation.
 
It is not given to us to know who is lost in the darkness that 
surrounds us or even if our light is seen. We can only know that
against even the smallest of lights, darkness cannot stand. A 
sailor lost at sea can be guided home by a single candle. A person 
lost in a wood can be led to safety by a flickering flame. It is 
not an issue of quality or intensity or purity. It is simply an 
issue of the presence of light."
 
Whether you are the light or in need of illumination, may you 
experience the comfort of knowing you are never alone.
 
Take Action Challenge
 
Let your attitude and your actions be the presence of light 
for someone in need this week.
 
--Cheryl Richardson

---
...so true! Thanks Bunni!

JUSt REMEMBER...

We are never alone! We have Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and
our Father God Almighty at our beckoning call. They are always present
to protect, love, and guide us. We need only acknowledge God...

Prov.3
[6] In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

If you've got God directing you, You Know You Are on the right path!

And Like Jesus said...

John.5:
[30] I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my 
judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the 
Father which hath sent me.

Seek God's Will and you'll be walking in Jesus Christ's footsteps! :)

==================================================================

>-->From Our Friend Linda :)
        _
       ///-._
      ////////-._
     /////////////-.
    ////////////////`.
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  :  .  . /. \\\\\\\\\.  .``'///////////////////// .'`.
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                                     `-/_)`-.:.-{ \{-'
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                                             ^

>Now this is the Living Bible:

His name is Tom.  He has wild hair, wears a T-shirt with holes in it,
jeans, and no shoes.  This was literally his wardrobe for his entire
four years of college.

He is brilliant. Kind of profound and very, very bright.  He became a
Christian while attending college.

Across the street from the campus is a well-dressed, very conservative
church. They want to develop a ministry to the students but are not
sure how to go about it.

One day Tom  decides to go there. He walks in with no shoes, jeans, his
T-shirt, and wild hair. The service has already started and so Tom
starts down the aisle looking for a seat.

The church is completely packed and he can't find a seat. By now,
people are really looking a bit uncomfortable, but no one says
anything.

Tom gets closer and closer and closer to the pulpit, and when he
realizes there are no seats, he just squats down right on the carpet.

By now the people are really uptight, and the tension in the air is
thick.

About this time, the minister realizes that from way at the back of the
church, a deacon is slowly making his way toward Tom.

Now the deacon is in his eighties, has silver-gray hair, and a
three-piece suit. A godly man, very elegant, very dignified, very
courtly. He walks with a cane and, as he starts walking toward this
boy, everyone is saying to themselves that you can't blame him for what 
he's going to do.

How can you expect a man of his age and of his background to understand 
some college kid on the floor?

It takes a long time for the man to reach the boy.

The church is utterly silent except for the clicking of the man's cane.
All eyes are focused on him. You can't even hear anyone breathing. The 
minister can't even preach the sermon until the deacon does what he has 
to do.

And now they see this elderly man drop his cane on the floor. With
great difficulty, he lowers himself and sits down next to Tom and
worships with him so he won't be alone.

Everyone chokes up with emotion.

When the minister gains control, he says,
'What I'm about to preach, you will never remember. What you have just 
seen, you will never forget.'

'Be careful how you live. You may be the only Bible some people will
ever read!'

I asked the Lord to bless you
As I prayed for you today.
To guide you and protect you
As you go along your way....

His love is always with you,
His promises are true,
And when we give Him all our cares,
You know He will see us through.


Pass this on to
people you want God to Bless..
I just did
-- 

"Life Is Short. Live It To The Fullest. It Has An Expiration Date"

---
...Awesome! Thank You Linda!

===============================================================
 
 
                  /'\
                 /
                /                 ,
             c-'                 /
            /'-._         ,____,' .-'''-.
       .-'.// \  '-;-========,"-,'       '
     ,`   /,   \_//\       ,/  (  '- *)   )
    (   ./  )   {,}========'===='- '      ,
     ,     ,   \/               ', -muse.
 _____'-.-`_______________________'-..-'____

>Lost and Found                                    Story Editor:
by Miep O'Brien                                 Joyce Schowalter
New Mexico, USA

Twenty-five years ago, I went traveling with my first boyfriend,
"John", traveling light. His parents were kind enough to store some
papers and photos for me, and off we went. Several years later we
returned to Los Angeles, separately. We kept in touch, but our
relationship was over.

By the early 90s, John had left Los Angeles and was out of my life
-- except for the boxes. I had asked aboout them, but he said he
couldn't find them. I figured they'd keep, they would return to me
sooner or later.

Then I got a call. I'd just moved, suffered some losses, and here
was John on the phone. He was having problems too, and would like to
be rescued. It was bad timing; I was having enough trouble just
trying to rescue myself.

Sorry, I can't help, I said. That was the last time we ever spoke.

Several months later I moved back to my parents' house, to try to
get things together. I got another phone call, this time from a
stranger, "Hector".

Hector had been hired by the landlady to clean out the last house
John had lived in. He'd been looking for me for a long time,
tracking me down from notes and numbers. Among the mess inside the
house, this man had found my papers and photos. When he found the
photos, he thought; "Surely these are important? Surely whoever
owned these didn't want them thrown away."

He wished to send me back my irreplaceable family photographs, some
going back for many decades. He wouldn't let me pay him back for
anything. I got the photos back in the mail the next week.

The week after that, I was bicycling down the street and saw a
manila envelope lying in the middle of it. "Photos Enclosed!" it was
marked. "Do Not Bend!" It was even already stamped. I was only too
happy to get this package back on its way.

I bicycle everywhere, and find things. Sometimes just pennies,
sometimes stray hand tools. Sometimes a checkbook, driver's license,
or something with an address.

If there's a phone number I call it. If there's a local address, I
go there. Otherwise I mail these stray things to the address on them
and hope for the best.

I get some gruff acknowledgments, some suspicious looks. One lady
picked up her checkbook around Christmas, and merrily gave me five
bucks and a bag full of sugar cookies. I delivered one ID to a
head-shaking bartender, dropped down the street from the bar.

Things get lost. People get lost. I can't bring back lost people,
but at least I can bring back small things to strangers, like a
stranger once did for me.

                  =======HeroicStories=======

>-->From Kidwarmers:

                    ,----------.
                   (  Kids!!!!  )
                    `----------'
                   O
                  o
               ,-.
             .:\ '`-.
             |:|  __ b
              `;-(
             ,'  |
            ( \|||_
     ,-----(.-''--``-------.
    /_______`'______________\
   /                      SSt\
>FUNNY THINGS KIDS SAY

      Charlie, 4, and Sawyer, almost 2 and large for his age, came in
from playing outside.  As they walked in the door Charlie was holding
his head and crying.  His mother asked, "What happened?" He replied,
"I got hit with a rock."  His mother said, "Sawyer, did you hit him in
the head with a rock?"  Sawyer yelled, "I had to!  We were playing David
and Goliath!" (Charlie is fine.) - Amanda Tonagel (mother of Charlie
and Sawyer) of Syracuse, Indiana

      Max, 7, was eating dinner at his grandmother's house.  He was
hungry and ate everything on his plate, so his grandmother remarked that
he was a member of the "Clean Plate Club."  Max looked at her without a
comment. When it was time to go home, he asked, "Nana, what was the name
of that club you told me I'm a member of?" - Sandi Pound (grandmother
of Max) of Lehigh, Florida

      Dawn is visiting her aunt in Illinois.  Her cousin's daughter
Anna was eating chicken nuggets at home when she asked her mom for some
"Q-Bar sauce" to put in her chicken.  Anna got very indignant when 
people started laughing. - Dawn Keen of New Mexico

                  ____________________
                 |                    |
                 |     PSYCHIATRIC    |
                 |        HELP        |
                 |____________________|
                 ||  ,-..'``.        ||
                 || (,-..'`. )       ||
                 ||   )-c - `)\      ||
   ,.,._.-.,_,.,-||,.(`.--  ,`',.-,_,||.-.,.,-,._.
              ___||____,`,'--._______||
             |`._||______`'__________||
             |   ||     __           ||
             |   ||    |.-' ,|-      ||
   _,_,,..-,_|   ||    ._)) `|-      ||,.,_,_.-.,_
            . `._||__________________||   ____    .
     .              .           .     . <.____`>
   .SSt  .      .     .      .    .   _.()`'()`'  .

      When Madison (Maddie), now 13 was about 3, she loved the bright
yellow color of mustard. At lunch each day, she would insist on Nanna
putting mustard on her sandwich.  Every day, Nanna reminded Maddie that
she didn't like mustard, and when Maddie took her first bite, she would
make a face and say, "I don't like moos tard, Nanna."  They repeated
this ritual for several days before she finally became convinced that 
she gave up on mustard. - Dennis Smith (PawPaw) of Oak Ridge, North 
Carolina

      Here are some more stories from PawPaw.  Lark Amelia VonSeggen
turned 3 in February, and she is very conscious of her full legal
name. Nanna asked her, "Do you know your mother's whole name?"
Lark replied, "Sure, Mom VonSeggen."

      Koen, 5, must be addicted to pizza, but he eats only cheese
pizza. Pepperoni pizza was in the oven when he said, "I don't like
pepperoni on my pizza, because it makes me "nervous."  Nanna removed
the pepperonis and put them on PawPaw's pizza.  Everyone was happy!

      Nanna and PawPaw were on the couch sharing a bag of popcorn and
drinking diet sodas.  After sampling their popcorn, Lark picked up
PawPaw's canned diet soda and took a drink.  She set it back in the
holder and said, "I spilled it in my mouth!"


                    __--_
                 //~-----\|/         _----__ .
                / /-~~---~\\\       /______,  |
                 / `c ` .  |||        |    |   |
                (..  _  ..||||       _O----|   |
                 \ _    _ | ||      `-     |___|
                   /~` `\            `__   _/
                   |||/||~~|           .' '~\
                  |||||||--|          |    |_|
                  |||||||( |          |____| |
                  |______```          |____```
                    | |  |              |_|_|
                  .'\\,\\_)            /_/___|             W<

      Amy took the kids for a smoothie.  While waiting in line, a very
tall young man walked in and was standing behind them.  Wyatt, 6, asked
the man, "How tall are you?"  He replied, "Six feet, 10 inches." Wyatt
then asked, "Are you in heaven?"  Wyatt is on the autism spectrum and
lives in a literal world. - Sent to Amy Harrison of Fort Wayne, Indiana,
by her sister sister Sue Serrato, of Maumee, Ohio.

      Ella, 3, said, "Mom, you don't have to throw trash away. You can
uncycle it!"  She meant recycle. - Erin Doucette (mother of Ella and 
Eva) of Fort Wayne, Indiana


          _                  ______
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 jgs                     \___/`\____/'._.'

      Josh, 13, and Brian, 12, were getting ready to take a train ride 
to Illinois to visit their grandma and grandpa.  To prepare for the 
ride, Brian was filling out the ID card in his wallet.  When he got to
blood type, he asked, "Should I put warm-blooded?" - James Tew of 
Kendallville, Indiana

      Josh had got in trouble for a minor altercation with his brother,
and as punishment had to write a short essay on the appropriate way to
deal with anger.  He ended by saying that next time if he had an issue
he would talk to Mom, because if he had handled it that way "then I
would not be in trouble, and Brian would be writing this essay."

                             / _
                        `_--/-/_ _
                     ~\/        /
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                           |_|_|
                         _~__~__\              W<


      Jordan, 5, spent the night with Christina.  She does a lot of
crafts so they spent hours coloring, painting, playing with stickers,
etc. Jordan was writing all over a piece of paper, and told Christina
she was writing a letter.  Christina looked at her paper and it was a
bunch of squiggles. Jordan said, "You can't read it, I am writing in
Chinese." -Christina Hicks (Jordan's aunt) of Paducah, Kentucky

      Colton, 8, was discussing with his grandmother the merits of
buying a package of Star Wars toys in a two-pack versus a single pack
for six dollars.  Of course, being the senior citizen that Peggy is,
she mentioned the fact that candy bars were a dollar now, and when
she was his age they were only a nickel.  Colton gave her a wide-eyed,
innocent look and said, "How come, Grandma, didn't they make dollars
then?" -Peggy Verburg of Angola, Indiana


    ,--.,-"";-"-.
    .-;-/ / / .- `\  .-.
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         ########\   |/  /
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       ,---;-'--'\          `--.
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      Zelma was babysitting her neighbor Cheyenne, 2.  Cheyenne was
eating doughnuts.  After two doughnuts, Cheyenne asked, "Can I have more
doughnuts, Zelma?"  Zelma replied, "No, you might get sick." Cheyenne
said, "OK, Zelma," and walked away.  About five minutes later she came
back said, "I know, Zelma.  You can get a doughnut and share with me,
OK?" - Zelma Feltner of Kendallville, Indiana

       Here is another story from Zelma.  Breann, 5, is the 
granddaughter of Zelma and Lloyd.  Breann went with Zelma and her mom 
to get Grandpa a birthday present and a cake.  She was so excited when 
she put candles on the cake, but Grandpa was walking around singing,
not paying attention to her.  Breann said to Zelma, "That Grandpa sure 
is a crazy little Birthday Boy!"


       ,-~~-.___.
      / |  '     \         It  was   a   dark  and  stormy night....
     (  )         0
      \_/-, ,----'
         ====           //
        /  \-'~;    /~~~(O)
       /  __/~|   /       |
     =(  _____| (_________|   W<

      On Christmas a few years ago Aliza was playing with Grandpa who
was drinking a beer.  When he had finished he asked Aliza to please
take the bottle to the kitchen.  She put her hands on her little
hips and said, "Grandpa, that' is not my responsibility," and went
back to playing. -Delbert and Mary Cortner (grandparents of Aliza)
of Kendallville, Indiana

      Jean's granddaughters were spending the night after Jean and her
husband celebrated their 58th anniversary.  Jean remarked to Kaylea,
7, that she could never please her PawPaw no matter what she bought
him. Jean's husband was standing behind Kaylea's chair, and she looked
up at him and said, "Then don't get him anything else." -Grandmother
Jean Felfe of Spicewood, Texas

            _,,_    __
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             (_ _)  \
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          _  /| |     \
         /_\/ | |      |
         .-'--/_/------'-.
        `-.,___________,.-'
               |   ||
               |___||
               |___||
              .'""'';.__
             (_________))

      Beth's teenage grandson Devon took over babysitting his 8-year-old
sister Lydia when all of the adults had to be elsewhere. He even said
he'd make supper for her.  Lydia later reported to Beth that he was a
great babysitter.  "He made me robin noodles!" Lydia said.  (Beth bets
they were much tastier than the Ramen noodles she usually has!) - Beth
Fryer of Lebanon, Pennsylvania

      It was Nancy's birthday so her 15-year-old daughter Bridget fixed
dinner for her.  Bridget doesn't like to use the oven, but she did. She
also used the microwave.  She put candles (the re-lighting kind, which
almost made Nancy hyperventilate) in mini-eclairs, because Nancy didn't
want to be tempted to have a whole cake around. After dinner she cleaned
up everything and put the dishes in the sink.  Nancy walked out to the
kitchen to clean up the dishes. Bridget asked where Nancy was going and
Nancy told her.  Her response was "no, no, no!"  Nancy thought that 
meant she was going to clean up!  Bridget said, "Wait until morning, 
then it won't be your birthday anymore!" - Nancy Stoll of Negaunee, 
Michigan

                              ,___.
                             |-----|
                           ============
                           / |  OO  ~\
                          (  )      0 )
                           \_/-, ,-//-\\
                              ====
                               |||
                              | ||
                              -_/|
                               | ||_
                              (____))      W<

      Miri, 4, kept running up to Grandpa while he was watching TV and
throwing herself at his body and hugging him.  Grandpa would put his
arms around her and hug her and say "I love you, Miri!" Miri would say,
"I love you, too" then go and play for about 5 minutes and then run back
to her Grandpa and hug him again, so Grandpa would hug her and tell her
again, "I love you."  After about the fourth or fifth time of hugging
Grandpa and having him hug her back and say, "I love you," she stood
up and said, "I wish you would quit saying that, I'm getting tired of
hearing it." -Grandparents Linda and Larry Willis of Altus, Oklahoma

      Here is another Miri story.  When Grandpa got a haircut, which
he badly needed, Miri looked at him and just stared.  He asked, "How
do you like my haircut?"  Miri stood there a minute and finally said,
"It's just wrong, Grandpa, just wrong!"

      During a power outage of 11 days in Marlow, Okla., people were
trying to keep warm however they could.  The Hales were lucky enough
to have a fireplace and wood, so Susan's husband, Matthew, started a
fire. He asked their son Jacob, 7, if he was doing OK.  Jacob's reply:
"I have a cat and I am warm, and the fire makes me warm.  Warm plus warm
equals Totally Warm!" - Susan Hale Marlow, Oklahoma

         _____              .---...-.
       ,'  -. `.          ,' _____...'
      /   - _ - \        : .' _   _ \\
     :    ' _)'  :       | :-(_).(_)::
    (_           ;)      | |    -'  ||
      \     _   /        ; |    _   ||
       `..___..'         `-'..____.'`'
          ;._:               _; :_
         /    \ SSt        ,'  `' `. SSt


      Susan's daughter, Taylor, 2, came into the kitchen looking for a
snack. She climbed on and off the table, then took off down the hall. A
few minutes later, she returned, complaining, "That a YUCKY apple,
Mama." Susan offered her a new snack, and she took it and went to the
living room to watch TV.  A short while later, as Susan went to check
her e-mail, she found her "yucky apple." Sitting on the computer desk
was an orange with a small bite missing from the peel!

==========================================================

                 __,=,__
             .~`` .`  `.``~.
            |   .      .    |____
            `-;=============;""""`
             (     (. _).) \
              |            |
              \   `-.___.' /
               '._      _.'
                 /`''''\
                /       \
               | |/\/\/\/|.-.
               |-|/\/\/\/|;' )
              (__/_______|  _)
                #########'._)
            jgs   |==|=|__
              ,,,(______)_),,,,
        ,,,;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;,,,,
   ,,,;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;,,,
,;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;,

>-->Enjoy The Simple Pleasures

Whenever you are weary
And feeling a little down
Stop and take a good look
At the beauty all around.

Enjoying the simple pleasures
That surround you each day,
It is a wonderful little gift
That God has sent your way!

Take time every day to
Stop and smell the flowers!

             .0.
            /   \
           ; \_/ ;
           |     |
           |     |
           |     |
    _______;     ;_______
   `======='\   /`=======`
             \ /
       _     | |     _
     _( \____|=|____/ )_
    (   .---.   .---.   )
     `-'   /     \   '-'
          /  HUG  \
          ;       ;
          |  .---.|__,
  jgs     : /     :--'
       .--\ \     |
    `" `"".-'    < =""`
    `"==  `""""""` =""`
       `"""===="""` =""`
          `""==="""`



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