Who Is Jesus ... :) 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 ================ >-->In The 'Shangy' News :) >HOT Off The 'Shangy' Press: This one is red hot! It comes from a forward from our friend Viv. I found it very interesting and trust that you will too! Check it out here... _________________________ /////////////|\\\\\\\\\\\\\ '.-------------------------.' | | | [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] | | | _.-. _ _2_ _ | > )] [] []||_||||[] [] [] |,'`\ `.,'________||___||_________|\ < || / _<> _ _ (_)<>\ || '' /<>(_),:/ \:. <>' <>\|| __::::::::/ _ _ _ \:::::::::::_ __________ ___________ ,.::. / \ _________ `''''/ \ \:'-'-'-'- SSt|| || \\ Strange Hotels! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/hotel.html --- ...Great One! Thanks Viv! -<>- >We've Had A Super Duper Month Of Sharing And Caring! Please Check Out And Pass On All Our New Pages From Last Month! Identity Theft 2! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/identitytheft2.html Lighthouses Of The World! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/lighthouses.html Proud Our Troops! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/troops.html Attitude Is Everything! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/attitude.html DC Tea Party! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/teaparty.html Hippo & Tortoise! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/hippo.html Hippo & Tortoise 2! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/hippo2.html When Mr Sandman Attacks! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/sandman.html Amazing Bus Stops! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/bus.html Awesome Tree Houses! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/treehouses.html Rotating Skyscrapers http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/skyscraper.html *~* God Bless All Our Wonderful Caring Contibutors! ==================================== , , /////| ///// | ///// | |~~~| | | |===| |/| | B |/| | | I | | | | B | | | | L | / | E | / |===|/ jgs '---' >-->News From Our Friends At TruthOrTradition: Hello and God bless you! We are really excited to invite you to some good fellowship, fun and hot Bible teaching! Connie Simpson of Charleston, WV has invited our John Schoenheit and Mike Patten to a local fellowship that she would like you to be a part of. Please consider coming for both sessions...or just one. It promises to be a time of refreshing, connecting, sharing, teaching and vision building. When: Friday, October 30th, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm Saturday, October 31st from 9:00 am - 1:00 pm (we must be out by 1:00) Where: Berry Hills Country Club #1 Berry Hills Road Charleston, WV 25314 http://tinyurl.com/yc5bm67 Their driving directions page: http://tinyurl.com/ybak6rl Please RSVP by October 23rd to: Connie Simpson csimpson1212@suddenlink.net Simpson Dental Associates 400 Allen Dr. Suite 300 Charleston, West Virginia 25302 Phone: 304.342.6162 Cell: 304.545.0503 HOTELS: Embassy Suites go to netdirect.com to book 304.347.8700 Marriott 304.345.6500 Comfort Suites 304.925.1171 Hampton Inn 304.343.9300 Holiday Inn 304.344.4092 Holiday Inn Express 304.746.4748 Ramada Inn 304.744.4641 There are more hotels in the local area, these are the nicest. We trust you will be able to join with some of the saints in your area for some great fellowship! God bless you, The Home Office staff Spirit & Truth Fellowship International STFonline.org -<>- , , /////| ///// | ///// | |~~~| | | |===| |/| | B |/| | | I | | | | B | | | | L | / | E | / |===|/ jgs '---' >Hello and God bless you! We thought you would be blessed to know that we have been adding a lot of new 10-minute video teachings to our YouTube channel. Here are just a few! What Does the Bible Say About Hell? / Do People Really Burn Forever in Hell? What is the soul? / Where does your soul go if you die? The Integrity of Scripture: The Bible - You Can Believe It The Canon of Scripture: How the Bible Came To Be Our Power in the Spiritual Battle To watch these free online 10-minute videos, please visit http://www.youtube.com/user/TruthOrTradition Also, we are thankful to report that over 7,000 of our online audio teachings were downloaded in China in August and 6,628 were downloaded in September. In September we had our highest monthly audio downloads for the year with 31,680 audio teachings being played for free all over the globe! That brings the total number of free audio teachings downloaded this year to 192, 145. To join in on the fun, please visit www.TruthOrTradition.com/audio If you like what we are doing and you would like to help us continue to spread the Gospel all over the globe, please consider sowing into our ministry at http://www.stfonline.org/donate/index.html We are praying for you daily! Bless you, The Home Office staff Spirit & Truth Fellowship International STFonline.org ========================================================== >-->[Politics] From CCA: Press Release Christian Coalition of America Roberta Combs, President Wednesday, September 30, 2009 Yesterday, supporters of Christian Coalition of America gained several victories during a Senate committee debate on Obamacare, including the defeat of the two "government option" proposals and a 12-11 victory for Senator Orrin Hatch's amendment restoring the $50 million for abstinence-only education which had been eliminated by the Democrat-controlled Congress. Christian Coalition thanks its supporters for all their calls, faxes, emails, etc. to their Senators to gain these victories. Today, in the Senate Financial Services Committee, an amendment to prevent federal funding for abortions was defeated by a 13-10 vote. Democrat Senator Kent Conrad from North Dakota voted for Senator Orrin Hatch's amendment and Republican Senator Olympia Snowe from Maine voted against the Hatch amendment. The Democrat majority on the Senate committee also defied the will of the overwhelming majority of the American people and voted 13-10 against a Hatch amendment providing conscience clause protections for health care workers who do not want to participate in abortions. "The defeat of both 'government option' amendments and the bipartisan vote in the Senate Financial Services Committee on the Hatch abstinence amendment yesterday is a good start. We are disappointed in the defeats of both Hatch amendments today ensuring no federal dollars will go to pay for abortions and ensuring conscience protections for health care workers," said Roberta Combs, President of the Christian Coalition of America. "The committee majority defied the will of 75% of the American people who do not want their tax dollars going to fund abortions, even including many of those who support abortions." Christian Coalition of America supporters need to keep up their opposition to the government-run health care legislation as proposed by the Democrats in Congresss and to make sure that abortion and assisted suicide are not funded and to ensure abstinence-only education is funded. Indeed, opposition to such a plan has now reached an all-time high in the national polls; a paltry 41% of Americans now support government-run health care. Senator Max Baucus' bill needs to be soundly defeated. =============================================================== __.------. (__ ___ ) .)e )\ / /_.------ _/_ _/ __.' / ' `-.__ / <.--' `\ / \ \c | / / ) GoT x \ | /\ |c / \.- \ \__/ ) /( ( \ <>'\ / _/ _\- `-. \/_|_ /<> / /--/,-\ _ \ <>.`. \/`--\_._) - / `-/\ `.\ / `. / ) `\ \ \ \___/----' | / `( ___________ \ ./\_ _ \ ______________ / | ) '| __________________ | / \ \ ___________a:f / | |____.) / \ a88a\___/88888a. \_ :)8888888888888888888a. /` `-----' `Y88888888888888888 \____| `88888888888P' >Thieves Who Created Gifts Story Editor: by Jim Walker Anne Wilson California, USA On December 14, 2007 my small car was burglarized while I was inside the supermarket buying baby food with my daughter Audrey. Audrey was 11 months old, totally blind, and had just had surgery for five heart conditions two months before. A Santa Clara County, California, firefighter named Gina witnessed the break-in. When I returned to the car after shopping Gina was already on the phone describing the two suspects to the Campbell police department. Officer Gracie responded to the call and started the investigation. Both Officer Gracie and Gina fell in love with Audrey, and were moved when hearing of her health situation. I was so impressed with their help that I gratefully sent commendation letters to the chiefs of both their departments. Ten days later, Officer Gracie called and asked if I would be home that afternoon, as she had a thank you card for the letters. I laughed and said I didn't need a thank you card, but would be home by 3:00 p.m. if she wanted to drop by. My two sons had been looking at our Christmas tree for a few days, asking when they were going to see some presents under it. We could only tell them that Santa would surely bring something. The answer came in the form of our public safety Christmas angels. That afternoon Gracie, Gina, and Gina's boss all showed up... and surprised us with five bags of gifts. Unknown to us, the policeman's association and the firefighter's association had gotten together and purchased gifts for our whole family, including a different car seat for baby Audrey and toys designed for a blind child. They brought a tool set for me because, the police chief said, "A man has to have his tools," and mine had been stolen from the car. What had been a nearly bare Christmas tree was now filled with gifts from these wonderful women and their departments. While there, Gina's boss took baby Audrey right out of my arms and said, "My 13-year-old son is blind. I know every agency and every person in this valley to get Audrey all the help she needs! There are camp trips and tons of resources for this special little angel." Who would have thought this would come out of a car burglary? These public safety officers give all day in their jobs, and still find time to do things like this. I am truly amazed at the giving nature of these wonderful women and their departments; they are commendable examples of the true caring heart. =======HeroicStories======= >-->From Our Friend Wesley: .-'||'-. .' || '. / __||__ \ | /`- -`\ | | | 6 6 | | \/\____7___/\/ .--------:\:I:II:I:/;--------. / \`:I::I:`/ \ | `------' | | \____/ | | , __ ___ , | |======| / | / _ \ |======| |======| ^| | | | | | |======| |~~~~~| | | | |_| | |~~~~~| | |\ [___] \___/ /| | \ \| |/ / `\ \ _ _.-=""=-._ _ / /' `\ '`_)\\-++++-//(_`' /' jgs ; (__|| ||__) ; ; ___\ /___ ; '. ---/-=..=-\--- .' `""` `""` A Man With a Twofold Mission Gators' Tebow Credits Religious Upbringing for His Success FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The first time Florida quarterback Tim Tebow faced a large crowd, he trembled with nervousness. Still months away from emerging as a high school star in northern Florida, Tebow, then 15, had never felt 10,000 sets of eyes upon him. And most unsettling of all, he was nowhere near a football stadium. In fact, he stood some 9,300 miles away from his home at a village in South Cotabato, Philippines. On the first of now-annual missionary trips with his father, Tebow stood behind a microphone and told the assembled high school students about his Christian faith, putting to the test evangelistic skills honed through years of speech classes at home. Read The Rest Here: http://tinyurl.com/ybbgerg --- ...Sweet! Thanks Wesley! ============================================================== >-->From InspiredBuffalo: ________ \______ \ _______ ____ _____ _____ ______ | | \ \_ __ \ _/ __ \ \__ \ / \ / ___/ | ` \ | | \/ \ ___/ / __ \_ | | \ \ \___ \ /_______ / |__| \___ > (____ / |__|_| / /____ > \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ >A SINNER'S DREAM Last night as I lay sleeping, a dream came to me. I dreamed about the end of time, about eternity. I saw millions of sinners, fall on their knees to pray. But the LORD sadly shook HIS head, and this I heard HIM say. "Sorry, I never knew you. I find no record of your birth. Sorry, I never knew you. Go and serve the one that you served down on earth." I thought the time had fully come, that I could stand the trial. I told the LORD that I had been a "Christian" all the while. But through HIS book HE took a look. Then sadly shook HIS head. Then placed me over on HIS left, and this I heard HIM say. "Sorry, I never knew you. I find no record of your birth. Sorry, I never knew you. Go and serve the one that you served down on earth." There were my wife & children. I heard their loving voice. They must have been so happy. Oh how they did rejoice! Their robes all white around them. Their faces all array. My little girl looked over at me, and this I heard her say. "Daddy, we can't go with you. We must dwell in the joys of our LORD. Sorry, for we still love you. But you'll never be our daddy, anymore." And when I had awakened. The tears were in my eyes. Then looking all around me, and much to my surprise. There were my wife and babies. I knew it was a dream. Down beside of that bed of mine, you should have heard me scream. "FATHER, who art in Glory. I know, THOU gave THINE only Son. FATHER, please forgive me. For I want to be ready, when YOU come!" --- ...Added verse I confess Jesus Christ is my Lord I believe you raised him from the dead I know I can't afford To not have the Lord Jesus as my head! Romans 10:9,10 AMEN! -<>- ___________________________________________________________________ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||] ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||] ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||] ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||] |||||||||||||||||||||||||||I||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||] |||||||||||||||||||||||||||I||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||] |||||||||||||||||||||||||||I||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||] |||||||||||||||||||||||||||h||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||] |||||||||||||||||||||||||([hL|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||] ||||||||||||||||||||||||:[hhL:||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||] |||||||||||||||||||||||(([hh/ \||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||] |||||||||||||||||||||||([hh(\ / \|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||] |||||||||||||||||||||||([hh|| e e|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||] ||||||||||||||||||||||||Ihhh\ >|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||] ||||||||||||||||||||||IIIIhhL\ =|||||||||::., \|||||||||||] |||||||||||||||||||||IIIII[hL.|||||||||||||||] hello ? [||||||||||] |||||||||||||||||||||IIIII[[L:||||||||||||||||_________[||||||||||] ||||||||||||||||||||IIIIII|[||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||] ||||||||||||||||||||IIIIII||I|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||] ||||||||||||||||||||IIIII|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||] ||||||||||||||||||||IIIII|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||] ||||||||||||||||||||IIIII|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||] |a:f[|(||)||\||||||||IIII||\||||||/)||||||)|||||||(|||||(||||)\|||' >WHEN THE CURTAIN GOES UP It has always amazed and sometime surprised me the lengths to which people will go to attend a musical, theater show, opera, sporting event, etc. I mean people sometimes plan months in advance to attend some event and think nothing of driving 100 miles or more, leaving early to assure they get the best seat. When the curtain goes up they want to be there, when the coin toss is made, to decide who gets the advantage, they want to be there. I understand the enthusiasm people have for sports and entertainment, what I really don't understand is why the same enthusiasm doesn't apply to God and his church. This week I ran across an old church bulletin I had produced 33 years ago while working with the Piqua, Ohio Church of Christ. It was interesting to be reminded of some of the people mentioned and events that happened. Even though it was nice reminiscing, there was one line in that bulletin that struck a cord in me. It basically said, "Whether you attend services doesn't depend upon how far you live from the church building, but how close you live to God!" Isn't that true of almost anything we desire to do in life? It is true that we can say, Whether you attend services doesn't depend upon how far you live from the church building, but how close you live to God. But couldn't we just as easily say, "Whether you attend services doesn't depend upon how tired you are, but whether you gain strength joined with brothers and sisters the presence of God." Or perhaps, "Whether you attend services doesn't depend upon whether or not friends stop by, but whether you show them by your example, what is really important in your life." I'm sure you could add to this list, but I would suggest to you that our time with God's church is just as important as anything else in our lives. I know how hard it sometimes is to make the right choice, but when you weigh what the world offers against what God offers, there is no comparison. God doesn't offer free game balls or autographed pictures; He offers us a place to live with him forever! Several scriptures jump to the front of my thoughts, but here's one that may apply more than we would like to admit sometimes. The writer of Hebrews deals with the choices we sometimes make, as to where we choose to be. In Hebrews 10:24-25, he writes: "Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near." (NLT) So, when the curtain goes up, where will you be found? Russ Lawson, Messages From The Heart (http://mfth.net ) -<>- >Links for Your Enjoyment Fastest Gun Ever http://www.buffaloschips.com/ghjuhj.htm Fed Ex http://www.buffaloschips.com/gjkik.htm Fests http://www.buffaloschips.com/gkilo.htm FFs http://www.buffaloschips.com/ghjuik.htm Hot Dog Chase http://www.buffaloschips.com/gklok.htm Autumn Of Life http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/poems/life.html Crop Circle Mystery http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/mystery.html Chinese Olympic Cuisine http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/olympic.html Fear: Feeling Buggy http://tinyurl.com/yah8nod Subscribe send a blank email to: the-inspired-buffalo-subscribe@yahoogroups.com ========================================================= >-->From Our Friend Jo Ann :) | | *tock* | | *tock* | <-*) | |(() | |"/ | |' PhS >Yes Lord... One day a while back, a man, his heart heavy with grief, was walking in the woods. As he thought about his life this day, he knew many things were not right. He thought about those who had lied about him back when he had a job.. His thoughts turned to those who had stolen his things and cheated him. He remembered family who had passed on. His mind turned to the illness he had, that no one could cure. His very soul was filled with anger, resentment, and frustration. Standing there this day, searching for answers he could not find, knowing all else had failed him, he knelt at the base of an old oak tree to seek the one he knew would always be there. And with tears in his eyes, he prayed: 'Lord- You have done wonderful things for me in this life. You have told me to do many things for you, and I happily obeyed. Today, you have told me to forgive. I am sad, Lord, because I cannot. I don't know how. It is not fair Lord, I didn't deserve these wrongs that were done against me and I shouldn't have to forgive. As perfect as your way is Lord, this one thing I can not do, for I don't know how to forgive. My anger is so deep Lord, I fear I may not hear you, but I pray you teach me to do the one thing I can not do: Teach me to forgive.' As he knelt there in the quiet shade of that old oak tree, he felt something fall onto his shoulder. He opened his eyes. Out of the corner of one eye, he saw something red on his shirt. He could not turn to see what it was because where the oak tree had been was a large square piece of wood in the ground. He raised his head and saw two feet held to the wood with a large spike through them. He raised his head more, and tears came to his eyes as he saw Jesus hanging on a cross. He saw spikes in His hands, a gash in His side, a torn and battered body, deep thorns sunk into His head. Finally he saw the suffering and pain on His precious face. As their eyes met, the man's tears turned to sobbing, and Jesus began to speak. 'Have you ever told a lie?' He asked? The man answered - 'Yes, Lord.' 'Have you ever been given too much change and kept it?' The man answered - 'Yes, Lord.' And the man sobbed more and more. 'Have you ever taken something from work that wasn't yours?' Jesus asked? And the man answered, 'Yes, Lord.' 'Have you ever sworn, using my Father's name in vain?' The man, crying now, answered - 'Yes, Lord.' As Jesus asked many more times, 'Have you ever'? The man's crying became uncontrollable, for he could only answer - 'Yes, Lord'. Then Jesus turned His head from one side to the other, and the man felt something fall on his other shoulder He looked and saw that it was the blood of Jesus . When he looked back up, his eyes met those of Jesus , and there was a look of love the man had never seen or known before. Jesus said, 'I didn't deserve this either, but I forgive you..' It may be hard to see how you're going to get through something, but when you look back in life, you realize how true this statement is. Read the following first line slowly and let it sink in. If God brings you to it - He will bring you through it. When Jesus died on the cross, he was thinking of you! --- ...Amen! Thanks Jo Ann! ======================================================== >-->From CupO'Cheer: _ ///-._ ////////-._ /////////////-. ////////////////`. //////////////// .'`. //////////////// . '.'`. '|`'//////////// . .'.::|` : `'/////// . '.':| | . . `'// ' _|- ::| |. .-._ . | . | .':: | |:|:| | ' ' '.::| | |:|:| :. . .'.':| | . |:|:| . | .._.::: : `':| | ' ////-:| |. . | '/////////-._ | . . : .//////////////-._ : : ///////////////////-._ |. |////////////////////////-._ | . . :`'//////////////////////////-._ | . _.-\\\\``'//////////////////////////-._ | /\\\\\\\\..``'//////////////////////////". : . . /. \\\\\\\\\. .``'///////////////////// .'`. : / _ \\\\\\\\\. ``'//////////////// . .'`. | . / (@) \\\\\\\\\. . . ``'/////////// . '.'::|. {`)._ '| _` .\\\\\\\-`:|#| . . ``'////// '. .'.:| `-{_/`| ||::. \\'`.:|:.|#| |#| . ``'/ ' .##:'::: `-| ||||| |`.'::|::|#| |#| |#| . . '| . .|##|'.:| pils | ||||| : .'::|:.'#| |#| |#| |#| | |##|'::| | ||||| .| .'.:|::.'' '#| |#| |#| . : ' |##|'.:| {`\:|||| : .'::|:_.:. . '#| |#| | .|##|'::: `-{_/'|_ |_.-'/}_/'-._ '#| :. |##:'.:| `'{._('}_)-' `-}_}(-._ . . | ' '` .'::| `-' `-.} /-._ . : .'.'_:-'\ `-}_}(-._ | . _.-')_(-' `-/_)`-.:.-{ \{-' `-{_'_)-'' ^ >BEST SEAT IN THE HOUSE By Bonnie Kidder I almost hadn’t come to the class at church that night. With four kids and a full-time teaching job, I had plenty to do. But my 11-year-old son, Brady, was having surgery the next day. I hated to think of him alone in the operating room. I’d been praying for weeks, asking God to be with Brady and his doctors during surgery, but it didn’t feel like enough. Standing in the doorway of the church hall I couldn’t believe how many people had showed up for this class. It looked like more than a hundred were seated at the tables scattered throughout the hall—but not a familiar face among them. No one I can ask to pray with me for Brady. I sat down at a table next to a dark-haired man, but the instructor immediately asked us to move. “Let’s fill in all these vacant chairs up front,” she said. The dark-haired man got up to look for another seat. I crossed the room to an empty chair. But just as I got there, someone else took it. I spotted another chair at the next table. The same thing happened again. And again. I did not come here for a game of musical chairs, I thought as I made a beeline for another chair. I flung myself into it and turned to see…the same dark-haired man I’d left behind. “We meet again,” he said as the instructor stood to speak. “Tonight I thought we’d talk about our lives outside of church,” she said. “Everybody share with the people at your table how you work your faith into your daily life.” The dark-haired man said, “I’m an anesthesiologist. Before I put a patient under, I pray for him. I ask each patient if they’d like to pray too. I used to be embarrassed about this…” “I think it’s wonderful!” I interrupted. “My son is having surgery tomorrow. I’d feel so much better if his doctor could pray with him.” “Where is his surgery?” he asked. I mentioned the hospital. “Dr. Duplechain is doing the operation.” “Then I can assure you that your son will be surrounded by prayer,” he said, “because I’m the one scheduled to be taking him into the operating room.” In a room full of strangers, God had seated me—twice!— next to the one man who could pray with me tonight and my son in the morning. To SUBSCRIBE: Send an e-mail with SUBSCRIBE CUP O'CHEER in the subject line to cheer316@sc.rr.com. ================================================= >-->From Laugh&Lift: ,-`"-=') =/////// ,== _,_(((((-`6\ ==.| /,,...\\\C _| .--. ((((\\\\\` _, /;_| )9 )))))./ `. / } _\,_ ,-'))) \ / /=-. ,-./ \/ '))) . /\_/ / \ (,-.%\ / /-' ') \/\ / ( \ (/ \ ' /( ' `-/ \( \ ,- / ( `-' \ . / / \ \ &_) /\ \ | ( /--.- \ \----,------=;% | _/ _); `. ` `-. .`\ ) +++/ \ ,," %&-. ; \\| `-` `-=.;_,.__.__\_,/ )_/___+_/_________\,"(_//_(__)______:-._) gpyy >Child, Don't Be Discouraged (By list member Debbie Preuss, May 1, 2001) My child don't be discouraged, for I am by your side, No matter where you run to, or where you try to hide. I am with you always and I will forever stay, Closer than your shadow, both through night and day. I love you so much, I even sent My Son, So come to Me child, before the day is done. I know your heart is heavy and you just want to cry; As you cry out in the silence, saying "why oh why... Did this happen to me because I am mortal man?" I assure you child, this was also in My plan. You don't see it now and you may not in earth's long day, But I assure you My precious one, that all will be okay. I know that sometimes the load is hard to bear, But I am right beside you, your heavy load to share. Lift up your fainting heart; put your trust in Me, As I cradle you gently calling "come now to Me." My child, I love you, more than words can tell, Can't you hear Me whisper in the storms mighty yell? Do not be discouraged, I am always near, Your every whispered word, I so long to hear. Lift up your countenance, seek My loving face, I love you My child and will discouragement erase. Come to Me, My beloved, know that I am nigh, I will always listen to hear your heartfelt cry. Come to Me, My child, I am by your side, No matter where you run to, or where you try to hide. 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 Heartwarmers: M ' ` | :|`-._ | :|`-._`-._ / ::\ `-._`-._ / ::\ `-(_) |_________| / / `-' / / / / / / / / ________________/ _&_______ /8P' `' Y888/ /P' ____________ Y8/ /' /\ / / / / . \ \ / / / / // \ \ / / / VK / // \ \___________/ / / /// \ \ __ / /8 `' \/ /_/ ./ /88b.____________________.8/ >BECOMING HOWARD by Joseph Walker When I started my career as a journalist at a metropolitan daily newspaper nearly 30 years ago, we were just making the transition from electric typewriters to word processors. As you might expect, this was a fairly significant transition -- especially for the Old Guard, like Howard. Howard had been with the newspaper since... well, pretty much since Gutenberg came up with the idea for the printing press. He had hawked newspapers on the street as a kid, and started out as a cub reporter during the Great Depression. They say he dragged his feet when they wanted to replace his manual typewriter with an electric version in the 1960s, and when the time came to replace is beloved Selectric with a computer keyboard he absolutely refused. He continued to type his stories and gave them to a secretary to input them into the computer. We youngsters used to joke about Howard's technological reticence -- behind his back, of course. By this time, Howard was pretty much iconic at the newspaper and nobody wanted to risk offending him. Besides, he was such a cute little old guy. I still smile when I think of him, hunched over his typewriter, his huge, thick glasses pushed up and perched on his head, clackety-clacking out a story while the rest of us tap-tapped our way along the electronic superhighway. I tell you this because it has recently come to my attention that somehow during the last 30 years I have become Howard. I have embraced a lot of change and technological advancement through the years, but I guess I've reached the point at which my brain has finally said: enough! I first became aware of my Howard-ish-ness when my wife, Anita, got one of those new cell phones that allow you to take pictures, make movies, access the Internet and re-program sub-orbital ballistic missiles -- all with just the gentle touch of an application button. I scoffed at the technological overload she carried with her in her purse. Although I must admit, I was pleased when she programmed her phone to play the Indiana Jones theme when I call. I was expecting something more along the lines of "What Kind of Fool Am I?" "I just need a cell phone that lets me make and receive telephone calls -- period!" I said. "Anything more than that is technological overkill and probably dangerous to the ozone layer." Then my office provided ME with one of these new phones. And now I'm hooked. I'm constantly responding to email and text messages and looking things up on the Internet. You never know when you're going to need to know the name of the Iron Butterfly drummer who played the long drum solo in "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" (by the way it was Ron Bushy.) Then a few weeks ago we took a long road trip, which would take us to some places we had never before been. We Map-Quested some directions and thought that was as good as it gets. But then our future-son-in-law Hudson got in the car with his GPS unit, and again I scoffed. "I can read a map," I said. "I don't need some robot telling me where to turn." Turns out I do. I was stunned by how smoothly we made it through territory that was new to us. We had to go to a reception in a rural area with lots of crazy twists and turns in the road, and our little GPS friend guided us safely and calmly through it. It even figured out an alternative route when I missed a turn. By the end of the evening I was totally reliant on the new technology, and even whined a little when it went for long periods of time without talking to me. So I guess I'm understanding Howard a little better these days. And I'm understanding the words of James M. Barrie, the author who created the stories of Peter Pan, the boy who never wanted to get old. Said Barrie: "Life is a long lesson in humility." Especially if you're resistant to change. Technologically, and otherwise. -- Joseph Walker > ======================================================== >-->Did God create Evil? . + . . . . . . . . . * . * . . . . . . + . "You Are Here" . . + . . . . | . . . . . . | . . . +. + . \|/ . . . . . . V . * . . . . + . + . . . + . . + .+. . . . . + . . . . . . . . . . . . . ! / * . . . + . . - O - . . . + . . * . . / | . + . . . .. + . . . . . * . * . +.. . * . . . . . . . . + . . + unknown This will make you think for a while. At a certain college, there was a professor with a reputation for being tough on Christians. At the first class every semester, he asked if anyone was a Christian and proceeded to degrade them and to mock their statement of faith. One semester, he asked the question and a young man raised his hand when asked if anyone was a Christian. The professor asked, "Did God make everything, young man?" He replied, "Yes sir He did!" The professor responded, "If God made everything, then He made evil." The student didn't have a response and the professor was happy to have once again proved the Christian faith to be a myth. Then another man raised his hand and asked, "May I ask you something, sir?" "Yes, you may," responded the professor. The young man stood up and said Sir, is there such thing as cold?" "Of course there is, what kind of question is that? Haven't you ever been cold?" The young man replied, "Actually, sir, cold doesn't exist. What we consider to be cold, is really an absence of heat. Absolute zero is when there is absolutely no heat, but cold does not really exist. We have only created that term to describe how we feel when heat is not there." The young man continued, "Sir, is there such a thing as dark?" Once again, the professor responded "Of course there is." And once again, the student replied "Actually, sir, darkness does not exist. Darkness is really only the absence of light. Darkness is only a term man developed to describe what happens when there is no light present." Finally, the young man asked, "Sir, is there such thing as evil?" The professor responded, "Of course. We have rapes, and murders and violence everywhere in the world, those things are evil." The student replied, "Actually, sir, evil does not exist. Evil is simply the absence of God. Evil is a term man developed to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. It isn't like truth, or love, which exist as virtues... like heat or light. Evil is simply the state where God is not present, like cold without heat or darkness without light." The professor had nothing to say............ Be full of Christ today, there is no room for anything else......... ======================================================== >-->From PetWarmers: : : __ | | _,_ ( ~~^-l_____],.-~ / \ ")\ "^k. (_,-" `>._ ' _ `\ \ _.-~/'^k. (0) ` (0 .-~ { ~` ~ ..T / . "-.. _.-' / Y . "T Y l ~-./l_ | \ . .<' | `-.._ __,/"r' l .-~~"-. / I Y Y "~[ | \ \_.^--, [ \ _~> | \ ___)--~ | ^. : l ^. _.j | Y I | l l I Y \ | -Row \ ^. | \ ~-^. ^. ~"--.,_ |~-._ ~-. | ~Y--.,_ ^. : : "x \ \ \. \ ] ^._ .^ ~~ ->Possum<- >THE POSSUM-BILITIES by Brenda Ice As a girl growing up on a small southern farm, I probably had a wider variety of pets than most. My mother was an animal lover too, which made it a little easier to do the "Mom can I keep it?" thing with success. As an adult, I continued my collection of pets, which by now were only the domestic kind -- cats, dogs, hamsters, an occasional squirrel, a pair of skunk and maybe a bird or two. That is, until one warm May evening, when into my home and heart came the animal that was to forever change my life. My son was visiting, and since he is night sport's editor for a newspaper, he's used to keeping late hours and there was a West Coast ballgame he wanted to watch. My fur babies feel they have the obligation of training new people to the true doggie duties in life. One of these duties includes letting them in and out on demand. (No, they are not spoiled!) After about a dozen or more in and out door openings, my son decided to just leave the patio door open. Well, you guessed it -- he fell asleep on the couch leaving the door open. The next morning as I came downstairs, my dog Sammi -- all 160 pounds of her -- accompanied me to the kitchen, to make sure I didn't get lost, and stopped at the bookcase by the door and started to bark her "one of my babies is under there" bark. Sammi's babies can be anything from a ball to a kitten, but I knew "we" would have to get whatever was under there or there would be no peace in the house that morning. I got down on all fours with Sammi's big ole' Newfoundland head stuck in the way, trying to see what was there. There he was, all bristle and blow, about two months old and scared beyond belief! A baby opossum! He must have fallen off his mom's back and become lost in the dark, because he was much too small to be on his own. I guess he found his way to the first warm dry spot available. Fully furred and with almost all of his fifty teeth, he did his best to scare away the two monsters. But, after all, he was only a baby, and I'm a sucker for anything furry and helpless. Now, most southerners are not known to be possum lovers and I had never been a particular fan of them myself. Like most other people, I was under the mistaken opinion that they were mostly rat like -- nasty, garbage eating smelly things! Nothing could be further from the truth! Sweet Pea (don't laugh) was the sweetest, most gentle and cleanest animal ever. They clean themselves as thoroughly as any cat and can be trained to use a litter box. With opposing "thumbs", they grip and use their hands in a very humanlike fashion. I had no idea how to take care of this kind of baby, so I immediately turned to the modern day information hub, the Internet. What little information available on possums has been compiled by a worldwide network of "rehabbers". These beautiful selfless people have made it their job to help these little fellows and to educate the world on what wonderfully valuable creatures they really are. That was then. This is now. And many, many opossums later, I am fully and thoroughly hooked! I have successfully raised and released all but two that have been put in my care. Miss Molly is a non-releasable due to an injury to her right shoulder and leg. But she's my little princess and an ambassador for her kind. She and I visit clubs and schools to educate people on the good that opossums do in our environment. We try to show how gentle and smart they are and that they should be left alone to do their little opossum thing. People are always amazed at how sweet and soft and gentle she is. Now they're hooked too! After all, when you live with a princess who has over 75 million years of heritage behind her, you are indeed privileged. When she accepts you as one of her special people and looks to you for comfort and affection, well let's just say your life is never the same again. -- Brenda Ice ========================================================= >-->From SermondFodder: >"Who is Jesus?" .-~~~- .-~~~_._~~~\ /~-~~ ~. `._ / \ \ | ~~-_ __ | | | | /~\| _-~~ ~~-..| ______||/__..-~~/ ~-.___ \ /~\_________.-~~ \~~--._\ | / ^-_ ~\ \ /^ ^~---|~~~~-.___.-~^ /~^| | | |^~\ //~^`/ /_/ ^~\\ / //~|| \ ~ || ___ -(|| __ ___ _ |\| \ ||_.-~~ /|\- \~-._ | -\| | ||/ / | |\- | |\ \ \__-\|______ || | \___\| \_\| _____ _.-~/|\ \\|| \ | / ~-. /' --/| / /| \ \|| \ / |\~- ' ---/| | | |\ | || \__| | --/| | ; \ /| / -(|| `./ | / \|/ ||)- `~^~^ || Scripture: Romans 1:6 ”You are among those who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ” NLT To the ARTIST He is the One Altogether lovely To the ARCHITECT He is the Chief Cornerstone To the BAKER He is the Living Bread To the BANKER He is the Hidden Treasure To the BIOLOGIST He is the Life To the BUILDER He is the Sure Foundation To the CARPENTER He is the Door To the DOCTOR He is the Great Physician To the EDUCATOR He is the Great Teacher To the ENGINEER He is the New and Living Way To the FLORIST He is the Rose of Sharon To the GARDENER He is the Lily of the Valley To the GEOLOGIST He is the Rock of Ages To the HORTICULTURIST He is the True Vine To the JUDGE He is the Judge of All Men To the JURY He is the Righteous Judge To the JEWELER He is the Pearl of Great Price To the LAWYER He is The Advocate To the NEWSPAPER He is the Good Tidings of Great Joy To the OCULTIST He is the Light Of The Eyes To the PHILANTHROPIST He is the Unspeakable Gift To the PHILOSOPHER He is the Wisdom of God To the SCULPTOR He is the Living Stone To the SERVANT He is the Good Master To the STATESMAN He is the Desire of All Nations To the STUDENT He is Incarnate Truth To the THEOLOGIAN He is the author and Finisher of Our Faith To the TOILER He is the Great Rest To the SINNER He is the Lamb of God that Takes Away the Sins of the World Prayer: Father, thank You for sending Your son to die for my sins. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen! Pb 3 Team - prayer: Father please bring 1.......... 2………. 3………. into your kingdom. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen! Copyright (c) 2003. Pastor Bill. All Rights Reserved >Updated FUN STUFF URLS - Oh Yeah :) Shangy! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/urls.html FUN URLS ------------------------------------------------------------------------- -->This is for all you who love food andd DARE to make it at home Yep. You guessed it - Recipes. These are Tried and True, Yummy to the Tummy, good old fashioned home cooking recipes that are EASY to do :) Visit Shangy's Easy-Does-It Home Recipes: http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/easy.html Home Recipes >Got A good Recipe? 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