Great Significance, Parenting, Donuts, Our Purpose... :) Shangy! >Here are the details on our ShangyFunList: Group Web Site: http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/ShangyFunList.html Group email address: bcrsystems@earthlink.net Shangrala Family Fun: http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/ ================ *~* A REMINDER: PLEASE Send me sweet, interesting, funny, inspiring, family type forwards ANY TIME here... bcrsystems@earthlink.net I Need them, Love them, Use them, and Share them! THANK YOU!! AND For Facebook Users: Please Like Me here... http://tinyurl.com/cma6all AND Please Share This email with All Your Friends And Family! ^~^ May God SUPER BLESS You As You Do! THANK YOU! ================ __ __ ,-' `' \ _---``-- / _ _ ; __ `. / / `' \; /`----- ) / .-/ ,( ), \-. ; | \( \ / )/; | - _5 `7 -; / ( ___-' `-____ | ( ___`-_ \ ____| \ / `,/ \ _(\__ / \ \ ; \ .' /' `i. / | | \ _-'( _\__-/ `- | | ` ,` `_ | BP * Don't forget to follow us on social media for our latest updates and uproarious funny and inspiring pages! On Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/y8dcm8x7 On Twitter: http://tinyurl.com/n5uf3dxv ================ >-->2 HOT Off The 'Shangy' Press :) Our too hot to handle new page is from our friend LouiseAu. This one comprises a lot of mixed emotions as many of us heard the news of Pres. Trump being shot and held our breath to know if he was OK or not. It was quite devastating and exhilarating at the same time once we knew he was standing strong! Check this out for this historic event: .-*"""*. / \ : .--. .-: | / _."._| |_: 'o /o: :P \ | `-| `. _' ; |`. `- / [bug] ; |`-._/ _/ `. : .-' `-. `+._._ .' ``- ' `-.`. / \ `.\ : \ \: : .-' .L ; ._ \ .' \ /`) `. |\ /`\ \ | :. : ' ; ; \ : :' ; | : | `--J / ._/ ; .-' /'-'; : \ :_.-' .' :`. L_.-' _.-' \ -.-' / / |`. | / _.' .' ; .' : \ : .' | .' .' / / \ .-' : .'.-'`-- : -' : `.-' \ _.-' | | " | \ | ; ; c :| Trump - Fear NOT! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/trumpfearnot.html --- ...Quite Awesome! Love this! Thanks LouiseAu! This next flaming hot new page is from our friends Linda and Geniann. As much as we love our fur babies, it is good to know how much we can expect from them. Some dogs are easier to train than others, but they are all close to our hearts. Visit here and see just how smart your canine buddy is. __ /\/'-, ,--''''' /" ____,'. ) \___ '"""""------'"""`-----' pb How Smart Is Your Dog? http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/smartdogs.html --- ...This is pretty spot on! Thanks Ladies! =========================================================== >-->From Heartwarmers: "Circumstances are the rulers of the weak; they are but the instruments of the wise." -- Samuel Lover _ .-' '-. / \ |,-,-,-,-,| ___ | _)_(_ | (/ \) | _\_/_ /) / \_/ \// |( )\/ ||)_( |/ \ n| | / \ | |_|___| \|/ jgs _/L\_ >BRINGING STELLA HOME by Corrina Hyde As a young child I would watch Mary Poppins and pretend that she was my mom. They had the same voice and the same English accent I would hear throughout my childhood on the phone. My English roots, like English ivy, grew deep and wound around me in a way that always made we wonder what I had missed. My memories of my mom were vague and sometimes I wondered if they were real or imagined. Still I would yearn for all things English and continue to want to know my mother and her family, only to be stopped time and time again. As I grew into an adult my home began to fill with silver tea sets and china tea cups. I was the only one of my friends who drank hot tea, and I drank it as though it were my birthright with my little pinkie crooked. I learned to make scones and shortbreads. I read up on the history of England and its kings and queens as though I were researching my family tree -- only to discover that I did indeed come from royalty! You see Stella Airey was my grandmother, and she was crowned as England's first Glamorous Grandmother in 1955. Stella set the bar very high for this competition because as all of her granddaughters now know she was the epitome of elegance and sophistication. I only met Stella a few times in my life. She would never be for me the grandmother she was for my Canadian, English and Irish cousins. She was cocktail dresses and fur coats in my world of denim and flannel. We were from two very different worlds. Stella was a diamond that glittered and glowed and the more she was polished the brighter she shone. She has been photographed with some of the biggest names in American and European entertainment, because they were drawn to her! It wasn't unusual for people to assume that she was a celebrity, because that is how she lived her life. She died at the age of 90, with her daughter Angela, who is my mother, and her only son Tim at her side. They would have her cremated and made plans to spread her ashes over Lake Tahoe, Nevada, where she had lived for many years. Stella's family in England, Ireland and Canada would assume that was exactly what happened. It will be 10 years this January since Stella has passed away, and over 45 years since she lived in her beloved England. It would be over 48 years since I had left England at the age of four months old, and I never would have dreamed that she and I would make the trip back together. I had very limited knowledge and practically no contact with my mom's family. As I grew older, my desire to know more took me to the Internet and there I found a web site created by my Uncle Tim who lived in Canada that chronicled my English ancestry. This website would lead me to his children, and unknown to me at the time, they would eventually put me in contact with the English and Irish cousins! Prior to all of this, I would find myself lost in McAlester, Oklahoma, sitting on the side of the road in front of this lovely Victorian home, gaping at the most beautiful English garden I have ever seen, and feeling the emotion spill out of me. I would sit there and say out loud to myself, "One day I'm going to go back to England." Within two weeks I would get the first of many messages from my cousins and the words I had spoken out loud would go from dream to reality. A year passed while we chatted online and I started to make plans for a visit. I would call my own mother after many years of silence and find just weeks before my trip that she still had Stella's ashes. She never felt it was right to scatter them in Nevada. Instead, she wanted Stella to be returned to England. Within a week, the ashes were safely with me, and we both boarded a plane bound for my birthplace and her childhood home. Stella traveled first class as was her right, and I was humbled to play the part of courier. Her ashes were laid to rest in Highgate Cemetery in London, where her eldest daughter Judy is buried. The ceremony would be both, emotional and humorous, sensitive and sincere. The scattering was brief -- the residue left on our hands glittered in the sunlight. Sons and daughters of Stella's daughters met for the first time and recognized each other immediately. After all, a family does recognize their own! Stella would then become for me the "Nana" that brought me home. -- Corrina Hyde __________________________________________________ Corrina lives in Atoka, Oklahoma, but is moving to England in May or June of next year. She says, "I have another lifetime to live and want to live it there." =========================================================== >-->From Daily Encounter: , , /////| ///// | ///// | |~~~| | | |===| |/| | B |/| | | I | | | | B | | | | L | / | E | / |===|/ jgs '---' >Great Significance On the next day we departed and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. He had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied.1 Nothing in the Bible was written without being inspired by God Himself, which means that He had a reason for everything, and everyone mentioned in Scripture; even though they may seem insignificant. While Jesus walked this earth, He personally spoke with people who were considered insignificant by others but mattered greatly to our Lord; nothing or no one went unnoticed. Everyone we read about in the Bible, God used to forward His plan of Salvation, and He gave their stories to us as lessons so that we might learn from their lives. We’ve read about Jesus’ ministry and the ministry carried on by His twelve disciples. Then the disciples chose another seven men to help them further their ministries (Acts 6). Their stories are few and only occasionally mentioned today. Then we come across random verses like Acts 21:9 -- He [Philip] had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied -- and that is all we know about these four daughters! However, this verse actually has a much greater significance. These young women are second-generation Christians. Their father was a believer who was part of a significant ministry (Acts 8) and these four daughters had followed in their father’s footsteps. God had something to say for parents who raised their children for the Lord, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it."2 He also had something to say to those children, Be careful to obey all these words that I command you, that it may go well with you and with your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God.3 These young women were taught to serve the Lord and they continued in their faith into their adult life. Although this little verse was hidden within this chapter and easily looked over, it was placed there as an important reminder to fathers and mothers alike -- our role is to raise our children for the Lord, lighting a fire in their souls that will remain with them forever. In turn, our daughters and sons will carry on that torch furthering the kingdom of God. Suggested Prayer: Dear Lord, Your Word holds so much more than just stories and I’m so thankful that the smallest of verses can speak to me and teach me. Help me to be a faithful example to my children of your grace and love. In Jesus Christ’s name, Amen. 1. Acts 21:8-9 (ESV). 2. Proverbs 22:6.3. Deuteronomy 12:28. Today’s Encounter was written by: Veronica B. <:))))>< , , /////| ///// | ///// | |~~~| | | |===| |/| | B |/| | | I | | | | B | | | | L | / | E | / |===|/ jgs '---' >The Blessing of Parenting “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.”1 Parenting is both the greatest blessing and greatest trial that God, in His Wisdom, so graciously blessed us with; though not everyone may agree with that! Depending on what stage of parenting you may find yourself in, you may lean more one way than the other. New parents may find joy in cuddling their new baby or feel stressed by the lack of sleep that a new blessing brings. In the toddler stage you may encounter an energetic child who runs the house and doesn't understand the word “no”. Jump to the adolescent years and that same toddler is still not wanting to understand that rules are made for their benefit. The teenage/young adult years bring on a whole new level of stress as our greatest blessings need their greatest guidance and we, the parents, were chosen for the task. It is during some of our best parenting moments that we may feel poorest in spirit. For example, choosing to hold and comfort a screaming baby, when all you’d really like to place her in her room and close the door, can bring peace and comfort to both your hearts; you may have to repeat this action when she’s a teenager! Or taking a deep breath and explaining, one more time, that raising our voice is not the way to ask for something, or not reacting harshly when your teenager comes in a few minutes past their curfew. Parenting is often saying “no” to the flesh and relying on the holy spirit's power. In the Beatitudes, Jesus explains that the characteristics that many look down on are the ones He blesses. How many times do we feel mournful? Poor in spirit? Persecuted by our co-workers, our children, or other parents? Jesus blesses that. The Beatitudes teach all the qualities we can have as a parent: gentleness, peacefulness, mercy... Our children are looking to us for guidance. We can teach them to love. To pray for the spirit to fill us with gentleness, peace, mercy, and purity of heart. We can set the example of not giving up when we feel persecuted and just want to hide in our rooms. Those times when we feel poor in spirit, we're blessed. Press on, and by God's grace this season of parenting will be a refreshing blessing instead of a stressful trial. Allow the holy spirit to be your guide as you guide others and find yourselves closer to and more like Jesus. Suggested Prayer: Dear Lord, Thank you for choosing me to guide the lives of the precious children you’ve blessed me with. Help me lean on the holy spirit and rely on Your Word for guidance. In Jesus Christ’s name, Amen. 1. Matthew 5:3 (CSB). Today’s Encounter was written by: Veronica B. When copying or forwarding include the following: "Daily Encounter by Richard (Dick) Innes (c) 2016 ACTS International. =========================================================== >-->From Archives InspiredBuffalo: .---. .---. ,';' `.';' `.. f :Bo. ` d88: `\ /d88P' `\ ; /d888P' `. ',d8&8P' : ;d8&7' | :8: | qx >Finding Love by RONNIE LEVINER COPYRIGHT©2001 Seeking, seeking in places unknown Uncertain where paths do lead Walking through the darkness of night To find love my heart does need Thinking, thinking each time is near That I shall find what I want In the things this world gives In the end I find they don't Walking, walking down winding paths That keep leading to nowhere Day after day ending the same Taken to hopeless despair Crying, crying what is life That it should be this way I must find someone who knows And heed what they have to say Hearing, hearing words said before Of a Loving Father above Who sent His Son to die for my sins In believing I'm finding Love -<>- ___ .-" "-. .' . ; `. / : . ' : \ | ` .-. . ' | | : ( ) ; ` | | : `-' : | \ .` ; : / hjw `. . ' .' `-.___.-' >Donuts There was a boy by the name of Steve who was attending school in Utah. Brother Christianson taught at this particular school. He had an open-door policy and would take in any student that had been thrown out of another class as long as they would abide by his rules. Steve had been kicked out of his sixth period and no other teacher wanted him, so he went into Brother Christianson's class. Steve was told that he could not be late, so he arrived just seconds before the bell rang and he would sit in the very back of the room. He would also be the first to leave after the class was over. One day, Brother Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he could talk with him. After class, Bro. Christianson pulled Steve aside and said, "You think you're pretty tough, don't you?" Steve's answer was, "Yeah, I do." Then Brother Christianson asked, "How many push-ups can you do?" Steve said, "I do about 200 every night." "200? That's pretty good, Steve," Brother Christianson said. "Do you think you could do 300?" Steve replied, "I don't know... I've never done 300 at a time." "Do you think you could?" Again asked Brother Christianson. "Well, I can try," said Steve. "Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I need you to do 300 in sets of ten for this to work. Can you do it? I need you to tell me you can do it," Brother Christianson said. Steve said, "Well... I think I can... yeah, I can do it." Brother Christianson said, "Good! I need you to do this on Friday." Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the room. When class started, Brother Christianson pulled out a big box of donuts. Now these weren't the normal kinds of donuts, they were the extra fancy BIG kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was pretty excited - it was Friday, the last class of the day, and they were going to get an early start on the weekend. Bro. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked, "Cynthia, do you want a donut?" Cynthia said, "Yes." Bro. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?" Steve said, "Sure," and jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steve again sat in his desk. Bro. Christianson put a donut on Cynthia's desk. Bro Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, "Joe do you want a donut?" Joe said, "Yes." Bro. Christianson asked, "Steve would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have a donut?" Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut. And so it went, down the first aisle, Steve did ten pushups for every person before they got their donut. And down the second aisle, till Bro. Christianson came to Scott. Scott was captain of the football team and center of the basketball team. He was very popular and never lacking for female companionship. When Bro. Christianson asked, "Scott do you want a donut?" Scott's reply was, "Well, can I do my own pushups?" Bro. Christianson said, "No, Steve has to do them." Then Scott said, "Well, I don't want one then." Bro. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten pushups so Scott can have a donut he doesn't want?" Steve started to do ten pushups. Scott said, "Hey! I said I didn't want one!" Bro. Christianson said, "Look, this is my classroom, my class, my desks, and my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don't want it." And he put a donut on Scott's desk. Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be getting up and down. You could start to see a little perspiration coming out around his brow. Bro. Christianson started down the third row. Now the students were A beginning to get a little angry. Bro. Christianson asked Jenny, "Jenny, do you want a donut?" Jenny said, "No." Then Bro. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten pushups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn't want?" Steve did ten, Jenny got a donut. By now, the students were beginning to say "No" and there were all these uneaten donuts on the desks. Steve was also having to really put forth a lot of effort to get these pushups done for each donut. There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved. Bro. Christianson asked Robert to watch Steve to make sure he did ten pushups in a set because he couldn't bear to watch all of Steve's work for all of those uneaten donuts. So Robert began to watch Steve closely. Bro. Christianson started down the fourth row. During his class, however, some students had wandered in and sat along the heaters along the sides of the room. When Bro. Christianson realized this; he did a quick count and saw 34 students in the room. He started to worry if Steve would be able to make it. Bo. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next. Near the end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He was taking a lot more time to complete each set. Steve asked Bro. Christianson, "Do I have to make my nose touch on each one?" Bro. Christianson thought for a moment, "Well, they're your pushups. You can do them any way that you want." And Bro. Christianson went on. A few moments later, Jason came to the room and was about to come in when all the students yelled, "NO! Don't come in! Stay out!" Jason didn't know what was going on. Steve picked up his head and said, "No, let him come." Bro. Christianson said, "You realize that if Jason comes in you will have to do ten pushups for him." Steve said, "Yes, let him come in." Bro. Christianson said, "Okay, I'll let you get Jason's out of the way right now Jason, do you want a donut?" "Yes." "Steve, will you do ten pushups so that Jason can have a donut?" Steve did ten pushups very slowly and with great effort. Jason, bewildered, was handed a donut and sat down. Bro. Christianson finished the fourth row, then started on those seated on the heaters. Steve's arms were now shaking with each pushup in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity. Sweat was dropping off of his face and, by this time, there was not a dry eye in the room. The very last two girls in the room were cheerleaders and very popular. Bro. Christianson went to Linda, the second to last, and asked, "Linda, do you want a doughnut? Linda said, very sadly, "No thank you." Bro. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten pushups so that Linda can have a donut she doesn't want?" Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow pushups for Linda. Then Bro. Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. "Susan, do you want a donut?" Susan, with tears flowing down her face, asked, "Bro. Christianson, can I help him?" Bro. Christianson, with tears of his own, said, "No, he has to do it alone. Steve, would you do ten pushups so Susan can have a donut?" As Steve very slowly finished his last pushup, with the understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 pushups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor. Brother Christianson turned to the room and said. "And so it was, that our Savior, Jesus Christ, plead to the Father, "Into thy hands I commend my spirit." With the understanding that He had done everything that was required of Him, he collapsed on the cross and died. And like some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk, uneaten." -<>- __ /_/\/\ \_\ / /_/ \ \_\/\ \ \_\/ unknown >It Takes More Than Water He stood before Pilate, bleeding and bruised While the crowd cruelly jeered, "here's the King of the Jews" He was spat on and beaten, through emotions so tense Yet, He spoke not a word in His own self-defense. Ever since the betrayal, things happened so quick. The mob's thirst for blood, at a fever pitch. To lessen their guilt, they'd let Pilate decide, If this man called Jesus lived or died. Pilate knew in his heart, he had done no wrong But, he chose to appease this restless throng By asking, "What is it, you say this man's done?" Then the crowd yelled back, "he says he's God's son!" They stood frozen in time, as the seconds slid by. Pilate and Jesus... eye to eye! One official word either way that day Would change things forever in a final way. "I find no wrong in this man before me!" So, he let the crowd choose which one to set free. They screamed out "Barrabbas!" Jesus fate was sealed. An innocent man would die, so the world could be healed. Pilate's heart nearly stopped! The die had been cast! He stood for a moment, his face all aghast. Then requested some water, seems he couldn't wait To cleanse his hands of this doomed man's fate. He felt no redemption from washing his hands. He had sinned, giving in to the crowd's demands. For it takes more than water to wash guilt away, From the dreadful events that took place that day. The power for washing our sin's away Is the blood, Jesus shed on the cross that day. Not in a bowl of water, my friend. When faced with the choice... it's the blood in the end. May 13th - 2003 By Barb Lientz West Plains, Mo - 65774 -<>- >Links for Your Enjoyment :) Sgt. Reckless! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/sgtreckless.html Montreal Mosaicultures Show! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/montrealshow.html Limos In US History! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/limos.html Signs For Woman! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/wsigns.html Mountain Biking! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/mountainbiking.html One Of Those Days! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/days.html Over The Limit! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/overthelimit.html Pets Left Home Alone! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/petshome.html Signs Of A Bad Day! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/badday.html Useless Signs! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/uselesssigns.html Fawn Rescue 2! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/fawnrescue2.html Inspiring Seniors! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/inspiringseniors.html No Words Needed! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/nowords.html God's Night Lights! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/night.html Old US City Photos! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/uscities.html Jesus Laughing Art! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/Jesusart.html Salvation Mountain! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/salvation.html Relics From The Past! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/relics.html God's Water Paintings! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/water.html Akiane - Child Prodigy! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/prodigy.html Beautiful Cactus Blooms! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/cactusblooms.html TROOPS Index! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/911andtroopsindex.html SUMMER Index! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/summerindex.html -<>- Capitol Hill event honors Korean War veterans ahead of armistice anniv. https://tinyurl.com/2s3wva7y How to Become a Christian - How to Get Born Again / How to Get Saved / Romans 10:9 & 10 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMzblR8YDQ0 Bible https://quod.lib.umich.edu/k/kjv/ Bible Study Index http://www.absolutebiblestudy.com/Contents.htm The Way Bible Articles https://thewayinternational.com/english/ Truth Or Tradition.com Index: https://www.truthortradition.com/ The Lion Weekly Digest is a newsletter delivering the week's top articles from The Lion straight to your inbox. Find all of the stories: https://readlion.com/ Latest From PragerU: https://www.prageru.com/ Latest From Mommy Underground: https://mommyunderground.com/ Latest From Christian Life Daily: https://www.christianlifedaily.com/ -<>- >In The Worldly News: President Donald J. Trump https://www.donaldjtrump.com/ Tucker Carlson On Rumble https://rumble.com/c/TuckerCarlson Latest Eric Bolling: https://ericbolling.com/ Latest From Hannity: https://hannity.com/ Latest From American Action News: https://americanactionnews.com/ Latest From Reliable News: https://reliablenewsnow.com/ Latest From Newsmax: https://www.newsmax.com/ Latest From Expose: https://expose-news.com/ Latest From Billings Report: https://billingsreport.com/ Latest From AFA: http://tinyurl.com/j7lakqw Latest From OperationRescue: http://www.operationrescue.org/ Latest Product Alert: http://www.emergencyemail.org/products/?fmt=text Latest Health Alert: http://www.emergencyemail.org/health/?fmt=text Click to Give Free https://greatergood.com/clicktogive/ggc/home -<>- >From Our Friend Melody :) delicious means: | English Vocabulary | Play online, learn online a http://freerice.com/#/english-vocabulary/1481 Flying Over America - YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=KcuDdPo0WZk Gospel Music http://silverandgoldandthee.net/Js/Gp_files/Gp.html --- ...Great Links! Thanks Melody! 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 ========================================================== >-->"I wish you enough!" A message of Hope...stories from the road. Essays, parables and rare moments of clarity. By Bob Perks Copyright 2010 Bob Perks Hello, my friend! Three days and a wake up! That's my "Oh, my! I'm 60!" count down. I do hope you are making the best of these days given to you. Don't waste a moment. Time is not for wasting. Life is a buffet for tasting! Get your fill! Love always and all ways, Bob and Marianne Perks Pearl of Wisdom "I don't want to think that my last day on Earth would be spent thinking about all the time I wasted." Bob Perks (\ /) (v\ /v) (vvv\ /vvv) (vvvvv\ /vvvvv) (vvvvvvv\ /vvvvvvv) (vvvvvvvvv\ _---_ /vvvvvvvvv) (vvvvvvvvvvv\/ XII \/vvvvvvvvvvv) (vvvvvvvvvvvv/ / \vvvvvvvvvvvv) (vvvvvvvvvvv/ / \vvvvvvvvvvv) (vvvvvvvvvv|IX @ III |vvvvvvvvvv) (vvvvvvvvvv\ \ /vvvvvvvvvv) (vvvvvvvvvv\ /vvvvvvvvvv) (vvvvvvvvv\ VI /vvvvvvvvv) (vvvvvvvv-___-vvvvvvvv) (vvvvvv/ \vvvvvv) (vvvvv/ \vvvvv) (vvv/ \vvv) ejm97 (v/ \v) (/ \) >"No one has the time" by Bob Perks I have this old mantle clock that belonged to my mom. My dad gave it to me years ago after mom had passed away. I have mixed emotions about having it. I love it because it was hers, but it also holds some bad memories. You see it chimes. Nothing elaborate. It counts out the hour and rings once on the half. Or at least it used to. Now you never know what number it will ring. The only bad feelings about it comes from the fact that when my mother was home dying from cancer she asked that it be unplugged. Hearing the hours count down really angered and frightened her. Still, I want to get it fixed so we can remember the good hours we had with her. I took it to a local clock shop the other day. "I know this has no particular value as a clock, but it was my Mom's and I need to get it fixed," I said to the shop owner. I went on to describe the problem. "We get a lot of these in. Here's what I do. We remove the clock works and replace it with a battery operated movement that chimes electronically. It will cost about $135.00," he told me. "You can't fix this?" "No, we don't have the time nor the parts." I thanked him and went home. I called a few other places and was told the same thing. "How incredibly sad," I told the last one. We've become a society that replaces craftmanship with convenience and easy fixes. We copy the original instead of creating one. We replace handcrafted with machine cut. We duplicate instead of originate. It sounds so much like life itself. Each of us is an original, one of a kind, but we find it so much easier to copy another style than to develop our own. We are "wanna be's" rather than "hey, world, look at me!" We fail to see the real value in who we are, so we spend our life trying to be someone else. So, this beautiful hand crafted clock will one day be deemed useless. Not because it couldn't be fixed. It's just easier not to. Imagine for a moment if this happened with people. Someone comes into a hospital with a failing heart, kidney, liver or other vital part and the doctor said, "Sorry, we can't fix this... we don't have the parts!" Wait. That does happen. Why? Because we don't have enough organ donors. People would rather die with all their parts to rot in a grave rather than leave them to save someone's life. Oddly, when asked why more people don't sign up to become an organ donor it's for the same reason... "No one has the time!" Make time before your clock stops working! "I wish you enough, J Bob Perks Creative Motivation P.O. Box 1702 Shavertown, Pa. 18708 Contact Bob 2believe@comcast.net ========================================================== >-->From God'sDailyWord: , , /////| ///// | ///// | |~~~| | | |===| |/| | B |/| | | I | | | | B | | | | L | / | E | / |===|/ jgs '---' >A Belief That Saves We are given the gift of eternal life because of our belief in Jesus, not because of what we do; "all our righteous acts are like filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6). Salvation can never be earned; it is a gift to those who believe. However, we must understand what it means to believe and what changes will occur when we believe. "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder" (James 2:19). A saving belief is much more than just acknowledging God's existence or even the existence of His Son - even the demons believe this! Belief in Jesus is never simply an intellectual understanding. Belief implies a humble surrender. We will never "look to the Son" unless we first recognize our eternally lost condition due to sin; and we will never truly "believe in Him" for salvation until we accept our complete inability to save ourselves. A drowning man will never reach up for help until he first understands and accepts his need to be rescued. To be rescued, we must believe so completely that we abandon all other "rescuers" and cling to the only One who can truly save; "any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:33). Giving up everything cannot save us, but true belief gives up all other sources of hope. It also reveals the trivial nature of our worldly attachments and creates an understanding that everything belongs to God. We see our life as lived for Him and desire to do ALL for His glory. James 2:14,17 "What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? ... In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." Belief must produce a change in our life or we know it is not a true belief - it is nothing more than dead intellectual understanding! At the moment we truly believe, we are "marked in Him with a seal, the promised holy spirit" (Ephesians 1:13), and we become "a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17). Belief creates change through the work of the holy spirit!! If we lack the evidence of a changed life, we must not focus on creating the change. This type of change becomes self-righteous "filthy rags." Rather, we must return to the cross and place ALL our trust in Jesus, truly believing He has paid the penalty for our sin and has granted us passage through the narrow gate to eternal life. As we completely turn over control to our Heavenly Father, fruit and good deeds will abound. Our life will be forever changed, but only when we begin with a belief that saves. Have a Christ Centered Day! Steve Troxel God's Daily Word Ministries **** Reading Plan **** Exodus 10:1-12:13; Matthew 20:1-28; Psalm 25:1-11; Proverbs 6:6-11 --- __ /_/\/\ \_\ / /_/ \ \_\/\ \ \_\/ unknown ...Once we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior, Romans 10:9,10 By saying out loud - "Jesus Christ is my Lord" (and Mean it) and know in our heart of hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, then we are saved - born again with God in Christ in us! All hell can't stop us from our eternal life with God through Jesus Christ! -<>- , , /////| ///// | ///// | |~~~| | | |===| |/| | B |/| | | I | | | | B | | | | L | / | E | / |===|/ jgs '---' >Such a Time As This When the Persians overthrew the Babylonians and allowed the people of Israel to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple in 538 BC, not all the Israelites chose to leave their new home. A whole generation had been born and raised under Babylonian captivity and many had become content with their life. Therefore, many Jewish communities thrived under Persian rule. When Xerxes was King of this vast empire, he commanded the Queen to be displayed before all the visiting dignitaries at a banquet. But when the Queen refused, Xerxes removed her title and began to search for a replacement. The search resulted in a young Jewish girl named Esther being made Queen - not a normal position for a young Jew! Meanwhile, a plot had developed to kill the Jews in all the provinces of Persia. Esther's cousin, Mordecai, knew of this plot and pleaded with Esther to approach the King for help, but Esther was understandably reluctant. She was being taken care of very well, and approaching the King without first being invited could lead to death. Mordecai encouraged Esther to view her life as being part of God's wonderful plan. Esther 4:14 "For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" God allowed Esther to become Queen, not as a reward for being good, but "for such a time as this." God could have used other methods to save the Jews, but He chose to invite a beautiful young woman to play a part. Esther put her personal plans on hold, put her life at risk, persuaded the King, and saved her people from certain destruction. The wisdom and truth of Mordecai's words resound through the ages: God's work WILL be accomplished; His plan WILL unfold; deliverance WILL arise! It's humbling, and often very freeing, to know that God really doesn't need us. He is perfectly capable without our help! But it's also very comforting to know that God is inviting us to join Him in His work and walk by His side to certain victory. We may never be invited to a role as dramatic as Esther's, but we can join our Heavenly Father from right where we are today! We have come to our position - no matter how elevated, no matter how low - for the purpose of bringing Him glory and honor. Let's listen carefully for what He's asking us to do, and understand we are right where we need to be and right where He wants us! He has created us for a purpose. He has brought us to our present situation for such a time as this. Have a Christ Centered Day! Steve Troxel God's Daily Word Ministries **** Reading Plan **** Genesis 48:1-49:33; Matthew 15:29-16:12; Psalm 20:1-9; Proverbs 4:20-27 --- ,(()). ,;;;;. __ ________ _____ ___ ((_ _));'_`'_( _| __ __ __ _| _| _| __ __ () \ /)\ ) / (_|__ _|-_| _(_|(_|(_|__ _|-- ((\ O(() \ O / _____(_|(_|_____________(_|_ SSt ...Reminds me of this song: Jeremy Camp - These Days (Lyric Video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qXn2I449qs ========================================================== >-->From CupO'Cheer: ~C /|\/ \| ejm96 /\ / / ~ ~ >QUOTES The purpose of life is not to be happy - but to matter, to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference that you have lived at all. ~Leo Rosten "And yet." Those are my two favorite words, applicable to every situation, be it happy or bleak. The sun is rising? And yet it will set. A night of anguish? And yet it, too, will pass. The important thing is to shun resignation, to refuse to wallow in sterile fatalism. --Elie Wiesel, in "All Rivers Run to the Sea." Source: "Reader's Digest," September 1997 The Bible is the Book above and beyond all books as a river is beyond a rill in reach, as the sun is beyond a tallow candle in brightness, as an orchard is beyond a twig in fruit bearing, as Niagara is beyond a mud puddle in glory. --Robert G. Lee -<>- ,sdPBbs. ,d$$$$$$$$b. d$P'`Y'`Y'`?$b d' ` ' \ `b / | \ \ / / \ | \ _,--' | \ | /' _/ \ | \ _/' /' | \ `-.__ __/' ,-' / | | \ `--...__ /' / | / \ \ `-. `\ / /;;,,__-' / / \ \ `-. / |;;;;;;;\ \ _|_ | /^\ /^\ /___\ /^\ \/^\ | # |__________ /^\/ \| | | # |__________\ . |_|/ | _ | # # # # | X | H | | >HIGHER PLACES By Dean Cooper, Tucson, AZ (edited) I watched a video last week of some mountain climbers and their attempt at climbing Mt. Everest. A couple of things struck me as prophetic. First, the climbers had to get acclimated at a lower altitude before they dared climb to the summit. This actually took several weeks while they allowed their bodies to adjust to the lower oxygen content of the high altitudes. Over time, their bodies actually produced more red blood cells to compensate for the lack of oxygen. They said that if they took a person from sea level directly to the top of Mt. Everest, that the person would die in just minutes because their bodies could not handle the lack of oxygen. But let them acclimate at a lower altitude first, and then they would be able to survive. I sense that God is calling us to get acclimated to His presence and His holiness. Although we enjoy spending times in His presence, we all too quickly return back to the valley -- back to our regular habits and patterns. I believe He is asking us to stop going back down to the valley and to learn to live in His presence so that we'll become acclimated to Him and His holiness and be able to move even higher up His mountain. Moreover, the whole team climbing Mt. Everest had to get acclimated. Even though most of the team would not actually reach the summit themselves, if they were to be of any help, they had to be acclimated as well. I think most will agree, this is not a time to let only the pastor (like Moses) climb the mountain while the rest of the church remains in the valley. But, to really be a help (and not a hindrance), the church needs to get acclimated to the presence and holiness of God. Finally, the climbers in the video didn't waste time making their way to the base of the mountain. They rode a helicopter directly to the base so that they could begin their climb without delay. It's time to get past all the vegetation and foliage that is slowing us down and allow the holy spirit to bring us directly into God's presence. To me, this is exactly what renewal has done, it has made it sooo easy to "jump" into His presence and come close to Him :-) ! But now, the river of God's presence is bringing us to the mountain of His holiness and presence. And while most of us would agree that God is calling us to holiness, I am sensing a call to being "acclimated" to His holiness and presence, and a refusal to make visits back down in the valley. It was in the valley where sin entered the camp and the golden calf was formed, it was on the mountain where Moses met with God! Getting my climbing gear ready! as seen in Laugh and Lift -<>- __-----__ ..;;;--'~~~`--;;;.. /;-~IN GOD WE TRUST~-.\ // ,;;;;;;;; \\ .// ;;;;; \ \\ || ;;;;( /.| || || ;;;;;;; _\ || || ';; ;;;;= || ||LIBERTY | ''\;;;;;; || \\ ,| '\ '|><| 1995 // \\ | | \ A // `;.,|. | '\.-'/ ~~;;;,._|___.,-;;;~' ''=--' - Daniel C Au - >YOU KNOW YOU ARE CHEAP WHEN... The Old Geezer has often been accused of being cheap by Mrs. Geezer and some of my beloved fellow bloggers. And, I have to admit that I tend to be a wee bit frugal at times. But that's because Mrs. Geezer only gives me a $3.00 a week allowance! I've been begging her for a 25 cent a week raise for the past 5 years and I've even threatened to go on a hunger strike. But she just laughs at me and says, "go ahead, it won't hurt you to lose a few lbs." Sometimes it ain't so easy being a "frugal" Old Geezer. The list below seems to me like the perfectly normal life style of a frugal person. After you read it, I would appreciate your honest opinion. Do you think The Old Geezer is cheap? How about you! Do you consider yourself to be cheap or frugal? Is there really a difference? You Know You Are Cheap When... 1. Your thermostat has to reach at least 80 degrees Fahrenheit before you will even consider turning on the air conditioner. In fact, you consider it a thrill to see if you can sweat it out til the mercury rises to 85-90 before caving in. And you never let the air conditioning run for more than a few hours a day. Why spend a few extra bucks when you can sweat out a pound a day? 2. You let the thermostat fall to below 50 degrees Fahrenheit before turning the heat on in winter. Why let the furnace gobble up energy at an alarming rate when you could simply add layers of clothing until you resemble an Eskimo? 3. You reuse paper towels several times before they become trash. You'll even rinse and ring 'em out if you need to. With the prices of paper towels soaring to about a dollar a roll, frugality is necessary! You can make one roll last at least two months, potentially saving you $6 per year. 4. You spend way too much time at the local dollar store. You're there every week, checking for new arrivals. And you actually ask for price checks, in case you've found the elusive sale item. Why pay $1 on something if a similar item is on sale for 75 cents? You could save a whole quarter. That might still buy a stick of gum for cryin' out loud. 5. You watch TV in the dark. Heaven forbid that table lamp two feet from you be turned on. You don't need light to see the TV anyway. Isn't the television a light source? That's all you need to light up the living room. 6. You keep all appliances unplugged when not absolutely necessary. The digital clocks on your microwave and VCR are draining too much electricity. Even the backlit buttons on your toaster are making your meter spin too fast. And forget about that alarm clock. Saving $3 a month on the electric bill is so worth it to run around your house unplugging things. 7. You attend a weekly coupon club. 8. You've been driving on the spare tire for over three months. /\ __ \ .-':::. \ :::::|\ |,\:::'/ \ `.:::-' \ `-. \ ___ `-. | .-'';:::. `-.-' / ',''.;;;\ | ','','.''| |\ ' ,',' /' `.`-.___.-;' `--._.-' AsH 9. Fast food is your idea of fine dining. 10. Your family gets presents a week after Christmas because you love that fifty-percent discount. Posted By The Old Geezer on 6/15/2010 at http://ronjoewhite.blogspot.com -<>- {} {} ! ! II II ! ! ! I__I__II II__I__I ! I_/|--|--|| ||--|--|\_I .-'"'-. ! /|_/| | || || | |\_|\ ! .-'"'-. /=== \ I//| | | || || | | |\\I /=== \ \== / ! /|/ | | | || || | | | \|\ ! \== / \__ _/ I//| | | | || || | | | |\\I \__ _/ _} {_ ! /|/ | | | | || || | | | | \|\ ! _} {_ {_____} I//| | | | | || || | | | | |\\I {_____} ! ! |= |=/|/ | | | | | || || | | | | | \|\=|- | ! ! _I__I__|= ||/| | | | | | || || | | | | | |\|| |__I__I_ -|--|--|- || | | | | | | || || | | | | | | ||= |--|--|- _|__|__| ||_|__|__|__|__|__|__|| ||__|__|__|__|__|__|_||- |__|__|_ -|--|--| ||-|--|--|--|--|--|--|| ||--|--|--|--|--|--|-|| |--|--|- | | |= || | | | | | | || || | | | | | | || | | | | | | || | | | | | | || || | | | | | | ||= | | | | | |- || | | | | | | || || | | | | | | || | | | | | | || | | | | | | || || | | | | | | ||= | | | | | |= || | | | | | | || || | | | | | | || | | | | | | || | | | | | | || || | | | | | | || | | | | | | || | | | | | | || || | | | | | | ||- | | | _|__|__| || | | | | | | || || | | | | | | ||= |__|__|_ -|--|--|= || | | | | | | || || | | | | | | || |--|--|- _|__|__| ||_|__|__|__|__|__|__|| ||__|__|__|__|__|__|_||- |__|__|_ -|--|--|= ||-|--|--|--|--|--|--|| ||--|--|--|--|--|--|-||= |--|--|- jgs | |- || | | | | | | || || | | | | | | ||- | | | ~~~~~~~~~~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^~~~~~~~~~~~ >OUR HEAVENLY FATHER Our Heavenly Father is Eternal, And so are we, my friends. When He created Heaven and Earth, He had His plans for men! Yes, we were in His great creation plan, Sealed there from the start. His plan for us, His children, Was where we got our start. Eons, and eons and eons ago God had each one in mind, We did not start with Adam, For he too, was in God's design. With God there's no beginning, Nor shall there ever be an end, Nothing could prevent us coming, No, not even sin! Many times down through the ages, It seemed, time would be no more, But God would start all over, Like He's always done before. Nothing could prevent our coming, No catastrophe, nor great fall, No flood to kill off wicked men, For with His few He saved us all. Because he is our Eternal Father, We have no beginning, nor an end. Even the wicked live forever, Just think of that my Friends. It was meant for all creation To be born upon this earth. Each time something happened, God would start again through birth. Nothing could prevent His children, Not Plagues, nor wars through wicked men. For God planned us from the beginning, We were destined to come in. He being our Heavenly Father, He knew each individual's heart, He knew just who would love Him, And who would hate him from the start. At times it seemed there was no hope, But just remember friends, God knew us from time eternal, And for us there is no end! Someday God has within His Plan, To start again, anew. For every soul who entered in, Out of the masses there are, but few. Millions God Himself destroyed, Yes, this He had to do, For nothing could prevent His plan, To bring His children through. He even sent His only Son to die, Upon a cruel, cruel cross. And all those who have rejected Him, Took an awesome loss! Being a loving, merciful Father, He loved each and every soul, But many turned away from Him, In God's written word, we're told. They chose Satan for their father, And they followed wicked men, For this they will burn eternally, Within a fiery, burning Den! So this being Father's Day, Stop and think, my friends, Is God your Heavenly Father, Or Satan, the father of sin? Our Heavenly Father is eternal, And so are we all, yes everyone, So Honor Him this Father's Day, Through His only begotten Son. -J.J. Blume -<>- ,=""=, c , _,{ /\ @ ) __ / ^~~^\ <=.,__/ '}= (_/ ,, ,,) \_ _>_/~ ~\_(/-\)'-,_,_,_,-'(_)-(_) -Naughty >STEP BY STEP: BABYPROOFING A HOTEL ROOM One of our challenges on each trip is keeping the kids safe while we're staying in hotels or a vacation rental. Most guidebooks recommend bringing bulky baby proofing items from home… meaning that you either need a second set for travel, or you need to undo your home babyproofing just before leaving & remember to redo it when you return home. You'll probably never take the time, resources or desire to baby- proof a hotel room as completely as you would your own home. However, each the room needs to be safe enough that your child can play with supervision while you get ready in the morning or wind down in the evenings. Using my step-by-step guide all you'll need to bring with you is some duct tape, blue painters tape, and twist-ties or pipe cleaners. 1. Call or email the hotel before the trip and ask about baby proofing (some offer this service or have special baby proofed rooms). 2. Request a crib. Even if your child won't sleep in a strange crib, it's useful to have a safe place to put them for a few minutes. 3. Remove anything dangerous that is within baby's reach. Look for floor lamps, lamps with dangling electrical cords, anything that can be pulled off a table or desk, and any plants. Don't forget to look for small items inside drawers, closets and under beds. Check to make sure that all the furniture in the room is stable. Once you’ve collected everything that is unsafe, call housekeeping to remove the items from your room or hide them in a closet or wardrobe. 4. Secure any loose cords or wires with twist-ties and duct tape. 5. Twist-ties or pipe cleaners can be used to secure drape cords up high where toddlers cannot reach them. 6. Duct tape over any electrical outlets. If the outlets are painted or wall-papered, use blue painters tape instead. It's not as secure, but it won't damage the surface. (Thanks Parent Hacks!) 7. Use painter's tape to secure dresser drawers so that they cannot be opened. 8. Look for exposed light bulbs on bedside reading lights or in other spots where a small child might reach them. Remove the lamp or use duct tape to secure the switch in the off position. 9. Look for furniture with sharp corners. Use paper (usually available in a hotel stationary kit) and duct tape to make a cushion for each corner. 10. Water in hotels can be very hot. Make sure that your child cannot reach the bathroom tap. (If they can, you'll need to keep the bathroom door closed and supervise them carefully.) If there's a bidet in the room, it likely has a faucet handle that is very low to the ground. Turn the water off at the wall or call engineering to turn the water off. 11. Check the crib for safety. Remove any loose bedding and make sure that the mattress fits snugly. Hotels will often add a thick mattress to a pack-and-play, thinking that they're ensuring a more comfortable night for baby, but because the sides of the pack and play are stretchy, baby's head can become trapped between the mattress and the side of the crib. Finally, place the crib where baby will not be able to reach anything dangerous or anything that might enable them to climb out and be mindful of whether heating and cooling vents are blowing on the crib. 12. Bathroom doors need to be babyproofed too… To prevent pinched fingers from an open door, throw a washcloth over the top of the door to prevent it from closing fully. Tape over the lock to prevent a toddler from locking themselves in the bathroom. Try to keep the bathroom door closed to keep babies out. 13. Close and lock all windows and balconies, even those with screens and move furniture away from windows and balconies. 14. Put the trashcan (with it's germs, plastic bags, and soon your trash) out of reach. 15. You'll need to take a quick survey of the electrical outlets and your other baby proofing "hacks" after every housekeeping visit to ensure that your babyproofing measures are still in place. No matter what you do, you'll still need to keep an eye on your child, as you'll never be as aware of the dangers in a strange place as you are at home. as seen at www.deliciousbaby.com Available Free by E-mail every other day. To SUBSCRIBE: Send an e-mail with SUBSCRIBE CUP O'CHEER in the subject line to cheer316@sc.rr.com. ========================================================== >-->From LaughAndLift: "When we commit ourselves to times of solitude with the Lord, we cannot know what will happen... How we will change, in what directions we might grow. But we can be certain that time with God will result in something good, something beneficial for us and for those around us." - Penelope J. Stokes !|| !|||| ,/|||| !|'''| `\ | )\ \ ejm / \ \ \ >The Pine Wood Derby (Author Unknown) My son Gilbert was eight years old and had been in Cub Scouts only a short time. During one of his meetings he was handed a sheet of paper, a block of wood and four tires and told to return home and give all to "dad." That was not an easy task for Gilbert to do. See, I'm the only one really raising Gilbert. His dad was not receptive to doing things with his son. But Gilbert tried. Dad read the paper and scoffed at the idea of making a pine wood derby car with his young, eager son. The block of wood remained untouched as the weeks passed. Finally, I stepped in to see if I could figure this all out. The project began. Having no carpentry skills, I decided it would be best if I simply read the directions and let Gilbert do the work. And he did. I read aloud the measurements and the rules of what we could and couldn't do. Within days his block of wood was turning into a pinewood derby car. A little lopsided, but looking great (at least through my eyes). Gilbert had not seen any of the other kids cars and was feeling pretty proud of his "Blue Lightning," the pride that comes with knowing you did something on your own. Then the big night came. With his blue pinewood derby in his hand and pride in his heart we headed to the big race. Once there my little one's pride turned to humility. Gilbert's car was obviously the only car made entirely on his own. All the other cars were a father-son partnership, with cool paint jobs and sleek body styles made for speed. A few of the boys giggled as they looked at Gilbert's, lopsided, wobbly, unattractive vehicle. To add to the humility Gilbert was the only boy without a man at his side. A couple of the boys who were from single parent homes at least had an uncle or grandfather by their side. Gilbert had "mom." As the race began it was done in elimination fashion. You kept racing as long as you were the winner. One by one the cars raced down the finely sanded ramp. Finally it was between Gilbert and the sleekest, fastest looking car there. As the last race was about to begin, my wide-eyed, shy eight year old asked if they could stop the race for a minute, because he wanted to pray. The race stopped. Gilbert hit his knees clutching his funny looking block of wood between his hands. With a wrinkled brow he set to converse with his Father. He prayed in earnest for a very long minute and a half. Then he stood, smile on his face and announced, "Okay, I am ready." As the crowd cheered, a boy named Tommy stood with his father as their car sped down the ramp. Gilbert stood with his Father within his heart and watched his block of wood wobble down the ramp with surprisingly great speed and rushed over the finish line a fraction of a second before Tommy's car. Gilbert leaped into the air with a loud "Thank you" as the crowd roared in approval. The Scout Master came up to Gilbert with microphone in hand and asked the obvious question, "So you prayed to win, huh, Gilbert?" To which my young son answered, "Oh, no sir. That wouldn't be fair to ask God to help you beat someone else. I just asked Him to make it so I don't cry when I lose." Children seem to have a wisdom far beyond us. Gilbert didn't ask God to win the race. He didn't ask God to fix the outcome. Gilbert asked God to give him strength in the outcome. When Gilbert first saw the other cars, he didn't cry out to God, "No fair, they had a father's help." No, he went to his Father for strength. Perhaps we spend too much of our prayer time asking God to rig the race, to make us number one, or too much time asking God to remove us from the struggle, when we should be seeking God's strength to get through the struggle. "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13 Gilbert's simple prayer spoke volumes to those present that night. He never doubted that God would indeed answer his request. He didn't pray to win, thus hurt someone else, he prayed that God supply the grace to lose with dignity. Gilbert, by his stopping the race to speak to his Father also showed the crowd that he wasn't there without a "dad," but his Father was most definitely there with him. Yes, Gilbert walked away a winner that night, with his Father at his side. 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 ========================================================== _ _|_|_ ,|_| |_|_ || | | |_| || | | | | || | | | | _|| | | | | ||)\ ^ ^ ^ | || | | || | | || | | \\ | \\ / ejm )\ ( / \ \ / \ \ \ \ >-->Purpose Driven Life This is a short interview with Rick Warren, "Purpose Driven Life" author, and pastor of Saddleback Church in California. In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said: People ask me, What is the purpose of life? And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven. One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body - but not the end of me. I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal of God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity. We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense. Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one. The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort. God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy. We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness. This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer. I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore. Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life. No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on. And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good for which you can thank God. You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems. If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, "which is my problem, my issues, my pain." But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others. We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her. It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people. You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life. Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy. It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease. So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72. First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases. Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church. Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation. Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free. We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity? Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)? When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do. That's why we're called human beings, not human doings. Happy moments, PRAISE GOD. Difficult moments, SEEK GOD. Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD. Painful moments, TRUST GOD. Every moment, THANK GOD. >Updated FUN STUFF URLS - Oh Yeah, Shangy! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/urls.html FUN URLS ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -->ShangyFunList AD RATES: $35 will get your a message (of up to 40 words) out to all web site list readers. Email me to secure dates. Ad Request ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -->FULL LENGTH - FREE On line AUDIO MP3 Christian Foundational Class NEW LIFE IN CHRIST! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -->This is for all you who love food and DARE to make it at home Yep. You guessed it - Recipes. These are Tried and True, Yummy to the Tummy, good old fashioned home cooking recipes that are EASY to do Visit Shangy's Easy-Does-It Home Recipes: http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/easy.html Home Recipes >Got A good Recipe? SHARE IT HERE: Share A Recipe **********************************************************************