Saturday, November 24, 2012

                                WHO PUSHES YOUR SWING?
      Children love to swing. There's nothing like it. Thrusting your feet
toward the sky, leaning so far backward that everything looks upside down.
Spinning trees, a stomach that jumps into your throat. Ahhh, swinging...
      I learned a lot about trust on a swing. As a child, I only trusted
certain people to push my swing. If I was being pushed by people I trusted,
(like Dad or Mom), they could do anything they wanted. They could twist me,
turn me, stop me...I loved it! I loved it because I trusted the person
pushing me. But let a stranger push my swing (which often happened at
family reunions and Fourth of July picnics), and it was hang on baby! Who
knew what this new comer would do? When a stranger pushes your swing, you
tense up, ball up, and hang on.
     It's no fun when your swing is in the hands of someone you don't know.
     Remember when Jesus stilled the storm in Matthew 8? The storm wasn't
just a gentle spring rain. This was a storm. Matthew calls the storm a
"seismos," which is the Greek word for earthquake. The waves in this
earthquake were so high that the boat was hidden. The sea of Galilee can
create a vicious storm...
     No, sir, this was no spring shower. This was a storm deluxe. It was
frightening enough to scare the pants (or robes) off of a dozen disciples.
Even veteran fishermen like Peter knew this storm could be their last. So,
with fear and water on their faces, they ran to wake up Jesus.
    They ran to do what? Jesus was asleep? Waves tossing the boat like
popcorn in a popper, and Jesus was asleep? Water flooding the deck and
soaking the sailors, and Jesus was in dreamland? How in the world could he
sleep through a storm?
    Simple. He knew who was pushing the swing.
    The disciples' knees were knocking because their swing was being pushed
by a stranger. Not so with Jesus. He could find peace in the storm.

    We live in a stormy world. At this writing, wars rage at both
hemispheres of our globe. World conflict is threatening all humanity. Jobs
are getting scarce. Money continues to get tight. Families are coming apart
at the seams.
    Everywhere I look, private storms occur. Family deaths, strained
marriages, broken hearts, lonely evenings. We must remember who is pushing
the swing. We must put our trust in Him. We can't grow fearful. He won't
let us stumble.
    Who pushes your swing? In the right hands, you can find peace...even in
the storm.

YOU TOOK MY PLACE

YOU TOOK MY PLACE

One day, a man went to visit a church. He got there early, parked his

car and got out. Another car pulled up near and the driver got out and said,

"I always park there! You took my place!"

The visitor went inside for Sunday School, found an empty seat and sat

down. A young lady from the church approached him and stated,

"That's my seat! You took my place!"

The visitor was somewhat distressed by this rude welcome, but said nothing.

After Sunday School, the visitor went into the sanctuary and sat down.

Another member walked up to him and said, "That's where I always sit!

You took my place!" The visitor was even more troubled by this treatment,

But still He said nothing.

Later as the congregation was praying for Christ to dwell among them,

The visitor stood up, and his appearance began to change.

Horrible scars became visible on his hands and on his sandaled feet.

Someone from the congregation noticed him and called out, "What happened

to you?"

The visitor replied, as his hat became a crown of thorns,

and a tear fell from his eye, "I took your place."

YOU DECIDE

      Did you know that there are three levels on which God can deal with you and that we must determine that level? You must decide: Is God going to treat me like a thing, like an animal, or like one of His own children? You will find this in Psalm 32. God had to treat David like a thing (a sponge), and God's hand was heavy on him (v. 34). David was rebelling. He was not acting like God's child. Instead of confessing his sin, he was covering his sin. But the Bible says, "He who covers his sins will not prosper" (Prov.
28:13). So what did God do? He had to treat David like a thing. He just put His hand on David and began to squeeze all the life out of him. David finally woke up and confessed his sin.
      God also had to treat David like an animal. (Ps. 32:9). God warns us, "Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you" (v.9). David had acted like a horse when he sinned. Impulsively he rushed ahead and sinned. And then he became stubborn like a mule and would not confess his sin. So God had to deal with him...      But God wants to deal with us like children. "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye [on you]" (vs.8). God doesn't want to control us with bits and bridles, although sometimes He has to do that. Sometimes He...[allows] sickness or a
handicap, or an accident to break our wills. He says, "I'd much rather guide you with My eye on you. I'd much rather instruct you." You can instruct a horse or a mule to a certain extent -- but not the way you can a child....
    Oh, how much He loves you! He wants to work in you and through you and for you to bring about His very best in your life today.
How is God dealing with you today? Are you being rebellious or stubborn? Will you choose to submit to Him and confess your sins?

* DEAR GOD, I know that You want to treat me like Your child; You love me
with an everlasting love. I want to be treated like your child,
too. Please transform me and make me be truly deserving of Your love. Take
away the rebellious and stubborn spirit in me. Let me not cover my sins
anymore. I can live an adulterous life and hide under the shroud of
convenience and rationalization. I can lie and cover up my lies one after
the other but this only brings me to a world of illusions, of make believe.
Oh Lord, there is nothing I can hide from You. Direct my life and grant me
a contrite spirit. Teach me to be true to You by being true to my spouse,
to my children, my family, and to each one You have brought into my life.
You said, "The truth shall set you free," so please set me free from this
bondage of sin as You inspire me to live a life of truth and love. Lord,
all this I ask because I have hurt You...because I love You!.

WORLD IS MINE

THE WORLD IS MINE

Today, upon a bus, I saw a very beautiful woman.
And wished I were as beautiful.
When suddenly she rose to leave,
I saw her hobble down the aisle.
She had one leg and wore a crutch.
But as she passed, she passed a smile.
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.
I have two legs; the world is mine.

I stopped to buy some candy.
The lad who sold it had such charm.
I talked with him, he seemed so glad.
If I were late, it'd do no harm.
And as I left, he said to me,
"I thank you, you've been so kind.
It's nice to talk with folks like you.
You see," he said, "I'm blind."
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.
I have two eyes; the world is mine.

Later while walking down the street,
I saw a child I knew.
He stood and watched the others play,
but he did not know what to do.
I stopped a moment and then I said,
"Why don't you join them dear?"
He looked ahead without a word.
I forgot, he couldn't hear.
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.
I have two ears; the world is mine.

With feet to take me where I'd go.
With eyes to see the sunset's glow.
With ears to hear what I'd know.
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.
I've been blessed indeed, the world is mine.

* DEAR LORD, teach us to be thankful for all that you have
given us. Help us to be content with what comes from You,
remembering that what You choose is better than what we
choose. You are the Potter and we are the clay. Turn our
lives and do what in Your divine knowledge is best for us.
Lord, I trust You...let Your will be done in my life.

WHAT LOVE IS

>THIS IS WHAT LOVE IS ALL ABOUT
>It was a busy morning, approximately 8:30 am, when an elderly gentleman
>in his 80's, arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He stated
>that he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am.
>
>I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over
>an hour before someone would to able to see him. I saw him looking at
>his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I
>would evaluate his wound.
>
>On exam it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the
>needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound.
>
>While taking care of his wound, we began to engage in conversation I
>asked him if he had a doctor's appointment this morning, as he was in
>such a hurry. The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the
>nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife.
>
>I then inquired as to her health. He told me that she had been there for
>a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer Disease. As we talked,
>and I finished dressing his wound, I asked if she would be worried if he
>was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she
>had not recognized him in five years now.
>
>I was surprised, and asked him. "And you still go every morning, even
>though she doesn't know who you are?" He smiled as he patted my hand and
>said. "She doesn't know me, but I still know who she is."
>
>I had to hold back tears as he left, I had goose bumps on my arm, and
>thought, "That is the kind of love I want in my life." True love is
>neither physical, nor romantic.
>
>True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will
>not be.
>
>With all the jokes and fun that are in e-mails, sometimes there are some
>that come along that have an important message, and this is one of those
>kind. Just had to share it with you all.
>
>Oh, by the way, peace is seeing a sunset and knowing who to thank.
>
>"The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything;
>they just make the best of everything that comes along their way."
>
>Please share this with someone you care about -
>
>I JUST DID.

WAR I WILL NOT FEAR

               IN WAR...I WILL TRUST AND NOT BE AFRAID
      July 29, 1970 ended our son's forty-day leave. Within hours he would board a plane for Nha Trang, Vietnam. I stood at the bedroom door as he put on his army uniform. Our son -- only three weeks after he became engaged to Marie -- was off to war. I blinked back tears.      Butch forced a smile with, "Dad, take care of my girls," meaning his
mother and Marie. I nodded, unable to speak.
     The phone rang. Ruby answered, then beckoned to me "That was the surgeon at the hospital ," she whispered. "It's about that lump in my breast. They won't know if it's cancer until after the biopsy. Should we tell Butch?" I shook my head.
     Our son left and my wife went into the hospital. Despair swept over me as I imagined the worst: Butch returning in a box and Ruby losing a downhill battle with cancer.
     I went outside and stared at our giant oak. Soon the leaves would turn fiery gold. When the oak was bathed in color, the leaves would tumble, and the tree would be bare. Yet spring would bring new life. To most trees, but not all. When their time came, trees died, the same as people. I knew what I must do -- trust in the Lord...trust all my seasons to Him.     The tumor turned out to be benign. One year later our son returned,
with new lines etched in his face and terrible experiences etched in his mind. But he was alive. He was home again.     I trusted our Father and he had blessed us with another spring.

   * Heavenly Father, at times we cannot understand why you allow wars and conflicts on earth. It's really beyond us, Lord. Forgive us if we ask by what mysterious judgment do you allow the innocent ones to die? We cannot know. We can only find assurance in the promise that in all things You work for the good of those who love You, all who are called according to Your plan. And so, wherever our war may find us -- in the hospital, in the battlefield, in our heart -- we will trust and be not afraid. We shall bear our griefs with gratitude. Just as we accept our joy without question. For You are our shelter and our refuge. And great is Your faithfulness, O Lord.

VISITING SUNDAY

                                       VISITING DAY

      He was looking forward to this moment all day long, after 6 days of labour and it finally arrived - Visiting Day!
      The Man with the keys arrived to swing open the large, heavy doors. The cold gray hall springs to life in the warm glow of light.
He could hardly control His emotions.
      The families began to arrive. He peers from the corner of the room longing for the 1st glimpse of his loved one. He lives for the weekends. He lives for these visits.
      As the cars arrive, he watches intently. Then, finally, they arrive, for whom he would do anything. They embrace, eat a light lunch and reminisce how things used to be.
      At one point, they break into singing, with interruptions of laughter and applause. But all too soon it is over. A tear comes to his eyes as they depart.
      Then the Man with the keys closes the heavy doors. He hears the key turn in the lock marking the end of a special day. There he stands, alone again.
      He knows that most of his visitors will not contact him again till next week.
     As the last car pulls away from the parking lot, Jesus retreats into loneliness as he waits until next Sunday -- Visiting Day.
     Is the time that we spend with Jesus an everyday thing, or do we just visit him on Sunday? Think about it ...

PRAYER: MY delight is in You, Lord. Let me always remember You in my mind and in my heart. Teach me to focus my entire life on You. Bring me into Your holy presence, where I may share my little and big concerns with You, where I may truly thank You
for Your goodness. Encourage me to come into fellowship with You, to visit You no matter the circumstance. Lord, let me come to You in so many ways, not only on Sundays, but all the days of my life.

FATHER, MAKE US ONE

                                                 FATHER, MAKE US ONE       When the Old and New Cities of Jerusalem were reunited in 1967, a recently widowed Arab woman, who had been living in Old Jerusalem up to 1948, wanted to see once more the house in which she formerly lived.       Now that the city was one, she searched for and found her old home. She knocked on the door of the apartment, and a Jewish widow came to the door, and greeted her. The Arab woman explained that she had lived there until 1948, and wanted to look around. She was invited in, and offered coffee.
      The Arab woman said, "When I lived here, I hid some valuables. If they are still here, I will share them with you, half and half."      The Jewish woman refused. "If they belonged to you, and are still here, they are yours." After much discussion back and forth, they entered the bathroom, loosened the floor planks, and found a hoard of gold coins.
      The Jewish woman said, "I shall ask the government to let you keep them." She did and permission was granted.
      The two widows visited each other again, and again, and one day, the Arab woman told her, "You know, in the 1948 fighting here, my husband and I were so frightened that we ran away to escape. We grabbed our belongings, took the children, and each fled separately. We had a three-month-old son. I thought my husband had taken him, and he thought I had him. Imagine our grief when we were reunited in Old Jerusalem to find that neither of us had taken the child."
      The Jewish woman turned pale, and asked the exact date. The Arab woman named the date and the hour, and the Jewish widow told her: "My husband was one of the Israeli troops that entered Jerusalem. He came into this house, and found a baby on the floor. He asked if he could keep the house and the baby, too. Permission was granted."
      At that moment, a twenty-year-old Israeli soldier in uniform walked into the room, and the Jewish woman broke down in tears. "This is your son," she cried.
      This is one of those incredible tales we hear. And the aftermath? The two women liked each other so much that the Jewish widow asked the Arab mother:
      "Look, we are both widows living alone. Our children are grown up. This house has brought you luck. You have found your son, or our son. Why don't we live together?" And they did!

* PRAYER: Heavenly Father, help me find ways of bringing people together.
Let me sow love and peace in this world. Remind me that peace is not made at the council tables, or treaties, but in the hearts of men. Make us always the instrument of Your peace and love. FATHER, MAKE US ONE.

UNDELIVERED LETTER

THE UNDELIVERED LETTER

Some years ago there lived in an English city a man whom I shall call Fred Armstrong. He worked in the local post office, where he was called 'dead-letter man' because he handled missives whose addresses were faulty or hard to read. He lived in an old house with his little wife and even smaller daughter and tiny son.

After supper he liked to sit in his easy chair and tell his children of his latest exploits in delivering lost letters. He considered himself quite a detective. There was no cloud on his modest horizon. No cloud -- until one sunny morning when his little boy suddenly fell ill. Within 48 hours the child was dead.

In his sorrow, Fred Armstrong's soul seemed to die. The mother and their little daughter, Marian, struggled to control their grief, determined to make the best of it. Not so with the father. His life was now a dead letter with no direction. In the morning, Fred rose from his bed and went to work like a sleep walker. He never spoke unless spoken to and he ate his lunch alone. He sat like a statue at the supper table and went to bed early. Yet, his wife knew that he lay most of the night with his eyes open, staring at the ceiling. As the months passed, his apathy seemed to deepen. His wife told him that such despair was unfair to their lost son and unfair to the living. But nothing that she said seemed to reach him.

It was coming close upon Christmas. One bleak afternoon at work Fred sat on his high stool and moved a new pile of letters under the electric lamp. On the top of the stack was an envelope that was clearly undeliverable. In crude block letters were penciled the words: SANTA CLAUS NORTH POLE -- Fred started to throw it away, when some impulse made him pause. He opened the letter and read:

Dear Santa Claus,

We are very sad in our house this year, and I don't want you to bring me anything. My little brother went to heaven last spring. All I want you to do when you come to our house is to take Brother's toys to him. I'll leave them in the corner by the kitchen stove; his hobby horse and train and everything. I know he'll be lost up in heaven without them, most of all his horse. He always liked riding it so much. So you must take them to him, please. And, you need not mind leaving me anything. But, if you could give Daddy something that would make him like he used to be, and make him tell me stories, I do wish you would. I heard him say to Mommy once that only Eternity could cure him. Could you bring him some of that and I will be your good little girl.

- Love, Marian

That night Fred walked home at a faster gait. In the winter darkness he stood in the dooryard garden for just a moment. Then, he opened the kitchen door. He hugged his wife and asked his little daughter if she was ready to hear a story.
______________________________
Like refreshing rain in summer,
Like the gentle breeze in Spring,
Your Word, Lord, make me realize-
"It is well, it is well, my dear child."
______________________________

TOUCHING LIFE

                                 TOUCHING LIFE
             "Preserve my life according to your love." (Psalm 119:88)
      The sounds of the delivery room receded to a quiet murmur of post-delivery activities and near-whispered comments between the parents.
The father, gowned, with a hair net and masked face, leaned forward, touching the child who was cuddled to the mother. She looked down on the baby who was scowling, her eyes tightly shut. With a sense of awe, the mother stretched forth one finger to gently smooth the child's wrinkled
forehead. The need to touch her daughter was urgent, yet she was careful.
     Developmental psychologists who have examined the process of childbirth and witnessed thousands of deliveries inform us that the need to gently touch one's newborn is a near-universal impulse crossing all cultural boundaries. Obviously, we have been created with an innate need to
physically connect with our offspring.
     In this sense, we are very much like God.
     In the "Creation of Adam," one of Michelangelo’s famous frescoes that decorated the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, he portrays the hand of Adam outstretched with a finger pointed. Opposite to it you see the hand of God in a similar pose reaching towards man. The two fingertips are nearly
touching. No image clearly reveals the Father's heart. He is ever-reaching out His hand to touch, with gentleness and love, those who are created in His own image.
     Mothers and God share a common bond then, do they not? Both possess a deep reverence for life that they have brought into the world. Both yearn to touch those made in their image.

* DEAR LORD, through a mother's touch and love manifested so dearly to her new-born child, thank you for reminding me of your great love for me. I love to dwell upon the thought that You lovingly touch my life because You care for me. In times of joy and in times of difficulty You are always by my side. It matters not what life may bring, for I know that even while I was still in my mother's womb you already took care of me and would keep me to the end of my days. Lord, You're my guide and my refuge...I never walk alone.

TENDER TOUCH

                                 THE VALUE OF TENDER TOUCH

        Touch is one of the most powerful communication tools. From a
mother's cradling embrace to a friend's comforting hug or a marriage
partner's caress, TOUCH has the special power to messages of union and
communion. Even a momentary and seemingly incidental touch on your
partner's shoulder or hand can strengthen the marital bond by conveying
affirmation, comfort and security.

       When Shirley and I were married at age nineteen in Nashville, Mack
Craig gave us a Bible with our married names on it. It's the only wedding
gift that has stayed with us through the years. We've read it together, and
we have always been faithful in church attendance and activity.
        And still we almost "came unglued"
        The entertainment business takes a terrible toll on marriages. The
stress and temptations tore at the very underpinnings of our marriage, and
for two years we thought it was over. But one day, walking past the piano
in our living room, I focused on a picture of Shirley that I'd seen a
countless times before. This time it transfixed me. It was a picture of her
at the age of three, with her arms around her father, Red Foley, [tenderly
TOUCHING him], and the adoring, needful, poignant expression of that little
girl seared itself into my heart. I realized that she was still that little
girl. Oh, she was now in her thirties with four kids, and a wonderful wife
and mother. I was used to seeing her as a grown woman, with some of the
wounds and resulting defences right at the surface. Her dad had recently
gone to be with the Lord, and I knew that little girl still needed a man to
protect, love, and nurture her.
        Suddenly, I wanted to be that man. I shared that with her, and we
shared some tears. The next Father's Day, she gave me a framed picture of
her as a little girl, and on the back she wrote: "Take care of this little
girl -- she needs you."
        It's been twenty-five years or more now, and I pray and worship
with that little girl, my grown-up wife, all the time. We're growing older,
but we're still kids to each other -- and somehow, kids can just love God
and each other better than grown-ups. What was it that Jesus said? "Except
you become like little children, you shall in no wise enter into the
Kingdom of Heaven" (Matthew 18:2).

By Pat Boone

       PRAYER: "Gracious God, we thank you for the meaning -- even the
healing -- of one human being reaching out to touch another person. Your
touch gives us hope and motivation to reach out our healing arms to one
another. We thank you for the precious gift of a gentle caress. Help us to
practice the ministry of meaningful touch with each other...Amen."

YOUR KIND OF DAY

CHOOSE YOUR KIND OF DAY

I woke up early today, excited over all I get to do before the clock strikes midnight. I have responsibilities to fulfil today. I am important.
My job is to choose what kind of day I am going to have.
Today I can complain because the weather is rainy or I can be thankful that the grass is getting watered for free.
Today I can feel sad that I don't have more money or I can be glad that my finances encourage me to plan my purchases wisely and guide me away from waste.
Today I can grumble about my health or I can rejoice that I am alive.
Today I can lament over all that my parents didn't give me when I was growing up or I can feel grateful that they allowed me to be born.
Today I can cry because roses have thorns or I can celebrate that thorns have roses.
Today I can mourn my lack of friends or I can excitedly embark upon a quest to discover new relationships.
Today I can whine because I have to go to work or I can shout for joy because I have a job to do.
Today I can complain because I have to go to school or eagerly open my mind and fill it with rich new titbits of knowledge.
Today I can murmur dejectedly because I have to do housework or I can feel honoured because the Lord has provided shelter for my mind, body and soul.
Today stretches ahead of me, waiting to be shaped. And here I am, the sculptor who gets to do the shaping.
What today will be like is up to me. I get to choose what kind of day I will have!

THREE TREES

The Three Trees

Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing
their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, "Someday I hope to be a
treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems.
I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the
beauty."

Then the second tree said, "Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take
kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world.
Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull."

Finally the third tree said, "I want to grow to be the tallest and
straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the Hill
and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and How
close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and
people will always remember me." After a few years of praying that their
dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees.

When one came to the first tree he said, "This looks like a strong tree,
I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter," and he began
cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter
would make him into a treasure chest.

At the second tree the woodsman said, "This looks like a strong tree, I
should be able to sell it to the shipyard." The second tree was happy
because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.

When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened
because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come
true. One of the woodsmen said, "I don't need anything special from my
tree, I'll take this one," and he cut it down.

When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed
box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This
was not at all what he had prayed for.

The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams
of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end.

The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark. The
years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams.

Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they
placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first
tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but
this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this
event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.

Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second
tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on
the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong
enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and He
stood and said "Peace" and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree
knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.

Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the
streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came
to a stop; the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die
at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that
it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to
God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.

The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your
way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in
Him, He will give you great gifts. Each of the trees got what they
wanted, just not in the way they had imagined. We don't always know what
God's plans are for us. We just know that His ways are not our ways, but
His ways are always best.

Please keep this moving... pass it on, so He may inspire more
people on the way. May your day be blessed. And until we meet
again, may God cradle you in the palm of His hand.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Subject: Food for thought!

Sign on a famous beauty parlour window: Don't whistle at the girl going out from here. She may be your Grandmother!!

Advertisement in Pune Shop : Guitar, for sale.......cheap...........no strings attached.

advance."

Behind every great man, there is a surprised woman.

A Spouse is someone who'll stand by you through all the trouble you wouldn't have had if you'd stayed single.

Smoking helps you lose weight ... one lung at a time!

When I read about the evils of drinking...I gave up reading.

My Grandfather is eighty and still doesn't need glasses... He drinks straight out of the bottle.

I always leave an empty milk carton in the refrigerator just in case someone wants Black Coffee.

Laugh and the world laughs with you, Snore and you sleep alone.

The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is the fact that it has never tried to contact us.

Seen on a bulletin board: Success is relative. More the success, more the relatives.

Sign at a barber's saloon in Juhu, Bombay: We need your heads to run our business.

A traffic slogan: Don't let your kids drive if they are not old enough or else they will never be.

Seen in railway station at Patna: Aana free, Jaana free, Pakde gaye to khana free.

U IN JESUS

                               "The U in JesUs"

                          Before U were thought of...
                              or time had begun...
                              God even stuck U...
                           In the name of His Son...

                            And each time U pray...
                            You'll see it's true...
                          You can't spell out JesUs...
                              And not include U...

                          You're a pretty big part...
                            Of His wonderful name...
                             For U, He was born...
                             That's why He came...

                          And His great love for U...
                            Is the reason He died...
                               It even takes U...
                             To spell crUcified...

                             Isn't it thrilling...
                            And splendidly grand...
                            He rose from the dead...
                             With U in His plan?...

                            The stones split away...
                            The gold trUmpet blew...
                         And this word resUrrection...
                             Is spelled with a U...

                            When JesUs left earth...
                           At His upward ascension...
                         He felt there was one thing...
                           He just had to mention...

                             "Go into the world...
                           And tell them it's true...
                            That I love them all...
                             Just like I love U..."

                            So many great people...
                            Are spelled with a U...
                           Don't they have a right...
                             To know JesUs too?...

                             It all depends now...

                              On what U will do...
                           He'd like them to know...
                          But it all starts with U...

                           Will yoU pass this on...?

THAT'S GOD

THAT’S GOD

Have you ever been just sitting there and all of a sudden you feel like doing something nice for someone you care for. . .. THAT'S GOD.. ... He talks to you through the Holy Spirit.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Have you ever been down and out and nobody seems to be around for you to talk to. .. .. THAT'S GOD.. .. He wants you to talk to Him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Have you ever been thinking about somebody that you haven't seen in a long time and then next thing you know you see them or receive a phone call from them. . .. THAT'S GOD.. there is no such thing as coincidence.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Have you ever received something wonderful that you didn't even ask for, like money in the mail, a debt that had mysteriously been cleared, or a coupon to a department store where you had just seen something you wanted, but couldn't afford. ... . THAT'S GOD... He knows the desires of your heart. .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Have you ever been in a situation and you had no clue how it is going to get better, but now you look back on it. . . THAT'S GOD... He passes us through tribulation to see a brighter day. ..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DO YOU THINK THAT THIS E-MAIL WAS ACCIDENTALLY SENT TO YOU?
NOPE!
I was thinking of You! Please pass this along and share the Power of God.

In all that we do, we should totally give HIM thanks and our blessings will continue to multiply. This message was sent to me by a close friend so please pass it on to all of your good friends. Keep this going for an eternity.

NOW THAT'S GOD!!!!!!!!

Don't tell GOD how big your storm is.
Tell the storm how big your GOD is!!!

TEST OF TRUE LOVE

THE GREATEST TEST OF TRUE LOVE
The most important, most critical component in successful loving is commitment. Not love.
It's easy to love without commitment. People do it all the time. Easy to love, to give of oneself for a while. But commitment implies bonding in such a way that one promises to keep the fires of love burning indefinitely. It also means shutting one's heart to the possibility of loving another who might even be more attractive, even more lovable. Not easy. This is why solid commitments are not at all as common as we are led to believe. In fact, more often than not, I think that the commitment two lovers make are not equal. What I mean is that the commitment of one might be a whole lot more or a whole lot less than the partner's. We see it all the time. One loves more than the other and is more committed than the other. We have often seen lopsided love relationships where one partner is giving so much more to the relationship than the other.

But writers and poets seem to always indicate that love isn't just a two-way street, but an equal two-way street. That hardly ever happens. It is impossible to determine exactly how much a man loves a woman or how much a woman cares for a man. Love cannot be measured and that can be a huge problem. You can love someone and tell him "I love you" and you're telling the truth. But how much do you love him? Enough to let him court you? Enough to marry him? Enough to die for him? THE GREATEST TEST OF TRUE LOVE is commitment. And the greatest indicator of deep love is deep commitment. I have heard people say all the right words, make all the right moves and pledge undying love, only to walk away weeks or months later. Were they in love? Sure they were. But not enough to allow them to hold strong in their love. Not enough to keep a commitment regardless of the pain.

Lover gets this sinking feeling when there is a sense that one is more committed than the other. When
one is giving a lot more than one is receiving. When one's love is a lot more solid than the creaky love of the partner. When a couple believe strongly that their commitment to each other is rock solid, there is a deep sense of security, a feeling that it's OK to give all because the gift of yourself is safe in the hands of the beloved. If, however, there is doubt or, even worse, the conviction that one is engaged in one-way giving, in a one-way commitment that is lopsided, then there is a tendency to pull back and not give as much. And when that happens, love begins to fade.

In the countless counseling sessions I have had with troubled couples over the years, there has always been the problem of a failing commitment on the part of at least one of the partners. Unless there is the raising of the level of commitment, the relationship is doomed. It's finished. Sooner or later the stresses will take their toll and the relationship will begin to fall apart. On the other hand, look carefully at couples who are still very much in love after 20, 25 years. Their commitment to each other cannot be shaken. Neither can their love.

STRESSFUL

                             "WHEN THINGS SEEMS STRESSFUL, I COUNT..."
      Do you find yourself trudging from one day to the next unaware of the simple blessings God sends your way? Like Eyesore, Winnie the Pooh's gloomy friend, do you ever force a smile and then greet others with a mournful salutation?
     An age-old song, "Count Your Blessings," is a wonderful therapy. It will shake off the ho-hums and stress. The words mentally flow like a revolving turntable.    Think of when you have been blessed by a full rainbow after a storm. The lightning boomed. Trees, plants, animals, and people succumbed to the pelting rain; then a colourful rainbow broke through.    Recall when you awoke to the most remarkable sunrise ever and heard birds chirping outside your window. You smelled the morning dew. Later you viewed a gorgeous sunset.
    What a delight to watch a child make a simple discovery and witness a look of amazement on that little one's face. How refreshing it is to see an elderly man and woman walking hand in hand.
    The phone rings or a letter arrives and makes your day. You hear a favourite song or an amusing story on the car radio. It may give you a lift that can last for hours.
    These are God's everyday blessings. Savour them. Pull them up from your memory log and be doubly blessed.

When someone speaks sharply or cuts you off on the freeway, when worries pile up, think on these wonderful things. Bob and I love the ocean. Every time we go, he finds a stick, draws a
big heart in the sand, and puts our initials in it. When things seem stressful (I count my blessings), I hear God remind me of the blue heron or Bob's heart in the sand.

"WHEN UPON life's billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost...
Count your many blessings, name them one by one...
When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings. Wealth can never buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.
So, amid the conflict, whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is over all...
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!"

STAYING FAITHFUL

STAYING FAITHFUL

There was once a certain man who walked out into the middle of a
field where he would not be interrupted by anyone. He raised his arms
toward heaven, then with tears streaming down his face, trembling with fear, he
began to shout. He, with all the strength in his being shouted out to God
saying "I just can't take it anymore. I have been used, abused, beaten,
cursed, laughed at, lied to, and sneered on. I have tried to love exactly
how You asked me to. I have turned the other cheek hundreds, even a
thousand times until my cheeks ache. I have given even when I had to borrow
so another might survive. I have prayed and cried for many who do not know
You God. Oh God...I am tired, worn out, and discouraged trying to fight the
evil that buffets my soul. I feel You have turned from me God, I feel like
this is more than I can do! God, do You really even care!"

Then he heard a voice speak softly within his troubled heart. The voice
said, "Yes I am here, I have never left. You know nothing of how many souls
have watched you in your struggles, your pain, and your perseverance. You
know nothing of how many souls have turned to Me because you have stood
against the wiles of evil, not breaking, but standing firm. Many have seen
your pain because of your testimony of Me and they will stand without
excuse before Me because of your life before them!"

The voice continued within this man and said, "If I ask of too much pain
from you for the sake of other souls, then go into your house and do
nothing; I will find another who is willing to give for the sake of lost
souls. I will find another who will walk through the suffering and pain
even as I allowed pain and suffering in Paul, Peter, and all those who went
into this world of sickness and evil so others might know Me!"

The man fell upon his face ashamed and then the love of God lifted him to
his feet. He looked up to heaven as his entire being began to experience a
refreshing and a new strength. He whispered, "Lord, I am ready to go back
and love; even unto death." And as he walked away, he heard a voice say,
"Well done My faithful friend."
------------------------------------
There are moments in life when we feel that we have reached our limits with
the trials and tribulations of life. It is important that we remember that
God has given us a special strength to endure and persevere and continue on
despite these hardships that befall us. I encourage you to gird yourself up
and recognize God's strength that lies within your spirit and be determined
never to give in or give up. God has you in the palms of His hand and
nothing by any means shall be able to overtake you. Rest in this promise
and know that God is with you. (2 Corinthians 12:8-10) (Psalm 91:2-4)...
Never allow the enemy to discourage your heart and make you feel like
giving up on being a witness and an example of the Lord. Your reward in
eternity will greatly outweigh this light affliction that seems so great
right now.

SINGLES SHOULD STAY PURE

WHY SINGLES SHOULD STAY PURE By Christy Shipe
Here are the three most important reasons to stay pure:
1. God says so! The very best reason of all to keep your mind and actions pure is just because God wants us to do it. This is love for God: to obey his commands. (1 John 5:3) If you truly love God, you will do what He says.
After all, He suffered and died for you!
2. You're not missing anything by waiting. The consequences of being impure are far greater than any of the benefits! Consider what you gain by making out or having sex with your boyfriend: a temporary good time. It doesn't last very long. A few hours at the most. Yet the consequences can last a lifetime. You could get diseases, you could get pregnant, you could lose your good name and self-respect. Even if you don't go all the way, you can still struggle with feelings of guilt and low self-esteem. You can damage your relationship with your boyfriend, your parents, and God.

3. True love remains pure. Eventually, you will have problems in your relationship with your boyfriend if your thoughts or actions are impure. If your relationship is based on lust instead of love, it's bound to fail. Lust can damage even the truest love and corrupt even the closest soul mates. If you really want a wonderful relationship with your boyfriend, you will have a pure relationship with him.
Lust, at its very heart, is self-centred. Yet love is other-centred. Love is patient, love is kind. It is not self-seeking. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. (excerpts from 1 Corinthians 13) How can you really love someone if you're focused on meeting your own desires? Now that all sounds pretty good, but is it really true? Let me give you some examples of why lust corrupts true love. First of all, if you are lusting after your boyfriend, you really want to use him for your own benefit. Eventually, he's going to get sick of that. If you continue the pattern of lusting after him to fulfil your needs and wishes, he's going to resent you instead of love you. Nobody likes being used. Nobody likes being controlled and manipulated. And you can guarantee your boyfriend will hate it, too.
Second of all, if you are trying to love your boyfriend by meeting his demands for physical contact, you are really just feeding his lust. I will be so bold as to guess that 100% of guys struggle with lust, some more than others. When you hug your boyfriend, you may be thinking, what a sweetie! But he's thinking, what a hot body! The tiniest of things can send a guy's whole body flaming with lust, and the girl has no idea. That's why even if you don't struggle with lust, you should be extremely careful. You may think, but my boyfriend wants to kiss me because he loves me! That may be true. People who are in love want to express that love in physical ways. But you'll be able to tell if your boyfriend really loves you if he wants to keep your relationship pure more than he wants to kiss you. Real love wants the best for the other person. And God's standard of purity and holiness is the best for both your lives. Don't allow your boyfriend to act on his lust with you. If you do, you are just storing up trouble for yourself in the future. A lustful boyfriend or husband will likely do one or both of two things: 1) be unfaithful to you by lusting after other girls and 2) Use and control you to fulfil his lust. Anyone who lusts tries to use and control others. And you don't want that kind of relationship.
My parting thought is this: If you lose your boyfriend because you have high standards, then he was worth losing. Stay away from lustful guys who want to use and control you. Look for a guy who loves God first and who loves you so much that he wants to do the right thing.

SIMPLE OR REAL FRIENDS

>Subject: Simple or real Friends

>A simple friend, when visiting, acts like a guest. A real friend opens your refrigerator and helps himself.

>A simple friend has never seen you cry. A real friend has shoulders soggy from your tears.

>A simple friend doesn't know your parents' first names.. A real friend has their phone numbers in his address book.

>A simple friend brings a bottle of wine to your party.. A real friend comes early to help you cook and stays late to help you clean.

>A simple friend hates it when you call after he has gone to bed. A real friend asks you why you took so long to call.

>A simple friend seeks to talk with you about your problems. A real friend seeks to help you with your problems.

>A simple friend wonders about your romantic history. A real friend could blackmail you with it.

>A simple friend thinks the friendship is over when you have an argument. A real friend calls you after you had a fight.

>A simple friend expects you to always be there for them. A real friend expects to always be there for you!

>A simple friend reads this e-mail and deletes it. A real friend passes it on and sends it back to you!

>Pass this on to anyone you care about......if you get it back you have no beginning, no end. It keeps us together, like our Circle of Friends.

>Today I pass the friendship ball to you. Pass it on to someone who is a friend to you.....

LAW OF THE SEED

                                              THE LAW OF THE SEED
Take a look at an apple tree. There might be five hundred apples on the tree, each with ten seeds. That's a lot of seeds. We might ask, "Why would you need so many seeds to grow just a few more trees?" Nature has something to teach us here. It's telling us: "Most seeds never grow. So if you really want to make something happen, you had better try more than once.
This might mean:
   You'll attend twenty interviews to get one job.
   You'll interview forty people to find one good employee.
   You'll talk to fifty people to sell one house, car, vacuum cleaner, insurance policy, or idea. And you might meet a hundred acquaintances to find one special friend.
When we understand the "Law of the Seed", we don't get so disappointed. We stop feeling like victims. Laws of nature are not things to take personally. We just need to understand them - and work with them.
IN A NUTSHELL
   Successful people fail more often. They plant more seeds.
   When Things Are Beyond Your Control, Here's a recipe for permanent misery:
   a) Decide how you think the world SHOULD be.
   b) Make rules for how everyone SHOULD behave.
   Then, when the world doesn't obey your rules, get angry! That's what miserable people do!
Let's say you expect that:
   Friends SHOULD return favors.
   People SHOULD appreciate you.
   Planes SHOULD arrive on time.
   Everyone SHOULD be honest.
   Your husband SHOULD remember your birthday.
These expectations may sound reasonable. But often, these things won't happen! So you end up frustrated and disappointed. There's a better strategy. Have less demands. Instead, have preferences! For things that are beyond your control, tell yourself: "I WOULD PREFER "A", BUT IF "B" HAPPENS, IT'S OK TOO!" This is really a game that you play in your head. It is a shift in attitude, and it gives you more peace of mind. You prefer
that people are polite ... but when they are rude, it doesn't ruin your day. You prefer sunshine ... but rain is ok!
To become happier, we either need to

   a) change the world, or
   b) change our thinking. It is easier to change our thinking!
IN A NUTSHELL
   It's not what happens to you that determines your happiness.
   It's how you think about what happens to you

SECOND HALF OF LIFE

Spirituality and the second-half of life

By Rev. Ron Rolheiser, OMI

When Nikos Kazantsakis was a young man he interviewed an old monk on Mount Athos. At one stage he asked him: "Do you still struggle with the devil?" "No," the man replied, "I used to, but I've grown old and tired and the devil has grown old and tired with me. Now I leave him alone and he leaves me alone!" "So your life is easy then," Kazantzakis asked, "no more struggles?" "Ah, no," replied the monk, "it's worse. Now I struggle with God!"
Someone once quipped that we spend the first half of our lives struggling with the devil (and the sixth commandment) and the second half of our lives struggling with God (and the fifth commandment). While that captures something, it's too simple, unless we define "the devil" more widely to mean our struggles with the untamed energies of youth -- eros, restlessness, sexuality, the ache for intimacy, the push for achievement, the search for a moral cause, the hunger for roots, and the longing for a companionship and a place that feels like home.
It's not easy, especially when we're young, to make peace with the fires inside us. We need to establish our own identity and find -- for ourselves -- intimacy, meaning, self-worth, quiet from restlessness, and a place that feels like home. We can spend fifty years, after we've first left home, finding our way back there again.
But the good news is that, generally, we do get there. In mid-life, perhaps only in late mid-life, we achieve something the mystics call "Proficiency," a state wherein we have achieved an essential maturity -- basic peace, a sexuality integrated enough to let us sleep at night and keep commitments during the day, a sense of self-worth, and an essential unselfishness. We've found our way home. And there, as once before the onset of puberty, we're relatively comfortable again, content enough to recognize that our youthful journeyings, while exciting, were also full of restlessness.
We'd like to be young again, but we don't want all that disquiet a second time. Like Kazantzakis' old monk, we've grown tired of wrestling with the devil and he with us. We now leave each other alone.
So where do we go from there, from home? T.S. Eliot once said, "Home is where we start from." That's true again in mid-life. The second-half of life, just like the first, demands a journey. While the first-half of life, as we saw, is very much consumed with the search for identity, meaning, self-worth, intimacy, rootedness, and making peace with our sexuality, the second-half has another purpose, as expressed in the famous epigram of Job: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I go back."
Where do we go from home? To an eternal home with God. But, to do that, we have first to shed many of the things that we legitimately acquired and attached ourselves to during the first-half of life. The spiritual task of the second-half of life, so different from the first, is to let go, to move to the nakedness that Job describes.
What does that entail? From what do we need to detach ourselves?
First, and most importantly, from our wounds and anger. The foremost spiritual task of the second half of life is to forgive -- others, ourselves, life, God. We all arrive at mid-life wounded and not having had exactly the life of which we dreamed. There's a disappointment and anger inside everyone of us and unless we find it in ourselves to forgive, we will die bitter, unready for the heavenly banquet.
Second, we need to detach ourselves from the need to possess, to achieve, and to be the center of attention. The task of the second-half of life is to become the quiet, blessing grandparent who no longer needs to be the center of attention but is happy simply watching the young grow and enjoy themselves.
Third, we need to learn how to say good-bye to the earth and our loved ones so that, just as in the strength of our youth we once gave our lives for those we love, we can now give our deaths to them too, as a final gift.
Fourth, we need to let go of sophistication so as to become simple "holy old fools" whose only message is that God loves us.
Finally, we need, more and more, to immerse ourselves in the language of silence, the language of heaven. Meister Eckhart once said: "Nothing so much resembles God as silence." The task of mid-life is to begin to understand that and enter into that language.
And it's a painful process. Purgatory is not some exotic, Catholic doctrine that believes that there is some place in the next life outside of heaven and hell. It's a central piece within any mature spirituality, which like Job, tells us that God's eternal embrace can only become fully ecstatic once we've learned to let go.
Oblate of Mary Immaculate Father Ronald Rolheiser is a specialist in the field of spirituality and systematic theology.

Christian Theological