Friday, September 08, 2006
Lo and Behold!...............
"We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected the Sermon on the Mount... The world has achieved brilliance without wisdom, power without conscience. Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants." —Omar Bradley
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What a country....
5 million of our older Americans have not signed up yet for their Medicare, Part D, drug plan------they are old and confused. We are not going to grant them an extension.
However, 12 million illegal aliens are in our country and we are going to allow them to stay, protest, procreate, receive support monies, attend schools, avoid paying income taxes, have our teachers take 300 hours of ESL (English as a Second Language) training at our expense, etc.
WE MUST REALLY DISLIKE OUR OLD PEOPLE......
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If you woke up this morning
with more health than illness,
you are more blessed than the
million who won't survive the week.
If you have never experienced
the danger of battle,
the loneliness of imprisonment,
the agony of torture or
the pangs of starvation,
you are ahead of 20 million people
around the world.
If you attend a church meeting
without fear of harassment,
arrest, torture, or death,
you are more blessed than almost
three billion people in the world.
If you have food in your refrigerator,
clothes on your back, a roof over
your head and a place to sleep,
you are richer than 75% of this world.
If you have money in the bank,
in your wallet, and spare change
in a dish someplace, you are among
the top 8% of the world's wealthy.
If your parents are still married and alive,
you are very rare,
especially in the United States.
If you hold up your head with a smile
on your face and are truly thankful,
you are blessed because the majority can,
but most do not.
If you can hold someone's hand, hug them
or even touch them on the shoulder,
you are blessed because you can
offer God's healing touch.
If you can read this message,
you are more blessed than over
two billion people in the world
that cannot read anything at all.
You are so blessed in ways
you may never even know.
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"A Woman"
This is written in the Hebrew Talmud, the book where all of the sayings and preaching of Rabbis are conserved over time.
It says: "Be very careful if you make a woman cry, because God counts her tears. The woman came out of a man's rib. Not from his feet to be walked on. Not from his head to be superior, but from the side to be equal. Under the arm to be protected, and next to the heart to be loved."
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Mean Moms
Someday when my children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates a parent, I will tell them, as my Mean Mom told me: I loved you enough . . . to ask where you were going, with whom, and what time you would be home.
I loved you enough to be silent and let you discover that your new best friend was a creep.
I loved you enough to stand over you for two hours while you cleaned your room, a job that should have taken 15 minutes.
I loved you enough to let you see anger, disappointment, and tears in my eyes. Children must learn that their parents aren't perfect.
I loved you enough to let you assume the responsibility for your actions even when the penalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart.
But most of all, I loved you enough . . . to say NO when I knew you would hate me for it.
Those were the most difficult battles of all. I'm glad I won them, because in the end you won, too. And someday when your children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates parents, you will tell them.
Was your Mom mean? I know mine was. We had the meanest mother in the whole world! While other kids ate candy for breakfast, we had to have cereal, eggs, and toast.When others had a Pepsi and a Twinkie for lunch, we had to eat sandwiches. And you can guess our mother fixed us a dinner that was different from what other kids had, too.
Mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times. You'd think we were convicts in a prison. She had to know who our friends were, and what we were doing with them. She insisted that if we said we would be gone for an hour, we would be gone for an hour or less.
We were ashamed to admit it, but she had the nerve to break the Child Labor Laws by making us work. We had to wash the dishes, make the beds, learn to cook, vacuum the floor, do laundry, empty the trash and all sorts of cruel jobs. I think she would lie awake at night thinking of more things for us to do.
She always insisted on us telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. By the time we were teenagers, she could read our minds and had eyes in the back of her head. Then, life was really tough!
Mother wouldn't let our friends just honk the horn when they drove up. They had to come up to the door so she could meet them. While everyone else could date when they were 12 or 13, we had to wait until we were 16.
Because of our mother we missed out on lots of things other kids experienced. None of us have ever been caught shoplifting, vandalizing other's property or ever arrested for any crime. It was all her fault.
Now that we have left home, we are all educated, honest adults. We are doing our best to be mean parents just like Mom was... ?"
that's Love!" & I think that is what's wrong with the world today.
It just doesn't have enough mean moms!
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Incredible story about an elephant's memory
A young man was on holiday in Kenya after graduating from college. While he was walking through the bush, he came across a young bull elephant standing with one leg raised in the air.
The elephant seemed distressed so the man approached it very carefully. He got down on one knee and inspected the elephant's foot.
There was a large thorn deeply embedded in the bottom of the foot.
As carefully and as gently as he could he worked the thorn out with His hunting knife, after which the elephant gingerly put down its foot.
The elephant turned to face the man and with a rather s tern look on its face, stared at him. For a good ten minutes the man stood frozen -- thinking of nothing else but being trampled.
Eventually the elephant trumpeted loudly, turned and walked away. The man never forgot that elephant or the events of that day.
Twenty years later the man was walking through the zoo with his teenaged son. As they approached the elephant enclosure, one of the creatures turned and walked over to where they are standing at the rail.
The large bull elephant stared at him and lifted it's front foot off the ground, then put it down. The elephant did that several times, all the while staring at the man. The man couldn't help wondering if this was the same elephant.
After a while it trumpeted loudly; then it continued to stare at him.
The man summoned up his courage, climbed over the railing and made his way into the enclosure. He walked right up to the elephant and stared back in wonder.
Suddenly the elephant trumpeted again, wrapped its trunk around one of the man's legs and swung him wildly back and forth along the railing, killing him.
Probably wasn't the same elephant.
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Lucky the Dog
Mary and her husband Jim had a dog named Lucky. Lucky was a real character. Whenever Mary and Jim had company stay for a weekend visit, they would always warn their friends not to leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself to their personal items.
Inevitably someone would forget to close their suitcase and something would come up missing. Mary or Jim would go to Lucky's toy box located in the basement and there the missing item would be, amid all of Lucky's favorite toys. Lucky always stashed his finds in the toy box and he was very particular that all of his toys stay in that box.
It happened that Mary was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was sure it was going to be fatal-something inside told her that she was going to die of this disease. She was scheduled for a double mastectomy. The night before going into the hospital, she cuddled with Lucky. What would happen to Lucky if she died? Although the 3 year old dog got along with Jim, Lucky was Mary's dog through and through. Mary thought-if I die, Lucky will be abandoned, he won't understand. The thought made her sadder than thinking of her own possible death.
The next day, Mary had her surgery. It was harder on her than her doctors had anticipated. Mary was hospitalized for nearly a month. Jim took Lucky for his daily walks faithfully, but the poor dog just shuffled along, whining the entire time. Jim didn't know what to do.
Finally, the day came when Mary was released from the hospital. When she arrived home, she was so weak that she couldn't make it up the few steps into the house. Jim made his wife comfortable on the living room couch and let her nap. Lucky stood in the doorway watching Mary but he wouldn't come any closer. Once, Mary woke up and called to Lucky, but the dog remained where he was. Mary dozed off again.
When Mary woke a second time, she couldn't understand what was wrong. She couldn't move her head, her body felt heavy, and she was sweating from the heat. Panic soon gave way to uncontrollable laughter when Mary finally realized her problem. She was covered, literally blanketed with every treasure Lucky owned. While Mary had slept, the sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the basement toy box, bringing his beloved mistress his favorite things in life. He had covered her with his love.
Mary forgot about dying. Instead, she and Lucky began living again. Each day they walked a little further around the house and then around the corner until Mary regained all her strength.
It's been 7 years now and Mary is still cancer free. And Lucky? He still steals treasures and stashes them in his toy box, but Mary remains his greatest treasure.
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BELOIT COLLEGE'S MINDSET LIST®
FOR THE CLASS OF 2009
Most students entering college this fall were born in 1987.
1. Andy Warhol, Liberace, Jackie Gleason, and Lee Marvin have always been dead.
2. They don't remember when "cut and paste" involved scissors.
3. Heart-lung transplants have always been possible.
4. Wayne Gretzky never played for Edmonton.
5. Boston has been working on the "The Big Dig" all their lives.
6. With little need to practice, most of them do not know how to tie a tie.
7. Pay-Per-View television has always been an option.
8. They never had the fun of being thrown into the back of a station wagon with six others.
9. Iran and Iraq have never been at war with each other.
10. They are more familiar with Greg Gumbel than with Bryant Gumbel.
11. Philip Morris has always owned Kraft Foods.
12. Al-Qaida has always existed with Osama bin Laden at its head.
13. They learned to count with Lotus 1-2-3.
14. Car stereos have always rivaled home component systems.
15. Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker have never preached on television.
16. Voice mail has always been available.
17. "Whatever" is not part of a question but an expression of sullen rebuke.
18. The federal budget has always been more than a trillion dollars.
19. Condoms have always been advertised on television.
20. They may have fallen asleep playing with their Gameboys in the crib.
21. They have always had the right to burn the flag.
22. For daily caffeine emergencies, Starbucks has always been around the corner.
23. Ferdinand Marcos has never been in charge of the Philippines.
24. Money put in their savings account the year they were born earned almost 7% interest.
25. Bill Gates has always been worth at least a billion dollars.
26. Dirty dancing has always been acceptable.
27. Southern fried chicken, prepared with a blend of 11 herbs and spices, has always been available in China.
28. Michael Jackson has always been bad, and greed has always been good.
29. The Starship Enterprise has always looked dated.
30. Pixar has always existed.
31. There has never been a "fairness doctrine" at the FCC.
32. Judicial appointments routinely have been "Borked."
33. Aretha Franklin has always been in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
34. There have always been zebra mussels in the Great Lakes.
35. Police have always been able to search garbage without a search warrant.
36. It has always been possible to walk from England to mainland Europe on dry land.
37. They have grown up in a single superpower world.
38. They missed the oat bran diet craze.
39. American Motors has never existed.
40. Scientists have always been able to see supernovas.
41. Les Miserables has always been on stage.
42. Halogen lights have always been available at home, with a warning.
43. "Baby M" may be a classmate, and contracts with surrogate mothers have always been legal.
44. RU486 has always been on the market.
45. There has always been a pyramid in front of the Louvre in Paris.
46. British Airways has always been privately owned.
47. Irradiated food has always been available but controversial.
48. Snowboarding has always been a popular winter pastime.
49. Libraries have always been the best centers for computer technology and access to good software.
50. Biosphere 2 has always been trying to create a revolution in the life sciences.
51. The Hubble Telescope has always been focused on new frontiers.
52. Researchers have always been looking for stem cells.
53. They do not remember "a kinder and gentler nation."
54. They never saw the shuttle Challenger fly.
55. The TV networks have always had cable partners.
56. Airports have always had upscale shops and restaurants.
57. Black Americans have always been known as African-Americans.
58. They never saw Pat Sajak or Arsenio Hall host a late night television show.
59. Matt Groening has always had a Life in Hell.
60. Salman Rushdie has always been watching over his shoulder.
61. Digital cameras have always existed.
62. Tom Landry never coached the Cowboys.
63. Time Life and Warner Communications have always been joined.
64. CNBC has always been on the air.
65. The Field of Dreams has always been drawing people to Iowa.
66. They never saw a Howard Johnson's with 28 ice cream flavors.
67. Reindeer at Christmas have always distinguished between secular and religious decorations.
68. Entertainment Weekly has always been on the newsstand.
69. Lyme Disease has always been a ticking concern in the woods.
70. Jimmy Carter has always been an elder statesman.
71. Miss Piggy and Kermit have always dwelt in Disneyland.
72. America's Funniest Home Videos has always been on television.
73. Their nervous new parents heard C. Everett Koop proclaim nicotine as addictive as heroin.
74. Lever has always been looking for 2000 parts to clean.
75. They have always been challenged to distinguish between news and entertainment on cable TV.
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I drove to church reluctantly this evening. It had been a long day, and I was starting to resent last Sunday's request by our Pastor's wife that we give the church kitchen a thorough scrubbing before our upcoming festival.
As I entered the social hall, I saw the same few people who always help out. I dipped a rag into a bucket of pine-scented cleaner and started scrubbing the hood over the large stove, trying to remove the accumulation of grease. Next to me, James Erickson and his son Jimmy were washing walls. They were laughing and joking, teasing each other about who was getting his part cleaner, and purposely dripping water on each other.
Their humor was contagious. Soon I was laughing along and scrubbing more vigorously. We joked with Jimmy about how we wished we had his teenage energy. "Isn't it hard to work with us old folks?"
Laughingly, he said, "Well, actually, I'm having a lot more fun than I thought I would!"
James put his arm around his son's shoulder and said, "Always remember, son, there's special grace given to you when you work for the church."
As I wrung out my rag, I pondered James' words. I'd been complaining about the needs in our church and the heavy workload of the few. My attitude needed the good scrubbing it got from James and Jimmy!
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Your Hands
Guarantee you'll look at/feel differently about yours after reading. :)
Grandma, some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench. She didn't move, just sat with her head down staring at her hands. When I sat down beside her she didn't acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat I wondered if she was OK.
Finally, not really wanting to disturb her but wanting to check on her at the same time, I asked her if she was OK. She raised her head and looked at me and smiled. "Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking", she said in a clear strong voice.
"I didn't mean to disturb you, grandma, but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK", I explained to her.
"Have you ever looked at your hands?" she asked. "I mean really looked at your hands?"
I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them over, palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point she was making.
Grandma smiled and related this story:
"Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have served you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled, shriveled and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life.
They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the floor. They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a child my mother taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots.
They dried the tears of my children and caressed the love of my life. They wiped my tears when my husband went off to war. They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent.
They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold our newborn daughter. Decorated with my wedding band they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special. They wrote the letters home and trembled and shook when I buried my parents and spouse.
They have held children, consoled neighbors, and shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand. They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw. And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer. These hands are the mark of where I've been and the ruggedness of my life.
But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out and take when he leads me home. And with my hands He will lift me to His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of Christ."
I will never look at my hands the same again. But I remember God reached out and took my grandma's hands and led her home. When my hands are hurt or sore or when I stroke the face of my children and husband I think of Grandma. I know she has been stroked and caressed and held by the hands of God. I, too, want to touch the face of God and feel his hands upon my face.
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The Holy Alphabet.....
A lthough things are not perfect
B ecause of trial or pain
C ontinue in thanksgiving
D o not begin to blame
E ven when the times are hard
F ierce winds are bound to blow
G od is forever able
H old on to what you know
I magine life without His love
J oy would cease to be
K eep thanking Him for all the things
L ove imparts to thee
M ove out of "Camp Complaining"
N o weapon that is known
O n earth can yield the power
P raise can do alone
Quit looking at the future
R edeem the time at hand
S tart every day with worship
T o "thank" is a command
U ntil we see Him coming
V ictorious in the sky
W e'll run the race with gratitude
X alting God most high
Y es, there'll be good times and yes some will be bad, but...
Z ion waits in glory...where none are ever sad!
~ Poem by Cindy Blackamore
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Eye opener-23rd Psalm
Some probably never looked at Psalm 23 in this way, even though they say it over and over again.
The Lord is my Shepherd
That's Relationship!
I shall not want
That's Supply!
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures
That's Rest!
He leadeth me beside the still waters
That's Refreshment!
He restoreth my soul
That's Healing!
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness
That's Guidance!
For His name sake
That's Purpose!
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
That's Testing!
I will fear no evil
That's Protection!
For Thou art with me
That's Faithfulness!
Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me
That's Discipline!
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies
That's Hope!
Thou annointest my head with oil
That's Consecration!
My cup runneth over
That's Abundance!
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life
That's Blessing!
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
That's Security!
Forever
That's Eternity!
Face it, the Lord is crazy about you.
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The Necklace
The cheerful little girl with a bright beautiful smile was almost five.
Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them, a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box.
"Oh Mommy please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please?"
Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading bright eyes of her little girl's upturned face.
"A dollar ninety-five. That's almost $2.00. If you really want them, I'll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself.
Your birthday's only a week away and you might get another crisp dollar bill from Grandma."
As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went to the neighbor and asked Mrs. McJames if she could pick dandelions for ten cents.
On her birthday, Grandma did give her another new dollar bill and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace.
Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up.
She wore them everywhere, Sunday school, kindergarten, even to bed. The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath.
Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.
Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story. One night as he finished the story, he asked Jenny, "Do you love me?"
"Oh yes, daddy. You know that I love you."
"Then give me your pearls."
"Oh, daddy, not my pearls. But you can have Princess, the white horse from my collection, the one with the pink tail.
Remember, daddy? The one you gave me. She's my very favorite."
"That's okay, Honey, daddy loves you. Good night." And he brushed her forehead with a kiss.
About a week later, after the story time, Jenny's daddy asked again, "Do you love me?"
"Daddy, you know I love you."
"Then give me your pearls."
"Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my baby doll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper."
"That's okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Daddy loves you"
And as always, he brushed her forehead with a gentle kiss.
A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed Indian style. As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek.
"What is it, Jenny? What's the matter?"
Jenny didn't say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy.
And when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace.
With a little quiver, she finally said, "Here, daddy, this is for you."
With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny's daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Jenny.
He had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her the genuine treasure.
So it is, with our Heavenly Father. He is waiting for us to give up the cheap things in our lives so that he can give us beautiful treasures.
Isn't God good? Are you holding onto things that God wants you to let go of? Are you holding on to harmful or unnecessary partners, relationships, habits and activities that you have come so attached to that it seems impossible to let go?
Sometimes it is so hard to see what is in the other hand but do believe this one thing.
God will never take away something without giving you something better in its place.
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Dance
When I meditated on the word Guidance, I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word.
I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing.
When two people try to lead, nothing feels right.
The movement doesn't flow with the music,
And everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.
When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead,
Both bodies begin to flow with the music.
One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back
Or by pressing lightly in one direction or another.
It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully.
The dance takes surrender, willingness,
and attentiveness from one person
And gentle guidance and skill from the other.
My eyes drew back to the word Guidance.
When I saw "G: I thought of God, followed by 'u" and "i."
"God, 'u" and "i" dance."
God, you, and I dance.
As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust
that I would get guidance about my life.
Once again, I became willing to let God lead.
My prayer for you today is that God's blessings
And mercies be upon you on this day and everyday.
May you abide in God as God abides in you.
Dance together with God, trusting God to lead
And to guide you through each season of your life.
This prayer is powerful and there is nothing attached.
If God has done anything for you in your life,
Please share this message with someone else,
For prayer is one of the best gifts we can receive.
There is no cost but a lot of rewards;
So let's continue to pray for one another.
And I Hope You Dance!!!!!!!
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CRAPPY LITTLE COUNTRY
The Middle East has been growing date palms for centuries. The average tree is about 18-20 feet tall and yields about 38 pounds of dates a year.
Israeli date trees are now yielding 400 pounds/year and are short enough to be harvested from the ground or a short ladder.
Israel the 100th smallest country, with less than 1/1000th of the world's population, can lay claim to the following:
The cell phone was developed in Israel by Israelis working in the Israeli branch of Motorola, which has its largest development center in Israel.
Most of the Windows NT and XP operating systems were developed by Microsoft-Israel.
The Pentium MMX Chip technology was designed in Israel at Intel.
Both the Pentium-4 microprocessor and the Centrino processor were entirely designed, developed and produced in Israel.
The Pentium microprocessor in your computer was most likely made in Israel.
Voice mail technology was developed in Israel.
Both Microsoft and Cisco built their only R&D facilities outside the US in Israel.
The technology for the AOL Instant Messenger ICQ was developed in 1996 by four young Israelis.
Israel has the fourth largest air force in the world (after the U.S, Russia and China). In addition to a large variety of other aircraft, Israel's air force has an aerial arsenal of over 250 F-16's. This is the largest fleet of F-16 aircraft outside of the U. S.
Israel's $100 billion economy is larger than all of its immediate neighbors combined.
Israel has the highest percentage in the world of home computers per capita.
According to industry officials, Israel designed the airline industry's most impenetrable flight security. US officials now look (finally) to Israel for advice on how to handle airborne security threats.
Israel has the highest ratio of university degrees to the population in the world.
Israel produces more scientific papers per capita than any other nation by a large margin - 109 per 10,000 people --as well as one of the highest per capita rates of patents filed.
In proportion to its population, Israel has the largest number of startup companies in the world. In absolute terms, Israel has the largest number of startup companies than any other country in the world, except the U.S. (3,500 companies mostly in hi-tech).
With more than 3,000 high-tech companies and startups, Israel has the highest concentration of hi-tech companies in the world -- apart from the Silicon Valley, U.S.
Israel is ranked #2 in the world for venture capital funds right behind the U.S.
Outside the United States and Canada, Israel has the largest number of NASDAQ listed companies.
Israel has the highest average living standards in the Middle East.
The per capita income in 2000 was over $17,500, exceeding that of the UK.
On a per capita basis, Israel has the largest number of biotech startups.
Twenty-four per cent of Israel's workforce holds university degrees, ranking third in the industrialized world, after the United States and Holland and 12 per cent hold advanced degrees.
Israel is the only liberal democracy in the Middle East.
In 1984 and 1991, Israel airlifted a total of 22,000 Ethiopian Jews (Operation Solomon) at Risk in Ethiopia, to safety in Israel.
When Golda Meir was elected Prime Minister of Israel in 1969, she became the world's second elected female leader in modern times.
When the U. S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya was bombed in 1998, Israeli rescue teams were on the scene within a day -- and saved three victims from the rubble.
Israel has the third highest rate of entrepreneurship -- and the highest rate among women and among people over 55 - in the world.
Relative to its population, Israel is the largest immigrant-absorbing nation on earth. Immigrants come in search of democracy, religious freedom, and economic opportunity. (Hundreds of thousands from the former Soviet Union)
Israel was the first nation in the world to adopt the Kimberly process, an international standard that certifies diamonds as "conflict free."
Israel has the world's second highest per capita of new books.
Israel is the only country in the world that entered the 21st century with a net gain in its number of trees, made more remarkable because this was achieved in an area considered mainly desert.
Israel has more museums per capita than any other country.
Medicine... Israeli scientists developed the first fully computerized, no-radiation, diagnostic instrumentation for breast cancer.
An Israeli company developed a computerized system for ensuring proper administration of medications, thus removing human error from medical treatment. Every year in U. S. hospitals 7,000 patients die from treatment mistakes.
Israel's Given Imaging developed the first ingestible video camera, so small it fits inside a pill. Used to view the small intestine from the inside, cancer and digestive disorders.
Researchers in Israel developed a new device that directly helps the heart pump blood, an innovation with the potential to save lives among those with heart failure. The new device is synchronized with the camera helps doctors diagnose heart¹s mechanical operations through a sophisticated system of sensors.
Israel leads the world in the number of scientists and technicians in the workforce, with 145 per 10,000, as opposed to 85 in the U. S., over 70 in Japan, and less than 60 in Germany. With over 25% of its work force employed in technical professions. Israel places first in this category as well.
A new acne treatment developed in Israel, the Clear Light device, produces a high-intensity, ultraviolet-light-free, narrow-band blue light that causes acne bacteria to self-destruct -- all without damaging surrounding skin or tissue.
An Israeli company was the first to develop and install a large-scale solar-powered and fully functional electricity generating plant, in southern California's Mojave desert.
All the above while engaged in regular wars with an implacable enemy that seeks its destruction, and an economy continuously under strain by having to spend more per capita on its own protection than any other county on earth.
. ... . . AND THE FRENCH AMBASSADOR IN ENGLAND SAYS :
"ISRAEL IS NOTHING BUT A CRAPPY LITTLE COUNTRY"
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I was sitting alone in one of those loud, casual steak houses that you find all over the country.
You know the type--a bucket of peanuts on every table, shells littering the floor, and a bunch of perky college kids racing around with long neck beers and sizzling platters.
Taking a sip of my iced tea, I studied the crowd over the rim of my glass. My gaze lingered on a group enjoying their meal.
They wore no uniform to identify their branch of service, but they were definitely "military:" clean shaven, cropped haircut, and that "squared away" look that comes with pride.
Smiling sadly, I glanced across my table to the empty seat where my husband usually sat.
It had only been a few months since we sat in this very booth, talking about his upcoming deployment to the Middle East.
That was when he made me promise to get a sitter for the kids, come back to this restaurant once a month and treat myself to a nice steak.
In turn he would treasure the thought of me being here, thinking about him until he returned home I fingered the little flag pin I constantly wear and wondered where he was at this very moment.
Was he safe and warm?? Was his cold any better?? Were my letters getting through to him?
As I pondered these thoughts, high pitched female voices from the next booth broke into my thoughts.
"I don't know what Bush is thinking about. Invading Iraq. You'd think that man would learn from his old man's mistakes. Good lord.
What an idiot! I can't believe he is even in office. You do know, he stole the election."
I cut into my steak and tried to ignore them, as they began an endless tirade running down our president.
I thought about the last night I spent with my husband, as he prepared to deploy. He had just returned from getting his smallpox and anthrax shots.
The image of him standing in our kitchen packing his gas mask still gives me chills.
Once again the women's voices invaded my thoughts.
"It is all about oil, you know. Our soldiers will go in and rape and steal all the oil they can in the name of 'freedom'.
Hmmm! I wonder how many innocent people they'll kill without giving it a thought? It's pure greed, you know."
My chest tightened as I stared at my wedding ring. I could still see how handsome my husband looked in his "mess dress" the day he slipped it on my finger.
I wondered what he was wearing now. Probably his desert uniform, affectionately dubbed "coffee stains" with a heavy bulletproof vest over it.
"You know, we should just leave Iraq alone. I don't think they are hiding any weapons. In fact, I bet it's all a big act just to increase the president's popularity.
That's all it is, padding the military budget at the expense of our social security and education.
And, you know what else?
We're just asking for another 9-11. I can't say when it happens again that we didn't deserve it."
Their words brought to mind the war protesters I had watched gathering outside our base.
Did no one appreciate the sacrifice of brave men and women, who leave their homes and family to ensure our freedom??
Do they even know what "freedom" is?
I glanced at the table where the young men were sitting, and saw their courageous faces change.
They had stopped eating and looked at each other dejectedly, listening to the women talking.
"Well, I, for one, think it's just deplorable to invade Iraq, and I am certainly sick of our tax dollars going to train professional baby-killers we call a military."
Professional baby-killers?? I thought about what a wonderful father my husband is, and of how long it would be before he would see our children again.
That's it! Indignation rose up inside me. Normally reserved, pride in my husband gave me a brassy boldness I never realized I had.
Tonight one voice will answer on behalf of our military, and let her pride in our troops be known.
Sliding out of my booth, I walked around to the adjoining booth and placed my hands flat on their table.
Lowering myself to eye level with them, smilingly said, "I couldn't help overhearing your conversation.
You see, I'm sitting here trying to enjoy my dinner alone.
And, do you know why?
Because my husband, whom I love with all my heart, is halfway around the world defending your right to say rotten things about him."
"Yes, you have the right to your opinion, and what you think is none of my business.
However, what you say in public is something else, and I will not sit by and listen to you ridicule MY country, MY president, MY husband, and all the other fine American men and women who put their lives on the line, just so you can have the "freedom" to complain. Freedom is an expensive commodity, ladies.
Don't let your actions cheapen it."
I must have been louder that I meant to be, because the manager came over to inquire if everything was all right.
"Yes, thank you," I replied.
Then, turning back to the women, I said, "Enjoy the rest of your meal."
As I returned to my booth applause broke out. I was embarrassed for making a scene, and went back to my half eaten steak.
The women picked up their check and scurried away.
After finishing my meal, and while waiting for my check, the manager returned with a huge apple cobbler ala mode.
"Compliments of those soldiers," he said. He also smiled and said the ladies tried to pay for my dinner, but that another couple had beaten them to it.
When I asked who, the manager said they had already left, but that the gentleman was a veteran, and wanted to take care of the wife of "one of our boys."
With a lump in my throat, I gratefully turned to the soldiers and thanked them for the cobbler.
Grinning from ear to ear, they came over and surrounded the booth.
"We just wanted to thank you, ma'am.
You know we can't get into confrontations with civilians, so we appreciate what you did."
As I drove home, for the first time since my husband's deployment, I didn't feel quite so alone.
My heart was filled with the warmth of the other diners who stopped by my table, to relate how they, too, were proud of my husband, and would keep him in their prayers.
I knew their flags would fly a little higher the next day.
Perhaps they would look for more tangible ways to show their pride in our country, and the military who protect her.
And maybe, just maybe, the two women who were railing against our country, would pause for a minute to appreciate all the freedom America offers, and the price it pays to maintain it's freedom.
As for me, I have learned that one voice CAN make a difference.
Maybe the next time protesters gather outside the gates of the base where I live, I will proudly stand on the opposite side with a sign of my own.
It will simply say, "Thank You!"
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What a country....
5 million of our older Americans have not signed up yet for their Medicare, Part D, drug plan------they are old and confused. We are not going to grant them an extension.
However, 12 million illegal aliens are in our country and we are going to allow them to stay, protest, procreate, receive support monies, attend schools, avoid paying income taxes, have our teachers take 300 hours of ESL (English as a Second Language) training at our expense, etc.
WE MUST REALLY DISLIKE OUR OLD PEOPLE......
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If you woke up this morning
with more health than illness,
you are more blessed than the
million who won't survive the week.
If you have never experienced
the danger of battle,
the loneliness of imprisonment,
the agony of torture or
the pangs of starvation,
you are ahead of 20 million people
around the world.
If you attend a church meeting
without fear of harassment,
arrest, torture, or death,
you are more blessed than almost
three billion people in the world.
If you have food in your refrigerator,
clothes on your back, a roof over
your head and a place to sleep,
you are richer than 75% of this world.
If you have money in the bank,
in your wallet, and spare change
in a dish someplace, you are among
the top 8% of the world's wealthy.
If your parents are still married and alive,
you are very rare,
especially in the United States.
If you hold up your head with a smile
on your face and are truly thankful,
you are blessed because the majority can,
but most do not.
If you can hold someone's hand, hug them
or even touch them on the shoulder,
you are blessed because you can
offer God's healing touch.
If you can read this message,
you are more blessed than over
two billion people in the world
that cannot read anything at all.
You are so blessed in ways
you may never even know.
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"A Woman"
This is written in the Hebrew Talmud, the book where all of the sayings and preaching of Rabbis are conserved over time.
It says: "Be very careful if you make a woman cry, because God counts her tears. The woman came out of a man's rib. Not from his feet to be walked on. Not from his head to be superior, but from the side to be equal. Under the arm to be protected, and next to the heart to be loved."
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Mean Moms
Someday when my children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates a parent, I will tell them, as my Mean Mom told me: I loved you enough . . . to ask where you were going, with whom, and what time you would be home.
I loved you enough to be silent and let you discover that your new best friend was a creep.
I loved you enough to stand over you for two hours while you cleaned your room, a job that should have taken 15 minutes.
I loved you enough to let you see anger, disappointment, and tears in my eyes. Children must learn that their parents aren't perfect.
I loved you enough to let you assume the responsibility for your actions even when the penalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart.
But most of all, I loved you enough . . . to say NO when I knew you would hate me for it.
Those were the most difficult battles of all. I'm glad I won them, because in the end you won, too. And someday when your children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates parents, you will tell them.
Was your Mom mean? I know mine was. We had the meanest mother in the whole world! While other kids ate candy for breakfast, we had to have cereal, eggs, and toast.When others had a Pepsi and a Twinkie for lunch, we had to eat sandwiches. And you can guess our mother fixed us a dinner that was different from what other kids had, too.
Mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times. You'd think we were convicts in a prison. She had to know who our friends were, and what we were doing with them. She insisted that if we said we would be gone for an hour, we would be gone for an hour or less.
We were ashamed to admit it, but she had the nerve to break the Child Labor Laws by making us work. We had to wash the dishes, make the beds, learn to cook, vacuum the floor, do laundry, empty the trash and all sorts of cruel jobs. I think she would lie awake at night thinking of more things for us to do.
She always insisted on us telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. By the time we were teenagers, she could read our minds and had eyes in the back of her head. Then, life was really tough!
Mother wouldn't let our friends just honk the horn when they drove up. They had to come up to the door so she could meet them. While everyone else could date when they were 12 or 13, we had to wait until we were 16.
Because of our mother we missed out on lots of things other kids experienced. None of us have ever been caught shoplifting, vandalizing other's property or ever arrested for any crime. It was all her fault.
Now that we have left home, we are all educated, honest adults. We are doing our best to be mean parents just like Mom was... ?"
that's Love!" & I think that is what's wrong with the world today.
It just doesn't have enough mean moms!
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Incredible story about an elephant's memory
A young man was on holiday in Kenya after graduating from college. While he was walking through the bush, he came across a young bull elephant standing with one leg raised in the air.
The elephant seemed distressed so the man approached it very carefully. He got down on one knee and inspected the elephant's foot.
There was a large thorn deeply embedded in the bottom of the foot.
As carefully and as gently as he could he worked the thorn out with His hunting knife, after which the elephant gingerly put down its foot.
The elephant turned to face the man and with a rather s tern look on its face, stared at him. For a good ten minutes the man stood frozen -- thinking of nothing else but being trampled.
Eventually the elephant trumpeted loudly, turned and walked away. The man never forgot that elephant or the events of that day.
Twenty years later the man was walking through the zoo with his teenaged son. As they approached the elephant enclosure, one of the creatures turned and walked over to where they are standing at the rail.
The large bull elephant stared at him and lifted it's front foot off the ground, then put it down. The elephant did that several times, all the while staring at the man. The man couldn't help wondering if this was the same elephant.
After a while it trumpeted loudly; then it continued to stare at him.
The man summoned up his courage, climbed over the railing and made his way into the enclosure. He walked right up to the elephant and stared back in wonder.
Suddenly the elephant trumpeted again, wrapped its trunk around one of the man's legs and swung him wildly back and forth along the railing, killing him.
Probably wasn't the same elephant.
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Lucky the Dog
Mary and her husband Jim had a dog named Lucky. Lucky was a real character. Whenever Mary and Jim had company stay for a weekend visit, they would always warn their friends not to leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself to their personal items.
Inevitably someone would forget to close their suitcase and something would come up missing. Mary or Jim would go to Lucky's toy box located in the basement and there the missing item would be, amid all of Lucky's favorite toys. Lucky always stashed his finds in the toy box and he was very particular that all of his toys stay in that box.
It happened that Mary was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was sure it was going to be fatal-something inside told her that she was going to die of this disease. She was scheduled for a double mastectomy. The night before going into the hospital, she cuddled with Lucky. What would happen to Lucky if she died? Although the 3 year old dog got along with Jim, Lucky was Mary's dog through and through. Mary thought-if I die, Lucky will be abandoned, he won't understand. The thought made her sadder than thinking of her own possible death.
The next day, Mary had her surgery. It was harder on her than her doctors had anticipated. Mary was hospitalized for nearly a month. Jim took Lucky for his daily walks faithfully, but the poor dog just shuffled along, whining the entire time. Jim didn't know what to do.
Finally, the day came when Mary was released from the hospital. When she arrived home, she was so weak that she couldn't make it up the few steps into the house. Jim made his wife comfortable on the living room couch and let her nap. Lucky stood in the doorway watching Mary but he wouldn't come any closer. Once, Mary woke up and called to Lucky, but the dog remained where he was. Mary dozed off again.
When Mary woke a second time, she couldn't understand what was wrong. She couldn't move her head, her body felt heavy, and she was sweating from the heat. Panic soon gave way to uncontrollable laughter when Mary finally realized her problem. She was covered, literally blanketed with every treasure Lucky owned. While Mary had slept, the sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the basement toy box, bringing his beloved mistress his favorite things in life. He had covered her with his love.
Mary forgot about dying. Instead, she and Lucky began living again. Each day they walked a little further around the house and then around the corner until Mary regained all her strength.
It's been 7 years now and Mary is still cancer free. And Lucky? He still steals treasures and stashes them in his toy box, but Mary remains his greatest treasure.
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BELOIT COLLEGE'S MINDSET LIST®
FOR THE CLASS OF 2009
Most students entering college this fall were born in 1987.
1. Andy Warhol, Liberace, Jackie Gleason, and Lee Marvin have always been dead.
2. They don't remember when "cut and paste" involved scissors.
3. Heart-lung transplants have always been possible.
4. Wayne Gretzky never played for Edmonton.
5. Boston has been working on the "The Big Dig" all their lives.
6. With little need to practice, most of them do not know how to tie a tie.
7. Pay-Per-View television has always been an option.
8. They never had the fun of being thrown into the back of a station wagon with six others.
9. Iran and Iraq have never been at war with each other.
10. They are more familiar with Greg Gumbel than with Bryant Gumbel.
11. Philip Morris has always owned Kraft Foods.
12. Al-Qaida has always existed with Osama bin Laden at its head.
13. They learned to count with Lotus 1-2-3.
14. Car stereos have always rivaled home component systems.
15. Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker have never preached on television.
16. Voice mail has always been available.
17. "Whatever" is not part of a question but an expression of sullen rebuke.
18. The federal budget has always been more than a trillion dollars.
19. Condoms have always been advertised on television.
20. They may have fallen asleep playing with their Gameboys in the crib.
21. They have always had the right to burn the flag.
22. For daily caffeine emergencies, Starbucks has always been around the corner.
23. Ferdinand Marcos has never been in charge of the Philippines.
24. Money put in their savings account the year they were born earned almost 7% interest.
25. Bill Gates has always been worth at least a billion dollars.
26. Dirty dancing has always been acceptable.
27. Southern fried chicken, prepared with a blend of 11 herbs and spices, has always been available in China.
28. Michael Jackson has always been bad, and greed has always been good.
29. The Starship Enterprise has always looked dated.
30. Pixar has always existed.
31. There has never been a "fairness doctrine" at the FCC.
32. Judicial appointments routinely have been "Borked."
33. Aretha Franklin has always been in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
34. There have always been zebra mussels in the Great Lakes.
35. Police have always been able to search garbage without a search warrant.
36. It has always been possible to walk from England to mainland Europe on dry land.
37. They have grown up in a single superpower world.
38. They missed the oat bran diet craze.
39. American Motors has never existed.
40. Scientists have always been able to see supernovas.
41. Les Miserables has always been on stage.
42. Halogen lights have always been available at home, with a warning.
43. "Baby M" may be a classmate, and contracts with surrogate mothers have always been legal.
44. RU486 has always been on the market.
45. There has always been a pyramid in front of the Louvre in Paris.
46. British Airways has always been privately owned.
47. Irradiated food has always been available but controversial.
48. Snowboarding has always been a popular winter pastime.
49. Libraries have always been the best centers for computer technology and access to good software.
50. Biosphere 2 has always been trying to create a revolution in the life sciences.
51. The Hubble Telescope has always been focused on new frontiers.
52. Researchers have always been looking for stem cells.
53. They do not remember "a kinder and gentler nation."
54. They never saw the shuttle Challenger fly.
55. The TV networks have always had cable partners.
56. Airports have always had upscale shops and restaurants.
57. Black Americans have always been known as African-Americans.
58. They never saw Pat Sajak or Arsenio Hall host a late night television show.
59. Matt Groening has always had a Life in Hell.
60. Salman Rushdie has always been watching over his shoulder.
61. Digital cameras have always existed.
62. Tom Landry never coached the Cowboys.
63. Time Life and Warner Communications have always been joined.
64. CNBC has always been on the air.
65. The Field of Dreams has always been drawing people to Iowa.
66. They never saw a Howard Johnson's with 28 ice cream flavors.
67. Reindeer at Christmas have always distinguished between secular and religious decorations.
68. Entertainment Weekly has always been on the newsstand.
69. Lyme Disease has always been a ticking concern in the woods.
70. Jimmy Carter has always been an elder statesman.
71. Miss Piggy and Kermit have always dwelt in Disneyland.
72. America's Funniest Home Videos has always been on television.
73. Their nervous new parents heard C. Everett Koop proclaim nicotine as addictive as heroin.
74. Lever has always been looking for 2000 parts to clean.
75. They have always been challenged to distinguish between news and entertainment on cable TV.
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I drove to church reluctantly this evening. It had been a long day, and I was starting to resent last Sunday's request by our Pastor's wife that we give the church kitchen a thorough scrubbing before our upcoming festival.
As I entered the social hall, I saw the same few people who always help out. I dipped a rag into a bucket of pine-scented cleaner and started scrubbing the hood over the large stove, trying to remove the accumulation of grease. Next to me, James Erickson and his son Jimmy were washing walls. They were laughing and joking, teasing each other about who was getting his part cleaner, and purposely dripping water on each other.
Their humor was contagious. Soon I was laughing along and scrubbing more vigorously. We joked with Jimmy about how we wished we had his teenage energy. "Isn't it hard to work with us old folks?"
Laughingly, he said, "Well, actually, I'm having a lot more fun than I thought I would!"
James put his arm around his son's shoulder and said, "Always remember, son, there's special grace given to you when you work for the church."
As I wrung out my rag, I pondered James' words. I'd been complaining about the needs in our church and the heavy workload of the few. My attitude needed the good scrubbing it got from James and Jimmy!
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Your Hands
Guarantee you'll look at/feel differently about yours after reading. :)
Grandma, some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench. She didn't move, just sat with her head down staring at her hands. When I sat down beside her she didn't acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat I wondered if she was OK.
Finally, not really wanting to disturb her but wanting to check on her at the same time, I asked her if she was OK. She raised her head and looked at me and smiled. "Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking", she said in a clear strong voice.
"I didn't mean to disturb you, grandma, but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK", I explained to her.
"Have you ever looked at your hands?" she asked. "I mean really looked at your hands?"
I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them over, palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point she was making.
Grandma smiled and related this story:
"Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have served you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled, shriveled and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life.
They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the floor. They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a child my mother taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots.
They dried the tears of my children and caressed the love of my life. They wiped my tears when my husband went off to war. They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent.
They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold our newborn daughter. Decorated with my wedding band they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special. They wrote the letters home and trembled and shook when I buried my parents and spouse.
They have held children, consoled neighbors, and shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand. They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw. And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer. These hands are the mark of where I've been and the ruggedness of my life.
But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out and take when he leads me home. And with my hands He will lift me to His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of Christ."
I will never look at my hands the same again. But I remember God reached out and took my grandma's hands and led her home. When my hands are hurt or sore or when I stroke the face of my children and husband I think of Grandma. I know she has been stroked and caressed and held by the hands of God. I, too, want to touch the face of God and feel his hands upon my face.
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The Holy Alphabet.....
A lthough things are not perfect
B ecause of trial or pain
C ontinue in thanksgiving
D o not begin to blame
E ven when the times are hard
F ierce winds are bound to blow
G od is forever able
H old on to what you know
I magine life without His love
J oy would cease to be
K eep thanking Him for all the things
L ove imparts to thee
M ove out of "Camp Complaining"
N o weapon that is known
O n earth can yield the power
P raise can do alone
Quit looking at the future
R edeem the time at hand
S tart every day with worship
T o "thank" is a command
U ntil we see Him coming
V ictorious in the sky
W e'll run the race with gratitude
X alting God most high
Y es, there'll be good times and yes some will be bad, but...
Z ion waits in glory...where none are ever sad!
~ Poem by Cindy Blackamore
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Eye opener-23rd Psalm
Some probably never looked at Psalm 23 in this way, even though they say it over and over again.
The Lord is my Shepherd
That's Relationship!
I shall not want
That's Supply!
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures
That's Rest!
He leadeth me beside the still waters
That's Refreshment!
He restoreth my soul
That's Healing!
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness
That's Guidance!
For His name sake
That's Purpose!
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
That's Testing!
I will fear no evil
That's Protection!
For Thou art with me
That's Faithfulness!
Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me
That's Discipline!
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies
That's Hope!
Thou annointest my head with oil
That's Consecration!
My cup runneth over
That's Abundance!
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life
That's Blessing!
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
That's Security!
Forever
That's Eternity!
Face it, the Lord is crazy about you.
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The Necklace
The cheerful little girl with a bright beautiful smile was almost five.
Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them, a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box.
"Oh Mommy please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please?"
Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading bright eyes of her little girl's upturned face.
"A dollar ninety-five. That's almost $2.00. If you really want them, I'll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself.
Your birthday's only a week away and you might get another crisp dollar bill from Grandma."
As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went to the neighbor and asked Mrs. McJames if she could pick dandelions for ten cents.
On her birthday, Grandma did give her another new dollar bill and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace.
Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up.
She wore them everywhere, Sunday school, kindergarten, even to bed. The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath.
Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.
Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story. One night as he finished the story, he asked Jenny, "Do you love me?"
"Oh yes, daddy. You know that I love you."
"Then give me your pearls."
"Oh, daddy, not my pearls. But you can have Princess, the white horse from my collection, the one with the pink tail.
Remember, daddy? The one you gave me. She's my very favorite."
"That's okay, Honey, daddy loves you. Good night." And he brushed her forehead with a kiss.
About a week later, after the story time, Jenny's daddy asked again, "Do you love me?"
"Daddy, you know I love you."
"Then give me your pearls."
"Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my baby doll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper."
"That's okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Daddy loves you"
And as always, he brushed her forehead with a gentle kiss.
A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed Indian style. As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek.
"What is it, Jenny? What's the matter?"
Jenny didn't say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy.
And when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace.
With a little quiver, she finally said, "Here, daddy, this is for you."
With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny's daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Jenny.
He had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her the genuine treasure.
So it is, with our Heavenly Father. He is waiting for us to give up the cheap things in our lives so that he can give us beautiful treasures.
Isn't God good? Are you holding onto things that God wants you to let go of? Are you holding on to harmful or unnecessary partners, relationships, habits and activities that you have come so attached to that it seems impossible to let go?
Sometimes it is so hard to see what is in the other hand but do believe this one thing.
God will never take away something without giving you something better in its place.
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Dance
When I meditated on the word Guidance, I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word.
I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing.
When two people try to lead, nothing feels right.
The movement doesn't flow with the music,
And everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.
When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead,
Both bodies begin to flow with the music.
One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back
Or by pressing lightly in one direction or another.
It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully.
The dance takes surrender, willingness,
and attentiveness from one person
And gentle guidance and skill from the other.
My eyes drew back to the word Guidance.
When I saw "G: I thought of God, followed by 'u" and "i."
"God, 'u" and "i" dance."
God, you, and I dance.
As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust
that I would get guidance about my life.
Once again, I became willing to let God lead.
My prayer for you today is that God's blessings
And mercies be upon you on this day and everyday.
May you abide in God as God abides in you.
Dance together with God, trusting God to lead
And to guide you through each season of your life.
This prayer is powerful and there is nothing attached.
If God has done anything for you in your life,
Please share this message with someone else,
For prayer is one of the best gifts we can receive.
There is no cost but a lot of rewards;
So let's continue to pray for one another.
And I Hope You Dance!!!!!!!
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CRAPPY LITTLE COUNTRY
The Middle East has been growing date palms for centuries. The average tree is about 18-20 feet tall and yields about 38 pounds of dates a year.
Israeli date trees are now yielding 400 pounds/year and are short enough to be harvested from the ground or a short ladder.
Israel the 100th smallest country, with less than 1/1000th of the world's population, can lay claim to the following:
The cell phone was developed in Israel by Israelis working in the Israeli branch of Motorola, which has its largest development center in Israel.
Most of the Windows NT and XP operating systems were developed by Microsoft-Israel.
The Pentium MMX Chip technology was designed in Israel at Intel.
Both the Pentium-4 microprocessor and the Centrino processor were entirely designed, developed and produced in Israel.
The Pentium microprocessor in your computer was most likely made in Israel.
Voice mail technology was developed in Israel.
Both Microsoft and Cisco built their only R&D facilities outside the US in Israel.
The technology for the AOL Instant Messenger ICQ was developed in 1996 by four young Israelis.
Israel has the fourth largest air force in the world (after the U.S, Russia and China). In addition to a large variety of other aircraft, Israel's air force has an aerial arsenal of over 250 F-16's. This is the largest fleet of F-16 aircraft outside of the U. S.
Israel's $100 billion economy is larger than all of its immediate neighbors combined.
Israel has the highest percentage in the world of home computers per capita.
According to industry officials, Israel designed the airline industry's most impenetrable flight security. US officials now look (finally) to Israel for advice on how to handle airborne security threats.
Israel has the highest ratio of university degrees to the population in the world.
Israel produces more scientific papers per capita than any other nation by a large margin - 109 per 10,000 people --as well as one of the highest per capita rates of patents filed.
In proportion to its population, Israel has the largest number of startup companies in the world. In absolute terms, Israel has the largest number of startup companies than any other country in the world, except the U.S. (3,500 companies mostly in hi-tech).
With more than 3,000 high-tech companies and startups, Israel has the highest concentration of hi-tech companies in the world -- apart from the Silicon Valley, U.S.
Israel is ranked #2 in the world for venture capital funds right behind the U.S.
Outside the United States and Canada, Israel has the largest number of NASDAQ listed companies.
Israel has the highest average living standards in the Middle East.
The per capita income in 2000 was over $17,500, exceeding that of the UK.
On a per capita basis, Israel has the largest number of biotech startups.
Twenty-four per cent of Israel's workforce holds university degrees, ranking third in the industrialized world, after the United States and Holland and 12 per cent hold advanced degrees.
Israel is the only liberal democracy in the Middle East.
In 1984 and 1991, Israel airlifted a total of 22,000 Ethiopian Jews (Operation Solomon) at Risk in Ethiopia, to safety in Israel.
When Golda Meir was elected Prime Minister of Israel in 1969, she became the world's second elected female leader in modern times.
When the U. S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya was bombed in 1998, Israeli rescue teams were on the scene within a day -- and saved three victims from the rubble.
Israel has the third highest rate of entrepreneurship -- and the highest rate among women and among people over 55 - in the world.
Relative to its population, Israel is the largest immigrant-absorbing nation on earth. Immigrants come in search of democracy, religious freedom, and economic opportunity. (Hundreds of thousands from the former Soviet Union)
Israel was the first nation in the world to adopt the Kimberly process, an international standard that certifies diamonds as "conflict free."
Israel has the world's second highest per capita of new books.
Israel is the only country in the world that entered the 21st century with a net gain in its number of trees, made more remarkable because this was achieved in an area considered mainly desert.
Israel has more museums per capita than any other country.
Medicine... Israeli scientists developed the first fully computerized, no-radiation, diagnostic instrumentation for breast cancer.
An Israeli company developed a computerized system for ensuring proper administration of medications, thus removing human error from medical treatment. Every year in U. S. hospitals 7,000 patients die from treatment mistakes.
Israel's Given Imaging developed the first ingestible video camera, so small it fits inside a pill. Used to view the small intestine from the inside, cancer and digestive disorders.
Researchers in Israel developed a new device that directly helps the heart pump blood, an innovation with the potential to save lives among those with heart failure. The new device is synchronized with the camera helps doctors diagnose heart¹s mechanical operations through a sophisticated system of sensors.
Israel leads the world in the number of scientists and technicians in the workforce, with 145 per 10,000, as opposed to 85 in the U. S., over 70 in Japan, and less than 60 in Germany. With over 25% of its work force employed in technical professions. Israel places first in this category as well.
A new acne treatment developed in Israel, the Clear Light device, produces a high-intensity, ultraviolet-light-free, narrow-band blue light that causes acne bacteria to self-destruct -- all without damaging surrounding skin or tissue.
An Israeli company was the first to develop and install a large-scale solar-powered and fully functional electricity generating plant, in southern California's Mojave desert.
All the above while engaged in regular wars with an implacable enemy that seeks its destruction, and an economy continuously under strain by having to spend more per capita on its own protection than any other county on earth.
. ... . . AND THE FRENCH AMBASSADOR IN ENGLAND SAYS :
"ISRAEL IS NOTHING BUT A CRAPPY LITTLE COUNTRY"
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I was sitting alone in one of those loud, casual steak houses that you find all over the country.
You know the type--a bucket of peanuts on every table, shells littering the floor, and a bunch of perky college kids racing around with long neck beers and sizzling platters.
Taking a sip of my iced tea, I studied the crowd over the rim of my glass. My gaze lingered on a group enjoying their meal.
They wore no uniform to identify their branch of service, but they were definitely "military:" clean shaven, cropped haircut, and that "squared away" look that comes with pride.
Smiling sadly, I glanced across my table to the empty seat where my husband usually sat.
It had only been a few months since we sat in this very booth, talking about his upcoming deployment to the Middle East.
That was when he made me promise to get a sitter for the kids, come back to this restaurant once a month and treat myself to a nice steak.
In turn he would treasure the thought of me being here, thinking about him until he returned home I fingered the little flag pin I constantly wear and wondered where he was at this very moment.
Was he safe and warm?? Was his cold any better?? Were my letters getting through to him?
As I pondered these thoughts, high pitched female voices from the next booth broke into my thoughts.
"I don't know what Bush is thinking about. Invading Iraq. You'd think that man would learn from his old man's mistakes. Good lord.
What an idiot! I can't believe he is even in office. You do know, he stole the election."
I cut into my steak and tried to ignore them, as they began an endless tirade running down our president.
I thought about the last night I spent with my husband, as he prepared to deploy. He had just returned from getting his smallpox and anthrax shots.
The image of him standing in our kitchen packing his gas mask still gives me chills.
Once again the women's voices invaded my thoughts.
"It is all about oil, you know. Our soldiers will go in and rape and steal all the oil they can in the name of 'freedom'.
Hmmm! I wonder how many innocent people they'll kill without giving it a thought? It's pure greed, you know."
My chest tightened as I stared at my wedding ring. I could still see how handsome my husband looked in his "mess dress" the day he slipped it on my finger.
I wondered what he was wearing now. Probably his desert uniform, affectionately dubbed "coffee stains" with a heavy bulletproof vest over it.
"You know, we should just leave Iraq alone. I don't think they are hiding any weapons. In fact, I bet it's all a big act just to increase the president's popularity.
That's all it is, padding the military budget at the expense of our social security and education.
And, you know what else?
We're just asking for another 9-11. I can't say when it happens again that we didn't deserve it."
Their words brought to mind the war protesters I had watched gathering outside our base.
Did no one appreciate the sacrifice of brave men and women, who leave their homes and family to ensure our freedom??
Do they even know what "freedom" is?
I glanced at the table where the young men were sitting, and saw their courageous faces change.
They had stopped eating and looked at each other dejectedly, listening to the women talking.
"Well, I, for one, think it's just deplorable to invade Iraq, and I am certainly sick of our tax dollars going to train professional baby-killers we call a military."
Professional baby-killers?? I thought about what a wonderful father my husband is, and of how long it would be before he would see our children again.
That's it! Indignation rose up inside me. Normally reserved, pride in my husband gave me a brassy boldness I never realized I had.
Tonight one voice will answer on behalf of our military, and let her pride in our troops be known.
Sliding out of my booth, I walked around to the adjoining booth and placed my hands flat on their table.
Lowering myself to eye level with them, smilingly said, "I couldn't help overhearing your conversation.
You see, I'm sitting here trying to enjoy my dinner alone.
And, do you know why?
Because my husband, whom I love with all my heart, is halfway around the world defending your right to say rotten things about him."
"Yes, you have the right to your opinion, and what you think is none of my business.
However, what you say in public is something else, and I will not sit by and listen to you ridicule MY country, MY president, MY husband, and all the other fine American men and women who put their lives on the line, just so you can have the "freedom" to complain. Freedom is an expensive commodity, ladies.
Don't let your actions cheapen it."
I must have been louder that I meant to be, because the manager came over to inquire if everything was all right.
"Yes, thank you," I replied.
Then, turning back to the women, I said, "Enjoy the rest of your meal."
As I returned to my booth applause broke out. I was embarrassed for making a scene, and went back to my half eaten steak.
The women picked up their check and scurried away.
After finishing my meal, and while waiting for my check, the manager returned with a huge apple cobbler ala mode.
"Compliments of those soldiers," he said. He also smiled and said the ladies tried to pay for my dinner, but that another couple had beaten them to it.
When I asked who, the manager said they had already left, but that the gentleman was a veteran, and wanted to take care of the wife of "one of our boys."
With a lump in my throat, I gratefully turned to the soldiers and thanked them for the cobbler.
Grinning from ear to ear, they came over and surrounded the booth.
"We just wanted to thank you, ma'am.
You know we can't get into confrontations with civilians, so we appreciate what you did."
As I drove home, for the first time since my husband's deployment, I didn't feel quite so alone.
My heart was filled with the warmth of the other diners who stopped by my table, to relate how they, too, were proud of my husband, and would keep him in their prayers.
I knew their flags would fly a little higher the next day.
Perhaps they would look for more tangible ways to show their pride in our country, and the military who protect her.
And maybe, just maybe, the two women who were railing against our country, would pause for a minute to appreciate all the freedom America offers, and the price it pays to maintain it's freedom.
As for me, I have learned that one voice CAN make a difference.
Maybe the next time protesters gather outside the gates of the base where I live, I will proudly stand on the opposite side with a sign of my own.
It will simply say, "Thank You!"
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Friday, July 21, 2006
Knockin' on Heaven's Door.........
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"Sit down before fact as a little child, be prepared to give up every preconceived notion, follow humbly wherever and to whatever abysses nature leads, or you shall learn nothing." ~~ Thomas Henry Huxley
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"Thoughtful people who recoil from many repugnant aspects of contemporary politics should squarely face the fact that big government begets bad politics." —George Will
"The Democratic economic policy is higher taxes, more spending and bigger government. Republicans aren't much better. Their policy is lower taxes, more spending and bigger government. That's an echo, not a choice." —Cal Thomas
"[E]ndless repetition is not a coherent argument." —Thomas Sowell
"Today, we need a nation of Minutemen, citizens who are not only prepared to take arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as the basic purpose of their daily life." —John F. Kennedy
"Getting and spending are not the chief aims of human existence." —Russell Kirk
"The real rulers in Washington are invisible and exercise power from behind the scenes." —Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter
"You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who can do nothing for them or to them." —Malcolm Forbes
"To sit home, read one's favorite paper, and scoff at the misdeeds of the men who do things is easy, but it is markedly ineffective. It is what evil men count upon the good men's doing." —Theodore Roosevelt
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Noah's Ark Everything I need to know, I learned from Noah's Ark..
ONE: Don't miss the boat.
TWO: Remember that we are all in the same boat.
THREE: Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.
FOUR: Stay fit. When you're 60 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.
FIVE: Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.
SIX: Build your future on high ground.
SEVEN: For safety's sake, travel in pairs.
EIGHT: Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.
NINE: When you're stressed, float awhile.
TEN: Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
ELEVEN: No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting.
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The Whale
If you read the front page story of the SF Chronicle, you would have read about a female humpback whale who had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines.
She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat.
She also had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso, a line tugging in her mouth.
A fisherman spotted her just east of the Farralon Islands (outside the Golden Gate) and radioed an environmental group for help.
Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so bad off, the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her ... a very dangerous proposition.
One slap of the tail could kill a rescuer.
They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her.
When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous circles.
She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, pushed gently around and nudged them; she was thanking them.
Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives.
The guy who cut the rope out of her mouth says her eye was following him the whole time, and he will never be the same.
May you, and all those you love, be so blessed and fortunate to be surrounded by people who will help you get untangled from the things that are binding you.
And, may you always know the joy of giving and receiving gratitude.
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Boogie Through Life!
Don't cry because its over,
smile because it happened.
Pain and Suffering is inevitable
but Misery is optional.
Yesterday is history,
Tomorrow is a mystery,
Today is a gift.
That's why it's called: The Present.
A good exercise for the heart is to
bend down and help another up.
Life is what you make of it...
kinda like Play-Doh
The bubbling brook would lose its song
if you removed the rocks.
Happiness comes through doors
you didn't even know you left open.
Everything is always okay in the end,
if it's not, then it's not the end.
If all my friends jumped off a cliff,
I wouldn't jump with them.
I would be at the bottom to catch them.
A girl on the street is pointing up at the sky.
'Look, an Angel!' she yells.
Passerby laughed, 'You fool, that is only a cloud.'
How wonderful it would be to see Angels where there are only clouds.
How sad it would be to see clouds where there are Angels.
Here is a test to find whether your mission on earth is finished: If you're alive, it isn't.
So be happy!
Don't let anything burst your balloon!
Boogie through life!
Have a real happy day today! Enjoy it because you got up this morning
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Keep Your Fork
There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. So as she was getting her things “in order”, she contacted her pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in.
Everything was in order and the pastor was preparing to leave when the young woman suddenly remembered something very important to her. "There's one more thing”, she said excitedly. "What's that?" came the pastor's reply.
"This is very important”, the young woman continued. "I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand."
The pastor stood looking at the young woman, not knowing quite what to say.
"That surprises you, doesn't it?" the young woman asked.
"Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request," said the pastor.
The young woman explained. "My grandmother once told me this story, and from there on out, I have always done so. I have also, always tried to pass along its message to those I love and those who are in need of encouragement.
'In all my years of attending church socials and potluck dinners, always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, 'Keep your fork'.
It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. Something wonderful, and with substance!' So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder "What's with the fork?" Then I want you to tell them: "Keep your fork ... the best is yet to come."
The pastor's eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the young woman good-bye.
He knew this would be one of the last times he would see her before her death. But he also knew that the young woman had a better grasp of heaven than he did. She had a better grasp of what heaven would be like than many people twice her age, with twice as much experience and knowledge. She KNEW that something better was coming.
At the funeral people were walking by the young woman's casket and they saw the pretty dress she was wearing and the fork placed in her right hand. Over and over, the pastor heard the question "What's with the fork?" And over and over he smiled.
During his message, the pastor told the people of the conversation he had with the young woman shortly before she died. He also told them about the fork and about what it symbolized to her.
The pastor told the people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it either. He was right.
So the next time you reach down for your fork, let it remind you ever so gently, that the best is yet to come.
Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us.
Show your friends how much you care. Remember to always be there for them, even when you need them more. For you never know when it may be their time to "Keep your fork."
Cherish the time you have, and the memories you share, being friends with someone is not an opportunity but a sweet responsibility.
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HOW TO STAY YOUNG
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height.
Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay them.
2. Keep only cheerful friends.
The grouches pull you down. (keep this In mind if you are one of those grouches;)
3. Keep learning:
Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain get idle.
"An idle mind is the devil's workshop."
And the devil's name is Alzheimer's!
4. Enjoy the simple things.
5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
And if you have a friend who makes you laugh, spend lots and Lots of time with HIM/HER.
6. The tears happen:
Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourself. LIVE while you are alive.
7. Surround yourself with what you love:
Whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever.
Your home is your refuge.
8. Cherish your health:
If it is good, preserve it.
If it is unstable, improve it.
If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
9. Don't take guilt trips.
Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.
]
10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.
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Tiny frogs....
Once upon a time there was a bunch of tiny frogs.... who arranged a running competition.
The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower.
A big crowd had gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants....
The race began....
Honestly:
No one in the crowd really believed that the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower.
You heard statements such as:
"Oh, WAY too difficult!!"
"They will NEVER make it to the top."
or:
"Not a chance that they will succeed. The tower is too high!"
The tiny frogs began collapsing. One by one....
Except for those, who in a fresh tempo, were climbing higher and higher..
The crowd continued to yell, "It is too difficult!!! No one will make it!"
More tiny frogs got tired and gave up....
But ONE continued higher and higher and higher....
This one wouldn't give up!
At the end everyone else had given up climbing the tower. Except for the one tiny frog who, after a big effort, was the only one who reached the top!
THEN all of the other tiny frogs naturally wanted to know how this one frog managed to do it?
A contestant asked the tiny frog how he had found the strength to succeed and reach the goal?
It turned out....
That the winner was DEAF!!!!
The wisdom of this story is:
Never listen to other people's tendencies to be negative or pessimistic.... because they take your most wonderful dreams and wishes away from you -- the ones you have in your heart!
Always think of the power words have. (There's life and death in the power of the tongue - Proverbs 18:21.)
Because everything you hear and read will affect your actions!
Therefore:
ALWAYS be....
POSITIVE!
And above all:
Be DEAF when people tell YOU that you cannot fulfill your dreams!
Always think:
God and I can do this!
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PEOPLE COME INTO YOUR LIFE FOR A REASON
I am sending this to you to see how many actually read their e-mail. Your response will be interesting. Pay attention to what you read. After you have finished reading it, you will know the reason it was sent to you. Here goes:
People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person. When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a Godsend and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrong doing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.
Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it, it is real. But only for a season!
LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons, things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.
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It's Strange Isn't It?
1. Isn't it strange how a 20 dollar bill
Seems like such a large
Amount when
You donate it to church, but
Such a small amount When you go shopping?
2. Isn't it strange how 2 hours seem so long when
You're at church, and how
Short they seem when you're
Watching a good movie?
3. Isn't it strange that you can't
Find a word to say when
You're praying,
But you have no trouble
Thinking what to talk about
With a friend?
4. Isn't it strange how difficult
And boring it is to read
One chapter
Of the Bible, but how easy
It is to read 100 pages of
A popular novel or ZANE GREY book?
5. Isn't it strange how everyone
Wants front-row-tickets
To concerts or
Games, but they do whatever
Is possible to sit at the last
Row in Church?
6. Isn't it strange how we need to
Know about an event for Church 2-3
Weeks before the day so we can
Include it in our agenda, but we can
Adjust it for other events at
The last minute?
7. Isn't it strange how difficult it
Is to learn a fact about God to share it
With others, but how easy
It is to learn, understand,
Extend and repeat gossip?
8. Isn't it strange how we
Believe everything
That magazines and newspapers
Say, but we question the words in the
Bible?
9. Isn't it strange how everyone
Wants a place in
Heaven, but they don't want
To believe, do, or say anything
To get there?
10. Isn't it strange how we often think
twice before we share
with others?
IT'S STRANGE ISN'T IT?
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To those of us a certain age. . .
I came across this phrase in a book yesterday: "FENDER SKIRTS.” This is a term I haven't heard in a long time. My '54 Ford and '61. Chevy had fender skirts, so It started me thinking about other words that quietly disappeared from our language with hardly a notice.
Like "curb feeler." I've been thinking about getting a pair of these but couldn't find them in the auto parts store.
And "steering knob" a/k/a suicide knob. I put one of these on the '54 Ford and it quickly 'ate' through the steering wheel.
I stopped at a car wash being held by the cheer leaders of the local high school to raise money. I specifically asked the young lady to make sure they did a good job on the “white walls.” When they were done I noticed that they had not cleaned the sides of the tires at all. I went back to the gal and told her that I had intended giving them a nice tip but was very disappointed that they hadn't done the 'White Walls'. She looked at me puzzled and said. what are white walls?
Remember "continental kits?" They were rear bumper extenders and spare tire covers that were supposed to make any car as cool as a Lincoln Continental. I really wanted one but they were $150 dollars and that was too much to put on a $300 car.
When did we quit calling them "emergency brakes?" At some point "parking brake" became the proper term. But I miss the hint of drama that went with "emergency brake."
I'm sad, too, that almost all the old folks are gone who would call the accelerator the "foot feed." I love to use this word in the classes that I teach that are filled with teens.
Didn't you ever wait at the street for your daddy to come home so you could ride the "running board" up to the house? We had a couple of cars that sat in the back yard that had “running boards” but not running engines!
Here's a phrase I heard all the time in my youth but never anymore: "store-bought." Of course, just about everything is store-bought these days, but once it was bragging material to have a store-bought dress or a store-bought bag of can
"Coast-to-coast" is also a phrase that once held all sorts of excitement but now means almost nothing. Now we take the term "world-wide" for granted. This floors me.
On a smaller scale, "wall-to-wall" was once a magical term in our homes. In the '50's, everyone covered his or her hardwood floors with, wow, wall-to-wall carpeting! Today, everyone replaces their wall-to-wall carpeting with hardwood floors. Go figure.
When's the last time you heard the quaint phrase "in the family way?" It's hard to imagine that the word "pregnant" was once considered a little too graphic, a little too clinical for use in polite company. So we had all that talk about stork visits and "being in the family way" or simply "expecting."
Apparently "brassiere" is a word no longer in use. I said it the other day and my daughter cracked up. I guess it's just "bra" now. "Unmentionables" probably wouldn't be understood at all either.
I always loved going to the "picture show," but I considered "movie" an affectation.
Most of these words go back to the '50's, but here's a pure 60's word I came across the other day: "rat fink." Ooh, what a nasty put-down!
Here's a word I miss: "percolator." That was just a fun word to say. And what was it replaced with? "Coffee maker." How dull. Mr. Coffee, I blame you for this.
I miss those made-up marketing words that were meant to sound so modern and now sound so retro, like "DynaFlow" and "Electrolux." “Introducing the 1963 Admiral TV, now with "SpectraVision!"
Was there ever a telethon that wiped out lumbago? Nobody complains of that anymore. Maybe that's what castor oil cured, because I never hear mothers threatening kids with castor oil anymore.
Some words aren't gone, but are definitely on the endangered list. The one that grieves me most is "supper." Now everybody says "dinner." Save a great word. Invite someone to supper---to discuss fender skirts.
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From a grandaughter in Pakistan
Hello-
Well I have had a couple of interesting days in Pakistan. Peshawar in many ways is much like Calcutta, but in other ways it is very different. It is hard to get used to the way things are here, Peshawar is one of the most conservative Muslim cities in the world. Yesterday I went to the market to buy some more Shalwars (clothes) and I know that woman here are not to look at men. But women are not to have ANY interaction with men in public. Meaning no saying good bye when you leave a shop, no say please and thank you. All day I was trying to give American's a good name with my impeccable manners, only to find that I was implying that I am easy and loose. Other things like smiling or laughing to speaking above a whisper, in public makes you a harlot. All good things to know! So once I picked up on this I felt very rude, never saying thank you and just walking away when someone says something, but then I was acting appropriately. I have to wear a Shalwar kameez which is a long baggy shirt (with long sleeves) over baggy Genie-type pants with a Chaddar which is like a big sheet that basically wraps around my whole body. VERY hot but really above 115 degrees all feels the same covered from head to toe or naked (not that I went around naked, but I you know what I mean : ) . So the only thing showing is my face hands and feet, and the rest is covered by three big flowing, sweaty layers.
The day before yesterday I hung out with to British people who I guess are big donors to SNI. We went up to Khyber Pass which leads up to the boarder of Afghanistan. It was so COOL. We went way up into the mountains they are dry, and rocky slate here. The houses are made out of clay and some are built right into rock. We went up to Mishni Post which is a post that watches Afghanistan. We could look right at it. The guards were really nice to us they showed us around and then this little tribesman (the people who live in the mountains) had us to his "house" we sat on his floor and he gave us tea and biscuits. He asked where my husband was, and I said I didn't have one because I was too young. HE said you aren't 18? I said no, I am 20. He said then you should have 1 husband and two kids. I couldn't believe that I was on the boarder of Pakistan and Afghanistan and having tea in the mountains with a tribesman!
Well, I haven't been doing a whole lot yet, they want to make sure I am really familiar with the culture before I do anything to unintentionally bring shame to anyone. But here pretty much anything a woman does brings shame to someone. I am going to a visit to Kabul, in Afghanistan. I am not sure when it will either be next week or in a few weeks. It really isn’t as hard as one might think to get there. The people I am living with go all the time, they love it there. I can fly there for free with Red Cross. SNI has a team of 30 or so in Kabul. I know this sounds dangerous but it isn't as bad as you would think. It can be dangerous here but more so for people who don't try to blend or respect the culture. I feel silly for being so scared to come here. I am having a wonderful time. Please just pray for God to show me what he wants me to do here and what he wants me to learn.
We are going to our prayer meeting which is everyday from 8 am-10am.
I love you!
Haley
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Thursday
I just got home from the clinic. It was a good day, so many cute kids. Sufina the nurse brought be a birthday present today. She bought me material for making a shalwar kameez outfit. She was so excited for me to open it, that she actually opened it! I also got a sister happy birthday card from her kids. And a daughter happy birthday card from her. the were addressed to "Sweet Haley" I thought that was pretty funny. My driver Javed also brought me a present today because I had him bring his sick daughter in to the clinic to see "Dr. David" as they call him. It is a big antique clay vase that he said is really, really old. It weighs about 10 pounds. I don't know how I am going to get it home. It was very generous gift. He gave me a box of Betty Crocker muffin mix to give to Dr. David as a thank you. He got muffin mix and I got an antique vase, and he did all the work. Pakistani people are very kind and too generous, once you get to know them. At first they are a little stand-offish but once they are your friend they are your best friend for life.
I leave tomorrow for Islamabad. I am excited, it is a lot more laid back there than here. I don’t have to wear my head covered or anything. We are taking a Korean bus.
Okay that's all for now. I love you, keep me filled in on everything.
Haley
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Never Too Late..........
Happy Mother’s Day!
SOMEONE said...
Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after you've had a baby
Somebody doesn't know that once you're a mother, "Normal," is history.
Somebody said you learn how to be a mother by instinct
Somebody never took a three-year-old shopping.
Somebody said being a mother is boring ......
Somebody never rode in a car driven by a teenager with a driver's permit.
Somebody said if you're a "good" mother, your child will "turn out good"
Somebody thinks a child comes with directions and a guarantee.
Somebody said "good" mothers never raise their voices.
Somebody never came out the back door just in time to see her child hit a golf ball through the neighbor's kitchen window.
Somebody said you don't need an education to be a mother.
Somebody never helped a fourth grader with her math.
Somebody said you can't love the fifth child as much as you love the first.
Somebody doesn't have five children.
Somebody said a mother can find all the answers to her child-rearing questions in the books .
Somebody never had a child stuff beans up his nose or in his ears.
Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother is labor and delivery
Somebody never watched her "baby" get on the bus for the first day of kindergarten or on a plane headed for military "boot camp."
Somebody said a mother can do her job with her eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back ......
somebody never organized four giggling Brownies to sell cookies.
Somebody said a mother can stop worrying after her child gets married .... Somebody doesn't know that marriage adds a new son or daughter-in-law to a mother's heartstrings.
Somebody said a mother's job is done when her last child leaves home
Somebody never had grandchildren.
Somebody said your mother knows you love her, so you don't need to tell her .Somebody isn't a mother.
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Hello God,
I called tonight
To talk a little while
I need a friend who'll listen
To my anxiety and trial.
You see, I can't quite make it
Through a day just on my own...
I need your love to guide me,
So I'll never feel alone.
I want to ask you please to keep
My family safe and sound.
Come and fill their lives with confidence
For whatever fate they're bound.
Give me faith, dear God, to face
Each hour throughout the day,
And not to worry over things
I can't change in any way.
I thank you God for being home
And listening to my call,
For giving me such good advice
When I stumble and fall.
Your number, God, is the only one
That answers every time.
I never get a busy signal,
Never had to pay a ! dime.
So thank you, God, for listening
To my troubles and my sorrow.
Good night, God, I love You too,
And I'll call again tomorrow!
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What if God decided to stop leading us tomorrow because we didn't follow Him today?
What if God couldn't take the time to bless us today because we couldn't take the time to thank Him yesterday?
What if we never saw another flower bloom because we grumbled when God sent the rain?
What if God didn't walk with us today because we failed to recognize it as His day?
What if, God took away the Bible tomorrow because we would not read it today?
What if, God took away His message because we failed to listen to the messenger?
.....THINK ABOUT THIS ONE.....
What if, God didn't send His only begotten Son because He wanted us to be prepared to pay the price for sin?
What if, the door of the church was closed because we did not open the door of our heart?
What if, God stopped loving and caring for us because we failed to love and care for others?
What if, God would not hear us today because we would not listen to Him?
What if, God answered our prayers the way we answer His call to service?
What if, God met our needs the way we give Him our lives???
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They died for you
Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you, Jesus Christ and the American G.I.
One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.
Thank them both
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Cell Phone vs. Bible
I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phones?
What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
What if we flipped through it several times a day?
What if we used it to receive messages from the text?
What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?
What if we gave it to kids as gifts?
What if we used it as we traveled?
What if we used it in case of an emergency?
What if we upgraded it to get the latest version?
This is something to make you go...hmmm...where is my Bible?
Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don't ever have to worry about our bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill!
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The man whispered, "God, speak to me" and a meadowlark sang.
But, the man did not hear. So the man yelled, "God, speak to me" and the thunder rolled across the sky.
But, the man did not listen. The man looked around and said, "God let me see you." And a star shined brightly.
But the man did not see. And, the man shouted, "God show me a miracle." And, a life was born.
But, the man did not notice. So, the man cried out in despair, "Touch me God, and let me know you are here. " Whereupon, God reached down and touched the man.
But, the man brushed the butterfly away and walked on.
I found this to be a great reminder that God is always around us in the little and simple things that we take for granted ... even in our electronic age ..
so I would like to add one more:
The man cried,
"God, I need your help!"
And an e-mail arrived reaching out with good news and encouragement.
But, the man deleted it and continued crying ...
Don't miss out on a blessing because it isn't packaged the way that you expect.
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"Sit down before fact as a little child, be prepared to give up every preconceived notion, follow humbly wherever and to whatever abysses nature leads, or you shall learn nothing." ~~ Thomas Henry Huxley
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"Thoughtful people who recoil from many repugnant aspects of contemporary politics should squarely face the fact that big government begets bad politics." —George Will
"The Democratic economic policy is higher taxes, more spending and bigger government. Republicans aren't much better. Their policy is lower taxes, more spending and bigger government. That's an echo, not a choice." —Cal Thomas
"[E]ndless repetition is not a coherent argument." —Thomas Sowell
"Today, we need a nation of Minutemen, citizens who are not only prepared to take arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as the basic purpose of their daily life." —John F. Kennedy
"Getting and spending are not the chief aims of human existence." —Russell Kirk
"The real rulers in Washington are invisible and exercise power from behind the scenes." —Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter
"You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who can do nothing for them or to them." —Malcolm Forbes
"To sit home, read one's favorite paper, and scoff at the misdeeds of the men who do things is easy, but it is markedly ineffective. It is what evil men count upon the good men's doing." —Theodore Roosevelt
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Noah's Ark Everything I need to know, I learned from Noah's Ark..
ONE: Don't miss the boat.
TWO: Remember that we are all in the same boat.
THREE: Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.
FOUR: Stay fit. When you're 60 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.
FIVE: Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.
SIX: Build your future on high ground.
SEVEN: For safety's sake, travel in pairs.
EIGHT: Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.
NINE: When you're stressed, float awhile.
TEN: Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
ELEVEN: No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting.
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The Whale
If you read the front page story of the SF Chronicle, you would have read about a female humpback whale who had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines.
She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat.
She also had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso, a line tugging in her mouth.
A fisherman spotted her just east of the Farralon Islands (outside the Golden Gate) and radioed an environmental group for help.
Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so bad off, the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her ... a very dangerous proposition.
One slap of the tail could kill a rescuer.
They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her.
When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous circles.
She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, pushed gently around and nudged them; she was thanking them.
Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives.
The guy who cut the rope out of her mouth says her eye was following him the whole time, and he will never be the same.
May you, and all those you love, be so blessed and fortunate to be surrounded by people who will help you get untangled from the things that are binding you.
And, may you always know the joy of giving and receiving gratitude.
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Boogie Through Life!
Don't cry because its over,
smile because it happened.
Pain and Suffering is inevitable
but Misery is optional.
Yesterday is history,
Tomorrow is a mystery,
Today is a gift.
That's why it's called: The Present.
A good exercise for the heart is to
bend down and help another up.
Life is what you make of it...
kinda like Play-Doh
The bubbling brook would lose its song
if you removed the rocks.
Happiness comes through doors
you didn't even know you left open.
Everything is always okay in the end,
if it's not, then it's not the end.
If all my friends jumped off a cliff,
I wouldn't jump with them.
I would be at the bottom to catch them.
A girl on the street is pointing up at the sky.
'Look, an Angel!' she yells.
Passerby laughed, 'You fool, that is only a cloud.'
How wonderful it would be to see Angels where there are only clouds.
How sad it would be to see clouds where there are Angels.
Here is a test to find whether your mission on earth is finished: If you're alive, it isn't.
So be happy!
Don't let anything burst your balloon!
Boogie through life!
Have a real happy day today! Enjoy it because you got up this morning
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Keep Your Fork
There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. So as she was getting her things “in order”, she contacted her pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in.
Everything was in order and the pastor was preparing to leave when the young woman suddenly remembered something very important to her. "There's one more thing”, she said excitedly. "What's that?" came the pastor's reply.
"This is very important”, the young woman continued. "I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand."
The pastor stood looking at the young woman, not knowing quite what to say.
"That surprises you, doesn't it?" the young woman asked.
"Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request," said the pastor.
The young woman explained. "My grandmother once told me this story, and from there on out, I have always done so. I have also, always tried to pass along its message to those I love and those who are in need of encouragement.
'In all my years of attending church socials and potluck dinners, always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, 'Keep your fork'.
It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. Something wonderful, and with substance!' So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder "What's with the fork?" Then I want you to tell them: "Keep your fork ... the best is yet to come."
The pastor's eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the young woman good-bye.
He knew this would be one of the last times he would see her before her death. But he also knew that the young woman had a better grasp of heaven than he did. She had a better grasp of what heaven would be like than many people twice her age, with twice as much experience and knowledge. She KNEW that something better was coming.
At the funeral people were walking by the young woman's casket and they saw the pretty dress she was wearing and the fork placed in her right hand. Over and over, the pastor heard the question "What's with the fork?" And over and over he smiled.
During his message, the pastor told the people of the conversation he had with the young woman shortly before she died. He also told them about the fork and about what it symbolized to her.
The pastor told the people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it either. He was right.
So the next time you reach down for your fork, let it remind you ever so gently, that the best is yet to come.
Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us.
Show your friends how much you care. Remember to always be there for them, even when you need them more. For you never know when it may be their time to "Keep your fork."
Cherish the time you have, and the memories you share, being friends with someone is not an opportunity but a sweet responsibility.
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HOW TO STAY YOUNG
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height.
Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay them.
2. Keep only cheerful friends.
The grouches pull you down. (keep this In mind if you are one of those grouches;)
3. Keep learning:
Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain get idle.
"An idle mind is the devil's workshop."
And the devil's name is Alzheimer's!
4. Enjoy the simple things.
5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
And if you have a friend who makes you laugh, spend lots and Lots of time with HIM/HER.
6. The tears happen:
Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourself. LIVE while you are alive.
7. Surround yourself with what you love:
Whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever.
Your home is your refuge.
8. Cherish your health:
If it is good, preserve it.
If it is unstable, improve it.
If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
9. Don't take guilt trips.
Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.
]
10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.
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Tiny frogs....
Once upon a time there was a bunch of tiny frogs.... who arranged a running competition.
The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower.
A big crowd had gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants....
The race began....
Honestly:
No one in the crowd really believed that the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower.
You heard statements such as:
"Oh, WAY too difficult!!"
"They will NEVER make it to the top."
or:
"Not a chance that they will succeed. The tower is too high!"
The tiny frogs began collapsing. One by one....
Except for those, who in a fresh tempo, were climbing higher and higher..
The crowd continued to yell, "It is too difficult!!! No one will make it!"
More tiny frogs got tired and gave up....
But ONE continued higher and higher and higher....
This one wouldn't give up!
At the end everyone else had given up climbing the tower. Except for the one tiny frog who, after a big effort, was the only one who reached the top!
THEN all of the other tiny frogs naturally wanted to know how this one frog managed to do it?
A contestant asked the tiny frog how he had found the strength to succeed and reach the goal?
It turned out....
That the winner was DEAF!!!!
The wisdom of this story is:
Never listen to other people's tendencies to be negative or pessimistic.... because they take your most wonderful dreams and wishes away from you -- the ones you have in your heart!
Always think of the power words have. (There's life and death in the power of the tongue - Proverbs 18:21.)
Because everything you hear and read will affect your actions!
Therefore:
ALWAYS be....
POSITIVE!
And above all:
Be DEAF when people tell YOU that you cannot fulfill your dreams!
Always think:
God and I can do this!
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PEOPLE COME INTO YOUR LIFE FOR A REASON
I am sending this to you to see how many actually read their e-mail. Your response will be interesting. Pay attention to what you read. After you have finished reading it, you will know the reason it was sent to you. Here goes:
People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person. When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a Godsend and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrong doing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.
Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it, it is real. But only for a season!
LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons, things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.
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It's Strange Isn't It?
1. Isn't it strange how a 20 dollar bill
Seems like such a large
Amount when
You donate it to church, but
Such a small amount When you go shopping?
2. Isn't it strange how 2 hours seem so long when
You're at church, and how
Short they seem when you're
Watching a good movie?
3. Isn't it strange that you can't
Find a word to say when
You're praying,
But you have no trouble
Thinking what to talk about
With a friend?
4. Isn't it strange how difficult
And boring it is to read
One chapter
Of the Bible, but how easy
It is to read 100 pages of
A popular novel or ZANE GREY book?
5. Isn't it strange how everyone
Wants front-row-tickets
To concerts or
Games, but they do whatever
Is possible to sit at the last
Row in Church?
6. Isn't it strange how we need to
Know about an event for Church 2-3
Weeks before the day so we can
Include it in our agenda, but we can
Adjust it for other events at
The last minute?
7. Isn't it strange how difficult it
Is to learn a fact about God to share it
With others, but how easy
It is to learn, understand,
Extend and repeat gossip?
8. Isn't it strange how we
Believe everything
That magazines and newspapers
Say, but we question the words in the
Bible?
9. Isn't it strange how everyone
Wants a place in
Heaven, but they don't want
To believe, do, or say anything
To get there?
10. Isn't it strange how we often think
twice before we share
with others?
IT'S STRANGE ISN'T IT?
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To those of us a certain age. . .
I came across this phrase in a book yesterday: "FENDER SKIRTS.” This is a term I haven't heard in a long time. My '54 Ford and '61. Chevy had fender skirts, so It started me thinking about other words that quietly disappeared from our language with hardly a notice.
Like "curb feeler." I've been thinking about getting a pair of these but couldn't find them in the auto parts store.
And "steering knob" a/k/a suicide knob. I put one of these on the '54 Ford and it quickly 'ate' through the steering wheel.
I stopped at a car wash being held by the cheer leaders of the local high school to raise money. I specifically asked the young lady to make sure they did a good job on the “white walls.” When they were done I noticed that they had not cleaned the sides of the tires at all. I went back to the gal and told her that I had intended giving them a nice tip but was very disappointed that they hadn't done the 'White Walls'. She looked at me puzzled and said. what are white walls?
Remember "continental kits?" They were rear bumper extenders and spare tire covers that were supposed to make any car as cool as a Lincoln Continental. I really wanted one but they were $150 dollars and that was too much to put on a $300 car.
When did we quit calling them "emergency brakes?" At some point "parking brake" became the proper term. But I miss the hint of drama that went with "emergency brake."
I'm sad, too, that almost all the old folks are gone who would call the accelerator the "foot feed." I love to use this word in the classes that I teach that are filled with teens.
Didn't you ever wait at the street for your daddy to come home so you could ride the "running board" up to the house? We had a couple of cars that sat in the back yard that had “running boards” but not running engines!
Here's a phrase I heard all the time in my youth but never anymore: "store-bought." Of course, just about everything is store-bought these days, but once it was bragging material to have a store-bought dress or a store-bought bag of can
"Coast-to-coast" is also a phrase that once held all sorts of excitement but now means almost nothing. Now we take the term "world-wide" for granted. This floors me.
On a smaller scale, "wall-to-wall" was once a magical term in our homes. In the '50's, everyone covered his or her hardwood floors with, wow, wall-to-wall carpeting! Today, everyone replaces their wall-to-wall carpeting with hardwood floors. Go figure.
When's the last time you heard the quaint phrase "in the family way?" It's hard to imagine that the word "pregnant" was once considered a little too graphic, a little too clinical for use in polite company. So we had all that talk about stork visits and "being in the family way" or simply "expecting."
Apparently "brassiere" is a word no longer in use. I said it the other day and my daughter cracked up. I guess it's just "bra" now. "Unmentionables" probably wouldn't be understood at all either.
I always loved going to the "picture show," but I considered "movie" an affectation.
Most of these words go back to the '50's, but here's a pure 60's word I came across the other day: "rat fink." Ooh, what a nasty put-down!
Here's a word I miss: "percolator." That was just a fun word to say. And what was it replaced with? "Coffee maker." How dull. Mr. Coffee, I blame you for this.
I miss those made-up marketing words that were meant to sound so modern and now sound so retro, like "DynaFlow" and "Electrolux." “Introducing the 1963 Admiral TV, now with "SpectraVision!"
Was there ever a telethon that wiped out lumbago? Nobody complains of that anymore. Maybe that's what castor oil cured, because I never hear mothers threatening kids with castor oil anymore.
Some words aren't gone, but are definitely on the endangered list. The one that grieves me most is "supper." Now everybody says "dinner." Save a great word. Invite someone to supper---to discuss fender skirts.
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From a grandaughter in Pakistan
Hello-
Well I have had a couple of interesting days in Pakistan. Peshawar in many ways is much like Calcutta, but in other ways it is very different. It is hard to get used to the way things are here, Peshawar is one of the most conservative Muslim cities in the world. Yesterday I went to the market to buy some more Shalwars (clothes) and I know that woman here are not to look at men. But women are not to have ANY interaction with men in public. Meaning no saying good bye when you leave a shop, no say please and thank you. All day I was trying to give American's a good name with my impeccable manners, only to find that I was implying that I am easy and loose. Other things like smiling or laughing to speaking above a whisper, in public makes you a harlot. All good things to know! So once I picked up on this I felt very rude, never saying thank you and just walking away when someone says something, but then I was acting appropriately. I have to wear a Shalwar kameez which is a long baggy shirt (with long sleeves) over baggy Genie-type pants with a Chaddar which is like a big sheet that basically wraps around my whole body. VERY hot but really above 115 degrees all feels the same covered from head to toe or naked (not that I went around naked, but I you know what I mean : ) . So the only thing showing is my face hands and feet, and the rest is covered by three big flowing, sweaty layers.
The day before yesterday I hung out with to British people who I guess are big donors to SNI. We went up to Khyber Pass which leads up to the boarder of Afghanistan. It was so COOL. We went way up into the mountains they are dry, and rocky slate here. The houses are made out of clay and some are built right into rock. We went up to Mishni Post which is a post that watches Afghanistan. We could look right at it. The guards were really nice to us they showed us around and then this little tribesman (the people who live in the mountains) had us to his "house" we sat on his floor and he gave us tea and biscuits. He asked where my husband was, and I said I didn't have one because I was too young. HE said you aren't 18? I said no, I am 20. He said then you should have 1 husband and two kids. I couldn't believe that I was on the boarder of Pakistan and Afghanistan and having tea in the mountains with a tribesman!
Well, I haven't been doing a whole lot yet, they want to make sure I am really familiar with the culture before I do anything to unintentionally bring shame to anyone. But here pretty much anything a woman does brings shame to someone. I am going to a visit to Kabul, in Afghanistan. I am not sure when it will either be next week or in a few weeks. It really isn’t as hard as one might think to get there. The people I am living with go all the time, they love it there. I can fly there for free with Red Cross. SNI has a team of 30 or so in Kabul. I know this sounds dangerous but it isn't as bad as you would think. It can be dangerous here but more so for people who don't try to blend or respect the culture. I feel silly for being so scared to come here. I am having a wonderful time. Please just pray for God to show me what he wants me to do here and what he wants me to learn.
We are going to our prayer meeting which is everyday from 8 am-10am.
I love you!
Haley
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Thursday
I just got home from the clinic. It was a good day, so many cute kids. Sufina the nurse brought be a birthday present today. She bought me material for making a shalwar kameez outfit. She was so excited for me to open it, that she actually opened it! I also got a sister happy birthday card from her kids. And a daughter happy birthday card from her. the were addressed to "Sweet Haley" I thought that was pretty funny. My driver Javed also brought me a present today because I had him bring his sick daughter in to the clinic to see "Dr. David" as they call him. It is a big antique clay vase that he said is really, really old. It weighs about 10 pounds. I don't know how I am going to get it home. It was very generous gift. He gave me a box of Betty Crocker muffin mix to give to Dr. David as a thank you. He got muffin mix and I got an antique vase, and he did all the work. Pakistani people are very kind and too generous, once you get to know them. At first they are a little stand-offish but once they are your friend they are your best friend for life.
I leave tomorrow for Islamabad. I am excited, it is a lot more laid back there than here. I don’t have to wear my head covered or anything. We are taking a Korean bus.
Okay that's all for now. I love you, keep me filled in on everything.
Haley
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Never Too Late..........
Happy Mother’s Day!
SOMEONE said...
Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after you've had a baby
Somebody doesn't know that once you're a mother, "Normal," is history.
Somebody said you learn how to be a mother by instinct
Somebody never took a three-year-old shopping.
Somebody said being a mother is boring ......
Somebody never rode in a car driven by a teenager with a driver's permit.
Somebody said if you're a "good" mother, your child will "turn out good"
Somebody thinks a child comes with directions and a guarantee.
Somebody said "good" mothers never raise their voices.
Somebody never came out the back door just in time to see her child hit a golf ball through the neighbor's kitchen window.
Somebody said you don't need an education to be a mother.
Somebody never helped a fourth grader with her math.
Somebody said you can't love the fifth child as much as you love the first.
Somebody doesn't have five children.
Somebody said a mother can find all the answers to her child-rearing questions in the books .
Somebody never had a child stuff beans up his nose or in his ears.
Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother is labor and delivery
Somebody never watched her "baby" get on the bus for the first day of kindergarten or on a plane headed for military "boot camp."
Somebody said a mother can do her job with her eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back ......
somebody never organized four giggling Brownies to sell cookies.
Somebody said a mother can stop worrying after her child gets married .... Somebody doesn't know that marriage adds a new son or daughter-in-law to a mother's heartstrings.
Somebody said a mother's job is done when her last child leaves home
Somebody never had grandchildren.
Somebody said your mother knows you love her, so you don't need to tell her .Somebody isn't a mother.
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Hello God,
I called tonight
To talk a little while
I need a friend who'll listen
To my anxiety and trial.
You see, I can't quite make it
Through a day just on my own...
I need your love to guide me,
So I'll never feel alone.
I want to ask you please to keep
My family safe and sound.
Come and fill their lives with confidence
For whatever fate they're bound.
Give me faith, dear God, to face
Each hour throughout the day,
And not to worry over things
I can't change in any way.
I thank you God for being home
And listening to my call,
For giving me such good advice
When I stumble and fall.
Your number, God, is the only one
That answers every time.
I never get a busy signal,
Never had to pay a ! dime.
So thank you, God, for listening
To my troubles and my sorrow.
Good night, God, I love You too,
And I'll call again tomorrow!
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What if God decided to stop leading us tomorrow because we didn't follow Him today?
What if God couldn't take the time to bless us today because we couldn't take the time to thank Him yesterday?
What if we never saw another flower bloom because we grumbled when God sent the rain?
What if God didn't walk with us today because we failed to recognize it as His day?
What if, God took away the Bible tomorrow because we would not read it today?
What if, God took away His message because we failed to listen to the messenger?
.....THINK ABOUT THIS ONE.....
What if, God didn't send His only begotten Son because He wanted us to be prepared to pay the price for sin?
What if, the door of the church was closed because we did not open the door of our heart?
What if, God stopped loving and caring for us because we failed to love and care for others?
What if, God would not hear us today because we would not listen to Him?
What if, God answered our prayers the way we answer His call to service?
What if, God met our needs the way we give Him our lives???
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They died for you
Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you, Jesus Christ and the American G.I.
One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.
Thank them both
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Cell Phone vs. Bible
I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phones?
What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
What if we flipped through it several times a day?
What if we used it to receive messages from the text?
What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?
What if we gave it to kids as gifts?
What if we used it as we traveled?
What if we used it in case of an emergency?
What if we upgraded it to get the latest version?
This is something to make you go...hmmm...where is my Bible?
Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don't ever have to worry about our bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill!
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The man whispered, "God, speak to me" and a meadowlark sang.
But, the man did not hear. So the man yelled, "God, speak to me" and the thunder rolled across the sky.
But, the man did not listen. The man looked around and said, "God let me see you." And a star shined brightly.
But the man did not see. And, the man shouted, "God show me a miracle." And, a life was born.
But, the man did not notice. So, the man cried out in despair, "Touch me God, and let me know you are here. " Whereupon, God reached down and touched the man.
But, the man brushed the butterfly away and walked on.
I found this to be a great reminder that God is always around us in the little and simple things that we take for granted ... even in our electronic age ..
so I would like to add one more:
The man cried,
"God, I need your help!"
And an e-mail arrived reaching out with good news and encouragement.
But, the man deleted it and continued crying ...
Don't miss out on a blessing because it isn't packaged the way that you expect.
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