Monday, July 31, 2006

The Pearl Necklace


The cheerful little girl with bouncy golden curls 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 blue 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 cheek
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 cheek 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.

You can do two things with this story:

A. Pass it on and let others be touched by its message;

B. Throw it away and not let it touch your heart.

The greatest gifts happen when you share love and touch others.

NOT to DECIDE is to DECIDE.

Desire For A Soul Mate


A friend wrote this to me when I was sad and felt alone...I wanted to share this with all of you because I think it is absolutely beautiful:

"As for the desire for a husband, I can tell you my Karen’s prayer, while she was waiting for me:

“Jesus, I want you to be sufficient for me - like a husband to me”

He was. For 20 years He was sufficient, while Karen remained single. And finally, when Karen was 42, we met. On AOL. Karen lived south of Chicago, me near Seattle. We fell in love via email, without ever seeing a picture of each other. Then we talked by phone. My God, her voice melted me. And finally we met when I flew to Chicago, Labor Day ‘96, and then every other weekend for a year until we could be married summer ‘97. We both knew very early on that this was it - the love we’d been looking for. And I think that is because WHEN you meet the person God has chosen (even made) for you, the love is ALREADY there - like you already know and love the person on some subconscious / deep level - and so the time you spend to gether is NOT for falling in love, rather, it’s for getting to know one another.

Our watch-verse, while we waited for each other, was the same:

Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. ;)

Until the day God introduces you to HIS choice in a husband for you, I pray that Christ is sufficient for you."

Jack

The 7-Ups


1. Wake Up -
Decide to have a good day. "Today is the day the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."
-Psalms 118:24

2. Dress Up -
The best way to dress up is to put on a smile. A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks. "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."
-I Samuel 16:7

3. Shut Up -
Say nice things, and learn to listen. God gave us two ears and one mouth, so He must have meant for us to do twice as much listening as talking. "He who guards his lips guards his soul."
-Proverbs 13:3

"Gossip betrays confidence; avoid men who talk too much."
-Proverbs 20:19

"Listen to advice, accept instruction, and in the end, you will be wise."
-Proverbs 19:20

4. Stand Up -
For what you believe in. Stand for something, or you will fall for anything. "Let us not be weary in doing good; for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good..."
-Galatians 6:9-10

5. Look Up -
To the Lord. "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."
-Phillipians 4:13

6. Reach Up -
For something higher. Always try to better yourself. Have FAITH. "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see."
-Hebrews 11:1

7. Lift Up -
Your Prayers. "Do not worry about anything; instead PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING"
-Phillipians 4:6

This Could Happen To You


We should all take this seriously.

I don't how many of you shop at Sam's Club or Costco, but this may be useful to know. I became a victim of a clever scam while out shopping.

This happened to me and it could happen to you!!

Here's how the scam works: Two seriously good-looking 30 year-old well-built guys come over to your car as you are packing your shopping in the trunk.

They both are shirtless and start wiping your windshield with a rag and Windex, with their highly-defined chest muscles and rock-hard abs exposed. It's impossible not to look.

When you thank them and offer them a tip, they say 'No' and instead ask you for a ride to another Sam's Club or Costco. You agree and they get in the back seat.

On the way, they start talking dirty about what they want to do to you. Then one of them climbs over into the front seat and begins kissing your neck!! While this is going on the other guy steals your purse!!

I had my purse stolen last Tuesday, Wednesday, twice on Thursday, again on Saturday, and also yesterday and most likely tomorrow.

I'm running out of purses....

How To Love Yourself


It could be worse...you could look like this!

1. Stop all criticism: Criticism never changes a thing. Refuse to criticize yourself. Accept yourself exactly as you are. Everybody changes. When you criticize yourself, your changes are negative. When you approve of yourself, your changes are positive.

2. Don't scare yourself: Stop terrorizing yourself with your thoughts. It's a dreadful way to live. Find a mental image that gives you pleasure (mine is yellow roses), and immediately switch your scary thought to a pleasure thought.

3. Be gentle and kind and patient: Be gentle with yourself. Be kind to yourself. Be patient
with yourself as you learn the new ways of thinking. Treat yourself as you would someone you
really loved.

4. Be kind to your mind: Self-hatred is only hating your own thoughts. Don't hate yourself for having the thoughts. Gently change the thoughts.

5. Praise yourself: Criticism breaks the inner spirit. Praise builds it up. Praise yourself as much as you can. Tell yourself how well you are doing with every little thing.

6. Support yourself: Find ways to support yourself. Reach out to friends, and allow them to help you. It is being strong to ask for help when you need it.

7. Be loving to your negatives: Acknowledge that you created them to fulfill a need. Now you are finding new, positive ways to fulfill those needs. So. lovingly release the old negative patterns.

8. Take care of your body: Learn about nutrition. What kind of fuel does your body need to have optimum energy and vitality? Learn about exercise. What kind of exercise can you enjoy? Cherish and revere the temple you live in.

9. Mirror work: Look into your own eyes often. Express this growing sense of love you have for yourself. Forgive yourself looking into the mirror. Talk to your parents looking into the mirror. Forgive them, too. At least once a day, say: "I love you, I really love you!"

10. LOVE YOURSELF - DO IT NOW! Don't wait until you get well or lose the weight, or get the new job, or find the new relationship. Begin NOW - do the best you can.

PTSD


By Alice M. McGhee

I grew up in a typical Happy Days family during the 1950s - only Fonzie was missing. Yet, we had a dark secret eating away at our souls.

You see, during WWII, my dad was an artillery sergeant stationed in the South Pacific. He survived the war, but returned a different man. When I was in the fifth grade my dad started losing his temper, usually when he was disciplining my sister or me. His face would turn beet red and he would be unable to quit hitting us.

Mom did not intervene. She was afraid of what he would do to her. "Just don't make waves," she would say. Dad's mental illness began to worsen and he was diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

I was self-assured at church or school. At home, I was fearful of my father's unpredictability and paranoia. Eventually, I went away to college and married a man with strong Christian principles. I never wanted to move back into the house with my parents.

The year I turned forty, I began having flashbacks to actual situations where my father beat me. I felt I was floating on the ceiling watching myself. I cried all the time and my husband realized I needed to see a Christian counselor. Like my father, I had posttraumatic stress disorder. Here are the signs:

* Constant crying
* Feelings of hopelessness lasting more than 2 weeks
* Having flashbacks, nightmares, bad memories or hallucinations
* Trying not to think about the trauma or staying away from people who remind you
of it
* Feeling emotionally numb
* Difficulty sleeping
* Touchy, angry or on edgy
* Lack of interest in normal activities
* Sense of having no future
* Exaggerated responses to things that startle
* Feeling scattered and unable to focus
* Having difficulty making decisions
* Not being able to face certain aspects of the trauma

As a child, I learned from my father that all men were untrustworthy. Now, as an adult, I needed to forgive my deceased father for the way he treated me. The other thing I realized was that I had been married for twenty years and never trusted my husband.

I had also transferred my lack of trust of men to God. I did not trust Him to control my daily life. The concept I developed of my Heavenly Father was an unpredictable, angry, and vengeful God. I knew Jesus had saved me, but I was afraid I would not live up to his expectations. I was afraid to confess my sin for fear of getting "zapped" by a heavenly lightening bolt.

I felt I inhabited the bottom of a deep, dark hole with sides too high and too slick for me to climb out. My counselor assured me of God's answer for me in Psalms 40:2: He brought me up out of a horrible pit. "He can do it for you, too, Alice. Are you ready to reach for the rope?"

It has definitely been worth the risk for me to reach out and grab the rope. And it will be for others. Here are some thoughts and Scripture that helped me deal with PTSD:

* Know that what happened was NOT your fault.

* Understand Romans 8:39: "Nothing can separate us from the love of God." "Nothing" really means NO THING - human or inhuman.

* When Romans 8:38 says that "…things present nor things to come …cannot separate me from the love of God," it is intended to be an all-inclusive statement.
The past is also included in the NOTHING that will never separate us from God's love.

* "All things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28) All things working together for good does not mean that everything happening to us will be good, but that God will use even the bad things in our lives for a good purpose.

* What God wants is for us to take a risk by turning and trusting in Him. Only then will we have true freedom from the bondage of our past. 2 Corinthians 3:17 "But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil (or mask) is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom."

Saturday, July 29, 2006

The Rose


The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.

I turned round to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.

She said, "Hi handsome. My name is Rose.
I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?"

I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of course you may!" and she gave me a giant squeeze.

"Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked.

She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids..."

"No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.

"I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she told me.

After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake.

We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.

Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went.

She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.

At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet.

I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor.

Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know."

As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, "We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.

There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die.

We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it!

There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up.

If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight.

Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets.

The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets."

She concluded her speech by courageously singing "The Rose."

She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives.

At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago.

One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.

Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.

And now, for the song, "The Rose":

Some say love it is a river
that drowns the tender reed.
Some say love it is a razor
that leaves your soul to bleed.

Some say love it is a hunger,
an endless aching need.
I say love it is a flower
and you it's only seed.

It's the heart afraid of breaking,
that never learns to dance.
It's the dream afraid of waking,
that never takes the chance.
It's the one who won't be taken,
who cannot seem to give.
And the soul afraid of dying,
that never learns to live.

When the night has been too lonely,
and the road has been too long,
and you think that love is only
for the lucky and the strong.
Just remember in the winter,
far beneath the bitter snows
lies the seed
that with the sun's love
in the spring
becomes the rose.

Happenings


"There are really only three kinds of people; those who make things
happen, those who watch thngs happen, and those who say, 'What
happened?'"
-Ann Landers, American syndicated columnist

No one has ever built a better life by watching someone else build
one or by venturing no further than to ask how it's done. You build
a better life by taking action. Sure, you may make some mistakes.
You may even fall flat on your face. That's okay. There's a good
chance you'll learn something on the way down, and build muscle
with the push back up.

Plans For You


What appears bad may be God's plan for good:

"I am Joseph!" he said to his brothers. "Is my father still alive?" But his brothers were speechless! They were stunned to realize that Joseph was standing there in front of them. "Come over here," he said. So they came closer. And he said again, "I am Joseph, your brother whom you sold into Egypt. But don't be angry with yourselves that you did this to me, for God did it. He sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives. These two years of famine will grow to seven, during which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. God has sent me here to keep you and your families alive so that you will become a great nation. Yes, it was God who sent me here, not you! And he has made me a counselor to Pharaoh—manager of his entire household and ruler over all Egypt."
Genesis 45:3-8 NLT

Homespun wisdom says, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." Although you won't find it put just that way in the Bible, you will find many stories of both effective and poor planning. The Bible teaches that God is a God of both purpose and planning. His purpose is to draw all humanity to himself in order to forgive and redeem. His plan—from Creation, to the Law, to the Prophets, to Jesus and the church—is what we are seeing when we read and study the Bible. Planning is part of all of our lives. The only question is if, in all our planning, we ever consult his perfect and eternal plan.

Friday, July 28, 2006

Love Over Looks


John Blanchard stood up from the bench, straightened his Army uniform, and studied the crowd of people making their way through Grand Central Station.

He looked for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn't, the girl with the rose.

His interest in her had begun thirteen months before in a Florida library. Taking a book off the shelf he found himself intrigued, not with the words of the book, but with the notes penciled in the margin.

The soft handwriting reflected a thoughtful soul and insightful mind. In the front of the book, he discovered the previous owner's name Miss Hollis Maynell. With time and effort he located her address.

She now lived in New York City. He wrote her a letter introducing himself and inviting her to correspond. The next day he was shipped overseas for service in World War II.

During the next year and one month the two grew to know each other through the mail. Each letter was a seed falling on a fertile heart. A romance was budding. Blanchard requested a photograph, but she refused. She felt that if he really cared, it wouldn't matter what she looked like.

When the day finally came for him to return from Europe, they scheduled their first meeting - 7:00 PM at the Grand Central Station in New York City.

"You'll recognize me," she wrote, "by the red rose I'll be wearing on my lapel".

So at 7:00 he was in the station looking for a girl whose heart he loved, but whose face he'd never seen.

I'll let Mr. Blanchard tell you what happened:

"A young woman was coming toward me, her figure long and slim. Her blonde hair lay back in curls from her delicate ears; her eyes were blue as flowers. Her lips and chin had a gentle firmness, and in her pale green suit she was like springtime come alive."

"I started toward her, entirely forgetting to notice that she was not wearing a rose. As I moved, a small, provocative smile curved her lips, 'Going my way, sailor' she murmured."

"Almost uncontrollably I made one step closer to her, and then I saw Hollis Maynell."

"She was standing almost directly behind the girl. A woman well past 40, she had graying hair tucked under a worn hat. She was more than plump, her thick-ankled feet thrust into low-heeled shoes."

The girl in the green suit was walking quickly away. I felt as though I was split in two, so keen was my desire to follow her, and yet so deep was my longing for the woman whose spirit had truly companioned me and upheld my own."

"And there she stood. Her pale, plump face was gentle and sensible, her gray eyes had a warm and kindly twinkle. I did not hesitate. My fingers gripped the small worn blue leather copy of the book that was to identify me to her.

"This would not be love, but it would be something precious, something perhaps even better than love, a friendship for which I had been and must ever be grateful."

I squared my shoulders and saluted and held out the book to the woman, even though while I spoke I felt choked by the bitterness of my disappointment"

"I'm Lieutenant John Blanchard, and you must be Miss Maynell. I am so glad you could meet me; may I take you to dinner?"

The woman's face broadened into a tolerant smile.

"I don't know what this is about, son," she answered, "but the young lady in the green suit who just went by, she begged me to wear this rose on my coat. And she said if you were to ask me out to dinner, I should go and tell you that she is waiting for you in the big restaurant across the street."

"She said it was some kind of test!"

It's not difficult to understand and admire Miss Maynell's wisdom. The true nature of a heart is seen in its response to the unattractive. "Tell me whom you love," Houssaye wrote, "And I will tell you who you are."

Where Was I?


This is God.

I know you're mad at Me right now. That's all right. People have been mad at Me before and will be again. Being mad is part of being human. It's all right to be mad sometimes at injustice, for example, or the lack of charity.

You probably think I am unjust and uncharitable when an airplane goes down like that. All those people lost. The children gone. It doesn't seem right; it can't be loving. You ask, "Where was God? Why did He allow that to happen?"

I allow it to happen because I allow you freedom because I love you so much. I want you to be free to decide when to dance and sing. Free to determine when you will come to Me in faith and hope. Because you are free, some of you choose not to dance or sing. Some of you select hatred over love, revenge over forgiveness, bombs over a helping hand. As you choose, I watch. I do not disappear. I listen to both the songs and the bombs. AND I REMEMBER."

"Where was God?" you wonder...I was there on the airplane. I whispered in the ear of a little girl, "Don't be afraid, I am with you." I held the hand of a business woman as tightly as she clutched mine. I cradled a pilot against my shoulder as if he were a baby again.

Amid the paralyzing fear, I was there, as I was there with my Son in the garden. Amid the unbearable pain, I was there, as I was with Him as He was whipped. Amid the terrible realization that life was ending too soon, I was there with Him as He hung on the cross and asked, like you, "My God, why have you forsaken Me?"

I had not forsaken Him. I did not forsake them. I was there as they fell, and as they rose to eternal joy. I listened to their anger, answered their questions and showed them why they had been created. Not to end that way, but to live with Me forever.

In an instant, they came into existence, as you did. In an instant, they left this world, as you will. But beyond that last instant, I kept my promise...a little girl dances, a business woman sings, and a pilot keeps his wings forever.

Mud Puddles and Dandelions



When I look at a patch of dandelions, I see a bunch of weeds that are going to take over my yard.

My kids see flowers for Mom and blowing white fluff you can wish on.

----------

When I look at an old drunk and he smiles at me, I see a smelly, dirty person who probably wants money and I look away.

My kids see someone smiling at them and they smile back.

----------

When I hear music I love, I know I can't carry a tune and don't have much rhythm so I sit self-consciously and listen.

My kids feel the beat and move to it. They sing out the words. If they don't know them, they make up their own.

----------

When I feel wind on my face, I brace myself against it.
I feel it messing up my hair and pulling me back when I walk.

My kids close their eyes, spread their arms and fly with it, until they fall to the ground laughing.

----------

When I pray, I say Thee and Thou and grant me this, give me that.

My kids say, "Hi God! Thanks for my toys and my friends. Please keep the bad dreams away tonight. Sorry, I don't want to go to Heaven yet. I would miss my Mommy and Daddy."

----------

When I see a mud puddle I step around it. I see muddy shoes and dirty carpets.

My kids sit in it. They see dams to build, rivers to cross and worms to play with.

----------

I wonder if we are given children to teach or to learn from? No wonder God loves the little children!!

"Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."

Just a reminder about the important things in life.

----------

I wish you mud puddles and dandelions!

Thursday, July 27, 2006

57 Cents


A sobbing little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it "was too crowded".

"I can't go to Sunday School," she sobbed to the pastor as he walked by.

Seeing her shabby, unkempt appearance, the pastor guessed the reason and, taking her by the hand, took her inside and found a place for her in the Sunday school class. The child was so happy that they found room for her, that she went to bed that night thinking of the children who have no place to worship Jesus.

Some two years later, this child lay dead in one of the poor tenement buildings, and the parents called for the kindhearted pastor, who had befriended their daughter, to handle the final arrangements.

As her poor little body was being moved, a worn and crumpled purse was found which seemed to have been rummaged from some trash dump. Inside was found 57 cents and a note scribbled in childish handwriting, which read: "This is to help build the little church bigger so more children can go to Sunday School." For two years, she had saved for this offering of love.

When the pastor tearfully read that note, he knew instantly what he would do. Carrying this note and the cracked, red pocketbook to the pulpit, he told the story of her unselfish love and devotion. He challenged his deacons to get busy, and raise enough money for the larger building.

But the story does not end there!

A newspaper learned of the story, and published it. It was read by a Realtor, who offered them a parcel of land worth many thousands. When told that the church could not pay so much, he offered it for 57 cents.

Church members made large donations. Checks came from far and wide.

Within five years, the little girl's gift had increased to $250,000.00, a huge sum for that time (near the turn of the 20th century). Her unselfish love had paid large dividends.

When you are in the city of Philadelphia, look up Temple Baptist Church, with a seating capacity of 3,300, and Temple University, where hundreds of students are trained.

Have a look, too, at the Good Samaritan Hospital, and at a Sunday School building which houses hundreds of Sunday Schoolers, so that no child in the area will ever need to be left outside during Sunday school time.

In one of the rooms of this building may be seen the picture of the sweet face of the little girl whose 57 cents, so sacrificially saved, made such remarkable history. Alongside of it is a portrait of her kind pastor, Dr. Russel H. Conwell, author of the book, "Acres of Diamonds".

A true story, which goes to show WHAT GOD CAN DO with 57 cents.

Jesus' Effect On History


Flavius Josephus, Jewish historian, became a Pharisee at 19, later commander, of the Jewish forces in Galilee. Captured by Romans and attached to their headquarters. Born: 34AD

“Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was the Christ, and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men among us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first, did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians so named from him are not extinct at this day.”

Pontius Pilate, Roman governor of Judea who ordered Christ's crucifixion, first century A.D

Wrote to the Roman emperor Tiberius Caesar:

"And him, Herod, and Archelaus and Philip, Annas, and Caiphas, with all the people, delivered to me, making a great uproar against me that I should try Him (Christ). I, therefore, ordered Him to be crucified, having first scourged Him, and having found against Him no cause of evil accusations or deeds. At the time he was crucified, there was darkness over all the world, the sun being darkened at midday, and the stars appearing, but in them there appeared no luster; and the moon, as if turned into blood, failed in her light."

Julian the Apostate, Roman Emperor from 361-363 A.D. and one of the most gifted ancient adversaries to Christianity.

In his work against Christianity:

“Jesus…has now been celebrated about three hundred years having done nothing in his lifetime worthy of fame, unless anyone thinks it is a very great work to heal lame and blind people and exorcise demoniacs in the villages of Bethsaida and Bethany.”

But at the end of his life was forced to say:

“Thou has conquered, O Galilean!”

- He also affirms the authenticity of all four gospels.

Thallus, Samaritan-born historian, wrote A.D. 52. His writings have disappeared and we know of them only from fragments cited by other writers.

One such writer is Julian Africanus, A Christian writer of about 221 A.D. who says:

“Thallus, in the third book of his histories, explains away this darkness as an eclipse of the sun – unreasonable as it seems to me (unreasonable of course, because a solar eclipse could not take place at the time of the full moon, and it was at the season of the Paschal full moon that Christ died).”


Carnegie Simpson

“Jesus is not one of the group of world’s great. Talk about Alexander the Great and Charles the Great and Napoleon the Great if you will…Jesus is apart. He is not the Great – He is the only.”

David Strauss, German theologian who applied Hegelian philosophy to the study of the Bible.

Toward the end of his life

“This Christ…is historical, not mythical, is an individual, no mere symbol…”

E. M. Blaiklock

“Luke is a consummate historian, to be ranked in his own right with the great writers of the Greeks.”

Bruce M. Metzger

“Today no competent scholar denies the historicity of Jesus.”

H. G. Wells, British writer, 1866-1946

“In the reign of Tiberius Caesar a great teacher arose out of Judea who was to liberate the intense realization of the righteousness and unchallengeable oneness of God, and of man’s moral obligation to God…This was Jesus of Nazareth…Is it any wonder that to this day the Galilean is too much for our small hearts.”

Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of the French

"You speak of Caesar, of Alexander, of their conquests and of the enthusiasm which they enkindled in the hearts of their soldiers; but can you conceive of a dead man making conquests, with an army faithful and entirely devoted to his memory? My armies have forgotten me even while living, as the Carthaginian army forgot Hannibal. Such is our power.”

“I know men and I tell you, Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded his empire upon love; and at this hour, millions would die for him.”

“I search in vain history to find similar to Jesus Christ, or anything which can approach the gospel. Neither history nor humanity, nor ages, nor nature, offer me anything with which I am able to compare it or to explain it. Here everything is extraordinary.”

Ernest Renan, French historian, religious scholar and linguist

“All history is incomprehensible without Christ.”

“Whatever may be the surprises of the future, Jesus will never be surpassed.”

William E. Channing, American religious leader whose writings and sermons led to the emergence of Unitarianism, 1780-1842

“The sages and heroes of history are receding from us, and history contracts the record of their deeds into a narrower and narrower page. But time has no power over the name and deeds and words of Jesus Christ.”

P. Carnegie Simpson,

Concerning Christianity said:

“Is a fact of history recognizable as any other.”

H. G. Wells, British writer, 1866-1946

When asked which person left the most permanent impression on history, he replied that judging a person’s greatness by historical standards:

“By this test, Jesus stands first.”

“I am a historian, I am not a believer, but I must confess as a historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very center of history. Jesus Christ is easily the most dominant figure in all history.”

“Christ is the most unique person of history. No man can write a history of the human race without giving first and foremost place to the penniless teacher of Nazareth.”

Kenneth Scott Latourette, former President of American Historic Society

In A History of Christianity:

“It is evidence of His importance, of the effect that He has had upon history and presumably, of the baffling mystery of His being that no other life ever lived on this planet has evoked so huge a volume of literature among so many people and languages, and that, far from ebbing, the flood continues to mount.”

“As the centuries pass by, the evidence is accumulating that measured by its effect on history, Jesus is the most influential life ever lived on this planet. The influence appears to be mounting.”

“No other life lived on this planet has so widely and deeply affected mankind.”

George Bancroft, great American historian

“I find the name of Jesus Christ written on the top of every page of modern history.”

One Solitary Life

Nearly two thousand years ago in an obscure village, a child was born of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village where He worked as a carpenter until He was thirty. Then for three years He became an itinerant preacher.

This man never went to college or seminary. He never wrote a book. He never held a public office. He never had a family nor owned a home. He never put His foot inside a big city nor traveled even 200 miles from His birthplace. And though He never did any of the things that usually accompany greatness, throngs of people followed Him. He had no credentials but Himself.

While He was still young, the tide of public opinion turned against Him. His followers ran away. He was turned over to His enemies and sentenced to death on a cross between two thieves. While He was dying, His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth – the simple coat He had worn. His body was laid in a borrowed grave provided by a compassionate friend.

But three days later this Man arose from the dead – living proof that He was, as He had claimed, the Savior whom God had sent, the Incarnate Son of God.

Nineteen centuries have come and gone and today the risen Lord Jesus Christ is the central figure of the human race. On our calendars His birth divides history into two eras. One day of every week is set aside in remembrance of Him. And our two most important holidays celebrate His birth and resurrection. On church steeples around the world, His cross has become the symbol of victory over sin and death.

This one Man’s life has furnished the theme for more songs, books, poems and paintings than any other person or event in history. Thousands of colleges, hospitals, orphanages and other institutions have been founded in honor of this One who gave His life for us.

All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the governments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned have not changed the course of history as much as this One Solitary Life.

Daniel Webster, American politician., 1782-1852

“All that is best in the civilization of today, is the fruit of Christ’s appearance among men.”

Will Durant, popular modern historian and philosopher

When asked what he felt the apex of history was:

“the three years that Jesus of Nazareth walked the earth.”

If He Could Have, He Would Have Already


If the devil could have taken your lifestyle by now, he would have.

Just the seemingly insignificant fact that you are still here, in the land of the living, is a powerful testament that God has a particular purpose and a plan for your life.

God has a reason for you being here. That's why Satan has been attacking your mind and your spirit so fiercely.

If the devil could have destroyed you, he would have.

If he could have destroyed Shadrach, MeShach, and Abendego, he would have.

If he could have destroyed Daniel in the lion's den, he would have.

If he could have destroyed David, he would have.

If he could have destroyed Job, he would have.

If he could have destroyed Jesus the Christ on Calvary, he would have.

But, the blunt truth is...he couldn't.

You may genuinely think that this is the worst time of your life, but it is just a trial. God is not through with you yet! The enemy is trying to take you out, but be encouraged, my brothers and sisters... If he could have destroyed you, he would have done it a long time ago.

The word of God says: "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; We are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; Cast down, but not destroyed;" (2 Cor.4: 8. 9).

We have the enduring love of God, and as long as we have Him, the enemy can't destroy us.

"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39)

You can make it! Because if Satan could have torn you apart, he already would have!

Being Old


The other day a young person asked me how I felt about being old. I was taken aback, for I do not think of myself as old. Upon seeing my reaction, he was immediately embarrassed, but I explained that it was an interesting question, and I would ponder it, and let him know.

Old Age, I decided, is a gift.

I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometime despair over my body, the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the sagging butt. And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror, but I don't agonize over those things for long.

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to overeat, to be messy, to be extravagant. I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 a.m and sleep until noon?

I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 50's and 60's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love ... I will.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the bikini set. They, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. . and I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when a beloved pet dies? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turn gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver. I can say "no," and mean it. I can say "yes," and mean it.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong!

So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become! I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what has been, or could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day.

Today I wish you joy, happiness and inner peace which will be achieved by accepting your uniqueness and WHO made you.

Women's Parable


One day, when a seamstress was sewing while sitting
close to a river, her thimble fell into the river.
When she cried out, the Lord appeared and asked, "My
dear child, why are you crying?"

The seamstress replied that her thimble had fallen
into the water and that she needed it to help her
husband in making a living for their family.

The Lord dipped His hand into the water and pulled
up a golden thimble set with pearls.

"Is this your thimble?" the Lord asked.

The seamstress replied, "No."

The Lord again dipped into the river. He held out a
silver thimble ringed with sapphires.

"Is this your thimble?" the Lord asked.

Again, the seamstress replied, "No."

The Lord reached down again and came up with a
leather thimble.

"Is this your thimble?" the Lord asked.
Th e seamstress replied, "Yes."

The Lord was pleased with the woman's honesty and
gave her all three thimbles to keep, and the
seamstress went home happy.

Some years later, the seamstress was walking with
her husband along the riverbank, and her husband
fell into the river and disappeared under the water.

When she cried out, the Lord again appeared and
asked her, "Why are you crying?"

"Oh Lord, my husband has fallen into the river!"

The Lord went down into the water and came up with
Mel Gibson.

"Is this your husband?" the Lord asked.

"Yes," cried the seamstress.

The Lord was furious. "You lied! That is an
untruth!"

The seamstress replied, "Oh, forgive me, my Lord. It
is a misunderstanding.

You see, if I had said 'no' to Mel Gibson, you would
have come up with Brad Pitt. ! T hen I f I said 'no' to
him, you would have come up with my husband. Had I
then said 'yes,' you would have given me all three.

Lord, I'm not in the best of health and would not be
able to take care of all three husbands, so THAT'S
why I said 'yes' to Mel Gibson."

And so the Lord let her keep him.

The moral of this story is: Whenever a woman lies, it's for a good and honorable reason, and in the best interest of others.

That's our story, and we're sticking to it.

Sincerely,
Women

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.
- T.S. Elliot

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

I Have Confidence


You can learn something from the movies:

Song: I Have Confidence (from The Sound Of Music)

What will this day be like? I wonder.
What will my future be? I wonder.
It could be so exciting to be out in the world, to be free
My heart should be wildly rejoicing
Oh, what's the matter with me?

I've always longed for adventure
To do the things I've never dared
And here I'm facing adventure
Then why am I so scared

Oh, I must stop these doubts, all these worries
If I don't I just know I'll turn back
I must dream of the things I am seeking
I am seeking the courage I lack

The courage to serve them with reliance
Face my mistakes without defiance
Show them I'm worthy
And while I show them
I'll show me

So, let them bring on all their problems
I'll do better than my best
I have confidence they'll put me to the test
But I'll make them see I have confidence in me

Somehow I will impress them
I will be firm but kind
And all those children (Heaven bless them!)
They will look up to me

And mind me with each step I am more certain
Everything will turn out fine
I have confidence the world can all be mine
They'll have to agree I have confidence in me

I have confidence in sunshine
I have confidence in rain
I have confidence that spring will come again
Besides which you see I have confidence in me

Strength doesn't lie in numbers
Strength doesn't lie in wealth
Strength lies in nights of peaceful slumbers
When you wake up -- Wake Up!

It tells me all I trust I lead my heart to
All I trust becomes my own
I have confidence in confidence alone
(Oh help!)

I have confidence in confidence alone
Besides which you see I have confidence in me!

Great Stall Tactic


****Don't give up...try until your last breath.****

Three prisoners are captured in the war, and are about to be executed.
They are asked what they wish to have for their last meal.

The Italian asks for Pepperoni Pizza, which he is served and then taken away.

The Frenchmen requests a Filet Mignon, which he is served and also taken away.

The American man requests a plate of strawberries.

The captors are surprised and reply "STRAWBERRIES?"

"Yes, Strawberries."

"But they are out of season!"

"I'll wait..."

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Run the Race


“Many have a good beginning. Few have a good ending.”

When all is said and done, it is not how good you look in the starting blocks. Instead, the deciding factor is whether you make it across the finish line.

If we want to finish the race:

1) Remember who is around us.

2) Remove what is on us.

3) Rely on what is in us, and...

4) Realize who is before us.

As we run the race, we are surrounded by a host of persons. We must remember who is around us. Our race is actually run in an invisible but real coliseum, and every seat in the coliseum is filled. Who are the people in the seats?

The author of Hebrews says to all current runners, “In order to finish the race, remember a great cloud of witnesses surrounds you.” There are persons in the coliseum seats who are invisible to the naked eye, but visible to the spiritual eye.

Those who surround us are witnesses, not just spectators. There is a profound difference between a spectator and a witness. A spectator is someone who watches you go through something. A witness, in the biblical sense, is someone who has gone through something themselves.

Witnesses are those who have been through trials and turmoil and have found out that the Lord will make a way somehow. We can finish the race; we can hold on; we can resist the temptation, if we remember who is around us cheering for us.

My grandparents, my Aunt Helen, my aunt Frances, my friend Bonnie and many more are witnesses. Surely, you have your list of witnesses who are cheering for you.

Yet, if we want to finish the race, we must not only remember who is around us, but we must also remove what is on us. “Let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely.” If we want to finish the race, we must remove the excess baggage that is on us.

We harbor attitudes and engage in behaviors that wrap around our feet, causing us to stumble rather than to sprint.

We need to remember who is around us, and remove what is on us, but we must also rely on what is in us. The text says that we have to run with perseverance the race that is set before us. In this race, when the road is rough, and the going gets tough, and the hills are hard to climb, we must tap into our spiritual resources.

In order to finish the race, we must remember who is around us, remove what is on us, and rely on what is in us. The fourth and final piece of advice is to realize who is before us.

Jesus himself realized the value of looking ahead. Jesus knew that there was one primary difference between a winner and loser. A loser focuses on what she is going through, but a winner focuses on where she is going to. During his ministry, Jesus kept his eyes on the prize, and God rewarded that faithfulness with a resurrection victory.

Having won his race, Jesus stands at the finish line cheering for us. More than that, Jesus wants us to affix our eyes on him.

We can and will finish the race if we look to Jesus. Jesus has gone before us and waits for us at the finish line.

Hebrews 12:1-2
1 Therefore let us also, seeing we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

2 looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Persistance


"If I had to select one quality, one personal characteristic that I
regard as being most highly correlated with success, whatever the
field, I would pick the trait of persistence. Determination. The
will to endure to the end, to get knocked down seventy times and
get up off the floor saying, Here comes number seventy-one."

-Richard M DeVos, Founder of Amway, now known as Alticor

It may take 71 times, or 72 or 112, but the wonderful thing about
life is that as long as we keep getting up, dusting ourselves off
and starting all over again, as long as we persist in persisting
and make up our minds that nothing will stop us -- as long as we do
that -- nothing will. We win by relentlessly molding ourselves
through all those ups and downs into the winners we were born to be.

-Kate Nowak

HeartChange


****I just attended this workshop and it was the best experience of my life. God met me where I'm at...and touched me in a way He never has before. Please find out more and go!****

HeartChange is a workshop where you can experience the heart of Father God.

Would you like to have Jesus set you free from:

* fear, i.e. of man, the future, failure...?
* past wounds and disappointments?
* a marred image of God as Father?
* unhealthy self-consciousness?
* perfectionism?
* blind spots? lies?

Would you like to have:

* a heart awareness that Papa God deeply loves you?
* an appropriate, godly self-image and peaceful confidence?
* a genuine love for others, including family, neighbors, fellow-workers?
* freedom to be yourself and experience abundant life?

How does it happen?

Through a series of exercises/processes as well as large and small group sharing and prayer for one another, you have the opportunity to work with Jesus to increase your experience of the ABUNDANT LIFE He came to offer YOU!

What HeartChange graduates have said:

A Christian Worker: "This is no ordinary workshop. It is nothing less than a powerful avenue which God used to transform my life. My marriage, family and ministry were all raised from the dead, reclaimed and reinstated for the glory of Christ."

A Contractor: "In my youth I experienced feelings of abandonment from my parents. After the workshop, I was able to tell my parents that I forgave them. Later it hit me. I was able to do this because the knowledge I had in my head of knowing God as my Father had gone down to my heart and I not only knew it, but was now living it."

A School Teacher: "As a teen, my family sent me away. I felt like I died that day and was shipped off in a coffin. I believe because of that I suffered for 12 years with a feeling of suffocation and debilitating muscle and joint pain for which I took heavy medications. After the workshop, I discovered not only was my heart healed, but my body as well for I no longer needed the pain medications and I could breathe freely for the first time in years!

A Christian Therapist: "God used HeartChange as a catalyst for several of my clients to get 'unstuck' and experience meaningful change in their hearts and lives. It also profoundly impacted my own family; and I would heartily recommend it!"

A Web Page Consultant: "I entered the weekend a little skeptical, but willing to accept what was said, as long it followed Scripture. At the workshop, I discovered I had had the message written on my heart that I was worthless. I also realized that I had spent my life trying to live up to how everyone else thought I should be. God cleaned house! I then knew my value before God. It wasn't an emotional high; it was real, true and rock solid. I am so thankful that God cared about me, down to every last dark wounded whisper in my heart. I'm FREE!"

Jesus Christ came to heal the broken hearted, set the captives free and to give them the oil of joy in place of mourning. He restores relationship with our Father and with those around us. Isaiah 61:1-3 & 2 Corinthians 6:18
When & Where Can You Attend?

See the schedule page for dates and locations. Classes often fill up two or three months ahead of time. Please call to confirm if your desired class is full, or if there has been a change in the schedule. HeartChange is a prerequisite for all other workshops.
What are the workshops about?

HeartChange is our initial workshop where you can experience the heart of the Father for you and see yourself as He sees you. This is a four day workshop from Thursday 9:00 am to Sunday 8:00 pm.

HeartDesign is where you can experience the heart of the Bridegroom Jesus Christ, while discovering His unique design for you and deepening your intimacy with Him. Friday 6:30 pm to Sunday 7:00 pm.

HeartsOverflowing is about experiencing the heart of the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to transform you personally and practice ministering to one another. Friday 6:30 pm to Sunday 7:00 pm.

HeartsTogether is for spouses who have attended HeartChange. This workshop helps you move into greater unity, intimacy and joy as you apply the principles our Creator designed for marriage. Friday 10:00 am to Sunday 7:00 pm.

Kids HeartChange is for ages 9-13. The purpose is the same as for adults but with teachings and activities geared specifically for youth. Children must be accompanied by an alumnus parent or guardian. Friday 6:30 pm to Sunday 7:00 pm.

HeartsReconnecting is a once a month fellowship open to all alumni and families & will resemble the Sunday morning of HeartChange. We want to help you reconnect with like-minded people while using and developing your workshop tools and spiritual gifts. You do not need to pre register, but you do need to prepare! Ask God what He would like you to share—perhaps a song (prepare to sing along if you use a CD), scripture, prayer request, poem, something you’ve been learning (remember to keep it in first person)…what you bring is up to you and God. We anticipate this being a fantastic time of encouragement and ministry to each other. Come whether you are feeling WOW, discouraged or somewhere in between. Let’s see what God will do!
How Much Will It Cost?

Matthew 10:8 says: "Freely you have received, freely give."

We do not charge for the workshop. We rely on God to provide the ongoing needs of the ministry through donations. We see how Jesus had his disciples depend on those they ministered to for their livelihood. As you receive, you are encouraged to pray about giving.

Checks and pledges should be made out to House of Myrrh Ministries. HOMM is a Christian, non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization providing tax deductible receipts.

House of Myrrh Ministries
1104 6th St
Oregon City, OR 97045
Phone: 503 557-5050
Fax: 503 557-4856
E-mail: hom@integrity.com

Web site: heartchange.org

"...spreading the fragrance of Jesus around the world"
— 2 Corinthians 2:14-16

Monday, July 17, 2006

Men Never Listen

A woman is driving on a road.

A man is driving in the opposite direction, on that same road.

When they pass each other,
the woman rolls down her window and shouts HORSE!

Immediately the man shouts back
CRAZY WOMAN DRIVER!

The man laughs because he is happy to have
reacted so quickly to the shouting woman,
and takes the turn in the road with high speed...



The moral: Men never listen to what women say!

Not Difficult


It's really not difficult...

To make a woman happy a man only needs to be :

1. a friend

2. a companion

3. a lover

4. a brother

5. a father

6. a master

7. a chef

8. an electrician

9. a carpenter

10. a plumber

11. a mechanic

12. a decorator

13. a stylist

14 . a gynaecologist

16. a psychologist

17. a pest exterminator

18. a psychiatrist

19. a healer

20. a good listener

21. an organiser

22. a good father

23. very clean

24. sympathetic

25. athletic

26. warm

27. attentive

28. gallant

29. intelligent

30. funny

31. creative

32. tender

33. strong

34. understanding

35. tolerant

36. prudent

37. ambitious

38. capable

39. courageous

40. determined

41. true

42. dependable

43. passionate


WITHOUT FORGETTING TO:


44. give her compliments regularly

45. love shopping

46. be honest

47. be very rich

48. not stress her out

49. not look at other girls


AND AT THE SAME TIME, YOU MUST ALSO:


50. give her lots of attention, but expect little yourself

51. give her lots of time, especially time for herself

52. give her lots of space, never worrying about where she goes


IT IS VERY IMPORTANT:


53. Never to forget:

* birthdays
* anniversaries
* arrangements she makes


HOW TO MAKE A MAN HAPPY :
1 . Leave him in peace

Following the Leader


“Leaders must not be led by anger or other overwhelming passions, nor by deep feelings beyond their rights and faith” – William Penn

“Leadership is getting someone to do what they don't want to do, to achieve what they want to achieve.” – Tom Landry

The world often tells us to put ourselves first – to watch out for number one. Still, there’s no denying how we respond to those whose personal sacrifices for the benefit of others makes us feel. We are grateful and we honor those individuals.

Being a leader is not glamorous. Many think about the position and not the work behind the position. There is very little glory in it. The load of responsibility given to a leader is enormous. On top of that, he will sometimes be publicly mocked, blamed, and criticized. So why do individuals take on this role? Duty. There are situations that just lead to someone being in charge, whether it be his superior skill or just plain courage. This poor soul who takes on the yoke is now responsible for the outcome though most of the work will be on the followers.

Be aware of the heavy burden all leaders have to carry. Below is a listing of what it takes to be leader:

* Like Alexander the Great and Napoleon Bonaparte, you need to lead from the front. In general, people are lost. When they see someone ahead of them to guide the way, they tend to follow. Be that someone. By default, you are their leader. No formal ceremony necessary.

* Listen to your group. You don't need to agree and do all they suggest, but at least consider their points of view. Doing so, you will gain much goodwill for they have someone who cares.

* Don't mind working in the dirt. When you're afraid to go to certain areas where your people have been, you are already at a disadvantage. Leaders go wherever they have to go to achieve an objective. You are never too big to do the most menial tasks.

* Appoint strong administrators, preferably stronger than yourself. They will do your will, and are the major cogs driving the entire system. Promote your staff based on loyalty and performance.

* Be 100 percent committed to the organization. If you're not, why should your people? When they see someone who only thinks of himself, they will be discouraged. But when they see someone who looks out for the group, even above personal gain and be ready and willing to suffer the consequences of risks taken, they will indeed follow without hesitation.

* Share the rewards. Do it, and they will want more.

* Strict discipline on yourself. If there are any doubts to your ability, there will not be complete unity. Be tough on yourself and your strongest critics will never have anything to complain about.

* Be a person who is likable. We're not talking about physical appearance as much as having a pleasant personality. Don't be afraid to use humor and show humbleness in your actions. Quite simply, people will go with someone they admire.

* You can take the loneliness. When you're the leader, feelings of bleakness will be with you many times. On occasion, you will bouts of depression for there is no one you can truly consult with. Taking on duties that are unprecedented will do that to you. Your character and emotional control will have to be strong enough to navigate through this mire.

* Get rid of individuals who are against you personally. No doubt you will have people who will disagree with your policies. In fact, you need thinking people who can question your rationale; you don't want yes-men. But when certain individuals attack you as a person, you need to let them go. This behavior will only bring division.

* Encourage other leaders. When you see bravery, reward the act. When you see intelligence, reward the attribute. Bring forth potential leaders where one day you will be able to step down so another who is more capable can take your place. The group as a whole will be better for it. But in the meantime, you are truly the undisputed leader with little care for the position other than serving your organization.

Lead yourself... and others will follow.

The Pineapple Story


I’d like to tell you a story. A funny story that’s true.

It’s the story of Otto Koenig, a missionary to native peoples in the jungles of Dutch New Guinea (an island north of Australia). Otto’s job was to live with a tribe, learn their language, and translate a Bible for them. In the process, he would also bring them the Gospel–– the
message of salvation in Christ.

The natives lived way back in the bush. After living there a while, Otto realized how much he missed having fresh fruits and vegetables, which is kind of a surprise to me. I figured that there’s already lots of fruits and vegetables when you live in a jungle.

Anyway, Otto decided to plant a garden and grow some pineapple bushes. The jungle people had heard of pineapples, and they had tasted them, but they didn’t have any means to get any. So Otto brought in 100 plants from another missionary station. He got a local man to work at planting the pineapple shoots for him. Of course he paid the man, in salt or whatever he wanted for the days he worked.

Now it takes a long time grow pineapples, about three years before you get any fruit. When that time came, right about Christmas time, Otto and his wife would take walks to look for any pineapples that might have gotten ripe. Pretty weird, but they never found any! It seemed that dozens had vanished just as they got ripe. He figured
the natives were stealing them!

He was shocked! He came up with a new plan to go and the spot ones that were almost ripe, and then come back in a few days to pick them. But they were gone too! Now they were stealing them before they got ripe. This made Otto MAD!

“Yep, these guys are real artists! Steal it before it’s ripe or the owner gets it.” He was HOT! There he was, a missionary, getting mad at the people he’s trying to serve! He said, “Look you guys! I have been waiting for these pineapples for three years. So far, I haven’t gotten any of them. Now there are others getting ripe. If any more of
these pineapples are stolen, no more clinic for you.”

His wife was running the clinic. She was fixing wounds, treating illnesses, and giving them all their medication free. Otto and his wife were knocking themselves out trying to help these people, taking care of their sick, and saving the lives of their babies. But one by one, their pineapples were getting stolen!

Otto felt he had to stand his ground with these people. He couldn’t just let them run all over him. But that was not only reason he was angry. He was angry because he wanted to eat those pineapples!

So Otto decided there would be no more clinic. He would let the native’s sick babies die. It seemed like they couldn’t care less. Like life was cheap to them.

But the people with bad pneumonia were coughing and begging them for medicine. Otto would say, “No way! Remember? You stole our pineapples!”

“I didn’t steal them,” they would argue. “It was the other guys that did it.” They’d go on coughing and begging. After a while Otto and his wife couldn’t take it any longer and reopened the clinic. Right away, they started stealing pineapples again! This was very discouraging for Otto. “Man! These rascals!”

But finally, he found out who was doing it. It was the guy who had planted them! Otto confronted him. “Look, buddy! What are you doing stealing my pineapples? You’re my gardener.”

He said, “My hands plant them. My mouth eats them. That’s rule of the jungle.” The man had never heard of the idea of paying him for his digging services! He said, “They are all mine.”

Otto shot back, “Oh no! They’re mine. I paid you to plant them.”
But he just couldn’t understand how that made them Otto’s plants. Otto thought, “Well, what do I do now? It’s the rule of their tribe. I’d better learn to live by their rule.”

So he said, “All right, I’ll give you half of these plants. Everything
from here to over there is yours. But these are mine.” It sounded like he was in agreement with Otto’s new plan, but the pineapples still got stolen.

“Hey,” he thought, “let them have those pineapples. I’ll get some new ones. I’ll have to wait 3 more years, but it’ll be worth it.” It was very hard for him to do.

Finally he said, “Look, I’ll give you these pineapples and then I’ll start over. Now you make your own garden and you take all these pineapples out of my garden so I’ll have room to plan new ones. I don’t want your pineapples in my garden if you feel they are yours.”

So they said, “Too-wan (which means outsider, foreigner) you will have to pay us.”

He said, “Now, look here!” They said, “No, no! You are asking us to move your pineapple bushes and that is work.”

“NOW they are mine huh?” he thought. He said, “All right, I’ll pay you one days work. Get these pineapples outta’ here!”

They said, “We don’t have a garden ready. Will you pay us to get it ready?”

He said, “Forget you guys!” He was fed up with them! Otto went home and told his wife. “This is impossible! I’m just going to pay
some guy to root them all out and throw them on the trash heap.” So they did. It was hard to do. They were good pineapple bushes.

Then he bought new plants. He said, “Now look, you guys. I’m going to pay you to plant these, but I eat them, me and my family only. You don’t eat any.”

They said, “You can’t do that. If we plant them, we eat them.”
“Why didn’t he just plant them himself,” they asked. Otto said, “Look, I don’t have time to mess with a garden. I have too much to
do. There are so many of you, and there is only one me. I want you to plant them, and I will eat them.”

He said, “I’ll pay you. What do you want? Look, I’ll give you
this nice knife if you’ll work for me.”

They thought, “He’ll pay us that knife so he can eat our pineapples.” They agreed.

During the next three years he reminded the guy who planted them, “Look! Who is going to eat these pineapples?”

He said, “You are.”

Otto said, “Fine! Have you still got the knife?”

He said, “Yes.”

Otto said, “Well take good care of it.” If he lost the knife Otto was in trouble again. The pay is gone.

Finally, after three more years the pineapples began to ripen. He and his wife walked through the garden again. “Hey, pretty soon we are going to have a crop.”

They thanked God that He was providing for them. But what do you think happened?

Every one of them was stolen! He’d see the natives go through the garden in the daytime and spot the ripe ones. At night they go right to them!

“What am I going to do? We can’t cut out the clinic. Let’s cut out the trade store.” This is where they got their matches, salt, fish hooks, and things like that. They used to do without them. That won’t kill them.

He said, “Okay. You stole my pineapples again, so no more store.”
When they closed the store the natives began to say, “Let’s leave. If he’s not going to have a store, there is no advantage for us being here with him. We might as well go back to our jungle houses.” So they left and went to live in the jungle.

So, there he was, sitting by himself eating pineapples. No people, no ministry. He said to his wife, “Look, we can eat pineapples back in the States. We didn’t come here to eat fruit!” Otto said, “Get them all back. We will open the store next Monday.”

Now the natives were coming back, but there was still a problem—how is he going to enjoy these pineapples? There must be a way.

Then he had an idea! A guard dog! He got the biggest German Shepherd he could get on the island. They were afraid of him. They had never seen a dog that big. They had little, mangy diseased dogs that they never fed. Quite a shock to see a wellfed German Shepherd!

That dog did the trick. Most of the people didn’t dare come around anymore. Same result as closing the store though. People didn’t come around. He didn’t have anybody to talk to and couldn’t get anybody to teach him the language. The dog wasn’t working. “We’ve got to get rid of the dog,” he told his wife. With the dog
gone, the people came back, and the pineapples were stolen again.

There must be some way to have both, but he couldn’t figure it out. He needed a break.While home on furlough, he went to a seminar. He learned that we must give everything we own to God. The Bible says if you give, you will have; if you keep for yourself, you will lose. Give your things to God, and God will see that you have
enough.

Otto thought, “Man! What do I have to lose? Might as well give that pineapple garden to God because I’m am not eating the pineapples anyway.” Not a very good sacrifice though. We are supposed to sacrifice something you deem valuable. But He gave the garden to God to see if He could control it.

Once back in New Guinea, he went out in the garden alone. It was a secret. “Lord, see these pineapple bushes? We’ve fought to have fruit from them. We’ve claimed them, and stood up for our rights. It’s all wrong. I see it now. I give them to You. From now on, if You want us to eat any of Your pineapples, fine. You just go
right ahead and give them to us. If not fine. It doesn’t really matter.”

So Otto gave them to God and the natives stole the pineapples as usual. He thought, “See, God. You can’t control them either.”

Then one day they came to him and said, “Too-wan, you have become a Christian, haven’t you?” He wanted to say, “Hey, I’ve been a Christian for twenty years.” But instead he asked, “Why do you say that?”

“Because you don’t get angry anymore when we steal your pineapples.” See what happened here? Now in their eyes he’s living what he had been preaching to them. He’d been telling them to love one another, be kind to one another. But, he’d always been standing up for HIS rights, and they knew it.

After a while, one of the very smart boys started thinking. He said, “To-wan, why don’t you get angry anymore?”

Otto said, “I gave that garden away. It’s not mine anymore. So you are not stealing my pineapples. I don’t have to get angry anymore.”

Another guy started to think even more. He asked, “Who did you give that garden to?” They looked around, “Did he give it to you?” “Did he give it to you?” “Whose is it anyway?” “Whose pineapples are we stealing?”

Then Otto told him, “I gave the garden to God.” They said, “To God! Hasn’t He got any pineapples where He is?”

Otto said, “I don’t know whether He has or not, but I did given that garden to God.” The natives went back to the village and said, “Do you know whose pineapples we are stealing? Too-wan has given them to God.”

They all started thinking about that one. They came back in a group and said, “Too-wan, you should not have done it. Why don’t you get those pineapples back from God?”

“No wonder we aren’t getting the pigs when we go out hunting.”
“No wonder our babies are getting sick.” “No wonder our wives are not giving birth.” “No wonder the fish aren’t biting.”

Then they said, “We shouldn’t steal them anymore if they are God’s, should we?” They were afraid of God.

So then more pineapples began to ripen. The natives said, “Too-wan, your pineapples are ripe.” He said, “They’re not mine. They belong to God.”

They said, “But they are going to get rotten. You’d better pick them.” So, Otto went and got some and let the natives take some.

When Otto and his family sat down to eat them, he prayed, “Lord, we’re eating Your pineapples. Thank you for giving them to us.” All those years, the natives were watching him and listening to his words. They saw that the two didn’t match. But when he began to change, they did too. Soon many natives decided to become Christians.

The principle of giving to God was really working. He could hardly believe it. So, he started giving other things to God.

One day Otto’s son was near death There was no way to get him to a doctor. He suddenly realized that He’d never given his son to God! So he prayed, “God, I give my son to You. Whatever You want to
do is fine.”

It was much harder than giving God the pineapple garden!

Otto got prepared for God to take his son. But that night, the fever broke and his son got well.

Later, the natives began bringing things for him to fix. He said, “God, my time is yours. If you want me to fix harmonicas and pots and shovels out here on the mission field, fine!” He wasn’t getting much Bible translation done, but more and more people were being won to Christ. They kept saying, “Too-wan has become a
Christian. He tells us to love each other and now he is starting to love us.”

One day, while fixing a broken chair, a native saw him and said, “Here, let me help you hold it.” After they fixed it Otto said, “Well, aren’t you going to ask me for any salt?”

He said, “No, Too-wan. Don’t you remember? You helped me fix my shovel. Now I help you fix your chair.”

Otto thought, “Man! That is the first time they did anything for him without getting paid for it.”

What a fun story, huh? I’ve always liked it. But it’s a hard hitting story isn’t it?

Maybe you wouldn’t have gotten so angry about a bunch of pineapples, but what’s YOUR pineapple garden? What rights do you claim as yours? What do you fight to defend? What makes you angry?

Maybe your garden is: your own plans for your life? Or who you’re dating? Maybe it’s money, possessions, time? A husband, wife, or your health? All things we can feel life owes us! Have you given these things to God?

First Corinthians 6:19 says, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;”

So when you find yourself angry, try to list out your rights that seem violated. The natives violated Otto’s right to eat own ineapples.

What I had to do was transfer my rights to God. I pictured myself kneeling before God, putting all my rights on His altar. He can do with them whatever He sees is best.

All your rights—your whole life—belongs to God. Romans 12:1 tells me that I’m to: “offer my body as a living sacrifice—holy and pleasing—an offering to God as a form of worship.”

Philippians 2:5 says, “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bondservant. He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death on a cross.”

Jesus was serving God by serving us. Paying the price for our sin. What could be more heroic and strong than that? So is God saying we should somehow learn not to care at all about things, jobs, cars, wives?

NO! He’s not telling us that the things we want in life are wrong in themselves. It’s claiming them as rights that God opposes (selfishness), making them our priority that God opposes. It’s our anger fighting to get what we want that God opposes.

We are Americans. We are suburbans. We love our stuff. We love our entertainment.

What Jesus is saying is don’t worry about those things. “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all the things you need will be added as well!”

First Corinthians 7:31 is such a great warning to us. There we are urged to “use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.”

Don’t we find in this Pineapple story, the great challenge to our own deep spirituality?

Then Jesus said to them all, “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?”

If you want to grow full of God’s Spirit, the way is following Jesus down that road.

Mean People


"Our enemies teach us survival skills and help us to see how strong
and resilient we really are. In short, we learn a lot from them.
So, see, everything has a purpose in life. Even mean people."

-Ronda Rich, American columnist and author of "What Southern Women
Know"


Start right now blessing and being thankful for all the "mean
people" in your life. It may not any of change them one iota. It
doesn't have to. It will change you and that's all that matters.

Sunday, July 16, 2006

The Pit


If you fall in a pit and can't get yourself out:

-A subjective person would say, "I feel for you down there."

-An objective person would say, "It's logical that someone would fall down there."

-A Pharisse would say, "Only bad people fall into pits."

-A mathematician would calculate how you fell into the pit.

-A news reporter would want the exclusive story on your fall.

-An IRS agent would ask if you are paying taxes on the pit.

-A self-pitying person would say, "You haven't seen anything until you've heard my problems!"

-A fire-and-brimstone preacher would tell you that you deserve the pit.

-A Christian Scientist would tell you the pit is just in your mind.

-A psychologist would ask you how you feel about falling in the pit and that someone else is to blame.

-A self-esteem therapist will tell you to believe in yourself and you will get out of the pit.

-An optimist would tell you things could be worse.

-A pessimist would tell you things will get worse.

-Your boss would tell you that it doesn't count as a sick day so it will be taken out of your vacation days.

-Your sibling will tell you it is payback for the mean things done by you as a child.

-Your parents will tell you, "We told you so but you didn't listen to us."

-Your children will ask you if you will be out in time to have dinner ready because they are hungry.

-A movie star will just walk on by and smile for the cameras.

-A salesman will try to sell you the pit at a "bargain price."

But:

Jesus will take you by the hand and lift you out of the pit.

Carry A Torch


On an African safari, a missionary asked the guide if it were true that a jungle animal will not attack you if you are carrying a torch.

"Well," the guide responded thoughtfully, "it depends on how fast you are carrying the torch."

****Moral of the story: Keep God's light with you but be prepared to act when necessary.

Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road?


MOSES: And God came down from the Heavens, and He said unto the Chicken, "Thou shalt cross the road!" And the chicken crossed the road, and there was much rejoicing.

AGENT MULDER: You saw it cross the road with your own eyes.
How many more chickens have to cross the road before you believe it?

RICHARD M. NIXON: The chicken did not cross the road.
I repeat, the chicken did NOT cross the road.

JERRY SEINFELD: Why does anyone cross a road?
I mean, why doesn't anyone ever think to ask, "What the heck was this chicken doing walking around all over the place, anyway?"

BILL GATES: I have just released the new Chicken Office 2000, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your checkbook.

OLIVER STONE: The question is not Why did the chicken cross the road?
Rather, it is, Who was crossing the road at the same time, whom we overlooked in our haste to observe the chicken crossing?

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.: I envision a world where all chickens will be free to cross roads without having their motives called into question.

GRANDPA: In my day, we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road.
Someone told us that the chicken had crossed the road, and that was good enough for us.

MACHIAVELLI: The point is that the chicken crossed the road. Who cares why?
The end of crossing the road justifies whatever motive there was.

EINSTEIN: Whether the chicken crossed the road or the road moved beneath the chicken depends upon your frame of reference.

RALPH WALDO EMERSON: The chicken did not cross the road; it transcended it.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die. In the rain. Alone.

COLONEL SANDERS: I missed one?

PLATO: For the greater good.

KARL MARX: It was a historical inevitability.

HIPPOCRATES: Because of an excess of light pink gooey stuff in its
pancreas.

ARISTOTLE: To actualize its potential.

BUDDHA: If you ask this question, you deny your own chicken-
nature.

SALVADOR DALI: The Fish.

DARWIN: It was the logical next step after coming down from
the trees.

EMILY DICKINSON: Because it could not stop for death.

OZZY OSBOURNE: 'Cause it *@#!ING wanted to. That's the *@#!ING reason.

RONALD REAGAN: I forget.

MR. T: If you saw me coming you'd cross the road too!

HENRY DAVID THOREAU: To live deliberately ... and suck all the marrow
out of life.

MARK TWAIN: The news of its crossing has been greatly exaggerated.

THE GODFATHER: I didn't want its mother to see it like that.

OTHELLO: Jealousy.

OSCAR WILDE: Why, indeed? One's social engagements whilst in
town ought never expose one to such barbarous
inconvenience - although, perhaps, if one must cross a
road, one may do far worse than to cross it as the
chicken in question.

MACBETH: To have turned back were as tedious as to go o'er.

FREUD: An die andere Seite zu kommen. (Much laughter) The fact that you are at all concerned that the chicken crossed the road reveals your underlying sexual insecurity.

HAMLET: That is not the question.

THE POPE: Bless the chicken, my child.

OPRAH WINFREY: He was reacting to a repressed traumatic caponisation in his childhood which he will now share with us in detail.

F. SCOTT FITZGERALD: Because he believed in the internal linkgreeninternal linklight, the orgiastic chicken-run that year by year recedes before us. It eluded him then, but that's no matter; tomorrow he will scurry faster, poke out his beak further, and one fine day....

AL GORE: Because I designed the internal linkInformation Superhighway so that all chickens, especially American ones, can cross under our benevolent supervision.

PAUL MCCARTNEY: (from the other side of the road) Yesterday.... all our chickens were so far away.

WILBUR AND ORVILLE WRIGHT:
As to why, it is hard to say. Yet after we saw that it couldn't internal linkfly, a thought occurred... If we could build a skid with a track going down the hill to the road, she just might make it across without touching the ground.

ISAAC NEWTON: For that one crossing, there is an equal and opposite crossing occurring simultaneously.

O.J. SIMPSON'S DEFENSE TEAM: one after the other:
Did you see the chicken cross the road? I didn't see the chicken cross the road. How can we be sure the chicken crossed the road? Just because the chicken was on this side for a time... and now is on the other side... is not adequate reason to be sure it crossed the road.

Dr. SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes! The chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed, I've not been told!

SADDAM HUSSEIN: This was an unprovoked act of rebellion and we were quite justified in dropping 50 tons of nerve gas on it.

ROBERT FROST:
He crossed the road less traveled, and survived. That made all the difference.

ME: Don't make fun of the chicken! That poor chicken...

MY MOM: Don't worry about the chicken, just take care of the chicks!