Let's pray...

Dear Lord, I thank You for this day. I Thank You for my being able to see and to hear this morning. I'm blessed because You are a forgiving God and an understanding God. You have done so much for me and You keep on blessing me.

Forgive me this day for I have sinned. I ask now for Your forgiveness; Keep me safe from all danger and harm. Let me start this day with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude. Let me make the best of each and every day and give my best in all that is put before me. Clear my mind that I can hear from You. Broaden my mind that I can accept all things. Let me not whine and whimper about things over which I have no control.

Let me continue to see sin through God's eyes and acknowledge it as evil. And when I sin, let me repent, and confess with my mouth my wrongdoing, and receive the forgiveness of God. And when this world closes in on me, let me remember Jesus' example- to slip away and find a quiet place to pray. It's the best response when I'm pushed beyond my limits. I know that when I can't pray, You listen to my heart. Continue to use me to do Thy Will. Continue to bless me that I may be a blessing to others. Keep me strong that I may help the weak and unsaved. Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others. 

I pray for those who are lost and can't find their way. I pray for those who are misjudged and misunderstood. I pray for those who refuse to share a word from You. I pray for those who don't know You intimately. I pray for those who will only read this and not speak it aloud in their own lives. I pray for those who don't believe. But I thank you for the belief that God changes people and God changes things. I pray for all my sisters and brothers. For each and every family member in their households. I pray for peace, love and joy in their homes, that they are out of debt; and all their needs are met. I pray that every eye that reads this knows there is no problem, circumstance, or situation greater than God. Every Battle is in His hands for Him to fight. I pray that these words be received into the hearts of every eye that sees them and every mouth that confesses them willingly.

This is my prayer. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Subject:  Blessings

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 notice.

Then the man shouted, "God, show me a miracle!"
And a life was born. But the man did not know.

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.

Don't miss out on a blessing because it isn't
packaged the way that you expect.

My instructions were to send this to people that
I wanted God to bless and I picked you.

Please pass this to people you want to be
blessed.

The Son

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art.  They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael.

They would often sit together and admire the great works of art.

When the Viet Nam conflict broke out, the son went to war.  He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier.

The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.

About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door.  A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands.

He said, "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life.  He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly.  He often talked about you, and your love for art.

The young man held out his package.  "I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this."

The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man.  He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears.

He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. "Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift."

The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.

The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings.  Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection.  On the platform sat the painting of the son.  The auctioneer pounded his gavel. "We will start the bidding with this picture of the son.  Who will bid for this picture?"

There was silence.  Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, "We want to see the famous paintings.  Skip this one."

But the auctioneer persisted, "Will someone bid for this painting?  Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?"

Another voice shouted angrily, "We didn't come to see this painting.  We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts.  Get on with the real bids!" But still the auctioneer continued, "The son!  The son! Who'll take the son?"  Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. "I'll give $10 for the painting."

Being a poor man, it was all he could afford. "We have $10, who will bid $20?"  "Give it to him for $10.  Let's see the masters." "$10 is the bid, won't someone bid $20?"  The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son.  They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.  The auctioneer pounded the gavel.  "Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!"

A man sitting on the second row shouted, "Now let's get on with the collection!"  The auctioneer laid down his gavel, "I'm sorry, the auction is over." "What about the paintings?" "I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will.  I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time.  Only the painting of the son would be auctioned.  Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings.  The man who took the son gets everything!"

God gave his Son 2,000 years ago to die on a cruel cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is, "The Son, the Son , who'll take the Son?"  Because you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.

 --author unknown

     Wings of Steel

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening
appeared.  He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it
struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to
stop making any progress.

     It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go
no further.  So, the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair
of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The
butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small,
shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he
expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be
able to support the body, which would contract in time.  Neither
happened!  In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling
around with a swollen body and shriveled wings.  It never was able to
fly.

     What the man, in his kindness and haste did not understand, was that
the restricting cocoon and the struggle required to get through the tiny
opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly
into its wings. It would then be ready for flight once it achieved its
freedom from the cocoon.

     Sometimes, struggles are exactly what we need in our lives.  If God
allowed us to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would
cripple us.  We would not be as strong as we could have been.  We could
never fly!

I asked for Strength...and God gave me difficulties to make me strong.
I asked for Wisdom...and God gave me problems to solve.
I asked for Prosperity...and God gave me brain and Brawn to work.
I asked for Courage...and God gave me danger to overcome.
I asked for Love...and God gave me troubled people to help.
I asked for Favors...and God gave me opportunities.
I received nothing I wanted...I received everything I needed.

     May your path be bright and full of light everywhere you go.  And I
pray your feet will never stumble out of God's plan.  May the desires of
your heart come true, and may you experience peace in everything you do.

May Goodness, Kindness, and Mercy come your way. And, may you gain
     Wisdom and grow in your spirit every day.

One of God's main jobs is making people.  He makes them to replace the
ones that die, so there will be enough people to take care of things on earth.

He doesn't make grown-ups, just babies.  I think because they
are smaller and easier to make.  That way He doesn't have to take
up His valuable time teaching them to talk and walk. He can just leave
that to mothers and fathers."

God's second most important job is listening to prayers.  An awful lot
of this goes on, since some people, like preachers and things, pray at
times beside bedtime.  God doesn't have time to listen to the radio or
TV because of this.  Because He hears everything, there must be a
terrible lot of noise in His ears, unless He has thought of a way to
turn it off."

God sees everything and hears everything and is everywhere which
keeps Him pretty busy.  So you shouldn't go wasting His time by going
over your Mom and Dad's head asking for something they said you couldn't
have."

Atheists are people who don't believe in God.  I don't think there are
any in Chula Vista.  At least there aren't any who come to our church."

   "Jesus is God's Son.  He used to do all the hard work like walking on
water and performing miracles and trying to teach the people who
didn't want to learn about God.  They finally got tired of Him preaching
to them and they crucified Him.  But He was good and kind, like His Father
and He told His Father that they didn't know what they were doing and to
forgive them and God said "O.K."

His Dad (God) appreciated everything that He had done and all His
hard work on earth so He told Him He didn't have to go out on the road
anymore.

He could stay in heaven.  So He did.  And now He helps His Dad out by
listening to prayers and seeing things which are important for God to
take care of and which ones He can take care of Himself without having
to bother God.  Like a secretary, only more important."
You can pray anytime you want and they are sure to help you
because they got it worked out so one of them is on duty all the time."

"You should always go to church on Sunday because it makes God
happy, and if there's anybody you want to make happy, it's God.  Don't
skip church to do something you think will be more fun like going to
the beach. This is wrong. And besides the sun doesn't come out at the
beach until noon anyway."

If you don't believe in God, besides being an atheist, you will be
very lonely, because your parents can't go everywhere with you, like to
camp, but God can.  It is good to know He's around you when you're
scared in the dark or when you can't swim and you get thrown into real
deep water by big kids."

But...you shouldn't just always think of what God can do for you.
I figure God put me here and He can take me back anytime He pleases.
And...that's why I believe in God.

I Asked God

I asked God to grant me patience.  
God said, No. Patience is a by-product of tribulations;  it isn't granted, it is earned.

I asked God to give me happiness.  
God said, No. I give you blessings. Happiness is up to you.

I asked God to spare me pain.
God said, No. Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.

I asked God to make my spirit grow.  
God said, No.  You must grow on your own, but I will prune you to make you fruitful.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life. 
God said, No. I will give you life so that you may enjoy all things.

I ask God to help me LOVE others, as much as he loves me. 
God  said..."Ahhhh, finally you have the idea."
 
"Stop telling God how big your storm is. Instead, tell your storm how big your GOD is."

I'm Okay

The house is a mess, the dishes are dirty.
I'm too old for this stuff, I'm well over thirty!
The car is not clean, my hair is a wreck,
And I've already spent next Friday's paycheck.

The laundry needs washing, the kids are too rowdy,
And I never have time for a leisurely "Howdy."
With all that I do, it's never enough,
It's never quite finished, it always looks rough.

I looked in my mirror and what did I see?
A harried old stranger, where I used to be.
The hurrier I go, the behinder I get.
Today is tomorrow, and I'm not caught up yet.

My kids are growing at such a fast pace,
That I'm missing their childhood for the sake of this race.
I work and I clean and I cook, and I say
"Hit the books, clean your room!" there's no time for play.

Well, the Lord, for some reason, chose ME with the care
Of three of His children, but I'm rarely there!
I've GOT to slow down lest there's nothing to show
For my role as their mom when they pack up and go!

I'm only one person, but look through my door,
What appears to be one, divides into more!
I'm a chauffeur, a cook, a planter of trees,
A teacher, an umpire, a mender of knees.

Sometimes, I forget that deep down inside,
There's a lady with feelings, and last night, she cried.
She gets tired and lonely, feels taken for granted
She wants to see blooms from the seeds that she's planted.

Then, amidst all the turmoil in this mind-bending pace,
My little ones look at me - square in the face...
And just when I need it, they all in one day
Say, "Momma, I love you" and then...I'm OKAY!

 by Rabona Gordon
Reprinted by permission of Rabona Gordon (c) 1999, from Chicken
Soup for the Parent's Soul by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen,
Kimberly Kirberger and Raymond Aaron.

Rocks

A philosophy professor stood before his class and had some items in front of him. When class began, wordlessly he picked up a large empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, rocks about 2" in diameter.

 He then asked the students if the jar was full? They agreed that it was. So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.

He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks. The students laughed.

The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

"Now," said the professor, "I want you to recognize that this is your life. The rocks are the important things - your family, your partner, your health, your children - anything that is so important to you that if it were lost, you would be nearly destroyed. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else. The small stuff."

"If you put the sand into the jar first, there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your energy and time on the small stuff, you  will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your wife out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal."

"Take care of the rocks first - the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

Author Unknown...

Is Your Hut Burning?

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.

Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions. But then one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened; everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger. "God how could you do this to me!" he cried.

Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him.

"How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers.

"We saw your smoke signal," they replied.

It is easy to get discouraged when things are going bad. But we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain and suffering. Remember, next time your little hut is burning to the ground, it just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of God.

A good story.... and lesson

Some years ago on a hot summer day in south Florida a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house.

In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore.

His mother--in the house was looking out the window--saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, she ran toward the water, yelling to her son as loudly as she could.  Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his mother.  It was too late.

Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him. >From the dock, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs.

That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two.

The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much too passionate to let go.  A farmer happened to drive by, heard her screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator.

Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived.  His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal, and, on his arms, were deep scratches where his mother's fingernails dug into his flesh in her effort to hang on to the son she loved.

The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars.  The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter,  "But look at my arms I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my mom wouldn't let go.

You and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars, too.  No, not from an alligator, or anything quite so dramatic.. But the scars of a painful past.  Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us deep regret.

But, some wounds, my friend, are because God has refused to let go.  In the midst of your struggle, He's been there holding on to you.

The Scripture teaches that God loves you. If you have Christ in your life you have become a child of God. He wants to protect you and provide for you in every way.  But sometimes we foolishly wade into dangerous situations. The swimming hole of life is filled with peril - and we forget that the enemy is waiting to attack.

That's when the tug-o-war begins - and  if you have the scars of His love on your arms be very, very grateful.  He did not and will not let you go.

Please pass this on to those you love. If you see someone without a smile, stop...and give them yours. God has blessed you, so that you can be a blessing to others.

Author Unknown...

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