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Anecdotes
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| Technology |
Did Jesus use a modem
At the sermon on the mount?
Did he ever use a broadcast fax,
To get his message out?
Did the disciples carry beepers,
As they went out and about?
Did Jesus use a modem
At the sermon on the mount?
Did the apostle use a laptop
With lots of RAM and ROM/
Did he use an e-mail alias
Such as Paul at Rome dot com?
Did the man from Macedonia
Post an e-mail saying "come"?
Did the apostle use a laptop
With lots of RAM and ROM?
Did Moses use a joystick
At the parting of the sea?
And a satellite guidance tracking system
To show him where to be?
Did God write the law on tablets
Or are they really on CD?
Did Moses use a joystick
At the parting of the sea?
Did Jesus really die for us
That Friday on the tree?
Or was it just a hologram,
A bit of wizardry?
Can you download the video clip
To play on your PC?
Did Jesus really die for us
One day upon a tree?
If, in your life, the voice of God
Is sometimes hard to hear,
With other voices calling,
His doesn't touch your ear.
Then set aside laptop and modem
Unplug the fancy gear,
Open up that dusty Bible,
And talk to him in prayer.
Author Unknown
Recent edition of the War Cry (Salvation Army - New
Zealand edition)
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| Butterfly
Kisses |
We often learn the most from our children.
Some time ago, a friend of mine punished his 3-year-old
daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper.
Money was tight, and he became infuriated when the
child tried to decorate a box to put under the tree.
Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to
her father the next morning and said, "This is for
you, Daddy." He was embarrassed by his earlier
overreaction, but his anger flared again when he found
that the box was empty. He yelled at her, "Don't
you know that when you give someone a present, there's
supposed to be something inside of it?"
The little girl looked up at him with tears in her
eyes and said, Oh, Daddy it's not empty. I blew
kisses into the box. All for you, Daddy." The
father was crushed. He put his arms around his
little girl, and he begged her forgiveness.
My friend told me that he kept that gold box by his
bed for years. Whenever he was discouraged, he would
take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of
the child who had put it there.
In a very real sense, each of us as parents has been
given a gold container filled with unconditional love
and kisses from our children.
There is no more precious possession anyone could
hold.
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| The
Most Caring Child |
Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about
a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of
the contest was to find the most caring child.
The winner was a four year old child whose next door
neighbour was an elderly gentleman who had recently
lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little
boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto
his lap, and just sat there.
When his mother asked him what he had said to the neighbour,
the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry." |
| "Two
Nickels and Five Pennies" |
When an ice cream sundae cost much less, a boy entered
a coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put
a glass of water in front of him.
"How much is an ice cream sundae?" "Fifty cents,"
replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his
hand out of his pocket and studied a number of coins
in it.
"How much is a dish of plain ice cream?" he inquired.
Some people were now waiting for a table, and the waitress
was impatient. "Thirty-five cents," she said angrily.
The little boy again counted the coins.
"I'll have the plain ice cream." The waitress
brought the ice cream and walked away. The boy
finished, paid the cashier, and departed.
When the waitress came back, she swallowed hard at what
she saw. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish,
were two nickels and five pennies (15c) - her tip. |
| What
It Means to Be Adopted |
Teacher Debbie Moon's first graders were discussing
a picture of a family. One little boy in the picture
had a different colour hair than he other family members.
One child suggested that he was adopted and a little
girl named Jocelynn Jay said, "I know all about adoptions
because I was adopted."
"What does it mean to be adopted?" asked another
child.
"It means," said Jocelynn, "that you grew in your
mommy's heart instead of her tummy."
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| "Barney" |
A four year old was at the paediatrician for a check
up.
As the doctor looked down her ears with an otoscope,
he asked, "Do you think I'll find Big Bird in here?"
The little girl stayed silent.
Next, the doctor took a tongue depressor and looked
down her throat. He asked, "Do you think I'll find the
Cookie Monster down there?" Again, the little girl was
silent.
Then the doctor put a stethoscope to her chest.
As he listened to her heart beat, he asked, "Do you
think I'll hear Barney in there?"
"Oh, no!" the little girl replied. "Jesus is in
my heart. Barney's on my underpants." |
| "Discouraged?" |
As I was driving home from work one day, I stopped
to watch a local Little League baseball game that was
being played in a park near my home. As I sat
down behind the bench on the first-baseline, I asked
one of the boys what the score was.
"We're behind 14 to nothing," he answered with a smile.
"Really," I said. "I have to say you don't look
very discouraged."
"Discouraged?" the boy asked with a puzzled look on
his face. "Why should we be discouraged? We haven't
been up to bat yet." |
| "Roles
And How We Play Them" |
Whenever I'm disappointed with my spot in my life,
I stop and think about little Jamie Scott.
Jamie was trying out for a part in a school play.
His mother told me that he'd set his heart on being
in it, though she feared he would not be chosen.
On the day the parts were awarded, I went with her to
collect him after school. Jamie rushed up to her,
eyes shining with pride and excitement. "Guess
what Mom," he shouted, and then said
those words that will remain a lesson to me: "I've been
chosen to clap and cheer." |
| "A Lesson
In Heart" |
A lesson in "heart" is my little, 10 year old daughter,
Sarah, who was born with a muscle missing in her foot
and wears a brace all the time.
She came home one beautiful spring day to tell me
she had competed in "field day"- that's where they
have lots of races and other competitive events.
Because of her leg support, my mind raced as I tried
to think of encouragement for my Sarah, things I could
say to her about not letting this get her down-but
before I could get a word out, she said, "Daddy, I
won two of the races!" I couldn't believe it!
And then Sarah said, "I had an advantage."
Ahh. I knew it. I thought she must have
been given a head start... some kind of physical advantage.
But again, before I could say anything, she said,
"Daddy, I didn't get a head start... My advantage
was I had to try harder!"
(C) Copyright Stanley R. Frager Ph.D. www.frager.com
*
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| You
Have Two Choices: |
Jerry was the kind of guy you love to hate.
He was always in a good mood and always had something
positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was
doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would
be twins."
He was a unique manager because he had several waiters
who had followed him around from restaurant to restaurant.
The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because
of his attitude. He was a natural motivator.
If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was there
telling the employee how to look on the positive side
of the situation.
Seeing this style really made me curious, so one
day I went up to Jerry and asked him, "I don't get
it! You can't be a positive person all of the time.
How do you do it?" Jerry replied, "Each morning I
wake up and say to myself, Jerry, you have two choices
today. You can choose to be in a good mood or
you can choose to be in a bad mood.' I choose
to be in a good mood.
Each time something bad happens, I can choose to
be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose
to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining,
I can choose to accept their complaining or I can
point out the positive side of life. I choose the
positive side of life."
"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested.
"Yes it is," Jerry said.
"Life is all about choices. When you cut away all
the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose
how you react to situations. You choose how
people will affect your mood. You choose to be in
a good mood or bad mood.
The bottom line: "It's your choice how you live life."
I reflected on what Jerry said.
Soon thereafter, I left the restaurant industry to
start my own business. We lost touch, but often thought
about him when I made a choice about life instead
of reacting to it.
Several years later, I heard that Jerry did
something you are never supposed to do in a restaurant
business: he left the back door open one morning
and was held up at gunpoint by three armed robbers
. While trying to open the safe, his hand, shaking
from nervousness, slipped off the combination. The
robbers panicked and shot him.
Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed
to the local trauma centre. After 18 hours of
surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released
from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still
in his body.
I saw Jerry about six months after the accident.
When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If
I were any better, I'd be twins. Wanna
see my scars?" I declined to see his wounds,
but did ask him what had gone through his mind as
the robbery took place.
"The first thing that went through my mind was that
I should have locked the back door," Jerry replied.
"Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I
had two choices: I could choose to live, or I could
choose to die. I chose to live.
"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?"
I asked.
Jerry continued, "The paramedics were great.
They kept telling me I was going to be fine.
But when they wheeled me into the emergency room and
I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors
and nurses, I got really scared.
In their eyes, I read, 'He's a dead man. "
I knew I needed to take action."
"What did you do?" I asked. "Well, there was
a big, burly nurse shouting questions at me," said
Jerry. "She asked if I was allergic to
anything.
'Yes,' I replied. The doctors and nurses
stopped working as they waited for my reply.
I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Bullets! "
Over their laughter, I told them, 'I am choosing
to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead."
Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but
also because of his amazing attitude. I
learned from him that every day we have the choice
to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything.
You have 2 choices now:
1. Save or delete this mail from your mail box, or
2. Forward it to people you care about.
Hope you will choose No. 2
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| The
Father's Eyes |
Bob Richards, the former pole-vault champion, shares
a moving story about a skinny young boy who loved football
with all his heart. Practice after practice, he eagerly
gave everything he had. But being half the
size of the other boys, he got absolutely nowhere. At
all the games, this hopeful athlete sat on the bench
and hardly ever
played. This teenager lived alone with his father,
and the two of them had a very special relationship.
Even though the son was always on the bench, his father
was always in the stands cheering. He never missed a
game. This young man was still the smallest of the class
when he entered high school. But his father continued
to encourage him but also made it very clear that he
did not have to play football if he didn't want
to.
But the young man loved football and decided to hang
in there He was determined to try his best
at every practice, and perhaps he'd get to play when
he became a senior. All through high school he never
missed a practice nor a game but remained a bench-warmer
all four years.
His faithful father was always in the stands, always
with words of encouragement for him. When the young
man went to college, he decided to try out for the football
team as a "walk-on." Everyone was sure he could never
make the cut, but he did. The coach admitted that he
kept him on the roster because he always puts his heart
and soul to every practice, and at the same time, provided
the other members with the spirit and hustle they badly
needed. The news that he had survived the cut thrilled
him so much that he rushed to the nearest phone and
called his father. His father shared his excitement
and was sent season tickets for all the college games.
This persistent young athlete never missed practice
during his four years at college, but he never got to
play in a game.
It was the end of his senior football season, and as
he trotted onto the practice field shortly before the
big playoff game, the coach met him with a telegram.
The young man read the telegram and he became
deathly silent Swallowing hard, he mumbled to the
coach, "My father died this morning. Is it all right
if I miss practice today?" The coach put his arm
gently around his shoulder and said, "Take the rest
of the week off, son. And don't even plan to come
back to the game on Saturday." Saturday arrived, and
the game was not going well. In the third quarter,
when the team was ten points behind, a silent young
man quietly slipped into the empty locker room and put
on his football gear. As he ran onto the sidelines,
the coach and his players were astounded to see their
faithful team-mate back so soon. "Coach, please let
me play. I've just got to play today," said the
young man. The coach pretended not to hear him.
There was no way he wanted his worst player in this
close playoff game. But the young man persisted, and
finally feeling sorry for the kid, the coach gave in.
"All right," he said. "You can go in."
Before long, the coach, the players and everyone in
the stands could not believe their eyes. This little
unknown, who had never played before was doing everything
right. The opposing team could not stop him. He ran,
he passed, blocked, and tackled like a star.
His team began to triumph. The score was soon tied.
In the closing seconds of the game, this kid intercepted
a pass and ran all the way for the winning touchdown.
The fans broke loose. His team-mates hoisted him onto
their shoulders.
Such cheering you never heard.
Finally, after the stands had emptied and the team had
showered and left the locker room, the coach noticed
that this young man was sitting quietly in the corner
all alone. The coach came to him and said, "Kid, I can't
believe it. You were fantastic! Tell me what got into
you? How did you do it?"
He looked at the coach, with tears in his eyes, and
said, "Well, you knew my dad died, but did you know
that my dad was blind?" The young man swallowed
hard and forced a smile, "Dad came to all my games,
but today was the first time he could see me play, and
I wanted to show him I could do it!" Like the athlete's
father, God is always there cheering for us. He's always
reminding us to go on. He's even offering us His hand
for He knows what is best, and is willing to give
us what we need and not simply what
we want. God has never missed a single game. What
a joy to know that life is meaningful if lived for the
Highest. Live for HIM for He's watching us in the game
of life! |
| Right Now: |
* somebody is very proud of you.
* somebody is thinking of you.
* somebody is caring about you.
* somebody misses you.
* somebody wants to talk to you.
* somebody wants to be with you.
* somebody hopes you aren't in trouble.
* somebody is thankful for the support you
have provided.
* somebody wants to hold your hand.
* somebody hopes everything turns out all
right.
* somebody wants you to be happy.
* somebody wants you to find him/her.
* somebody is celebrating your successes.
* somebody wants to give you a gift.
* somebody thinks that you ARE a gift.
* somebody hopes you're not too cold, or
too hot
* somebody wants to hug you.
* somebody loves you.
* somebody admires your strength.
* somebody is thinking of you and smiling.
* somebody wants to be your shoulder to
cry on.
* somebody wants to protect you.
* somebody would do anything for you.
* somebody wants to be forgiven.
* somebody is grateful for your forgiveness.
* somebody wants to laugh with you.
* somebody remembers you and wishes that
you were there.
* somebody is praising God for you.
* somebody needs to know that your love
is unconditional.
* somebody values your advice.
* somebody wants to tell you how much they
care.
* somebody wants to share their dreams with
you.
* somebody wants to hold you in their arms.
* somebody wants YOU to hold them in your
arms.
* somebody treasures your spirit.
* somebody wishes they could STOP time because
of you.
* somebody praises God for your friendship
and love.
* somebody can't wait to see you.
* somebody loves you for who you are.
* somebody loves the way you make them feel.
* somebody wants to be with you.
* somebody wants you to know they are there
for you.
* somebody's glad that you're his/her friend.
* somebody wants to be your friend.
* somebody stayed up all night thinking
about you.
* somebody is alive because of you.
* somebody is wishing that you noticed him/her.
* somebody wants to get to know you better.
* somebody wants to be near you.
* somebody misses your advice/guidance.
* somebody has faith in you.
* somebody trusts you.
* somebody needs you to send them this letter.
* somebody needs your support.
* somebody needs you to have faith in them.
* somebody will cry when they read this.
* somebody needs you to let them be your
friend.
* somebody hears a song that reminds them
of you.
SOMEBODY NEEDS YOU TO SEND THIS TO THEM |
| Helpful |
Work like you don't need the money.
Love like you've never been hurt.
Dance like nobody's watching. |
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Imagine there is a bank that credits your account
each morning with
$86,400.
It carries over no balance from day to day, every evening
it deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to
use during the day. What would you do? Draw out every
cent, of course!!!!
Each of us has such a bank.
Its name is TIME.
Every morning it credits you with 86,400 seconds.
Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever of this
you have failed to invest.
It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft.
Each day it opens a new account for you.
Each night it burns the remains of the day.
If you fail to use the day's deposits, the loss is
yours.
There is no going back.
There is no drawing against the "tomorrow".
You must live in the present on today's deposits.
Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health,
happiness, and
success!
The clock is running. Make the most of today.
To realise the value of ONE YEAR, ask a student who
failed a grade.
To realise the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who
gave birth prematurely.
To realise the value of ONE WEEK, ask the editor of
a weekly newspaper.
To realise the value of ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who
are waiting to meet.
To realise the value of ONE MINUTE, ask a person who
missed the train.
To realise the value of ONE SECOND, ask a person who
just avoided an accident.
To realise the value of ONE MILLISECOND, ask the person
who won a silver medal in the Olympics.
Treasure every moment that you have! And treasure
it more because you shared it with someone special,
special enough to spend your time.
And remember that time waits for no one.
Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow is mystery.
Today is a gift.
That's why it's called the present!!
It's National Friendship Week
Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed.
They make you smile and encourage you to succeed.
They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and
they always want to open their hearts to us.
Show your friends how much you care.....
Send this to everyone you consider a FRIEND. (Aren't
u2 lucky!!!)
If it comes back to you, then you'll know you have
a friend for life.
Let's show our friends how much we appreciate them
and what they mean to us.
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*Stephen Monro takes no responsibility for the content on
the sites provided.
Stephen Monro does not necessarily agree with all of the
views and opinions provided on the linked pages.
These pages are provided on good faith that the content
will be appropriate for all to view.
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