All He Wanted

A young man was getting ready to graduate college. For
many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted.
As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited
signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the
morning of his graduation his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautiful wrapped gift box.
Curious, but somewhat disappointed the young man
opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible. Angrily, he raised his voice at his father and said, "With all your money you give me a Bible?" and stormed out of the house, leaving the holy book.
Many years passed and the young man was very successful in
business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his
father was very old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He
had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make
arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He
needed to come home immediately and take care things.
When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and
regret filled his heart.
He began to search his father's important papers and
saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With
tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. As he
read those words, a car key dropped from an envelope
taped behind the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation,and the words...PAID IN FULL.

How many times do we miss God's blessings because they are not packaged as we expected?

Attitude

To change everything... simply change your attitude.

Stranded?

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 badly. 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.

She Taught Me...

1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE .
'If you're going to kill each other, do it outside.
I just finished cleaning.'

2. My mother taught me RELIGION.
'You better pray that will come out of the carpet.'

3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL .
'If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock
you into the middle of next week!'

4. My mother taught me LOGIC.
' Because I said so, that's why.'

5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC .
'If you fall out of that swing and break your neck,
you're not going to the store with me.'

6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT.
'Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're
in an accident.'

7. My mother taught me IRONY
'Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry
about.'

8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS.
'Shut your mouth and eat your supper.'

9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM .
'Will you look at that dirt on the back of your
neck!'

10. My mother taught me about STAMINA.
'You'll sit there until all that spinach is
gone.'

11. My mother taught me about WEATHER.
'This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through
it.'

12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.
'If I told you once, I've told you a million times.
Don't exaggerate!'

13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE .
'I brought you into this world, and I can take you
out.'

14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION.
'Stop acting like your father!'

15. My mother taught me about ENVY.
'There are millions of less fortunate children in this
world who don't have wonderful parents like you do.'

16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.
'Just wait until we get home.'

17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING .
'You are going to get it when you get home!'

18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.
'If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are
going to freeze that way.'

19. My mother taught me ESP.
'Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when
you are cold?'

20. My mother taught me HUMOR.
'When that lawn mower cuts off your foot, don't
come running to me.'

21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT .
'If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never
grow up.'

22. My mother taught me GENETICS.
'You're just like your father.'

23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS.
'Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born
in a barn?'

24. My mother taught me WISDOM.
'When you get to be my age, you'll understand.'

25. And my favorite: My mother taught me about JUSTICE
'One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out
just like you.

Happy Mother's Day!

The sound of the bell

Just up the road from my home is a field, with two horses in it.
From a distance, each horse looks like any other horse. But if you
stop your car, or are walking by, you will notice something quite
amazing....

Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind.
His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has made a
good home for him. This alone is amazing.
If you stand nearby and listen, you will hear the sound of a bell.
Looking around for the source of the sound, you will see that it
comes from the smaller horse inthe field. Attached to the horse's
halteris a small bell. Itlets the blind friend know where the other
horse is, so he can follow.
As you stand and watch these two friends, you'll see that the
horse with the bell is always checking on the blind horse, and that
the blind horse will listen for the and then slowly walk to where
the other horse is, trusting that he will not be led astray.
When the horse with the bell returns to the shelter of the barn each
evening,it stops occasionally and looks back, making sure that the
blind friend isn't too far behind to hear the bell.
Like the owners of these two horses, God does not throw us away just
because we are not perfect or because we have problems or challenges.
He watches over us and even brings others into our lives to help us
when we are in need.
Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by the little ringing
bell of those who God places in our lives. Other times we are the
guide horse, helping others to find their way....Good friends are
like that...You may not always see them,but you know they are
always there.Be kinder than necessary, everyone you meet is fighting
some kind of battle.

Live simply,
Love generously,
Care deeply,
Speak kindly....
Leave the rest to God

Spilled Milk

I recently heard a story about a famous research scientist who had made several very important medical breakthroughs. He was being interviewed by a newspaper reporter who asked him why he thought he was able to be so much more creative than the average person. What set him so far apart from others?

He responded that, in his opinion, it all came from an experience with his mother that occurred when he was about two years old. He had been trying to remove a bottle of milk from the refrigerator when he lost his grip on the slippery bottle and it fell, spilling its contents all over the kitchen floor—a veritable sea of milk!

When his mother came into the kitchen, instead of yelling at him, giving him a lecture, or punishing him, she said, “Robert, what a great and wonderful mess you have made! I have rarely seen such a huge puddle of milk. Well, the damage has already been done. Would you like to get down and play in the milk for a few minutes before we clean it up?”

Indeed, he did. After a few minutes, his mother said, “You know, Robert, whenever you make a mess like this, eventually you have to clean it up and restore everything to its proper order. So, how would you like to do that? We could use a sponge, a towel, or a mop. Which do you prefer?” He chose the sponge and together they cleaned up the spilled milk.

His mother then said, “You know, what we have here is a failed experiment in how to effectively carry a big milk bottle with two tiny hands. Let’s go out in the back yard and fill the bottle with water and see if you can discover a way to carry it without dropping it.” The little boy learned that if he grasped the bottle at the top near the lip with both hands, he could carry it without dropping it. What a wonderful lesson!

This renowned scientist then remarked that it was at that moment that he knew he didn’t need to be afraid to make mistakes.
Instead, he learned that mistakes were just opportunities for learning something new.

Jenny's Pearls

Jenny was a bright-eyed five-year-old girl. One day when she and her mom were checking out at the grocery store, Jenny saw a plastic pearl necklace priced at $5. She loved those pearls. When she asked her mom if she could buy it for her, her mom said "Well, it costs an awful lot of money. I'll tell you what, when we get home we can do a list of chores to help you pay for the necklace. And don't forget next weekend when Grandma is coming to visit she might give you a dollar, too." Jenny agreed.

How she loved her pearl necklace. She wore them everywhere, at kindergarten, to bed, and even when she did an errand with her mom. The only time she didn't wear them was when she took a shower, because her mother told her it would turn her neck green.

Jenny had a loving father. Every night he would read Jenny her favorite story. One night after reading to her he asked, "Jenny, do you love me?"

"Oh yes daddy, you know I love you." Jenny replied.

He said, "well then give me your pearls."

"Oh no, not my pearls," Jenny answered. "But you can have Rosie, my favorite doll. Remember her? You gave her to me for my birthday. You can have Rosie if you want to, daddy." she added.

"That's okay darling," her father replied. He brushed her cheeks with a kiss good night, "Sweet dreams little one."


A few days later after her favorite story, her father asked Jenny again, "Jenny, do you love me?"

"Oh yes daddy, you know I love you."

"Well then give me your pearls."

"No, not my pearls," Jenny answered. "But you can have Robin, my toy horse. Her hair is so soft, and you can play and braid it and everything. You can have Robin if you want her daddy."

"That's okay darling," her father replied. He brushed her cheeks with a kiss good night, "Good night little one, God bless."

A week later, her father went to Jenny's room to read. When he was done he asked her again, "Jenny, do you love me?"

"Yes daddy, I do." Jenny replied. Her lips started to tremble. She held out her hand and there was her beloved pearl necklace. Her father took the necklace in one hand, and with the other slipped out from his pocket a blue velvet box. He handed it to Jenny. She lifted up the lid, and inside the box she saw a real genuine pearl necklace.

It was beautiful.

Her father had had them all along,he was just waiting for Jenny to give up her cheap necklace.

So it is with our Father in Heaven, He wants to bless us with real treasures in life. We need to think what we hold onto in our lives and ponder what God might give us in their place.