tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614243355979091792024-02-06T21:12:04.119-08:00Christ4Thailand"Thy WORD is a LAMP unto my FEET and a LIGHT unto my PATH"
Psalm 119:105Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger229125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-761424335597909179.post-32506848273931406632014-06-04T05:21:00.001-07:002014-06-04T05:21:15.104-07:00Teacher's Prayer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjydPc8YlnC8zc9pDRDzC1C4g6qO6m85GQLI7YHBpAG0dtDObTVPLvjqV-Zzo2HBKQGEX8yexfgcPLgKoKaN55iJPnW84UeSgiDZxiL9MSizNQkhsvx_1NYCB8HQL3_u_DnjYIB2TQyDLRO/s1600/Teachersprayer.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjydPc8YlnC8zc9pDRDzC1C4g6qO6m85GQLI7YHBpAG0dtDObTVPLvjqV-Zzo2HBKQGEX8yexfgcPLgKoKaN55iJPnW84UeSgiDZxiL9MSizNQkhsvx_1NYCB8HQL3_u_DnjYIB2TQyDLRO/s1600/Teachersprayer.png" height="51" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Book Antiqua', 'Times New Roman', Times;">I want to teach my students how</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Book Antiqua', 'Times New Roman', Times;"><div style="text-align: center;">
To live this life on Earth.</div>
</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Book Antiqua', 'Times New Roman', Times;"><div style="text-align: center;">
To face it's struggles and it's strife</div>
</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Book Antiqua', 'Times New Roman', Times;"><div style="text-align: center;">
And to improve their worth.</div>
</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Book Antiqua', 'Times New Roman', Times;"><div style="text-align: center;">
Not just the lesson in a book</div>
</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Book Antiqua', 'Times New Roman', Times;"><div style="text-align: center;">
Or how the rivers flow, But how to choose the proper path</div>
</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Book Antiqua', 'Times New Roman', Times;"><div style="text-align: center;">
Wherever they may go.</div>
</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Book Antiqua', 'Times New Roman', Times;"><div style="text-align: center;">
To understand eternal truth</div>
</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Book Antiqua', 'Times New Roman', Times;"><div style="text-align: center;">
And know the right from wrong,</div>
</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Book Antiqua', 'Times New Roman', Times;"><div style="text-align: center;">
And gather all the beauty of</div>
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A flower and a song.</div>
</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Book Antiqua', 'Times New Roman', Times;"><div style="text-align: center;">
For if I help the world to grow</div>
</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Book Antiqua', 'Times New Roman', Times;"><div style="text-align: center;">
In wisdom and in grace,</div>
</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Book Antiqua', 'Times New Roman', Times;"><div style="text-align: center;">
Then I shall feel that I have won</div>
</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Book Antiqua', 'Times New Roman', Times;"><div style="text-align: center;">
And I have filled my place.</div>
</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Book Antiqua', 'Times New Roman', Times;"><div style="text-align: center;">
And so I ask your guidance, God,</div>
</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Book Antiqua', 'Times New Roman', Times;"><div style="text-align: center;">
That I may do my part.</div>
</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Book Antiqua', 'Times New Roman', Times;"><div style="text-align: center;">
For character and confidence</div>
</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Book Antiqua', 'Times New Roman', Times;"><div style="text-align: center;">
And happiness of heart.</div>
</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Book Antiqua', 'Times New Roman', Times;"><i>-James J. Metcalf</i></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Book Antiqua', 'Times New Roman', Times;" /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-761424335597909179.post-45194226920496383162014-06-03T02:47:00.000-07:002014-06-03T02:47:14.021-07:00One More Day to Live<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0IqHyNBAKrJZX9Gch_kJpfN7vXG9L_hFmqoxFXbWP3QFb0DcpT2txxxmYoEh1bk-32s7Q90ZDmTqiGSYqredGXZ1_3Bp_q9kBeUJQZr7hvvJVRsaVs0p5FWH4z_fmuUqjU3aWiE_8R8sH/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0IqHyNBAKrJZX9Gch_kJpfN7vXG9L_hFmqoxFXbWP3QFb0DcpT2txxxmYoEh1bk-32s7Q90ZDmTqiGSYqredGXZ1_3Bp_q9kBeUJQZr7hvvJVRsaVs0p5FWH4z_fmuUqjU3aWiE_8R8sH/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div>
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If I had only one more day to live,</div>
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All love, praise, and glory to you I’d give.</div>
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I’d try my best to put a smile on someone’s face</div>
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To share with them your saving grace.</div>
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I’d remember things about my life</div>
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The times you were there through fun and strife,</div>
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And thank you then for all you’ve done.</div>
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Without you no victories would have been won.</div>
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If I have one more day before I die</div>
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I would apologize to the kid I made cry.</div>
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I would take back the harsh words said to everyone,</div>
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And fill their hearts with laughter and fun.</div>
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If I only had one more day</div>
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I wouldn’t push anyone away.</div>
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I wouldn’t try to hurt a friend</div>
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Because I should love them to the very end.</div>
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Why not live each day as if it were our last</div>
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Looking towards our future and forgetting the past</div>
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To be a Christian each day we live</div>
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And most importantly to always give.</div>
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- Carol Ann</div>
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Used with Permission</div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />Read more:<a href="http://www.inspirationalarchive.com/"> www.inspirationalarchive.com</a></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-761424335597909179.post-76232279569931748042014-04-24T19:19:00.000-07:002014-04-24T19:19:24.745-07:00How Faithful is the Lord<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUK_Gz1WWvaeeMxI7pCZaPLTMPJVzX4Bgq6OoCJuPT2pasDjPNUeY5Rja9tWqlP8OvHlbbkeaAHiEjA2G6n3T_9fmbQcBTHStDzxUSqStuwxxdTpT51N51vLmBwVqTuFE_eQYZ81zqc0iC/s1600/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUK_Gz1WWvaeeMxI7pCZaPLTMPJVzX4Bgq6OoCJuPT2pasDjPNUeY5Rja9tWqlP8OvHlbbkeaAHiEjA2G6n3T_9fmbQcBTHStDzxUSqStuwxxdTpT51N51vLmBwVqTuFE_eQYZ81zqc0iC/s1600/download.jpg" /></a></div>
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I don’t understand the Lord—</div>
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No person really can.</div>
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The nature of his being</div>
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Is beyond the scope of man.</div>
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He came from a void of nothing</div>
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To create all space and time;</div>
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He made the skies and heaven</div>
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And he made the sun to shine;.</div>
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And he made a puny race</div>
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To live on this good earth</div>
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And enjoy all that he made</div>
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And praise his Mighty Worth.</div>
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Yet our Lord is ever merciful</div>
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And faithful to all men</div>
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Even though we turn from Him</div>
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And too often fall to sin.</div>
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For when He provides a sunset</div>
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And we don’t praise his name,</div>
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The next day the sun again will rise</div>
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And set again the same.</div>
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<em><b>B. Killebrew</b></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />Read more: </span><span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.inspirationalarchive.com/">http://www.inspirationalarchive.com/</a></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-761424335597909179.post-37770396378169521722014-04-11T20:16:00.002-07:002014-04-11T20:16:52.858-07:00Two Visitors<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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By <i>Beth Fisher</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Used with Permission</div>
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Two visitors came to see me, both at the same time,<br />Both were trying to win control of my body, heart, and mind<br />One was dressed quite plainly, one dressed fit to kill,<br />I couldn’t see the battle they were waging for my will.</div>
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One promised to give fame, friends and riches beyond compare,<br />Anything I wanted, it seemed, and while I was standing there,<br />He showed me how life could be, for a little while at least,<br />I couldn’t see beneath the clothes, to recognize the beast.</div>
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The other told of hard times, of sacrifice and pain,<br />Ridicule and persecution, nothing much to gain,<br />But there was something deep in this visitor’s eyes<br />That made me feel to choose Him, somehow would be wise.</div>
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I guess you know the outcome, I hope my life reflects,<br />The one I picked, the path I chose, the one that He directs.<br />But now at last I see Him, as He truly is THE KING!<br />So, did I choose so poorly, I wonder as I sing…</div>
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Eternal praises to my God at last in heaven’s city.<br />Could I have been richer, more popular, what a pity-<br />For now all I have to show for the pain and unkind laughter,<br />Is a crystal mansion on a street of gold, living happily ever after.</div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /><br />Read more: </span><span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.inspirationalarchive.com/">http://www.inspirationalarchive.com/</a></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-761424335597909179.post-29284760870252717592014-04-10T19:45:00.000-07:002014-04-10T19:45:35.977-07:00One Man<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttzdSBySIlGZigynmb-r9Xuy7aWQy9Sx8Xhyphenhyphen2vDZ8wiKYOVjVZzm4gtHn2h7Bt70KPOhK9VYnLC3raj3kYdnjdn4s71jC303Sn5TGXYPF4wIUGIifbgINLTuf-LVnxY9XhRXcKlK_zoNC/s1600/At+the+Foot+of+the+Cross.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttzdSBySIlGZigynmb-r9Xuy7aWQy9Sx8Xhyphenhyphen2vDZ8wiKYOVjVZzm4gtHn2h7Bt70KPOhK9VYnLC3raj3kYdnjdn4s71jC303Sn5TGXYPF4wIUGIifbgINLTuf-LVnxY9XhRXcKlK_zoNC/s1600/At+the+Foot+of+the+Cross.jpg" height="320" width="247" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
by Ryan Corbi</div>
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Used with Permission</div>
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One man, kneeling</div>
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alone in the night</div>
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Blood and sweat mix</div>
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outflowing in fright</div>
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Kneeling, praying</div>
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prone on the grass</div>
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“From my lips, Father,</div>
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let this cup pass.”</div>
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One man, standing</div>
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scorned, flogged, and beat</div>
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Harsh words still echo</div>
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there in the heat</div>
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“He is no king,”</div>
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he heard them cry</div>
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“Give us Barabbas!</div>
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and him — CRUCIFY!!”</div>
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One man, hanging</div>
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dying with thieves</div>
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Of the thousands who followed</div>
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for him, who grieves?</div>
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Friends watch at a distance</div>
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afraid to go near</div>
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Their whole worlds are shattered</div>
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their hearts filled with fear.</div>
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One man lived and died</div>
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in a rich grave was laid</div>
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For His blood was shed</div>
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that our debt be paid.</div>
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But death could not hold Him</div>
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resurrected He stands</div>
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To him who is weary</div>
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outstretched are His hands</div>
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In Christ there is rest</div>
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a requiem from strife</div>
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To him who believes</div>
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He will grant eternal life.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-761424335597909179.post-2427488770525836602014-04-08T18:34:00.000-07:002014-04-08T18:34:01.680-07:00A Tale of Three Roman Soldiers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiejSxL29oTsLeypwgkogYg4q4wgyjVtDmFFUemmHMjYbu11GFQzWyZFfRcZ1Hn886CgZYOwQ9xM1ZLDMnNvS-31Bu-IoXPmjeoGx2z72Lrr6lzXEGuKk1r-d6OmJDRTEVzCsSHcbWMFsp8/s1600/James_Tissot_The_Roman_Guards_At_The_Tomb_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiejSxL29oTsLeypwgkogYg4q4wgyjVtDmFFUemmHMjYbu11GFQzWyZFfRcZ1Hn886CgZYOwQ9xM1ZLDMnNvS-31Bu-IoXPmjeoGx2z72Lrr6lzXEGuKk1r-d6OmJDRTEVzCsSHcbWMFsp8/s1600/James_Tissot_The_Roman_Guards_At_The_Tomb_400.jpg" height="320" width="249" /></a></div>
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In the cool predawn darkness, three battle-hardened Roman soldiers in full armor are guarding Joseph’s tomb where Jesus was buried three days earlier. Despite strict army regulations, they are talking softly, almost at a whisper, between themselves.</div>
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“All men die the same,” one mutters.</div>
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This apathetic tone ignites a spark of anger from another. “Not like he did!” was the intense whispering reply. “We spiked him to the cross-bar and hoisted it onto the upright, but I’ll never forget the words that he said during his execution.” Turning his head and looking at the others with fire in his eyes and a narrowed brow, he said with slower more precise diction, “I was responsible for killing him, and he forgave me!”</div>
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A third insensitive voice quickly responds, “Haven’t you been a soldier too long to be troubled by a guilty conscience?”</div>
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The troubled guard continues to blurt out what he can no longer hold within himself. “The thief next to him asked this Jesus from Nazareth to remember him. Oh, his voice while in this nightmare of sure death and torture! He said, “Today you will be with me in paradise,” and in that instant the sky grew dark. Everyone felt the cold chill in the air then, like all the evil forces in the world were gloating when he cried. He sounded like the loneliest man in the world hanging there. The earthquake knocked me to the ground for a moment, and then the darkness began to lift. That was no mere man I crucified I tell you. He was more than just a mere man! Rarely a tomb is sealed as this one is, let alone guarded.”</div>
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In the dull light of the dawn, suddenly appears an angel enveloped within a fiercely bright pure light painful to the eyes as if looking directly into the high noon sun. The air reverberated like a crack of vicious thunder lifting the three Roman soldiers off their feet and throwing them to the ground , rendering them dumbfounded and motionless. Turning toward the six foot stone covering the opening of the grave, this immensely strong creature rolls the stone away from the entry of the tomb. The battle-hardened Roman soldiers sit there trembling, each gazing in unbelief yet knowing they have all seen the same thing.</div>
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“Sir! It’s gone! The body is gone!”</div>
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“Shut your mouth soldier!” the other shouted, scrambling to his feet.</div>
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“I tell you, he’s alive! What are we going to tell the Centurion?”</div>
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“You didn’t see anything! We fell asleep or something! You don’t know anything! Got it?” demanded the third.</div>
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“But I do know, and I did see, Captain! Jesus is out there alive I tell you! More than alive!”</div>
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The other two begin shoving, slapping, and shouting at the believing soldier with panic stricken voices, “Forget this ever happened, Marcus!”</div>
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A shaky voice on the verge of tears replies, “Forget it if you can sir, but with all due respect, Jesus is alive, and that changes everything.”</div>
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Author Unknown<br />Submitted by Richard</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-761424335597909179.post-90900446925612844512014-04-08T18:25:00.000-07:002014-04-08T18:25:03.358-07:00His Love<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUAC4emhzZA8b2_VQHh8UuiTiUQZgX68sbRPpPrr-k1xMsKiFuXCvCGgWcgPEUQiz20-slcCSr96MxRP_YHpqIMwfyaUztKQZpfiqi7lQd6vWWal71Zmhh4s1IeClwN4bCBCBC9eagnypX/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUAC4emhzZA8b2_VQHh8UuiTiUQZgX68sbRPpPrr-k1xMsKiFuXCvCGgWcgPEUQiz20-slcCSr96MxRP_YHpqIMwfyaUztKQZpfiqi7lQd6vWWal71Zmhh4s1IeClwN4bCBCBC9eagnypX/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div>
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Have you ever stopped to wonder</div>
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Why they called Good Friday “good”?</div>
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It seems to me that sad, black day</div>
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Could be misunderstood.</div>
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How His Father must have anguished</div>
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As He watched His dear Son die,</div>
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And not for crimes that He had done,</div>
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But for sinners such as I.</div>
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What kind of love could be so great,</div>
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To suffer willingly</div>
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The penalty for someone else;</div>
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His blood was shed for me.</div>
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But then when Sunday came around</div>
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And death had lost its sting,</div>
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That glorious morn’ was victory</div>
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For Jesus Christ, the King!</div>
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Now He’s alive for evermore.</div>
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The Father’s will was done.</div>
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Forgiveness, pardon, full and free,</div>
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By trusting in God’s Son.</div>
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It was a “good” Good Friday</div>
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For the thief who died there too;</div>
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He took his place in Heaven</div>
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When that long, dark day was through.</div>
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I am grateful to my Saviour:</div>
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My life to Him I owe.</div>
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I’ll serve and love Him always,</div>
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Because He loved me so.</div>
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<div style="font-family: tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
by Rose Newman</div>
<div style="font-family: tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
Used by Permission</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-761424335597909179.post-68101258955406433342014-04-04T20:01:00.003-07:002014-04-04T20:01:34.317-07:00I Took Your Place<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFhhA94Tn9Vlt8tKaMIrjc726JblXdup91jCHP5bQhzJdaj_YRCKvA0haEk4uYMfRtIibz25hcFevWZv7EowYQO8URZGcv5WjBF7YcVCCJd1Gb-e9sxueVGaayLk5msmHLCtsu09UmHPjD/s1600/jesus-on-the-cross-john-lautermilch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFhhA94Tn9Vlt8tKaMIrjc726JblXdup91jCHP5bQhzJdaj_YRCKvA0haEk4uYMfRtIibz25hcFevWZv7EowYQO8URZGcv5WjBF7YcVCCJd1Gb-e9sxueVGaayLk5msmHLCtsu09UmHPjD/s1600/jesus-on-the-cross-john-lautermilch.jpg" height="200" width="161" /></a></div>
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One day, a man went to visit a church. He arrived early, parked his car, and got out. Another car pulled up near him, and the driver told him, “I always park there. You took my place!”</div>
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The visitor went inside for Sunday School, found an empty seat, and sat down. A young lady from the church approached him and stated, “That’s my seat! You took my place!” The visitor was somewhat distressed by this rude welcome, but said nothing.</div>
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After Sunday School, the visitor went into the church sanctuary and sat down. Another member walked up to him and said, “That’s where I always sit. You took my place!”</div>
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The visitor was even more troubled by this treatment, but still said nothing. Later, as the congregation was praying for Christ to dwell among them, the visitor stood, and his appearance began to change.</div>
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Horrible scars became visible on his hands and on his sandaled feet. Someone from the congregation noticed him and called out, “What happened to you?” The visitor replied…”I took your place.”</div>
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Author Unknown<br />Submitted by Richard</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-761424335597909179.post-57456440460076175782014-04-02T18:37:00.003-07:002014-04-02T18:37:44.820-07:00One Guy Didn't<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglggjxsdgSMXf3002HmhtSC9Ewv0nffRQpZjvLsN_0aW2iQiFrm6bXAqiwSOgSBv-OMCF7Fng0lOsRDI4laDmMuwbanqvTLAUB6phn-FKaZzI9NolCYm0pF2_MDCf5t2nlddXPd_k5I41X/s1600/t_Chr+-+Christ+at+the+Cross+by+Delacroix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglggjxsdgSMXf3002HmhtSC9Ewv0nffRQpZjvLsN_0aW2iQiFrm6bXAqiwSOgSBv-OMCF7Fng0lOsRDI4laDmMuwbanqvTLAUB6phn-FKaZzI9NolCYm0pF2_MDCf5t2nlddXPd_k5I41X/s1600/t_Chr+-+Christ+at+the+Cross+by+Delacroix.jpg" height="320" width="252" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Three guys were tried for crimes against humanity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Two guys committed crimes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One guy didn’t.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Three guys were given government trials.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Two guys had fair trials.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One guy didn’t.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Three guys were whipped and beaten.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Two guys had it coming.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One guy didn’t.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Three guys were given crosses to carry.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Two guys earned their crosses.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One guy didn’t.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Three guys were mocked and spit at along the way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Two guys cursed and spit back.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One guy didn’t.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Three guys were nailed to crosses.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Two guys deserved it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One guy didn’t.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Three guys agonized over their abandonment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Two guys had reason to be abandoned.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One guy didn’t.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Three guys talked while hanging on their crosses.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Two guys argued.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One guy didn’t.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Three guys knew death was coming.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Two guys resisted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One guy didn’t.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Two.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Three guys died on three crosses.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Three days later.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Two guys remained in their graves.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One guy didn’t.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-Unknown</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-761424335597909179.post-80540003120774579262014-04-01T18:40:00.002-07:002014-04-01T18:40:38.197-07:00Judge Me by the Footprints I Leave Behind<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after having fought in Vietnam.</div>
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He called his parents from San Francisco.</div>
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“Mom and Dad, I’m coming home, but I’ve got a favor to ask. I have a friend I’d like to bring with me.”</div>
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“Sure,” they replied, “we’d love to meet him.”</div>
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“There’s something you should know the son continued, “he was hurt pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped on a land mined and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with us.”</div>
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“I’m sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to live.”</div>
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“No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us.”</div>
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“Son,” said the father, “you don’t know what you’re asking. Someone with such a handicap would be a terrible burden on us. We have our own lives to live, and we can’t let something like this interfere with our lives. I think you should just come home and forget about this guy. He’ll find a way to live on his own.”</div>
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At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing more from him.</div>
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A few days later, however, they received a call from the San Francisco police. Their son had died after falling from a building, they were told. The police believed it was suicide. The grief-stricken parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son. They recognized him, but to their horror they also discovered something they didn’t know, their son had only one arm and one leg.</div>
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The parents in this story are like many of us. We find it easy to love those who are good-looking or fun to have around, but we don’t like people who inconvenience us or make us feel uncomfortable. We would rather stay away from people who aren’t as healthy, beautiful, or smart as we are.</div>
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Thankfully, there’s someone who won’t treat us that way. Someone who loves us with an unconditional love that welcomes us into the forever family, regardless of how messed up we are.</div>
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Tonight, before you tuck yourself in for the night, say a little prayer that God will give you the strength you need to accept people as they are, and to help us all be more understanding of those who are different from us!!!</div>
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There’s a miracle called -Friendship- that dwells in the heart. You don’t know how it happens or when it gets started. But you know the special lift It always brings and you realize that Friendship Is God’s most precious gift!</div>
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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.</div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Read more: <a href="http://www.inspirationalarchive.com/520/judge-me-by-the-footprints-i-leave-behind/#ixzz2xglZKAop" style="color: #003399; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">http://www.inspirationalarchive.com</a></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-761424335597909179.post-30725706928431672272014-03-31T18:19:00.003-07:002014-03-31T18:19:30.080-07:00Ten Little Christians<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Ten Little Christians came to church all the time;</div>
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One fell out with the preacher, then there were nine.</div>
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Nine Little Christians stayed up late;</div>
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One overslept on Sunday, then there were eight.</div>
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Eight Little Christians on their way to Heaven;</div>
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One took the low road, then there were seven.</div>
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Seven Little Christians, chirping like chicks;</div>
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One didn't like the singing, then there were six.</div>
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Six Little Christians seemed very much alive;</div>
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One took a vacation, then there were five.</div>
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Five Little Christians pulling for Heaven’s shore;</div>
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One stopped to take a rest, then there were four.</div>
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Four Little Christians each as busy as a bee;</div>
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One had his feelings hurt, then there were three.</div>
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Three Little Christians couldn't decide what to do;</div>
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One couldn't have his way, then there were two.</div>
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Two Little Christians each won one more;</div>
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Now don't you see, two plus two equals four.</div>
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Four Little Christians worked early and late;</div>
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Each brought one, now there were eight.</div>
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Eight Little Christians if they double as before;</div>
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In just seven Sundays, we have one thousand twenty four.</div>
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In this jingle there is a lesson true;</div>
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You belong either to the building, or to the wrecking crew.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Book Antiqua', 'Times New Roman', Times;"><div style="text-align: center;">
-Author Unknown</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Book Antiqua', 'Times New Roman', Times;">More Inspirational Stories <a href="http://www.inspirationalarchive.com/">HERE</a></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-761424335597909179.post-74753716473687860782014-03-30T23:02:00.001-07:002014-03-30T23:04:06.870-07:00I Refuse to be Discouraged!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I refuse to be discouraged,</div>
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To be sad, or to cry;</div>
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I refuse to be downhearted,</div>
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and here's the reason why:</div>
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I have a God who's mighty,</div>
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Who's sovereign and supreme;</div>
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I have a God who loves me,</div>
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and I am on His team.</div>
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He is all-wise and powerful.</div>
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Jesus is His name;</div>
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Though everything is changeable,</div>
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My God remains the same.</div>
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My God knows all that's happening;</div>
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Beginning to the end;</div>
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His presence is my comfort;</div>
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He is my dearest Friend.</div>
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When sickness comes to weaken me,</div>
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To bring my head down low,</div>
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I call upon my mighty God;</div>
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Into His arms I go.</div>
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When circumstances threaten</div>
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to rob me of my peace;</div>
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He draws me close unto His breast,</div>
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Where all my strivings cease.</div>
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When my heart melts within me,</div>
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and weakness takes control;</div>
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He gathers me into His arms,</div>
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He soothes my heart and soul.</div>
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The great "I AM" is with me.</div>
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My life is in His hand;</div>
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The "Son of the Lord" is my hope,</div>
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It's in His strength I stand.</div>
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I refuse to be defeated,</div>
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My eyes are on my God;</div>
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He has promised to be with me,</div>
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as through this life I trod.</div>
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I'm looking past all my circumstances,</div>
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To Heaven's throne above;</div>
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My prayers have reached the heart of God</div>
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I'm resting in His love.</div>
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I give God thanks in everything.</div>
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My eyes are on His face;</div>
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The battle's His, the victory mine;</div>
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He'll help me win the race.</div>
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© BJ George</div>
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Credit: heartwarmingstories.net</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://vref.me/nkjv/php3" style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Philippians 3</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. <span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><sup style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </sup></span>No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, <span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><sup style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </sup></span>I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Read more heartwarming stories <a href="http://www.godvine.com/read/">Here</a></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-761424335597909179.post-12701662981920761142014-03-27T18:36:00.001-07:002014-03-27T18:36:24.275-07:0011 Things that Don't Define Who You Are<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">1.Your occupation – </span>It is easy to identify yourself as a teacher or a doctor or stay-at-home mom. But is that really who you are?</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">2.Your family relationship- </span>Whether you grew up in a two-parent home, with a single parent, with a distant relative, or if your family is close-knit, or a little broken apart, your family relationship doesn’t define you.<br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">3. Your vices- </span>We all have weaknesses. But if you think that you are a failure just because you sometimes fail- you’re wrong.<br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">4. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Your race<span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"> – </span></span>No matter the color of your skin you are special on the inside.<br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">5.Your age- </span>We can often identify with those that are close in age. Young and old, be careful not to wrap your identify around your birth date.<br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">6.Your ability/disability – </span>Are you exceptionally good at something or are you unable to do many things because of a special circumstance? What if these things all of a sudden changed? Would you still know where to place your real identity?<br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">7.Your intellect and education- </span>Do you get to write those little letters behind your name like “M.D.” because you worked hard for an education? Or were you not able to finish grade school because you had to work hard to help your parents? Whatever boat you are in your education doesn’t define you.<br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">8.Your physical appearance - </span>Do you like your shape? Do you think your nose it way too big? Do you think you are laden with flaws? Chances are we all have things that we may have been insecure about at one time or another.<br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">9.Your economic status- </span>Whether you were blessed to be inherit great wealth, or may not know where tonight’s meal is coming from there is a God in Heaven who is the ultimate provider.<br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">10.Your health- </span>You can have 1% body fat or be struggling to lose those 15 lbs. You may have fought a battle against cancer or diabetes- still you are so much greater than your health.<br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">11.Politics-</span> Do you identify as a conservative or liberal, democrat or republican? Regardless of which, be careful not to get your identity wrapped up in politics because you belong to a party much greater.</div>
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The party that you belong to is the Party of Jesus Christ. Our identity isn’t in any of these worldly things but is in the One that is the same yesterday, today and forever!</div>
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My hope is built on nothing less</div>
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Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;</div>
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I dare not trust the sweetest frame,</div>
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But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.</div>
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On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;</div>
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All other ground is sinking sand.</div>
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credit: <a href="http://relevant.com/" style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Relevant Magazine</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Psalm 139:13-16</span><br />For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">1 Peter 2:9</span><br />But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light</div>
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More Inspiring stories <a href="http://www.godvine.com/read/">HERE</a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-761424335597909179.post-61758010017239674882014-03-26T19:14:00.002-07:002014-03-26T19:14:27.839-07:0011 Valuable Lessons We Learned from Noah's Ark<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXj1vMj6MsRroAlEur_R29Al0_OAdyd2bbB9pK7sk7_xCJ55ZSDhx1GkgpXUXP3_-SDAwsLQRKL8kYG27YdMN4lArgIHOuzTH45mLWpAxeF3UVvAA_w4-K8xr7NeNdb-b2ZQ3bUHr4bT3X/s1600/noahs-ark1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXj1vMj6MsRroAlEur_R29Al0_OAdyd2bbB9pK7sk7_xCJ55ZSDhx1GkgpXUXP3_-SDAwsLQRKL8kYG27YdMN4lArgIHOuzTH45mLWpAxeF3UVvAA_w4-K8xr7NeNdb-b2ZQ3bUHr4bT3X/s1600/noahs-ark1.jpg" height="219" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Everything we need to know about life, we learned from Noah’s Ark…</span></div>
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1. Don't miss the boat.<br /><br />2. Remember that we are all in the same boat.<br /><br />3. Plan ahead! It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.<br /><br />4. Stay fit. When you're 600 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.<br /><br />5. Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.<br /><br />6. Build your future on high ground.<br /><br />7. For safety's sake, travel in pairs.<br /><br />8. Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.<br /><br />9. When you're stressed, float a while.</div>
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10. Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.<br /><br />11. No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Genesis 9:12-15</span></div>
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Then God said, “I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and with all living creatures, for all generations to come. I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth. When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds, and I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures. Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life.<span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">For more inspirational stories..<a href="http://www.godvine.com/read/">CLICK HERE</a></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-761424335597909179.post-5374279432639506692014-03-25T18:46:00.001-07:002014-03-25T18:46:25.604-07:00Homeless Man is an Angel Who Risked His Life to Save Many!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">as told by the sister Carly Reynolds</td></tr>
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Colorado has a large population of homeless people. If you're driving in the metro area, you will probably see a homeless man or woman on the corner of nearly every block.</div>
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My sister drives the same route home every day, getting off the 1-25 highway and exiting onto Colorado Blvd., a large street with about four lanes of traffic on each side of the median. Everyday she passes the same man, who stands on the corner of Colorado Blvd., asking for spare change or a chance at a job.</div>
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One day in particular she was pulled up next to the man, when he began doing something out of the ordinary. He began jogging down Colorado Blvd. Next thing she knew, he had thrown down his sign and started sprinting into the middle of the street.</div>
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That's when she saw the car that was driving diagonally across the 3 lanes of traffic and headed for the median.</div>
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The homeless man, about 35-years-old, ran to the side of the car and attempted to push the car back in the right direction. He knocked on the window of the vehicle, but to no avail.</div>
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He ran across the small median into four lanes of oncoming traffic, gesturing madly for the cars to stop. Thankfully, all 20 cars or so managed to stop just in time to avoid hitting him. The out- of-control vehicle came barreling across the median and across the four lanes of traffic, where just seconds ago cars had been traveling at about 35 MPH.</div>
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The homeless man jumped back in front of the car to attempt slowing it down again. By this time, my sister and several others, were able to pull over and help the man stop the car before it ran into an office building on the other side of the road.</div>
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As it turns out, the woman driving the car had a seizure while driving and passed out in the front seat.</div>
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"Here is a man who most likely spends every day getting ignored by people who are trying not to make eye contact with him so that they don't feel bad not giving him money. Yet he didn't even hesitate to risk his life to save this lady and at least 20 others who would have crashed into her. He didn't expect anything from her and he was back on his corner the next day holding up his sign like nothing had happened. I rolled down my window the next day to praise him and all he had to say was that he thought he could help, so he did."</div>
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credit: <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/" style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Huffington Post </a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">John 10:14-18 </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, <span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><sup style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </sup></span>just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"> “The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">For more Inspiring stories...Click <a href="http://www.godvine.com/read/">HERE</a></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-761424335597909179.post-51043593859020559862014-03-24T17:27:00.003-07:002014-03-24T17:31:28.080-07:00How God Answered A Prayer Using an Ant is MIRACULOUS!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHN1T0wf5vKVSU_kq3mWtN_qzRK0DiZOTGZH0qYanHP5qRmDshbDiXpPtw-ZKy9AFog7JxRADJzb3W1QPQmiGsvPeWiKLJXM328C04FeVswhZGLAapYsSklfWc1Gx9Rno6R1Je60ZX2ukw/s1600/ant-and-contact-lens.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHN1T0wf5vKVSU_kq3mWtN_qzRK0DiZOTGZH0qYanHP5qRmDshbDiXpPtw-ZKy9AFog7JxRADJzb3W1QPQmiGsvPeWiKLJXM328C04FeVswhZGLAapYsSklfWc1Gx9Rno6R1Je60ZX2ukw/s1600/ant-and-contact-lens.gif" height="207" width="320" /></a>Brenda was a young woman who was invited to go rock climbing. Although she was very scared, she went with her group to a tremendous granite cliff. In spite of her fear, she put on the gear, took a hold on the rope, and started up the face of that rock.</div>
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Well, she got to a ledge where she could take a breather. As she was hanging on there, the safety rope snapped against Brenda's eye and knocked out her contact lens.</div>
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Well, here she is, on a rock ledge, with hundreds of feet below her and hundreds of feet above her. Of course, she looked and looked and looked, hoping it had landed on the ledge, but it just wasn't there. Here she was, far from home, her sight now blurry. She was desperate and began to get upset, so she prayed to the Lord to help her to find it.</div>
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When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye and her clothing for the lens, but there was no contact lens to be found. She sat down, despondent, with the rest of the party, waiting for the rest of them to make it up the face of the cliff.</div>
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She looked out across range after range of mountains, thinking of that Bible verse that says, "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth." She thought, "Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every stone and leaf, and You know exactly where my contact lens is. Please help me."</div>
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Finally, they walked down the trail to the bottom. At the bottom there was a new party of climbers just starting up the face of the cliff. One of them shouted out, "Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?"</div>
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Well, that would be startling enough, but you know why the climber saw it? An ant was moving slowly across the face of the rock, carrying it on its back.</div>
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Brenda told me that her father is a cartoonist. When she told him the incredible story of the ant, the prayer, and the contact lens, he drew a picture of an ant lugging that contact lens with the words, "Lord, I don't know why You want me to carry this thing. I can't eat it, and it's awfully heavy. But if this is what You want me to do, I'll carry it for You."</div>
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I think it would probably do some of us good to occasionally say, "God, I don't know why you want me to carry this load. I can see no good in it and it's awfully heavy. But, if you want me to carry it, I will."</div>
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God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called. Yes, I do love GOD. He is my source of existence and my savior. He keeps me functioning each and every day. "Without Him, I am nothing, but with Him ... "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Phil. 4:13)<br />
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For more inspiring stories..Click <a href="http://www.godvine.com/read/">HERE</a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-761424335597909179.post-2082830490745040722014-03-24T05:31:00.000-07:002014-03-24T05:58:54.844-07:00A Rich Man Gave JESUS His House and Changed His Life Forever!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Once there was this very wealthy young man. He lived in a great, elaborate house with dozens of rooms. Each room was more comfortable and more beautiful than the one before it. There were paintings and sculptures; crystal chandeliers; golden, ornate railings on the stairs. More beauty than most have ever seen.</div>
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That evening after he had retired for the night there came a loud knocking at the front door. The young man pulled on his robe and made his way downstairs. When he opened the door, he found that the devil had sent three of his demons to attack the man. He quickly tried to close the door, but one of the demons kept sticking his foot in. Sometime later, after a great struggle, he managed to slam the door shut and returned to his room, totally exhausted.</div>
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"Can you believe that," the man thought. "Jesus is upstairs in my very best room sleeping while I am down here battling demons. Oh, well, maybe he just didn't hear." He slept fitfully that night.</div>
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The next day thing went along as normal and, being tired as he was, the young man retired early that evening. Along about midnight, there came such a terrible ruckus at the front door that the young man was sure that whatever it was would tear the door down. He stumbled down the stairs once again and opened the door to find that were dozens of demons now trying to get into his beautiful home.</div>
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For more than three hours he fought and struggled against the demons from hell and finally overtook them enough to shut the door against their attack. All energy seemed to fail him. He really didn't understand this at all. "Why won't the Lord come to my rescue? Why does he allow me to fight all by myself? I feel so alone." Troubled, he found his way to the sofa and fell into a restless sleep.</div>
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The next morning he decided to inquire of the Lord about the happenings of the last two evenings. Quietly he made his way to the elegant bedroom where he had left Jesus. "Jesus," he called as he tapped at the door. "Lord, I don't understand what is happening. For the last two nights I have had to fight the demons away from my door while you laid up here sleeping. Don't you care about me? Did I not give you the very best room in the house?"</div>
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He could see the tears building in Jesus' eyes but continued on, "I just don't understand. I really thought that once I invited you in to live with me that you would take care of me and I gave you the best room in my house and everything. What more can I do?"</div>
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"My precious child," Jesus spoke so softly, "I do love and care for you. I protect all that you have released into my care. But when you invited me to come here and stay, you brought me to this lovely room and you shut the door to the rest of your house. I am Lord of this room but I am not Master of this house. I have protected this room and no demon may enter here."</div>
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"Oh, Lord, please forgive me. Take all of my house - it is yours. I am so sorry that I never offered you all to begin with. I want you to have control of everything." With this, he flung open the bedroom door and knelt at Jesus' feet. "Please forgive me, Lord, for being so selfish."</div>
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Jesus smiled and told him that He had already forgiven him and that He would take care of things from now on. That night as the young man prepared for bed, he thought, "I wonder if those demons will return. I am so tired of fighting them each and every night." But he knew that Jesus said that He would take care of things from now on.</div>
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Along about midnight the banging on the door was frightening. The young man slipped out of his room in time to see Jesus going down the stairs. He watched in awe as Jesus swung open the door, no need to be afraid.</div>
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Satan stood at the door this time demanding to be let in. "What do you want, Satan?" the Lord asked. The devil bowed low in the presence of the Lord, "So sorry, I seem to have gotten the wrong address." And with that, he and the demons all ran away.</div>
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There is a moral to this tale. Jesus wants all of you, not just a part. He will take all that you give Him but nothing more. How much of your heart have you given to the Lord? Are you keeping a portion of it away from Him?</div>
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Perhaps the attacks are coming more and more each day. Why not let the Lord fight the battles for you? He is always victorious. I have found that God made man simple, all of man's complexities are of his own devising.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Revelations 3:15-21</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span id="en-NLT-30723" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">“I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other!</span> <span id="en-NLT-30724" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top;"> </span>But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!</span> <span id="en-NLT-30725" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.</span> <span id="en-NLT-30726" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top;"> </span>So I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see.</span> <span id="en-NLT-30727" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top;"> </span>I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span id="en-NLT-30728" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.</span> <span id="en-NLT-30729" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne."</span></span></span></span></div>
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For more inspirational stories....Click <a href="http://www.godvine.com/read/">Here</a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-761424335597909179.post-12895848740856442982013-05-17T19:23:00.001-07:002013-05-17T19:23:07.954-07:00A Pastor's Business Card<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: small;">A new pastor was visiting in the homes of his parishioners. At one house it seemed obvious that someone was at home, but no answer came to his repeated knocks at the door. Therefore, he took out a business card that he had printed "Revelation 3:20" on the back of it for just such an occasion, and stuck it in the door. When the offering was processed the following Sunday, he found that his card had been returned.<br /><br />Added to it was this cryptic message, "Genesis 3:10." Reaching for his Bible to check out the citation, he broke up in gales of laughter. Revelation 3:20 begins "Behold, I stand at the door and knock."<br /><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Genesis 3:10 reads, "I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid for I was naked."</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-761424335597909179.post-14790484484969367282013-05-03T19:24:00.003-07:002013-05-03T19:24:46.149-07:00A Ballast for My Soul<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table id="yui_3_7_2_1_1367633991495_2177" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border-collapse: separate; color: #454545; display: table; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; width: 728px; word-spacing: 0px;"><tbody id="yui_3_7_2_1_1367633991495_2176" style="width: 728px;">
<tr id="yui_3_7_2_1_1367633991495_2175" style="display: table-row; vertical-align: inherit;"><td align="left" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1367633991495_2174" style="border-spacing: 2px; display: table-cell;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #454545; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: -webkit-left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1367633991495_2770" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1367633991495_2769" style="display: block; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
Life is like a stormy sea<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1367633991495_2770" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1367633991495_2769" style="display: block; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
That tosses to and fro,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1367633991495_2770" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1367633991495_2769" style="display: block; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
But God's Word will ever be<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1367633991495_2770" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1367633991495_2769" style="display: block; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
A ballast for my soul.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1367633991495_2770" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1367633991495_2769" style="display: block; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
By its truth I'll be held fast<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1367633991495_2770" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1367633991495_2769" style="display: block; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
Till I reach heaven's shore<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1367633991495_2770" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1367633991495_2769" style="display: block; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
Where I will be home at last<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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<br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1367633991495_2770" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1367633991495_2769" style="display: block; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
And sail life's sea no more!</div>
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<br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1367633991495_2770" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1367633991495_2769" style="display: block; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
- <i>Perry Boardman</i></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-761424335597909179.post-78284329633696463712013-04-22T20:44:00.001-07:002013-04-22T20:44:06.738-07:00Remember Love<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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My Italian Grandmother was a wonderful woman. "Nanny" had a loving, vibrant soul that she carried around in a short, heavyset body. She had a passion for life that expressed itself in so many ways. It was in the hugs she gave, the meals she cooked, and the flowers she grew. It was even in the temper she lost from time to time. I think one of the reasons I was never taught Italian by my Dad was he was afraid I might learn the meaning of some of those words Nanny said when she was upset.<br /><br />Nanny raised four sons and then helped my Mom and Dad raise me and my two brothers as well. I always felt blessed growing up in her home as a boy. She worked hard, laughed loud, and was never afraid of what life threw at her. Life wasn't that easy on her either. She suffered from health problems all her life and even survived an operation for a brain tumor. When she fell and broke her hip in her eighties, my Dad was forced to admit that he could no longer take care of her at home.<br /><br />It was with a heavy heart that Dad moved Nanny into a nursing home. She lost weight and was confined to a wheelchair. Yet, even as her body shrunk and withered her spirit stayed strong. The nurses there loved her and her zest for life. Even her Italian temper brought smiles to them as they learned a few "choice" words of Italian from her as well. Our whole family gathered together for her 90th birthday in the nursing home dining room. It was a wonderful celebration of her life and the love we all had for her.<br /><br />Shortly after that birthday, however, life gave her the toughest challenge of all as age and illness started to take her mind from her too. The Dementia grew worse and worse over the last few years of her life. At times when I visited her she didn't know who I was. It was heartbreaking to see her this way. She spoke less and less and stayed in her bed more and more. Sometimes all I could do was just sit by her bed and hold her hand.<br /><br />During one of these visits I was holding her hand while she slept and remembering the person she used to be. My soul was in mourning that life could take everything from her like this. At that moment she awoke. Her eyes gazed up at me and I could tell she didn't recognize me. She looked down at my hand holding hers and instead of pulling hers away, she smiled at me. Then she closed her eyes and went peacefully back to sleep. I could see then that even though her mind didn't remember me, her spirit still remembered love and that was enough.<br /><br />In the end this life takes away everything we have except our love. Our love can never be taken away. It can never be destroyed. It can never be forgotten. Our love is eternal. It makes us one with God. It lives in us all through this life and it lives on into the next. It was my Nanny's love that made her the special soul she was. And it is your love that makes you the special soul you are. Always remember to love then. It is who you are. It is what you are meant for. It is what life is all about.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-761424335597909179.post-34072669600267152922013-04-12T22:26:00.001-07:002013-04-12T22:26:39.221-07:00Please Revive Us<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Dear Lord, I'm sure you must be tired</span><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Of the wickedness of man,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Those you created for your pleasure,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">To enjoy and tend your beautiful land.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Please forgive us, Heavenly Father,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">For indulging sinful, lustful thoughts,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Flashed through our minds by Satan,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">As he slanders our Savior on the Cross.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Please show us each and every one</span><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Sins that we entertain and indulge;</span><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Help us to confess and reject them all</span><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">And turn to you at the Spirit's Holy nudge.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">We seek your forgiveness, Lord,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">That we have failed to display your light,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">To shine your love to others</span><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Who wander in earth's dark night.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">That we have not been salty</span><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">And on your Word stood tall</span><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">To cause the lost among us</span><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">To seek and answer salvation's call.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Clothe your children in the sacrifice of Christ,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Please revive us, correct our hearts anew;</span><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Fill us with joy and Godly love</span><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">That we may please and glorify You.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">~ <b>Joyce Guy</b></span></span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-761424335597909179.post-4018172851749853382013-03-31T01:08:00.001-07:002013-03-31T01:08:42.562-07:00The Humble Servant<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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One day a humble servant of the Lord lost a very dear friend to the scourge cancer. The humble servant felt great sorrow and prayed that he would someday see his friend again. After much time in prayer, the humble servant was confronted by a demon. The demon said to him, "Why do you waste your time in prayer? There is no proof that God exists."<br /><br />The humble servant answered him, "I have faith and that is why I pray."<br /><br />The demon then said to him with disdain, "Faith is no more than superstition. On what do you base this 'faith?'"<br /><br />The humble servant answered, "I base this faith on trust."<br /><br />"Trust in whom?" the demon retorted. "In whom do you have such trust that you would ignore the laws of probability and the laws of science?"<br /><br />"I trust in Christ," the humble servant replied.<br /><br />"In Christ!" the demon exclaimed. "In Christ! Name one thing Christ has done to earn your trust. Tell me please, what has He ever done to earn your prayers? I dare you to name one miracle He has ever performed that has been proven by science to be true. Name it! Name it!" he taunted with glee.<br /><br />The humble servant stood with patience, and then answered with three simple words: "The Church exists."<br /><br />"What?" the demon declared in confusion. "What!" he said again with vexation. "What do you mean 'the Church exists?' Please tell me how this relates to trust. Please tell me how this justifies your wasted time in prayer?"<br /><br />The humble servant calmly explained his answer. "Jesus Christ made a promise--the simple promise 'Upon this rock I will build my Church, and the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.' And now after 2000 years the Church still endures. It endures despite a history of heresies and persecutions. It endures despite the tyranny of despots. It endures despite the laws of probability and the laws of science. What greater miracle is there than this—that the son of a simple carpenter, who lived a life of poverty, and dwelled with the lowly, who never ventured more than a hundred miles from the town of his birth, and who died a criminal's death on a cross, would establish a great and holy Church, and that the teachings of this Church would be spread throughout the world by twelve simple men--men who hid in fear after the crucifixion? Yet in a mere three days after this lowly criminal's death, these twelve sprang forth and proclaimed His word and gave up their lives so that His promise would ring true. And over the centuries thousands of others gave their lives also, so that the Church would go on. The most powerful kings and most menacing armies stood against her, but the Church did not falter. For 2000 years this Church has withstood the test of time, overcoming the greatest of odds again and again. It surmounted the insurmountable. It beat the unbeatable foe. It prevailed through the harshest of storms. I say to you, this Church has shattered the very laws that you exalt. It defied that laws of probability, and it humbled the laws of science."<br /><br />The humble servant continued on, "The existence of this Church is not a myth. The existence of this Church is not a legend. That this Church exists is an undeniable fact. That Christ's promise was kept is an undeniable fact. And if He kept this promise, then how can there be any doubt that He will keep His greatest promise—the promise that was central to His ministry, the promise that said 'If you believe in me, and eat of this bread, and drink of this cup, you shall live forever.' So when you ask 'why do I have faith,' I tell you, it is because I have trust, and nothing that your fair science can offer can break that trust. This is why I pray, so that someday I will enjoy that most sacred covenant of all"--the humble servant paused briefly and then added with solemnity and conviction--"together with my friend!" He then looked the demon right in the eye. "What good can your science and probability offer that is greater than this?"<br /><br />With those words, the demon turned away, never to bother the humble servant again.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-761424335597909179.post-79351901837499088102013-03-16T19:54:00.000-07:002013-05-03T19:42:37.119-07:00Planting Potatoes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="background-color: white;">When I was a boy growing up we had several gardens around our old house. The largest one of all was used just for growing potatoes. I can still remember those potato planting days. The whole family helped. After my Dad had tilled the soil, my Mom, brothers, and I went to work. It was my job to drop the little seed potatoes in the rows while my Mom dropped handfuls of fertilizer beside them. My brothers then covered them all with the freshly turned earth. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="background-color: white;">For months afterward I would glance over at the garden while I played outside and wonder what was going on underneath the ground. When the harvest time came I was amazed at the huge size of the potatoes my Dad pulled out of the soil. Those little seedlings had grown into bushels and bushels of sweet sustenance. They would be turned into meal after meal of baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, fried potatoes, and my personal favorite: potatoes slowed cooked in spaghetti sauce. They would keep the entire family well fed throughout the whole year. It truly was a miracle to behold.</span></span><br />
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<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1363488174081_2131" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />Thinking back on those special times makes me wonder how many other seeds I have planted in this life that have grown unseen in the hearts and minds of others. How many times has God used some little thing that I said or did to grow something beautiful? How many times has Heaven used these little seedlings to provide another's soul with sweet sustenance?<br /><br />Every single day of our lives we step out into the garden of this world. Every single day we plant seeds that can grow into something wonderful. We may never see the growth that comes from the kind words or loving acts we share but God does. I hope then that you always tend the garden around you with care. I hope that you plant only goodness, peace, and compassion in the lives of everyone you meet. I hope that everyday you help miracles to grow.<br />~ Joseph J. Mazzella</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-761424335597909179.post-60627180744369380512013-03-13T01:06:00.002-07:002013-03-13T01:06:21.345-07:00Take Me As Is<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />One of her guests asked her what some of the faults she chose to overlook were. "To tell you the truth," she replied, "I never did get around to making that list. But whenever my husband did something that made me hopping mad, I would say to myself, 'Lucky for him that's one of the ten!'"<br /><br />It's nice to decide what to overlook. In relationships, I get plenty of practice overlooking the foibles of other people. And I suspect they get plenty of practice with me, too.<br /><br />As they hung wallpaper together, one husband became frustrated with his wife. She seemed, to him, to be indifferent about the quality of her work. He felt she was doing a poor job. He finally put it into words this way: "The problem is that I'm a perfectionist and you're not."<br /><br />"Exactly!" she replied. "That's why you married me and I married you!"<br /><br />Miss Perfect certainly did one thing well. She knew how to overlook annoying observations from her perfectionist husband.<br /><br />We human beings are nothing if not flawed and imperfect. But, the point is, people are not meant to without blemish. We're scraped and scarred, flawed on the inside and marred on outside. It's just the way we are. (Sometimes I think it's one of our more endearing qualities.) I never want to forget that "perfect" is only found in the dictionary.<br /><br />All of us sport an invisible sign around our necks -- "AS IS." It means, take me as I am. I may not become what you want me to be. And I'm far, far from perfect. But I have some great qualities, too, as well as my share of faults. You will have to take me "AS IS" and I'll take you that way, too.<br /><br />AS IS will be the best guarantee any of us can offer. But quite frankly, most of the time we're getting a pretty good deal.<br /><br />~Steve Goodier</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-761424335597909179.post-31731629091651943882013-03-09T19:17:00.001-08:002013-03-09T19:17:10.714-08:00You Are My Comfort<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As I look out on to the ocean</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">My heart basks in your devotion</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Your love and blessings are vast as the sea</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Dear Lord you do hear the plea</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Of the sorrowful, and the down trodden</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">A repenting heart's sins are long forgotten</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The raging sea can not sink the ship</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">That's held in your grip</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">You are my anchor that holds</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As the bad times unfold</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">My fountain of joy and peace</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Where life's storms will cease.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">You walk on water, calm the sea with your hand</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Guide me as I go through this land.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">~ <i>Veronica Eudy</i></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0