...home

A boy was sent by his father to urgently buy him food from a restaurant. On his way going, he was in a hurry because of the urgency of the assignment.

However, on his way back, he passed where his mates were playing football. He  slowed down, began to watch the game, gradually slowing down until he finally stopped. He watched for a while and got carried away, he became interested, and indicated his interest in playing, he was invited.

He left the food in the care of some unknown people and entered the field. He forgot the assignment completely and played his heart out. He became the man of the match, dribbled opponents, created chances, scored goals and changed the face of the entire game.

When night came, the owner of the ball picked it up. It was time for everyone to go home; to go back to their parents, the game was over!

It now dawned on the boy after everyone had left that he had actually been sent to buy food by his hungry father. He went to where he kept the food, it had already been eaten by goats and dogs, "but I kept this food with some guys here a moment ago." He said.

He picked the plates, but was no longer happy, all the excitement of the game disappeared, the people clapping for him were all gone, the opponents he was playing against were all gone, the ball itself was gone, time was gone, those selling food were gone, he couldn't buy another!  Regrets took over him, he sluggishly walked home, with tears of sorrow and regrets whilst hiding in the dark.

When people saw him, they asked him why he was crying and hiding in the dark with empty plates! He had left with clean plates full of excitement, but returned with same empty plates, so dirty and stained !  When they asked him "Why he couldn't go home, he said his father will beat him". He knew the implications of a wasted time. So sad, too late.

Hear this: 

1.  We have a home and a Father to return to at the end of life's journey when all is said and done.

2.  Don't be distracted, don't rejoice when people are clapping for you while doing the wrong things, they won't be there when you are to give an account.

3.  Avoid Distractions, we are sent here for an assignment, the Father is waiting for us, this ball we are busy playing, when night comes, the owner will pick it, the crowd will disappear, we'll be left alone to go back and give a report to our Maker. What will you tell Him ?

Think about it.

WHEN THE GAME IS OVER...  WE SHALL ALL RETURN HOME

-samwel ogillo

...center

When I was seven or eight, we lived next to a boarded-up school. We took turns rotating the merry-go-round in the playground for our friends. They'd climb on and grab the rails, and we'd run alongside as fast as we could, pushing.

The bigger kids relished the thrill of hanging out beyond the platform to experience maximum G's. The smaller ones were taught to quit crying by slowly working toward the center pole. The closer you got, the more stability you enjoyed.

This is an important principle. The faster your life goes, the more focused you must be on your center if you're to survive and thrive...  And what or who is the center of your life? It's not you.  It's not your family or career; and it shouldn't be your golf game or favorite sports team. It's must be God.

We often forget or neglect that. Due to the exhilaration of our ride or the sheer panic from its velocity, we hang on for dear life but we never seem to catch our breath. It's time we realign our activities around the security of that "perfect center".  It's time we draw closer to Him.

"Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33) 

God first - God centered.  That's the only way we as Christians can truly live.  

-jim cote

...see

If my eyes could see what His eyes see, perhaps I would not be so quick to judge the brother who has a bad attitude, or the sister who always seems to be struggling. If my eyes could see what His eyes see I would see the pain that may have caused the bad attitude, and heightened the struggle.

If my eyes could see as His eyes see maybe I would be more patient with my children when they act like children. If my eyes could see as His eyes see, I would see the pain I have caused Him with my own childish behavior, and I could also see His patience with me.

If my eyes could see the things His eyes see, I would be less distressed over what is happening today, and more hopeful about what will happen tomorrow. If my eyes could see the things His eyes see, my heart would be full, and my resolve would be strong.

If my eyes could see like His eyes can see I would be more careful of who I condemn and less selective with who I forgive. I would ignore more offenses, and lower my defenses.

If my eyes could see what His eyes can see, I would say less and listen more. I would rush less and really participate more. I would argue less and understand more. I would demand less and accept more. I would criticize less and encourage more.

If my eyes could see as His eyes can see, I could see others the way He looks at me, and then I could live my life like He intends it to be.

"Lord, please grant my eyes to see more like You see, and less like I see. Open my eyes, Lord, and help me see!"

-tom norvell

...wearing

I have two friends who own Princeton University sweatshirts. Al has one because he put in four very challenging years at that university and he graduated from there. The other day, I met my friend, Dave, at the grocery store, and he had his Princeton University sweatshirt on. I said, "Dave, I didn't know you went to Princeton?"   He informed me that he had bought the shirt at a discount store for $12 and he said, "Oh, I didn't go to Princeton, I just wear the shirt!"

In Luke 6:46, Jesus says, "Why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord' and do not do the things that I say?" These folks had the right vocabulary; they knew to say, "Lord."  In fact, they even knew to say it twice, "Lord, Lord."  But something had happened to their commitment. It was just words.

My friend, Dave, who had just bought the shirt at the discount store, hadn't really paid the price that goes with identifying with Princeton. When Al, who graduated from there, wears the shirt, it's backed up by years of sacrifice and work.  There are a lot of people who are proud to wear Jesus' "shirt", but they're not paying the price of living consistently for Him. They've got the "shirt"; but they don't have the life that backs it up.

Alexander the Great was trying a young soldier in his tent who had been accused of cowardice, and he brought this young man in and he said, "Now, young man, what were you accused of?" And the soldier said, "Sir, desertion in battle." And Alexander leaned forward a little bit. He said, "What is your name?" The young man hesitantly said, "Alexander, Sir." And at that point the General leaped to his feet, he grabbed that young man by his collar, and he pulled him up nose to nose and he said, "Young man, either you change your life, or you change your name!"

You are carrying, as a Christian, the name of Christ - the holy name of Christ - on your life. Make sure your life backs up the name you wear.  You see, it's possible you have religion and you have church, but you've missed Christ - because there's never been that moment when you have made Him personally yours, when you personalized what He did on the cross. And every day you wait puts you deeper and deeper into the spiritual danger zone.

As you are reading this today, you really need to evaluate what you truly believe.  You're "wearing the shirt"!!!  You've know all the right words, you've believe all the right beliefs, and maybe you've even said it publicly. But you have never surrendered your heart and your will to Jesus Christ. That reality can be concealed until you see your Lord.

Today tell Him, "Jesus, I want to move You from my head to my heart. I don't want to just believe "about" You, I want to believe in You; I want to commit myself to You.  I want to totally surrender my heart adn will to you!!! 

Today, I encourage you to put aside just "wearing the shirt" and let Jesus become part of your heart, not just your spiritual wardrobe.

-ron hutchcraft

...leaning

Every time I am asked to pray, I think of the old deacon who always prayed, "Lord, prop us up on our leanin' side."   After hearing him pray that prayer many times, someone asked him why he  prayed that prayer so fervently.

He answered, "Well sir, you see, it's like this....I got an old barn out back.  It's been there a long time; it's withstood a lot of weather; it's gone through a lot of storms and it's stood for many years. It's still standing, but one day I noticed it was leaning to one side a bit. So I went and got some pine poles and propped it up on its leaning side so it wouldn't fall.

Then I got to thinking 'bout that and how much I was like that old barn. I've been around a long time; I've withstood a lot of life's storms; I've withstood a lot of bad weather in my life; I've withstood a lot of hard times and I'm still standing, too. But I find myself leaning to one side from time to time, so I like to ask the Lord to prop me up on my leaning side, 'cause I figure a lot of us get to leaning, at times."

Sometimes we get to leaning toward anger, leaning toward bitterness, leaning toward hatred, leaning toward a lot of things that we shouldn't...  So we need to pray, "Lord, prop us up on our leaning side," so we will stand straight and tall again, to glorify the Lord.

We need You, Lord, to give us the strength to stand whenever we get out of balance. In those times, “Lord, prop us up on our leaning side.”

"Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

-david langerfeld

...clear

Some years ago in the late 1930's, radio evangelist Charles E. Fuller  announced that he would speak the following Sunday on "Heaven." It was to be broadcast on radio. During that week he received a letter from an elderly gentleman who was very ill.

Here is part of that letter: "Next Sunday you are going to talk about 'Heaven.' I am interested in that land because I have held a clear title to a bit of property there for over 55 years. I did not buy it. It was given to me without money and without price. But the donor purchased it for me at a tremendous sacrifice.

I am not holding it for speculation since the title is non-transferable. 

It is not a vacant lot. 

For more than a half-century I have been sending material out of which the greatest architect and builder of the universe has been building a home for me.  It will never need to be repaired because it will suit me perfectly, individually, and will never grow old.

Termites can never undermine its foundation for it rests upon the Rock of Ages.  

Fire cannot destroy it. 

Floods cannot wash it away.

No locks or bolts will ever be placed upon its doors, for no vicious person can ever enter that land where my dwelling stands, now almost completed and ready for me to enter it and abide in peace eternally without fear of being ejected.

I can not reach my home in the City of God without passing through the dark valley of shadows. But I am not afraid, because the best friend that I have ever had went through the same valley alone, a long, long, time ago and drove away all the gloom. He has stuck by me through thick and thin since we first met and became acquainted 55 years ago, and I hold His promise in printed form, never to forsake me nor to leave me alone. He will be with me as I walk through the valley of shadows, and I shall not lose my way when He is with me.

My ticket to heaven has no date marked for the journey... no return coupon... and no permit for baggage. I hope to hear your sermon on "Heaven" next Sunday from my home, but I have no assurance that I shall be able to do so.   Yes, I may not be here while you are talking next Sunday, but I shall meet you there some day."  

-david langerfeld

...feed

"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong." 1 Corinthians 16:13

As reported by Chuck Colson in BreakPoint, a recent commencement speaker at Georgetown University, a Catholic school, was Francis Cardinal Arinze, the head of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. In his address Cardinal Arinze told the graduating students that "happiness is found not in the pursuit of material wealth or pleasures of the flesh, but by fervently adhering to religious beliefs."

He also stressed the importance of the family, stating that "in many parts of the world, the family is under siege" saying that "an anti-life mentality [is seen] in contraception, abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia." And that the family is "scorned and banalized by pornography, desecrated by fornication and adultery, mocked by homosexuality, sabotaged by irregular unions, and cut in two by divorce."

And as Chuck Colson said, "Well, that's a very Catholic message one might expect from a Catholic cardinal. But it proved too much for many in the audience. Teresa Sanders, a professor of theology, left the stage during Arinze's remarks. Seventy other faculty members signed a letter to the dean, protesting what one of them called Arinze's 'wildly inappropriate' remarks. Really? As a result, the dean apologized for the Cardinal's remarks and the 'hurt' they caused."

While I don't think too many Christians are against contraception for married couples who take family planning seriously, everything else stated by Cardinal Arinze is certainly Catholic, Christian, and biblical. The opposition from the faculty is alarming for at least two reasons, not the least of which is because of the intolerance of another's point of view that differed from their own in a place of higher learning where every view is, supposedly, to be given a hearing. It seems today in the West that every religion and every message except Christianity is tolerated. This is even of greater concern when this happens in a Christian educational center.

Even more alarming is the opposition of the faculty of a Catholic school who are opposed to some of the basic tenets of the Catholic and Christian faith. One wonders at their ethics in that they are teaching in a school where they disagree with its foundational principles. Why don't they teach in a secular school?

And why is it that those who reject and oppose Christianity don't leave a country—that was founded on Christian values—to live in a pagan land?

Far too many today want the benefits, blessings, and privileges that are based on and built upon Judeo-Christian values, but don't want to accept the responsibilities that guarantee its continuance. Furthermore, they reject the very values that are the foundation of a free society. In doing so, they reject the source of the benefits they enjoy. In other words, they're biting the hand that feeds them—the hand of God!

We cannot have it both ways. We either accept God's directives or go our own way. And whatever we sow we will reap—even if it is eventually.

-dick innes

...know

The older I get the less I know, but I know some things:

I know that I'm a work in process and that there will always be a gap between who I am and who I want to be.

I know that I don't have to be sick to get better, and that every day brings opportunities to improve my life and my character.

I know that it's easier to talk about integrity than to live it, and that the true test is my willingness to do the right thing even when it costs more than I want to pay.

I know that character is more important than competence.

I know that it takes years to build up trust, and only seconds to destroy it.

I know that I often judge myself by my best intentions and most noble acts, but that I'll be judged by my last worst act.

I know that I can't control what will happen to me, but that I have a lot to say about what happens in me.

I know that pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional.

I know that attitudes, both good and bad, are contagious.

I know that winning is more than coming in first, and that there's no real victory without honor.

I know that it takes a conscientious effort to be kind, but that kindness changes lives.

I know that neither gratitude nor forgiveness comes naturally; both often require acts of will.

I know that real success is being significant.

I know that happiness is deeper and more enduring than either pleasure or fun, and that I'm generally as happy as I'm willing to be.

I know that the surest road to happiness is good relationships, and that the best way to have good relationships is to be a good person.

-character counts

...tiny

Some time back I read a statement which really got my attention...

The statement declared that a little, tiny gnat can wreck an automobile. Of course, I wondered, "How?" And the article then explained that a tiny gnat had wrecked a car by flying into the eye of the driver at a critical time, causing the driver to lose control.

The lesson was quite plain: So often in life, little things can do great harm. 

It is easy for us to be like the gnat. Our petty criticisms, murmuring, complaints, and fault-finding can "wreck" the most ambitious person or program.

-david sain

follow

Jesus said, "According to your faith let it be to you."Mathew 9:29

Walt Disney—certainly a creator and fulfiller of dreams—said, "Somehow I can't believe that there are any heights that can't be scaled by a man who knows the secrets of making dreams come true. This special secret—curiosity, confidence, courage, and constancy, and the greatest of all is confidence. When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable."

Living in Southern California, I still like going to Disneyland, and appreciate it more today than ever, knowing that Disney went broke six times and had a nervous breakdown before becoming successful. Walt succeeded because he was a man with a dream of what could be and the determination to make it happen.

As George Bernard Shaw said, "There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why? I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?"

And as Edward Everett Hale said, "I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do."

While none of us may be gifted to be a Walt Disney, a Robert Kennedy, or a Martin Luther King, God has gifted and has a purpose for every one of his true followers. Each of us needs to discover what that purpose is, turn it into a dream and, with God's help, work to fulfill it. In so doing, we, too, will make an impact on at least one other life, and for many of us, an impact on many lives. And then, when we come to the end of life's journey, we will hear God's welcoming words, "Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord."Matthew 25:21

When our dream is a God-given one, we don't have to dream the impossible dream. For with God all things are possible. Not that fulfilling the dream will come easily. In all probability it will be a life challenging task. But think of the ancient Israelites to whom God gave the Promised Land. God didn't hand it to them on a silver platter. Only where they planted the soles of their feet did it become theirs—and they had to battle for every inch of the way. However, had not God given it to them, it would have been an impossible dream-and even today it would be impossible for them to survive without God's protection. 

Let's each claim God's dream he has for us.

-dick innes

...words

"Sticks and stones may break your bones, but names will never hurt you."

Really? Insults, teasing, gossip, and verbal abuse can inflict deeper and more enduring pain than guns and knives.

Ask anyone who, as a kid was fat, skinny, short, tall, flat-chested, big-busted, acne-faced, uncoordinated, slow-witted, or exceptionally smart. In schoolrooms and playgrounds across the country, weight, height, looks, and intelligence are the subject of more taunting and ridicule than race or religion.

And it doesn't get better. Unkind words, tasteless jokes, criticism, and ridicule don't lose their sting when we become adults.

There's nothing new about this. But if we trivialize how damaging words can be, especially to youngsters, the ethical significance of verbal assaults can be lost. When we say words can't hurt anyone, we negate the feelings of those who are genuinely hurt.

Instead of minimizing the importance of words, we should encourage parents and teachers to demand a higher level of respect and greater sensitivity, precisely because words can be so powerful.

Yes, we should try to fortify our children's sense of self-worth so they can bear insults and sarcasm better. And we should urge them not to take what others say too seriously. But it's just as important to teach them that words have the power of grenades and must be used carefully.

-character counts

...point

"The people of this generation ... are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.'"

On a December day back in 1903 at Kitty Hawk in North Carolina, Orville and Wilbur Wright, after numerous failures to fly a heavier-than-air machine, made amazing history. They achieved something that no man had ever done before. Ecstatic, they sent a telegram to their sister Katherine: "We have actually flown 852 feet. Will be home for Christmas."

Overjoyed, Katherine ran down to the local newspaper and pushed the telegram—the greatest news story of the new century—into the hand of the editor. After reading it, he smiled and said, "Well, well! How nice the boys will be home for Christmas."

The religious people of Christ's day who were actually anticipating his coming as their Messiah failed totally to recognize him—and ironically had him crucified—because he didn't come and didn't operate in the way they expected him to.

How sad it is that so many miss the full meaning of Christmas in that they have never thanked Jesus for dying for their sins, nor accepted the most profound and precious Christmas gift ever given ... the gift of the Savior and his pardon for all their sins and his gift of eternal life.

-dick innes

...success

There's a story about a father and son who were in constant tension about the son's casual attitude about finding a job. During a particularly heated argument, the father said, "If you can get a job you enjoy, that's fine. But in the end, a job is the way you make a living."

The son answered meanly, "Well, I want something a lot better than wasting away as manager of a muffler shop."

The mother overheard the conversation and was furious. "How dare you demean another man's life? Your dad's a wonderful husband and father and people look up to him. He gave up on his dream to be a sportswriter so he could give you and your sisters a good home and college educations. He may not be your idea of success, but he's mine." And she handed him a poem by Betty Anderson Stanley:

"He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often and loved much; who has enjoyed the trust of pure women, the respect of intelligent men and the love of little children; who has filled his niche and accomplished his task; who has left the world better than he found it, whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul; who has never lacked appreciation of Earth's beauty or failed to express it; who has always looked for the best in others and given them the best he had; whose life was an inspiration; whose memory a benediction."

-character counts

...line

Christmas time was approaching
Snow was starting to fall
Shoppers choosing their presents
People filling the mall

Children waiting for Santa
With excitement and glee
A little boy tugged my sweater
Looked up and asked me

Where's the line to see Jesus?
Is He here at the store?
If Christmas time is His birthday
Why don't we see Him more?

As I stood in amazement
At this message profound
I looked down to thank him
He was no where around

The little boy at the mall
Might as well have had wings
As the tears filled my eyes
Thought I heard him sing

Where's the line to see Jesus?
Is He here at the store?
If Christmas time is His birthday
Why don't we see Him more?

Where's the line to see Jesus?
He was born for me
Santa Claus brought me presents
But Christ gave His life for me

In the blink of an eye
At the sound of His trump
We'll all stand in line at His throne
Every knee shall bow down
Every tongue will confess
That Jesus Christ is Lord

Where's the line?
Where's the line?
Where's the line for the Lord?
-steve haupt & chris loesch

...again

Year after year with "tireless regularity and eternal patience," God reminds the world every Christmas that he sent his Son, Jesus, to save lost mankind. Christmas is also God's reminder that Jesus is coming back to earth for all who have accepted him as their personal Lord and Savior.

His first coming is an indisputable fact of history. His second coming to end this world age is as certain. According to Bible scholars, there are 1,845 references in the Old Testament and 318 in the New Testament about Christ's coming again. This means for every prophecy in the Bible about Christ's first coming—every one of which was fulfilled in minute detail—there are eight about his second coming!

Jesus is coming again. God has promised this in his Word, the Bible. 

Jesus himself promised it as well. John 14:2–3 

And all the signs that Jesus and the Bible said would immediately precede his return are evident today, also reminding us that Christ's return could be very soon. 

If it were today, would you be ready?

season

The message of Christmas is not about the proclamation of a holiday or the declaration of a season. It is about the proclamation of a Person and the declaration of Salvation. The birth of the child in the manger was an event that prophets had written about, the people of Israel had spoken about, the patriarchs of old had wondered about, and the angels of God shouted about on that glorious night when Christ was born

–roy lessin

bottom...

Dr. Alfred Adler, international psychiatrist, based the following conclusions on a careful analysis of thousands of patients: "The most important task imposed by religion has always been, 'Love your neighbor....' 

It is the individual who is not interested in his fellow man who has the greatest difficulties in life and provides the greatest injury to others. It is from among such individuals that all human failures spring."

True, Jesus did say that we were to love our neighbor as we love our own self, but as somebody else said, "Heaven help your neighbor if you hate yourself." If I happen to hate myself, I will tend to project my feelings of self-hatred onto my neighbor, and while I may not hate him, I will find it difficult, if not impossible, to love him. This is because I can only love and accept others to the degree that I have learned to love and accept myself—in a healthy way, that is.

So, if we are to follow Jesus' example and admonition to love our neighbor (all people), we need to resolve our damaged and negative emotions that block or hinder our loving ourselves so we can be free to love others.

While we are working towards that goal, we can choose to do the loving thing to others even if we don't fully feel that love yet. And what an impact we Christians would make in our homes, places of business, schools, cities, and nation if every one of us would make the commitment every day to love our neighbor, mean it, and practice it. It's still important to do right whether we feel like doing it or not.

Let's pray that we will!

-dick innes

beliefs

Here's a portion of my personal list of beliefs that you may want to pass on: 

• I believe I'm a work-in-progress, and there will always be a gap between who I am and who I want to be.

• I believe every day brings opportunities to learn and to do something meaningful.

• I believe the true test of my character is whether I do the right thing even when it might cost more than I want to pay.

• I believe no matter how I behave, some people will be mean-spirited, dishonest, irresponsible, and unkind, but if I fight fire with fire, all I'll end up with will be the ashes of my own integrity.

• I believe life is full of joys and sorrows, and my happiness will depend on how well I handle each.

• I believe pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional, and if I can control my attitudes, I can control my life.

• I believe kindness really matters, and sarcastic comments and badly-timed criticisms can cause lasting hurt.

• I believe there's joy in gratitude and freedom in forgiveness, but both require conscientious effort.

• I believe what's fun and pleasurable isn't always good for me, and what's good for me isn't always fun and pleasurable.

• I believe no one's happy all the time, but in the end, I can be as happy as I'm willing to be.

• I believe the surest road to happiness is good relationships.

-character counts

...confession

The following is reported to have been written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.

My confession:

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are, Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, "Merry Christmas" to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her "How could God let something like this happen?" (regarding Hurricane Katrina). Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, "I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?"

In light of recent events ... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc., I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem. We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said okay. (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide.)

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. 

I think it has a great deal to do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW."

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. 

Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. 

Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

...needed

I asked for Strength and God gave me Difficulties to make me strong.

I asked for Wisdom and God gave me Problems to solve. 

I asked for Prosperity and God gave me Brain and Brawn to work. 

I asked for Courage and God gave me Danger to overcome. 

I asked for Love and God gave me Troubled People to help. 

I asked for Favor and God gave me Opportunities. 

I got nothing I wanted, but I received everything I needed.

-author unknown

tgu

Keep this philosophy in mind the next time you hear, or are out to repeat a rumor.

In ancient Greece (469 - 399 BC), Socrates was widely lauded for his wisdom. One day the great philosopher came upon an acquaintance, who ran up to him excitedly and said, "Socrates, do you know what I just heard about one of your students...?"

"Wait a moment," Socrates replied. "Before you tell me, I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Test of Three."

"Test of Three?"

"That's correct," Socrates continued.

"Before you talk to me about my student let's take a moment to test what you're going to say. 

1. The first test is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?" "No," the man replied, "actually I just heard about it.""All right," said Socrates. "So you don't really know if it's true or not. 
2. Now let's try the second test, the test of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my student something good?" "No, on the contrary..." So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him even though you're not certain it's true?" The man shrugged, a little embarrassed.
3. Socrates continued, "You may still pass though because there is a third test - the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my student going to be useful to me?" "No, not really..."

"Well," concluded Socrates, "if what you want to tell me is neither True nor Good nor even Useful, why tell it to me at all?"

The man was defeated and ashamed and said no more.

This is the reason Socrates was a great philosopher and held in such high esteem.

It also explains why Socrates never found out that Plato was having an affair with his wife.

-author unknown

...north

"You have circled this mountain long enough. Now turn north." (Deuteronomy 2:3)

Listen to this wonderful challenge from Ruth Graham...    

"Either we can be victimized and become victims, or we can be victimized and rise above it.  Often it is easier to play the victim than take off our masks and ask for help.  We get comfortable with our victim status. It becomes our identity and is hard to give up.  The Israelites often played the victim card, and I love what God finally tells them, 'You have circled this mountain long enough. Now turn north' (Deuteronomy 2:3).   Turn north!  It's time to move on!  Self-pity, fear, pride, and negativity paralyze us. Taking off our masks takes courage, but if we don't do it, we will remain in our victim status and end up stunted."

What about you?

Do you keep talking and talking and talking about something you just can't get over? 

Are you living in the past because you just can't "let it go"?

Do you keep wallowing in self-pity wondering what "could have been"?

Have you discussed it over and over with different people but you've never taken action?

Have you worried and worried about it but you've never done anything?

Are you still living in misery because it's something you can't forgive or forget? 

Have you circled and circled and circled this issue all your life? 

The time has come!!!

You have circled this mountain long enough.  Now turn north!!!

-david langerfeld

...conquerors

We envision a conqueror as one standing atop a hill with head held high, sword thrust high toward the sky and his shout of victory echoing through the land.

From our standpoint, the conqueror has achieved the ultimate. But, according to Scripture, a person can be more than a conqueror.  Paul straightforwardly announces that in Christ we are more than conquerors over hardship, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, or sword. (Romans 8:35-37)

We would be satisfied with being conquerors - and the promise that we are in Christ is powerful in and of itself. However, the addition of the words "more than" reveals we who are in Christ.  We are not to settle for being merely a conqueror. We are to be MORE than one!  How?

A careful reading of the verse within its context reveals that the question, "How", is the wrong question. The verse is not a "how to" verse.  It is an emphatic affirmation - it says, "WE ARE."  It tells us why are we more than conquerors, not how to become so. Therefore, we need this passage to speak to us anew, allowing its abundant truth to sink deep into our hearts. Then we can begin living like people who are "more than conquerors," rather than a people just trying to somehow make it through.

1. We are more than conquerors because we are in Christ, who loved us!  Paul was careful to use "loved" rather than "love," for by using the past tense he points to the cross. On the cross Christ showed us the full extent of His love, conquering sin once and for all! And there is nothing that can separate us from that love. For us the cross is the symbol of victory.  
2. We are more than conquerors because the very things that could defeat and destroy us, God transforms into things that accomplish His good."And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and live according to His purpose."Romans 8:28  Be sure not to define "good" from a human, earthly perspective. Doing so is a gross misuse of this great truth. Good for God's people is always to be understood from God's perspective. God alone is good and therefore good has to do with holiness. It does not say that God causes all things, but that He uses all things for our good, for our holiness.
3. We are not only more than conquerors over "these things," but in them and through them as well. The assaults, troubles, hardships, and hurts of this life do not have the final say, Christ does.  "Greater is He that is in us than He that is in the world."1 John 4:4 And He is able to make all things work for good in our lives! All things!

With the quiet assurance that all things will accomplish God's good in our lives and the peaceful confidence that nothing can separate us from His love in Christ Jesus our Lord, we are more than conquerors!

We are conquerors who humbly and readily acknowledge that we are so only in Christ, not by anything in ourselves. We are conquerors who do not lord it over others, but serve in Jesus name.

We are conquerors who glory in Jesus Christ and Him crucified wherein our victory lies!

We are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus!

-gerald whetstone

...change

I'm going to change.  

More than that, God is going to help me change.  

He is helping me grow and be a better person. 

My past ended a minute ago and I'm looking ahead to new beginnings and a new hope in all God is.

I'm going to be kinder and less critical. 

I'm going to be less vocal and listen more. 

I'm going to talk Jesus to every single person I meet. 

I'm going to be more joyful and not operate so much on emotions and circumstances. 

I'm going to claim God's blessing in my life and let him work a miracle in me.

I'm going to smile and see Jesus in every face I meet. 

I'm going to stop and think before I open my mouth

I'm going to do this in order to ensure my words are uplifting, loving, compassionate and forgiving. 

I'm going to share and give to those in need. 

I'm going to find joy in my life regardless of what happens or why.

I'm going to try harder to understand nothing is impossible for those who believe God is all He promises He will be. 

I'm going to spend more time with those I love and to keep a promise when I make one. 

I'm going to remember and practice prayer.  

It is, after all, my chosen time to spend time with my Savior. 

I'm going to sit quietly and listen when others need a shoulder to lean on. 

I'm goimg to be more supportive, sympathetic and encouraging to the cross others carry and not be so critical and judgmental. 

I'm going to try and grasp that I'm never too old to learn something new and remember that God works in unusual and strange ways. 

I'm going to be receptive and approachable and try to remember that we are all works in progress.

I'm going to be more forgiving and hopefully, with God's help, I can put it all behind me and learn from every single thing that happens. 

I'm going to remember I'm not perfect but through God I can do all things.

I'm going to change.  Thank goodness God considers me a work in progress. 

I know I have a ways to go but God considers me valuable and wants me to meet my potential. 

He sees value in me and is willing to spend time on me and with me. 

His commitment to me is 100% and I'm placing all my hope on that.

Remember God doesn't make junk and he is helping me change. 

He'll help you change, too, if you will let him.

-melinda clements