*One day a man saw an old lady, stranded on the side of the road, but even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was still sputtering when he approached her.
Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn't look safe; he looked poor and hungry.
He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He knew how she felt. It was those chills which only fear can put in you.
He said, "I'm here to help you, ma'am. Why don't you wait in the car where it's warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson.
"Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt.
As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only just passing through. She couldn't thank him enough for coming to her aid.
Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. The lady asked how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped. Bryan never thought twice about being paid. This was not a job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty, who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way.
He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed, and Bryan added, "And think of me."
He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight.
A few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe. She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home. It was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her. The waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair. She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn't erase. The lady noticed the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger. Then she remembered Bryan .
After the lady finished her meal, she paid with a hundred dollar bill. The waitress quickly went to get change for her hundred dollar bill, but the old lady had slipped right out the door. She was gone by the ti me the waitress came back. The waitress wondered where the lady could be. Then she noticed something written on the napkin.
There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady wrote: "You don't owe me anything. I have been there too. Somebody once helped me out, the way I'm helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let this chain of love end with you.
"Under the napkin were four more $100 bills.
Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day. That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written. How could the lady have known how much she and her husband needed it? With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard....
She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, "Everything's going to b e all right. I love you, Bryan Anderson."
September 27, 2007
September 26, 2007
The A B C' s Of Parenthood
Always trust your child to God ( Matthew 19:14)
Bring them to worship and Bible School (Hebrews 10:25)
Challenge to higher goals in life (Ecclesiastes 9:10)
Delight in their achievements ( Romans 12 :15)
Exalt the Lord in their presence at every opportunity ( Psalms 34:3)
Frown on evil ( Proverb 25:23)
Give them love ( Titus 2:3-5)
Hear their problems ( James 1:19)
Ignore not their childish fears ( 1: Thessalonians 5:11).
Joyfully accept their apologies (Roman 15:7)
Keep their confidences (Proverbs 25:11)
Live a good example before them at all times (Matthew 5:14-16)
Make them your best friends ( Genesis 44:10)
Never ignore their endless questions (1 Peter 3:15)
Open your home to their friends (Hebrews 13:1-2)
Pray for them by name daily ( 1 Thessalonians 5:17)
Quicken your interest in their spirituality ( Matthew 5:13)
Remember their needs ( Philippians ( 2:4)
Show them the way of salvation ( Acts 16:17)
Teach them to work and be responsible ( Timothy 5:8)
Understand they still need you, even when they are older( Psalm 71:18) Verify your statements ( 12:17)
Wean them from bad company ( Proverb 1;10)
Xpect them to obey ( Ephesians 6:1-3)
Yearn for God's best for them ( numbers 6:24)
Zealously guide them in biblical truths ( Proverbs 22:6)
Bring them to worship and Bible School (Hebrews 10:25)
Challenge to higher goals in life (Ecclesiastes 9:10)
Delight in their achievements ( Romans 12 :15)
Exalt the Lord in their presence at every opportunity ( Psalms 34:3)
Frown on evil ( Proverb 25:23)
Give them love ( Titus 2:3-5)
Hear their problems ( James 1:19)
Ignore not their childish fears ( 1: Thessalonians 5:11).
Joyfully accept their apologies (Roman 15:7)
Keep their confidences (Proverbs 25:11)
Live a good example before them at all times (Matthew 5:14-16)
Make them your best friends ( Genesis 44:10)
Never ignore their endless questions (1 Peter 3:15)
Open your home to their friends (Hebrews 13:1-2)
Pray for them by name daily ( 1 Thessalonians 5:17)
Quicken your interest in their spirituality ( Matthew 5:13)
Remember their needs ( Philippians ( 2:4)
Show them the way of salvation ( Acts 16:17)
Teach them to work and be responsible ( Timothy 5:8)
Understand they still need you, even when they are older( Psalm 71:18) Verify your statements ( 12:17)
Wean them from bad company ( Proverb 1;10)
Xpect them to obey ( Ephesians 6:1-3)
Yearn for God's best for them ( numbers 6:24)
Zealously guide them in biblical truths ( Proverbs 22:6)
September 22, 2007
Classroom In School
Come with me to a third grade classroom..... There isa nine-year-old kid sitting at his desk and all of a sudden, there is a puddle between his feet and thefront of his pants are wet. He thinks his heart is going to stop because he cannot possibly imagine how this has happened. It's never happened before, and he knows that when the boys find out he will never hear the end of it. When the girls find out, they'll never speak to him again as long as he lives.
The boy believes his heart is going to stop; he puts his head down and prays this prayer, "Dear God, thisis an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes from now I'm dead meat."
He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher with a look in her eyes that says he has been discovered.As the teacher is walking toward him, a classmate named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl that is filled with water. Susie trips in front of the teacher and inexplicably dumps the bowl of water in the boy's lap.The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while issaying to himself, "Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!"
Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy is the object of sympathy. The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shorts to put on while his pants dry out. All the other children are on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk. The sympathy is
wonderful. But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his has been transferred to someone else - Susie.She tries to help, but they tell her to get out.
You've done enough, you klutz!"
Finally, at the end of the day, as they are waiting for the bus, the boy walks over to Susie and whispers, "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Susie whispers back, "I wet my pants once too."
The boy believes his heart is going to stop; he puts his head down and prays this prayer, "Dear God, thisis an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes from now I'm dead meat."
He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher with a look in her eyes that says he has been discovered.As the teacher is walking toward him, a classmate named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl that is filled with water. Susie trips in front of the teacher and inexplicably dumps the bowl of water in the boy's lap.The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while issaying to himself, "Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!"
Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy is the object of sympathy. The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shorts to put on while his pants dry out. All the other children are on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk. The sympathy is
wonderful. But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his has been transferred to someone else - Susie.She tries to help, but they tell her to get out.
You've done enough, you klutz!"
Finally, at the end of the day, as they are waiting for the bus, the boy walks over to Susie and whispers, "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Susie whispers back, "I wet my pants once too."
September 19, 2007
Sometimes We Wonder..........
Sometimes we wonder, "What did I do to deserve this?" or "Why did God have to do this to me?" Here is a wonderful explanation! A daughter is telling her Mother how everything is going wrong, she's failing algebra, her boyfriend broke up with her and her best friend is moving away.
Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter if she would like a snack, and the daughter says, "Absolutely Mom, I love your cake."
"Here, have some cooking oil," her Mother offers.
"Yuck" says her daughter. "How about a couple raw eggs?" "Gross, Mom!""Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?" "Mom, those are all yucky!" To which the mother replies: "Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake!
"God works the same way. Many times we wonder why He would let us go through such bad and difficult times. But God knows that when He puts these things all in His order, they always work for good!
We just have to trust Him and, eventually, they will all make something wonderful!
God is crazy about you. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning. Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen. He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart.
Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter if she would like a snack, and the daughter says, "Absolutely Mom, I love your cake."
"Here, have some cooking oil," her Mother offers.
"Yuck" says her daughter. "How about a couple raw eggs?" "Gross, Mom!""Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?" "Mom, those are all yucky!" To which the mother replies: "Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake!
"God works the same way. Many times we wonder why He would let us go through such bad and difficult times. But God knows that when He puts these things all in His order, they always work for good!
We just have to trust Him and, eventually, they will all make something wonderful!
God is crazy about you. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning. Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen. He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart.
September 17, 2007
Something To Think About
EVERYONE NEEDS TO READ ALL OF THIS and HAVE CHILDREN READ IT TOO!
After tossing her books on the sofa, she decided to grab a snack and get on-line. She logged on under her screen name ByAngel213. She checked her Buddy List and saw GoTo123 was on. She sent him an instant message:
ByAngel213:Hi. I'm glad you are on! I thought someone was following me home today. It was really weird!Fwd:
GoTo123:LOL You watch too much TV. Why would someone be following you?Don't you live in a safe neighborhood?ByAngel213:Of course I do. LOL I guess it was my imagination cuz' I didn't see anybody when I looked out.
GoTo123:Unless you gave your name out on-line. You haven't done that have you?
ByAngel2 13:Of course not. I'm not stupid you know.
GoTo123:Did you have a softball game after school today?
ByAngel213:Yes and we won!!
GoTo123:That's great! Who did you play?
ByAngel213:We played the Hornets. LOL. Their uniforms are so gross! They look like bees. LOL
GoTo123:What is your team called?
ByAngel213:We are the Canton Cats. We have tiger paws on our uniforms. They are really cool.
GoTo1 23:Did you pitch?
ByAngel213:No I play second base. I got to go. My homework has to be done before my parents get home. I don't want them mad at me. Bye!
GoTo123:Catch you later. Bye
Meanwhile.......GoTo123 went to the member menu and began to search for her profile. When it came up, he highlighted it and printed it out. He took out a pen and began to write down what he knew about Angel so far.Her name: ShannonBirthday: Jan. 3, 1985Age: 13State where she lived: North CarolinaHobbies: softball, chorus, skating and going to the mall. Besides this information, he knew she lived in Canton because she had just told him. He knew she stayed by herself until 6:30 p.m. every afternoon until her parents came home from work. He knew she played softball on Thursday afternoons on the school team, and the team was named the Canton Cats. Her favorite number 7 was printed on her jersey. He knew she was in the eighth grade at the Canton Junior High School . She had told him all this in the conversations they had on- line. He had enough information to find her now.
Shannon didn't tell her parents about the incident on the way home from the ballpark that day. She didn't want them to make a scene and stop her from walking home from the softball games. Parents were always overreacting and hers were the worst. It made her wish she was not an only child. Maybe if she had brothers and sisters, her parents wouldn't be so overprotective.
By Thursday, Shannon had forgotten about the footsteps following her.Her game was in full swing when suddenly she felt someone staring at her. It was then that the memory came back. She glanced up from her second base position to see a man watching her closely.He was leaning against the fence behind first base and he smiled when she looked at him. He didn't look scary and she quickly dismissed the sudden fear she had felt.After the game, he sat on a bleacher while she talked to the coach. She noticed his smile once again as she walked past him. He nodded and she smiled back. He noticed her name on the back of her shirt. He knew he had found her.Quietly, he walked a safe distance behind her. It was only a few blocks to Shannon 's home, and once he saw where she lived he quickly returned to the park to get his car.Now he had to wait. He decided to get a bite to eat until the time came to go to Shannon 's house. He drove to a fast food restaurant and sat there until time to make his move.
Shannon was in her room later that evening when she heard voices in the living room."Shannon, come here," her father called. He sounded upset and she couldn't imagine why. She went into the room to see the man from the ballpark sitting on the sofa."Sit down," her father began, "this man has just told us a most interesting story about you."
Shannon sat back. How could he tell her parents anything? She had never seen him before today!"Do you know who I am, Shannon ?" the man asked."No," Shannon answered."I am a police officer and your online friend, GoTo123."Shannon was stunned. "That's impossible! GoTo is a kid my age! He's 14. And he lives in Michigan !"The man smiled. "I know I told you all that, but it wasn't true. You see, Shannon , there are people on-line who pretend to be kids; I was one of them. But while others do it to injure kids and hurt them, I belong to a group of parents who do it to protect kids from predators. I came here to find you to teach you how dangerous it is to talk to people on-line. You told me enough about yourself to make it easy for me to find you. You named the school you went to, the name of your ball team and the position you played. The number and name on your jersey just made finding you a breeze."Shannon was stunned. "You mean you don't live in Michigan ?"He laughed. "No, I live in Raleigh . It made you feel safe to think I was so far away, didn't it?"She nodded."I had a friend whose daughter was like you. Only she wasn't as lucky. The guy found her and murdered her while she was home alone. Kids are taught not to tell anyone when they are alone, yet they do it all the time on-line. The wrong people trick you into giving out information a little here and there on-line. Before you know it, you have told them enough for them to find you without even realizing you have done it. I hope you've learned a lesson from this and won't do it again. Tell others about this so they will be safe too?""It's a promise!"
That night Shannon and her Dad and Mom all knelt down together and thanked God for protecting Shannon from what could have been a tragic situation.
After tossing her books on the sofa, she decided to grab a snack and get on-line. She logged on under her screen name ByAngel213. She checked her Buddy List and saw GoTo123 was on. She sent him an instant message:
ByAngel213:Hi. I'm glad you are on! I thought someone was following me home today. It was really weird!Fwd:
GoTo123:LOL You watch too much TV. Why would someone be following you?Don't you live in a safe neighborhood?ByAngel213:Of course I do. LOL I guess it was my imagination cuz' I didn't see anybody when I looked out.
GoTo123:Unless you gave your name out on-line. You haven't done that have you?
ByAngel2 13:Of course not. I'm not stupid you know.
GoTo123:Did you have a softball game after school today?
ByAngel213:Yes and we won!!
GoTo123:That's great! Who did you play?
ByAngel213:We played the Hornets. LOL. Their uniforms are so gross! They look like bees. LOL
GoTo123:What is your team called?
ByAngel213:We are the Canton Cats. We have tiger paws on our uniforms. They are really cool.
GoTo1 23:Did you pitch?
ByAngel213:No I play second base. I got to go. My homework has to be done before my parents get home. I don't want them mad at me. Bye!
GoTo123:Catch you later. Bye
Meanwhile.......GoTo123 went to the member menu and began to search for her profile. When it came up, he highlighted it and printed it out. He took out a pen and began to write down what he knew about Angel so far.Her name: ShannonBirthday: Jan. 3, 1985Age: 13State where she lived: North CarolinaHobbies: softball, chorus, skating and going to the mall. Besides this information, he knew she lived in Canton because she had just told him. He knew she stayed by herself until 6:30 p.m. every afternoon until her parents came home from work. He knew she played softball on Thursday afternoons on the school team, and the team was named the Canton Cats. Her favorite number 7 was printed on her jersey. He knew she was in the eighth grade at the Canton Junior High School . She had told him all this in the conversations they had on- line. He had enough information to find her now.
Shannon didn't tell her parents about the incident on the way home from the ballpark that day. She didn't want them to make a scene and stop her from walking home from the softball games. Parents were always overreacting and hers were the worst. It made her wish she was not an only child. Maybe if she had brothers and sisters, her parents wouldn't be so overprotective.
By Thursday, Shannon had forgotten about the footsteps following her.Her game was in full swing when suddenly she felt someone staring at her. It was then that the memory came back. She glanced up from her second base position to see a man watching her closely.He was leaning against the fence behind first base and he smiled when she looked at him. He didn't look scary and she quickly dismissed the sudden fear she had felt.After the game, he sat on a bleacher while she talked to the coach. She noticed his smile once again as she walked past him. He nodded and she smiled back. He noticed her name on the back of her shirt. He knew he had found her.Quietly, he walked a safe distance behind her. It was only a few blocks to Shannon 's home, and once he saw where she lived he quickly returned to the park to get his car.Now he had to wait. He decided to get a bite to eat until the time came to go to Shannon 's house. He drove to a fast food restaurant and sat there until time to make his move.
Shannon was in her room later that evening when she heard voices in the living room."Shannon, come here," her father called. He sounded upset and she couldn't imagine why. She went into the room to see the man from the ballpark sitting on the sofa."Sit down," her father began, "this man has just told us a most interesting story about you."
Shannon sat back. How could he tell her parents anything? She had never seen him before today!"Do you know who I am, Shannon ?" the man asked."No," Shannon answered."I am a police officer and your online friend, GoTo123."Shannon was stunned. "That's impossible! GoTo is a kid my age! He's 14. And he lives in Michigan !"The man smiled. "I know I told you all that, but it wasn't true. You see, Shannon , there are people on-line who pretend to be kids; I was one of them. But while others do it to injure kids and hurt them, I belong to a group of parents who do it to protect kids from predators. I came here to find you to teach you how dangerous it is to talk to people on-line. You told me enough about yourself to make it easy for me to find you. You named the school you went to, the name of your ball team and the position you played. The number and name on your jersey just made finding you a breeze."Shannon was stunned. "You mean you don't live in Michigan ?"He laughed. "No, I live in Raleigh . It made you feel safe to think I was so far away, didn't it?"She nodded."I had a friend whose daughter was like you. Only she wasn't as lucky. The guy found her and murdered her while she was home alone. Kids are taught not to tell anyone when they are alone, yet they do it all the time on-line. The wrong people trick you into giving out information a little here and there on-line. Before you know it, you have told them enough for them to find you without even realizing you have done it. I hope you've learned a lesson from this and won't do it again. Tell others about this so they will be safe too?""It's a promise!"
That night Shannon and her Dad and Mom all knelt down together and thanked God for protecting Shannon from what could have been a tragic situation.
September 14, 2007
Cleaving & Commitment
For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.Genesis 2:24
A lot of people have taken romance to the classified ads these days. One that I ran across points out the need for commitment. It was from a young man who was courting a young lady and it really mirrored our times. It read:
To Mary. My love for you would climb the highest mountain. My love for you would cross the hottest desert. My love for you would cause me to swim the widest stream. My love for you would cause me to die at the stake for you. Love, Jim. P.S. I'll see you Sunday, if it doesn't rain.
That's the way a lot of people are today. Their commitments are about six miles wide and one inch deep. One reason why we have lost romance in our relationships is we don't understand commitment, and we don't practice it in everyday life.
I'll tell you when commitment is really tested-during what I call the "marriage drift." That's what takes a relationship from the balcony, when you're being swept off your feet, to the battlefield, where you turn against your mate.
When God calls a man and woman to "cleave" to one another, He means for them to make a lifelong covenant that could only be broken by death. They leave one relationship (with their parents) and establish a total dependence and commitment to a new person.
Commitment enables two people to get to know each other and to work through life's difficulties when they face them. If you don't have commitment, you're going to find a way out of that marriage relationship. Today it's easier to get out of marriage than it is to get out of a record club.
A lot of people have taken romance to the classified ads these days. One that I ran across points out the need for commitment. It was from a young man who was courting a young lady and it really mirrored our times. It read:
To Mary. My love for you would climb the highest mountain. My love for you would cross the hottest desert. My love for you would cause me to swim the widest stream. My love for you would cause me to die at the stake for you. Love, Jim. P.S. I'll see you Sunday, if it doesn't rain.
That's the way a lot of people are today. Their commitments are about six miles wide and one inch deep. One reason why we have lost romance in our relationships is we don't understand commitment, and we don't practice it in everyday life.
I'll tell you when commitment is really tested-during what I call the "marriage drift." That's what takes a relationship from the balcony, when you're being swept off your feet, to the battlefield, where you turn against your mate.
When God calls a man and woman to "cleave" to one another, He means for them to make a lifelong covenant that could only be broken by death. They leave one relationship (with their parents) and establish a total dependence and commitment to a new person.
Commitment enables two people to get to know each other and to work through life's difficulties when they face them. If you don't have commitment, you're going to find a way out of that marriage relationship. Today it's easier to get out of marriage than it is to get out of a record club.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)