QUOTES FOR YOU

When we cannot see the sunshine of God's face, it is blessed to cower down beneath the shadow of his wings || Charles Haddon Spurgeon

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Swim through your temptations and troubles. Run to the promises; they are our Lord's branches hanging over the water so that His children may take a grip of them || Samuel Rutherford

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You are valuable just because you exist. Not because of what you do or what you have done, but simply because you are || Max Lucado

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Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense regardless of how it turns out || Barbara Johnson

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As the brook hides the footprints which are imprinted on its soft ooze, so are God's footprints hidden. We cannot detect his great and wonderful secrets. He marches through the ages with steps we cannot track || F. B. Meyer

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A friend is a gift you give yourself || Robert Louis Stevenson

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Friendship is like money, easier made than kept || Samuel Butler

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A friend is one who knows us, but loves us anyway || Fr. Jerome Cummings

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My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me! || Henry Ford

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There are three great friends: an old wife, an old dog, and ready money || Benjamin Franklin

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When a friend is in trouble, don't annoy him by asking if there is anything you can do. Think up something appropriate and do it || E.W. Howe

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Lost people matter to God, and so they must matter to us || Keith Wright

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Some wish to live within the sound of a chapel bell; I wish to run a rescue mission within a yard of hell || C.T. Studd

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If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him || C.T. Studd

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No one has the right to hear the gospel twice, while there remains someone who has not heard it once || Oswald J. Smith

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I have often regretted my speech, never my silence ||  Anonymous

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The only weapon that becomes sharper with constant use is the tongue ||  Anonymous

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There's nothing wrong with having nothing to say - unless you insist on saying it || Anonymous

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The best time to hold your tongue is the time you feel you must say something or bust || Josh Billings

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I have noticed that nothing I have never said ever did me any harm || Calvin Coolidge

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Some mornings it just doesn't seem worth it to gnaw through the leather

straps || Emo Phillips

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A church is like a bank. The more you put into it the more interest you

Have || Unknown

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Spiritual favors are not always to be looked for, and not always to be

relied on || Amelia E. Barr

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Why not get out on a limb for Jesus? That's where all the fruit is!|| Unknown

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None can believe how powerful prayer is, and what it is able to effect, but

those who have learned it by experience || Martin Luther

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Prayer is a powerful thing, for God has bound and tied himself

thereunto || Martin Luther

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The value of consistent prayer is not that He will hear us, but that we

will hear Him || William McGill

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Prayer may not change things for you, but it for sure changes you for

things || Samuel M. Shoemaker

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Practical prayer is harder on the soles of your shoes than on the knees of

your trousers || Austin O'Malley

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We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties || Oswald

Chambers

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When a man is at his wits' end it is not a cowardly thing to pray, it is

the only way he can get in touch with reality || Oswald Chambers

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The man who says his evening prayer is a captain posting his sentinels. He

can sleep || Charles Baudelaire

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It is not well for a man to pray cream and live skim milk || Henry Ward

Beecher

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In the calmness of the morning before the mind is heated and wearied by the turmoil of the day, you have a season of unusual importance for communion with God and with yourself || William Wilberforce

The Lord's prayer contains the sum total of religion and morals || Duke

of Wellington Arthur Wellesley

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O Lord! thou knowest how busy I must be this day: if I forget thee, do not

thou forget me || Sir Jacob Astley

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Prayer is certainly a high and holy privilege. To think that, as God's

children, we can come freely and boldly to His throne and share with Him our

needs! ... The mature Christian is prayerful in the troubles of life.

Instead of complaining about his situation, he talks to God about it; and

God hears and answers his prayers || Warren Wiersbe

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I know not by what methods rare,

But this I know, God answers prayer.

I know not when He sends the word

That tells us fervent prayer is heard.

I know it cometh soon or late;

Therefore we need to pray and wait.

I know not if the blessing sought

Will come in just the guise I thought.

I leave my prayers with Him alone

Whose will is wiser than my own.

|| Hickok

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Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything

depended on you || St. Augustine

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Paul was in the habit of praying, but he prayed not by mere force of

habit || E. M. Bounds

UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE

I am a mother of three (ages 14, 12, 3) and have recently completed my college degree. The last class I had to take was Sociology. The teacher was absolutely inspiring with the qualities that I wish every human being had been graced with. Her last project of the term was called "Smile."


The class was asked to go out and smile at three people and document their reaction. I am a very friendly person and always smile at everyone and say, hello anyway - so, I thought, this would be a piece of cake, literally. Soon after we were assigned the project, my husband, youngest son, and I went out to McDonalds, on a crisp March morning. It was just our way of sharing special play time with our son. We were standing in line, waiting to be served, when all of a sudden everyone around us began to back away, and then even my husband did. I did not move an inch...an overwhelming feeling of panic welled up inside of me as I turned to see why they had moved.


As I turned around, I smelled a horrible "dirty body" smell, and there standing behind me were two, poor homeless men. As I looked down at the shortest gentleman, close to me, he was smiling. His beautiful sky-blue eyes were full of God's Light as he searched for acceptance. He said, "Good day" as he counted the few coins he had been clutching.


The second man fumbled with his hands as he stood behind his friend. I realized the second man was mentally deficient, and the blue-eyed gentleman was his salvation. I held my tears as I stood there with them. The young lady at the counter asked him what they wanted. He said, "Coffee is all, Miss." because that was all they could afford to be able to sit in the restaurant and warm up; they had to buy something...they just wanted to be warm.


Then I really felt it...a compulsion so great I almost reached out and embraced the little man with the blue eyes. That is when I noticed all eyes in the restaurant were set on me...judging my reaction. I smiled and asked the young lady behind the counter to give me two more breakfast meals on a separate tray. I then walked around the corner to the table that the men had chosen as a resting spot. I put the tray on the table and laid my hand on the blue eyed gentleman's cold hand. He looked up at me, with tears in his eyes, and said, "Thank you." I leaned over, began to pat his hand and said, "I did not do this for you...God is here working through me to give you hope."


I started to cry as I walked away to join my husband and son. When I sat down my husband smiled at me and said, "That is why God gave you to me, honey....to give me hope." We held hands for a moment, and at that time we knew that only because of the Grace that we had been given, were we able to give. We are not church goers, but we are believers.


That day showed me the pure Light of God's sweet love. I returned to college, on the last evening of class, with this story in hand. I turned in "my project" and the instructor read it....then she looked up at me and said, "Can I share this?" I slowly nodded as she got the attention of the class. She began to read and that is when I knew that we, as human beings and being part of God, share this need to heal people and be healed.


In my own way I had touched the people at McDonalds, my husband, son, instructor, and every soul that shared the classroom on the last night I spent as a college student. I graduated with one of the biggest lessons I would ever learn...


Unconditional Acceptance.

RUTH'S VISITOR

Ruth went to her mailbox and there was only one letter. She picked it up and looked at it before opening, but then she looked at the envelope again. There was no stamp, no postmark, only her name and address. She read the letter:

Dear Ruth,

I'm going to be in your neighborhood Saturday afternoon and I'd like to stop by for a visit.

Love Always,
Jesus

Her hands were shaking as she placed the letter on the table. "Why would the Lord want to visit me? I'm nobody special. I don't have anything to offer. "With that thought, Ruth remembered her empty kitchen cabinets. "Oh my goodness, I really don't have anything to offer. I'll have to run down to the store and buy something for dinner." She reached for her purse and counted out its contents, five dollars and forty cents. "Well, I can get a loaf of French bread, a half-pound of sliced turkey, and a carton of milk - leaving Ruth with grand total of twelve cents to last her until Monday. Nonetheless, she felt good as she headed home, her meager offerings tucked under her arm.

"Hey lady, can you help us, lady?" Ruth had been so absorbed in her dinner plans, she hadn't even noticed two figures huddled in the alleyway. A man and a woman, both of them dressed in little more than rags. "Look lady, I ain't got a job, ya know, and my wife and I have been livin out here on the street, and, well, now it's getting cold and we're getting kinda hungry and, well, if you could help us, lady, we'd really appreciate it."

Ruth looked at them both. They were dirty, they smelled bad and frankly, she was certain that they could get some kind of work if they really wanted to. "Sir, I'd like to help you, but I'm a poor woman myself. All I have is a few cold cuts and some bread, and I'm having an important guest for dinner tonight and I was planning on serving that to Him." "Yeah, well, okay lady, I understand. Thanks anyway."

The man put his arm around the woman's shoulders, turned and headed back into the alley. As she watched them leave, Ruth felt a familiar twinge in her heart. "Sir, wait!" The couple stopped and turned as she ran down the alley after them. "Look, why don't you take this food. I'll figure out something else to serve my guest." She handed the man her grocery bag. "Thank you lady. Thank you very much!" Yes, thank you!" It was the man's wife, and Ruth could see now that she was shivering. "You know, I've got another coat at home. Here, why don't you take this one." Ruth unbuttoned her jacket and slipped it over the woman's shoulders. Then smiling, she turned and walked back to the street...without her coat and with nothing to serve her guest. "Thank you lady! Thank you very much!"

Ruth was chilled by the time she reached her front door, and worried too. The Lord was coming to visit and she didn't have anything to offer Him. She fumbled through her purse for the door key. But as she did, she noticed another envelope in her mailbox. "That's odd The mailman doesn't usually come twice in one day." She took the envelope out of the box and opened it.

Dear Ruth,

It was so good to see you again. Thank you for the lovely meal And thank you, too, for the beautiful coat.

Love Always,
Jesus

The air was still cold, but even without her coat, Ruth no longer noticed.

WHITE ROSES

I hurried into the local department store to grab some last minute Christmas gifts. I looked at all the people and grumbled to myself. I would be in here forever and I just had so much to do. 

Christmas was beginning to become such a drag. I kinda wished that I could just sleep through Christmas. But I hurried the best I could through all the people to the toy department. Once again I kind of mumbled to myself at the prices of all these toys, and wondered if the grandkids would even play with them. I found myself in the doll aisle.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a little boy about 5 holding a lovely doll. He kept touching her hair and he held her so gently. I could not seem to help myself. I just kept looking over at the little boy and wondered who the doll was for. I watched him turn to a woman and he called his aunt by name and said, "Are you sure I don't have enough money?"


She replied a bit impatiently, " You know that you don't have enough money for it." The aunt told the little boy not to go anywhere that she had to go get some other things and would be back in a few minutes. And then she left the aisle. The boy continued to hold the doll. After a bit I asked the boy who the doll was for. He said, "It is the doll my sister wanted so badly for Christmas. She just knew that Santa would bring it." I told him that maybe Santa was going to bring it. He said, "No Santa can't go where my sister is... I have to give the doll to my Mamma to take to her". I asked him where his sister was. He looked at me with the saddest eyes and said," She has gone to be with Jesus. My Daddy says that Mama is going to have to go be with her."


My heart nearly stopped beating. Then the boy looked at me again and said, "I told my Daddy to tell Mama not to go. I told him to tell her to wait till I got back from the store". Then he asked me if I wanted to see his picture. I told him I would love to. He pulled out some pictures he'd had taken at the front of the store. He said, " I want my Mamma to take this with her so she don't forget me. I love my Mama so very much and I wish she did not have to leave me. But Daddy says she will need to be with my sister." I saw that the little boy had lowered his head and had grown so very quiet. While he was not looking I reached into my purse and pulled out ahandful of bills. I asked the little boy, "Shall we count that money one more time?" He grew excited and said, "Yes, I just know it has to be enough".


So I slipped my money in with his and we began to count it. Of course it was plenty for the doll. He softly said, " Thank you Jesus for giving me enough money." Then the boy said, "I just aked Jesus to give me enough money to buy this doll so Mama can take it with her to give to my sister. And he heard my prayer. I wanted to ask him for enough to buy my Mama a white rose, but I didn't ask him, but he gave me enough to buy the doll and a rose for my Mama. She loves white roses so very, very much." In a few minutes the aunt came back and I wheeled my cart away. I could not keep from thinking about the little boy as I finished my shopping in a totally different spirit than when I had started. And I kept remembering a story I had seen in the newspaper several days earlier about a drunk driver hitting a car and killing a little girl and the Mother was in serious condition. The family was deciding on whether to remove the life support. Now surely this little boy did not belong to that story. Two days later I read in the paper where the family had disconnected the life support and the young woman had died. I could not forget the little boy and just kept wondering if the two were somehow connected.


Later that day, I could not help myself and I went out and bought some white roses and took them to the funeral home where the young woman was. And there she was holding a lovely white rose, the beautiful doll, and the picture of the little boy in the store.


I left there in tears, my life changed forever. The love that little boy had for his little sister and his mother was overwhelming. And in a split second a drunk driver had ripped the life of that little boy to pieces.

THE BURDEN

"Why is my burden so heavy?" I slammed the office door and leaned against it.

Is there no rest from this life? I wondered. I stumbled to my desk and dropped into my chair, pressing my face into my arms to shut out the frustrations of my existence.

"Oh God," I cried, "Let me sleep. Let me sleep forever and never wake up!" With a deep sob I willed myself into oblivion, then welcomed the blackness that came over me.

Light surrounded me as I regained consciousness. I focused on the source.

The figure of a man standing before a cross.

"My child," the Person asked, "why did you want to come to me before I am ready to call you?"

"Lord, I'm sorry. It's just that... I can't go on. You see how hard it is for me. Look at this awful burden on my back. I simply can't carry it anymore."

"But haven't I told you to cast all of your burdens upon me, because I care for you? My yoke is easy, and My burden is light."

"I knew You would say that. But why does mine have to be so heavy?"

"My child, everyone in the world has a burden. Perhaps you would like to try a different one?"

"I can do that?"

He pointed to several burdens lying at His feet. "You may try any of these."

All of them seemed to be of equal size. But each was labeled with a name.

"There's Joan's," I said. Joan was married to a wealthy businessman. She lived in a sprawling estate and dressed her three daughters in the prettiest designer clothes.

Sometimes she drove me to church in her Cadillac when my car was broken.

"Let me try that one." How difficult could her burden be? I thought. The Lord removed my burden and placed Joan's on my shoulders. I sank my knees beneath its weight. "Take it off!" I said. "What makes it so heavy?"

"Look inside."

I untied the straps and opened the top. Inside was a figure of her Mother-in-law, and when I lifted it out, it began to speak.

"Joan, you'll never be good enough for my son," it began. "He never should have married you. You're a terrible mother to my grandchildren..." I quickly placed the figure back in the pack and withdrew another. It was Donna, Joan's youngest daughter. Her head was bandaged from the surgery that had failed to resolve her epilepsy. A third figure was Joan's brother. Addicted to drugs, he had been convicted of killing a police officer.

"I see why her burden is so heavy, Lord. But she's always smiling and helping others. I didn't realize."

"Would you like to try another?" He asked quietly.

I tested several. Paula's felt heavy: She was raising four small boys without a father. 

Debra's did too. A childhood of abuse and a marriage of emotional abuse.

When I looked at another, I didn't even try. I knew that inside I would find arthritis, old age, a demanding full-time job, and a beloved husband in a nursing home. "They're all too heavy, Lord," I said. "Give me back my own.". As I lifted the familiar load once again, It seemed much lighter than the others did.

"Lets look inside" He said.

I turned away, holding it close. "That's not a good idea," I said.

"Why?"

"There's a lot of junk in there."

"Let Me see."

His gentle voice compelled me. I opened my burden. He pulled out a brick.

"Tell me about this one."

"Lord, You know. It's money. I know we don't suffer like people in some countries or even the homeless here in America. But we have no insurance, and when the kids get sick, we can't always take them to the doctor. They've never been to a dentist. And I'm tired of dressing them in hand-me-downs."

"My child, I will supply all of your needs... and your children's. I've given them healthy bodies. I will teach them that expensive clothing doesn't make a person valuable in my sight." Then He lifted out the figure of a small boy.

"And this?" He asked. "Andrew..." I hung my head, ashamed to call my son a burden. "But, Lord, he's hyperactive. He's not quiet like the other two. He makes me so tired. He's always getting hurt, and someone is bound to think I abuse him. I yell at him all the time. Someday I may really hurt him."

"My child," He said, "If you trust Me, I will renew your strength, if you allow Me to fill you with My Spirit, I will give you patience." Then He took some pebbles from my burden.

"Yes, Lord," I said with a sigh. "Those are small. But they're important. I hate my hair. It's thin, and I can't make it look nice. I can't afford.to go to the beauty shop. I'm overweight and can't stay on a diet. I hate all my clothes. I hate the way I look!"

"My child, people look at your outward appearance, but I look at your heart. By My Spirit you can gain self-control to lose weight. But your beauty should not come from outward appearance. Instead, it should come from your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in My sight."

My burden now seemed lighter than before. "I guess I can handle it now," I said.

"There is more," He said. "Hand Me that last brick." "Oh, You don't have to take that. I can handle it." "My child, give it to me." Again His voice compelled me. He reached out His hand, and for the first time I saw the ugly wound.

"But, Lord, this brick is so awful, so nasty, so...Lord! What happened to Your hands? 

They're so scarred!"

No longer focused on my burden, I looked for the first time into His face. In His brow were ragged scars as though someone had pressed thorns into His flesh. "Lord," I whispered. "What happened to you?" His loving eyes reached into my soul.

"My child, you know. Hand me the brick. It belongs to Me. I bought it."

"How?"

"With My blood."

"But why, Lord?"

"Because I have loved you with an everlasting love." Give the last brick to me."

I placed the filthy brick into His wounded palm. It contained the entire dirt and evil of my life: my pride, my selfishness, and the depression that constantly tormented me. He turned to the cross and hurled my brick into the pool of blood at its base. It hardly made a ripple.

"Now, My child, you need to go back. I will be with you always. When you are troubled, call to Me and I will help you and show you things you cannot imagine now."

"Yes, Lord, I will call on you."

I reached to pick up my burden.

"You may leave that here if you wish. You see all these burdens? They are the ones that others have left at my feet. Joan's, Paula's, Debra's, Ruth's... When you leave your burden here, I carry it with you. Remember, My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

As I placed my burden with Him, the light began to fade. Yet I heard Him whisper, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you." A peace flooded my soul.

TODAY'S INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES

Sometimes, what hurts is not what is said but how it is said. Words spoken with real concern never hurts even if it is hard facts || Huithiang

No problem can stand the assault of sustained thinking || Francois Voltaire

The great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving || Oliver Wendell Holmes

There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet & delightful than that of a continual conversation with God || Br Lawrence

Friendship consists in forgetting what one gives and remembering what one receives || Alexander Dumas

Anything in life that we don't accept will simply make trouble for us until we make peace with it || Shakti Gawain

Experience is not what happens to you. It is what you do with what happens to you || Aldous Huxley

The secret of change is to focus all your energy, not on fighting for the old, but on building the new || Socrates

All glory comes from daring to begin || Eugene F. Ware

There are no hopeless situations; there are only men who have grown hopeless about them || Clare Booth Luce

The first wealth is health || Ralph Waldo Emerson

Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent || Isaac Asimov

Let a man lose everything else in the world but his enthusiasm and he will come through again to success || H.W. Arnold

You can't ring the bells and, at the same time, walk in the procession || Spanish Proverb

The peace I am thinking of is the dance of an open mind when it engages another equally open one || Toni Morrison

Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere || Chinese Proverb

My hopes are not always realized, but I always hope || Ovid

Lying to ourselves is more deeply ingrained than lying to others || Feodor Dostoyevsky

Nothing much happens without a dream. For something really great to happen, it takes a really great dream || Robert Greenleaf

YOUR 12 MAGNIFICENT GIFTS

Life is the only chance you get,

how you live it, what you take from it,

how much you give back,

a joy and a heartbreak,

doing the best with what you have,

loving with all of your heart,

treating all forms of it with respect,

and a wondrous beautiful mystery || C.Yost

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,

When the funds are low and the debts are high,

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit,

Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

To realize the value of one year, ask a student who failed a grade.

To realize the value of one month, ask a mother who gave birth to a

pre-mature baby.

To realize the value of one week, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper.

To realize the value of one day, ask a daily wage laborer with kids to feed.

To realize the value of one hour, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.

To realize the value of one minute, ask a person who missed the train.

To realize the value of one second, ask a person who just avoided an accident.

To realize the value of one milli-second, ask the person who won a

silver medal in the Olympics.

Treasure every moment that you have! And treasure it more because you

shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time.

And remember that time waits for no one.

Yesterday is history.

Tomorrow a mystery.

Today is a gift.

That's why it's called the present!

At the wondrous moment you were born, as you took your first breath, a great celebration was held in the heavens and twelve magnificent gifts were granted to you.

The first gift is STRENGTH. May you remember to call upon it whenever you need it.

The second gift is BEAUTY. May your deeds reflect its depth.

The third gift is COURAGE. May you speak and act with confidence and use courage to follow your own path.

The fourth gift is COMPASSION. May you be gentle with yourself and others. May you forgive those who hurt you and yourself when you make mistakes.

The fifth gift is HOPE. Through each passage and season, may you trust the goodness of life.

The sixth gift is JOY. May it keep your heart open and filled with light.

The seventh gift is TALENT. May you discover your own special abilities and contribute them toward a better world.

The eighth gift is IMAGINATION. May it nourish your visions and dreams.

The ninth gift is REVERENCE. May you appreciate the wonder that you are and the miracle of all creation.

The tenth gift is WISDOM. Guiding your way, wisdom will lead you through knowledge to understanding. May you hear its soft voice.

The eleventh gift is LOVE. It will grow each time you give it away.

The twelfth gift is FAITH. May you always believe.

THE GOLD BOX

Some time ago, a friend of mine punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight, and he became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the tree. Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, "This is for you, Daddy."

He was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his anger flared again when he found that the box was empty. He yelled at her, "Don't you know that when you give someone a present, there's supposed to be something inside of it?"

The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said, "Oh, Daddy, it's not empty. I blew kisses into the box all for you, Daddy."

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged her forgiveness.

My friend told me that he kept that gold box by his bed for years. Whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.

In a very real sense, each of us as parents has been given a gold container filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children. There is no more precious possession anyone could hold.

THE BIG ROCKS OF LIFE

One day, an expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration those students will never forget.

As he stood in front of the group of high-powered overachievers he said, "Okay, time for a quiz" and he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouth mason jar and set it on the table in front of him. He also produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar.

When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?" Everyone in the class yelled, "Yes."

The time management expert replied, "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. He dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks. He then asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?"

By this time the class was on to him. "Probably not," one of them answered.

"Good!" he replied. He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in the jar and it went into all of the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?" "No!" the class shouted.

Once again he said, "Good." Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?"

One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard you can always fit some more things in it!"

"No," the speaker replied, "that's not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all."

What are the 'big rocks' in your life, time with your loved ones, your faith, your education, your dreams, a worthy cause, teaching or mentoring others? Remember to put these big rocks in first or you'll never get them in at all. So, tonight, or in the morning, when you are reflecting on this short story, ask yourself this question:
What are the 'big rocks' in my life? Then, put those in your jar first.

MOONLIGHT RIDE

Jenny was so happy about the house they had found.
For once in her life 'twas on the right side of town.
She unpacked her things with such great ease.
As she watched her new curtains blow in the breeze.

How wonderful it was to have her own room.
School would be starting, she's have friends over soon.
There'd be sleep-overs, and parties: she was so happy.
It's just the way she wanted her life to be.

On the first day of school, everything went great.
She made new friends and even got a date.
She thought, "I want to be popular and I'm going to be,
Because I just got a date with the star of the team!"

To be known in this school you had to have a clout,
And dating this guy would sure help her out.
There was only one problem stopping her fate.
Her parents had said she was too young to date.

"Well, I just won't tell them the entire truth.
They won't know the difference: what's there to lose?"
Jenny asked to stay with her friends that night.
Her parents frowned but said, "All right."

Excited, she got ready for the big event.
But as she rushed around like she had no sense,
She began to feel guilty about all the lies,
But what's a pizza, a party, and a moonlight ride?

Well the pizza was good, and the party was great,
But the moonlight ride would have to wait.
For Jeff was half drunk by this time.
But he kissed her and said that he was just fine.

Then the room filled with smoke and Jeff took a puff.
Jenny couldn't believe he was smoking that stuff.
Now Jeff was ready to ride to the point,
But only after he'd smoked another joint.

They jumped in the car for the moonlight ride,
Not thinking that he was too drunk to drive.
They finally made it to the point at last,
And Jeff started trying to make a pass.

A pass is not what Jenny wanted at all
(and by a pass, I don't mean playing football).
"Perhaps my parents were right....maybe I am too young.
Boy, how could I ever, ever be so dumb."

With all of her might, she pushed Jeff away:
"Please take me home, I don't want stay."
Jeff cranked up the engine and floored the gas.
In a matter of seconds they were going too fast.

As Jeff drove on in a fit of wild anger,
Jenny knew that her life was in danger.
She begged and pleaded for him to slow down,
But he just got faster as they neared the town.

"Just let me get home!
I'll confess that I lied.
I really went out for a moonlight ride."
Then all of a sudden, she saw a big flash.
"Oh God, Please help us! We're going to crash!"

She doesn't remember the force of impact.
Just that everything all of a sudden went black.
She felt someone remove her from the twisted rubble,
And heard, "Call an ambulance! These kids are in trouble!"

Voices she heard...a few words at best.
But she knew there were two cars involved in the wreck.
Then wondered to herself if Jeff was all right,
And if the people in the other car were alive.

She awoke in the hospital to faces so sad.
"You've been in a wreck and it looks pretty bad."
These voices echoed inside her head,
As they gently told her that Jeff was dead.

They said "Jenny, we've done all we can do.
But it looks as if we'll lose you too."
"But the people in the other car?" Jenny cried.
"We're sorry, Jenny, they also died."

Jenny prayed, "God, forgive me for what I've done.
I only wanted to have just one night of fun."
Tell those people's family, I've made their lives dim,
And wish I could return their families to them."

"Tell Mom and Dad I'm sorry I lied,
And that it's my fault so many have died.
Oh, nurse, won't you please tell them that for me?"
The nurse just stood there-she never agreed.

But took Jenny's hand with tears in her eyes.
And a few moments later Jenny died.
A man asked the nurse, "Why didn't you do you best,
To bid that girl her one last request?"

She looked at the man with eyes oh! so sad.
"Because the people in the other car were her mom and dad."
This story is sad and unpleasant but true,
So young people take heed, it could have been you.

THE APPLE BASKET

One day an elderly man entered into a hospital. He was grumpy from being on medication and the nurses thought him to be insane, as he yelled for his wife to get the apple basket. By the time they had checked him into his room the nurses were exhausted from the fight he was putting up.

"Sir you have to calm down we are doing everything we can for you" they would try to explain.

"I don't need your help" the grumpy man would yell "I want my apple basket". He finally slept. The nurses sighed with relief and talked among themselves whether they should call the hospital psychologist about the old man and his obsession with the apple basket.

As they talked and laughed about the situation the wife came in carrying the basket of apples. They looked kind of stunned as she asked if she could see her husband and deliver his basket. Sure, they agreed as they watched her slip past into his room.

Curiosity consumed them over the next few weeks as they tended to the elderly man. He was eaten with cancer and the doctors had given him no hope of survival. He turned out to be a very calm, happy man once he had his basket. His wife, they noticed, would come in with apples and go out with apples and the curiosity grew even more till one nurse couldn't stand the suspense.

One night as he was nearing the end, the nurse sat down in a chair by the wife." May I ask why do you have that apple basket? I just don't understand the significance."

"I am an apple farmer by trade he sighed. From the time I was 20 till the day I do die I will forever have my apples." The nurse nodded thinking she understood. He just likes his work, she thought, assured now he was a little bit crazy.

As she started to leave, the old man asked her to sit down. "At age 20 I was saved, I accepted the Lord as my Savior." Oh no, the nurse thought. Here comes the lecture on religion. The old man continued. "The day I accepted the Lord as my Savior I got this basket, and each time I had a problem or concern that I could not handle, I put an apple in the basket un-shined."

"Why?" the nurse said shaking her head.

"Because it reminded me to give those problems to the Lord for him to shine. See my basket now, he stated. As my problems disappear so do the apples. As I get new problems, ones I cannot handle alone, I put an apple in."

The humble nurse looked into the basket... only one apple was there.

With that, he took a big breath and grabbed his wife by the hand and faded into eternal sleep. The wife paused for a moment and got up from her place to take from the basket the last remaining apple. She whispered in his ear that his reward awaits him in heaven.

The nurse stayed still and asked with tears in her eyes, "what do you think his riches will be?"

The wife knew what they were, eternal life with Jesus Christ. But she could see the concern and sadness upon the young nurses' face and handed her the apple and said "the biggest apple pie you can imagine!"

That was the day the young nurse was "saved," and from that day on she too always had a basket of apples by her bed.

25 TOP BLESSINGS QUOTES

What if you gave someone a gift, and they neglected to thank you for it - would you be likely to give them another? Life is the same way. In order to attract more of the blessings that life has to offer, you must truly appreciate what you already have.

|| Ralph Marston

When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.

|| Willie Nelson

You have the highest of human trusts committed to your care. Providence has showered on this favored land blessings without number, and has chosen you as the guardians of freedom, to preserve it for the benefit of the human race.

|| J. Reuben Clark

Satan cannot win. Why not? Because he has denied God's sovereignty and disobeyed God's law. But Moses was told explicitly, God's blessings come only from obedience. Satan will not win because he has abandoned God's tool of dominion, biblical law.

|| Gary North

Suffer not thy wrongs to shroud thy fate, But turn, my soul, to blessings which remain.

|| Anna Seward

The Bible is one of the greatest blessings bestowed by God on the children of men. It has God for its author; salvation for its end, and truth without any mixture for its matter. It is all pure.

|| John Locke

The blessings we evoke for another descend upon ourselves.

|| Edmund Gibson

The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.

|| Eric Hoffer

The proud man counts his newspaper clippings, the humble man his blessings.

|| Fulton J. Sheen

The unthankful heart... discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings!

|| Henry Ward Beecher

This morning of the small snow I count the blessings, the leak in the faucet which makes of the sink time, the drop of the water on water.

|| Charles Olson

Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.

|| Thomas Paine

Three meals plus bedtime make four sure blessings a day.

|| Mason Cooley

To those leaning on the sustaining infinite, today is big with blessings.

|| Mary Baker Eddy

We believe. We believe in our destiny as a nation. We believe we have been called to do good, to spread the blessings of liberty and encourage the sense of trust upon which free societies depend.

|| Tony Snow

We look forward to the time when the power to love will replace the love of power. Then will our world know the blessings of peace.

|| William E. Gladstone

Kind words are a creative force, a power that concurs in the building up of all that is good, and energy that showers blessings upon the world.

|| Lawrence G. Lovasik

Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself, and know that everything in life has purpose. There are no mistakes, no coincidences, all events are blessings given to us to learn from.

|| Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Men are slower to recognize blessings than misfortunes.

|| Titus Livius

Neither does man have gills for living in a water environment; yet it is not sinful to explore the depths of the oceans in search of food or other blessings.

|| Walter Lang

Never undertake anything for which you wouldn't have the courage to ask the blessings of heaven.

|| Georg C. Lichtenberg

Of the blessings set before you make your choice, and be content.

|| Samuel Johnson

Once you discover that you can, then you must. And it's not easy. You have to take direct steps. You really have to count your blessings and you have to make a decided effort to not get seduced by the blues.

|| Al Jarreau

One of the greatest titles in the world is parent, and one of the biggest blessings in the world is to have parents to call mom and dad.

|| Jim DeMint

Our prayers should be for blessings in general, for God knows best what is good for us.

|| Socrates

TO ALL OUR PARENTS

One of the greatest titles in the world is parent, and one of the biggest blessings in the world is to have parents to call mom and dad.

|| Jim DeMint

THE BLACKSMITH

You perhaps recall the story of the blacksmith who gave his heart to Jesus.

Though living a more Godly life, still he was not prospering materially. In fact, it seems that from the time of his conversion more trouble, affliction and loss were sustained than ever before. Everything seemed to be going wrong.

One day a friend who was not a Christian stopped by to talk to him awhile. Sympathizing with him in some of his trials, the friend said: "It seems strange to me that so much affliction should pass over you just at the time when you have become an earnest Christian. Of course, I don't want to weaken your faith in God or anything like that. But here you are, with God's help and guidance, and yet things seem to be getting steadily worse. I can't help wondering why that is."

The blacksmith did not answer immediately, and it was evident that he had thought the same question before. But finally, he said, "You see here the raw iron which I have to make into horse's shoes. You know what I do with it? I take a piece and heat it in the fire until it is red, almost white with the heat. Then I hammer it unmercifully to shape it as I know it should be shaped. Then I plunge it into a pail of cold water to temper it. Then I heat it again and hammer it some more. And this I do until it is finished."

"But sometimes I find a piece of iron that won't stand up under this treatment. The heat and the hammering and the cold water are too much for it. I don't know why it fails in the process, but I know it will never make a good horse's shoe."

He pointed to a heap of scrap iron that was near the door of his shop.

"When I get a piece that cannot take the shape and temper, I throw it out on the scrap heap. It will never be good for anything."

He went on, "I know that God has been holding me in the fires of affliction and I have felt His hammer upon me. But I don't mind, if only He can bring me to what I should be. And so, in all these hard things my prayer is simply this:

Try me in any way you wish, Lord, only don't throw me on the scrap heap."