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beensetfree

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
The Christmas Gift


A friend of mine named Paul received an automobile from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin was walking around the shiny new car, admiring it. "Is this your car, Mister?" he asked.

Paul nodded. "My brother gave it to me for Christmas." The boy was astounded. "You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn't cost you nothing? Boy, I wish..." He hesitated.

Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the lad said jarred Paul all the way down to his heels.

"I wish," the boy went on, "that I could be a brother like that."

Paul looked at the boy in astonishment, then impulsively he added, "Would you like to take a ride in my automobile?"

"Oh yes, I'd love that."

After a short ride, the boy turned and with his eyes aglow, said, "Mister, would you mind driving in front on my house?"

Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the lad wanted. He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big automobile. But Paul was wrong again. "Will you stop where those two steps are?" the boy asked.

He ran up the steps. Then in a little while Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled brother. He sat him down on the bottom step, then sort of squeezed up against him and pointed to the car.

"There she is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn't cost him a cent. And some day I'm gonna give you one just like it... then you can see for yourself all the pretty things in the Christmas windows that I've been trying to tell you about."

Paul got out and lifted the lad to the front seat of his car. The shingled-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began a memorable holiday ride.

That Christmas Eve, Paul learned what Jesus meant when he had said, "It's more blessed to give...."
 

beensetfree

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset

Cindy's Fear


Like a captive bird my heart is beating,
Lord because of you;
It's pounding out a message Lord,
Please tell me what to do.
I feel I need to know you more,
And understand your ways;
But Lord there is fearfulness,
So in my ways I stay.
I know this fear is not of you,
But only in my mind;
So Lord please bind, and break this fear,
And make me wholely thine.
Please help me Lord to understand,
You love me warts and all;
Help me Lord to come to you,
When I hear your call
 

beensetfree

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
Creator

I gave you the flowers to show you I am the creator,
but instead you worshiped the flowers and not the creator.
I wanted to give you love but you chose sin.
I offered to cleanse your heart, but you were content with evil.

I wanted to give you joy but you said there is no such thing.
I wanted to comfort you but you pushed me away.
I told you I would always be here for you, but you never searched for me.
I hung to the tree and suffered the lowest death for you,
but you laughed and walked away.

I sent my children to you time and time again when you were in need of me. And you always refused me. In the end I wanted to heal you but your pride wouldn't let me. So now please don't look so surprised that my heart is breaking and tears fill my eyes.

I love you and I'm not the one who chose this for you. I offered you eternal life. But you o' foolish you chose death. Depart from me ye that work iniquity.
 

beensetfree

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
Christmas Wish



It was Christmas Eve and the lord looked down from above at all His children. It had been nearly two thousand years since the birth of His son and turning to His youngest angel the Lord said:
"Go down to the earth and bring back to me the one thing that best represents everything good that has been done in the name of this day."

The angel bowed to the Lord and spreading his wings, descended from heaven to the world of man, all the while contemplating his mission. So much had been done in the name of honoring the birth of the Christ Child. For this day, wars had temporarily ceased, cathedrals had been built and great novels had been written. With so little time, what could he possibly find to represent all this?

As he soared above the earth, he suddenly heard the sound of church bells below. Their tone was so beautiful that it reminded him of the voice of God. Looking down, he saw a small church whose bells were ringing out the carol, Silent Night.

As the final note died away, it was replaced by one lone voice singing inside the church. It was shortly joined by a second voice that embraced the first in perfect harmony, and then another until a choir of voices rose through the night. Enchanted by the magic of what he was hearing, the angel found himself listening until the song was finished.

As he resumed his flight through the night, he was delighted to hear these sounds everywhere, from the largest cities to the smallest villages. He heard melodies from massive orchestras and in the voices of single soldiers alone at their post. And any place where he heard these songs, he found hope in the hearts of men.

Grasping a song out of the air, he held it in his hand (angels are able to do this) and thought that maybe, these songs could be the one thing that best represented Christmas. They seemed to give voice to man's greatest joys as well as hope to those deepest in despair. But, though at first glance it appeared to be the answer he sought, his heart told him that this music alone was not enough. There had to be something more.

So, he continued his flight through the night until he suddenly felt the touch of a father's prayer on its way to heaven. Once again looking downward, he saw a man who was praying for his child whom he had not heard from in a long time and who would not be home that Christmas. Seizing upon the prayer, the angel followed it until it reached the lost child.

She was standing on a corner, in a quiet snowfall, looking very small in a very large city. Across from her was an old city bar, the kind that only the lost seemed to know how to find. The patrons of this establishment rarely looked up from their drinks and so seemed not to notice the young woman.

Now, the bartender in this bar had been working in there longer than anyone could remember. He believed in nothing except his bar and his cash register. He had never married, never took a vacation and as matter of fact, had never been seen out from behind his counter by most of his patrons. He was there when they arrived and he was still there when they left. He gave no credit and for seventy-five cents, served shots of un-watered whiskey to people who used their drinks like a moat around their lives. For them, he provided a safe, unchanging world.

Suddenly, the door opened wide and into this world walked a small child. The bartender could not remember the last time that a child had been in this place, but before he could ask the child what he was doing there, the child asked him if he knew that there was a girl outside their door who could not get home. Glancing out the window, he saw the girl standing across the street.

Turning back to the child, the bartender asked him how he knew this. The child replied "That on this night of all nights, if one could be home, they'd be already there."

The bartender looked back toward the young woman as he reflected on what the child had said. After several seconds of thought, he slowly went over to the cash register and removing most of the money, came out from behind the bar and followed the child across the street. Everyone in the bar watched as he spoke with the girl.

After a few moments, he called over a cab, put the girl inside and told the driver: "J.F.K. Airport." As the cab pulled away, he looked around for the child, but the child was gone. And what was stranger still, even though his own tracks leading from the bar were still clearly marked in the snow, the child's were nowhere to be found.

Returning back inside, he asked if anyone had seen where the child had gone, but like himself, no one had, for they also had been watching the departing cab. And then, some would later say that the most miraculous thing of all happened, when for the rest of the night, no one paid for a drink.

Later that night, the angel returned back to heaven and placed in the Lord's hand the wish of a soul for the happiness of another. And as the heavenly host looked on, the Lord smiled.
 

beensetfree

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
Cleaning Out


Whew! It was tough, but we got it done. Instead of waiting till Spring, we launched into cleaning out the garage and the attic. It seemed like a good time -- it was the right temperature, we were going to have to put away the Christmas stuff anyway, and all of us were home. Sure, it was a big, dirty, ugly job, but we launched into it.

We've gotten rid of a bunch of junk that we were saving for no apparent reason. Anything that hasn't been used in several years is now gone. We either threw it away or set it aside for a resale shop. No more tripping over it. No more arguing about it. No more letting it clutter up our lives. Our garage and attic are neat, clean, and uncluttered. It's a minor miracle.

Now comes the hard part: cleaning out the junk in my heart and head that I've been saving for no apparent reason! It's one thing to get a new start on a new year, a new day, or a new life, but for it to be really new, we've got to put down the old bags of garbage and junk. As Rich Mullins put it in one of his last songs, it often seems "we can't see what's ahead and we cannot get free of what we've left behind" (from the song "Hard to Get").

But we can get free. We can clean out the clutter. We may not know what's ahead, but we can let ourselves go free from what's behind. It's not easy. We're not like God who can forgive the past and then forget it. In fact, the more we try to forget something, the more we seem to remember it. But we can quick picking it up and looking at it. We can set it aside and make room for new things. We don't have to keep tripping over the same clutter. We can clean it out by giving it up to the Lord -- let him forgive it and take lordship over it. But we must give it up -- stack up the bundles of our past regrets, mistakes, sins, and hurts and give them up. It may mean writing all our regrets down on a sheet of paper and burning them or burying them. Or it may mean mentally jotting them down and visualizing Jesus taking an eraser and removing them completely. But we must give them up for us to get on to something new!

I'm not suggesting we simplistically pretend our mistakes and sins didn't happen. We can't stop consequences from our past from sometimes reappearing. But we can quit picking up the problems and "what iffing" them to death! We can quit going over them again and again in our minds. We can clean them out and if we re-find them, or they re-find us, we can consciously give them up again!

Peter denied the Lord three times in his most needed hour. Paul persecuted Christians before he knew the Lord. Neither could completely escape his past. But they chose to set them aside and not live with them. Instead, they chose to live for the Lord and let him take care of the past. As Paul put it, "Forgetting the past and straining toward what is ahead, I keep trying to reach the goal and get the prize for which God called me through Christ to the life above." (Philippians 3:13-14)

So how about the clutter in your heart? Is there anything you need to clean out and throw out so you can go on to the Lord's future for you? Then clean it out and let him help you start fresh and finish strong!
 

beensetfree

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset

History of St Nick.



In 1897, Francis P. Church’s wrote a now-famous editorial in which he told little Virginia O’Hanlon that indeed there was a Santa Claus. "Yes, Virginia," he wrote in The Sun, "there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist…No Santa Claus!" said Mr. Church, "Thank God! he lives and lives forever."

Nearly 1750 years ago, in the city of Patara on the coast of what is now Turkey, one Nicholas was born who became well known for his generosity and his love of children. He traveled to Palestine as a young man, and later became bishop of Myra, a town near his home of Patara. When Emperor Diocletian focused on persecuting Christians, Nicholas was tortured and imprisoned for his faith in Christ. According to tradition, Nicholas was released by Emperor Constantine and later attended the First Council of Nicea in 325 A.D.

Through the years, however, the real Nicholas got lost among legends and traditions. During the Middle Ages, Nicholas became patron saint of charitable fraternities and children, and legends sprouted about his feats of generosity and good will.

After the Reformation, the legend of St. Nicholas died out everywhere except in Holland. When the Dutch Reformed Christians immigrated to the United States, they brought the traditions of "Sinterklaas" with them. St. Nicholas still rides into Dutch towns every November, dressed in his bishop's garb.

Later in Germany, St. Nick would traditionally arrive on his Feast Day, December 6th. A man dressed as St. Nick would go door to door loaded with a giant sack. To those children who had been good during the year, he gave presents. To those who had been bad, a lump of coal was their lot. "How did he do that?" the kids would wonder.

St. Nicholas's red outfit was derived from the red colors bishops wore. The modern version of St. Nick originated in a series of Thomas Nast engravings, which appeared in Harper's Weekly between 1863 and 1886.

This is a season during which we remember that God sent His Son to earth to be born as a little human baby. The Creator of the universe was made subject to all the troubles and difficulties of this life, and to ultimately die for our sins. It is his birth and life we celebrate at this time of year, as the greatest gift of all.

In a way, Mr. Church was correct in his letter to little Virginia. Not necessarily regarding the commercialized Santa Claus who allegedly lives at the North Pole. The original, however, the man who loved children and cared for the poor, that man was real. That Nicholas does live and live forever - for he was a follower of Jesus Christ.
 

beensetfree

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?

How do you mend a broken heart?

We get a lot of prayer requests asking to simply pray for their
broken heart.

So what do you do when you've got a broken heart?

Here are four steps that will help you up that mountain.

1. Occupy 2. Gratify 3. Sanctify 4. Glorify.

Occupy:
Occupy your time, don't sit around moping.

Do something.

Idleness is the soil of self-pity and depression. Get busy.
The best thing that you can do is to do something that helps
others. It's a universal principle that when you start focusing
on helping others, your own problems are diminished.
Don't just stand there, DO SOMETHING!

Gratify:
Write a list of the things you like, then pick three of those
things and put those things in your life - now.
Make sure you can afford them and that they aren't harmful.
When our hearts are broken, we often deprive ourselves of the
things we enjoy. Make an effort to put enjoyment in your life.

Sanctify:
Do good. Don't return evil for evil, hurt for hurt, pain for
pain. Don't wish something horrible would happen to the other
person. Hope for their good fortune in your spirit, and it just
may release your good fortune in your world.

The easiest way to forget someone, is to truly wish them well.

Glorify:
Life is not over. You can live without them. Not only can you
live without them, you can live even happier without them.
It is a matter of perspective. Even with the negative in your
world at the moment, there is something to be thankful for.

There is plenty to be thankful for actually.
Give God the glory for what you have.
You can't be sad and thankful at the same time.
Tell heartbreak to move over.

There is a sermon on www.TheOnlineWord.com called,
"Breaking the 3-Way Tie, How to Break Soul, Sex and Spirit Ties."
If you or someone you know is suffering from a broken heart,
they might do well to listen to it.

A famous comedian said,
"A man isn't a man until he's had his heart broken."

It's not really broken, it's just tenderized.
 

beensetfree

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
What Christmas is all about...



This is what Christmas is all about...

Better bundle up - the goose bumps will freeze you!! I think I need to read this every year at Christmas.

Pa never had much compassion for the lazy or those who squandered their means and then never had enough for the necessities. But for those who were genuinely in need, his heart was as big as all outdoors. It was from him that I learned the greatest joy in life comes from giving, not from receiving.

It was Christmas Eve 1881. I was fifteen years old and feeling like the world had caved in on me because there just hadn't been enough money to buy me the rifle that I'd wanted for Christmas. We did the chores early that night for some reason. I just figured Pa wanted a little extra time so we could read in the Bible.

After supper was over I took my boots off and stretched out in front of the fireplace and waited for Pa to get down the old Bible. I was still feeling sorry for myself and, to be honest, I wasn't in much of a mood to read Scriptures. But Pa didn't get the Bible, instead he bundled up again and went outside. I couldn't figure it out because we had already done all the chores. I didn't worry about it long though, I was too busy wallowing in self-pity. Soon Pa came back in. It was a cold clear night out and there was ice in his beard. "Come on, Matt," he said. "Bundle up good, it's cold out tonight." I was really upset then. Not only wasn't I getting the rifle for Christmas, now Pa was dragging me out in the cold, and for no earthly reason that I could see.

We'd already done all the chores, and I couldn't think of anything else that needed doing, especially not on a night like this. But I knew Pa was not very patient at one dragging one's feet when he'd told them to do something, so I got up and put my boots back on and got my cap, coat, and mittens. Ma gave me a mysterious smile as I opened the door to leave the house. Something was up, but I didn't know what..
Outside, I became even more dismayed. There in front of the house was the work team, already hitched to the big sled. Whatever it was we were going to do wasn't going to be a short, quick, little job. I could tell. We never hitched up this sled unless we were going to haul a big load. Pa was already up on the seat, reins in hand. I reluctantly climbed up beside him. The cold was already biting at me. I wasn't happy. When I was on, Pa pulled the sled around the house and stopped in front of the woodshed. He got off and I followed. "I think we'll put on the high sideboards," he said. "Here, help me." The high sideboards! It had been a bigger job than I wanted to do with just the low sideboards on, but whatever it was we were going to do would be a lot bigger with the high side boards on.

After we had exchanged the sideboards, Pa went into the woodshed and came out with an armload of wood - the wood I'd spent all summer hauling down from the mountain, and then all Fall sawing into blocks and splitting. What was he doing? Finally I said something. "Pa," I asked, "what are you doing?" You been by the Widow Jensen's lately?" he asked. The Widow Jensen lived about two miles down the road. Her husband had died a year or so before and left her with three children, the oldest being eight. Sure, I'd been by, but so what?

Yeah," I said, "Why?"

"I rode by just today," Pa said. "Little Jakey was out digging around in the woodpile trying to find a few chips. They're out of wood, Matt." That was all he said and then he turned and went back into the woodshed for another armload of wood. I followed him. We loaded the sled so high that I began to wonder if the horses would be able to pull it. Finally, Pa called a halt to our loading, then we went to the smoke house and Pa took down a big ham and a side of bacon. He handed them to me and told me to put them in the sled and wait. When he returned he was carrying a sack of flour over his r ight shoulder and a smaller sack of something in his left hand. "What's in the little sack?" I asked. Shoes, they're out of shoes. Little Jakey just had gunny sacks wrapped around his feet when he was out in the woodpile this morning. I got the children a little candy too. It just wouldn't be Christmas without a little candy."

We rode the two miles to Widow Jensen's pretty much in silence. I tried to think through what Pa was doing. We didn't have much by worldly standards. Of course, we did have a big woodpile, though most of what was left now was still in the form of logs that I would have to saw into blocks and split before we could use it. We also had meat and flour, son we could spare that, but I knew we didn't have any money, so why was Pa buying them shoes and candy? Really, why was he doing any of this? Widow Jensen had closer neighbors than us; it shouldn't have been our concern.

We came in from the blind side of the Jensen house and unloaded the wood as quietly as possible, then we took the meat and flour and shoes to the door. We knocked. The door opened a crack and a timid voice said, "Who is it?" "Lucas Miles, Ma'am, and my son, Matt, could we come in for a bit?"

Widow Jensen opened the door and let us in. She had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. The children were wrapped in another and were sitting in front of the fireplace by a very small fire that hardly gave off any heat at all. Widow Jensen fumbled with a match and finally lit the lamp.

"We brought you a few things, Ma'am," Pa said and set down the sack of flour. I put the meat on the table. Then Pa handed her the sack that had the shoes in it. She opened it hesitantly and took the shoes out one pair at a time. There was a pair for her and one for each of the children - sturdy shoes, the best, shoes that would last. I watched her carefully. She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling and then tears filled her eyes and started running down her cheeks. She looked up at Pa like she wanted to say something, but it wouldn't come out.

"We brought a load of wood too, Ma'am," Pa said. He turned to me and said, "Matt, go bring in enough to last awhile. Let's get that fire up to size and heat this place up." I wasn't the same person when I went back out to bring in the wood. I had a big lump in my throat and as much as I hate to admit it, there were tears in my eyes too. In my mind I kept seeing those three kids huddled around the fireplace and their mother standing there with tears running down her cheeks with so much gratitude in her heart that she couldn't speak.

My heart swelled within me and a joy that I'd never known before, filled my soul. I had given at Christmas many times before, but never when it had made so much difference. I could see we were literally saving the lives of these people.

I soon had the fire blazing and everyone's spirits soared. The kids started giggling when Pa handed them each a piece of candy and Widow Jensen looked on with a smile that probably hadn't crossed her face for a long time. She finally turned to us. "God bless you," she said. "I know the Lord has sent you. The children and I have been praying that he would send one of his angels to spare us."

In spite of myself, the lump returned to my throat and the tears welled up in my eyes again. I'd never thought of Pa in those exact terms before, but after Widow Jensen mentioned it I could see that it was probably true. I was sure that a better man than Pa had never walked the earth. I started remembering all the times he had gone out of his way for Ma and me, and many others. The list seemed endless as I thought on it.

Pa insisted that everyone try on the shoes before we left. I was amazed when they all fit and I wondered how he had known what sizes to get. Then I guessed that if he was on an errand for the Lord that the Lord would make sure he got the right sizes.

Tears were running down Widow Jensen's face again when we stood up to leave. Pa took each of the kids in his big arms and gave them a hug. They clung to him and didn't want us to go. I could see that they missed their Pa, and I was glad that I still had mine.

At the door Pa turned to Widow Jensen and said, "The Mrs. wanted me to invite you and the children over for Christmas dinner tomorrow. The turkey will be more than the three of us can eat, and a man can get cantankerous if he has to eat turkey for too many meals. We'll be by to get you about eleven. It'll be nice to have some little ones around again. Matt, here, hasn't been little for quite a spell." I was the youngest. My two brothers and two sisters had all married and had moved away.

Widow Jensen nodded and said, "Thank you, Brother Miles. I don't have to say, May the Lord bless you, I know for certain that He will."
Out on the sled I felt a warmth that came from deep within and I didn't even notice the cold. When we had gone a ways, Pa turned to me and said, "Matt, I want you to know something. Your ma and me have been tucking a little money away here and there all year so we could buy that rifle for you, but we didn't have quite enough. Then yesterday a man who owed me a little money from years back came by to make things square. Your ma and me were real excited, thinking that now we could get you that rifle, and I started into town this morning to do just that, but on the way I saw little Jakey out scratching in the woodpile with his feet wrapped in those gunny sacks and I knew what I had to do. Son, I spent the money for shoes and a little candy for those children. I hope you understand."

I understood, and my eyes became wet with tears again. I understood very well, and I was so glad Pa had done it. Now the rifle seemed very low on my list of priorities. Pa had given me a lot more. He had given me the look on Widow Jensen's face and the radiant smiles of her three children.

For the rest of my life, whenever I saw any of the Jensens, or split a block of wood, I remembered, and remembering brought back that same joy I felt riding home beside Pa that night. Pa had given me much more than a rifle that night, he had given me the best Christmas of my life.
 

beensetfree

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
This tiny piece of paper goes out to all my friends
As this Holiday called Christmas
Brings this year to an end.

It's now a time of hustle
Shopping bags and mistletoe
Putting up your tree, the lights,
And fighting traffic to and fro.

It's Christmas carols and Christmas cards,
It's wrapping gifts and food,
It's saying "Hi" to Santa
That puts us in a festive mood.

But amongst the cheery crowds,
Decorations and the snow,
Lies a very special birthday
Few remember, and some don't even know.

The reason for the season
Is the birth of Someone's Son,
In buying all your presents
Did you remember to buy Him one?

He wouldn't want a razor
Or a fifty dollar tie,
A brand new tool from Sears, heck no
He's not your ordinary guy.

It's Somebody's birthday
But no need to fill that cart
For the gift that you should give Him
Is right inside your heart.

And Christmas is the holiday
When our hearts are filled with Peace
What if we gave that gift all year
At every birthday feast?

Can you imagine having Christmas cheer
With everyone you meet?
Sounds kind of like His birthday wish
Is really ours to keep.

So here is hoping that your Christmas
Is as beautiful and bright
As the stars that shone on Jesus
On that cold December night.
 

beensetfree

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
Days of the Week


Monday - Wash Day

Lord, help me wash away all my selfishness and vanity, so I may serve you with perfect humility through the week ahead.

Tuesday - Ironing Day

Dear Lord, help me iron out all the wrinkles of prejudice I have collected though the years so that I may see the beauty in others.

Wednesday - Mending Day

O God, help me mend my ways so I will not set a bad example for others.

Thursday - Cleaning Day

Lord Jesus, help me to dust out all the many faults I have been hiding in the secret corners of my heart.

Friday - Shopping Day

O God, give me the grace to shop wisely so I may purchase eternal happiness for myself and all others in need of love

Saturday - Cooking Day

Help me, my Savior, to brew a big kettle of brotherly love and serve it with clean, sweet bread of human kindness.

Sunday - The Lord's Day

O God, I have prepared my house for you. Please come into my heart as my honored guest so I may spend the day and the rest of my life in your presence
 

beensetfree

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
There was once a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the
mirror and noticed only three hairs on her head.

"Well, I think I'll braid my hair today", she said.
She did and had a wonderful day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw only two
hairs on her head.

"H-M-M-M, I think I'll part my hair down the middle today",
she said. She did and had a grand day.

The next morning she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw only
one hair left on her head.

"Well, today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail," she said.
She did and it was a fun day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that
there wasn't a single string of hair on her head.

"YEAH! I don't have to fix my hair today!" she exclaimed.


Remember, you may not be able to control what someone says,
does or some of the situations that life throws you,
but you sure can control the way you react.
 

beensetfree

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
Death Row


A letter written to a man on death row by the Father of the man whom the man on death row had killed:

You are probably surprised that I, of all people, am writing a letter to you, but I ask you to read it in its entirety and consider its request seriously. As the Father of the man whom you took part in murdering, I have something very important to say to you. I forgive you. With all my heart, I forgive you. I realize it may be hard for you to believe, but I really do. At your trial, when you confessed to your part in the events that cost my Son his life and asked for my forgiveness, I immediately granted you that forgiving love from my heart.

I can only hope you believe me and will accept my forgiveness. But this is not all I have to say to you. I want to make you an offer: I want you to become my adopted child. You see, my Son who died was my only child, and I now want to share my life with you and leave my riches to you.

This may not make sense to you or anyone else, but I believe you are worth the offer.

I have arranged matters so that if you will receive my offer of forgiveness, not only will you be pardoned for your crime, but you also will be set free from your imprisonment, and your sentence of death will be dismissed. At that point, you will become my adopted child and heir to all my riches.

I realize this is a risky offer for me to make to you -- you might be tempted to reject my offer completely -- but I make it to you without reservation. Also, I realize it may seem foolish to make such an offer to one who cost my Son his life, but I now have a great love and an unchangeable forgiveness in my heart for you.

Finally, you may be concerned that once you accept my offer you may do something to cause you to be denied your rights as an heir to my wealth. Nothing could be further from the truth. If I can forgive you for your part in my Son's death, I can forgive you for anything. I know you never will be perfect, but you do not have to be perfect to receive my offer.

Besides, I believe that once you have accepted my offer and begin to experience the riches that will come to you from me, that your primary (though not always) response will be gratitude and loyalty. Some would call me foolish for my offer to you, but I wish for you to call me your Father.

Love,

The Father of Jesus
 

beensetfree

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
Do It With Class


CLASS is respect for others. It is a deep and genuine respect for every human being, regardless of his status in life

CLASS is having manners. It is always saying 'thank you' and 'please'. It is complimenting people for any and every task that was done well.

CLASS is treating every other person as you want them to treat you in a similar situation.

CLASS never makes excuses for one's own shortcomings, but it always helps the other person to bounce back from their mistakes.

CLASS never brags or boasts about one's own accomplishments, and never tears down or diminishes the achievements of another person.

CLASS does not depend on money, status, success, or ancestry. The wealthy aristocrat may not even know the meaning of word, yet the poorest man in town may radiate class in everything he does.

If you have CLASS, everyone will know it and will have self- respect. If you are without class -- good luck, because no matter what you accomplish, it will never have meaning
 

beensetfree

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
Does God Still Speak To Us?


A young man had been to Wednesday night Bible Study. The Pastor shared about listening to God and obeying the Lord's voice. The young man couldn't help but wonder, "Does God still speak to people?"

After service he went out with some friends for coffee and pie and discussed the message. Several different ones talked about how God had led them in different ways.



It was about ten o'clock when the young man started driving home. Sitting in his car, he just began to pray, "God.. If you still speak to people, speak to me. I will listen. I will do my best to obey."

As he drove down the main street of his town, he had the strangest thought, to stop and buy a gallon of milk.

He shook his head and said "God, is that you?" He didn't get a reply and started on home. But again, the thought, buy a gallon of milk. The young man thought about Samuel and how he didn't recognize the voice of God, and how little Samuel ran to Eli. "Okay, God, in case that is you. I will buy the milk." It didn't seem like too hard a test of obedience. He could always use the milk. He stopped and purchased the gallon of milk and started off toward home. As he passed Seventh Street, he again felt the urge, turn down that street. "This is crazy", he thought and drove on past the intersection. Again, he felt that he should turn down Seventh Street.



At the next intersection, he turned back and headed down Seventh. Half jokingly, he said out loud, "Okay, God, I will." He drove several blocks, when suddenly, he felt like he should stop. He pulled over to the curb and looked around. He was in a semi-commercial area of town. It wasn't the best, but it wasn't the worst of either.

The businesses were closed and most of the houses looked dark like the people were already in bed. Again, he sensed something. "Go and give the milk to the people in the house across the street."



The young man looked at the house. It was dark and it looked like the people were either gone or they were already asleep. He started to open the door and then sat back in the car seat. "Lord, this is insane. Those people are asleep and if I wake them up, they are going to be mad and I will look stupid." Again he felt like he should go and give the milk.



Finally, he opened the door, "Okay God, if this is you, I will go to the door and I will give them the milk. If you want me to look like a crazy person, okay. I want to be obedient. I guess that will count for something but if they don't answer right away, I am out of here." He walked across the street and rang the bell, He could hear some noise inside.

A man's voice yelled out, "Who is it? What do you want?" Then the door opened before the young man could get away. The man was standing there in his jeans and T-shirt.



He looked like he just got out of bed. He had a strange look on his face and he didn't seem too happy to have some stranger standing on his doorstep. "What is it?" The young man thrust out the gallon of milk, "Here, I brought this to you."

The man took the milk and rushed down a hallway speaking loudly in Spanish. Then from down the hall came a woman carrying the milk toward the kitchen.



The man was following her holding a baby. The baby was crying. The man had tears streaming down his face. The man began speaking half crying, "We were just praying. We had some big bills this month and we ran out of money. We didn't have any milk for our baby. I was just praying and asking God to show me how to get some milk."



His wife in the kitchen yelled out, "I ask him to send an Angel with some. Are you an Angel?" The young man reached into his wallet and pulled out all the money he had on him and put it in the man's hand.

He turned and walked back toward his car and the tears were streaming down his face. He knew that God still answers prayers.
 

beensetfree

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
It's Time to Do 42 - You Know You Need To
===========================================================
There is a $4,200.00 first prize for the best results for those
who Do 42 during the January 42. To see the previous winner and
their story, visit www.Do42.com.

I was at the RinGO MaXX class on Christmas Day (yes, RinGO held
class on Christmas Day, you didn't stop eating so why should you
stop exercising?) and a lady (her body was in excellent shape)
said that she had lost 55 pounds since 42 and RinGO. What a
Christmas present to herself!

42 is the amazing 42 day program for cleansing
the mind, body and spirit.

It is time for 42 again. 42 is twice per year beginning on
January 1st and July 1st. It gets easier each time you do it
but the benefit continues to grow.

Why twice per year?

If you read the Bible, you notice that the cleansing and
fasting periods are always cyclical. They repeat. They repeat
over and over again in perpetuity. Why? Because we get clogged
up over and over again in mind, body and spirit.

So at the beginning and middle of the year the divinely inspired
program of 42 is repeated for the rest of your life.

Which by the way if you do 42, the rest of your life is likely
to be longer, more peaceful and more fulfilled?

The bulk of the testimonies are about weight loss but the most
impactful benefits of 42 are not particularly what people see
on the outside, but the changes that are wrought on the inside.

On January 1st the year is new
and it's time for you to do 42.

On July 1st the year is halfway through
and it's time for you to do 42.

Come on, you know that you need to.

www.Do42.com
 

beensetfree

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset

Does Heaven Have A Phone Number?



Mommy went to Heaven, but I need her here today,
My tummy hurts and I fell down, I need her right away,
Operator can you tell me how to find her in this book?
Is heaven in the yellow part, I don't know where to look.

I think my daddy needs her too, at night I hear him cry.
I hear him call her name sometimes, but I really don't know why.
Maybe if I call her, she will hurry home to me.
Is Heaven very far away, is it across the sea?

She's been gone a long, long time she needs to come home now!
I really need to reach her, but I simply don't know how.
Help me find the number please, is it listed under "Heaven"?
I can't read these big big words, I am only seven.

I'm sorry operator, I didn't mean to make you cry,
Is your tummy hurting too, or is there something in your eye?
If I call my church maybe they will know.
Mommy said when we need help that's where we should go.
I found the number to my church tacked up on the wall.
Thank you operator, I'll give them a call.
 

beensetfree

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
Don't Blame It On The Children


Y'know we read in the paper and we hear on the air
Of killing and stealing and crime everywhere
And we sigh and we say as we notice the trend
This young generation, where will it end
But can we be sure that it's their fault alone
I mean that maybe a part of it isn't our own
Are we less guilty who place in their way
Too many things that lead them astray

Like too much money
Too much idle time
Too many movies of passion and crime
Too many books that are not even fit to be read
Too much evil in what they hear said
and too many children encouraged to roam
By too many parents who won't even stay home

Well! Kids don't make the movies
and they don't write the books
They don't paint gay pictures of gangsters and crooks
They don't make the liquor and they don't run the bars
They don't make the laws and they don't buy the cars
They don't make the junk that addles the brain
That's all done by older folk, greedy for gain

Delinquent teenagers? How we condemn
The sins of a nation and blame it on them
But the laws that are blameless the Savior makes known
Now you tell me who's here among us to cast the first stone
In so many cases its sad but its true
The title DELINQUENT Fits older folk too

So Don't blame it on the children!
 
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